The moment I ran into the field, the huge body of the Tusk Boar was closing in on the fallen man.
The ground trembled every time it kicked up the dirt.
When I looked at it up close, it was even bigger than when I had seen it from the forest. Its body, covered in mud, seemed to be many times heavier than me, and the fangs that protruded from both sides of its mouth could easily pierce a human from stomach to back.
There was no stopping that from the front.
I ran between the fallen man and the boar.
“Gah!”
I barked as loud as I could.
The Tusk Boar's ears moved and its head turned towards me.
That was all I needed.
The lunge that had been aimed at the man shifted, and the tip of its huge nose turned towards me.
The boar scraped the soil with its front legs.
Come on.
I left the spot.
I couldn't go as fast as I wanted because of my injured right hind leg. Still, I crossed the field, trying to get out of the boar's path.
The footsteps behind me were rapidly approaching.
There was no time to look back.
Its fangs grazed my side.
“Gah!”
My body was hit and I fell onto the soil of the field.
Part of my scales peeled off, and a hot pain ran through me.
The boar continued past me, running quite a distance before finally stopping.
It seemed it couldn't change direction right away.
I looked around the field while raising my aching body.
Not to run away.
To find a way to beat it.
The village fields were carved into the slope of the mountain. The long, narrow field was divided into several tiers, and at the borders were a low stone wall and a narrow ditch for water to drain.
The fence had been broken by the boar too.
A stake that had fallen to the ground.
A broken branch.
A collapsed stone.
Among them, I saw a wooden stake left in a strange shape.
A thick fence stake had broken in the middle, and the tip was sharply torn.
What's more, its base hadn't come out of the ground.
The stonework that had supported the stake had collapsed, and its base was wedged deep between the soil and large stones, protruding diagonally upwards.
It didn't look like it would move even if I pushed it.
I could use this.
The Tusk Boar turned towards me.
Breathing heavily, it scraped the ground with its front legs again.
I checked the location of the wooden stake.
It wasn't enough just to let it charge in. At the current angle, it would only scrape the side of its shoulder.
I needed to change its course a little.
The question was how.
The boar started running.
This time I wouldn't simply run.
I ran along the stone wall.
Every time my right leg hurt, I lurched. Still, I continued to the edge of the field while checking the distance from the boar.
The sound of footsteps approaching from behind.
Close.
I climbed over the stone wall.
Rather than jumping over it, I simply grabbed the other side with my front legs, spread my wings, and threw myself out.
I dropped into the field one step below, scraping my belly against the stone.
Immediately after, the Tusk Boar crashed into the stone wall.
Its front legs landed on a collapsed stone, and its giant body tilted heavily.
But it didn't fall.
The Tusk Boar swung its body, sending the stones flying, and then came down towards me.
It seemed angry and worked up, and no longer even looked at the villagers.
It was only chasing me.
That suited me better.
I looked at the wooden stake again.
If I could lead it there, that would do it.
I crossed the field.
The boar was chasing me.
I couldn't win on speed.
So instead of running away in a straight line, I passed right beside the stone walls and ditches.
Because of the Tusk Boar's size, it was difficult for it to change course. Every time it chased me, it overshot, took another step, and only then turned.
Even so, once it caught me, it would be over.
I was out of breath.
The sensation in my right leg had also gone dull.
I couldn't keep this up for long.
The wooden stake was a little further on.
I passed by there.
I put the diagonally protruding stake between myself and the boar.
However, the angle was still not enough.
If it kept coming, it would pass to the left of the stake.
I stopped in my tracks.
The Tusk Boar slowed down for a moment too.
Probably because I had stopped running.
The giant head lowered.
It took aim.
Come straight at me, just like that.
I turned my attention to the depths of my chest.
Heat began to gather.
It was the unreliable flame I had used when the wolves attacked me.
That couldn't burn a Tusk Boar to death.
But there was no need to kill it.
The Tusk Boar kicked the ground.
I waited.
The giant body approached.
While suppressing my body's desire to run away, I looked only at the boar's face.
The distance shortened.
A little more.
I opened my mouth.
“Gah!”
I spat the flames in front of its right eye, not at the boar itself.
In response to the sudden fire, the Tusk Boar reflexively turned its head to the left.
Its course changed slightly.
That was enough.
I kicked the ground with my front legs and threw my body to the side while fully spreading my wings.
I didn't take flight.
I just half-rolled across the dirt and got clear.
Immediately after that, there was a tremendous sound behind me.
