Ossan Saikyō Chapter 8 Part 05
“Soushi-san, have you noticed?”
Without taking her eyes off the road ahead, Sphenia lowered her voice.
“Yes. They've been watching us for a while now.”
“Huh? There are bandits? I can't smell anything though... Maybe they're using some kind of scent-masking agent.”
Rani twitched her nose repeatedly.
Freynil looked at me anxiously, so I reassured her.
“If we handle it like we always do, we'll be fine.”
“I'll get down then. If they attack us, please take care of it.”
Miss Hofena climbed down from the carrying frame, and I stored it away in my【Item Box】.
Now then, how would they make their move?
Since we were clearly adventurers, they probably wouldn't do something leisurely like block the road and threaten us. More likely they'd set a trap or attack from long range.
I'd already learned that human opponents could be more troublesome than monsters.
“Ah, Soushi, I smell something strange. It might be some kind of drug.”
Rani's words immediately made everything click.
I see. So that's their approach.
“Fray, can you cast «Absolution» and «Barrier» at the same time?”
“Yes, I can. I'll do it.”
I wanted to avoid revealing【Dual Cast】, but this wasn't the time to worry about that.
“Sphenia-san, stop. Everyone hold your breath until Fray finishes her spell.”
“Casting now.”
About ten seconds later, Freynil completed the magic.
We already knew that «Absolution» neutralized poison. With a «Barrier» in place, no new poison should be able to get through either.
Rani sniffed the air a few times and nodded.
“Yeah, the smell's gone. Looks like we're okay. Probably some kind of paralysis drug. It smells similar to what slave hunters used back in the day.”
“I see. Thanks to you and Fray, we should be able to avoid it.”
I praised the two girls while turning my gaze toward the source of the presences.
Miss Sphenia also drew an arrow and watched the same direction.
“I didn't expect them to use drugs. They're likely organized criminals. There are probably former adventurers among them as well. Stay alert.”
“Understood. If fighting breaks out, Fray, focus on protecting Hofena-san and yourself with «Barrier» as much as possible.”
“Yes, Soushi-sama. I'll keep it ready at all times.”
I briefly considered using【Divine Magic】to weaken them, but against humans that could easily backfire.
More importantly, it was far too early to make Freynil kill another person. Better to let her focus entirely on defense.
After waiting a short while, my【Presence Detection】picked up around twenty people approaching.
Three remained behind in the forest while the rest emerged from the trees.
Judging by the light armor they all wore, they didn't look like ordinary mountain bandits.
At a glance, the three leading the group appeared to be fallen adventurers.
All three carried oversized swords that ordinary people couldn't possibly wield.
The ones remaining in the forest were probably their marksmen.
“Sphenia-san, can you hit the three in the forest?”
“No problem. Once their intentions are confirmed, I'll eliminate them first.”
“Please do. Leave close combat to Rani and me.”
This would be my first fight against human opponents, yet thanks to my skills I felt strangely calm.
I'd already confirmed at the guild that bandits were legally treated the same as monsters.
The only question was how capable these former adventurers actually were.
From what I could tell, none of them looked D-rank.
“Rani, prioritize the three in front. You know which ones.”
“Yeah, the ex-adventurers, right? They look weak, so it'll be easy.”
We stood ready and waited.
The bandits stopped about twenty meters away, probably realizing that we weren't paralyzed.
“Hey, doesn't it look like the drug didn't work?”
“Yeah. Maybe they've got paralysis resistance... Though there's no way all of them do.”
“Think they're bluffing? Either way, everyone except that old guy is prime merchandise. One of them's even a High Elf. No way we're letting them get away.”
“Looks like four adventurers. The brats don't seem that strong, so we'll manage.”
Making whatever assumptions they pleased, they began spreading out to surround us.
“Who are you? Come any closer and I'll shoot.”
At Miss Sphenia's challenge, the men simply grinned.
“Isn't it obvious? We're what you'd call slave hunters. If you surrender quietly, we'll let everyone except the old guy live. This is business, after all.”
“So you're criminals engaging in illegal activities. Then there is no need for restraint.”
Without hesitation, Miss Sphenia released an arrow.
The projectile left a trail of light and vanished into the forest.
At the same moment, one of the distant presences disappeared.
“That bloody elf did it! Attack!”
The three leaders charged forward.
I raised my shield and stepped out to meet them.
Should I see what they were capable of first...?
No, it'd be faster to wipe them out immediately.
Having made my decision, I swung my mace horizontally.
They were still outside striking distance, but of course I was using【Shockwave】.
“Gahhh!?”
Five or six men, including the three leaders, were blasted away at once.
Naturally, they suffered severe injuries from the impact.
Any ordinary bandit would have died from that alone.
“Gotcha!”
