SML Ch 54

Chapter 54

*

For some reason, Arun also joined the group heading toward the fields, following the village youth’s suggestion.

Clad in new clothes that had arrived that morning and carrying a proper sword at his waist, Arun looked rather dashing—like a true knight. Yet, walking down the desolate rural path dressed as such created an atmosphere that was difficult to put into words. The presence of Prince Serna, slung over his shoulder like a sack of cargo, made the scene appear all the more peculiar.

“Still, I can’t quite make sense of it, Sir Reynald. Normally, scarecrows are made with straw or old clothes, aren’t they? Using a person as a scarecrow against monsters seems rather dangerous.”

“They must have their reasons, I suppose. It does seem dangerous to me as well, which is why I recommend Your Highness merely observe.”

“No, we shall join in as well. This, too, will serve as an opportunity to learn.”

“Brother? By ‘we,’ you don’t mean me too, do you?”

Frankly, Prince Serna could very well have been left to rest; better yet, both princes could have stayed somewhere safe altogether… Reynald wished to suggest as much but instinctively knew it would be pointless.

It seemed Arun was curious about how this domain operated. Perhaps his mistake in the Swine Forest still weighed heavily on him? Or maybe he was simply earnest by nature and genuinely trying to follow Reynald’s counsel.

Of course, Serna seemed to have no such intentions. He appeared to be scheming ways to escape from this troublesome task altogether…

“Wait a moment, Sir Reynald. Before that, does the role of a lord usually include serving as a scarecrow in the fields?”

“I doubt that’s typically a lord’s duty, but since there’s little else for me to do here as the lord, I may as well help with such chores.”

“Just curious, what sort of chores do you usually help with?”

“Raiding the grain stores of Ratmen villages or clearing out man-eating plants that have overtaken fields. Recently, I collected honey from a hive of blacksmith bees to host the princes, but ended up using it to lure Ratmen away…”

“…I’m not sure I fully understand what I just heard.”

Even so, the youngest prince was innately curious, and though he looked alarmed at talk beyond his comprehension, there was a distinct sparkle in his eyes. Chances were, when the time came to work, he would quietly join in.

After walking for some time, a fairly wide wheat field came into view. There, besides the field’s owner, stood an unexpected face.

“My lord? What brings you here? And with those people, no less…?”

It was none other than Alex. Upon seeing Reynald, Alex’s expression lit up faintly with delight, but upon spotting the princes behind him, an awkward look replaced it. Even after six days together at the lake, it seemed he still wasn’t used to them.

‘Wait, was this Alex’s field?’

Reynald pondered for a moment before recalling. Right—Alex neither owned a house nor a field of his own, instead earning food by hunting monsters or helping the villagers with odd jobs. Unlike Heide, who stayed confined to the keep due to his injured leg, this youth was healthy and roamed freely beyond the castle walls. A glance around confirmed that the field’s owner was also approaching.

“I came after being asked to serve as a monster-scaring scarecrow. Are you here for the same, Alex?”

“Ah, yes. Normally, I’m the one who handles this work since I have more free time than most… But are they helping too? Do the esteemed princes usually do such harsh work?”

Such sensible remarks were refreshing to hear. The field owner and the youth exchanged glances as if to say, Wait, princes don’t do this sort of thing? But these people, only recently made aware of what even a lord was, couldn’t be blamed. Arun, unconcerned with their expressions, tilted his head slightly.

“If I’m able, I’d like to join in.”

“Well, if you insist… the more hands, the better.”

“What sort of monsters are we driving away, specifically?”

“Crows. I’m sure they have a proper name, but around here, we just call them that. Every spring they stay in this region for a while before migrating south.”

Speaking evenly, Alex opened the sack lying on the ground. Inside were heaps of leaf-like objects glinting under the sunlight. Reynald recognized them immediately—plants he’d once deemed oddly out of place among the crops grown in the castle’s courtyard garden during winter.

“Glass leaves, huh? Are they for luring them in?”

“Something like that. Crows are attracted to shiny things.”

