Chapter 255 - Mamono Extermination
"Ars-sama, Baito-sama, the mine is in sight."
"It's pretty deep in the mountains. I wonder if it is necessary to build a road to make it easier for transporting the iron from the mine. We'll have to check with a guy who is used to the mountains to see what other roads there are."
"I think you're being a bit hasty, Ars. We have to defeat the mamonos first."
"I guess. Thinking too far ahead now will only catch me off guard. I'll be careful."
"Be careful. And about the mamonos, did you listen to my briefing?"
"Of course. But I thought they were strong creatures that you wanted some help with. However, the reason you wanted my help wasn't due to their strength, was it?"
"In terms of strength, they are that big of a deal. Even a normal knight under me could win. But it was troublesome, so I put this operation off. I had other things to do."
"I guess you're right. This is troublesome, however, even if I already had a premonition that we might be dealing with humanoid monsters."
"The creatures who took up residence here, their bodies are only about one meter tall at most, but they are dog-like creatures that walk on two legs. The trouble with them is that they work together."
"A humanoid mamono with dog-like features that walks on two legs and acts in groups, being able to use its hands to hold swords and spears, huh? Those dogs approach with weapons in the narrow and dark tunnels. That's dangerous by any measure."
"I've heard that they process stones and iron that have fallen down in the tunnels and use them as weapons. Moreover, even in the dark, the other party seems to be able to see clearly and has a good nose. Even if we have our lights out, they will target us at our location, so it's hard for us to get at them."
I was making my way with Baito-nii and other members of the Balt Knight Family toward a mine where iron could be extracted.
Finally, we came to the vicinity of it.
There, I listened once again about the mamonos that had taken up residence in the mine.
Apparently, it was not just one strong creature that had settled in the mine.
On the contrary, the creatures called "inujin," which are not that strong one by one but are troublesome to deal with, have settled in the mine in packs.
It is said that the "inujin" are like Kobolds from a fantasy story.
They are bipedal creatures with small bodies, dark-black body hair, and dog-like faces.
The presence of these creatures, which attacked us in the dark using their sense of smell, etc., was troublesome, but what made them even more difficult to deal with was the magic they possessed.
The magic was a bit like mine.
They had a spell that could change the shape of iron and other materials as long as they were small enough to be held in their small hands.
In other words, the dog people who live in the mines can pick up iron and other materials, clutch them in their hands, and turn them into materials for spears and bows and arrows.
Incidentally, it is said that they eat goats and other animals that live outside the mines.
After making weapons in the mine, they go hunting outside and bring back their prey to eat.
And they do it in herds.
I thought to myself, "Aren't these things highly social?"
"Well, it can't be helped. We have to make the mine usable somehow. I'll give it a try."
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Thus, I began to exterminate the dog people who had taken up residence in the mine.
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"Let's get into the mines right away, Ars. It seems that the dog people are living in a slightly wider area at the back of the shafts. However, they may have expanded their habitat since the last time I checked. We'll keep a close eye on them as we move forward."
"Eh? Are you planning on going inside the mines, nii-san?"
"What are you talking about, Ars? Aren't we here to exterminate the creatures? Don't tell me you're freaking out?"
"No, that's not what I meant... From what I've heard, the dog people live in these tunnels, but their food is from goats or something outside, right? So, doesn't that mean they're coming out of the other side somewhere?"
"But we don't know when they'll come out. It would be better for us to go in there and beat them than to wait for them to come out."
"When you say beat them, you mean to fight with weapons in those narrow tunnels?"
"... Well, if we can't use weapons, why not use magic?"
"But we'll be attacked in the dark. There's gonna be a lot of damage if we use magic, even more than what would have happened with armed weapons."
"What's your point, man? In the end, do you mean you don't wanna go inside?"
"That's right. I have no intention of going inside. Instead, let's play it a little safer, nii-san."
"What do you mean by "playing it safer?" Do you really want to stake them out?"
"Nope. What I'm proposing is even safer than that. Poison."
"... Poison?"
"That's right. We'll hunt a goat from nearby and leave its carcass near the entrance to this mine shaft. We'll inject poison into the goat's meat. Then guess what happens?"
"... The dog people do not eat their prey on the spot. They bring it back home to share with their herd..."
"Yes. I don't know if it really is the truth, but if that fact is correct, this method will destroy most of the herd. There were some poisonous plants in the mountains on the way here that we could use. Hey, easy, right?"
"You... that is a shady idea. You would make the title of Holy Knight weep if it existed."
"I just want to do the rational thing. Well, let's try it this way, for now, nii-san. We can try several different poisons, and if the goat method doesn't work, we can send poisoned smoke into the mine. Let's get rid of the dog people right away."
"I have a feeling that Fate wouldn't want your death to be peaceful, Ars... but let's try your plan out. Even if it feels wrong..."
Apparently, my explanation was satisfactory to him, albeit not on-point.
We immediately hunted goats in the surrounding mountains and poured poison into their meat so that the dog people would bring it back to their dwelling place in the mine.
The dog people are said to walk on two legs and even build weapons to attack the goats in coordination.
I thought that maybe they would notice our poison baiting strategy and not bring back the goat carcass.
But that was not the case.
Apparently, they were not that smart.
Thus, after several days of eating the poisoned meat, the herd of dog people was poisoned to death.
However, it took me days to realize that I had made the mistake of leaving several dead bodies within the mine, furthering the time it would take to dispose of the dog people's last remnants.