Chapter 106

Hostage (2)

Two gorillas had broken into Grylls’s home again.

One of them had been subdued after Grylls shot it with a crossbow, but the other fled for its life.

It forced its way through dense bushes and thick trees, climbing trunks and leaping from branch to branch.

Its speed was remarkably agile for such a heavily built gorilla. That showed just how desperate it was.

"Ooh-ooh! Ooh!"

Before long, the fleeing gorilla reached the place where its troop lived.

The gorillas were currently enjoying an unexpected fasting-pill feast.

However, when their companion approached with such an urgent expression, they had no choice but to put the feast on hold.

"Ooh?"

"Ooh! Ooh-ooh!"

Sensing that something serious had happened, the leader stepped forward.

The fleeing gorilla then explained everything that had happened.

After hearing the full story, the leader adopted a grave expression and issued an order.

"Ooh-ooh. Ooh!"

"Ooh!"

First, they would send out scouts and observe the situation. They had been the ones to trespass into another’s territory.

If the owner of that territory had killed their fellow gorilla, they could retaliate afterward.

When the leader conveyed something along those lines, the other gorillas nodded.

"Ooh-hoo."

"Hoo...."

The leader handed the gorilla a fasting pill to calm it down.

It seemed a fight would break out before long.

That was the feeling they had.

***

After completely subduing the gorilla, what I did next was kill it...

No, I tied it up.

I wanted to cut off its head and put it on display, but that didn’t suit my nature.

More importantly, since these creatures possessed considerable intelligence, there were many factors I needed to consider.

’If they have any sense of camaraderie, they’ll definitely come back. It would be better to keep this one alive for then.’

Seeing their companion dead might only enrage them further.

One gorilla would be manageable, but if several of them attacked at once, it would be a difficult fight.

Even with Namu-Ppareumbo and Wonmo here, I had no idea how powerful the gorilla troop was.

What I needed was information.

It would be best to use the gorilla I had captured as a hostage and extract information from them.

’Let’s see. Tie its arms behind its back, then tie its legs... It must be incredibly strong, so I need to bind it tightly.’

Gorillas possessed tremendous strength even among primates.

And this was the Forest of Four Seasons.

It was a place where even ordinary-sized animals were terrifying.

Therefore, I thoroughly bound the unconscious gorilla with rope.

I tied it so securely that it would never be able to escape through brute strength alone.

What did I do about the bolts lodged in its body?

I administered some rough first aid.

The bolts had gone in so cleanly that I simply snapped off both ends.

An elixir?

I didn’t have any elixirs to waste on thieves.

I merely purchased the cheapest potion available at the auction house and wrapped the wounds in bandages.

└ Heavenly Demon: You have bound it securely. Since ancient times, those who stole food have been punished with flogging.

└ Wild Grylls: Food is directly tied to my survival, so I’m thinking of giving it an even harsher punishment.

└ Heavenly Demon: Cutting off its hands so that it can never steal again would not be a bad idea.

└ Wild Grylls: Whoa;; I’ll just stick with flogging.

└ SwordMaster: Just cut off its hands. As far as I know, repeat offenders have their hands cut off in my country too.

└ Wild Grylls: ;:;

Title: Captured the Thief Alive

Wild Grylls

(Photo of a gorilla tightly bound with rope)

Some anonymous commenter said that criminals always return to the scene of the crime.

Apparently, the fasting pills weren’t enough for these gorilla bastards, because they tried to steal my fish too.

There were two of them. I subdued one with my crossbow, but the other escaped.

For now, I’m planning to use this bastard as a hostage to obtain information.

It was the kind of extreme punishment that suited the era.

It seemed barbaric, yet also strangely reasonable.

└ Allfather: You have certainly bound it tightly. Judging from its appearance, it is definitely a gorilla.

└ Wild Grylls: Right? I thought these creatures were herbivores, but they tried to steal my fish too.

└ Allfather: It appears their diet has changed. Be careful. Its companions will certainly come.

└ Wild Grylls: I’ve already taken that into account. I’m waiting for them.

└ Suspiciously: Is that one male or female?

└ Why are you asking?

└ Suspiciously: I heard gorillas live in matriarchal societies.

└ Aren’t you thinking of orangutans?

└ I heard male orangutans travel alone too.

└ What kind of beastkin doesn’t even know that? Lol.

└ Suspiciously: There are things even beastkin don’t know, damn it.

Lunatics were bound to appear on the gallery sooner or later.

