Chapter 69: The Possible Beast King
Chapter 69: The Possible Beast King
"That's my son, Chita, and Sino's husband."
Village Chief Panthril whispered the introduction, while Sino's face was clouded with sorrow.
"I'm sorry," Rod said, unsure of how to comfort someone who had lost a loved one.
It was the same feeling he had when he learned about Lisanna; he didn't know whether he should still smile in front of Mirajane.
"No, this is part of the mission," Panthril said solemnly. "Chita's fate... I must warn you, this is a dangerous task that could cost lives.
If you lack the confidence to complete it or need to reassess the mission's difficulty and reward, I can understand."
The client seemed reasonable, and Rod responded, "Please, tell us more..."
Bang!
Natsu slammed the mission paper on the coffee table. "Fairy Tail members don't give up easily! Just give it to us!"
Rod closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again.
This idiot, always so reckless!
Yet, his serious and confident expression was incredibly infectious.
Clearly, the Village Chief and Sino were influenced, thinking, "Maybe they really can do it."
But Rod decided to get the full story before making any plans. "Please, tell us more."
"The beast infestation began a few years ago. Our village has had good weather and bountiful harvests almost every year.
Similarly, the resources in the Dendrobium Ridge have been particularly abundant, and our foraging and hunting activities have decreased compared to previous years.
As a result, prey like rabbits, pheasants, deer, and wild goats have multiplied. Starting the following year, the number of predatory beasts on the mountain also increased.
With more predators, the prey population began to decline..."
Rod nodded, understanding the positive and negative feedback loops in ecosystems, a concept he learned in high school biology.
"Wild boars, which always wreak havoc on crops, are a given. With the decrease in prey, the predators naturally came down the mountain to find food.
Their first target was our livestock, and we tried various methods to combat them, like digging traps and building walls.
When hunting became difficult, the beasts started attacking humans, taking advantage of our trips to trade or work in the fields.
We also tried to fight back, forming hunting teams to ambush the beasts at the foot of the mountain. Chita... was one of them."
Rod hadn't expected to hear such a raw and primitive story of human-animal conflict...
He looked at the photos on the wall, feeling the cruelty of it all.
Happi couldn't help but ask, "Was he protecting the village when he had an accident fighting the beasts?"
"No, that's not it," the Village Chief corrected, tapping his cane on the ground. "He died because he overestimated his own abilities!"
"Father!" Sino didn't want him to speak of her husband that way.
"No! Dad is a hero!" A little girl with a bun burst into the living room. "Dad is a hero who protected the village, and he didn't die!"
Sino quickly hugged her. "Claudia, Grandpa is entertaining guests. No being rude."
"Dad is a hero, and Grandpa is the worst!" Claudia wriggled out of Sino's arms and ran out, crying.
"Claudia... Father..." Sino was torn, wanting to chase after her daughter but not wanting to be impolite.
Rod quickly said, "Please, go after her. It's dangerous for a child to run around at this hour."
Sino glanced at Panthril's face.
Panthril sighed. "If the guest says so..."
Sino left with a quick, "Excuse me," and hurried after Claudia.
"I apologize for the scene."
"Children admiring their fathers is only natural," Natsu said, seemingly reflecting on his own experiences.
"What exactly happened to the boy's father?" he pressed.
"That arrogant..." Panser sighed, but couldn't bring himself to speak ill of his son.
"He was the best hunter in the village, always hoping to find a way to ensure that no one would ever have to worry about beast attacks again. So he kept joining hunts and investigating the mountains.
"Seven days ago, he said he had discovered something like a 'Beast King' on the mountain, and that all the beasts' actions were being driven by this Beast King."
"Beast King?" Rod recognized the term from the Grimoire of Magical Creatures. It wasn't the name of a specific beast, but rather a powerful monster that had a very low probability of appearing in areas where vicious beasts gathered.
In this world, not only humans could wield magic; some animals might suddenly gain the ability to use magic as well. Perhaps due to a lack of intelligence, beasts that suddenly acquired great power often became violent and unpredictable. They might go on hunting sprees or even dominate a region, which was how Beast Kings came to be.
Because of this, Beast Kings didn't have a uniform appearance. Some looked like tigers, others like rhinos, and some even resembled demons. The guild often received tasks like "Hunt a Monster" or "Exterminate a Demon," which were often aimed at dealing with these unexpectedly powerful magical creatures.
Weaker Beast Kings were just slightly more powerful than tigers, bears, or wild boars. The strongest, however, could rival S-Class Mages in strength.
These varying levels of power corresponded to different difficulty levels of quests.
Rod felt a bit guilty. The villagers were ordinary people and probably didn't understand the true strength of a Beast King or how to assess its level. If they encountered an S-Class Beast King...
I, a Mage who has been learning magic for less than two months, taking on an S-Class quest? I'll probably have to rely on Natsu going all out.
The village elder continued, "Chita believed that if we could defeat the Beast King, the beasts would lose their leader. They would fight over territory, leading to a long period of peace. Even if we couldn't completely solve the beast problem, at least everyone could safely harvest their crops and then look for a more permanent solution.
"I advised him to get Mages to handle it, but he believed he could do it himself and that the village should protect itself. We had a heated argument, but he wouldn't listen to me. He took his weapons and bow and went up the mountain alone. And then... he never came back."
The room fell into a brief silence. Despite his earlier complaints, the elder's grief was impossible to hide.
Happi tried to remain optimistic, "Maybe he just got lost on the mountain. Natsu gets lost sometimes too."
The elder shook his head gently, "Three days ago, a hunting party searching for Chita brought back his torn clothes, a broken bow, and damaged weapons."
"Love," Happi bowed his head, "I'm sorry."
"It was his choice. If I were twenty years younger, perhaps..."
Bang! Natsu slammed his fist on the table, making the cups jump. "We're going up the mountain now to beat that Beast King!"
The elder quickly interjected, "No, it's already late, and you've all been traveling. Please rest for the night and—"
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding...
The alarm bells began to ring urgently, and the quiet village suddenly came to life.
(End of Chapter)
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