Ch.399Chapter 399 – To Catch a Bear (2)

I began walking toward the bear beastmen, putting my new shield—no, my new companion—in front.

“H-hey, let me go! Why are you using me as a shield…!”

“This way they won’t shoot arrows at us.”

If they were in their right minds, they wouldn’t think of firing arrows when one of their own kind was present. Considering the approaching enemies and the characteristic of beastmen valuing their tribe, there shouldn’t be any stray arrows coming our way.

With that thought, I made my companion walk in front, and he shouted at me.

“Grr, this isn’t the way of a warrior!”

“Then let’s not do it the warrior way.”

If I have to match their rhythm to be considered a warrior, I’d rather not bother and keep things simple. Of course, while I said this, I did feel a slight pang of guilt about using my newly captured companion as a shield—it seemed rather barbaric. But given who we were dealing with, I decided to set aside such feelings early on.

“Lord Baren, Lord Jusha, I’m sorry…!”

The bear beastman cried loudly as he prayed.

As expected, the bear beastmen had no intention of shooting arrows or anything similar.

Instead, they all began moving busily to form ranks.

“Should I take this as a challenge to fight?”

“Strictly speaking, it’s probably a show of force.”

A demonstration meant to intimidate us by flaunting their military might.

The bear beastmen were already quite imposing due to their size.

And normally, it would stop right there, but…

“We’re dealing with beastmen.”

And they were the type who insisted on their strange logic as the “warrior’s way.”

Clearly, this wouldn’t end here.

Sure enough, the bear beastman standing at the front drew what looked like a mace and shouted.

“Warriors of the tribe, we have guests!”

As the bear beastmen prepared themselves with weapons, I quietly reached for my own.

And the next moment, the beast shouted.

“These are the words of our chief! As warriors, greet our guests with respect!!”

“Here they really come.”

Beatrice began to look dumbfounded.

And the bear beastmen started charging in formation.

Most had broad shoulders, giving them quite an intimidating presence.

“Oh my. How frightening. I might make a mistake at this rate?”

Despite her words, Beatrice didn’t look scared at all.

If anything, she seemed relaxed.

“Prepared some good magic, I see?”

“Of course. Who do you think I am?”

Beatrice grinned.

“Don’t underestimate the Mad Dog of the Magic Tower.”

While using a title that was hardly reassuring, Beatrice extended her arm.

Soon, a large sphere of electricity flew from her hand toward the bear beastmen and began to rapidly shrink.

Immediately, the bear beastmen started mocking Beatrice’s magic.

“Hahaha!! A mage failing at magic! Looks like our guests are scared!”

“Is this a children’s show?! We’ll gladly play along!”

The bear beastmen began charging one by one, laughing.

Noah, who had been watching quietly, asked Beatrice out of curiosity.

“What kind of magic is that?”

“Nothing too special.”

Beatrice said with a smirk.

“Let’s just say it’s magic that temporarily turns metals in the area into magnets.”

Right after she finished speaking.

The bear beastmen’s bodies suddenly began sticking together.

“Wha-?!”

Starting with those wearing iron armor or armor containing metal, weapons began sticking to them.

The beastmen holding weapons also got entangled, and in an instant, the bears’ movements were sealed.

“So that’s what you prepared.”

“It’s a spell that requires a lot of preparation materials, so it’s hard to use without preparing in advance. And if they apply enough force, they can break free.”

Beatrice quietly added that while it looked impressive, it was easier to counter than it appeared.

But that was only if one remained calm and knew how to respond.

“How could they respond accurately when they don’t properly understand the effects of the magic?”

Beatrice laughed as she watched the bear beastmen, their bodies still stuck together and their movements blocked.

Some beastmen, whether from experience with such magic or by chance, were resisting with force as Beatrice had mentioned.

But because of that, their feet had stopped.

“You shouldn’t stay still in front of a mage.”

With a smile, Beatrice rolled her leg.

A terrifying cold began to spread from her, and soon it started freezing the legs of the bear beastmen who were either completely immobilized or barely trying to get up.

Many of the bear beastmen became unable to move from where they stood.

“That’s impressive.”

“Now you understand why mages are considered asymmetric forces, don’t you, little nun?”