Though called glass leaves, they weren’t actually made of glass. They only appeared that way. Their surface shimmered green or purple like colored glasswork, yet when touched, they felt as soft as ordinary plants.

These plants weren’t difficult to grow; they were commonly used as ornamental crops to create ambiance on special occasions or to decorate the homes of moderately wealthy commoners. They were inedible and otherwise useless, so Reynald had wondered why such a poor domain would bother cultivating them…

“Here, wrap these around your body.”

Alex draped vines adorned with glass leaves over Reynald. Upon closer inspection, the vines weren’t limited to leaves—they were festooned with small metal fragments and flowers, their vivid appearance designed to catch the eye. For a scarecrow, it was decorated rather lavishly.

Alex did the same for Arun. Then, after briefly deliberating, he glanced at Serna, ignored him, and began wrapping himself instead. Serna looked torn between being flattered and insulted.

“Uh, Alex? Are you leaving me out because I look too frail?”

“Excuse me? No… That’s not it. These vines work better on someone with a larger build.”

“I’m not that small.”

“Relatively speaking.”

Serna glanced at Reynald, Arun, and Alex in turn, quickly conceding. It wasn’t so much that he was small—just that the others were all above average. Muttering, “I guess being the youngest, I can’t help it,” Serna let it go. Reynald, meanwhile, considered mentioning that Alex was actually Serna’s peer in age, but chose not to.

Instead, Alex pulled something resembling a flail from the sack and handed it to Serna. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t an actual flail—rather, it was a farm tool with bits of metal and bells attached so that it clanged noisily when shaken.

“And this is… what exactly?”

“It’s for luring the crows. Once they’re fully swarming you, shake it hard to rattle them.”

“So I just need to rattle them?”

“Yes. It’s important for the vine-bearers and bell-bearers to alternate in drawing their attention. Staying somewhat apart works best—too close and it’s less effective, but too far apart doesn’t work either…”

Serna accepted the pseudo-flail with a confused expression. Watching the exchange, Reynald suddenly realized something odd.

Come to think of it, I didn’t realize right away because they kept calling it a scarecrow… but isn’t this basically bait?

In monster hunts, it was common practice to dress someone flashily to serve as bait, luring the monster and then ambushing it when off guard. While the bait role was perilous—and often controversially forced upon weaker members—it was undeniably an effective tactic when executed properly.

However, the “scarecrow” tactic here seemed to differ somewhat from conventional baiting strategies.

The biggest difference is… there’s no ambush team. We’re just drawing monsters here, nothing more.

The sack Alex carried contained only shiny vines and noisy pseudo-flails. Once the youth handed out flails, the sack was empty. In other words, the only actual weapon present was the longsword at Arun’s waist.

What exactly were they planning to do? Reynald cast a questioning look at Alex, but the youth simply sat calmly, gaze fixed on the horizon, seemingly watching for monsters.

Noticing something, Serna suddenly spoke up.

“Hey, I want to clarify something in advance.”

“Yes?”

“What exactly are the monsters targeting in these fields? Are they coming to eat the farmers?”

“What are you saying? Of course not—they’re here to destroy the crops. If they attacked people, we’d need actual weapons.”

“But… they’re crows, right? And crows eat meat. Plus, aren’t these monsters?”

“They aren’t actual crows to begin with, and… well, to be honest, I’m not even sure they’re living creatures.”

Not even sure they’re alive. The moment Reynald heard that, he understood exactly what these monsters were. Appearing in spring, harmless to humans yet destructive to fields, defeatable merely by distracting them without needing to attack…

They likely weren’t crows at all—just creatures with a similar appearance.

“…They’re coming.”

Murmuring this, Alex stared at the distant sky. From beyond the horizon, a swarm of glittering forms began to surge toward them. Reynald narrowed his eyes to discern their shapes.

They were birds made of glass.

Intricate mechanical systems whirred within their transparent bodies, wings flapping in meaningless yet relentless repetition as they flew straight toward the group.