"That is my son Chita, Sino's husband."
The village chief Panser introduced quietly, while Sino's face was filled with grief.
"I'm sorry." Rhode didn't know how to comfort someone who had lost a loved one.
Just like when he found out about Lisana, he wasn't sure if he should smile in front of Mira anymore.
"No, this matter is actually related to the delegation." Panser said seriously,
"Something happened to Chita... so I must remind you, this is a dangerous task that could cost your lives.
If you are not confident in completing it or need to reassess the task level and reward, I can accept that."
This client seemed considerate, Rhode said, "Please elaborate..."
Bang!
Natsu slammed the delegation letter onto the coffee table: "Members of Fairy Tail don't easily give up on tasks, please leave it to us!"
Rhode closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again.
This idiot, always so reckless!
But that serious and confident expression was somehow very persuasive.
The village chief and Sino were evidently influenced, unable to stop thinking 'maybe they really could complete it.'
However, Rhode decided to first understand the situation before making a plan: "Please tell us in detail."
"The wild beast infestation seems to have started a few years ago. In recent years, the area around our village has had good weather, and we've had bumper harvests almost every year.
Correspondingly, the resources on Dendrobium Ridge have been particularly abundant, and our gathering and hunting activities have decreased significantly compared to previous years.
As a result, prey like hares, pheasants, sika deer, and wild goats increased in numbers, and starting the following year, carnivorous beasts on the mountain also began to increase.
With more carnivorous beasts, the number of their prey started to decline..."
Rhode nodded to show understanding, the positive and negative feedback regulation of the ecosystem, he learned this in high school biology.
"Wild boars, which always like to ruin farmland, became an issue without saying. Carnivorous beasts with reduced food supplies naturally also descended the mountain to forage.
Their first target was our livestock, but we came up with various means to counter them, like digging traps and building walls.
Beasts that found it difficult to hunt began attacking humans during trade trips or while farming.
We also devised ways to combat them, forming a hunting team to ambush the beasts at the foothills. Chita... was one of them."
Rhode didn't expect to hear such a raw account of human-animal conflict for survival, and in such a primitive manner...
He glanced at the pictures on the wall, feeling the cruelty.
Hapi couldn't help but ask, "Was he protecting the village when he was killed by the beasts?"
"No, I can't say that." The village chief refuted Hapi's statement, striking the ground with his cane, "He died because of his arrogance!"
"Father!" Sino was unwilling to hear him speak of her husband that way.
"No! Dad is a hero!" A little girl with a bun hairstyle burst into the living room, "Dad is the hero who protected the village, Dad is not dead!"
Sino quickly hugged her: "Claudie, Grandpa is welcoming guests, don't be rude."
"Dad is a hero, Grandpa is the worst!" The girl named Claudie broke free from Sino's embrace and ran out crying.
"Claudie... Father..." Sino was caught in a dilemma, wanting to chase after her daughter but also fearing rudeness.
Rhode quickly said, "Please go after her, it's dangerous for a little kid to run around so late."
Sino looked at Panser's face.
Panser sighed, "The guest has spoken."
Sino hurriedly apologized and chased after her.
"Sorry for the embarrassment."
"It's natural for children to admire their father." Natsu seemed to be reminded of himself.
He pressed on, "What exactly happened to the child's father?"
"That self-assured..." Panser sighed, ultimately unable to continue criticising his son.
"He was the village's best hunter and always hoped to find a way so people wouldn't have to worry about beast attacks anymore.
So he constantly hunted and investigated the mountain.
Seven days ago, he said he discovered something similar to a 'Beast King' on the mountain, that all the wild beasts' actions were driven by the 'Beast King.'
"Beast King?" Rhode remembered the term, it was described in the "Magic Creature Compendium."
It wasn't a specific beast but a powerful creature that sometimes appeared in places dense with wild beasts.
In this world, humans aren't the only ones who can master magic. Sometimes, animals might suddenly learn to use magic one day.
Maybe due to the lack of wisdom, beasts that suddenly acquire great power tend to become irritable and aggressive.
They might hunt or rule over beasts in an entire region, which is why Beast Kings emerge.
Because of this, Beast Kings have no unified image; some resemble tigers, some rhinos, and some even resemble demons.
The guild often receives tasks of 'monster extermination,' 'demon extermination,' of varying difficulty, often involving these magically awakened unique animals causing destruction.
Weaker Beast Kings are just slightly stronger than typical beasts like tigers, bears, and wild boars.
The strongest Beast Kings can be as terrifying as S-Class Magical Beasts.
This corresponds to different task difficulty levels.
Thinking about it made Rhode a bit uneasy; the village chief and the others are ordinary people, probably unaware of the specific strength of a Beast King, and unable to assess the level accurately.
If they encounter an S-Class one...
Me, a mage with less than two months of training, taking on an S-Class Task?
At that point, I'd have to rely on Natsu pulling off a miracle.
The village chief continued with the story, "Chita believed that if the Beast King was defeated, the beasts would lose their leader.
They would fight for territory, leading to a long period of calm.
Even if it couldn't completely solve the beast problem, at least everyone could safely harvest food, then figure out a plan based on the situation."
I advised him to call in mages for help, but he thought he could do it himself and that a village should rely on its own people for protection.
Later we had a big argument, and he stubbornly took his weapons and bow and went up the mountain alone.
Then... he never returned."
Everyone in the room fell into a brief silence. Although the old village chief had previously complained about his son, the sorrow was undeniable.
Hapi tried to find hope, "Maybe he just got lost on the mountain; Natsu sometimes gets lost too."
The old village chief shook his head lightly:
"Three days ago, a hunter team attempting to find Chita's trail returned with his torn clothes, broken bow, and weapons."
"Aye." Hapi lowered its head, "Sorry."
"It was his own choice. If I were twenty years younger, maybe..."
Bang! Natsu's fist hit the coffee table, making the cups jump: "We'll go up the mountain now and beat the Beast King!"
The village chief quickly said, "No, it's so late now, and you've all traveled a long way; please rest for the night first..."
Dong dong dong dong dong...
The urgent sound of the alarm bell rang, and the calm village started to bustle.