Ch.2020. Dren Barony (4)

The physical appearance of the Fen Wolf that I witnessed with my own eyes wasn’t much different from what my mother had described.

Thick, ash-gray fluffy fur rather than simply gray. Claws and teeth visibly surrounded by magical energy. Not only were they massive enough that I could feel their presence even from this distance… but their golden eyes left a strong impression on me.

What I saw in those eyes could only be described as killing intent—a hostility unlike any emotion I’d ever encountered. Their blatant hatred toward humans made them appear as something beyond mere beasts.

…Perhaps, if this had been before the Beast of Gévaudan incident, before they had begun harming humans, some compromise or negotiation might have been possible.

After all, not only could I communicate with animals, but the Fen Wolves possessed intelligence nearly equal to humans.

But… they had already killed and devoured countless humans. Regardless of who started it, humanity as a species could no longer leave them be.

In that case, the best salvation I could offer them would be… probably death.

[—Arise, Heart of the Beast! Power of the wild born from the depths of the forest, answer my call!]

As the pack of Fen Wolves approached the walls, I cast additional incantations to expand the range of my physical enhancement magic to include all our allies.

The targets of my magic were everyone in Baron Dren’s domain. The effects of the spells I had been chanting for nearly five minutes were as follows:

First, there was the wide-range enhancement spell “Power of Bear” that I had been continuously casting.

This magic didn’t merely grant the strength of a bear but bestowed some of a bear’s physical attributes. Despite the effect being somewhat diminished due to the expanded range, it provided significant help to the villagers who weren’t particularly physically robust.

The other spell was “Patience of Donkey.” Despite its somewhat comical name, it was an exceptionally effective spell.

Its effect was to grant excellent endurance to the target and continuously restore small amounts of stamina over a certain period. Though simple in effect, it was necessary for a situation where combat might be prolonged.

And… right after I cast the spells…

As the villagers realized the magical power bestowed upon them and began murmuring among themselves, the pack of Fen Wolves in the distance started charging, leaping over the moat and attempting to climb the earthen wall…

“Throw! Throw!”

“Die! Die!”

“Don’t let those beasts live!!”

“WAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!”

Simultaneously, the villagers on the wall shouted battle cries to forget their fear as they threw stones to attack the wolves.

Stone-throwing, though easily dismissed, demonstrated formidable power.

Even without the strength of a professional pitcher, an ordinary person throwing a stone that fits in their hand… could generate enough force to serve as a legitimate weapon of war.

Depending on the size and shape of the stone, even a palm-sized rock could be lethal. A glancing blow could tear skin, and a direct hit could cause fractures.

A hit to the head could fracture the skull or cause a concussion. If a thrown stone hit vulnerable areas like the eyes, it could crush them. The central torso where internal organs are located, joints like knees, elbows, or shoulders, or the lower back and spine that affect human bipedal movement—all presented opportunities for serious injury.

“Grrrrrr….”

“Kyeong! Kyeong! Kyeooong!!”

However… simple stone-throwing without slings or catapults wasn’t enough to deal with these top-tier physical specimens of lesser magical beasts.

Despite the advantage of throwing from the high ground of the earthen wall, which added gravitational acceleration, the killing power was insufficient to penetrate the hide, fat, and muscle layers of magical beasts who instinctively knew how to utilize magical energy.

Even with magical enhancement, they couldn’t generate enough firepower to break the Fen Wolves’ hard bones.

But if there was any consolation… it was that while the stones couldn’t kill the wolves, they could at least knock them off the earthen wall.

“Kyaaang!!”

What greeted a Fen Wolf that tumbled from the wall was a sharp wooden stake. A sufficient weapon to puncture a wolf’s body if it fell in a defenseless state.

—Slash!

—Thunk! Thunk!

On top of the palisade, the men-at-arms, empowered by basic magical energy manipulation and magically enhanced physical abilities, killed wolves, while villagers armed with wooden spears—mere skewers, really—used the advantage of the wall to repel the charges.

