The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 94: Chapter 94: A Giant Boar and a Village

After another hour of walking, the road ahead finally began to change. The distant mountains had grown larger, their dark slopes rising beyond the fields, while the faint outline of Sunday Village could now be seen further along the road.

We were getting close.

Then I heard something.

A deep, violent roar echoed through the trees.

"GRRROOOAAAH!"

A second later came the sound of weapons striking something heavy, followed by hurried shouts.

"Don’t let it through!"

"Keep it away from the village!"

"Watch out!"

I stopped walking.

Draven and Cedric stopped with me.

"Sounds like they’re having trouble," Draven said.

I looked toward the source of the noise.

"Perfect timing."

Without waiting for them, I started moving toward it.

We soon reached the edge of a clearing.

The scene before us was exactly what I expected.

A massive giant boar stood in the middle of the clearing, its body considerably larger than an ordinary beast, with thick muscles covering its frame and two enormous tusks protruding from its mouth. Its eyes were wild with aggression as it repeatedly charged forward.

"GRRRAAAAH!"

Four men were desperately trying to keep it away from them.

They were clearly hunters rather than trained warriors. Their weapons consisted of ordinary spears, axes, and hunting knives, none of which seemed capable of penetrating the beast’s thick hide.

One of the men barely avoided another charge.

"Move!"

The giant boar slammed into a tree.

BOOOOM!

The trunk shook violently.

The four men staggered backward.

"We can’t keep this up!"

"We need to retreat!"

"But it’ll reach the village!"

The boar lowered its head again.

Its legs dug into the ground.

Then it charged.

"GRRRAAAAAH!"

I sighed.

"That’s enough."

I raised my hand.

A small amount of Eclipse gathered around my fingers, rapidly forming into the shape of a compact firearm.

The four men didn’t even notice me.

I aimed.

Click.

A compressed projectile of Eclipse formed inside the weapon.

Then I pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The shot crossed the clearing almost instantly.

It struck the giant boar directly in the head.

The beast stopped in the middle of its charge.

Its enormous body remained standing for a moment, as if it hadn’t yet realized what had happened.

Then its legs gave out.

THUD!

The giant boar collapsed onto the ground.

Silence.

The four hunters stared at the corpse.

One of them slowly lowered his spear.

"...What happened?"

I lowered my hand.

"It died."

The four men turned toward us.

"W-Who are you?"

One of them raised his weapon instinctively.

"Calm down."

I approached them without showing any hostility.

"We’re travelers."

The man looked between me and the giant boar.

"Are you the one who killed it?"

"Yes."

"You... killed that thing without even using a weapon?"

"Something like that."

I glanced toward the darkening sky.

"We came from the capital and are heading back to our hometown for the time being. It’s getting late, so I wanted to ask whether you happened to live in a nearby village."

The man’s expression gradually softened.

"Oh, is that so?"

He lowered his spear.

"Then why don’t you come with us? We can at least offer you a place to rest for the night. And as payment for saving us, we’ll gladly share whatever we can."

He looked toward the dead boar.

"If you hadn’t arrived, we would’ve been in serious trouble."

He extended his hand.

"By the way, my name is Gareth."

He gestured toward the others.

"This is Harlan, the one with the axe is Bram, and that’s Dain."

The other three nodded in greeting.

"It’s a pleasure."

I shook Gareth’s hand.

"My name is Ares. These are Draven and Cedric."

"Thank you again, Ares."

"No need to thank me. We happened to be passing by."

Gareth looked at the giant boar.

"Still, we can’t exactly leave this here."

The four hunters began preparing the corpse for transport.

They tied the boar securely to two long wooden poles, positioning the poles beneath its body. Gareth and Harlan took the front while Bram and Dain carried the rear.

The four men lifted it together.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

"Lift."

The giant boar rose from the ground.

I watched them for a moment.

"Do you want us to help?"

Gareth immediately shook his head.

"Don’t worry, young man. We can at least manage this much."

He gave a short laugh.

