“What are we waiting for then?”
Upon hearing that, Ivan stopped his training to go get the other equipment.
However, Beaman said, “There’s no need to rush. Father instructed me not to act rashly. Only a small portion of the porcupines has appeared, and it’s not advisable to alert them.”
Leider personally led the team to check the situation, while others just needed to be prepared and wait; ultimately, the mercenaries refrained from taking action to avoid startling the enemy.
The appearance of the porcupines meant they were short of food, which implied that they would certainly return to the Black Pine Forest soon.
To face the approaching fierce battle, the estate of the Black Pine Forest made proper preparations, including setting traps for the hunt.
The next day, as dawn was just breaking, a group of dark figures emerged from the Black Pine Forest and headed straight for the estate’s fertile fields.
“Where are they now?”
“They’ve gone to the south, just as the captain predicted.”
After someone noticed the commotion, they immediately informed all the mercenaries and the guard squad, and a group of people hastily ran towards a warehouse in the south.
To catch the troublesome porcupines all at once, Baron Church exceptionally displayed his generous side by placing some aromatic wheat in the warehouse near the fertile fields.
This aromatic wheat was a special product of the dukedom, only grown in the Grand Duke’s lands and sold exclusively to nobles.
The aromatic wheat lived up to its name, possessing a fragrance that surpassed other wheat. It was said to calm the mind and aid in cultivation; even nobles were reluctant to eat it every day, yet now it was being used as bait to lure wild beasts.
In order to set up the trap properly, the mercenaries had specifically reinforced the warehouse and made special modifications inside.
By the time Ivan and the others arrived, the wild boars were still rooting through the soil in search of food. It was an excellent opportunity to hide inside nearby houses and ambush the beasts once they entered the trap. If the trap failed, they would have to resort to a forceful encirclement for the kill.
Accompanied by snorting sounds, a few larger porcupines led the way, sniffing at something.
‘Are these the porcupines?’
Peering through a crack, Ivan saw the porcupines that had greatly troubled Black Pine Forest, and the creatures close by were entirely different from the ‘big rats’ in his memory; what he saw before him were veritable chariots of thorns.
Each was the size of a yellow cow, with orderly quills covering their bodies. Both their skulls and backs boasted shorter porcupine quills, and those on their heads were evidently even more special, known to be able to soften and harden. Their tails featured long quills resembling feathers.
With two pairs of short legs, their movement resembled small battle vehicles bristling with steel needles.
Ivan involuntarily tightened his grip on the shield in his hand.
The olfactory abilities of pig species are actually not inferior to those of canines; they are even two to three times more sensitive. Therefore, when Baron Church suggested adding something extra to the aromatic wheat, Leider outright rejected the idea, since previous attempts by the guard squads had failed—the porcupines simply weren’t fooled.
After sniffing around for a while, the scouting porcupine communicated to the others with more snorting sounds.
Suddenly, a large group of porcupines appeared, at least fifty or sixty in number. No wonder they had caused such calamity in the Black Pine Forest.
“Thud.”
Arriving at the warehouse door, the leading porcupine gave the sturdy wooden door a light bump, producing a dull noise. Then seven or eight porcupines rammed it together, prying open a crack just wide enough for one porcupine to squeeze through.
After another few impacts, only a few more inches of space were opened, as if something much more solid was blocking the door from the inside.
“Snort snort.”
After hesitating for a moment, one of the larger porcupines took the initiative to squeeze through the crack in the door, followed by two or three more. The remaining porcupines managed to restrain their craving for the food and lingered outside the granary.
Witnessing this, Ivan inwardly cursed at the craftiness of the porcupines.
But what they were up against were mercenaries with even greater experience, and the bait was indeed genuine.
Leider had repeatedly persuaded Baron Church, and Ivan occasionally dropped hints to Lisa about the potential dangers, combined with the previous episode in the Black Fog Forest and the predicament of the guard squad captain Marshall, Baron Church finally agreed to spend heavily. It was inevitable that a group of wild beasts would fall for it.
