Poor Noble Nord’s Adventure

13.1. Subjugation! Rock Wolf

The location of the subjugation request was in the mountainous region to the east of the kingdom.

After leaving the capital and traveling by carriage for four days, we arrived at a place that, in a word, was a world of “gray.”

Rocks lay bare and scattered all around, and in the distance, something like steam was rising. The deep green mountains Nord had imagined were nothing like this.

“Living in a place like this… What do they even eat to survive?”

Elsa, who had followed Nord out of the carriage, murmured as she surveyed the surroundings.

“This is their home, but they apparently hunt down at the foot of the mountain.”

The only green in sight were short, scattered patches of grass and shrubs, just as Elsa had said—there was no sign of any prey.

Even if there was anything, it would likely be small animals like field mice at best.

Nord was able to answer Elsa’s question thanks to the information he’d gathered from other adventurers.

Rock Wolves, living near the mountain’s peak, deliberately chose inconvenient locations to reduce the threat from predators.

Recalling the smug face of the drunk adventurer who lectured him, Nord relayed the same information to Elsa.

“I see… Right, then… there! Phew, that’s the last one, huh?”

With a determined grunt, Elsa unloaded the final piece of luggage from the carriage.

The carriage they’d arranged through the adventurer’s guild left for its next destination immediately.

If they had been able to afford a full charter, they could have left the luggage in the carriage, but as rookies barely making their way, Nord and Elsa didn’t have that kind of money.

The sound of the carriage wheels gradually faded into the distance, and with it went their ride. They’d already informed the driver of their return date, meaning they had to finish the subjugation quest by then.

“Alright… Let’s do this!”

Elsa, now standing with Nord, took a breath and struck the ground with the butt of her spear, her voice full of resolve.

A gust of wind passed through, lifting her red hair slightly.

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There are two major differences between Rock Wolves and Forest Wolves.

The first is the Rock Wolves’ armor.

Their fur, which has hardened into a tough, armor-like covering, offers much greater defense compared to the ordinary bodies of Forest Wolves.

The second difference is in their hunting methods.

Rock Wolves make their homes at high altitudes in mountainous areas. Although this minimizes the number of predators, it also makes food scarce.

Thus, they descend to the foot of the mountain to gather food, before returning to their elevated home.

This means that their hunting efficiency is lower compared to other wolf-type monsters.

To compensate, Rock Wolves form small hunting squads, consisting of around five members, and hunt in scattered groups.

In contrast, Forest Wolves hunt in larger packs of ten or more, often involving the entire group.

However, despite their smaller numbers, Rock Wolves use their defensive armor to hunt effectively, resulting in a higher success rate than Forest Wolves.

For this reason, Rock Wolves are recognized by the Adventurer’s Guild as being more powerful monsters than their forest-dwelling counterparts.

“—Hah!”

With a sharp breath, Elsa’s spear thrust forward, piercing a Rock Wolf.

The spear found its mark between the gaps in the Rock Wolf’s armor, slipping into its body, tearing through muscle, and finally puncturing its heart.

As the spear was withdrawn with a slick sound, the wolf, now lifeless, collapsed onto the ground.

Around them, the carcasses of five other Rock Wolves, including those Nord had slain, lay scattered.

“No signs of reinforcements.”

“Alright, let’s start skinning them.”

Nord and Elsa, both keeping their weapons ready just in case, scanned their surroundings.

After confirming that no other enemies were nearby, they put their weapons away and exchanged a few words.

(…I can’t believe it’s been this easy.)

Nord mused as he began skinning another wolf, the task already familiar by now.

What Nord had feared most when imagining fighting Rock Wolves alone was the possibility of reinforcements.

Although Rock Wolves hunt in small packs, they have a habit of delaying combat when facing a formidable foe, relying on their armor to buy time.

One member of the pack would howl for reinforcements, summoning nearby Rock Wolves to join in and overwhelm the enemy.

Thus, the key to fighting Rock Wolves was to prevent them from calling for reinforcements.

However, when fighting alone, even against a group of just five, it would take too much time to defeat them.

Taking too long would allow reinforcements to gather, resulting in overwhelming numbers.

This was why Nord had judged it impossible to defeat Rock Wolves solo.

But now, look at this.

With just one other person—Elsa—on his side, Nord had managed to easily wipe out the Rock Wolves.

Of course, they hadn’t fought recklessly.

They had taken care to position themselves downwind to launch a surprise attack.

Nord, whose strength lay in defense, acted as bait to draw the Rock Wolves’ attention.

Once the fight began, Elsa, with her superior mobility, launched a surprise attack from behind.

By timing it perfectly, they were able to take down one wolf after another—the moment Nord slew one, Elsa would take out another from the rear.

The leader of the pack, the one responsible for calling reinforcements, would usually move away from the fight to howl.

That’s when Elsa would strike, dispatching the leader before the rest of the pack could react, throwing them into confusion, and allowing Nord and Elsa to finish the job.

They had even prepared a powder made from plants with tear-inducing properties in case the ambush failed.

Their success was due in large part to Nord’s careful use of the information he had gathered.

Still, Nord couldn’t help but be surprised by how much easier the battle had been than anticipated.

Nord plunged a knife into the carcass of a Rock Wolf, starting the process of skinning it.

With skillful hands, he cut into the thin section of armor near the neck, then slit open the belly, allowing him to easily peel off the Rock Wolf’s hide.

Just as Nord finished skinning his wolf, Elsa completed the skinning of another.

Now idle, Nord kept watch, occasionally glancing at Elsa’s efficient work.

Elsa was an exceptional adventurer.

She was around the same age as Nord, and they had registered as adventurers around the same time.

Yet, her spear skills were on par with Nord’s swordsmanship, despite his training to become a knight.

Her quick, agile movements allowed her to surpass even the seasoned Genius’ party they had once teamed up with.

The spear techniques she had displayed against the Rock Wolves were far from ordinary.

The armor of a Rock Wolf is thick. With younger wolves, where the armor is less developed, it’s not too difficult to strike at the gaps.

But the leaders of the packs are older, stronger Rock Wolves, with much thicker armor and fewer gaps.

To be honest, Nord didn’t have the confidence to hit those gaps.

He would have relied on blocking their attacks and then aiming for their unarmored parts.

But Elsa was different.

She consistently aimed for the gaps in the armor of the moving Rock Wolves, her spear striking with deadly precision.

In all three battles they had fought so far, she hadn’t missed a single target.

—Is this what it means to be truly talented?

If Nord were to spar with Elsa, he doubted he could last more than three exchanges.

He analyzed the difference in their abilities with cold detachment.

Yet, strangely, he felt no jealousy.

Rather, he felt fortunate to have the chance to team up with her.

Nord chuckled at his own thoughts after the battle.

Elsa had just finished skinning the last Rock Wolf.

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