Chapter 56: The Beast Trail and the Shadow of Human Malice
As we traveled along the grassland road toward the next ranch, several wagons approached from the opposite direction.
As they passed, I glanced sideways.
Their wagons were piled high with household belongings, and the men sitting on the driver’s benches wore lifeless expressions.
They looked as though they had given up on everything.
The innkeeper leading our convoy guided his horse closer and called out.
“Excuse me, are you folks from one of the ranches too? What happened?”
The man he addressed weakly shook his head.
“…It’s over. Last night, a pack of beasts got us. They tore through nearly all our livestock… There’s no way we can keep living there anymore. We’re heading into the city.”
They, too, were ranchers from the surrounding area.
Their story matched almost exactly what we had heard the previous day.
Over the past few weeks, the attacks had been concentrated along a specific river running through northern Vaide, almost as if the beasts were deliberately moving south.
“There’s something strange about it,” another man added in a dry voice.
“They never attack people. They don’t touch money or valuables either. They always go after the fat livestock that are almost ready for shipment. They completely ignore the calves and the old animals. It’s almost like someone’s judging which ones are worth taking.”
One of the accompanying men spat bitterly.
“We’ve sent request after request to the guild, but all they ever say is, ‘We’re investigating.’ Meanwhile, the damage just keeps spreading. Makes you wonder what the guild’s even protecting.”
As we watched the refugees continue toward the city, the unease inside me only deepened.
‘Would beasts really follow a river that precisely? Animals that selectively target livestock… It’s almost as if someone is systematically raiding these ranches.’
The smell of trouble was growing stronger by the minute.
As we hurried toward our next destination, the bushes beside the road suddenly shook violently.
Several wolf-like monsters burst out, drool dripping from their jaws.
“M-Monsters!”
The shop owners cried out in terror from atop the wagons.
“Rowena, stay in the back of the wagon.”
After giving the brief order, I leaped off my horse and drew my sword.
Before the wolves even recognized me as their target, I was already moving.
I slashed open the throat of the first one and used the momentum to close in on the second.
My returning blade pierced its heart.
Then I spun and severed the head of the last wolf.
It wasn’t even a proper exchange.
Within only a few breaths, every wolf lay dead in a pool of blood.
‘…Weak.’
Scouts, perhaps.
Or stragglers.
Just to be certain, I began examining the corpses.
One wolf had worn fur around its neck in an oddly unnatural pattern.
Parting the fur revealed a crudely made leather collar hidden beneath it.
‘They’ve been tamed…’
A human crime disguised as an animal attack.
My suspicions had become certainty.
That evening, we finally reached our destination.
Fortunately, this ranch had not yet been attacked.
Even so, the ranch owner’s face remained dark.
“I’ve heard what happened to the neighboring ranches. But this land has belonged to my family for generations. I can’t abandon it that easily…”
Though fear clouded his face, determination still remained in his eyes.
That night, an emergency meeting was held inside the ranch owner’s home.
Rowena sat quietly beside me, silently watching the tense discussion among the adults.
“We can’t go back empty-handed after coming all this way. If this ranch falls too, the smaller businesses in Vaide are finished.”
“We know the risks. If we’re going to keep buying from this ranch, then we have to protect it first.”
As the debate grew more heated, I finally spoke.
“It seems our enemy isn’t simply a pack of beasts. But if you’re prepared to defend this place, then I’ll lend you my strength.”
I removed my golden guild badge and placed it on the table.
“I’ll formally accept this as an escort request. However, no matter what our enemy turns out to be, driving them off will require everyone’s cooperation.”
The gleam of my B-rank guild badge drew every eye in the room.
Their surprise gradually turned into unmistakable relief.
“So… you’re a B-rank adventurer…! Thank goodness! We’ll provide whatever you need! Just give us your orders!”
The ranch owner seized my hand with both of his, as though a savior had appeared before him.
And just like that, I found myself standing at the center of yet another troublesome situation.