The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 95

Chapter 95: The Appearance of Monsters

When Serleine’s fever subsided, and a sense of relief began to settle in, the visitor to the lord’s residence was Mark, a middle-aged man to whom Melfina had entrusted the management of the farm.

“A calf, you say?”

“Yes, it didn’t return after the grazing period, so I went looking for it, and found it with its belly ripped open inside the fence. Now that I think about it, the cows were unusually restless and noisy that day… I’m truly sorry! Even though I was entrusted with the management, I caused a loss!”

“No, some degree of damage is to be expected with farm management. It’s more important to identify the problem. Was the calf attacked by a beast? Did the guard dogs not make a fuss?”

“I believe it was likely a wolf, but no one saw the beast. The dogs were at Godot’s for their regular training that day. We were told that it was better to have them act together as much as possible to get them used to other dogs…”

Guard dogs are very expensive, so there aren’t many in the Enkar region yet. Given that such damage hadn’t occurred before, it seems there was some complacency.

“I see. Are wolf attacks common around here?”

“It’s common for a certain number of pigs released into the forest not to return, but with free-range farming stopped this year, it’s possible that the beasts, having tasted pigs, attacked the farm…”

“I had considered that possibility when we stopped free-range farming. I’m not blaming the farm workers for this incident, so please don’t worry.”

After a relieved expression, Mark deeply bowed his head.

“I’m sorry. Perhaps because the increase in people coming and going, sightings of beasts in the village had decreased significantly since summer. I can’t say we were completely vigilant.”

“No, I think things have been going too well until now. It’s unfortunate for the calf, but it’s much better than people being attacked.”

“Just before spring is when beasts that have survived the winter are most starving. We can’t be sure there won’t be another attack, so we should increase our vigilance.”

Seeing Mark off as he bowed repeatedly, Melfina placed her hand on her cheek and let out a sigh.

“Even a wolf attacking a calf means it must have been extremely hungry. Should we consider asking Godot to hunt?”

“Hunting wolves is a big job and requires many dogs. It’s not something we can undertake immediately. It might be better to increase the patrols by soldiers first, to drive them away with human presence. Wolves are cautious and smart, so this might be enough to keep them at bay.”

Melfina nodded at Cedric’s words. It made sense to consult Godo, who was a hunter, regarding the hunting matters.

Three days after that conversation, Mark visited the lord’s residence again, looking so pale it seemed he might collapse at any moment.

“Lady Melfina, this time pigs have been attacked. …It’s possible that it wasn’t a beast, but rather a monster.”

At those words, the tension of Marie and Cedric, who were standing behind Melfina, became palpable.

“Is that certain?”

“Only Godot’s assessment so far, but next to the eaten pig, there were several untouched birds, and it’s suspected that they were affected by magical power.”

Resistance to magical power is said to roughly correlate with the size of an animal’s body, though there are individual differences. Melfina had heard that pigs are weaker to magic than cows, and chickens are weaker than pigs, with smaller birds being the most vulnerable.

“Birds often get mixed in with pigs and cows’ feed. Many even build nests nearby, so it’s possible that these birds were targeted.”

“With just that, it can’t be confirmed for sure, but if it is a monster, it’s a serious problem.”

Marie said with a stern voice, and Melfina nodded in agreement.

Though Melfina had never directly seen a monster while living in the capital, the Crawford family, a major lord in the southern region, had been known for generations for hunting the four-star monster, the Plamia.

She had encountered much about their terror and troublesome nature through her education.

“If it is a monster, sending soldiers on patrol might be dangerous. I’ve heard that monsters aren’t afraid of metal or fire and attack indiscriminately.”

“It hasn’t been confirmed that it’s a monster yet. …Let’s wake Julius and have him inspect the scene. As a top-tier mage, he’ll certainly detect any residual magical energy.”

“I should accompany him…”

“Absolutely not.”

Cedric’s strong refusal was unexpected, delivered with a tone that clearly meant he wouldn’t compromise.

“The fight against monsters is the job of knights and soldiers. I’ll stay with Julius. In the meantime, I’ll call Roland, so please make sure to stay at the lord’s residence.”

It was clear that Cedric was telling her to stay in a safe place. Though it was frustrating, she knew that following along would only be a hindrance.

“…Understood. Mark, put all the livestock in the stables and send all the employees home. Cedric, could you instruct Roland to assign two soldiers for each employee while they work?”

“Certainly. I’ll report back as soon as I’ve confirmed everything.”

Cedric gave a formal knightly bow and immediately turned to wake Julius.

“Lady Melfina.”

Marie’s voice made her realize that her tightly clenched palms were damp with sweat. She exhaled a long, thin breath.

“It hasn’t been confirmed as a monster yet.”

“Yes. Let’s not jump to overly negative conclusions.”

They decided to wait in the office and ascended to the upper floors together.

Cedric, who had recently shown a more relaxed demeanor, looked unusually tense, which was a rare sight. This only made Melfina feel more strongly that they were facing an emergency.

— I hope it turns out to be nothing.

Melfina had a strong aversion to gods.

