Mireille had no choice but to concede.
While she couldn't ignore Ren’s impressive display the previous night, she was still at a stage where she could have forbidden him from entering the forest as his mother. However, once he invoked his duty as a member of a knightly family, she found herself unable to stop him.
Even if those words were spoken by Ren, who was still only the heir.
She did, however, insist firmly that he must not overexert himself.
Specifically, she granted him a radius of a thirty-minute walk from the bridge. He was also made to promise that he would return to the village immediately if he sensed anything unusual and that he would be back before evening.
"I wonder if they’re still there... Oh, found them!"
Ren stood just past the bridge leading into the woods.
He had come to retrieve the two Little Boar carcasses he had been forced to leave behind.
"Well, I suppose it would be a problem if they weren't here."
Since the villagers wouldn't have carried the carcasses away, their disappearance would most likely mean another monster had scavenged them. If that were the case, he could easily guess that the culprit would be the Thief Wolfen.
"Now then..."
He considered his options.
Mireille had told him to bring them back even if he thought they were rotting. While the meat was likely spoiled and inedible, the bones and pelts still held some value.
The reason Ren hesitated was simply the logistics of how to carry them.
"No, I should be able to manage."
When he thought about it, he was actually quite strong now. He was currently enjoying the benefits of his Physical Ability Boost (Small).
"Whoa... they’re light!"
He hoisted the heavy Little Boars onto his shoulders with ease. The pungent smell of wild beast stung his nostrils, but he simply had to endure it.
As he grimaced at the odor, he felt something strange.
"Wait—?"
Something warm began to flow out from the Little Boar's chest.
Ren initially thought it was blood, but he was mistaken. Surprised, he dropped the carcass to the ground. From the wound in the beast's chest, glowing particles—resembling a floating aurora—slowly drifted toward Ren's arm.
Could it be...?
Startled, Ren pulled back his leather armor to check the bracelet on his wrist.
Ren Ashton
Job: Ashton Family Eldest Son
Skills: - Magic Sword Summoning (Level 1: 0/0) - Magic Sword Summoning Arts (Level 2: 58/1000) Gain proficiency by using summoned magic swords. Level 1: Can summon one magic sword. Level 2: Gain the effect of Physical Ability Boost (Small) while summoning a magic sword. Level 3: Can summon two magic swords. Level 4: Locked.
Acquired Magic Swords: - Wooden Magic Sword (Level 1: 2/100) Enables attacks equivalent to Nature Magic (Small). The range of the attack effect expands as the level increases. - Iron Magic Sword (Unlock Requirements: Magic Sword Summoning Arts Level 2, Wooden Magic Sword Level 2)
Both Magic Sword Summoning Arts and the Wooden Magic Sword had gained two proficiency points each.
"So my hunch was right... I have to personally slay the monster for it to count."
Even though his prediction had been proven correct, it was difficult to feel purely happy about it. If possible, he would have preferred to discover this while Roy was healthy, perhaps while hunting together under his father's watchful eye.
Ren let out a sigh that carried a faint trace of satisfaction and hoisted the Little Boars once more.
"I need to test the Wooden Magic Sword’s power soon, too."
Since he was heading into the forest, he wanted to master every asset at his disposal. He hadn't been able to practice while confined to the manor, but now he had the chance.
However, since he had to return to the house now, the testing would have to wait until tomorrow. As he thought about the fact that his true work in the forest would begin the next day, Ren felt his resolve tighten.
He woke up earlier than usual the following morning.
Knowing that his training was starting in earnest today, his mind and body were in a state of high alert. According to the plan, the Baron's reinforcements were expected to arrive in eight days.
After reconfirming with Mireille that they only needed to hold out until then, Ren ate his usual breakfast and left the manor. Unlike his typical routine, he skipped his morning walk and headed straight for the forest.
"Keep Sword Rock in sight, and you won't lose your bearings."
This was the helpful advice Mireille had given him before he left.
Sword Rock was the massive, blade-shaped formation Roy had described to him once before. The rock was located about an hour and a half deep into the forest. As Ren recalled this, his vision was suddenly obscured.
"Hard to see anything."
A thick morning mist had rolled into the woods.
It would likely clear up in a few dozen minutes, but for Ren—who had never stepped foot in a real forest in his previous life—the conditions were enough to make him hesitate about where to begin.
Fortunately, he knew exactly what his objective was.
"Regardless, I’m sticking to the plan. I’ll hunt within thirty minutes of the bridge."
