17 – Winter Hunt
＜Chapter 17 – Winter Hunt＞
Gray Matap.
The Path through the Campus.
Ever since the coming-of-age ceremony, there had been something bothering me.
“No friends came on the day of the coming-of-age ceremony.”
The coming-of-age ceremony is an important event in one’s life.
But they didn’t come.
I walked slowly and arrived near the restaurant.
At this time, most students would be here.
As I looked around while walking,
I caught sight of my younger sister.
The grassy area near the restaurant.
A group of students were enjoying their leisurely lunch break.
And at the center of it all was Elena.
“I worried for nothing.”
I even considered the possibility of bullying, but it was all in vain.
Elena was getting along well with her friends.
“Now that I’ve checked on my sister, should I go back to the riverside?”
***
Frontier Mansion, 3rd floor.
Brida read the letter.
“200 slaves are receiving training?”
“This is the basic training that the Self-Defense Corps receives. It seems that the continent-born individuals have never had the experience of facing monsters.”
“Whether it’s basic training or whatever, it’s still training, right?”
“That’s right.”
Brida unfolded the letter again and read it carefully.
Elwin owns a total of 500 slaves.
There are 200 households in terms of furniture.
He brought in more slaves and expanded one more cultivated land.
There are a total of two cultivated lands.
100 households were assigned to each cultivated land.
So far, it’s fine.
The problem lies in the next part.
One person from each household was selected for training.
100 people were grouped together and appointed as administrators.
Of course, it was indeed basic training for the Self-Defense Corps, as Anna said.
“But will it be the same in an emergency?”
The administrators become commanders,
and the 200 selected slaves become soldiers.
It hasn’t been a year since Elwin arrived at the river.
But already, he has gathered 200 soldiers.
“What is the current situation?”
“I completed the second cultivation site and began cultivating the third.”
The third cultivation site.
Elwin had no intention of stopping here.
Right now, there are two sites, but later, it could be three, five, or even ten.
If there are 10 sites with 100 people each… that’s 1,000 people?
“Madam, I understand your concerns, but they are slaves. It’s difficult to use slave soldiers because their morale is low. They will flee immediately if a war breaks out.”
“Yes… that’s true, but… keep an eye on the river. Don’t miss any information, no matter how small.”
***
On the way back to the river.
The wind entered the clothes and then left again.
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A shiver ran down the spine at the cold sensation.
“Ugh… is it winter already?”
Monster Island is located northwest of the continent.
Because of that, the temperature is lower than on the continent.
Running through the cold wind,
Elwin arrived at the River Village.
“Grandpa!”
“Oh, has our grandson come?”
People crowded in the village square.
“What’s going on?”
“Isn’t winter approaching? We’re going hunting for monsters,” said Grandfather.
When winter came, it became difficult for monsters to find food.
“We need to reduce their numbers before nearby monsters start raiding the village.”
“I see. When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow.”
After bidding farewell to Grandfather, I went to find Hans.
“Milord Hans!”
Kneel.
Hans kneeled and saluted.
“You don’t have to go this far. Treat me as you used to.”
I took Hans’ hand and helped him up.
When I first came to this world, Hans was the one I relied on the most.
Not just as family, but beyond, he showed me kindness.
Of course, it might have been out of loyalty.
“Hans, how’s the training?”
“I’ve completed basic militia training. To elaborate…”
The existing slaves were trained in crossbows.
We left them as they were and equipped the newly recruited 100 with shields and spears.
“The slaves cannot fight like those from Ireland. That’s why we trained them in military fashion.”
The fighting style of the Irish, as Hans described it,
literally means hunter.
It is the way of a hunter.
Tracking using footprints or excrement,
setting traps in areas where monsters often roam,
and engaging in ambushes rather than direct confrontations,
this is what it meant.
However,
we cannot teach this hunting method to the slaves.
It would take a lot of time and money, and there are few opportunities to actually fight like this.
Their main job was farming, after all.
“At a distance, the crossbow unit attacks. When the monster gets close, the shield unit defends.”
“I understand the method. What about the training? Can I participate in the monster hunt tomorrow?”
Hans’s expression changed at the mention of monster hunting.
“Of course. The slave unit is ready to fight monsters.”
After finishing the conversation with Hans,
I went to find Isaac this time.
If Hans is the commander in the military field,
Isaac is the commander in the agricultural field.
“Is it okay if 200 people leave their posts?”
“Most of the tasks that require many hands are done. Maintaining the farmland should suffice. However.”
“However?”
“We have no choice but to halt the development of the third farmland.”
“It’s fine if the development is delayed. Then gather the slaves after today’s work.”
“Understood, master.”
The sun, which had hung high in the sky, began to tilt towards the west.
When the world was dyed in red,
the slaves gathered in the open space near the farmland.
The moment they faced the slaves, heads nodded in acknowledgment.
While they were peasants when farming,
they looked different when gathered in one place like this.
Especially noticeable was the uniformity in the spacing, like a ritual.
