Baron Kenneth Hayward’s manor was called Motchumochi Village. His parents lived there too and acted as his official representatives of the territory whenever he was away.
“Motchumochi Village... Sounds delicious.”
“What are you talking about?” Abel shook his head in confusion.
“Where I come from, there’s a proverb that says ‘names and natures do often agree,’ so I’m sure the food in Motchumochi Village is mochi mochi and delicious.”
“Do I even wanna know what ‘mochi mochi’ means...?”
Perhaps mochi didn’t exist in the Kingdom of Knightley. At the very least, Abel didn’t seem to know about it.
Ahzone and Motchumochi were adjacent villages, but a small hill and a forest lay between them. However, it only took about an hour to cross that expanse. As the two approached Motchumochi Village, they heard children shouting, “They’re here! They’re here!” Kenneth had already informed the villagers.
“Such a peaceful place.”
“Which is kinda weird, since they should know by now that a wyvern was spotted nearby...” Abel said thoughtfully.
Eventually, an old couple greeted them.
“Welcome,” the man said. “I am Brandon Hayward, the steward of the estate.”
“And I’m Dahlia, his wife. Our son has told us so much about you. He said you’re his friends and among the top adventurers in the Kingdom. We’re so glad that such amazing people have come... See, dear? It was a good idea to consult with him, wasn’t it?”
“You were right, as always. Our son can do no wrong.”
Kenneth’s mother and father were all too happy to praise their son in front of others—and the fact that the “others” were their son’s friends was the cherry on top.
“Mr. and Mrs. Hayward, leave it to us. We won’t do anything to tarnish Kenneth’s reputation!”
Ryo beamed at them.
Next to him, Abel nodded in silent agreement.
“Please, help yourself.”
“Thank you.”
Kenneth’s parents led them to the manor house, where they offered them tea along with small, thumb-sized confections that looked like dango to Ryo’s eyes. Ryo wondered if it was some kind of snack.
“This is delicious!” Ryo said after trying one. “The sweetness pairs perfectly with the tea.”
Dahlia smiled happily back at him. “I’m glad you think so.”
Next to them, Abel and Brandon got down to business.
“So this one’s bigger than the one that destroyed Ahzone?”
“Yes. After I sent the letter to Kenneth, a villager from Ahzone went with me to inspect the wyvern, and it’s more than twice as large.”
“Damn. The one in Ahzone was supposedly a young wyvern, but this one is probably fully grown. You can take us to where it is, right?”
“Yes. The captain of the guard will act as our guide tomorrow.”
That night, Abel and Ryo stayed at the manor house. Despite the name, it was only slightly larger than a regular house and about the same size as Ryo’s in Lune. It was nowhere near the magnificence of Margrave Lune’s estate. However, the well-maintained building, hearty meals, and warm hospitality ensured both Ryo and Abel were able to rest comfortably.
After breakfast the next morning, the elderly couple introduced them to the captain of the guard.
“This is Captain Bure.”
He was a very young man, likely no more than twenty years old. While Abel’s expression didn’t change, he sensed Ryo’s did.
Bure smiled knowingly back at them.
“My lord’s ‘guard’ consists of only two people, including myself. The other one is retiring at the end of this year.”
“What?” Ryo was shocked.
“Well, that’s how it is for barons who don’t own much land,” Abel added.
Then again, even on modern Earth, it wasn’t uncommon for police officers or doctors to be given solitary posts on remote islands and the like... So perhaps it wasn’t that strange after all—or at least that was how Ryo tried to convince himself.
Then, a voice called out from a distance.
“Bure! Don’t forget your lunch!”
“I’ll be right back,” he said and hurried off.
“Kenneth’s army is two people?” Abel asked.
“Things are different when you’re low on the aristocratic ladder.”
“‘The One-Man Army Who Fought a Wyvern and Lived to Tell the Tale,’” Ryo said, as if titling some made-up light novel.
Abel, ever reliable, rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that doesn’t sound like the kind of thing I’d ever read.”
With the lunch box his mother had made in hand, Captain Bure guided Ryo and Abel to a valley a two-hour walk from the village. Before they even arrived, they spotted the wyvern flying in the skies above.
“Look at it soaring. It’s like it doesn’t have a care in the world.”
“At least it saved us the trouble of looking for it.”
“That size...” Ryo murmured.
“Yup,” Abel said. “It’s a fully grown wyvern, just like we discussed yesterday. Rogue wyverns are almost always young. It’s rare for an adult to stray so far from its habitat.”
“Is this place far from their natural habitat?”
“Yeah,” Abel replied, picturing the Kingdom’s map in his head. The fact that wyverns were appearing so close to Acray was unusual in itself. “Speaking of which... Baron Hayward wasn’t specific about how we should take it down, right?”
“Huh? That’s right—he was pretty vague about the how,” Captain Bure said with a shake of his head. Then he glanced at the wyvern. “Are you two really going to take that thing on by yourselves?”
He seemed to be reconsidering the reality of what Abel and Ryo were about to do. Generally speaking, wyvern hunts were conducted by large hunting groups, and even then, casualties were not uncommon. The thought of facing off against one of those beasts with just two people...
“Yeah, we’ll be fine. Normally, a guild requires submitting the wyvern’s right eye as proof of the kill. This isn’t a guild job, though, so would you mind acting as our witness, Captain Bure?” Abel asked.
Ryo looked at the swordsman, confused. “I don’t quite understand what any of that means, but we’ll bother with it after we take the wyvern down.”
“Works for me.”
“Icicle Lance 4.”
Ryo created four thick ice spears in the air and propelled them toward the wyvern. They pierced the wyvern’s wings, knocked it out of the sky, and pinned it to the ground.
“Your turn, Abel!”
“Man, you really defy all common sense, Ryo... Makes me question if wyverns even have a wind defense membrane.”
“Excuse you! My methods are more normal than launching swordsmen into the air.”
“You know what? You’re right. That’s pretty absurd too. I mean, people can’t fly. Not even swordsmen.”