Keldric had never experienced a proper hunt in his eighteen years of life.
Born into a knightly family, he had received some level of education and training, but that didn’t mean that the Bolpen estate had thoroughly prepared him for everything.
He had only ever heard about real hunting in words.
The closest thing to actual hunting he had done was being dragged along as a child by his two older brothers who were obsessed with going on hunts to catch rabbits.
He had seen rabbits taken down with slingshots or weasels caught in flimsy traps, but he had never dared to go after large animals like deer or wolves.
Besides, the hunting grounds in Carlton Village belonged to Baron Yaben, and all the beasts that lived there were considered his property. Even catching rabbits or weasels in secret could have led to serious consequences.
The bottom line was that Keldric was not equipped to track down an unknown monster that tore people apart.
“We’re going to be hunting a monster.”
With that in mind, Keldric summoned the Iron Claw Mercenaries to the inner city.
Mercenaries made their living by putting their bodies on the line, so they often took on all sorts of odd jobs. Among them, monster hunting requests were occasionally lumped in, meaning that some of the Iron Claw mercenaries might have relevant experience.
“S-Sir Keldric. A monster, you say?”
“Yes. The Duke of Spitzenberg has earnestly requested our help. I couldn’t simply turn him down.”
“But if we do this, the task assigned by Count Bogenberg…”
“I’ve properly negotiated that matter with the Duke of Spitzenberg, so there’s no need to worry.”
After hearing Keldric’s brief explanation, Radomar’s tense expression eased slightly, and he nodded.
Keldric didn’t make an issue of Radomar’s awkward reaction. Being suddenly tasked with hunting a monster was understandably unsettling.
Especially since, as a mercenary, Radomar would likely be on the front lines when the hunt began.
Sensing his unease, Keldric reassured him.
“The Duke of Spitzenberg has promised to provide reinforcements. It won’t be a lot, but it should ease the burden somewhat.”
“That… That is true.”
“I’ll be joining the hunt as well. A monster that murders innocent people is roaming freely how could I ignore that as a knight?”
“Oh…!”
That lifted the spirits of the group. Some of the mercenaries still looked uncertain, but at least none seemed unwilling to follow.
“The Duke of Spitzenberg has also promised a generous reward. I assure you that you will all receive a fair share.”
Mercenaries would do anything for money.
Even if it meant shoveling manure in a pigsty, as long as the pay was right, they would step forward without hesitation.
It wasn’t certain whether Baron Spitzenberg would reward all ten or so mercenaries, but if negotiations didn’t go as hoped, Keldric would make sure they got what they deserved.
“Alyssa. What about you?”
“A monster, huh…That does pique my interest.”
Alyssa, too, seemed intrigued, her expression showing a growing curiosity.
Her magic was somewhat conditional but undeniably lethal. Having her on board would be a significant advantage.
Keldric turned back to Radomar and the other mercenaries.
Though there was still fear in their eyes, it was overshadowed by the excitement of potential rewards. That look of anticipation was satisfying to see.
“Those with hunting experience will form a group of six and prepare to track the beast. The remaining nine will split into groups of three and gather information on the monster.”
“Understood.”
“Radomar, once you’ve gathered enough information, come report to me. Keep investigating until sunset.”
“Understood. I’ll do so.”
A brief commotion rippled through the Iron Claw Mercenaries as they sorted out their assigned tasks. Once their roles were divided, they dispersed, leaving the inner city to carry out their duties.
Keldric intended to move with Alyssa, Arno, and Helga.
While the other mercenaries were grouped into threes as a precaution, it seemed unlikely that the monster would appear in broad daylight. Besides, with Baron Spitzenberg promising reinforcements, there should be enough manpower gathered by evening to begin the hunt in earnest.
Still, it was frustrating. If there had been just one more knight, he could have confidently assigned someone to hold down a position. But lamenting what didn’t exist wouldn’t change anything, so Keldric mounted Boreas with a swift motion.
“We should start gathering information as well.”
