The Barbarian of the Count’s Family Is Too Strong

Chapter 10: Prey (3)

"Haa…"

Prince Lawrence Rubel von Crownguard, heir to the great Astrarea Kingdom, esteemed noble of the social circles, and self-proclaimed bearer of the Holy King’s qualities, gazed into the distance.

‘Why am I even doing this?’

From the moment he set foot in Veilain’s domain, nothing good had happened.

He had nearly died to a beast, been struck by a barbarian-like count, and now, he was being dragged into a monster hunt.

"Are you ready?"

"Wait… I’m a prince, you know."

"I’m a count."

"No, damn it! I mean, you’re a count—why are you personally hunting a monster?!"

Agron tilted his head, puzzled.

"The strongest should lead. I’m the strongest in this land, so it’s only natural."

"What kind of absurd reasoning is that?!"

"Didn’t you become a prince because you were strong?"

"…No."

"I was just making conversation."

‘This bastard…’

Noticing Agron’s slightly disdainful gaze, Lawrence gritted his teeth.

This muscle-bound brute had no intention of respecting anyone who wasn’t a strong warrior.

"Heh, it seems you’ve made a new friend."

"You’ve arrived, old man."

Lawrence blinked at Agron in disbelief.

"What?"

"You… know how to speak politely?"

"Of course. It’s in books."

"Then why don’t you speak to me that way?!"

"I don’t use honorifics for weaklings."

‘This bastard…!’

Lawrence clenched his jaw and glared at Agron, silently vowing to make him a mere servant once he became king.

Agron briefly introduced Baekun and Lawrence to each other.

"Nice to meet you. I am Baekun, a sage from the Eastern Continent."

"Pleasure. I am Lawrence Rubel von Crownguard, third prince of the Astrarea Kingdom."

"Alright, let’s move out."

With a brief exchange, the group set off toward the village where the monster had appeared.

Lawrence had planned to ride in his carriage, but Agron dragged him out by the collar and forced him onto a horse.

Riding nonstop, they soon arrived at the village.

"This… is bad."

It wasn’t difficult to find signs of the monster.

At the village entrance lay mangled corpses.

Dismounting, Agron approached the bodies.

"Hey, what are you doing?!"

Lawrence grimaced but Agron ignored him, crouching beside a corpse.

"The body is cold. Judging by the coagulated blood and maggots, they’ve been dead for at least half a day."

"Y-You can tell that?"

"You see enough corpses, and you learn."

Agron pressed his ear to the ground, then sniffed the wounds.

The stench was different from mere rot—there was a pungent, acrid smell.

Then, he examined the wounds.

They were crushed in a single blow.

His expression hardened slightly.

"W-What’s wrong…?"

"It’s a troll."

"A troll?!"

"But trolls rarely attack villages."

"Normally, no. Maybe it was outcompeted for food or just wandered down for fun. Either way, it’s a troll."

Agron mounted his horse and pointed in two directions.

"I’ll take this path. You and the old man take the other."

"What?! Why are we splitting up?!"

"Do you know what monster always follows trolls?"

"Uh… Goblins?"

"Correct. The corpses show bite marks from goblins. They must’ve followed the troll here."

Goblins weren’t strong but always traveled in packs.

They weren’t symbiotic with trolls—they were scavengers.

They trailed behind trolls, picking at the remains.

"The village is large, and people are scattered. Even weak goblins can easily kill fleeing civilians."

"Ah… So you’re saying the troll and goblins are attacking separately?"

"You’re quick to understand."

"Ahem! Of course, I did well in my royal studies—"

"I’ll take this route. You go that way."

Before Lawrence could finish, Agron spurred his horse and disappeared.

"Heh, Your Highness, let us go this way."

"Sage, can I ask something?"

"What is it?"

"Has he always ignored people’s words like this?"

"He fully understood your wisdom, Your Highness."

"No, he didn’t…"

"Time is short. Let’s move."

Realizing no one ever let him finish speaking, Lawrence tightened his grip on the reins.

***

Their group was small.

Only a handful of Veilain’s cavalry and the knights Lawrence had brought—less than ten in total.

They had moved quickly, leaving no time to gather infantry.

"Hunts, can we kill a troll with this number?"

"A troll and goblins? Yes. Generally, it takes five knights to handle a troll."

"Including goblins, is this enough?"

"Yes, it should be."

Hunts nodded confidently.

The previous night’s fiasco with the wolves and beast had been due to lack of preparation.

Now, knowing their enemy and being fully equipped, they had nothing to fear.

Neither Hunts nor Harkin were the kingdom’s top knights, but they were still royal guards.

"I heard trolls are strong…"

"Indeed. Even brutal orc hordes avoid them."

"…Then aren’t we at a disadvantage?"

"Your Highness, do you know a troll’s greatest strength?"

"Strength?"

Hunts shook his head.

"More than their strength, it’s their incredible regeneration. Some say even their hearts grow back."

"Wait, then how do we kill it?"

Troll blood was so potent that alchemists used it in potions.

Records spoke of warriors pinning trolls down and chopping their heads off with axes to kill them.

"Only recently was their weakness discovered—fire and holy relics."

Hunts tapped his sword’s pommel.

"This pommel contains saint’s bone dust. I paid handsomely for it."

"Oh! That’s reassuring! Let’s kill the damn troll and go home!"

People feared demons and witches as much as they revered gods.

Peasants, mercenaries, and lords alike clung to superstition.

"Saint’s bone dust… It should work well with my talismans."

"You use talismans, Sage?"