I chuckled but didn’t respond. I simply let them entertain themselves.

If they crossed the line, the moderators would deal with them. There was no need for me to interfere.

’More importantly, when is this guy going to wake up?’

I stared at the still-unconscious gorilla.

It had foamed at the mouth and fainted the moment it saw Namu-Ppareumbo.

That made me curious about Namu-Ppareumbo’s past, but it wasn’t something I needed to worry about right now.

The important thing was obtaining information. It seemed best to leave the gorilla alone for the time being.

’It would be so convenient if I could talk to animals.’

The ability to communicate with animals.

In other words, the power of a druid.

Since this was a fantasy world, I had searched for such an ability, but apparently none existed.

There were occasionally people who claimed they could understand animals, but most of them were lying.

’Even humans speak different languages. How much worse must it be for animals?’

While entertaining those pointless thoughts, I carefully examined the gorilla.

It was much larger than me.

Aside from that, however, it seemed completely ordinary. I couldn’t find anything unusual about it.

"Sniff, sniff."

"Wonmo, that’s not food."

"Kyuu?"

I warned Wonmo in case he tried to eat the unconscious gorilla.

My job was to wait until this creature’s companions arrived.

If they didn’t come...

There was nothing else I could do. I would have to kill it.

Disposing of the body wouldn’t be a problem either. I could bury it or throw it into the river.

’Should I dig the hole in advance, just in case?’

I was thinking about that as I casually picked up a shovel.

"Ugh...."

The unconscious gorilla gradually began to regain its senses.

Seeing it wake up, I quietly put down the shovel.

"Hey. You awake?"

"Uuugh...?"

The gorilla stared at me in confusion, apparently still dazed.

It didn’t seem to recognize my face yet.

"Ooh... ooh? Ooh?!"

Then the gorilla suddenly began thrashing violently.

Judging by its bewildered expression, it had realized that its body was completely bound.

It was a good thing I had used several lengths of rope. Otherwise, it probably would have broken free in no time.

"Awooh...."

Of course, struggling wouldn’t make the wounds from the crossbow bolts disappear.

Unable to endure the pain, the thrashing gorilla soon became still.

Now that it had calmed down, it was time for us to have a conversation of sorts.

"Hey. Look at me."

At my words, the gorilla slowly raised its head.

Its face had been twisted in pain moments ago, but now it looked stern and unyielding.

It seemed determined not to answer me, regardless of what I did.

It really was like a person.

’You couldn’t understand me anyway.’

There was no particular reason I had called out to it.

I merely wanted to observe its reaction.

I had intended to decide how to treat it based on that reaction, but it appeared to be remarkably stubborn.

’Then how will it react when it sees Namu-Ppareumbo?’

I brought over Namu-Ppareumbo, who had been standing silently and staring into the forest.

Namu-Ppareumbo didn’t resist at all, even as I carried him over.

I then placed him in front of the gorilla’s face where it could see him.

"Do you know this—"

"Ookyaaaaak!"

The instant it saw Namu-Ppareumbo, the gorilla reacted as though it were having a seizure.

Its violent force could be felt even though it was bound with rope. That was how terrified it was.

I stared blankly at the rampaging gorilla before turning toward Namu-Ppareumbo.

Namu-Ppareumbo looked at the thrashing gorilla and slowly raised his hand.

Just as I was about to stop him, thinking he might kill it—

Smack!

Ppareumbo delivered a resounding slap across its face.

The gorilla immediately became docile. Its dejected expression was an added bonus.

No. Rather than dejected, it seemed to have lost the will to live.

’What the hell has this bastard been doing?’

I knew what Namu-Ppareumbo was capable of. He possessed speed that the eye couldn’t follow and razor-sharp claws.

I couldn’t tell whether he was infamous among all the gorillas or if only this particular one feared him.

Either way, he had made it behave, so it was fine.

I rummaged through my bag and took out a fasting pill.

It was one of the pills I had brought as emergency food and as a gesture of goodwill.

I intended to show it to the gorilla.

"Hey. Look at this."

"...?"

"You know what this is, right?"

The moment I showed it the fasting pill, the gorilla’s eyes trembled violently.

It clearly recognized the pill, which was practically a confession that they were the culprits.

There was nothing more to verify. I snorted and slowly conveyed my meaning.

"Fasting pill."

First, the fasting pill.

"Namu-Ppareumbo."

Next, Namu-Ppareumbo.

"Staple food. Okay?"