“Yes. It’s always best to hear things directly from the source.”
Even without hunting experience, Keldric knew that intelligence was the first step.
Although Spitzenberg was a small city, it was anything but simple. Built by dwarves in ancient times, its layout was complex, with steep, terraced streets and countless passageways leading underground. Narrow, shadowy alleys wove through the city like a labyrinth, making it a poor choice for aimless wandering in search of a monster.
Even aside from last night’s events, there had already been seven victims. That meant there had to be witnesses, and their testimonies would be key to uncovering clues. Using that information, Keldric planned to narrow down the search area and begin the hunt in earnest once dusk approached.
As he set off with Alyssa and his two young attendants, his gaze drifted beyond the city walls to the mountains that loomed like a natural fortress.
The blue sky carried the lingering scent of the northern winds, with wisps of white clouds faintly trailing across it. The sun, shining brilliantly, was already nearing its peak.
Only a few hours remained before nightfall. With Spitzenberg sitting isolated in the heart of the mountains, dusk would likely fall sooner than expected.
By then, they needed solid leads.
There was no need to rush recklessly, but Keldric was determined to end this as quickly as possible before another victim fell.
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As they wandered the streets, no disturbances arose.
Keldric guided Boreas at a slow pace, stopping passersby to ask questions. Any information they gathered was then sorted and refined with Alyssa, filtering out exaggerations and unreliable rumors.
After hours of gathering intel, the sun finally dipped beyond the mountains, and the darkening sky crept in from the horizon.
“Night is falling.”
“This isn’t good.”
Alyssa was right, it wasn’t good at all.
The only concrete information Keldric had managed to confirm was that the monster was not human and that it only appeared after sundown.
That might have seemed like valuable intel, but from the very beginning, the term monster had already implied it wasn’t human. And the fact that it hunted only after dark? That was something anyone could have guessed without needing to ask around.
Keldric stared blankly at the eastern mountain peaks, where the stars and darkness gathered.
Soon, the sun would vanish completely. Then, the monster’s hunt for human prey might begin or it might not. There was no certainty.
And Keldric hated uncertainty.
If something wasn’t certain, all he could do was speculate. And relying on speculation meant he had no solid information to act upon.
That kind of frustratingly vague information only made things worse.
Keldric clicked his tongue briefly and turned his horse toward the inner city.
He wasn’t the only one making inquiries about the monster. A dozen or so mercenaries, led by Radomar, had likely been scouring the city. If they pooled their findings, they might come up with something useful.
“…Is that all?”
“I’m sorry, Sir Keldric.”
But even the information Radomar had gathered wasn’t particularly helpful.
The only noteworthy detail was that the creature supposedly had black fur and sometimes walked on two legs.
Even that wasn’t certain. In times like these, when gossip was one of the few sources of entertainment, facts tended to get exaggerated or distorted as they spread.
Still, while it wasn’t particularly useful for tracking, it was information worth keeping in mind.
“That’s unusual.”
“It really is. There are monsters with black fur, but if it also walks on two legs…”
A beast with black fur that occasionally walked upright.
It certainly wasn’t human. No one would call a creature covered in thick black fur a person.
“Could it be a bear?”
“A bear would fit the description, at least visually. But I doubt an animal like that could roam so freely in the city.”
“……”
Alyssa, a mage from the Order of the Cleansing Flame, had received her education at the Academia, so she was knowledgeable.
But that didn’t mean she knew everything. Fields like biology, which she hadn’t studied in depth, were outside her expertise.
Still, compared to Keldric who had only recently left the countryside she was far more informed. That’s why he discussed things with her.
“A beast like a bear couldn’t have entered past the city walls unnoticed. If it had, someone would have reported it.”
“And it’s strange that Sir Hilfrich was so badly wounded. Bears are dangerous, of course, but if Sir Hilfrich had pursued it with a weapon, he should have been able to hunt it down.”
As they went back and forth without reaching a conclusion, Radomar, who had been silently listening, cautiously interjected.
