Chapter 5

The Land of Demonic Beasts.

It wasn't a mere figure of speech referring to dangerous animals.

"You seem to already know what's there."

"If the demonic beasts were to descend, they would have done so long ago. Hunting demonic beasts is dangerous."

"Do you know that selling demonic beast by-products fetches quite a sum?"

"My position remains firm, Your Grace."

Hartmann's vast territory owned part of the forest extending from the mountain range.

The trunk of that forest stretched into ample flatlands, and besides the lush trees of the mountain range, the forest had inherited something else.

Demonic Beasts.

Powerful and ferocious creatures that existed in deep mountain ranges or special terrain.

The demonic beasts were clearly divided between those that avoided humans and those that didn't.

And those that didn't avoid humans had no qualms about hurting them.

That's why the state bestowed fiefdoms to lords and imposed the duty of protecting the subjects from demonic beasts.

In the past, Hartmann had been faithful to this duty, and the families of retainers had actively contributed troops.

By eradicating the demonic beasts, they could protect the territory, and above all, they could earn a tidy income by selling the demonic beasts' muscles or teeth.

But that was all in the past.

Even if he couldn't remember the specific details from the original work, one thing was clear.

The current Hartmann could no longer protect the subjects from demonic beasts.

Therefore, the Land of Demonic Beasts would be overflowing with demonic beasts, and he focused precisely on that point.

"Do you know what's there?"

"If you're referring to the types of demonic beasts, I wouldn't know that much."

In front of Leandros, who was now openly showing his discomfort, he deliberately replied with a business-like smile and a friendly tone.

"Have you heard of the Vormi?"

At the word Vormi, Sir Leandros's face hardened.

"By Vormi, you mean..."

"Yes, I'm referring to that demonic beast with extremely thick fur all over its body that resembles a human."

The Vormi, one of the demonic beast species in this novel, was a cruel, horrific, barbaric, and vile creature.

Due to their social habits, they moved in packs, and because they were nocturnal, they had poor eyesight but exceptional senses of smell and hearing.

Their fur was hard and thick, making it difficult to wound a Vormi with ordinary weapons.

Moreover, they were one of the demonic beast species that strongly avoided contact with humans.

Leandros frowned deeply.

"That's impossible. The hunting ground and the village are so close that one could reach the other quickly on horseback. I don't know about other species, but there's no way Vormi would descend this far."

"Sir Leandros's words are correct, Young Master. I don't know much about Vormi, but don't demonic beasts primarily inhabit the mountain ranges?"

Both of them seemed to think it was impossible.

Well, their disbelief was understandable.

As they said, it would make sense for Vormi not to be in the hunting ground.

At least, if they were following logic.

"It hasn't been just a day or two that the Hartmann Ducal family has been eradicating demonic beasts that flowed into the hunting ground."

"That's a different case."

Leandros rebutted.

"The subjects of eradication then were individuals that had accidentally flowed into the hunting ground. But Vormi don't descend to places like this, and with their keen sense of smell, they don't get lost and find their pack."

"Who said the Vormi got lost?"

"You just said, Your Grace..."

"I never said there was only one Vormi."

At his calm response, Arndt, who had been hesitating, turned slightly pale.

He seemed to understand the implication of his Lord’s words that the Vormi were not alone.

"They've made a nest?"

"Arndt, you're quick to understand."

"That can't, Young Master, that can't be possible. If I may be bold, as Sir Leandros said, with the village and castle right in front..."

"Are there people in the village?"

The two were at a loss for words and exchanged glances.

What tenant farmer would be bold enough to remain in a land without a ruling lord?

Probably, since the devastation of Hartmann until now, the village had been consistently empty.

A village without people, vanished troops, and minor demonic beasts that hadn't been eradicated for a while.

It wouldn't be unreasonable for other demonic beasts to have naturally settled in the hunting ground.

Of course, he could speak with such certainty because he had seen the content that appeared in chapter 83 of the novel. For the two who didn't know the novel's content, it was a story hard to believe.

Leandros kept his lips firmly closed for a while, then finally spoke stiffly.

