Chapter 6

Perhaps because it was owned by the Duke, the hunting ground was quite spacious.

The paths were properly laid out so that one could ride horses.

The forest scenery, neither too dense nor too sparse, looked just like a well-maintained park.

Seeing the surroundings gradually darkening, he felt they should hurry and turned to look at the two.

"It's almost time for the Vormi to become active. I think we should hurry. It would be good to split up now."

"Do you know the geography of the hunting ground, Young Duke?"

"I've heard enough to have a rough idea."

A lie, of course.

He handed Leandros a fist-sized stone that Arndt had been holding.

It was a stone that had been washed with water, rolled in soil and fireplace ashes, and then dried in clean air.

"Take this. Then do as I told you. Be careful not to be discovered."

"Do you really think this will work, Your Grace?"

"I think it has about an 80 percent chance of working."

Leandros examined the stone with his gloved hand before pocketing it.

Arndt was wringing his hands anxiously.

"Young Master, I..."

"You said it would be fine earlier. You haven't changed your mind now that we've come this far, have you?"

"No, that's not it. I'm just worried about both of you."

Understandably so.

According to the plan, Arndt needed to be at the outskirts of the forest.

This was to prepare for escape at any time.

It was because he was a non-combat personnel, and at the same time, he had the lowest chance of survival among the three of them.

"Don't worry. I guarantee it. You should think about whether there's a crate to hold the Vormi teeth."

"Still."

Arndt's lower lip was grotesquely peeled from how much he had bitten it.

He was rather timid in the original work as well.

Leandros looked at the sky and shook his head.

"If we're not all going to leave now, we should move quickly. It's getting darker."

"Did you hear that? Hurry and go to your position."

In the end, Arndt headed to his post.

He even looked back several times as he went.

Was he a parent leaving a child to go to work?

As Arndt disappeared among the trees, Leandros spoke in a stiff tone.

"At least we won't all be wiped out together."

"A 33 percent survival rate, that's fortunate, isn't it?"

"Higher than on a battlefield. More importantly, can Your Grace send the signal well?"

"Of course."

He glared with distrustful eyes at what Arenheit was holding.

What was he going to do by looking at it like that?

Leandros had seemed quite displeased since Arenheit mentioned the Vormi.

Even though Leandros was younger than him, when Leandros looked at him like that, he felt like giving Leandros a smack, but then he just waved his hand.

"Why don't you get going too? I'll start as soon as I arrive."

"Please take care."

After earnestly imploring, he too disappeared as if melting into the descending darkness.

Now Arenheit had to go to his position as well.

In this plan, where Arenheit needed to be was the watchtower.

Every hunting ground has a watchtower.

Watchtowers were not only used as viewing spots for spectators during hunting competitions but also for surveillance to prevent cheating and to respond quickly to emergencies.

He planned to climb one of them and observe the movements of the Vormi.

The watchtower on the southeast side, at the connection point between the hunting ground and the forest area, was on a low cliff.

It wasn't used much due to its lower accessibility compared to other watchtowers, but it was very suitable for this hunt.

Upon climbing the watchtower, the hunting ground came into full view.

The moon was rising more and more clearly over the forest, which was turning a dark blue.

It would have been a magnificent sight, but now was not the time to leisurely enjoy the scenery.

Carefully setting down what he had been carrying and removing the cloth, a large lamp was revealed.

As Arndt had said, after flicking the small metal rod at the bottom of the lamp a few times, sparks flew to the oil-soaked wick.

It seemed like a small flint had been placed inside.

The lamp, the only one remaining in the castle, was successfully lit.

Placing it precariously on the railing, he covered it with cloth and then revealed it, repeating this several times.

This should be enough.

This light was a signal for Leandros.

The 'stone' hunting method was devised by utilizing the Vormi's weak eyesight and considerably low intelligence.

After Arenheit identified the location of the Vormi from the watchtower and informed Leandros through signals, Leandros would move to that location and make the Vormi fight each other.

For this, stones were necessary.

He had repeatedly explained to them at the castle.

'Vormi have low intelligence. They probably can't tell if what's in front of them is a stone or fruit. But they're strong and live in groups. If we try to kill them normally, we'd obviously be at a disadvantage.'

'Then?'

'We have no choice but to distract them.'

'With just stones?'

In the distance, trees in the middle of the hunting ground shook unusually.

The wind was calm.

Gauging the direction in which the trees were shaking, he raised the lantern high.

One long light, three short lights, then five long lights again.

From the center to the west-northwest direction.

It was a hastily fabricated signal among us who had never sent signals, including Morse code, before.

As soon as he put down the lantern, a spine-chilling howl was heard from somewhere in the hunting ground. It seemed to be not just one, but several.

The hunt had already begun.

* * *

Leandros was sitting on a high tree.

His arms were full of stones.

'Why is he so confident about this?'

Although he had examined the stones dozens of times already, Leandros observed them even more meticulously. But the conclusion remained: the stones were still just stones.

Just stones, with no mystical power or exceptional qualities.

Could one really hunt demonic beasts with such stones?

Leandros realized that he was distrusting Arenheit more than he had thought.

But having come this far, what more was there to hesitate about?

Even if it failed, he wanted to confirm it with his own eyes.

A dark forest, a high position.

Clothes that minimized human scent.

There were no deviations from the plan.

Soon, a faint heavy thumping sound was heard.

Not just one.

Two, or three.

Leandros had never seen such beings before.

Their backs were hunched, and their large hands had steel-like claws.

Their bodies were covered in fur, but beneath it, irregularly pulsating muscles were clearly visible.

A failed creation, as if the Creator had tried to mix a dog and a human.

Disgust, revulsion, and yet an unbearable ominous fear.