Rani activated【Dash】and, in the blink of an eye, severed the heads of two former adventurers.
The complete lack of hesitation in her attack made it obvious that she was accustomed to fighting people.
The third somehow managed to struggle back to his feet, only for my mace to crash down onto his skull an instant later.
There was no room for mercy when I had no idea what skills he might possess.
At that same moment, a third arrow of light streaked into the forest.
Apparently the enemy marksmen had been completely wiped out as well.
“In an instant!? Run!”
The remaining bandits were ordinary humans.
Running was the only option they had left.
“Don't let them escape.”
Miss Sphenia's cold voice fell upon their backs.
At the same time, an arrow pierced one man's spine.
“Roger!”
Rani dashed forward and began taking the heads of the fleeing bandits.
Apparently, when dealing with bandits, the rule was to leave no survivors.
Even so, I still felt resistance toward killing people who were running away.
Pathetic as that might be, I supposed I'd eventually get used to it.
When it was over, the fight had ended as quickly as all our battles usually did.
Turning around, I saw Miss Hofena blinking in astonishment.
Beside her, however, Freynil's complexion was noticeably pale.
Scenes of people killing and being killed weren't commonplace even in this world.
And Freynil had once been a Duke's daughter and a Saint candidate of the Church.
The shock she'd received from witnessing this battle must have been immense.
“Fray, it's alright now.”
At my call, Freynil released her barrier and hurried over to me.
I couldn't very well do nothing, so I gently patted her head.
Unable to endure it any longer, she wrapped her arms tightly around me.
“So this was your first time seeing something like that, Fray-chan. No wonder you're shaken.”
Miss Hofena approached as well, watching Freynil with gentle eyes.
Meanwhile, Miss Sphenia and Rani returned after inspecting the bodies.
“As expected, they were carrying powdered paralysis poison. They also possessed a full set of restraint tools. It appears they truly were slave hunters.”
“Their vibe feels a lot like the guys who attacked our village back then. They're probably part of some larger organization.”
“Groups like that just roam around openly? Is that normal in this country?”
Miss Sphenia answered my question.
“This area is close to the border. If anything, this (Vermilion) Kingdom treats beastfolk and elves relatively well.”
“So these people came over from another country?”
“Most likely. The neighboring nation of Mekalinan is said to maintain its state through slavery. Their speech also carried traces of that country's accent.”
“Maybe we should've left one alive and interrogated him.”
“It would've accomplished nothing beyond cutting off a lizard's tail. Eliminating them all was the better choice.”
Miss Sphenia didn't even twitch an eyebrow.
Perhaps this was treated as an open secret around here.
Still, stumbling into an international issue this complicated had come completely out of nowhere.
“By the way, Soushi-san, you seem to possess a very unusual skill. Blowing away multiple former adventurers at once is hardly something I'd expect from a D-rank adventurer.
…
Furthermore, neither Fray-san nor Rani-san possess strength befitting mere E-ranks. I find myself very intrigued.”
“As I mentioned before, I've simply been blessed with a few fortunate opportunities... Your archery is equally impressive, Sphenia-san. To hit targets that are difficult to even see with the naked eye is remarkable.”
“I possess several skills suited to that role. However, they're insufficient for taking down higher-ranked monsters. At this rate, C-rank is likely my limit.”
A slight shadow crossed Miss Sphenia's beautiful face.
I see.
It was only natural that the skills a person acquired would determine the upper limit of the rank they could reach.
“By the way, what's the proper way to handle the bandits' bodies? Do we gather them and burn them?”
“We can't simply leave them here, though it's a waste of time. Ideally we'd bring at least the former adventurers back to the guild for examination.”
“Should we strip anything useful off them first?”
Rani casually added that suggestion, causing Freynil to make a complicated expression.
“They'll probably fit inside my【Item Box】, so let's transport all of them. We can dispose of them properly once we reach the village.”
When I said that, Miss Sphenia's eyes widened.
“You can transport all of them? I heard that extremely heavy loads become impossible to carry.”
“It should be fine.”
I wasn't exactly thrilled about it, but I proceeded to store every body inside my【Item Box】.
The separated heads and torsos were a bit of a nuisance...
The fact that I could think something like that at all surprised me.
Back in my previous life, I wouldn't even have been able to look directly at such a scene.
Once all the bodies were inside, I could definitely feel the drain on my stamina.
Still, crossing the mountain pass shouldn't be a problem.
If anything, it might make for decent training.
When I returned looking perfectly fine, Miss Sphenia gazed at me meaningfully.
“I think your party is already at least C-rank level. Rani-san was right. You truly are a party that seeks strength.”
No, I still lack experience. Surely we aren't really C-rank yet...
Needless to say, Rani was secretly giving me another thumbs-up.
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E/N:
Namu Amida Butsu.
Stay tuned!
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