by Hyougetsu
“I heard everything you said before that too.”
“Gah.”
“You looked like you were concentrating really hard, so I didn’t want to bother you. Guess I should have figured you’d be embarrassed about it.”
Her unique way of showing consideration did nothing but rip my pride to shreds. Though I supposed it was my fault for being so embarrassed about it. This wasn’t like in my old life where I’d thought an esoteric chant would magically whisk me to the second dimension. This was a tried and tested training method all mages used.
At any rate, it was better to stop thinking about my past life before I reopened old wounds. I sighed to myself and said, “Apparently once you get good at it you can make yourself so heavy you can’t even move.”
As I said that, Monza lithely leapt onto a nearby tree branch. Even though she was in her human form, she moved as silently as a ninja.
“Hey, what’s so good about being so heavy you can’t move? What’s it let you do?”
“Nothing, really...”
“Ehh, that sounds so boring.”
Monza was never one to mince words.
“It’s just a spell to help you get better at using magic, it’s not my fault it doesn’t do anything. Unless I master this spell, I can’t learn any of the others.”
“Hey, can you shoot lightning bolts or fly in the sky yet?”
“I wish.”
Now that Monza was starting to lose interest in the topic, I was able to regain a semblance of composure, and with it, a sinking sense of defeat. I’d failed this time too. I leaned against the trunk of the tree Monza was in, and read over Gomoviroa’s note again.
—Movi’s Special Instructions!—
★ How to Master Magic With These Easy Steps! ★
First and foremost, concentrate on the flow of your mana! The key to using strengthening magic is understanding how to take mana from the outside world and concentrate it into your body! If you find yourself unable to visualize the flow of mana, that’s fine. Just imagine it happening anyway! If you keep your noggin working on it, you’ll be able to see it eventually!
She had probably written it in this strange, childish style to make it easier to understand, but it honestly just creeped me out. There was just too much of a difference between her writing style, and the way she talked. It reminded me of the people who were super quiet in real life, but got really talkative in online chats. Monza, who’d been peeking over my shoulder, murmured, “Mages are weird.”
“I think she’s the only one who’s this weird.”
I hope so, anyway.
“I know it says to imagine it, but I don’t get how I’m supposed to do that...”
I had already tried to visualize myself growing heavier in various different ways. For example, pretending like my body had turned to steel, imagining that the mana was water, weighing me down, even trying to pretend that I was carrying a giant barrel on my back. None of them had worked.
Monza hung upside-down from her tree branch and yawned.
“Does it not work the way you’re imagining it now?”
“Yeah, apparently each person imagines mana in different ways.”
Apparently Master was able to make herself heavier by thinking depressing thoughts. She was definitely a genius alright, just not one to be envied. Maybe if I get depressed enough, I’ll be able to finally make myself heavier. I sighed again, and Monza’s ears twitched.
“There’s a commotion going on over there. I think someone’s hurt.”
As always, her hearing was unbelievably sharp. Naturally, this world had no ambulances. Worse, our village didn’t have any doctors. The nearest one was in a human settlement. Because of that, injuries that would have been minor in my old world had the potential to be fatal here. Werewolves were pretty sturdy so they didn’t die easily, but common infectious diseases could still kill them pretty quickly.
“Let’s go. They might need our help.”
“Yeah.”
I slid my notebook back into my pocket and chased after Monza. As I drew closer to the source of the sound, I was surprised to find that it was coming from the Garney brothers’ house.
“Bro, it hurts...”
“Stay with me, Nibert! I’m right here! Don’t you die on me, ya hear!”
Garbert, the older brother, was pressing a bloody T-shirt against a pale-faced Nibert. It wasn’t doing much to stop the bleeding. All of the other adults were scurrying about in an attempt to help.
“Boil some hot water! We need to wash the wound!”
“Hang in there, Nib! I brought some herbs that’ll stop the bleeding!”
Vodd, who normally worked at the pace of a snail, and Mary, who was always smiling kindly were both aghast. When I tried to get closer to see how bad it was, my mom shot out a hand to hold me back.
“Don’t come over here! It’s dangerous, so wait inside the house!”
“What do you mean, dangerous? What did this to him?”
Few animals were powerful enough to harm a werewolf, even if they were a child. Whatever did this must have been a creature that possessed mana. In other words, a monster. My mom turned to me and said in a low voice, “A Golden Brute wildeboar. Listen up you two, don’t come out of the house no matter what happens.”
“Oh no...”
Werewolves’ greatest enemies were the Golden Brutes. Occasionally, animals with golden fur would appear inside the forest. While no one knew where they came from, everyone knew they were stronger than normal animals. However, strength alone wouldn’t be enough to overpower a werewolf. These Golden Brutes had one other characteristic that made them dangerous. For whatever reason, werewolves couldn’t maintain their wolf form near them. Those with weaker wills just passed out upon seeing one. Monza and I exchanged worried glances. Just then, Garbert walked over and slumped down on the stone steps beside us. He cradled his head and sobbed, “Nibert...if only I’d been more careful...”
