My Wife Waited in the Wheat Fields

Chapter 25: The Demon Hunt (2)

T/N: Sorry for the two week hiatus. Just had to finish my last few finals and turned in my physics paper yesterday. Anyways, Imma be straight up right here and say that the update rate will be drastically decreasing to a chapter a week until the next school year starts again (In August). Like Ive said before, this week was my last week of finals but it was also my last week of school. Thus, literally in a few hours, Ill be leaving the country on a 3 month trip, backpacking across Asia and Australia (Not true backpacking obviously cause of the immense oceans separating some island nations from others and the fact that, being a U.S. citizen, I aint gonna be passing through China or North Korea). The problem here is that I have no idea how good my internet will be when going through some of the areas I will be going through, and if any of yall have used ChatGPT before, youll know it needs a shit ton of bandwidth to run on. And so, the update rate will be extremely inconsistent. If it were me as a reader, Id honestly just completely forget about the series during the summer and pick it back up afterwards, wherein youd have stocked up like a total of 10 chapters and youd have consistent fast updates again after that. If you, for some reason, want to agonize yourself over cliffhangers that take a long time to be satisfied, be my guest and join the Discord, in which my ping when a new chapter is updated will compel you through the power of my control over you to read the new chapter no matter what. Thats my heads up warning, so dont tell me that I didnt warn yall later on. Peace.

Elric immediately left the mansion and headed for the village with Tyria.

However, the sight that greeted them upon arrival was a troubling one.

Hmm This looks serious.

There were several houses that had collapsed into ruins.

The scattered debris and shattered fences in the distance indicated that something powerful had barged in and turned the village upside down.

It seemed like the work of a formidable monster.

I will go talk to the chief for a moment.

Go ahead then, Ill be waiting here.

Although they could have gone together, Elric chose not to.

Instead, he decided it would be faster for him to just investigate the matter himself.

In his years as a mercenary, Elric had had numerous encounters with monsters. After all, the habits of such mindless killing machines were often used strategically in wars.

Now that he had reached the point of being able to identify the species of a monster based on its tracks alone, it seemed only right to use the most obvious method.

First, Elric headed to the outskirts of the village and examined the fragments of the wooden fence.

Did it bear the majority of the attack?.

It looked like it.

If it had been a simple strike, it wouldnt have been so cleanly broken in a straight line.

Since it was described as a wolf-like monster, Blade Wolves or Kalisso Wolves were the only species that he could think of.

They were both monsters who were characterized by long claws and horns.

Additionally, there was one more point that could be a clue

The human casualties seem to be fewer than expected.

Contrary to the fact that a monster had invaded the village, there were no visible signs of death or people being buried.

At most, there were only a few injured individuals which further clarified the identity of the monster.

It must be a Blade Wolf.

Among monsters, it belonged in the upper ranks.

It used mana to coat its claws with sword energy, and hunted not only for survival, but also for pure entertainment.

The fact that it had instilled such fear and then retreated, indicated that this was only a precursor to its next hunt.

If they had been any later, a major disaster would have befallen the village.

Weve fallen into the clutches of a malicious creature.

What could he do about this?

It was in this moment wherein Elric was pondering over this question that,

Milord.

Tyria had returned.

Ive heard enough of the story. Lets go back to the mansion for now.

Ah, lets do that.

She had finished her investigation.

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No, considering her straightforward personality, it was obvious that she would have just cut through the formalities and had gotten straight to the point.

Elric followed her into the carriage, and only afterward could he hear what she had discovered.

The more he listened, the more certain he became.

The perpetrator was indeed a Blade Wolf.

Now, the only question was whether she knew it or not.

First, we must go hunting for personnel. Since we dont know when the creature will come down to the village again, I plan to prepare as quickly as possible.

Have you identified the exact species of the monster?

The villagers say they havent been able to pinpoint its exact shape, but they do remember seeing something resembling a giant blade, so its suspected to be a Kalisso Wolf.

Elrics expression hardened.

This wont do.

There was an indescribable gap between the power of a Kalisso Wolf and that of a Blade Wolf.

How could a mana-wielding creature and a brute relying solely on physical strength be considered the same?

If they proceeded whilst assuming the presence of a Kalisso Wolf, they would surely return from their hunt as mere corpses.

To hunt down a Blade Wolf, you need a knight.

Moreover, It had to be a knight who could handle mana.

Unless you could coat your sword with mana to increase its cutting power and use it to slice through the wolfs claws head-on, sacrifices would be inevitable in the hunt.

Frustrated by the lack of a proper explanation, Elric suddenly recalled one fact he had overlooked.

Ah, so well need the knights!

The knights at the mansion were essentially mana users.

If there was even one person who knew how to use mana, they could be deployed at the forefront.

Elric pondered this but,

Hmm?

The answer came in a form that Elric hadnt anticipated.

What do you mean? We dont have any knights on the estate.

