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Chapter 86

Bern village was one of the many villages being developed in Arkrest Kingdom. However, none of the villages across the kingdom could compare to our superior combat abilities. Even Christina, who had traveled across the kingdom, officially recognized Bern village as an extraordinary place.

A simple example would be the unexpected yet frequent occurrences when villagers headed back from hunting the rabbits, birds, and boars living around the village.

During one of their hunts, a group of villagers had loaded their hunted iron boars and silver-scaled iguanas onto their horse cart. However, just at that moment, the radiant sun rays suddenly cast a shadow on the ground.

All five villagers who had gone hunting with the horses’ owner noticed that there was nothing around them to obstruct their view. Hence, they concluded that the shadow had been cast from above them and looked up at the clear blue sky.

A demonic beast instantly came into sight. Its huge wings flapped at the wind majestically. In addition to the iron exterior of its skin, it possessed the strength to lift cows and horses easily with its beak. Its claws were like sickles that pierced through and gripped tightly onto slabs of meat.

The flying Gryphon monster had an eagle’s head and upper body, as well as the lower body of a lion. This beast had attacked the villagers who had just returned to the village after finishing their hunt.

It soared freely and swiftly in the sky, giving it a great advantage as it swooped down to prey on humans. It even had the durability and endurance unique to monsters and high resistance to magic. This was a terrifying creature that even a trained knight or a mage could not escape unscathed in a fight.

As for these villagers, all they could do was abandon their horses and game as they fled for their lives. Besides praying for their safety, there were powerless to resist. Despite being saved from danger, these villagers could only mourn the misfortunes that had befallen them. Once they were exhausted with such exclamations of despair, they would finally gather their wits, get back on their feet, and await the next day.

However, Christina would have never lauded Bern village to be warriors if we had continued behaving in such a manner.

There was no doubt that the Gryphon was a terrifying monster. However, such dangerous beasts were a rare resource. Their fur, feathers, beaks, claws, meat, bones, and organs were almost entirely usable.

Hence, the villagers of Bern village made a firm decision. We would no longer flee from these Gryphons.

The villagers of Bern village challenged the Gryphons like insects plunging into a flame. However, they did not burn and wither. Instead, they hunted the Gryphons like prey and made it part of their livelihood. As the Gryphon swooped down to the ground to grab up its prey scampering about, the villagers would prepare to attack the Gryphon diving rapidly toward them.

This counterattack would have been much easier if mages like me, Grandma Magul, Dina, and Leisha were present. However, we were often busy preparing potions and overseeing the collection of special materials. As a reasult, there had been many instances where we were unable to head out on such a hunt. In the end, many villagers grew accustomed to fighting with mages with them.

This time, the villagers were up against a Gryphon attracted to glittering objects, just like dragons. Furthermore, it sought out mares for breeding. Thus, they had prepared a large mound of silver-scaled iguanas on their loading cart with a mare to draw it.

The mare being used was a little old, but it was still able to bear foals. There was no reason for the Gryphon to miss out on this perfect breeding opportunity. As for the villagers, they had fully grasped their foe’s behavior and wasted no time with their preparations.

Hunters usually went out with a spear, a bow and arrows, a knife or a dagger to dismember their game, a sword, and an ax. However, things were different if one were to anticipate the attack of large monsters like a Gryphon or a gigantic alligator. Along with the cart, one would also bring a harpoon or a hooked pole the width of an adult’s wrist, as well as a long spear three times an adult’s height.

Other useful items and threatening armaments had also been prepared, and two of the five villagers picked up the weapons tied to the base of the cart.

「It’s coming! Don’t panic!」

「Gotcha.」

「We don’t want to bother Grandma Magul with some useless injuries.」

These men had faces lined with wrinkles from their arduous lives at the frontier, and muscles lined their bones like armor. Their voices boomed loudly against the cries of the Gryphon. Their eyes were keen as they waited for the perfect opportunity to strike the Gryphon and draw first blood.

However, the flawless preparation of humans could not control a horse’s behavior. After all, horses were smart yet cowardly creatures. Once the mare sensed that its life was in danger from the approaching monster, fear gripped it as it neighed loudly and tried to escape with all its might.

However, like the villagers, this mare was also accustomed to life in Bern village. It understood that it would have a greater chance of survival if it quietly played its role as bait.

These villagers and their mare were not too much different from each other. Both parties had nerves of steel, carrying themselves boldly and fearlessly.

「Now!!!」

The Gryphon was so close that the villagers could see its feathers beating furiously against the wind and every nook of its sharp black claws. With a bellow, they hurled out a net tied to the cart by a thick rope.

The Gryphon swooped down at the mare, so rapid that it could not change its trajectory of flight. The net, woven by twisting ropes over and over again, enveloped it fully from the front.

A monstrous screech echoed as the Gryphon wailed violently. It batted its wings and scrambled with its claws to escape from the net, struggling desperately to break free from the unexpected retaliation of these humans it despised.

However, the more the Gryphon wrestled with the net, the more tangled up its limbs and wings were in the net. In no time, the Gryphon was rendered flightless.

The fiber used for the net had been soaked in simmering steel grass. Although it looked like a mere rope, it had the strength of steel. No matter how strong the Gryphon’s sharp lion claws were, they were powerless in ripping apart the net.

In addition to the giant alligator that was tons heavier than the Gryphon, several other items had also been tied to the cart and net to prevent the Gryphon from flying away.

With the Gryphon trapped in the net and unable to take flight, the villagers picked up their large hunting weapons and were poised to strike.

It was best if the Gryphon was left with as few wounds as possible. Its majestic form often led it to be used by nobles as emblems, and a pristine hide would fetch a high price. Gryphons that were traded at the highest prices had no scars on their bodies and wings. However, it would be hard for these villagers to ensure an unscathed corpse. After all, they were not hunting this Gryphon for sale. They were merely retaliating against a beast that had attacked them.

The next most important aspect of skinning a Gryphon was to preserve the eagle upper body and lion lower body. If one could retain the form of the Gryphon from its stomach all the way to its head, such a hide could still be sold for a significant amount of gold.

As for this particular Gryphon, skinning it from the belly to its head with as little damage as possible was probably the best choice. Hence, the villagers aimed the spearheads of their giant harpoons and long spears at the Gryphon’s lower body. There was not the slightest shred of mercy in them as they struck and speared through the creature.

This monster that was often subdued by trained soldiers and mages was also a regular prey for the people of Bern village. We had set up our own methods for hunting the Gryphon.

However, many had moved to Bern village recently, and these monster attacks in the most unlikely of places often scared them out of their wits. A significant number of new villagers would freeze in shock and fear at the sight of these creatures, but it was hard to criticize them for such a reaction.

We were kind to these newcomers who were unfamiliar with our way of living, but Bern village was at the frontier, where its environment was hard to adapt to and survive in, It hardly mattered if one failed to get used to such attacks after experiencing them five or six times. There was no peaceable alternative to hunting these monsters.

On the other hand, new jobs had been made available with the revitalization of commerce triggered by the construction of my bathhouse and the exchanges with Ente Forest. Presently, there were no new or existing villagers who were unemployed.

The benefits that I had brought to the village through my efforts made my heart soar in pride.