"Fine. I concede. But we cannot hunt the demonic beasts. Even destroying a small-scale demonic beast habitat incurs considerable losses."

Losses?

For a moment, he couldn't understand what Leandros was saying. In the novel he had read, demonic beast eradication didn't seem that difficult.

Especially since Leandros was one of the top swordsmen in this world.

Ah... Could it be that these people don't know how to hunt Vormi?

Once that thought occurred to him, he could finally understand. Well, regardless of how information about demonic beasts had spread, the methods of hunting them might be less well-known.

"I see."

"Moreover, if they truly made a nest long ago, their habitat is likely to be quite large. Being surrounded by a pack of Vormi is out of the question."

"Hmm, that's true."

"We neither have the wealth to hire mercenaries nor the connections to call in other knights."

"Oh, right. That's true."

With the Lord’s attitude of responding like a broken machine, Leandros asked with a face that suggested his insides were boiling.

"...Do you have something to say?"

He rolled his eyes and then threw out a probing question.

"What if the three of us could hunt Vormi on our own?"

"Impossible."

"That's hard to believe."

Arndt and Leandros said simultaneously.

Their eyes were, of course, filled with denial.

Seeing that, he couldn't help but smirk.

"Impossible, you say? I was thinking..."

The experience of a multiple-time focused reader doesn't just go away, you unbelievers.

* * *

Considering the reality…

Among them, only Leandros could fight. The rest were essentially civilians. No matter how excellent a knight Leandros was, fighting terrifying demonic beasts was a completely different story.

In modern terms, it was like giving a quest to a newbie rookie to handle a raid boss with a one-wheeled meta.

But what if that newbie rookie character was given a raid strategy?

"There are two options. Stones, or fire."

"Pardon?"

Both were perplexed by the sudden terms.

"Choose one of the two."

"Well, even if you ask us to choose one, I don't understand anything."

"Then I'll explain each. Listen carefully."

Long, long ago, around 300 years ago according to the novel's setting.

The Hartmann Duke, before receiving his ducal title, had fewer private soldiers than now.

As a result, he was busy just managing his fief and was troubled by the demonic beasts that occasionally appeared in the hunting ground.

Vormi was one of those demonic beast species.

The fact that they had appeared once before was why they could expand their influence until now.

So the method chosen by the 8th head of the Hartmann family was precisely fire.

"Vormi are nocturnal, so while their hearing and smell are developed, their eyesight is weak. They go berserk even at a slightly bright light."

"That fact is well known."

"That's why the ancient head of Hartmann used fire."

"Ah, perhaps you're referring to the tactic of using fire to blind them? But that has a problem. There's a folk belief that one goes mad upon seeing Vormi. Approaching a Vormi with a torch is a bit..."

Arndt spoke as if he understood everything, but he shook his head.

Unfortunately, that was the wrong answer.

"No. As Arndt said, if Vormi are blinded but we go mad, it's of no use. That's not the method."

Above all, that wasn't a folk belief but the truth. That's because this novel had a rule called madness.

All intelligent beings go mad when they see something they can't comprehend.

They are overwhelmed by an insurmountable fear and terror for a higher-dimensional being and shatter.

In "And Then There Were None," humans were portrayed as weak and delicate. With the setting that not only their bodies but also their minds were fragile, once afflicted with madness, even if they recovered later, deep PTSD would remain.

Among the characters in the novel, some suffered for life with continuous flashbacks and indescribable fear.

Arndt asked with an uneasy look.

"Then what is it?"

"Burning."

"...?"

Silence followed. Both had expressions suggesting they didn't know what they had just heard.

"Literally, burning with fire. During the daytime, you use their habit of hiding from light to shoot fire arrows into their habitat. They burn cleanly."

"But then the surrounding forest won't be safe either!"

"That's why it's a method that requires accepting some damage."

"We're trying to hunt demonic beasts to make money, and it's okay to burn all the Vormi?"

"Of course. It's just a little singeing."

After all, what they needed were the demonic beasts' teeth or claws. They wouldn’t burn even if they burn the Vormi.

In that sense, it's truly a cruel and effective method.