Elrics mouth dropped open.

He wanted to dismiss it as nonsense, but there was a reason why he couldnt do so.

It was Tyrias immediate explanation.

The last knight of the estate was Ser Zig of House Wyvern, and he retired eight years ago due to old age.

And you have appointed no other knights since then?

Yes, its not only because there was a lack of suitable talent but above all, knights are not cost-effective, dont you think?

It was a sign of the changing times.

Now, the name that dominated the battlefields of the continent was gunpowder.

I suppose.

Knights were money-eating hippos that cost astronomical amounts of money to recruit, train, maintain, and manage.

By contrast, a firearm was a simple, vicious weapon that could turn a peasant into an armed force with just one gun. Moreover, guns were capable of harming even well trained knights.

Of course, the price of firearms was also astronomical, but it wasnt much more than the money needed to train knights.

Unless it was a place where large-scale forces were deployed like the western battlefields, there was no need to raise knights in such a small and peaceful rural territory like Wiven.

All you had to do was put a gun in the hands of a properly trained soldier and then you were good to go.

Suddenly, bitterness and regret filled Elrics heart.

He was one of the few who still admired knights and respected their strength.

After all, he himself had risen to the top as a war mercenary with a sword, so he could only be in favor of the knightly way of life.

Its the fall of knighthood.

The words he had once heard on the battlefield resonated within him again.

Or, perhaps I have offended you?

Tyria asked cautiously.

Elric quickly composed himself and shook his head.

No, its not that. Um, Im just saddened by it. You may not know, but my childhood dream was to become a knight. So, its especially bitter for me to see knights disappearing.

With a faint smile, Elric added another piece of advice.

Nevertheless, there is a power that knights possess, which cannot be replaced by guns. I hope you will reconsider the idea of recruiting knights.

After all, how could a lead bullet completely break a knights sword?

Guns and swords were different from the start.

Elric himself could, and had done so many times before, single-handedly wiped out an entire army of gun users with a single sword.

For the sake of the estates future, it would be wise to keep a knight around.

He had just spoken his conviction.

Ill have to think about that. No, if thats what you think, Milord, then its only right that I do, for this is your estate, after all.

Elric was taken aback.

Something hed been trying to ignore had been stated once again.

Milord?

Nothing. Its just because the wind is cold.

The last thing he needed right now was more complicated thoughts.

Elric replied as if making an excuse before turning his attention back to the passing landscape.

It was in this moment.

Swoosh

Her fur cloak unfurled and enveloped Elrics shoulders.

Elrics body stiffened.

His sunken eyes turned to her.

This is

You said that you were cold, and my cloak is large enough to cover two people.

Her gaze was fixed straight ahead.

Her body leaned in a little closer.

Their arms touched, and a chill passed through their fingertips.

The bridge of her nose was slightly flushed.

Elric cleared his throat softly.

You seem cold, so its okay if you dont do this.

Its not to the point where I cant endure, and Milords body is heavier than mine, after all.

Thats because.

Im fine.

For some reason, she sounded firm in her conviction.

Elric couldnt argue any further.

And so his gaze went straight ahead.

Clack, clack.

The carriage rocked and their fingertips kept bumping against each other. And then, at some point, their hands, specifically their pinky fingers, intertwined.

Neither of then knew who had done it first.

It was the next morning.

After several discussions, Tyria, who had ultimately decided to deploy knights for this hunt, requested knights from the neighboring territory of Gideon.

Elric had expected the process to be quite arduous, but Gideon was more than willing to oblige.

The two now stood at the manors front door to greet the knight that Gideon had sent.

The Wyvern and Gideon families have been interacting for more than five generations, so it wasnt difficult. Besides.

Besides?

Nevermind. Youll understand once you see him for yourself.

Tyria shook her head.

Elric looked at her with suspicion, but she seemed to have no intention of saying anything more.

He would have to see for himself then, realizing this after a while.

There he is.

Elrics head snapped up and he looked ahead.

There he was, someone riding a sturdy brown horse, approaching the mansion.

Only the mans silhouette was visible, as his fully plated armor was reflecting the dazzling winter sunlight.

He had a large build, and his horses gait was lively.

He seems quite skilled.

He also looked like he was a newly advanced mana user.

As Elric carefully observed him, assessing his abilities, he finally managed to see the knights face.

It was in this moment.

!

Elrics eyes widened.

Whoa~.

An exaggerated voice rang out.

As the distance between them closed, the horse slowed down its pace.

The face of the man on the horse also grew closer.

However, somewhere in there, a mischievous, familiar expression could be seen.

Elric recognized him.

He hadnt seen the man in ten years, but could still recognize the familiar person before him.

Elrics complexion brightened.

Luton!

It was Luton, the butchers first son, and a close childhood friend of his whom he had gotten into a lot of trouble with, together.

Luton grinned and shouted.

Boss, its been a while!

It was truly an unexpected reunion.

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