The next morning, the four left the inn and set off for a certain village. Of course, their destination was the village where the wyvern was scheduled to appear the following day. Since there were no stagecoaches available, it took them half a day on foot, and they arrived in the afternoon.
Until now, the four members of "Red Oath" had often used the client's carriage or stagecoaches for travel, but in fact, using a stagecoach was considered a luxury for hunters. Unless there was a special reason, such as having a lot of luggage or an injured person, they usually traveled on foot.
As they walked, the four discussed the wyvern hunting request.
"Still, the lord is pretty normal, isn't he...?"
"Yes, the reward amount is reasonable, and after several parties were wiped out and no one was willing to take the request, he suggested sending it to the capital himself... If I were involved, I wouldn't have been so proactive."
"Right. If he had any ulterior motives, he would have tried to meet us. Knowing the other party's character is important for plotting. It's dangerous to make definitive statements based on assumptions, but so far, there's nothing unnatural."
Pauline and Mavis agreed with Reina's words. Mile, who was not well-versed in matters involving human thoughts and actions, just listened with a "hmm."
"So, the most likely scenario is that the lord sent troops and suffered losses?"
"Yes."
"That makes sense... After suffering one-sided damage and being unable to even drive the wyvern away, they couldn't afford any more losses. If they request the Hunter's Guild, the loss is just the reward. As a lord, it also saves face to say, 'I paid to have it hunted.' And since it's a success fee, my pocket won't hurt no matter how many times they fail."
Leaving Mile behind, the three continued their conversation.
"Ultimately, the problem is why it hasn't been hunted down yet, despite the fact that it should have been long ago. Wyverns are indeed troublesome for ordinary parties, but the parties that accepted the request must have known that and had a good chance of success. The lord's army, though specialized in human combat and less experienced with monsters, are still professionals. They must have made preparations and plans, and even had veteran hunters as advisors. So..."
"Y-Yes! There were too many wyverns, or they were extremely strong!"
Finally, the conversation became something Mile could understand, so he eagerly interjected.
"Well, that's probably it..."
Interrupted at a crucial moment, but understanding that Mile wanted to join the conversation, Reina let it slide. She was a good leader... or rather, Mavis was the leader. Sometimes she forgot.
"Anyway, we'll proceed cautiously, assuming the enemy is tough. Mile, you know, 'value your life,' right?"
The three nodded in agreement with Reina's words.
"...But, will it be okay? I'm not doubting everyone's magic skills, but I can't contribute unless I can bring the wyvern down to the ground..."
"Don't worry! It'll be fine!"
Mavis felt a bit uneasy about Mile's casual assurance...
When they finally reached the village, it was well past noon. They had taken their time, chatting about various topics, which took longer than expected.
The four decided to gather information immediately, as they planned to go to bed early to prepare for the next day. They would then have a hearty meal for lunch and dinner and go to sleep early.
They booked a room at the only inn in the village. They told the innkeeper they didn't need dinner and left to find a tavern or restaurant.
In such a rural village, where there was no guild branch or even a contact point, the best places to gather information were the tavern or the mayor's house. However, since this wasn't a request from the village and the mayor likely didn't have any special information, they decided to skip the mayor's house to avoid unnecessary interference or requests.
"...Here it is."
After wandering around for a while without finding a restaurant, they asked a villager and learned that the village had only one drinking establishment that served food, and it didn't even have a sign. In a small village where only the locals and familiar merchants visited, a sign might not be necessary.
When the four entered the place, there were about a dozen villagers inside.
"Wh-What..."
Surprised by the large number of customers at this hour, Mile and the others exclaimed, but the villagers were equally surprised.
"...Eh? Hunters... right, girls..."
"Yes, we are the hunters from the capital, 'Red Oath,' who accepted the wyvern hunting request."
At Mavis's response, the villagers began to murmur.
"Well, it's great that you accepted the request, but... you see..."
One of the villagers spoke hesitantly. It was understandable. This village was the closest to the capital in the wyvern's territory, so most of the parties that had accepted the request had likely defended from here, and the lord's army might have used it as a base. Therefore, the villagers knew the results of all those attempts.
When they learned that the next hunting party consisted of four young girls, they felt disappointed or worried. However, Mile and the others didn't take it personally.
"Don't worry. We know the situation to some extent, and our party consists of three powerful magic users and a swordsman capable of defeating a knight captain. We will definitely bring down the wyvern. If you provide us with more information, it will be even more certain!"
After Pauline's explanation, the villagers cheered and began to provide information.
The large gathering at the drinking establishment in the middle of the day was not for food and drink but for a discussion about the wyvern, which was expected to return the next day. As it turned out, there were only water jugs and wooden cups on the tables.
According to the villagers, several parties and over a dozen soldiers from the lord's army had attempted to hunt the wyvern, all suffering devastating defeats. However, the wyvern only attacked those who attacked it and did not harm others. It would grab its chosen prey, such as cows, horses, or sheep, with its talons and fly away, causing no casualties among the villagers. Despite this, the regular loss of livestock was a serious issue for the village's livelihood.
The villagers were discussing two plans: the first was to place the oldest and thinnest cow in a conspicuous spot to limit the damage, and the second was to protect all the livestock and drive the wyvern away. However, the first plan would not solve the problem fundamentally and would lead to a gradual decrease in livestock, ultimately threatening the village's survival. The second plan risked the wyvern switching its prey from livestock to humans. Either way, the village's future looked bleak.
"...Eh? Cows and horses? Are wyverns that big?"
Mile exclaimed in shock. It was understandable. Birds, which fly, have bodies optimized for lightness and cannot carry weights exceeding their own. Even if wyverns weren't birds, the size required to carry a whole cow was unimaginable.
"What are you talking about? Didn't you learn in training school that the standard size of monsters is...?"
Reina said this with a sigh, and Mile countered.
"Yes, I remember that, but it's a different species... Anyway, I can't imagine a wyvern being able to carry a cow or a horse! Even birds can't carry very large prey..."
"Birds can't use magic."
"...Eh?"
"Birds can't use magic, right?"
"...Magic?"
"Dragons use magic to fly. Otherwise, even with large wings, wyverns, let alone ancient dragons, couldn't fly with such bodies. Besides, dragon breath is clearly magic. What did you think it was?"
Reina's pointed question left Mile weakly responding.
"...There's a fire sac or something in their stomachs..."
"No, no, no!" the three of them emphatically denied.
In the back, the villagers were nodding in agreement. If it were his father from his previous life, he might have said, "There's no such thing as a fire sac." Mile, who had been heavily influenced by his father's jokes in his previous life, fortunately had no friends to share them with, which was the only benefit of not having friends...