Leandros uttered with an expression of disbelief.

"What a foolish method."

"I heard from Mother long ago that this was the method used by the Hartmann ancestors. Sir, is there a problem?"

"..."

It wasn't just a lie to shut Leandros up.

In the actual novel, the 8th head of the Hartmann family burned the demonic beasts and the forest altogether.

Due to the eradication, the hunting ground burned for nine days, and the scene was described as looking like a living hell.

The spine-chilling cries of demonic beasts burning alive prevented anyone in the territory from sleeping easily...

Having heard that, Sir Leandros became silent as a clam.

Good, this one has been dealt with.

Next, turning to Arndt, he found Arndt shaking his head in horror.

"It's too dangerous, Young Master. Fire is absolutely not an option. Since it's connected to a forested area, a large fire could break out."

"That's probably right, isn't it? And if the Vormi wake up and rampage, the damage would be even greater."

"Absolutely!"

"Then we have no choice but to use 'stones.' Really, no choice at all. Since both of you say fire arrows are a no, I was forcibly left with no choice but to choose stones. It's a good choice. Stones aren't bad either."

Only then did Arndt's expression change to one that said, "Wait, something's not right."

He maintained a calm expression while laughing enthusiastically inside.

In reality, he only talked this way; from the beginning, he had no intention of choosing fire.

Giving up future greenery to solve immediate hunger by obtaining demonic beast teeth and claws?

That would truly be no different from burning down a straw house to catch a bedbug.

The 8th head of Hartmann could do such a thing because he was wealthy at the time.

It wasn't an option for someone like him who didn't even have a proper pair of shoes to fry and eat.

"...What are stones?"

In the meantime, Leandros, having recovered from the shock, asked.

Understanding that the fire was a fake and that stones were what he had originally planned, Leandros’ attitude suggested he was humoring him with the question.

"By any chance, do you two know the term 'fisherman's gain'?"

"Fisherman's gain?"

The two showed a reaction of not understanding my words at all.

In the end, he explained in detail to the two about the Vormi hunting method using 'stones.'

Arndt had an expression that questioned if such a thing existed, while Leandros seemed to doubt if such a method would really work.

After pondering for a while, Leandros spoke.

"Let's assume the method the Young Duke mentioned actually works. But isn't it still dangerous? To use that method, various preparations would be needed."

The ferocity of Vormi was well-known in the original work. He didn't want the scenario of being killed by demonic beasts while trying to avoid starving to death. As Leandros said, the risk still existed.

Moreover, Arenheit's body was truly weak.

Just look at him fainting with a nosebleed after carrying firewood.

He had little stamina and would quickly run out of breath even with a slightly fast walk.

Under these conditions, he probably couldn't actively participate in the hunt.

"So I've been thinking, I want to distinguish between field personnel and support personnel."

"What roles would each have?"

"Field personnel actively participate in the hunt, and support personnel, naturally, support the field personnel."

"You're not just calling people who do odd jobs 'support personnel,' are you? Have you thought about the roles?"

Leandros remarked sarcastically. He nodded.

"Arndt as support personnel, it would be good if you could prepare the necessary materials for the hunt."

"Um... Yes. I understand."

"And I, too, as support personnel, want to take on the role of monitoring the whereabouts of the Vormi."

There were only three people, but already two were support personnel.

Leandros's brow gradually began to furrow.

He clapped his hands.

"Everyone, let's give a round of applause to Sir Leandros, who has become the field personnel. Clap, clap, clap."

"May I say that I'm not pleased?"

"No? Since we're doing this, I'd appreciate if you would apply yourself diligently."

Among us, only Leandros had superior physical abilities, so it couldn't be helped.

Leandros took a deep breath and exhaled.

"...If by any chance a dangerous situation arises, I hope you'll immediately leave the hunting ground and give up on such an unrealistic dream as demonic beast hunting."

"I promise. On Hartmann's name."

He staked the already ruined family name, thinking it didn't matter what became of it, but Leandros seemed to have barely accepted.

The following day, early evening.

As the moon rose dimly, they headed together towards the hunting ground, fully prepared.