Setting his resolve, he stepped into the woods.
The branches swayed, and the rustle of leaves filled his ears. The only other sounds were the chirping of birds and the distant murmur of the river. After a few minutes of walking, the morning mist began to thin. Perhaps his eyes were simply adjusting, but navigating became much easier.
"Ugh..."
His foot sank into a patch of mud, and the sludge seeped into his shoe. He grimaced at the unpleasant sensation.
By the time ten minutes had passed, the mist had cleared completely.
At that same moment, Ren noticed a rustle in the bushes near a distant cluster of trees. It was too localized to be the wind, so he couldn't ignore it.
He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the spot.
Suddenly, the bushes shook violently, and a mud-caked Little Boar lunged out at him.
"Gruuu!"
"Tch... coming in hot, aren't you?"
Wild animals were usually cautious, but this Little Boar was different. It was a monster, so perhaps it shouldn't be compared to a normal animal, but Ren hadn't expected it to charge so recklessly. Unlike the previous night, this one was aggressive even while alone.
"Well..."
To the beast, a small boy probably looked like an easy meal.
But Ren was no victim. Having experienced combat the night before, he didn't flinch. He raised his Wooden Magic Sword against the charging boar and—
"Bwa!?"
He delivered a sharp, decisive strike directly to its crown.
Even after the Little Boar collapsed, Ren remained on guard for a few moments. Once he confirmed it hadn't moved for ten seconds, he closed the distance and crouched down. Seeing that it was dead, he let out a long breath.
"That was almost too easy for the first fight of the day."
He hoisted the carcass onto his shoulder. Just like the day before, a warm sensation flowed from the beast into his arm. A quick check of his bracelet confirmed that both his Magic Sword Summoning Arts and the Wooden Magic Sword proficiency had increased by one point.
"Now that I think about it, Mother said the stones become useless."
When he had brought the boars home the previous day, Mireille had butchered them and mentioned that the Mana Stones were "empty."
A Mana Stone was a crystal of mana that grew alongside a monster. If that mana was drained, the stone turned a milky, semi-transparent color, and its market value plummeted to zero. Mireille had commented on how strange it was.
"I don't have to worry about that from now on."
He had already decided that he would keep the Mana Stones for himself. Little Boar stones weren't worth much anyway, so Mireille hadn't minded. She had simply sighed, lamenting that he had inherited his father's obsession with stones.
"Now... what's next?"
Recalling yesterday was fine, but he couldn't fight effectively while carrying a carcass. He also didn't want to just leave it on the ground.
"I guess I have to carry it back to the bridge."
It was a chore to haul them back one by one, but he couldn't think of a better solution. He felt a bit reluctant to turn back so soon after such a brief fight, but without a better plan, he had to endure the legwork.
As he started walking back, he stopped.
"Are you kidding me...?"
As if sensing his hindered movement, two more Little Boars emerged from the shadows. Ordinarily, he would have just set the carcass down, but these boars seemed driven by instinct, clearly believing they had caught him at a disadvantage.
"Fine by me."
Ren swung the carcass he was carrying and hurled it at the new arrivals.
The two boars flinched simultaneously for a split second. Ren used that opening to close the distance, easily striking one in the head and killing it instantly. The second boar finally seemed to realize the danger; it backed away and turned to flee in a pathetic display of cowardice.
Ren considered giving chase, wishing he had a way to attack from a distance. Then, he remembered.
"Wait, I do have one."
He had intended to test it today. He recalled the "Nature Magic (Small)" imbued within the Wooden Magic Sword—the ability that was likely the weapon's true purpose.
He had never used magic before, but he recalled the Nature Magic he’d seen in his gaming days—the way elves used roots and vines to bind their enemies.
At first, nothing happened.
Wondering if there was a specific trigger, he swung the Wooden Magic Sword toward the retreating boar's back.
"Bwo!?"
Glowing green particles danced from the blade, eventually touching the soil. Suddenly, thick roots erupted from the earth, snaking along the ground to effortlessly ensnare the fleeing Little Boar.
"Whoa!"
When he approached the beast to finish it off, it was already on the verge of death. Touching the roots binding its body, he realized they were held much tighter than he had expected.
"This is incredible..."
Ren raised his sword, intending to end the creature's suffering quickly. He brought the blade down hard on its skull, and once he confirmed it was dead, he hoisted all three carcasses together and began the trek back.