Beatrice grinned at Chris’s admiration.

And the next moment, bear beastmen who had somehow managed to avoid Beatrice’s magic—whether by luck or skill—began coming toward us.

“I guess it was too much to expect to clean them all up in one go.”

“That would be greedy. Still, with more than half of them sealed, it’s essentially a defeat.”

Eve, who had drawn her sword in preparation, spoke lightly toward Sera.

Then Beatrice quietly looked at me and asked.

“…Is your heart okay?”

I could tell that Eve, Sera, Chris, and even Sia were all quietly listening for my answer, even though they pretended to look away.

Having spent time together, I could easily notice this.

So my answer was predetermined.

“I’m fine.”

As I stepped forward, I quietly said to Beatrice.

“Focus on subduing them after you’ve rested a bit.”

“If it gets tough, fall back and leave it to me.”

I nodded at Beatrice’s words.

Before I knew it, Sia, Noah, and Sonya had lined up beside me at the front, while Eve, Sera, and Chris prepared to support us from behind.

Ignoring the concerned gazes of my companions, I asked Noah.

“Are you ready?”

“Of course. Ah, I’ll take good care of Sonya, so don’t worry too much.”

Noah said with a smile.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had some exercise. Follow me well, Sonya.”

“Okay!”

He was a sheep beastman who was extremely attentive to the wolf beastman.

Taking my eyes off the two, I quietly said.

“Let’s go. This is just the beginning.”

I spoke quietly as I watched the charging bear beastmen.

+

“Daughter, put on your armor!”

“Please, I’m begging you, cancel the armament order first!!”

“Hahaha! Are you embarrassed?!”

“Now is not the time to worry about…!”

Jusha had been trying to stop her father, Baren, for a while now.

But her father showed no intention of listening.

“I’m telling you, no! Those adventurers must be nearby by now, and if this looks like a provocation…”

“Provocation?”

Finally, Baren seemed to realize something was off about the conversation.

Jusha quickly shouted.

“We’ve already failed the invitation because our side was rude! If we appear threatening by arming ourselves, we might have to deal with them too…!”

“Wait, the invitation failed?”

Baren tilted his head slightly.

It looked somewhat cute because of his bear head, but to Jusha’s eyes, he just looked foolish.

“Please listen to reports properly! Let me summarize! Invitation failed! Humans likely angry! High possibility of facing them in addition to Lizanis! Stop provocative actions! Understood? We need to do this right now!”

“Hmm.”

Baren nodded solemnly.

Then, he opened his mouth.

“…You never know. If we show them our impressive forces…”

“Would that work?! They’re not beastman warriors, I keep telling you?!! Wake up!”

Jusha shouted desperately.

And just as Jusha was about to continue, a bear beastman entered the room.

“Chief, I have a report!”

“Speak!!”

Baren’s expression immediately changed from that of a father playing with his daughter.

Seeing the sudden change in Baren’s demeanor, the bear beastman continued his report.

“Our forces are currently engaged in battle with those adventurers!”

“W-who gave the order to attack?!”

Jusha shouted urgently.

And Baren quietly said, looking slightly apologetic.

“I told them to show the warrior’s way.”

“Aaaaargh!!!!”

Unable to contain herself any longer, Jusha screamed and fell backward.

Surprised by his daughter’s reaction, Baren wanted to rush to Jusha and care for her.

But since his duties as chief took priority at the moment, he did nothing more than carefully lift his daughter and place her on the bed.

“Chief.”

“…Jusha will be fine. She may be frail, but she’s my daughter. And she’s clever too. She’ll understand that her father meant no harm, even if he did something foolish.”

Baren said quietly.

“More importantly, where are those adventurers now?”

“At the southern entrance, sir!”

“I see.”

Baren immediately moved.

Just as the bear beastman was about to say something, Baren shouted dramatically.

“Since we promised to receive them in the warrior’s way, it’s only right that we welcome them properly!”

“Chief?”

“Sound the drums! Call out the name of Baren, chief of the Bear Tribe!”

Baren shouted loudly.

“I shall personally welcome those adventurers!”

“But that’s…”

“It’s my order! Make sure to convey it clearly and completely! My order!”