Hunts watched as Baekun stroked his beard with a knowing smile.

"Despite my appearance, I am a rather well-known Taoist from the Eastern Continent."

"Hah—doesn’t look like it."

"Heh, Your Highness. People only perceive others according to their own level."

"……?"

While Lawrence struggled to decipher if that was an insult or a compliment, Baekun sprinted ahead.

"The devastation is severe. It doesn’t seem like the work of just one troll…"

"I share your thoughts, Sir Hunts. The destroyed buildings and the slaughtered livestock and people… this was more than a single creature."

Hunts and Baekun surveyed the area with grim expressions.

Seventeen corpses lay strewn about.

Some belonged to sturdy men, crushed under immense force. A gruesome sight.

"A single blow… identical to the ones at the village entrance."

"This is horrific. I can’t believe a single troll did this much damage."

"Your Highness, perhaps we should send for reinforcements now?"

Hunts hesitated but spoke with caution.

"Damn it! It’s too late for that now! Didn’t you say five knights were enough?!"

Lawrence snapped.

‘Should I have left him at the village entrance?’

Hunts stole glances at the prince, uneasy.

Their current numbers could handle a single troll, maybe even two.

They had himself, Harkin, Baekun, and, if all else failed, Agron, who had downed a wolf beast in one blow.

‘Yes, we can handle two at most. Trolls aren’t like orcs or goblins; they don’t move in groups. There won’t be three. Likely just a male and female pair.’

Hunts gripped his reins tightly, ready to evacuate the prince at the first sign of true danger.

"Haa…"

He and his knights advanced with weapons drawn, tension thick in the air.

Then, the number of corpses decreased, and the eerie silence deepened.

"Something’s wrong…"

"I agree."

"Wait! I hear something—"

Before Hunts could finish, a building collapsed, and a massive club came crashing down.

BOOM!

"Graaagh!"

Hunts screamed, having barely blocked the attack to protect Lawrence and Baekun.

"W-What… is that…?"

Lawrence stammered, teeth chattering as he gazed up.

A monster loomed before them.

It was grotesque, its bloated gray body reeking of decay, gripping a club larger than a grown man.

It was not just any troll.

"That’s a Troll Warrior!"

Baekun exclaimed.

He had encountered such a creature once before—a beast that had razed an entire estate and left nothing but ruin.

KROOOOAAAAH!

The Troll Warrior roared at the sky.

Everyone clutched their ears and cowered.

"D-Damn it! We have to run…!"

Hunts, closest to the beast, gasped through blood trickling from his ears and nose.

This exceeded any monster he had anticipated.

A handful of knights could not defeat this.

"M-Master Baekun…! Please… protect His Highness…!"

Even as Hunts stammered to Baekun, the beast swung its club again.

BOOM!

Three royal knights were thrown aside like rag dolls.

"You bastard!"

Harkin’s eyes burned with fury as he charged.

"N-No! Stop!"

Hunts’ warning came too late.

The Troll Warrior’s sideward strike hit Harkin squarely in the ribs.

Despair flooded the knights.

They had been prepared to face two ordinary trolls.

But against this…

"Master Baekun… go! We can’t hold out much longer…!"

"Very well. Your Highness, we must leave!"

Baekun grabbed the dazed Lawrence and shook him.

"Huh? O-Okay…"

"I will assist as much as I can!"

Baekun retrieved a handful of talismans.

They shot forward, clinging to the Troll Warrior’s body before igniting.

"Explode!"

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

A chain of explosions engulfed the beast in smoke.

Lawrence and Hunts gawked at Baekun in shock.

"Why are you staring? Run!"

"O-Okay… no, I understand!"

"Please, Master Baekun!"

"You too, Hunts!"

For the first time, Lawrence looked out for Hunts, stirring an odd emotion in the knight’s chest.

"Be careful!"

Hunts charged, blade flashing through the dust.

He felt his sword sink into flesh, slicing through hide and muscle.

Green blood sprayed, its acrid scent making him dizzy.

He had aimed for the heart—it should have done damage.

‘Did it work…?’

Hunts swung again and again, each slash biting deep.

Surely, even a troll couldn’t regenerate instantly from this…

‘It just needs to buy time for His Highness to escape…’

But his hope was short-lived.

As the dust cleared, the Troll Warrior stood unharmed.

KRAAAAAAAAH!

It roared, swinging its club with meteoric force.

"Graaagh!"

"H-Hunts…!"

The knights were shattered.

And now, the beast turned toward Lawrence, its beady eyes locked onto his gilded attire.

"Your Highness!"

Baekun shouted.

The Troll Warrior leaped, closing the distance in an instant.

Baekun hurled more talismans, triggering more explosions.

Yet he knew it wasn’t enough.

‘I need more time…! I can’t fight this alone…’

As he desperately sought a way to save Lawrence, a shadow flickered across the ground.

Baekun instinctively shielded the prince as they tumbled away.

BOOM!

The beast’s club crashed down where they had been seconds before.

"Damn it…!"

Baekun staggered to his feet, dread on his face.

The Troll Warrior loomed over them, its yellowed fangs bared.

"A-Ah… Ahhh…"

Lawrence trembled, scooting backward on his rear.

Death loomed over them.

KROOOOOH!

The beast’s massive hand lunged toward them.

Baekun and Lawrence shut their eyes.

Then—

CRACK!

The Troll Warrior’s upper body was ripped apart.

A familiar voice rang out.

"Huh? Why are you crying like a girl?"

Agron looked down at Lawrence with a nonchalant expression.