Boar Hunting Warriors

After the dinner was over, Allen stayed the night in the Village Chief's house. The next morning, everyone sprang into action at 6 a.m.

As Allen had not brought any luggage with him, he was ready to go at any time. All he did was tie his wooden sword to his waist the way he always did.

Eventually, together with the Feudal Lord, the Knight Captain, and the Knight Vice-captain, he left Deboji's house. The Feudal Lord's daughter stayed behind at the house with the butler-like man—who turned out to be, in fact, a butler. Allen recalled him being referred to as "Sebas" during the previous night's meal.

'Wow, the village square's been converted into a camping ground.'

The open area in the center of town was now filled with knights' tents. They had set up camp in case they would indeed have to take part in the great boar hunts and would therefore need to remain in this village for a while. And without quarters or anywhere else to stay, naturally they needed to erect their own tents.

The knights had finished their preparations by the time the Feudal Lord and his group reached them. Instead of riding their horses, they were to march on foot behind the Feudal Lord.

'Oh hey, I see Dogora!' Allen spotted his friend peering at the knights from a distance away with sparkling eyes. There were twenty knights this time, twice the number that came to see Krena years ago.

Soon enough, the procession reached the village gate where a group of forty commoners and serfs were standing in wait. This was the hunting party, including everyone who had participated in the previous years' hunts plus a few newcomers.

"They're wearing armor!" the Knight Captain exclaimed as he noticed what half the men had on.

Allen nodded. "Yes, sir. That is leather armor created from great boar hide. We have not been able to outfit everyone as of yet, so we prioritized those who needed it most."

"What do you mean by 'need it most'?"

"It would be easier to explain at the hunt itself, sir."

A look of understanding dawned on the Feudal Lord's face. "So this was the reason behind Deboji's petition."

Last year, the feudal lord had received the report that this hunting party had successfully brought down eighteen great boars. However, Deboji had, on their behalf, requested permission to keep everything other than the meat for eight of the eighteen carcasses. This, too, had been Allen's suggestion. Because the feudal lord wanted meat, they would send the meat.

However, Allen's idea was to use the skin, bones, tusks, and horns of eight great boars as an investment to improve the quality of future hunts. Of course, Allen had gone to Rodin and Gerda first, and it was the two of them who had approached Deboji.

The Feudal Lord had accepted their petition, especially in light of how the group had surpassed the quota of fifteen boars. He had agreed, on the condition that they successfully manage to hunt twenty this year.

"Yes, my lord," Allen replied. "The materials we saved went toward preparations that will ensure we can fulfill the quota of twenty great boars this year."

"Impressive."

"Of course, it was my father, Rodin's idea," Allen added. His aim today was to hype up Rodin as much as possible, emphasizing the enormity of his contributions in the hope of convincing the Feudal Lord to grant his entire family commoner status. As such, Allen was crediting Rodin with all the ideas he himself had come up with. After all, his ideas would sound more credible coming from an adult than a child anyway.

As everyone was now gathered, they all began making their way toward the hunting grounds. The serfs and commoners walked ahead with the knights taking up the rear. There were only two men on horseback—the Knight Captain, who ordered Allen to join him in the saddle, and the Feudal Lord, who had foregone the comfort of the carriage that he had ridden to Krena Village in.

***

Three hours later, the group arrived at the usual hunting grounds. There was a strange new structure there now. It was a two-meter-tall platform made of wood that was large enough for ten people to stand on.

"Mm? What is that?" the Feudal Lord asked.

"This was created to make your viewing easier, my lord. If you would please climb to the top."

The Lord nodded, then climbed up the ladder on the back of the structure. He took one of the seats that had been installed at the top. Allen and Zenof also climbed up after him. The Vice-captain remained on the ground, coordinating with the other knights to surround the structure as protection of their Lord.

'When you think about it, the Feudal Lord coming in person to a forest filled with monsters is pretty incredible, isn't it? That must take a lot of guts. Is the royal decree that huge of a deal? What used to be just "hunt so we can eat" now has so much more hanging on the line.'

"What happens now?" Zenof asked. Allen caught on that he was supposed to explain to the Knight Captain and not the Feudal Lord directly, who was currently staring into the depths of the forest with his hawk-like eyes.

"First, three people will go and lure a great boar toward this location."

"Then?"

"Simply put, the rest then surround it— Ah, the three fishers are heading out now." They watched Pekej and his two companions vanish into the forest.

"And those down there holding large shields will be using them to stop the great boar's charge?" the Knight Captain asked, looking impressed at their design.

