Chapter 79: Side Story 9: Logan’s Great Adventure – Middle Part
I dragged the dead red-haired bear carcass all the way to the village.
"Waaah~ It’s expensive~"
"Yeah, it’s amazing~!"
The two girls were bouncing around on Logan’s back as he walked slowly toward the village.
"Don’t let them slip off, okay?"
The mother was being gently held and swayed on Logan’s back from behind.
"Still... if we go straight to the village like this, will they get surprised?"
The mother was worrying about something else again.
"What!? Lona went out looking for children outside the village!?"
Rodolfo, the village self-defense leader, gripped his spear and asked the villagers what they were talking about.
"It’s bad! If they went toward the northern forest..."
Young Tony sounded worried.
Clearly Tony was in love with the widow Lona.
Rodolfo told him to calm down.
"Got it. Tell the self-defense members to gather around the north gate."
"Got it!"
Tony ran off energetically.
Even though Tony was young, Rodolfo thought it was nice, but he hoped the worst wouldn’t happen.
About twenty self-defense members had gathered at the north gate.
There was a fence, so they called it the north gate, but since the fence was broken, people could still come in and out. It wasn’t actually a proper defensive gate against enemy attacks.
"Look! A wolf as big as a demon is slowly walking this way!"
"What!?"
"There are about 5-6 even bigger wolves!"
"I can’t believe it! I’ve never seen a wolf that big!"
The self-defense members spotted Logan and his group approaching and were shouting.
"Bow! Get ready with bows!"
Many of them earned their living as hunters, so some started preparing bows.
"Wait! The biggest wolf has Lona on its back!"
Young Tony shouted.
"Hah? You’re talking nonsense..."
Rodolfo thought Tony was overreacting and had gone mad. But when he looked closely, it really was Lona riding on the wolf’s back. The two girls were with her too.
"Ooooi, everyone! These kids are fine! They’re our allies! They’re super smart!"
Lona called the wolves "these kids."
They weren’t the cute size for calling them "kids."
Rodolfo’s instinct had told him they were disaster-class monsters that could destroy the village in an instant if they bared their teeth. But here they were, letting Lona ride them back to the village. And they were carrying the dead red-haired bear carcass.
That red-haired bear had definitely killed and eaten many villagers, including Lona’s husband. It had been the village’s hated enemy.
"W-Was that the red-haired bear you killed!?"
Rodolfo trembled in fear.
The wolves were clearly super strong.
They were already right in front of the village. Their massive bodies were even more impressive up close. They looked incredibly refined and powerful. Yet they didn’t give off the impression of vicious or terrifying monsters.
Carrying Lona and the two girls slowly, they somehow felt kind.
"What’s wrong, Lona?"
"The girls and I secretly went to the spring in the forest... I rushed back to bring them home, and that red-haired bear appeared. When I thought we were absolutely doomed, this big, kind wolf came to save us... It just slashed the bear’s neck off in one go!"
Lona got off the wolf and gently patted its neck while proudly explaining everything as if it were her own story.
"You killed that red-haired bear in one hit... really?"
"Amazing! It’s huge!"
"Wow! It’s true! The red-haired bear has no head!"
"Diee! This wolf was carrying its head!"
The wolves carrying the red-haired bear carcass put it down, then slowly walked back toward Logan.
"Excuse me, wolf. Is it really okay to take this red-haired bear?"
"Woof (yes)."
The big wolf nodded.
"...Thank you. You defeated my husband’s enemy."
Lona hugged Logan’s neck and buried her face in it.
"Thank you for saving us!"
"Thank you for protecting Mommy!"
Even though the two girls hadn’t gotten off yet, when their mother hugged Logan to thank him, they remembered that he had protected them and their mother too. They ran to the back, hugged him while apologizing, and nuzzled him all over.
『Hahaha! Don’t worry about it. There’s no need to thank me.』
The three mother-and-children felt deeply grateful to the big, kind wolf who was laughing softly.
"Lona, I’m glad you’re all safe. But the forest isn’t safe yet. The information about a giant snake reaching Barrietta town soon. Don’t go near the forest until the extermination team arrives."
"Yes, I’m sorry for worrying you. Anyway, girls. You must never sneak into the forest without telling your mother! This time a kind wolf saved us, but it’s not like wolves will always help."
""Yeeees!""
The two girls answered energetically. Lona smiled wryly.
"So, Lona... what are these wolves...?"
"I don’t know. They really came to help in the nick of time... Oh, but they’re wearing collars. I remember my husband telling me that hunters had a job called who could make monsters serve them. It would make finding prey much easier. Maybe these kids are his contracted beasts...? Does anyone from the village have a with them?"
"Well, the only people coming now are merchants, right?"
"I see..."
『My Boss is probably relaxing in Barrietta town. He’s not here.』
When Logan answered in his own way, Lona suddenly understood what he wanted to say.
"Oh? So your master isn’t in this village?"
"Woof (yes)."
The big wolf nodded.
"...I can’t believe it. Do they understand human speech?"
"Yes, apparently. You’re really smart."
Lona stroked Logan’s neck.
"Now, you two, get off. Let’s go home."
""Eeeh!""
The girls looked disappointed, but Lona smiled wryly.
"If you don’t listen, I’ll go home without dinner tonight, okay?"
""Yes! We’ll get off!""
The two girls replied in perfect sync.
Logan lay his head flat on the ground so the kids could slide off easily.
