Chapter 14 - The Rat and the Fur (3)

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"Commander, we've found the tracks of an unknown creature. It's 80 paces ahead on the 1 o'clock side."

When the scout ahead of us returned to report, Laurel signaled for a halt and then gave orders to the short, brown-haired man standing behind her.

The man did as he was told and disappeared into the forest ahead. It took about five minutes before he reappeared.

"How does he look, Patrick?"

"Judging by the appearance, it's definitely a Ratman. Hmm, there are no natural caves in this vicinity. They might be using loose soil on a sloping surface to dig in and make it their hiding place."

"Ugh, this is getting annoying... Gina, can you track them?"

Upon hearing Patrick's report, Laurel clicked her tongue lightly and then, with a quick lick of her lips, pointed to the gray-haired woman who had been standing behind her.

The woman, taken aback by being called upon so suddenly, seemed surprised when her name came out of Laurel's mouth.

"It's been quite, quite a while, and I'm afraid I might lose track of it, but... I'll try," Gina was taken aback for a moment, but then seemed to resolve to do her part.

She approached the monster's tracks and cast an incantation, and a thin line of glowing yellow began to form around them; the line moved toward the creature's lair at a pace that was neither slow nor fast, and the soldiers huddled together in a circle, waiting for the tracking to be completed.

"Tracking isn't as omnipotent as you might think. There are restrictions on the targets it can be used on, and it often breaks off if the conditions aren't met. As you can see now, it also takes quite a bit of time."

Laurel couldn't wait and came over to my side and started talking. I I wonder if it's okay to show such a lack of tension, even though it's a low-level monster extermination. Well, I guess it's okay because she's skilled.

The words she was giving me are also kind of advice. Maybe she was told by my father to help me with something.

"That child is a new member of the Magus Corps who joined last month. And it's also the first time out for her, just like you, young master. She's a little nervous, but she seems to be doing better than I thought."

The gray-haired woman, Gina, was apparently a member of the Magus Corps. Including Laurel, all of the participants in the extermination were dressed in leather armor, making it impossible to tell the difference between knights and mages from the outside.

The knights' armor was heavy and creaked, and the mages' robes were snagged, hindering their ability to clear the mountainous terrain, so they seemed to have united in lightweight gear.

"Young master, do you know anything about monsters? I understand that this is the first time you've been in direct contact with them."

What I know...

Ratmen and goblins were two of the lowest-ranked monsters in the original game; goblins were the familiar ones we've always known, while Ratmen were furry monsters with the face and tail of a rat, walking on two legs, but with a similar body size to goblins.

And both of them were well-adapted to the environment and had excellent reproductive abilities, so they were the ones we saw all over the area in the game.

I listened to see if there was anything else, but Laurel's knowledge was no different than mine.

"Commander, the tracking is complete," Gina, who had finished her tracking spell, reported as Laurel neared the end of her explanation, "I noticed the line digging into a mound of dirt near the ridge ahead, and it appears that the entrance is hidden there. And, given that the mana line splits into five, I'm guessing they've spread out the tunnels in other directions as well."

"Really? Hmm..."

Laurel pondered for a moment, then called the knights and mages closer and gave them their orders.

"Gina, Patrick, Bill and Colin, come over here too. You will each take one of the other four of the five tunnels. And when I give the signal, set fire to those tunnels and push the heat into the tunnel to block the entrance. And the rest of you will wait at the other open entrance with me."

As instructed, they disappeared into the forest, each one leading their own soldier, and Laurel unstrapped the club from her waist and held it in her hand. And the other soldiers began to form a formation as well, wielding similar blunt weapons.

"Ratmen's hides are of good quality and fetch a good price," she said, "and that's why we use them instead of swords or spears, to keep them from spoiling. Here, Young Master, here's yours. Don't think about anything else, just hit their heads. Do you understand?"

Laurel tossed me a club as well. I remembered my father's admonition not to do anything dangerous, but I figured using a club wouldn't get me labeled as reckless.

And if I felt Ratmen were dangerous, I should have already given up on surviving in this world.

I took a deep breath to steady myself, and joined the formation of soldiers surrounding the disguised entrance.

My first real battle was imminent.

"Tasha, send the signal. We're about to begin."

At Laurel's nod, one of the mages at the rear created a firework with magic. When it shot high into the sky and exploded with a loud bang, indistinguishable roars echoed from beyond the mountain. A short while later, the smell of burning leaves drifted in on the wind, probably from the fires started in response to our signal.

Laurel sniffed the air and shouted to the soldiers, "Come on, they'll be here soon. Stay focused and make sure none of them escape the encirclement!"

A few moments later, from the pile of dirt disguised as a mound, there was a sudden commotion. It sounded like something was rustling and howling. Then, as if a pack of monsters had been unleashed, the noise intensified rapidly.

"They're coming! Get ready!"

Before Laurel's words could fully register, a shadow burst out of the tunnel entrance. It was a Ratman, about the size of an eight-year-old child, and it was the first monster I had encountered since coming to this world.