“Perhaps… it’s a werewolf.”
Keldric blinked in surprise. Radomar’s words were absurd.
“A werewolf?”
“Yes. It’s a common tale in the western regions of the Empire, isn’t it? The strange stories about creatures that are neither man nor wolf, walking on two legs at night and devouring people.”
Long ago, Pope Sergio VII had declared.
‘Humans cannot transform into animals. If anyone claims to have witnessed such a thing, it is merely the devil’s deceit.’
Keldric had read this in one of the few books available in House Bellaf.
But popes changed over time, and it was common for the doctrines of previous papacies to be disregarded in later eras.
Though the Church had never officially recognized the existence of werewolves, they had often explained them away as witches, heretics, or pagans who used demonic power to transform into half-human, half-beast forms.
‘It might actually be real.’
So, Keldric didn’t entirely dismiss Radomar’s words as mere folklore.
After all, this land was home to ogres and stone trolls. Alyssa was proof that mages existed, and people like Niccolo practiced bizarre, pseudo-medical techniques as actual medicine.
It would be stranger if werewolves didn’t exist in such a world.
After a moment of thought, Keldric slowly nodded.
“I see. A werewolf, huh?”
“Sir Keldric, rumors about werewolves mainly circulate in the dense forests of the western Empire and the Frankish Kingdom. But as for Spitzenberg, which lies deep within the mountains…”
Alyssa sounded somewhat skeptical. And understandably so there was a vast mountain range between here and the western Empire or the Frankish Kingdom.
Would a werewolf really travel all this way to settle here? That was the question.
“There’s no reason it couldn’t, is there?”
“Well, that’s true.”
“How could we possibly comprehend the ways of those who consort with evil demons? The Lord has given us eyes and ears, so we must observe the world with righteous judgment.”
Keldric threw out some impressive-sounding words.
In truth, he was very interested in seeing this situation from a werewolf’s perspective, but openly admitting that might have raised doubts about his piety.
“The sun has completely set.”
While they had been debating whether it was a bear or a werewolf, night had fallen, and soldiers carrying torches had begun patrolling the area.
“Sir Keldric, the soldiers have arrived outside.”
And just in time, the reinforcements promised by Baron Spitzenberg had also arrived.
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Fully armed, Keldric made his way to the inner courtyard.
There, four soldiers were already standing at attention, each gripping a spear.
Considering that Baron Spitzenberg’s private army numbered fewer than thirty men in total, sending four of them was a promising sign. It was safe to interpret this as a measure of the baron’s desperation.
“We might run into the creature at night, so we’ll move in groups of ten.”
Keldric had increased their numbers compared to the daytime search.
If even a knight like Sir Hilfrich had been attacked, adding a few more mercenaries might not make much of a difference but it was certainly better than nothing.
One group consisted of seven mercenaries, two soldiers, and was led by Radomar.
The other group included seven more mercenaries, two additional soldiers, and Keldric’s party. That way, at least on paper, the numbers were evenly split.
Of course, as soon as Keldric joined, any notion of “balance” became meaningless, but purely by headcount, it seemed reasonable.
“If you encounter the creature, report immediately. Do not engage recklessly.”
“Yes, Sir Keldric.”
After receiving Radomar’s response, the twenty or so men lit their torches and marched into the darkened streets.
“Let’s start with the market.”
Following one of Baron Spitzenberg’s soldiers, Keldric urged Boreas forward.
Riding a horse while searching narrow alleyways at night was impractical, but that wasn’t a problem he could leave Boreas with Helga and continue the pursuit on foot.
Even as they made their way toward the market, Keldric kept scanning the city, noting how eerily silent it was.
The darkened streets of Spitzenberg at night felt deathly still, as though not a single soul remained awake.
When people sleep, the city sleeps too.
“Monster—!!”
But the monster wasn’t asleep.
Just as Keldric and his group had spent a long time searching near the market, a distant shout shattered the silence.
“A monster has appeared! A monster!”
It was Radomar’s voice.