My Wife Waited in the Wheat Fields

Chapter 26: The Demon Hunt (3)

Hey, I almost didnt recognize you, what happened to you?

Luton said cheerfully with a chuckle.

In response, Elric let out a smirk.

You havent changed a bit, then. Youve only gotten bigger.

Thats what she said. [1]

Whats with the way he talks?

This guys a real.

It was always fun to run into someone from the good old days, no matter how many times youve experienced it.

Especially when it was a close friend.

Come on in, youve come a long way.

Yes, yes, ah, I didnt get a chance to say hello to you, Maam! Im Luton, Knight of Gideon, and I used to be the right-hand man of the captain here!

Its nice to meet you.

Tyria acknowledged him with a small bow of her head, as always.

Once inside the manor, Elric was so pleased to see Luton again that he had forgotten the original purpose of the visit, and thus began to ask him about his story.

I heard you were knighted, but I didnt realize it was in the neighboring territory. Why not in Wiven?

They dont recruit knights here anymore, and Gideon still has a knighthood order in the name of dignity. Oh, youre not disparaging Wiven, are you?

I dont care about that, so dont bother.

Good, then.

The conversation went on for quite a while.

They talked about how theyd been doing for the past 10 years, how their other friends were doing, and what had happened at the harvest festival not too long ago.

Elric couldnt help but smile as he recalled the events as vividly as if they were yesterday.

It wasnt long before the conversation was interrupted.

Milord, I apologize for butting in, but I was wondering if we could talk about work.

Oh, Im sorry. I was too excited.

No, no.

Tyria intervened.

It was unfortunate, but just in time, as the conversation could have gone on all night.

Luton chuckled and agreed with Tyria.

Yes, well, I am a dispatched knight for the time being, so I suppose thisll just have to wait, can I hear more about this demon hunt, Maam?

Its nothing complicated, a beast from the mountains behind the village has descended upon the town and is running amok. From what I can gather, its a Caliso Wolf, but Miord is of the opinion that we should have a knight for safetys sake.

Hmm, certainly a knight would be helpful, Ive hunted them a few times in Gideon.

Elric smiled awkwardly and listened to the two talk.

He knew it was a Blade Wolf, not a Callisso Wolf, but he could see Tyrias eyes on him, and he wasnt about to tell her how he knew that right now.

Perhaps he could confront Luton later, in private.

With that thought, Elric watched Luton carefully.

Hes well trained.

Lutons mana was very stable.

He had been known as a sturdy mill since he was a child, so the hard training shouldnt have been too much of a problem.

And so, he was probably enough to fight against the Blade Wolf.

It would be enough for him to cut off the claws with his sword and pierce the beast with his mana.

I see. Three hunters with flintlocks. One guide. Not bad. Overly safe for hunting wolves.

Luton chuckled softly.

Lets get going, Captain, we can talk about the rest of it later!

With that, he rose to his feet.

Turning his gaze to the window, Luton glanced out and said, Huh?, shaking his head in confusion.

Elric followed suit, casting his gaze out the window.

Why are you hmm.

Elrics eyebrows narrowed.

Its snowing.

White pellets began to fall to the ground from the sky.

Judging by the thickness that was already apparent, snow was accumulating.

Traveling in a straight line was problematic.

If the roads were icy, wagons and horses would be hard pressed to move, but more importantly, if they got wet from the falling snow, their body temperature would drop.

Lutons mana made him fine in this kind of situation, but the others might be affected.

Elric couldnt just leave them alone.

In the end, it came down to one thing.

Well, lets just move as soon as it stops snowing.

Luton agreed.

Thats not necessarily a bad thing, because it means well be able to see its tracks more clearly. Thus, itll be much easier for us to see its travel routes and find its home.

When do you think it will stop?

I think itll be over by the afternoon

Elric and Tyria agreed that it wouldnt take long.

So it wasnt long after lunch that the three were ready to leave.

Luton asked.

So, are you sure you want to follow me?

Hmm? Is there a problem?

What makes you think there isnt?

Lutons gaze fell to Elrics knee.

Elric shrugged.

Admittedly, Luton did have a reason to be concerned about the one person who could barely walk without a cane.

But to Elric, it was almost comical.

This is the knee of a guy whos been traveling around the world for a decade. He shouldnt be crippled by an injury like this.

Then I guess theres nothing I can do about it but youll have to stay behind me when the beast comes out.

Ill keep that in mind.

In truth, Elric was tempted to leave Tyria behind in the midst of all this, but as a crippled man, it was ridiculous for him to tell another person to stay out of it.

It was also hard to say anything else when she was so determined to follow him.

Elric glanced at her.

Well, youve been unusually quiet today.

The things he hadnt noticed by his preoccupation with his and Lutons conversation were starting to come into focus.

