novelraw Chapter 134
Chapter 134
Chapter 134
Dust clouds rose in the distance.
At the front were Irene and the Crimson Comet.
A group including several wagons was racing this way.
“Rabbit Tribe in the Crimson Comet? Now that’s unexpected.”
After losing many members in the battle against the Boar Tribe, Irene had been running around trying to recruit new ones.
However, finding female knights skilled in both combat and riding had been an extremely difficult task, and in the end, Irene had to compromise with reality.
Those chosen were the Rabbit Tribe women.
Many of the Rabbit Tribe, who once tended mountain goats, had joined the Crimson Comet.
“Riding skills over combat power… That’s very Irene.”
The Rabbit Tribe had always been close to mountain goats.
Back when they lived in the Forest of Illusions, they often hid in the goats’ shelters, and through that experience, Tito had once gifted a herd of goats to the territory—the so-called ‘Goat-Raiding Method’.
The Rabbit Tribe women who tended goats were so familiar with them that they could even ride those already owned by others. Seeing this, Irene invited them to join the Crimson Comet—
Saying that becoming used to mounted combat was far more difficult than learning swordsmanship or aura.
—The Rabbit Tribe’s atmosphere seems to have changed a lot.
‘Yeah. I suppose that’s a problem in its own way.’
When the Rabbit Tribe first joined our territory, they were an extremely gentle people.
They valued escape over fighting, and were earnest about tending crops on farmland.
But lately, the mood had changed considerably.
Starting with the Rabbit Tribe Rangers who distinguished themselves in battle, they were now venturing into more combat-oriented fields. That change had accelerated even further after the Priest-Warrior Brito joined the territory.
Even now, many young members of the Rabbit Tribe were training under Brito, honing both their divine power and combat skills.
Especially when Rudelrof offered the Lion Tribe’s Sacred Relic to the temple, all of the Rabbit Tribe gathered before the temple to pray together.
At this rate, there might soon be a surge of Priest-Warriors among them.
‘The fact that the Rabbit Tribe women joined the Crimson Comet probably owes to that same atmosphere.’
—They must have taken up arms willingly for the sake of their Guide. Besides, the Rabbit Tribe…
‘…are remarkably adaptable, right?’
—Since the whole territory shares that atmosphere, it’s not strange for the Rabbit Tribe to be swept up in it.
‘And there’s also the Vitality Grass.’
—That, I think, was the biggest factor.
‘Maybe so.’
Behind all these changes was the Vitality Grass.
The Rabbit Tribe, regardless of age or gender, had been taking Vitality Grass daily, and their physical abilities were improving in real time.
No matter how noble one’s will, it was meaningless without strength—but now that they possessed the stamina and power to match, there was nothing left to fear.
Even the Rabbit Tribe Workers who had been digging tunnels were beginning to awaken aura little by little, making it wasteful to use them merely as laborers.
‘There’s no problem for now, but if this keeps up, it might become troublesome later.’
The Rabbit Tribe still maintained a system where farming and soldiering coexisted.
They tilled the fields in peacetime and trained when free.
But if this atmosphere continued, many among them might end up becoming full-time soldiers.
For combat-focused groups like the Crimson Comet or the Priest-Warriors, constant training was essential.
If the Rabbit Tribe fought while the residents of Johnson Territory worked, that fundamental balance would be broken.
The truth was, even now our territory lacked manpower.
The diligent Rabbit Tribe filled that gap, but if even they became more like the residents of Johnson Territory, it could lead to serious problems.
The old residents would have to return to managing farmlands.
‘Residents of Johnson Territory farming… I’d rather refuse that.’
—Why not just buy wheat from the Cow Tribe?
‘That’s one way, but I’d prefer to maintain at least a minimal level of food self-sufficiency. You never know what might happen in the world.’
—How troublesome.
If only a diligent race like the Rabbit Tribe could just fall from the sky, that would be wonderful—but that was wishful thinking.
Even the Rabbit Tribe’s industriousness was half thanks to Bestia’s guidance.
It seemed wiser to hope their population increased quickly instead.
—Don’t worry. The Rabbit Tribe is still growing steadily.
‘Yeah, they are. Pretty fast, actually.’
Of course, the problem was that it would take over ten years before those newborns grew into proper workers. Still, it was better than having no plan at all.
“Lord Iron!”
“Ah, Sir Irene.”
Irene and her group arrived.
Silver plate armor embroidered with a crimson bird.
With two massive war hammers strapped to her back, Irene dismounted from her goat and saluted gracefully.
“Irene Haken, Commander of the Crimson Comet, along with 29 members. We’ve come to escort the trade with the Horse Tribe.”
“Well, thank you. You’ve come a long way. I’ll be counting on you.”
“Yes, Lord Iron.”
After the report, Irene went to join the rest of her group.
Her steps were exceptionally light.
—That female seems rather excited.
‘Yeah, she’s in quite high spirits.’
Well, she had stayed loyally behind to protect the territory while we roamed all over.
When Leisha and Rudick drove out the Imperial bastards from Hawrun Territory, when Yuria and I attended the Lord’s Council—
And even when we visited Henil, Irene had been busy training the Rabbit Tribe.
Teaching those Rabbit Tribe women, who had no experience beyond goat-riding, actual combat techniques must have been no easy task.
Celine had been trying her best to help, but as her body grew heavier, the Knight Order’s workload inevitably fell on Irene’s shoulders.
The only time she had been able to unwind was when she escorted the Builders to Rotsy—and even then, she had been busy taking care of the new knights.
Still, perhaps thanks to that experience, her group now looked like a proper band of knights, and she must be feeling quite refreshed now.