"We’ve carried heavier than this before."

"If you say so."

We continued toward the village.

After walking for a while, Gareth glanced back at me.

"There’s something I’ve been wondering about."

"What is it?"

"How exactly did you kill that thing earlier?"

He looked genuinely curious.

"You didn’t draw a weapon, and I couldn’t even see what you used to attack it."

"Ah, that."

I thought for a moment.

"I learned a technique at the academy for dealing with monsters like that."

It was, of course, a lie.

Gareth nodded knowingly.

"I see. So you’re an academy student."

"Yes."

"No wonder you were able to take it down so easily."

He looked at me with newfound respect.

"I’ve heard the students from the capital are trained far better than ordinary hunters. I suppose seeing it firsthand is different."

"It’s nothing particularly impressive."

"Perhaps not to you."

He laughed.

The conversation continued as we walked, and before long, the village finally came into view.

Sunday Village was considerably smaller than the capital, but it had a peaceful atmosphere that made the place feel welcoming. Wooden houses stood along the main road, their walls built from timber and stone, while several small shops and workshops were scattered between them. Smoke rose from chimneys, and villagers were beginning to return home as the evening approached.

The moment we entered the village, however, people began noticing the enormous creature being carried between the four hunters.

"Is that a giant boar?"

"That’s enormous!"

"They actually brought one back?"

"Where did you find that?"

Several villagers approached them.

Gareth smiled.

"We ran into it outside the village. Things got a little difficult, but we were fortunate enough to receive some help."

He motioned toward me.

"This young man killed it."

Everyone’s attention shifted toward me.

"He did?"

"That boy?"

"He’s an academy student from the capital."

"Really?"

Gareth nodded.

"His name is Ares. These are his companions, Draven and Cedric. They’re traveling through the area and happened to arrive when we were fighting the boar."

An older villager stepped forward.

"Then you have our gratitude. Gareth and the others are experienced hunters, but a giant boar is not something four men can safely handle with ordinary hunting weapons."

"It’s fine," I said. "We just happened to be passing by."

The villagers continued talking among themselves, clearly impressed by the unexpected arrival of both the hunters and the enormous boar.

For a moment, the village became unusually lively.

It was almost amusing.

We had only intended to pass through quietly, yet within minutes, our arrival had turned into a small event.

Eventually, after the situation settled down, we were offered a place to sit near one of the larger houses.

I looked toward the villagers.

"We actually have one request."

Gareth looked at me.

"What is it?"

"We don’t need the entire boar. We’d only like a portion of the cooked meat for our journey."

"A portion?"

"Yes. We’re planning to head toward the mountains after we rest here."

Gareth frowned.

"The mountains?"

"There’s a hot spring somewhere beyond the village."

The moment I mentioned it, several villagers exchanged glances.

"You know about that place?"

One of them looked genuinely surprised.

"I discovered it last month while travelling over the area."

"Traveling?."

I ignored that part.

"The hot spring is secluded, and I thought it would be a good place to spend part of our break."

Gareth shook his head.

"I wouldn’t recommend going there."

"Why?"

"The mountains beyond the village are dangerous. There are monsters deeper inside, and the terrain becomes difficult to navigate once you leave the usual paths. Even experienced hunters avoid going too far."

"I understand."

I smiled.

"Don’t worry. We’ll be careful."

Gareth studied me for a moment before eventually sighing.

"I see, then be careful out there."

"Yes."

Beside me, Cedric looked toward the villagers.

"I haven’t experienced something like this for a very long time."

I glanced at him.

He was looking at the lively village, the people preparing food, and the hunters discussing the giant boar they had brought back.

There was a faint warmth in his expression.

I smiled.

"That’s why we’re celebrating."

Cedric looked at me.

"Celebrating?"

"Yes. We’re on vacation, aren’t we?"

Draven immediately nodded.

"I agree with Master."

I looked at him.

"You only agreed because there’s food."

"That is merely one of the advantages."

I smiled.

"Let’s just enjoy ourselves while we can."

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