Soon, a signal came from inside; the other porcupines squeezed through the doorway, one after another, until they all had entered the warehouse.
Two figures jogged lightly, closing the door from the outside, securing it with two iron chains, and wrapping them around several times.
“All right, everything’s ready, it’s time for us to eradicate the plague of wild beasts.”
With the wild beast trapped, Leider ignored the crashing sounds coming from inside, called out the ambushers nearby, and arranged the following extermination plan. The group would split into three small teams.
“Ivan, take a look at this, and be sure to be cautious later,” Beaman said, pulling Ivan to point at the back door, where a porcupine quill had pierced straight through the thick wooden door, showing a small section of it.
Ivan clicked his tongue in secret; the power was not inferior to that of an arrow, he absolutely could not be careless.
Fortunately, there were only a few porcupine quills that could pierce through the wooden door, indicating not all attacks were that powerful.
He and Beaman followed the deputy leader Glowe this time, as a team of six they arrived at the back of the warehouse, climbed a wooden ladder mounted on the wall, entered through a small window, and landed on the wooden walkway that had been built a few days prior.
A few days ago, to minimize losses while exterminating the wild beasts, the mercenaries had specially constructed a suspended wooden walkway inside the warehouse, more than four meters off the ground, with walkways on all sides except for the side with the main door.
The wooden boards beneath the walkway were particularly thick, with several layers of door panels in front.
“Thump, thump, thump!”
Realizing it had been tricked, the porcupine fired its quills upwards as the hunters appeared above, a sight that made one’s scalp tingle.
The double-layer door panels served as shields, and the quills rained down upon them, adding a pattern of black and white to the panels.
“Let them go wild for a while.”
The men landed on the walkway in turn. Glowe cautioned his subordinates not to act rashly and even took the time to point out, “These porcupine quills make for excellent crossbow bolts, with just a bit of refinement. Baron has promised us a thirty percent cut.”
Unable to hold back, Beaman scoffed, “Less than half, stingy.”
Normally, spoils of war belonged to those who took part in the battle. At the very least, the Mercenary Group could expect half. Most nobles wouldn’t stoop to squabble over such minor profits, and usually, such spoils would belong to the Mercenary Group.
The remark made the two guards in the team feel a bit awkward but powerless to comment, seeing as Black Pine Forest was always financially strapped.
“It’s our turn now.”
Before long, the porcupines stopped their frantic behavior, and Glowe signaled for everyone to spread out in pairs.
Ivan followed at Glowe’s side.
Hiding behind a double-layered door panel, they each took one side, poking their heads out to shoot arrows from their bows.
The warehouse echoed with the hiss of arrows, the pained squeals of porcupines, and the sound of quills striking the wooden boards, accompanied occasionally by the painful cries of someone unlucky.
The Hunters stood in the early morning sunlight, high above their prey, until the last porcupine fell to an arrow. They had been unable to breach the carefully prepared warehouse.
“Anyone hurt?”
“Danny.”
“Buck.”
As the battle ended, Leider shouted out, checking on his men. Hearing that his people were unscathed, he dismissed further concern.
With the mission concluded, the Mercenary Group received their reward, a heavy shield nearly two meters tall. The Baron said it could defend even against the Combat Energy Slash of a Great Knight, though it was cumbersome. One mercenary could lift it but not use it in battle; it required two to move it adequately.
The shield could still prove to be very useful, and what’s more, it could serve as a symbol for the Giant Shield Mercenary Group.
The next morning, the Giant Shield Mercenary Group got everything in order and bid farewell to Baron Church as they started on their return journey.
Astride his horse, Beaman joked, “Are you really not going to say anything to her?”
Ivan glanced at him, “You’re right, when I get back, I need to talk with Peggy. How about the story of young Beaman bravely battling a sea beast to save the drowning?”
Not far off, Miss Church was looking eagerly at Ivan, her eyes filled with unspoken affection tough to bear, but unfortunately, the man she watched didn’t even glance back as he disappeared at the end of the road, leaving behind only her, with a face full of regret.