And… as this fierce battle continued…

From the rear, an exceptionally large Fen Wolf appeared—an intermediate-level Fen Wolf that could be considered the actual leader of this pack…

[Awoooooooooo (Kiiiiiill)!!!]

The moment it raised its muzzle and opened its jaws to howl like wolves do, magical energy mixed with the howl spread in all directions, and suddenly the Fen Wolves’ eyes turned bloodshot red.

“…Baron!”

“Yes, I’m on it!”

Realizing this phenomenon was undoubtedly the superior species’ ability to enhance subordinate species that some magical beasts possessed, I shouted, and the Baron, also sensing the gravity of the situation, immediately leapt from the watchtower into the midst of the Fen Wolves.

Baron Dren, fully armored in plate mail with a heavy metal shield in one hand and a versatile arming sword in the other… began slaughtering the surrounding wolves one-sidedly.

The aura-wrapped blade of his arming sword easily severed the necks, forelegs, and bodies of the charging Fen Wolves as if cutting tofu. A casual swing of his shield crushed the bodies of wolves it struck.

Ordinary lesser Fen Wolves couldn’t even attempt to land an effective hit. Even when some individuals bit at his body with determination, his full-body aura guard easily defended against their attacks.

As wolves in one section of the battlefield were annihilated by the knight’s hand, I certainly wasn’t resting or merely watching.

‘Corin, I’m counting on you!’

[Yes!]

High in the sky above, Corin, concealed within the clouds I had summoned with celestial magic, used the power of the thunder bird to rain golden lightning upon the wolves below. The lightning that struck where I designated instantly turned wolves into charred lumps.

Silver Deer Astra moved throughout the battlefield following my instructions, healing our allies. As an intermediate magical beast capable of using healing powers, Silver Deer could save anyone as long as they still had life in them.

And I… as the only intermediate magic user on this battlefield, exerted my power without reservation.

[Bind them!!]

The moment I declared this while drawing out magical power stored in my staff, plant seeds and leaves mixed within the earthen wall instantly grew and attempted to bind the wolves.

Vines growing simultaneously across the entire wall tried to restrain the climbing wolves. These vines, emerging from places the wolves never expected, successfully bound more than half of them.

Thus, the previously even battle instantly tilted in Baron Dren’s favor.

Some wolves fell into the moat while trying to avoid the vines, while others failed to escape the bindings and were impaled on wooden stakes.

The suddenly reversed situation clearly turned unfavorable for the wolves.

And… it seemed the Fen Wolves, despite their human-like intelligence, weren’t foolish enough to blindly pursue their hatred in such circumstances.

[—Awoooo (Retreat)!!!]

The moment the intermediate Fen Wolf, which had appeared to be waiting for the right timing to enter the battlefield, howled, all the wolves simultaneously turned and began retreating into the distance.

Normally, the situation where the most casualties occur in battle is when attacking retreating enemies.

Therefore, while most soldiers couldn’t advance, the Baron, Corin, and I could easily pursue and attack the enemy.

While Astra focused on healing from the rear, I transformed into a flying beast, a manticore, and attacked the fleeing wolves alongside Corin.

Transformed into a manticore, I spread my bat-like wings to take flight, fired poisonous tail spikes like bullets, and used my sturdy body and sharp claws to slaughter wolves at will.

[Haha! Die!!]

Thunder Bird Corin, though not large enough to ride, used his considerable size to hunt wolves and scattered lightning to expand our victory.

“Hyup!”

Even the Baron, somehow mounted on a brown warhorse he had acquired from somewhere, was hunting wolves. The situation had essentially ended in our complete victory.

The estimated survivors on the enemy side were fewer than 50. Meanwhile, our actual casualties were limited to about 14 deaths.

Considering the difference in strength between those Fen Wolves and the Baron’s domain forces, this was an undeniable major victory.