Finally, I mimed eating it, and the gorilla’s face seemingly turned pale.

You might ask how I could tell when its entire body was covered in black skin and fur.

Would you believe me if I said that was simply how it felt?

Anyway, let’s just leave it at that.

’In the end, I’ll have to wait for this guy’s companions to arrive.’

I asked Namu-Ppareumbo to watch the gorilla.

Since I didn’t know when the troop would appear, I planned to inspect my weapons.

First was the crossbow that had proven so useful. I drew the string so it would be ready to fire at any moment.

Rustle, rustle—

"Kyuu?"

"...."

Speak of the tiger and it appears.

No, in this case, was it speak of the gorilla?

Holding the loaded crossbow, I turned toward the source of the noise.

Rustle!

Apparently having no intention of concealing themselves, gorillas began emerging from the bushes.

There weren’t just one or two, but exactly five.

An exceptionally large gorilla stood in the center.

Since it stood ahead of the others, it appeared to be their leader. More importantly, there was also a difference in their equipment.

’Just as Allfather said.’

The leader was barehanded, but each of the other gorillas held something.

One of them was even holding a stone axe. I couldn’t describe how shocked I was when I saw it.

The fact that they had made a stone axe meant that they understood the concept of crafting.

They seemed more intelligent than I had expected.

I needed to remain vigilant.

"Ooh-ooh! Ugh...!"

Upon seeing that its companions had arrived, the hostage gorilla cried out frantically.

But as I had mentioned, it had been shot with crossbow bolts. The movement made it grimace in pain.

The presumed leader glanced at the hostage before focusing its gaze on me.

I raised my sword and shield, prepared to fight if necessary.

"Ooh! Ooh!"

"Uooh! Uooh!"

Then the gorillas beside their leader began making a commotion.

Rather than a commotion, it was more like they had seen something horrifying.

"...."

It was Namu-Ppareumbo.

At some point, Ppareumbo had approached my side.

Most of the gorillas began trembling in fear when they saw him.

The leader managed to remain calm, but its expression had stiffened considerably.

That meant Namu-Ppareumbo’s infamy among the gorillas was truly terrifying.

Thanks to that, the negotiation might be a little easier.

I immediately began communicating with them.

First, I showed them one of the fasting pills they had taken.

I was asking whether they had stolen something containing these.

The leader seemed to understand my intention and nodded.

"Ooh."

The leader issued an order with a short grunt.

At its command, one of the gorillas brought over an object.

The leader took it and threw it toward me.

Flop—

However, apparently containing nothing, the object lost momentum and fell midway.

It was a pouch.

The pouch that had contained the fasting pills.

But there were no fasting pills left inside.

’They already ate all of them.’

I had suspected as much, but they had eaten everything in such a short time.

All I could do was sigh.

Would those bastards apologize?

Or would they shamelessly refuse to take responsibility?

Considering Namu-Ppareumbo’s infamy, they would probably apologize, but who knew?

First, it seemed best to observe Namu-Ppareumbo’s reaction.

"What do you want to do?"

"...."

Namu-Ppareumbo had been staring blankly at the empty pouch. At my question, he slowly began walking.

The gorilla troop made no move in response. They merely watched him with tense expressions.

Before long, Namu-Ppareumbo approached the fully restrained gorilla.

For a moment, I wondered whether he had partially given up and intended to release it.

Slash!

I was wrong.

Namu-Ppareumbo’s actions exceeded my imagination.

With his sharp claws, he sliced straight through the gorilla’s neck.

These were the same claws that had cut through a metal barrel—the claws I had personally maintained for him.

They could effortlessly sever the fragile flesh and bones of an animal.

Spurt!

Ignoring the blood gushing from the severed neck, Namu-Ppareumbo did what he intended to do.

He drove his claws into the gorilla’s head as it rolled across the ground like a ball.

It looked as though he had stabbed it with a fork.

Then, holding it that way, he slowly raised his arm and hurled the head toward the gorillas.

Thud! Bounce! Roll—

The severed gorilla head landed in front of the leader.

He hadn’t thrown it at me, but had tossed it upward instead.

What exactly was he trying to do?

Just in case, I placed my left foot forward so I could defend myself at any moment.

Whoosh—

As the gorilla’s head descended, the leader pulled back its right arm.

The moment the head reached eye level, the leader thrust its drawn-back fist forward.

Booooom!

A deafening impact erupted.

Whoooooosh!

The gorilla’s head flew toward us like a cannonball.