A Crazy Ape was a simian monster roughly the size of an orangutan, characterized by its jet-black fur, bloodshot eyes, and savage fangs.
Above all else, they were creatures of insatiable gluttony.
As long as it wasn't stone or soil, they would devour anything—other monsters, animals, plants, and even humans. While they generally didn't go out of their way to hunt people as long as food was abundant, they would fly into a frantic rage the moment their sources dried up.
In the worst-case scenarios, they were known to descend upon human settlements in massive hordes, attempting to consume everything in their path.
"The existence of a Crazy Ape nest in this area has been known for some time, but the Marquis Rosemary House never took any particular action against it," Primula explained to the group. "The Subnock Plain is teeming with wildlife, providing them with plenty of food. While adventurers who wandered into the plain were occasionally victimized, the nest was generally deemed safe as long as no one approached it. It seems they were simply left alone until now."
The nest was located in the northern reaches of the Subnock Plain, relatively close to the Marquis Rosemary Territory. However, the family had treated them like a sleeping dog, preferring not to poke them. In fact, the local residents had actually benefited from their presence to some degree, as the apes’ hunting helped cull the populations of other dangerous monsters.
But there was no guarantee that such a fragile symbiosis would last forever.
As the plains were developed, the physical distance between humans and the monsters would inevitably shrink. Once the number of other monsters decreased, the apes would almost certainly turn to humans as an alternative food source.
"As development progresses and their natural prey thins out, they will start attacking people," Primula continued, her expression clouded with a hint of sadness. "We have to deal with them now, while we still have the chance."
"Sooner or later, a Crazy Ape culling was going to be necessary," Rest agreed. "In that case, it’s better to act before any innocent people get hurt."
He felt a pang of pity for the creatures, but he had no intention of calling off the mission. The Crazy Ape was, by its very nature, a man-eating beast. The fact that they hadn't attacked yet was merely a stroke of luck born from an abundance of other prey. They were enemies of humanity, plain and simple.
"Then it’s time for a raid! Count me in!" Yuri shouted, clenching her fists as her motivation boiled over.
"Even so, there are quite a lot of them. We’re going to need a strategy," Viola added, placing a finger to her lips in thought.
Both girls were clearly in favor of the extermination.
"Yeah. If possible, I want to eliminate them all in one go. We can’t give them any room to escape—not a single one," Rest said.
He had already researched the dangers of the species. If any escaped to other lands, they would simply attack the people and livestock there. To ensure they wouldn't become someone else's problem later, he wanted to wipe them out here and now.
"Then we'll have to encircle them," Viola proposed, her tone taking on a ruthless edge. "Let's surround the nest and put it to the torch."
She held up an index finger as she detailed her plan.
"Since we have several Mages with us today, if we set fires from all four directions at once, there should be very little chance of them slipping away."
"I see..."
Rest pondered Viola's suggestion. A surprise assault followed by a fire attack was a sound, standard strategy, but it wasn't without its risks.
"...The problem is that a cornered beast might do something desperate. If they realize they're trapped, the Crazy Apes might just charge straight through the flames. If they scatter and run while they're on fire, we might lose track of them and miss the survivors."
Whether human or animal, creatures tended to act unpredictably when pushed into a corner. If they had no other choice, the apes might just gamble everything on a leap through the fire.
Rest didn't oppose the fire attack itself, but he felt the plan needed one more tactical "spice" to be perfect.
"If that's the case... then we go with 'Surround the Enemy on Three Sides.'"
"Surround the enemy on three sides? What does that mean?" Yuri asked, her sharp ears catching the phrase Rest had mumbled to himself.
It was a piece of military wisdom he had gleaned from a book in a library in his previous life. He decided he would put that ancient strategy to use here.
Rest gathered his companions and the Marquis Rosemary House Mages, sharing the tactical plan he had just formulated.