The hide, bones, tusks, and horns from eight great boars had gone toward making a pair of two-meter-high leather shields, seventeen pieces of leather armor, and three chest protectors. Krena Village did not have an armor craftsman capable of creating everything listed above, so they had called upon one from a neighboring village. All of the leftover materials—and there was quite a bit, considering the size of the great boars—had gone to the craftsman in exchange for him not charging any money.

"Yes, sir. With two of them, we are able to pin a charging boar from both sides."

"I see."

The Knight Captain observed the serfs and commoners in their positions as well as the two impressive shields. He already had a general idea of what was to come.

An hour passed, but Pekej and his men had yet to return. They were the team equipped with the three chest protectors. These were defensive items designed to protect only the vital chest area while still being as lightweight as possible.

'Hm? It's taking kinda long. Are they having trouble finding the right target? Pekej once told me that there're several hundred great boars in this forest and that they migrate en masse from the foot of the White Dragon Mountains.'

"By the way, is Sword Lord Krena doing well?" Zenof asked, as if being considerate by breaking the awkward silence.

"Absolutely, sir." Allen replied as he thought to himself. 'More like, too well. She's practically a bottomless fountain of energy.'

"I see. We will be sending her a tutor three springs from now. Let her know when you can."

"Of course, sir."

'So, it'd be when she's eleven, and she'd have one year to study.'

"Hm? Will that be sufficient? Can we not send the tutor earlier?" the Feudal Lord interjected. After all, if Krena failed the entrance exam, he would be made a laughingstock in the capital.

"Then I shall instruct Sebas to send the tutor the year after next instead."

"Mm, do that. If she fails, that headmaster will reject her, Sword Lord or not."

'Looks like Lord Granvelle is quite the worrywart. All right, so it'll be a year and a half before Krena starts studying. When I imagine her wearing a headband with the word "Success!" on it—' The thunderous sound approaching the hunting grounds dragged Allen back from his thoughts. "Here it comes, sir."

"Mm."

A cry of "GUMOOOOOHHHHHH!!!" shook the very air in the clearing.

At the same time, Rodin roared a word of encouragement that all the other men immediately returned in kind. Pekej burst from the treeline, soon followed by the massive body of a great boar. It was hot on his heels, as if it was blind to everything but Pekej. This was thanks to Pekej's masterful pulling technique. He intentionally kept himself just out of the boar's reach.

Pekej dashed between the large shields. Standing behind the shields was the four-man team led by Gerda. Instead of holding spears like before, they were doubled up and braced for impact.

Sure enough, the boar charged straight into the large shields. Both groups worked together to stop it in its tracks. The huge tusks on the beast's snout dented the shields, but they otherwise held fast.

"This is how we stop the monster's charge. That shield is made with two layers of leather taken from the back of a great boar, the toughest part of its hide. We also have two men handling one shield together."

"I see."

"And now, after stopping the beast, we encircle it to stop it from struggling."

As Allen continued with the detailed commentary, the shield bearers backed off. A group carrying the same two-meter-long spears from the previous hunts took their place to pin the monster down, with special focus on its head. Then, at Gerda's order, another group wielding four-meter-long spears stepped forward from behind. There were now so many hunters that their attacks rained down on the beast from all directions, not just its front.

"The long spear group is something we added last year. It is perfect for incorporating newcomers lacking experience."

"You have also distributed the defensive equipment prioritizing the shield bearers and those wielding the short spears."

"That is correct, sir. The long spear group has been trained to avoid accidentally stabbing the front line from the back, but just in case, the front line is wearing armor that protects their backs, necks, and heads."

The Knight Captain nodded in acknowledgment, his eyes still fixed on the action. With the monster properly locked down, it was time for Rodin's team of spearmen to shine. They stabbed with all their weight behind their thrusts, aiming for the beast's vital areas.

"The hide of a great boar is extremely tough. We aim for its neck after robbing it of its freedom of movement. Ah, someone has punctured its jugular."

"Well done!" the Knight Captain exclaimed inadvertently upon seeing the fountain of blood suddenly gush out.

"My lord."

"Yes, Zenof?"

"These people may not be knights. However, they are warriors. Boar-hunting warriors."

Just like knights, members of this hunting party each had their own clear-cut role. Knights had spearmen, bowmen, and scouts, and the absence of any one group could greatly affect the performance of the remaining groups.

Zenof had seen a similar framework in how this great boar hunt was being carried out. He was impressed with how all members of the hunting party performed their respective duties with full understanding of the role they played. He repeated "Wonderful!" several more times before the great boar finally collapsed onto its side.