Three mounted knights and the wolf Gilly raced down the western road from the territorial capital.

And then, mixed in with them, a woman running on foot—and me, flying along at the rear.

I wonder how this must look from the outside…

Well, that aside, today we’re on duty.

Just west of the capital lies a vast agricultural area, and today’s task is to patrol it.

This world has both magical beasts and regular animals, and naturally, there are carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores.

Carnivores and omnivores attack people and horses, so we actively exterminate them, but the herbivores, who don’t pose an immediate danger, tend to be dealt with later.

Apparently, they’re not all that appealing as materials either.

At most, hunters might go after them for food.

Still, I’m sure they manage to hunt a decent amount, but since most of Riana’s territory is forest and mountain, it’s nowhere near enough to keep up.

So, what’s the issue with those herbivorous beasts and monsters? Just like in my previous world, they damage farmland.

Classic case of wildlife damage.

Putting up fences or setting traps is the usual method, but since this area is surrounded by forest, those aren’t very effective.

If you injure an animal halfway and leave it like that, it attracts monsters.

It’d be great if dogs could chase them off during the night, but the presence of monsters makes that a problem.

That’s why, in addition to adventurers and hunters, even the Knight Order does regular patrols to eliminate any monsters or beasts that approach farmland.

Dealing with threats from both carnivores and herbivores… it’s a tough world.

This time, we’re in charge of that patrol.

But with Gilly along, we’re also aiming to take down beasts that can’t normally be handled.

I’m not really necessary for this, but it sounded kind of fun, so I decided to join in today.

◇

While running along the road, Gilly, at the front, seemed to catch a scent and veered off toward a farm next to the road.

And then charged straight in.

The workers on the farm instinctively tensed up when they saw the wolf heading toward them, but when they spotted the scarf tied around her neck, they quickly relaxed.

We’ve informed the locals in our patrol area about the wolf, and we never let her act alone, but there’s still always the risk of accidents. So, both Gilly and Bale wear bright red scarves more noticeable than collars.

They’re made of the same material as the cloak I was once given, though I haven’t used it since moving to Riana.

The scarves serve a protective purpose for the neck, but more importantly, they clearly mark them as tamed beasts to the people around.

Looks like it’s working well.

The rest of us arrived shortly after, and one of the farmers came over to ask what was going on, but Gilly was already heading toward the field.

I’ll leave the explanation to the knights and head to the field too.

“Did you find something?”

This field had a shallow trench dug just inside the fence, and Gilly, who had jumped down into it, was sniffing around the wall as if she’d found something.

It’s not a real ditch—just a dug-out strip of land—and it’s not weeded or anything.

With the season, grass had grown thick along the walls, making it a bit hard to see, but… maybe she’s found what we’re after.

Gilly looked at me and let out a low “woof woof,” asserting her find.

I held up a hand to calm her down and activated 【Fairy Eyes】 and Akame and the others’ vision to focus my gaze there.

“Let’s see… Oh yeah… there it is.”

Two faint lights could be seen deep within the wall.

I could feel mana too—it’s a monster.

Even with my enhanced sight from the Blessed Items and the serpents, I can’t see creatures underground, so it must’ve dug a sideways hole into the wall of the trench.

I’ve confirmed it.

Our target for today: rabbits.

Rabbit monsters are herbivores, and they don’t attack people… but still—rabbits may be small, but they’re no joke.

They gnaw on crops, chew through fences, and inflict pinpoint damage to farms.

More importantly, since they dig holes like this and make burrows, they’re really hard to spot with the naked eye—even if they’re nesting right under your nose, they often go unnoticed.

Sure, if we pulled up the grass along the walls, we’d spot the burrow in an instant, but doing all of that by hand, while also staying alert for monsters and beasts, is just not feasible.

When you factor in that kind of time loss, it’s probably better to just ignore the damage.

But!

We’re not letting them escape today…!

“Vice-Captain, Gilly. You found something?”

The knights I left to handle the explanation arrived with an older man who looked like the head of the farm.

Saved me a trip to go fetch him.

“Yeah. There are two of them about two meters in from here.”

I pointed to the location of the burrow.

The old man looked bitter—he probably didn’t expect a nest to be right next to his field like this.

But it’s all good. We’ll take care of it right here, so no need to worry.

“I see… Monica, want to take care of it? Use this spear.”

“Yes! I’ll borrow it!”

The knight, after hearing my report, handed his spear to Monica, apparently entrusting her with the finishing blow.

Monica accepted the spear, brushed aside the grass with the butt, and took a low stance in front of the burrow.

They’re just rabbits, so she probably won’t get counterattacked, but… just in case, I’ll make sure she’s within the range of 【Wind Cloak】.

“Alright then… ha!”

Monica let out a sharp breath and thrust the spear into the burrow.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sera ・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind Cloak】・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy Eye】【Dragon Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】【Red Sword】【Monkey’s Arm】・4 cards

Seriana ・【Area Identification】・【】・39 cards

Elena ・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec ・【Power Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・10 cards