“You trained Hans well.”
“Thank you.”
As he took a step forward, the attention of the slaves became focused.
“You’ve probably heard, starting tomorrow, we’ll begin hunting monsters. This is to secure the safety of the River Town.”
Why monster hunting is necessary.
Why we are participating.
The reasons were explained.
However, there was no enthusiasm on the faces of the slaves.
They were different from the River people who gathered in the courtyard during the day.
“We have made a promise to you. We have allowed you to have personal property and to gather money to support yourselves.”
Some of the slaves’ faces brightened.
Most of them were newly enslaved, meaning they had received their first settlement.
“When we hunt monsters, we obtain monster loot. The monsters we catch belong to me. I will give you 20% of it.”
Originally, the products obtained by the slaves belonged to their owner.
They decided to give a portion of it back to the slaves.
And the slaves reacted.
Life began to return to their faces.
“Hans will lead the hunt tomorrow.”
Hans stepped forward.
“Move as trained. Hunt monsters from a distance. If the monster gets close, focus on defense. Understood!”
“Understood!”
“Understood!”
.
.
The next day.
200 slaves crossed the River Bridge.
They moved separately from the River people because their combat style was different.
Instead, they hired a hunter with a lot of experience, paying them money.
They would be our eyes and ears.
Across the bridge.
A place once called the Frozen City.
This place was abandoned.
“Is this your first time here, Lady Soyeongju?”
“Yes.”
As we walked a little further, buildings appeared.
The grass around the buildings told us that no one lived here.
We circled the village and moved west.
Due to the nature of Monster Island, monsters become stronger as you go north.
I and the slaves conquered the southern region,
And the people of River Village decided to hunt the monsters in the northwest.
As we passed through the abandoned village and traveled for a while,
The hunter gave a signal to stop.
No one said a word.
Everyone took their positions as planned.
The hunter moved forward to assess the situation,
And the slave unit prepared for defense.
A hundred shield units stood at the forefront.
On the back, the crossbow unit lined up.
After a few minutes that felt like an hour,
the front became tumultuous.
And then.
“It’s the Black Goblins!!”
Following the hunter, thirty black goblins appeared.
“Load crossbows.”
At Hans’s command, the crossbowmen loaded their bolts.
When the black goblins came close enough,
the hunter abruptly changed direction to the side.
“Fire!”
A hundred bolts were simultaneously shot towards the goblins.
With the rapid volley, one-third of the black goblins fell to the ground.
Another one-third slowed down after being hit by bolts.
The last one-third evaded the crossbow attacks and charged towards the humans.
“Shield wall!”
The shield-bearers pressed their shoulders together, raising their shields.
A massive wall formed.
Seeing this, the black goblins were bewildered.
“Fire!”
In the meantime, the crossbow unit, having finished reloading, shot their bolts again.
Crossbow unit, firing for the second time.
The shield unit finished off the wounded black goblins, and the battle came to an end.
“Wow~ That was truly amazing. To easily kill thirty goblins like that.”
It was an easy battle, just as the Hunter had said.
Even if there were more black goblins, they would have won easily.
“With this level of skill, there’s no need to worry about monsters.”
The Hunter didn’t spare any compliments.
“I have one question.”
“Feel free to ask anything, Sir Soyoung.”
“What happened to the people who used to live in Server?”
“Ah… Are you interested in the land of Server?”
I crossed the bridge and surveyed the surrounding scenery.
The area around the former city was protected by wooden barriers.
Outside the wooden barriers, there was a wide open space.
It seemed that the trees were bent artificially to monitor the surroundings.
“Not necessarily, I’m just asking.”
“What happened to the people who used to live in Server…”
Once upon a time, it was called the city of River.
Many people lived in River.
It was like that until I ruled the Frontier myself.
But things changed when Father inherited the position.
Father had less magical talent compared to Grandfather.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t become as strong as Grandfather.
As a result, the expansion of the Frontier territory came to a halt.
At some point, even defending the land became burdensome.
We gradually reduced the areas that were difficult to defend,
and eventually, the territory has shrunk to its current size.
“At that time, the people of the Frontier lost hope. Talented individuals left the territory, and the same happened to River.”
With the decrease in population, it became difficult to protect the city of River.
With a small number, we couldn’t monitor this vast territory.
“If it’s the point where the Frontier is shrinking… it has been more than 10 years.”
“That’s correct.”
The number 10 was significant.
According to imperial law, if territory is taken by monsters and 10 years pass, ownership is lost.
This was both a pressure to quickly recover the territory taken by monsters,
and a message to regain it even if one doesn’t have the ability.
In any case, the ownership relationship of the River was completely resolved.
In other words, by planting a flag, it meant that it became one’s own land.
The long-held ideal came to an end with the voice of the hunter.
“Lady So Yeong, the goblin dissection is complete.”
The hunters and slaves extracted the valuable parts from the goblin corpses.
Unnecessary parts were buried underground.
“That’s enough conversation, let’s depart.”
“Understood.”
