episode_0002

Strictly speaking, it is reasonable to say that the Barony of Delkisi is the territory of the Grand Duke’s family.

When it was first created, it had a shape that was different from that of an ordinary territory.

No matter what resources are produced in the territory, whether it is crops obtained by farming, animal husbandry, or hunting to survive, in general, the form of the territory spread out in all directions with the castle at the center is advantageous for ruling. am.

However, the Barony of Delkisi occupied a horizontally long territory at the top of the wide-spread Grand Duchy of Gratton Mount, with two mountains on either side of it that were so high that it was almost impossible for people to climb. To anyone, it could only be seen as the gatehouse of the Grand Duchy. It was.

In fact, hunting alone is barely enough to feed one’s mouth, and except for wild potatoes, almost nothing is produced, so they periodically receive support from the Grand Duke.

That’s right. It is not only a seal in form, but also in what it does. It is the seal of the Great Duke of Grattenmount, and furthermore, the seal of the Alwen Kingdom itself.

As you go further north, the dense trees gradually disappear, and eventually you emerge into a snowy field covered with snow all year round, but the cold is so unbearable even for the barons that the kingdom or the grand duchy do not think about expanding their territory any further. It doesn’t seem to be.

In the thin forest above Baron, where creatures can barely survive, there still live barbarians who refuse civilization. They have been on an enmity with the giants since before the creation of Baron Delkisi long ago, and they still hate Baron to this day.

Well, in fact, there are a group of people who hate not only Writer Nam, but all living things. They are not people who will live with the satisfaction of destroying Writer Nam. This is a setting that also appeared in a novel I read.

Speaking of the giant, it seems that the first person to marry the giant and create descendants was a member of the Great Duke of Grattenmount. It is not just a story that has been passed down, but a detailed record remains. In fact, it is the head of the family tree attached to the castle wall. The names of people from the Grand Duke family are written at the top, and the Grand Duke family does not deny that fact.

So, although the blood is very, very, very thin, the blood of the Great Duke of Grattenmount and even the King of Alwen flows through the veins of the people of Delki City.

The people of Grattenmount were not the only ones who intermarried with giants. Although it was not common, some humans living in the north also intermarried with giants, so among the people of the barony, there were people who were not good men but had giant blood in them. There were quite a few. In fact, the real giants became extinct at some point. Some people assume that they did not become extinct, but were simply absorbed into the Barony as their blood mixed and mixed.

Whatever the reason, the last record of the ‘giants’, who were said to be approximately 4 meters tall, is from 200 years ago, at best.

*

Therefore, the natural environment around the Barony is by no means typical.

Wild animals, plants, and all are so needlessly strong that they are incomparable with all living things in the south—that is, ‘all’ south of us.

At the very least, the moose deer that we kill whenever we are conscripted as soldiers are much larger than those in our territory compared to those in the south.

“Okay, let’s start with the little guy.”

My father said as he put me down from the deer’s back.

While saying that, there was a family of deer on the side my father was looking at.

The distance was quite far away. The big deer was almost as big as a thumb. In fact, the cubs were almost invisible because they were covered by the trees, so I don’t know how my father was sure that there were cubs out there.

“I’ll let you deal with the bigger ones. You only have to catch one of the cubs. Don’t stress too much.”

No, it has to be a burden.

To be honest, I was astonished when I first heard the story, but now that it’s happening, it’s even more outrageous.

The moose is strong enough to move forward without losing speed in a snow field up to its thighs.

But my father got off the deer.

All he is holding is a bow and arrow. However, in order to ‘negotiate’ with a deer, the deer must be alive, and if it cannot run, the reason for ‘negotiation’ disappears. First of all, it is to be used as a vehicle.

“Watch carefully and remember. They have a strong love for their family. In this environment, if you do not take proper care of your cubs, you will not be able to inherit the heir. So, we must use that to negotiate. ”

“… … .”

I unexpectedly heard something heartless.

“Look over there. Can you see the guy without horns? That’s a female. The guy with horns next to him is a male. The male’s horns grow before the estrus season begins and remain on their heads for about half a year. In fact, around this time of year, they start to grow horns. It’s time for the teeth to fall off. After the baby is born, the horns will become a hindrance.”

My father looked down at me and grinned. We were both kneeling on the floor, and of course he was much taller than me. It wasn’t just a difference in height between a child and an adult. My height was now 140 centimeters. just because.

… … I don’t know how they managed to avoid being discovered. Could this also be due to the blood flowing through the family crest?

“If there is a male attached to a female at this time of year, that male has successfully mated. And he will already have cubs. When we shoot a female, the male will definitely go out to protect his cubs and the female who will feed them. That’s right.Elsie, you just have to hide until I deal with the male and then attack the cub.”

In human terms, this means that they are targeting newlyweds who have just had a child.

And to protect her family, she wants to kidnap the baby while her husband is away.

Those words were more heartless than you could imagine.

But that’s wild and nature. Because wolves and bears don’t question morality when they catch and eat animals.

Nature doesn’t lie. It’s just a place where those trying to survive eat each other and be eaten.

“Okay.”

I made a promise in my heart and nodded. My voice trembled a little. It was partly because I was cold and partly because I was nervous.

All of Baron’s people are strong. They are not just strong because they are big, but they literally have inhuman strength through some fantasy effect. No matter how tall they are, they are 2 meters and 30 centimeters tall, but in reality, they are a giant deer that is more dangerous than most beasts of prey. Beating someone with your fists and making them submit is itself a fantasy.

Because my family’s blood flows through me, I am much taller than the average child of my age, but I am still shorter than the members of my family. I am not sure whether I have inherited that strength or not.

My father must have recognized my expression and tapped my back with his large hand. To me, it felt like a hand almost the size of a pot lid, but the force with which it touched my back was not very strong.

“Don’t worry too much. If there is danger, I will make sure to protect you. Isn’t it natural for a father to protect his daughter? ”

I think it’s natural for a moose to protect its young.

Of course, I couldn’t say that to my father, who was smiling warmly.

*

Because of the fact that he hits his face with his fist during the negotiation process, it seems like people in my family will run at super speed and start uppercutting the deer when they hear the story, but in reality, that’s not the case.

We start from far enough away that the prey does not notice us and move from tree to tree and rock to rock while crouching. We take care not to turn our backs to the wind, we choose our direction carefully, and we turn away rather than approaching the prey in a straight line. Approach.

By the way, the deer we rode has already been sent back. My father said that we can just kill the male and ride it, but that male doesn’t even have a saddle… … Well, in this worldview, if you worry about such things, you will lose.

Approach the female deer at a tediously slow pace until you find a place and angle where you can accurately hit the female deer with an arrow—

The sound of a deer crying was similar to that of a cow. However, if it was a soul sound, it was the most heartbreaking sound of all the sounds I have ever heard.

The arrow fired from a longbow made from strong conifers that grow in the north had so much kinetic energy that it pierced the thigh of a large moose.

The red blood stains scattered on the pure white snow were clearly visible even from about 50 meters away.

The male deer, which had its head buried in the ground as if searching for food, lifted its dog up. I’ve heard that life can be felt in the eyes of people, but I’ve never heard that life can be felt in the eyes of an animal.

The eyes of the deer, which did not run away but instead looked in the direction from which the arrow came, were a bit shocking for someone who was out hunting for the first time like me.

“Let’s go!”

But my father, who jumped up from his seat while shouting like that, looked a little excited.