He was normally so rowdy, but right now he just looked ragged. Werewolves valued family more than most races. To Garbert, his brother’s life was more important than his own. The least I could do before going back home was comfort him a little.
“What happened?”
“Veight... I...”
According to Garbert, the two of them had gone wildeboar hunting like usual. When they spotted a large beast in a faraway thicket, they chased after it. But when they got closer, they discovered they’d been chasing down a Golden Brute. At that point, they were too close to run away. It targeted Nibert first, and since he’d been forced back into his human form, the Golden Brute’s charge sent him flying. He’d been hurt so bad that he could barely move, and another few attacks would have seen him killed. The only reason Nibert had been able to escape was because Garbert had acted as a decoy and drawn the Golden Brute’s attention.
“If it’d been just one of us there, we definitely would have died.”
“Yeah... It’s because you’re always together that you’re so strong.”
On their own, each of the Garney brothers could only display half of their full potential. Even now, Garbert was completely deflated. I patted his back reassuringly.
“Just stay by Nibert’s side. I’m sure the adults will figure out how to deal with the Golden Brute.”
“Yeah, okay...”
Garbert nodded and returned to nursing his younger brother. He seemed like a completely different person. On the way back home, I thought back on what I’d seen. There were a lot of werewolves who had lost their lives to monsters. We were strong, but not immortal. Unless I found a way to do something about the monster attacks, we’d just keep on losing more and more people.
By the next morning, Nibert’s condition had stabilized. Thanks to Garbert’s speedy treatment of his wounds, his life had been saved. However, quite a few of Nibert’s bones had been broken, and it would be a few months before he fully recovered. While it was great that Nibert was going to make it, it didn’t change the fact t
hat a dangerous Golden Brute was wandering around the forest near the village. The adults had left in a group to hunt it together, but since they would have to fight it in their human forms, they knew that a few of them probably wouldn’t be coming back.
“I’ll be going, then. Make sure you keep the door shut tight, and don’t go out until I come back.”
All I could do was watch as my mother left for a hunt she might not return from. My father had died when I was still a baby, so my mother was the only family I had left. If I lost her too, I’d be alone in this new world. But as I was now, I didn’t even have the strength to protect her.
“Stay safe...” I said forlornly.
She gently patted my head and replied, “Don’t worry, I’ll have everyone else with me. More importantly, keep a lookout to make sure no one suspicious comes into the village.”
She turned around and disappeared into the forest together with all the other adults.
After my mom left, I continued practicing magic for a while. I only stopped when I was interrupted by a knock at my door.
“It’s me, Veight. Please open up.”
“Jerrick?”
I opened the door, and saw the blacksmith’s son looking nervously up at me.
“What’s wrong?”
“Is it okay if I come in? It’s dangerous outside.”
Dangerous how? Before I could ask, Jerrick added, “It’s coming toward the village.”
He held up a large steel bear trap. It had been smashed into multiple pieces. What really caught my attention though was the golden hairs stuck to the trap’s twisted teeth. By “it” Jerrick meant the Golden Brute. If the Golden Brute had circled back around to the village, we were in big trouble. The only people left here were kids.
“Where did you set that trap up?”
“West of the farm, near the huge fallen tree. When I went to look around the village, I found it like this.”
Jerrick’s bear traps were tough enough that even werewolves had trouble ripping them off. They were meant to ward off wild beasts, not trap prey, so it made sense that he built them sturdier than most.
However, the Golden Brute had ripped it off, most likely just using the strength of its snout and legs. That took more strength than any werewolf had. Moreover, there was practically no blood on the ruined trap. Despite the considerable force the trap must have closed with, it hadn’t done much damage to the wildeboar.
“That’s one insane monster...”
“You said it.”
I’d helped Jerrick out with his blacksmithing chores a few times, and he trusted me.
“What do we do, Veight? Do we send someone to call the adults back?”
“No, it’s too dangerous for any of us to go into the forest. That monster chose to avoid fighting with the hunting party because it knew it wouldn’t stand a chance against so many of us.”
The term Golden Brute made me think it would have been stupid, but it appeared it was much more cunning than a normal beast. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the trap had been cleverly shattered too. It had probably used leverage to its advantage to break off the trap without much effort. Meaning it at least had as much intelligence as a child.
“What should we do, then?”
I plucked a golden hair from the remnants of the trap and held it up. It glowed with a sinister golden light. Wait. Is it just me, or is the gold on it rubbing off?
I rubbed the hair, and a few motes of golden dust floated into the sky.
“What the heck?”
I feel like I remember this from somewhere. As I sifted through my memories, Jerrick asked impatiently, “Veight, do you think we’ll be safe if we just hide inside our houses?”
“No way, you saw what it did to Nibert. It’d blow right through wooden houses like these.”
None of the buildings in this village were all that sturdy. A few charges from even a normal wildeboar would be enough to break them down. I quickly weighed my options, then asked Jerrick, “How many people are left in the village?”
“About thirty? They’re all kids like us, though.”
Because of how dangerous Golden Brutes were, the adults had decided to take everyone with them to hunt this one down. Even Fahn, who was barely a few years older than us, had joined the expedition force. Among those left behind, me and Jerrick were probably the strongest. Which meant it was up to us to handle things.