Only the silhouettes of their heads and bodies were visible.

Yet Leandros felt revulsion.

It was a rejection arising from the realm of instinct, to a bizarre degree.

Leandros realized that they were demonic beasts, not humans, and that they were beings that would crush humans without hesitation.

When their steps slowed, Leandros threw a stone slightly off target.

Thud.

A stone fell onto the shoulder of a Vormi that was far from the tree.

It shook its body irritably and then shook its head.

Leandros threw once more.

Thud.

This time, the stone fell onto the soft head fur.

A strange cry erupted from the Vormi's mouth.

The angered Vormi sniffed around like a dog and then shouted at an innocent Vormi beside it.

In response, the clueless Vormi also shouted back and showed threatening gestures towards the angry opponent.

Thud.

A third stone fell onto the forehead of the angry Vormi.

The Vormi, which had been squeaking, pushed its opponent like a human.

Thump!

The pushed Vormi fell next to the tree where Leandros was sitting.

It was a comical sight.

But the situation soon turned unfunny.

This was because the fallen Vormi let out an irritated roar and then ripped off the arm of the angry Vormi.

Black, viscous fluid splattered in all directions, and a painful wail erupted.

That was the beginning of the fight among the Vormi.

Watching the Vormi amicably tearing off each other's arms and legs, killing each other, Leandros silently mouthed.

This actually works.

* * *

The Vormi's howls did not stop at just once.

After several more repetitions of howls, eventually, along with the sound of something breaking, a strange cry shook the hunting ground resoundingly.

At that moment, he sensed it.

Leandros had succeeded.

The task entrusted to Leandros was very simple.

To go to the Vormi pack based on Arenheit signal and secretly throw stones at them.

Using a mere fist-sized stone as a weapon, not even a massive rock?

It's a story that people would scoff at if they heard.

But the stones weren't meant for killing.

'It's not just a stone. It's the cause and seed of internal strife.'

'Seed of internal strife?'

'Normally, one would immediately notice who threw the stone... But the greedy, instinct-driven, and stupid Vormi won't be able to.'

'Do you really think that will work?'

If the setting of the Vormi in "And Then There Were None" that he read is correct, then it's possible. He composed himself and recalled a scene from a myth he had read in his previous life.

In the myth, the goddess of discord, Eris, was not invited to a wedding.

What Eris, in her anger, gave to gods and humans was not a sharp knife or poison for divine killing.

It was a brilliantly shining golden apple and a single sentence.

Just one beautiful apple heralded the beginning of the Trojan War, in which gods and countless heroes were embroiled.

That stone might not be a golden apple to the Vormi, but it has a similar effect to the golden apple in the myth.

They just need to cause internal strife, observe the situation, and then collect the fallen Vormi.

How easy is that?

Literally, it's like eating the pheasant, eating the eggs, and even using the nest to make a fire.

After that, he continued to check the positions of other Vormi individuals and sent signals with the lamp whenever similar traces appeared.

Leandros excellently completed his task each time.

The screams of the Vormi echoed through the forest, followed by silence, and this cycle repeated.

Leandros himself must be amazed that this is working.

When we return, I should tease him a bit.

Ask him where the disbelieving person went.

In the midst of these pleasant thoughts, a wind swept through the forest.

"Ah!"

Damn it.

The cloth covering the lantern flew away.

He tried to reach out and catch it, but the cloth, which barely brushed his fingertips, fluttered down.

I can't do without that!

He had to pick up the cloth that had fallen down the cliff. In the meantime, he would have to leave Leandros unattended, but there was no choice.

Hurriedly extinguishing the lamp's flame and turning towards the watchtower's ladder, it happened.

Suddenly, goosebumps rose all over his body.

The feeling of having glimpsed something that shouldn't be seen.

Slowly, half-fearfully but wanting to confirm it, he looked down below the railing.

At the bottom of the cliff, a pair of vicious lights flickered.

A being hiding in the darkness growled faintly.

Shaggy fur all over its body.

A hunched back and a black body with abnormal proportions.

Arms as thick as the thickest branch in the hunting ground swung limply.

Legs resembling the lower half of a dog stomped in place incessantly.

A strong stench rode the wind and reached the watchtower, making him hold his breath.

He could tell at a glance.

That thing resembled a Vormi but was no mere Vormi.

Stronger, more barbaric, larger, and more ferocious than a Vormi, a rare individual.

A higher demonic beast species that was only mentioned as a legend in the novel, never directly appearing.

A mutated Vormi.

It raised its head.

Its nose flared, searching for the scent spread around this vicinity.

The only living creature around here was him.

It was examining him, having caught the scent of the cloth he had just lost.

He had to flee. Or die here.

As soon as he recognized this, everything happened slowly, and simultaneously.

He instinctively tried to escape.

But there was a distance of a few steps to the ladder.

The mutated Vormi reached the top of the cliff with a single leap, accompanied by a loud roar.

Its massive hand tore at the watchtower's pillar, and the thick timber shattered in its hand like a cracker.

The sound of wood bursting in succession mixed with his scream.

But the mutated Vormi had no intention of losing its prey.

It began to climb the tilting watchtower.

Unable to use the ladder, he desperately rolled across the floor and clung to the railing.

Seeing the floor he had just been rolling on sink and break, he was overwhelmed with extreme fear and involuntarily screamed.

F*ck, we're doomed!

The watchtower, unable to withstand the Vormi's weight, collapsed.

The collapse was instantaneous.

His body was flung off the cliff.

The debris of the collapsing pavilion poured down as if to cover him and fell together.

Irresistible gravity pulled his body to the ground.

I don't want to die.

This can't end like this!

As he screamed.

His head hit the ground, and a terribly cracking sound echoed.