At Baren’s command, the bear beastman shouted and ran out.

Seeing this, Baren grinned, then gently looked at Jusha.

His face soon changed from that of a chief to that of a father.

“Your father has lived as a warrior, so he’s not as clever as you, but rather dull.”

Looking down at Jusha with warm eyes, Baren continued.

“But judging by your reaction, I can see that our tribe has made a grave mistake. This dull father didn’t even realize there was a sword coming at him.”

Baren said quietly.

“But don’t worry.”

As if trying to reassure his seemingly unconscious daughter, Baren spoke firmly.

“No matter what happens, you and the tribe will survive. I will ensure it.”

Baren spoke as if making a resolution.

“I have a good idea. You shouldn’t worry.”

Leaving those words behind, Baren quietly left Jusha and went outside.

“…No, Dad…”

In the room left alone, Jusha was quietly calling for her father.

+

Quite some time had passed as we subdued the bear beastmen and advanced.

‘We’ve come quite deep inside.’

It had been a while since we charged at the bear beastmen in formation.

I thought their leader would appear by now, or at least we’d be near him.

“Excellent! Next, I’ll…!”

I struck a bear beastman who was trying to intervene with my staff, knocking him unconscious.

Behind me, Noah was using his pole, and Sia was knocking out some beastmen with her fists.

In the rear, Beatrice was preventing bear beastmen from approaching with magic and martial arts, and occasionally launching large-scale spells at our side, literally demonstrating why mages were considered asymmetric forces. Eve was directing Beatrice, while Sera and Chris were safely supporting us.

As for Sonya, she wasn’t much help.

She handled ordinary-looking bear beastmen well, but showed signs of struggle against those who seemed to have any reputation.

I could somewhat understand why Noah said he’d take care of her and not to worry.

“Noah! These people are monsters, right?! How many high-ranking bear beastman warriors have they taken down?!”

“That’s just because you’re weak, Sonya. Don’t tarnish the name of a mercenary who was once a high-ranking warrior of the wolf tribe.”

“Hey, I’m fighting really well considering! They’re bear beastmen, you know?! And we’re subduing them, not killing them!”

As I watched Sonya making excuses to Noah, I knocked down a couple more bear beastmen.

And as I prepared to neutralize the next beastman.

I felt pain in my heart.

“…Tch.”

It was just for a moment, so I should still be fine.

As I tried to reassure myself and focus on the battle again, drums began to sound from somewhere.

“Is their leader coming?”

With Sia’s words, the bear beastmen suddenly began to retreat.

And from a distance, other bear beastmen began to shout loudly.

“Baren! Baren! Baren! Baren!”

The name of the bear tribe’s chief was indeed Baren.

Realizing that the one we’d been waiting for had appeared, I grinned and raised my staff, when suddenly someone made a great leap from behind the bear beastmen.

-BOOM!

With a tremendous sound, dust rose.

And a giant bear wearing armor appeared before me.

“You’ve come a loooong way! Adventurers!!!”

I could see Eve and Sera partially covering their ears at the incredible volume.

The rest of us endured well as we looked at the giant bear before us, who laughed loudly and shouted.

“I am!! The chief of the Bear Tribe! Baren!!”

“So you’re the one who sent those guys after us.”

As I quietly asked while looking at Baren, he looked at me and shouted loudly.

“That’s right!! From the looks of it, you must be the one we’ve been looking for!”

“May I ask what you were thinking when you attacked us?”

“It’s obvious!”

Baren shouted jovially.

“Having heard rumors of your prowess as a warrior! I wanted to test your strength!”

“Test?”

This was slightly different from Noah’s prediction or what we had guessed.

Baren laughed loudly and shouted.

“That’s right!! A test!! To see if you are suitable for our tribe!”

“Tribe?”

“No need for long explanations!”

Baren shouted as he stomped his leg once.

“Try to overcome me, human! Take up your weapon and face this Baren! Show me the strength that defeated Lizanis!”

A combative smile appeared on the bear’s face.

There was a brief creaking sound from Baren’s armor, as if his thick muscles were difficult to contain.

And pointing at me, Baren shouted.

“Try and take what’s precious from this Baren!”

Baren shouted as he entered a combat stance.