“I know that expression, Veight. You’re not really thinking of fighting it, are you?”
Jerrick looked me in the eyes, and I nodded.
“Can you get some more bear traps for me?”
“I figured you’d ask that.” He pointed outside my window, and I saw he’d brought a wagon of them with him. “I’ve got a bunch of bear traps and a crossbow in there. I brought a spear and an axe too, but they probably won’t be any help.”
“I knew I could count on you.”
To be honest, I had no idea how to use a weapon. Still, I’d be more useful armed than not. I decided to take Jerrick’s spear with me.
“Alright, go around to the other kids and tell them to meet at the Garney house.”
“Why there?”
Jerrick gave me a confused look.
“The reason the Golden Brute probably came here was because it was tracking the scent of Nibert’s blood. It laid low last night because it knew it had no chance with all the adults around. But now that they’re gone, it’ll go for the Garney brothers again.”
For a brute, it was a pretty crafty and persistent hunter. Then again, only a brute would be this cruel.
“Hurry, We don’t have much time to prepare.”
“G-Gotcha.” Jerrick nodded and muttered quietly to himself, “Thank god you’re on our side...”
The kids left in the village were all in their early teens or younger. Garbert was the oldest among us, but since he was still looking after his brother, he wouldn’t be much help in combat. In fact, since he was likely also one of the Golden Brute’s targets, it was up to us to protect him.
“To be honest, it kind of stings that we have to protect those two bullies.”
Jerrick smiled, making it clear he was joking. A while back, the Garney brothers had made fun of the sword he’d smithed himself. I’d jumped in to put a stop to their teasing, and Jerrick and I had been good friends ever since.
“I put all the traps where you asked me to, Veight. And like you asked, I didn’t put any markers nearby. Make sure you don’t accidentally step on one.”
“I won’t, don’t worry. I’ll tell the others not to get close to that area either.”
The Garney house was surrounded by a number of other houses. I’d had all the other kids hide in the closest ones.
“This way we’re all within sight of each other. If anything happens, everyone else can come help. Stick close to me, and whatever you do, don’t let yourself be isolated.”
For some reason, Jerrick looked happy as he nodded.
“You got it.”
Just then, Monza sauntered over.
“I saw something sparkly in the forest to the north. It’s coming this way.”
“Perfect, everything’s going according to plan.”
I’d left Nibert’s blood-soaked shirt near the village’s northern entrance. My guess was the Golden Brute would be lured in by the smell. With that, we’d at least have an idea of what direction it’d come from. Seeing my confident smile, Monza cocked her head and asked, “Aren’t you scared, Veight? We’re up against a monster.”
“Hm? I guess I am a little scared. But it’s just a monster.”
“It’s not just a monster...”
I had a good grasp on what I was up against now. While I still wasn’t certain, if my prediction was correct, the Golden Brute wasn’t anything to be afraid of. Everyone seemed to think that Golden Brutes were creatures beyond the realm of mortal understanding, like gods or spirits, but I doubted that was the case. This Golden Brute was just another living creature, like anything el
se. And anything that lived could be killed.
“Don’t worry, Monza. Even if we lose, we won’t die.”
If my plan failed, I had an escape route into the forest prepared for everyone. Once we ran into the woods, we’d hopefully be able to meet up with the adults and make it back safely.
“If we mess up and don’t kill it, I’ll make sure to slow it down long enough to let everyone escape still. We’ll use that time to run to where all the adults are.”
I was a coward by nature, so I’d made sure to think up a backup plan first and foremost. However, that seemed to confuse Monza even more.
“In that case, why don’t we just run away now?”
“Because unless we stop its movements, it’ll just chase us down. Besides...”
“Besides what?”
“The Garney brothers might be idiots, but they’re still technically my cousins. I won’t be satisfied until I teach that monster a lesson about what happens when you mess with my family.”
Monza burst out laughing, “Ahaha, you’re a funny one, Veight! Alright, let’s give this plan of yours a shot. I’ll follow your orders, so just tell me what to do.”
“Thanks. If you could keep a lookout for me, that’d be great. If it looks like it’s too dangerous to stay, just run.”
“You got it, boss.”
She gave me a salute and went back to her lookout duties. Meanwhile, I went around to the side of the Garney house and climbed up the big fruit tree they had growing there. Directly underneath the branch I was sitting on was the house’s roof. From here I’d be safe even if the Golden Brute broke down the house, and I had a good view of my surroundings. Plus, this way I could hit the brute from above. Jerrick was sitting in another branch with his crossbow at the ready. I’d told him to go hide with the others, but he’d refused to leave my side, so here he was.
“Hey Veight, are we really doing this?”
“Yeah, don’t worry. With my magic, it’ll be a piece of cake.”
I was planning on bringing it down with my weight-increasing spell. As long as you kept on accumulating mana, you apparently could make yourself as heavy as you wanted. Of course if you made yourself too heavy you’d be crushed under your own weight, but if I timed things right, I’d be able to strike a huge blow against the Golden Brute.