"Thank you, kind wolf."
After lowering the two girls to the ground, Lona turned back to Logan and expressed her gratitude again.
『No need to thank me.』
The big wolf shook its head.
"Fufu~"
When Lona realized he was saying "no need to thank me," she smiled naturally.
At that moment.
"Kyaaaah——!!"
From the same northern forest, a woman came running out from the west side. It was herb gatherer Analda.
"Th-This is bad! Did everyone get the message that entering the forest is strictly forbidden?!"
Rodolfo gripped his spear, irritated. But right behind Analda, a huge number of goblins were pouring out.
"What!?"
"It’s dangerous! How many are there!"
"Analda’s in trouble!"
There was still some distance to Analda. But the goblins were already right behind her. And there were easily over a hundred of them.
"Analda!"
Lona knew Analda. When the girls hurt themselves playing and scraped their knees, she had given them simple herbal treatments.
『Muu! Too far from here!』
Logan clicked his teeth in frustration.
But suddenly, a revelation flashed in his mind.
『Woooong!!!』
A roar exploded!
A massive shockwave swept past Analda, swallowed the goblins behind her, and blasted them away. The goblins that didn’t take the direct hit suddenly stopped dead in their tracks.
『Hmm... Dragonic Roar... That’s a surprisingly powerful technique. I’m not a dragon, but somehow I could use it. This must be thanks to Boss.』
Logan always credited everything good to his Boss.
"W-Wow..."
Lona was amazed that the big wolf’s single roar had completely stopped the goblins.
"Analda! Run while you still can!"
But Analda’s legs had given out. She collapsed where she stood.
"Waaaoooooon!!!"
This time Logan roared again.
"W-What’s wrong, wolf?"
Lona looked at Logan, but the next moment the villagers were all shocked.
More wolves — a little smaller than the big one, probably Logan’s subordinates — poured out from the northern forest in force. Some were carrying prey in their mouths.
『Reporting in, Leader.』
Among the gathered wolves, a larger one opened its mouth. It had slightly different fur and one eye missing.
’Emergency! A group of goblins is attacking the village. All the prey I just hunted will be stored in the mobile Boss. We will quickly exterminate the monsters around the village. First, these small fries. Go!’
『『『Hahaha!』』』
The wolves carrying prey bowed to the mobile Boss on Logan’s head, then quickly stored everything.
"What!?"
"The hunting prey just disappeared!"
"What kind of magic... or magic tool... is that?"
The villagers watched in disbelief as massive amounts of monsters simply vanished right in front of them.
"Wolf, you came to hunt monsters because of your master’s orders, right? But... is that okay? The red-haired bear was probably a big one. Won’t your master be angry?"
Seeing the strange light of monsters being stored, Lona realized the wolves were here because of their master’s command. She was worried whether the kind wolf who had given her the red-haired bear would be scolded by their master.
『Hahaha! Don’t worry. My Boss isn’t that narrow-minded.』
The big wolf patted Lona’s head with its front paw.
"Fwaah!?"
Lona was surprised by how soft it was.
"Hey, wolf! Watch it!"
Tony spoke up, oddly scolding the wolf.
Rodolfo sighed and thought he was helpless.
"More importantly, we’re going to help Analda! Follow me..."
Rodolfo tried to say that, but the big wolf’s front paw stopped him.
"Hm?"
Then they saw it. The wolves that had delivered the prey were charging at the goblins at terrifying speeds.
『Hahaha! Goblin hunting is my specialty! Wind, that wraps around me! Cut! !』
『Don’t forget this Lightning Fang when hunting goblins! !』
『I know Four Heavenly Kings bragging about goblin hunting, but... never mind. It’s the same either way. This Ice Fang will hit them too! Snowflakes gathering in the air, dance with the ice and snow! !』
In an instant, the goblin swarm was wiped out.
"Th-That’s impossible! The wolf used magic!?"
Rodolfo couldn’t believe his eyes. The big wolf in front of him had stopped him from running to help Analda with his paw. He had known from the start that his subordinates could handle it.
"Th-This is crazy. I feel like a super strong helper has appeared..."
A strange cold sweat kept flowing. But Rodolfo knew that if these wolves hadn’t helped, his self-defense members wouldn’t have been able to protect the village.
’...These small fries... They’re definitely being chased. Here they come...’
The big, kind wolf narrowed its eyes and looked a bit more serious.
"No way... are there more monsters?"
Lona became worried and spoke to the big, kind wolf.
The big wolf glanced down at her.
"Shgyaaaaaaaaa——!!"
『As expected.』
The forest trees were smashed down with a crack crack. The huge body appeared.
It was a huge black snake, the Dark Python. Even though it was smaller than the big one, it wasn’t alone. Including the smaller ones, there were easily over ten visible.
"W-What!?"
"How many monsters that big!"
"It’s over! This village is finished!"
The self-defense members panicked.
Logan finally turned toward his real enemy.
"Wolf, are you going?"
"Wolf, are you okay?"
The two cute sisters were worried about their big, kind wolf.
’No need to worry. Just wait calmly. I’ll clean up so you can play safely in the forest.’
Logan gently patted the two sisters’ heads with his front paw.
"Nee-hee~"
"Muu~"
The patting felt nice, so the two sisters smiled brightly.
’Alright, let’s do a forest cleanup!’
Logan ran straight toward the giant Dark Python.