‘Besides, a trade mission with the Horse Tribe? Irene would love that.’
—She already has goats. Is she aiming for horses now?
‘Well, you can never have too many mounts. Maybe that’s her mindset. Even just seeing fine horses would make her happy.’
—Honestly, every female you choose is strange.
‘That’s unfair. It’s not like I chose anyone in particular.’
Still, apart from her excessive fondness for mounts, Irene had many admirable qualities.
In some ways, I even respected her.
For example, that part of her—
“Even during breaks, weapon maintenance must be thorough.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Relax your shoulders. If you’re too tense, your real skill won’t show.”
“I’ll try!”
“Don’t worry. Just trust your commander—and hey, our Guide’s here too, isn’t he?”
“Commander Irene is kind of cool. She really suits the Guide.”
“Ha! Our little bunny friend, you sure know what’s up.”
The Crimson Comet was the only mixed human–beastman unit in the entire territory.
Although relations between beastmen and humans in the territory were quite strong, whenever a joint unit was actually formed, they had trouble syncing their rhythm.
A difference in disposition, perhaps?
Beastmen tended to fight by instinct, while human knights fought with strict formation and discipline.
Even Rudick and the 1st Knight Order, who seemed closer to beastmen than humans, maintained their formation rigidly in real battles.
Of course, the problem was that those formations were all charge formations.
That’s why I had formed a separate warrior unit for the Black Lion Warriors, placing them under Leisha or Limond.
That way was much more efficient.
But the Crimson Comet managed to integrate beastmen into their order flawlessly, working together in perfect harmony.
This wasn’t about differences between the Lion Tribe and the Rabbit Tribe.
The Rabbit Tribe members who had once joined the Rangers had eventually been organized into their own branch—the Rabbit Tribe Rangers.
No matter how gentle the Rabbit Tribe were, mixing them with humans somehow always threw things off, and the results were never as good as expected.
The Johnson Territory’s Rangers specialized in sniping and reconnaissance, while the Rabbit Tribe Rangers focused on firepower battles using Mana Crystal Bombs—their paces simply didn’t match.
So the fact that the Rabbit Tribe warrior women who joined the Crimson Comet could move as one with the existing knights was entirely thanks to Irene.
If this world had a “Leadership” stat, the person with the highest in the territory would no doubt be Irene.
—Maybe she’s just got a good personality.
‘Well, that too, I suppose.’
Even now, Irene was actively bridging between Leisha and Yuria.
The moment Irene appeared, the air shifted completely—she was a mood maker in her own right.
Truly, leaving those two to Irene might be the best option.
Perhaps even the Rabbit Tribe had fallen completely under Irene’s influence.
—Ah, so this is the “main wife” move, huh.
Whether main wife or not, I was perfectly satisfied as long as Leisha and Yuria stayed quiet.
After a day’s rest, we set out again.
Unlike the Cow Tribe’s territory, which could be reached quickly by riding mountain goats, the Horse Tribe’s territory required several days of travel even at full speed.
With wagons in tow like this, it would probably take at least a week.
At least the terrain was gentle plains and shallow hills, so traveling itself wasn’t too hard—but with the constant threat of monster attacks, it would be a tiring journey.
This area was known to host a wide variety of monsters.
“Sandworm spotted! Estimated Class 4! Forming encirclement!”
Even during rest, we were attacked by a Sandworm.
This giant worm, which bursts suddenly from underground to ambush its prey, can grow up to Class 2 depending on its size—an enormous monster.
A Class 4 meant a relatively small one.
Still, when even the head is over a meter wide, it’s horrifying enough.
The power of sheer mass was nothing to scoff at.
Thankfully, its movements were sluggish, and its hide was relatively soft—so long as one stayed calm, the knights could handle it.
“Why stop her?”
“Just leave this to Irene. Her group needs the experience.”
“That’s a bit boring. But since it’s for Irene, I suppose I won’t interfere.”
I stopped Leisha, who had been about to dash off the moment the Sandworm appeared.
It was a solitary creature, and since the Crimson Comet still lacked combat experience, I wanted them to handle this escort mission on their own.
This battle was also a test—to evaluate the Crimson Comet.
Even if the new knights lacked experience, I wanted to see if they could safely take down a massive monster they’d never faced before, even if its class was low.
The Crimson Comet hadn’t yet shown enough to entrust them with truly critical missions.
Fortunately, Leisha had a good opinion of Irene, so she gave up on the Sandworm without protest.
“Squad 1, move to the left flank! Squad 2, take the right!”
“Yes, Commander! Squad 1, this way!”
“Squad 2, move, move! Quickly now!”
Under Irene’s commands, the knights moved swiftly, tightening the encirclement around the Sandworm.
The Rabbit Tribe’s greatest strength lay in their agility.
Having grown up fleeing from danger, their lower bodies were exceptionally strong, allowing them to move with remarkable speed and balance.
They compensated for their somewhat lacking aura and technique with their powerful legs, diving at the Sandworm’s vulnerable underbelly and hammering away without pause.
‘They’re braver than I expected.’
—When it counts, the Rabbit Tribe does their part.
Even before the massive form of the great monster, the Rabbit Tribe knights didn’t back down.
They were far more daring than I’d imagined.
Above all, the coordination between old and new was excellent.
Veteran knights with monster-hunting experience guided the rookies skillfully.
“Hyaaah!!!”
And then—
Irene’s massive war hammer ignited in flames.
—BOOM!
—Gyaaaaaaah!
The blazing aura struck the Sandworm’s head dead-on, and a tremendous explosion followed.