The bullying stopped ever since that day.
The four boys' parents were called to a village assembly where they were heavily rebuked and made to resign from their positions.
The father who was one of the witnesses also participated in this assembly, watching it unfold was liberating to him.
He also talked to his wife, about everything, giving her a peace of mind.
She had various expressions while listening, from sorrow, anger, and relief, and he would reassure her, 'It's all in the past', 'He's safe now', 'Our son is fine', 'The boy himself doesn't seem to mind'.
The person concerned himself is working in the field like usual.
His son calmly stopped a knife coming his way. Then he should be able to deal with problems on his own now.
That wasn't the nerve of a child.
The father's impression who saw it first hand was,
(When did he gain that strength... no, perfect body movement? No, I could not even catch him move.)
He himself could see the chain of event. And yet.
Despite his son moving like a child would, he couldn't even recognize what really took place.
Experience? Masterful? It's nothing like that. It's more...
Something that cannot be expressed with mere words... A domain men cannot ever hope to reach... That's...
(Monstrosity... Even if that's true...)
A word that remained in his ears crossed his mind.
But he recalled. The joy and relief he felt when his son was born.
There's only one thing his son is. Their irreplaceable treasure.
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A day before the boy comes of age, the two parent and son went to forest for their [Last Hunt Together as Father and Son].
"I'm not gonna lose to dad anymore now."
"Haha. Dad is just glad there's nothing to worry about. It's not about winning or losing."
"Thanks, dad."
"Look we've got a prey. Save your gratitude for tomorrow. Oh another one."
They got two game in this last hunting day.
"We got in too deep huh. Let's get back early."
They managed to catch the first prey but had a hard time finding another.
And though that's not all the reason, the two of them ended up going deeper into the forest.
The deeper they go in a forest the more dangerous it gets. A fact one must never forget.
But he wanted to cook up something extravagant today for his son's farewell party.
"See, I told you. You should have calmed down, dad."
The son admonished him.
"Just go like you've always been. I'll miss it, but that's all the more reason to..."
He was overjoyed at his son's growth hearing that.
(Can't tell which one's the adult here.)
The laughter only lasted briefly.
Thump, thump, those sounds echoed along with tremor coming from deeper inside the forest.
He forgot to move due to the shock.
This moment of indecisiveness shut off their chance to run away.
A giant beast showed up before him.
"You go run away on your own... I'll lure it and..."
He knows what this thing is.
Magic beast.
A beast that receives an abundant amount of mana through some kinds of means and grows up without dying.
Excessive mana brings about death, but there are rare cases where individual beasts survive and turn into magic beasts.
There had never been any record of one emerging in the forest surrounding their village.
Yet one now stands before them.
Its width is about the height of an adult. The length is double that.
Its body is like a giant round log with short yet thick quadruple legs.
It has a protruded snout and a big spread mouth below.
From inside that mouth, two mighty white tusks project out bending upward, each the size of a human adult.
Its dark brown fur is packed with bristle covering its entire body.
"Dos... Fan... Boar...?"
His state of mind couldn't even afford to hear what his son said.
Mustering up all his courage, he's prepared to bet his life to let his [Treasure], his [Son], get away.
Unknown if that [Treasure] was aware of that resolve, the boy nonchalantly picked a stone and threw it at the magic beast, provoking it.
(What are you trying to puuuuuuuuull!)
His inner shouting never reached anyone.
The magic beast immediately changed direction, let out a 'Bufuu!' snort and began readying a charge swiping the ground with its hind legs and forelegs.
What took place afterward was brief.
The magic beast rammed itself toward his son in one bound like it was weightless.
Getting rammed by such thing means certain death to humans. And just before it hit.
It was so very brief he couldn't even afford to have that thought flash in his mind.
But what reflected before his eyes was the magic beast getting toppled and then spun splendidly in the air.
"DOGOON!" "ZUDON!" the tremor snapped him back to reality.
With his brain still suspended due to the shock.
That 'Zudon' was the sound of magic beast crashing into the ground.
He understands that much. But what was that 'Dogoon' his ears picked up for a moment there then?
This question the other person here does not even consider is bothering him.
His doubt was the crux of the matter here.
But his eyes could not catch this essential answer at that moment.
However, he instinctively understood.
(Monster...)
"Dad, we got a big one. I'm going to donate this to the village as my farewell gift."
He couldn't even reply his son.
But he frantically try to deny that thought.
"D-don't be absurd. It's the parents' duty to prepare farewell gift. Why should you even gift the village when you're being banished?"
The toppled magic beast didn't even twitch.
(Did that kill it...)
"But y'know, I want to get back at them. Like, see, you guys drove out someone who can catch this big game."
He could only stare dumbfounded as his son started draining blood off the beast.
Why you ask?
Because the boy so easily lifted up and hung that heavy magic beast on a tree.
Then, using an only decently sharp skinning knife, the boy sliced the beast's neck 'Hyu!', cutting it off in just one swing.
"Well, I'll help if you're going that far. You're planning to use all of it?"
"Yep, better make it simple~."
"T-thought I'd take it easy and spend time with you today, things gonna get busy now."
He forced himself to clown around. For the sake of staying a father to his son until the end.
He's dumping everything he experienced here deep in the crevices of his mind.
The son would then carry the blood drained magic beast over his head.
His expression looked like the ordeal was nothing to him.
"Let's go home dad. Mom's waiting. Oh man, we're running late, aren't we."
"Ah... Y-yeah. Mom's sure to get knocked off her feet when she sees this."
He acts natural despite the impossible scene before him.
To protect his irreplaceable treasure until the very end.
And thus the last father and son hunt ended.