I looked back.
The huge body of the Tusk Boar had stopped.
The wooden stake that had been sticking out diagonally had dug deep into its shoulder from the base of its neck.
Even with the force of the charge, the stake did not come out. The stones holding the base of the stake dug deeper into the soil, and the weight of the boar pushed the stake in further.
The Tusk Boar roared.
Blood gushed out.
Still, it wasn't dead.
Swinging its huge body from side to side, it struggled to pull out the stake.
The stone at the base creaked.
This was bad.
It was going to come loose.
If I ran away now, the injured boar might rampage into the village.
I raised my body from where I lay on the ground.
My legs were shaking.
Of course I was scared.
I would rather have run away into the forest right then.
Even so, I approached the Tusk Boar.
The boar tried to escape from the stake and finally fell on its side.
I didn't go around to the front.
I approached the neck from behind, where the fangs couldn't reach.
The Tusk Boar moved its front legs in an attempt to get up.
I bit the nape of its neck.
Coarse hair filled my mouth.
I broke the skin with my fangs and drove them in deep.
The Tusk Boar's body trembled.
I felt like I was about to be thrown off, so I dug the claws of my front legs into the ground.
I didn't have the strength to jump on it and hold it down.
I just kept biting its neck to keep it from getting up.
The Tusk Boar's movements became smaller little by little.
Eventually, its front legs fell to the ground.
Even so, I didn’t let go right away.
I waited for a while.
The body didn't move.
It had stopped breathing as well.
I finally pulled out my fangs.
The taste of blood remained in my mouth.
At that moment, my stomach growled.
Even I was taken aback.
Even though I had just fought for my life, my body seemed to see the meat in front of me as nothing but food.
However, it made sense.
I hadn't been eating properly.
With just a little bit of black bread in my stomach, I had run from wolves and fought a Tusk Boar.
It would be foolish to hold back and starve to death here.
I bit off a little bit of meat from the neck of the boar, near the wound.
It was raw meat.
When I was a human, I would never have thought to eat it.
However, my current body found it extremely good.
I swallowed two or three mouthfuls of warm meat.
I want to eat more.
That’s what my body was telling me.
At that time, I heard the sound of a stone being stepped on nearby.
I looked up.
The villagers were gathering.
Spear.
Hoe.
Axe.
No one approached me.
Two people were dragging the injured man away from me. Another man was driving the children home.
There was a dead boar between me and the villagers.
I was at the neck of that corpse, covered in blood.
What did that look like from the other side?
I didn’t even have to think about it.
A young man came running from the forest.
He looked a little over twenty years old.
A beast skin was draped over his shoulder, and a quiver was on his back.
The young man stopped when he entered the field.
A fallen boar.
A broken field.
An injured villager.
Finally, he looked at me.
His expression changed.
He raised his bow and nocked an arrow.
The target was me.
The villagers were shouting something.
I didn't understand long words.
However, I could feel the fear and caution.
Lina jumped out there.
"…Dragon…!"
That was the only word I could catch.
Lina was desperately saying something to the young man.
The man looked at Lina for a moment, but he didn't lower his bow.
I didn't move either.
I could have gone on eating.
I was the one who had brought the Tusk Boar down.
If you thought of it as prey, you could say it was mine.
However, it seemed I wasn't the only one who needed this corpse.
A barren field.
Skinny villagers.
And that hard bread.
This much meat would go a long way in that village.
I took my mouth away from the Tusk Boar.
I wanted to eat a little more, but I had managed to fill my stomach a little.
I stepped back from the corpse.
The young man's bow followed me.
One more step.
I slowly kept my distance, as if to show that I had no intention of approaching the villagers.
Only Lina was watching me.
I looked back at the Tusk Boar's corpse once.
It was a pretty big return for the half a loaf of black bread I owed.
Even so, it didn't feel bad.
I headed for the forest.
No arrow came flying from behind.
Just before entering the trees, I looked back just one more time.
Lina was still looking this way.
The young hunter still held his bow ready.
Behind them, the villagers began to approach the boar fearfully.
I snorted and started walking deeper into the forest.
It seemed the world wasn't so easy that people would trust you right away just because you had helped them.
That was fine.
Even I still didn't trust people I didn't know.
That distance was just right for me now.
We don’t use ads!
If you enjoyed our translation, please consider buying us a cup…
Thanks!!!
Become a Patron!
We don’t use ads!
If you enjoyed our translation, please consider buying us a cup…
Thanks!!!
Become a Patron!