Crazy Apes were monkey-type monsters roughly the size of an orangutan, characterized by black fur, bloodshot red eyes, and vicious fangs.
Above all else, they were monsters with voracious appetites.
They ate everything except stone and dirt. They ate monsters, they ate animals, they ate plants — they even ate humans.
As long as there was an abundance of food, they didn't actively go after humans, but once their food supply ran dry, they would go on a rampage like madmen.
In fact... there were times when they would swarm in large numbers toward human settlements and attempt to devour everything in sight.
"We've known for some time that there was a Crazy Ape lair in this location, but House Rosemary never took any particular action against it. The Sabnock Plains are home to many monsters, and food is plentiful there. Adventurers who entered the plains did suffer some damage, but as long as you didn't get close, there was no real danger — so it was left alone until now."
Primula stepped forward to address the group on everyone's behalf.
The Crazy Ape lair was located in the northern part of the Sabnock Plains... near the border of the Marquisate of Rosemary. However, it had been left untouched, governed by the principle of "don't poke a sleeping god."
In fact, the local residents had actually found their presence somewhat helpful, since the apes would thin out the populations of other monsters.
But... no one could say how long that kind of symbiotic relationship would last.
If the plains were developed, the physical distance between them and human settlements would shrink. And if the overall monster population decreased, the apes would likely turn to humans as a substitute food source.
"As frontier development progresses and the monster population dwindles, they'll start attacking humans... We need to deal with them now while we still can."
"Sooner or later, we were going to have to deal with the Crazy Apes no matter what... If that's the case, it's better to do it before any real damage is done."
Rest agreed with Primula's words, her expression clouded with sadness.
He felt sorry for them, but... he had no intention of calling off the subjugation.
Crazy Apes were man-eating monsters to begin with.
The only reason they hadn't attacked humans until now was that other food sources happened to be available — but that didn't change the fact that they were enemies capable of preying on people.
"Then it's a full-on assault! I'll help out too!"
"That said... we're dealing with a large number of them, so we'll need a strategy."
Yuri clenched his fists, brimming with determination, while Viola pressed a finger to her lips in thought.
Both of them seemed to be on board with the idea of wiping out the Crazy Apes.
"Yeah, if we can, I want to take every last one of them down. No gaps for them to escape through — every single one."
Rest had already looked into how dangerous the Crazy Apes were.
If any scattered to other lands, they would end up attacking people and livestock there.
He wanted to deal with them all here, in one fell swoop, so they wouldn't become someone else's problem down the line.
"Then we'll need to surround them. Let's encircle the nest and set it on fire."
Viola raised her index finger and proposed a ruthless strategy.
"Besides, there are multiple magicians here, so if we set fires from all four sides, there should be very little chance of any escaping."
"Right..."
Rest considered Viola's proposal.
A fire attack launched from a surprise assault — a sound strategy, but not without concerns.
"...The problem is, a cornered Crazy Ape might just charge straight through the flames. If they scatter in every direction and flee, we could end up missing some."
Both humans and wild animals alike were capable of unexpected actions when driven into a corner.
If there was no other option, the Crazy Apes would probably be willing to hurl themselves into the fire on the off chance they made it through.
Rest wasn't opposed to the fire attack itself — but he wouldn't mind adding a little extra spice to the plan.
"If that's the case... then it's 'surround an army with no outlet and it will fight to the death,' isn't it? Yeah."
"Ishihakketsu? What does that mean?"
Yuri's sharp ears caught the phrase Rest had muttered unconsciously and repeated it back.
It was knowledge Rest had gained from a book in the library during his past life.
I'll go ahead and adopt that strategy then.
Rest shared the plan he'd come up with with his companions and the magicians of House Rosemary.