Starting with one, dozens of monsters began to spread in all directions. The Ratmen were armed with sticks attached with sharpened stones, wooden spears, sickles stolen from the village, or rusty knives, among various other weapons. This display made me realize that these creatures were not just monsters; they possessed some level of intelligence.

"It's out!!!"

—Smack! Smack!

—Thwack! Thwack!

The mountainside, once cloaked in silence, now resonated with the cacophony of clashing clubs and the high-pitched squeaks of the Ratmen. At first, the sounds were concentrated near the entrance and the soldiers guarding it. However, as a horde of Ratmen spilled forth, a few of them gradually veered in my direction, in the middle of the semicircle formation, the farthest from the tunnel.

One Ratman, in a desperate attempt to escape, charged at me.

—Bam!

—Smack!

I swung the club with all my strength, and it struck the Ratman right on the forehead. There was a satisfying crack, and the Ratman collapsed to the ground, twitching.

"That's good, Young Master, just keep doing that!"

Laurel, who had been bashing Ratmen near the entrance, shouted at me. Under her feet, several Ratmen corpses were already piled up.

Even as her gaze was directed towards me, her hands didn't stop swinging, and the Ratmen continued to fall.

There wasn't a drop of blood on her body, and she showed no signs of fatigue. Was this just a walk in the park for her? It was only now that I could understand why she seemed so relaxed.

"Young Master, up ahead!"

I heard Laurel's warning, and when I turned my attention back to the front, three Ratmen were charging at me in a row.

I started swinging my club again.

* * *

Before I knew it, the hammering and screaming of the monsters had died down. The Ratmen hiding inside the cave seemed to have all come out by now.

Near the entrance, a mountain of Ratmen corpses had piled up in front of Laurel. I had managed to defeat slightly more than ten Ratmen myself. As I caught my breath, I glanced around.

Despite this being a low-level monster extermination, the soldiers bore numerous scratches, stabs, bites, and even some were using cloth to cover bleeding wounds; a few were cauterizing severed fingers with fire. Ratmen were supposed to be mere cannon fodder in the game. The gap between my knowledge and the harsh reality before my eyes was unsettling.

The Ratmen were obviously a common mob in the game, unable to make a dent in the player. The disconnect between what I knew and the reality in front of me was so real.

"Phew...."

As I took a moment to catch my breath, I realized my face was covered in a mixture of blood and an unknown viscous fluid. Laurel looked around and saw me, giggling and laughing from a distance, then walked over and handed me a cloth.

"Quite the sight, Young Master. Someone might mistake you for a battle-hardened hero who turned the tide on the battlefield."

"...Alright, that's enough. I know even without you saying it."

"Well, it wasn't too bad, surprisingly. You seem more manly than before. If you shed some weight, you might even look decent."

"I told you to stop. Go and finish the job."

"Yes~ Yes~"

Laurel continued to tease me, but she was serious. The fact that there's nothing I can do about her made me even sadder.

At the sight of the men she'd sent to block the other entrance in the distance, Laurel stood up and straightened her clothes.

The men in charge came closer, and stood side by side in front of her.

"Report," Laurel commanded, and the knight who had earlier called himself Patrick replied.

"Report. A total of 127 Ratmen have been slain, complete, with the exception of 10 carcasses whose hides have been destroyed and must be disposed of, the rest are in excellent condition. There are no deaths among the soldiers, but a number of minor wounds, one with a serious gash over his left eye and one with his little finger amputated. No wounded and no dead among the Knights and Mages."

The number of corpses that needed to be disposed of matched the count of Ratmen who had escaped the encirclement earlier.

In such cases, mages had prepared spells in advance, and when the Ratmen escaped the encirclement, their bodies were magically transformed into a darkened, lifeless state.

It was a thorough job, even if it meant wasting a few pelts, because if even one escaped, their prolific breeding could have rendered our extermination futile.

"It's a bit jarring. How did 127 of them get in there? What was it like on your side?"

"Well, the Ratmen are afraid of fire, so there wasn't even a shadow on this side. We drove the fire into the cave, sealed the tunnels with rocks, and came back."

"Good. One hundred and seventy-seven pelts is a good harvest, and I'll call it a day. We'll head down to the village to resupply, then finish one more kill in the afternoon before heading to Markney, our final rendezvous point. Colin. Go and block the entrance on our side with rocks, Gina, Patrick, and Bill. You will lead the men in skinning the Ratmen. Leave the wounded behind to receive medical attention. When you're done, we'll take a twenty-minute break before returning."

As Laurel spoke, the men scattered in unison to their respective tasks.

I watched them go, feeling the aftermath of what I had done just moments before.

My right hand, which had crushed Ratmat's skull countless times, was trembling, and my heart was pounding as if it were about to leap out of my chest, bearing the weight of the life I had slain.

Though monsters, the things I had slain were once living, breathing, intelligent beings on this earth.

And I still had to take countless more lives as part of the plan. Becoming accustomed to the act of killing was a necessary skill for anyone trying to survive in this world.

If you want to read the first 25 chapters for free and read up to the final chapter for a cheap price patreon.com/Makima02