Is she still nervous?

Her expression seemed more rigid than usual for some reason.

It was at this moment.

Lets go.

Tyrias words set the carriage in motion.

It was another hour or so before they reached the village.

They were greeted by the hunters, their guide, and the village chief, who had already traveled here the day before.

Milord, are you and your lady coming as well?

The chief asked, but there was nothing he could do to stop the Lord and Lady.

All he could do was shudder at Elrics words and bow his head.

Which was a good thing for Elric.

Dont worry, Im sure the villagers will be fine.

Elric smiled and turned to the hunters.

Now, it looks like youre all ready, so lets get going.

Yes!

And so the hunt began.

Behind the village was a large mountain range, and the path from which the beast had presumably descended the mountains was a common trail traveled by local herbalists.

Elric surveyed his surroundings, keeping an eye on the hunters and Luton as they climbed the mountain.

He was going to start telling them about the Blade Wolf.

Im starting to see signs already.

Of course, there was a much better way than saying it directly like, These are the tracks of the Blade Wolf.

Well, rather than trying to discern the type of monster by the method of examining a severed neck or by overturning the village, wouldnt it be much easier to just point out the traces remaining nearby, thereby allowing them to realize the type of monster themselves?

Elric had no intention of taking a direct stance right now.

I found something!

One of the hunters called out.

Elric looked in their direction.

Hmm, too vague.

His eyes narrowed.

What the hunter had found were paw prints.

Although they were larger than a typical Caliso Wolfs, they were without the distinctive markings of a Blade Wolf.

The tracks are quite large.

That was all he could say.

However, their next reaction was predictable.

Definitely enough to take out a village. Its a big one.

Yeah, it looks like hes a pretty big guy, even for an adult.

So much for pointing out the tracks.

Elric sighed.

Lets get moving again.

If only they could find more solid evidence.

The good news was that there was still time.

It was usually only in the fifth valley and afterwards that the monsters nested, and since they were still in the first valley, they shouldnt have had to worry about an unexpected attack at this point.

More importantly, Elrics mana net hadnt caught any signs of the beast.

Its okay.

With that judgment, he strode steadily up the second ravine.

Luton frowned.

This is unfortunate.

He was right, it was unfortunate.

The sky was clear, so why the fuck is it snowing again?

Suddenly, dark clouds had rolled in, and snow began to fall again.

Even as a knight, he was a little confused.

So far, it hadnt been too difficult to walk through the snow, but if it piled up any higher, it would certainly limit his mobility.

Moreover, there was a bigger problem than that.

Maam, are you all right?

Yes.

Tyrias complexion was not good.

It was only then that Elric realized for sure that something was wrong with her.

Her face was flushed, and hed assumed it was just the cold air, but it wasnt.

He removed his gloves and ran his hand over her forehead, feeling the heat.

You have a cold.

Elrics expression hardened.

Tyrias gaze dropped to the floor.

Its nothing.

No. If you were in this condition, why didnt you tell me?

Tyria fell silent.

The others looked troubled as well.

What do you think, Milord? Should we go down?

No, she was too far gone to go down.

By the time they got down to the village and tried to warm her up, shed have already collapsed from her fever.

But they had to do something sooner rather than later.

Elrics thoughts spun for a moment, but then suddenly stopped.

Luton, lets go there.

Hmm?

The hut. Theres a hut here, in the second valley.

Lutons eyes widened at his words.

Ah, the place where you were learning swordsmanship from that bandit!

He was a knight.

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Lutons face lit up.

Anyhow, thats where we can get out of the snow and warm up the Madam, so lets go!

Maam, can you walk a little further?

Tyrias head nodded up and down.

Elric squeezed her shoulders and said.

Just a little longer, please.

Yes.

Elric began to pick up the pace, urging her on.

Fortunately, Luton had remembered the hut, and there was no hesitation in his steps.

Pisch, Pisch~

The sound of their footsteps sounded from the snow.

In the middle of it all, Tyria glanced at Elric.

Her face was full of worry.

I didnt think the fever would get this high

Tyria scolded herself for her complacency.

If she had known this beforehand, she wouldnt have come but she shook her head.

Her worrying was to blame.

These mountains, this time of year, and the presence of Elric, brought back memories.

In her feverish dizziness, a blur of memories began to overlay the familiar snowy mountain landscape.

-You need to run!

A brown-haired child shouted, blood trickling down the nape of his neck.

His expression was desperate.

Behind him was a black beast, its eyes shining with a fiery red glow.

-Faster!!!

For some reason, that cry echoed clearly in her mind now,

Thud

Tyria lost consciousness and collapsed.

Maam!!!

Elrics startled voice was the last thing she remembered.

[1. Obviously, my own interjection.]

PR: Cursed

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