“But at times like these, I can’t help but want to pray for something… It’s frustrating not being able to do anything else.”

＊　＊　＊

“I was asleep, and I was roughly shaken awake and thrown into a carriage. It’s terrible, isn’t it? At least they could have waited until I was fully awake. Though, being dragged outside did wake me up, but I was still in my nightgown. Even though I technically hold a noble rank, it’s truly awful. I’m not particularly strong, so what if I catch a cold from this?”

“It was an urgent situation. I made sure you had your cloak.”

“Ha, if you consider that kindness, you’re truly a terrible man.”

Julius complained bitterly. As he said, under his cloak was just a nightgown, and the northern winter must have been extremely cold for him.

“Lord Julius, I’ll have warm milk with plenty of sugar prepared for you later. So, what were the results?”

“It’s definitely a monster. There’s no mistake about that. It’s likely a single quadruped type, closer to a dog, fox, or wolf. After feeding, the magical residue continued towards the forest. It crossed a small stream, which means it covered up the traces of blood and magic, so it’s quite clever. Though single-type monsters don’t have particularly strong magical power, many are intelligent while retaining their beastly instincts. The top of the list would be werewolves, but this one is probably a bit lower in rank.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Well, my friend. Werewolves like humans. Or rather, they enjoy a battle of wits with people. Why do you think they mingle with human groups, mimicking humans and quietly slaughtering one person at a time? They enjoy such games. They’re already aware of human countermeasures against werewolves, and they play within those rules. A game player is defined by being bound by the rules. Anyone participating outside those rules is no longer a game player. They possess advanced intelligence and a love for unnecessary complexity. I understand that well because I share a bit of that inclination. They wouldn’t casually eat livestock and leave magical residue behind.”

“…Well, hunting werewolves is much more difficult than hunting wolves. Some lords even seal off villages affected by werewolves and burn them down entirely.”

“It would be troublesome if they disguised themselves as humans and blended into the city. Though, there are far more humans born than those killed by werewolves.”

Clearly, that’s not the main issue here, but it’s not the time for such discussions. Cedric must have thought the same, as he ignored Julius, who still seemed to have more to say, and focused on Melfina.

“I’m sending a message for Lutz to come to the lord’s residence immediately, Lady Melfina. Monsters will keep reappearing unless their magic stones are removed and purified. Fortunately, we currently have knights and soldiers stationed in the Enkar region, and if it’s a monster, we should immediately form an extermination squad.”

“You should listen to your friend, my lady. Since single-type monsters are intelligent, hunting them with just villagers would be futile and could result in even more casualties.”

Julius added, and Melfina tightened her lips, her expression growing serious.

Exterminating a monster is a daunting task. Monsters are inherently strong and dangerous, and more importantly, they emit magical power that can cause physical distress in those with low resistance.

For a four-star monster, those with low resistance might even suffer from mental confusion or death just from approaching. Though the monster this time likely isn’t that strong, it still emits enough magic to kill small birds.

The knights and soldiers currently stationed in Enkar are those dispatched to protect Serleine.

Would it be acceptable to have them deal with the monsters in the Enkar region?

“Lady Melfina, the northern soldiers are accustomed to fighting monsters. In particular, among those dispatched as guards for Princess Serleine, there are no new recruits. All of them have experience fighting against the Pluina. Maintaining security in the north is their—no, our responsibility. If monsters appear in the land where Prince Serleine and Lady Melfina, the head’s wife, are staying, it is only natural for us to exterminate them.”

Cedric’s clear words were understandable to Melfina.

If she hesitated and did nothing, and if damage occurred in the village, it would be her fault in Alexis’s eyes.

The Enkar region is Melfina’s domain, separate from the Oldrand territory, but such minor pride was meaningless in the face of the current situation.

“Lady, knights and soldiers train for moments like these. It’s also the ruler’s job to tell them to stand firm and fight for their own sake.”

Their words were overwhelming and logical.

In a world without war, Melfina had been able to progress safely thanks to the name of the ducal family, but the lack of monster attacks was also significant.

In the Enkar region, which had no military force, when uncontrollable beasts appeared, residents had to either prepare for casualties or request neighboring villages to send troops, as Lutz had told her before.

It was likely that similar methods had been used for monsters.

Compared to farmers and serfs who till the soil and grow crops, knights and soldiers would suffer less personal damage and would be more capable of defeating the monsters.

However, that didn’t mean it was a completely safe job. There would be injuries… and the possibility of death was not zero.

“—Understood. Gather the soldiers immediately and take action against the monsters.”

Cedric and Roland, who had been by Melfina’s side while Cedric was away from the lord’s residence, snapped into sharp salutes and immediately went into action.

As she watched their backs, a growing sense of helplessness overwhelmed her.

She recalled the faces of the soldiers she had spoken with. The people who had called her name and had nervously but kindly smiled at her; their individual expressions and words ached in her heart.

The thought that her orders for the extermination might lead to their harm made her feel heavy and sick with dread.

—She realized she had no true resolve.

She had to tell them to fight against dangerous beings… even knowing that they might die, she still had to give that command.

She realized that she had no real determination to be a ruler like that.