Chapter 12
After dealing with the bandits, I climbed onto the carriage.
Deruna, who was sitting in her seat, spoke to me.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
“……”
Deruna’s intuition was usually spot-on. If she said that, it meant the situation wasn’t good.
“If the bandit gangs are sharing information and surrounding us, breaking through with just eight of us won’t be easy. We should leave the carriage behind.”
“Where should we go next?”
“Where else? We hide. Unless Karon shows up, we’ve got no answers for this.”
“……”
Of course, nothing in my life ever goes smoothly…
As I watched Deruna contacting Karon, I asked her.
“How long will it take for Karon to get here?”
“Well, probably about a week. That lunatic has this wind magic cannon he loads for fun. He’ll ride it, soar through the air, and land using swordsmanship, only to take off again… He’s a monster.”
If even Deruna shook her head at him, then he truly was an extraordinary human being.
“Anyway, our plan until then is to hide in the forest, engage in guerrilla warfare, and avoid getting caught. A direct breakthrough doesn’t seem feasible. According to the spirits’ information, the forest is crawling with bandits.”
“Ugh…”
The wind spirits circled around Deruna, raising their arms to the sky and forming large circles, as if to emphasize just how many there were.
Deruna let out a heavy sigh.
“Hah… Elenien is still young. If all those spirits start shedding blood, there’s no way she can handle it. I shouldn’t complain, but it would’ve been nice if the spirits could act as a complete combat force.”
“Elenien can hear you.”
“Well, it’s not bad for her to know. Consider it a warning to not recklessly expose the spirits to bloodshed.”
Elenien, who was lingering near the carriage, perked up her ears and looked around nervously.
“…I guess I’ll just have to make up for it with my own effort. Ow!”
Deruna flicked my forehead, a playful grin on her face.
“Look at you, a rookie who can’t even dodge that.”
“Ugh.”
“Deruna, we’re going to set some traps in one direction and come back.”
“Go ahead. Don’t worry about us.”
“Yes, we’ll return as soon as we receive a signal from the spirits or communication.”
While I rubbed my aching forehead, the mercenaries gathered their gear and headed off somewhere.
“Having a spirit mage around sure is handy. Look at this—it’s a map of the surrounding area I’ve been sketching. While the spirits toy with the bandits to buy time, we’ll set traps and follow a specific pattern to keep moving and hold out.”
“I understand.”
“The main risks while holding out are encountering a particularly strong opponent or being pursued by someone with tracking abilities. In such cases, I’ll take care of the threat, and you’ll need to keep running with the mercenaries.”
“But that would put you in danger, Deruna.”
“Me?”
Deruna laughed, as if she had heard the most absurd thing.
Come to think of it, it’s hard to imagine a female version of Karon ever being in danger.
“I guess I’m worrying about nothing.”
“You brat.”
“Ah! That really hurts!”
“Pfft.”
Deruna chuckled as she leaned back into her seat, cradling her sword.
“Anyway, I’m going to get some rest with Elenien. Off you go.”
“Go? Where?”
“You just said you’d make up for it with your effort. Go reduce the number of bandits.”
“How exactly am I supposed to do that?”
Deruna kicked my sword guard with her foot, skillfully unsheathing it and leaving the weapon in my hand.
“Go on. If anything happens, contact me.”
“……”
Deruna shook the communicator in her hand before closing her eyes.
Then, after a moment, she opened one eye and growled.
“Not going?”
“I’m going!”
If I don’t go… I’ll die… I’ll die… I’ll die…
To avoid death, I had no choice but to run straight into the jaws of it.
***
“What’s this? Oh, it’s that merchant brat, isn’t it?”
“Ha ha ha, looks like the mercenaries chased him off to save themselves.”
“Too bad. We’re going to capture those mercenaries and that red-haired wench too. I can still picture her figure in my mind.”
Uh… this place feels extremely dangerous.
A figure that seemed to be a gang leader dropped down from a tree, while the others laughed around him.
“Hey, merchant. You got money? Throwing around fertilizer like that—what were you before this?”
“Haha… just a regular academy student.”
“What’s this guy talking about? Make some sense. Or are you some spoiled brat from a wealthy family?”
“Let’s grab him and then go after that elf and the mercenary chick. My turn’s next.”
“Ha ha ha…”
These bastards.
Listening to them made my blood boil, and I drew my sword.
“Oh? The kid pulled out a sword?”
“Looks like he’s lost it from fear.”
As the gang leader and his lackey bantered and approached, I swung my sword boldly.
“Ha, this one’s got guts.”
But my attack was easily blocked, my blade caught by the leader’s large sword and pushed aside.
The gang leader hoisted his blade and charged at me.
If I stayed put, I was as good as dead.
“Ahhh!”
“What the—he’s running away?”
Of course, there’s no way I could take them on with my skills!
Why did I get stuck as an extra character in this mess?
Elenien…, Deruna…, mercenary uncles…
Thinking about them, I knew I had to pull my weight somehow. Deruna wouldn’t have sent me here without a plan.
I wanted to sigh, but I didn’t have time for that.
“Catch that bastard!”
“You idiots! Don’t let the merchant escape!”
“Ahhh! Please spare me!”
The bandits in the forest began closing in from all directions.
—Dirtling!
The Dirtling following me let out an angry cry as it grabbed the foot of a bandit swinging his sword.
“Ugh, what is this!”
—Hegegege.
The Dirtling roared, causing the spirits to swoop in. A gust of wind tore through the area, scattering the bandits.
“These damn spirits! Just wait until we catch that elf spirit master!”
“What did you just say…?”
Seizing the opportunity, I positioned myself in front of a subordinate who had been chatting with a commander. A shadow of fear passed over the bandit’s face.
—Sring.
The sound of my sword being drawn was followed by a swift arc of my blade. The strike landed cleanly before the sword was returned to its sheath.
Without looking back, I broke into a sprint.
That move, the only one I had learned from Karon to counter the Moonlight Sword, had just exhausted all I had in my arsenal.
I had nothing left. I had no choice but to run.
I hadn’t even properly studied the sword techniques Karon had given me.
That claim about defeating Adela? It was definitely a lie.
It must have been one of Karon’s schemes. I had ignored the swordsmanship manual he gave me, but now I regretted it.
While I wallowed in regret, an arrow flew just above my head.
“Aaaaaah! Please spare me!”
Screaming, I picked up my pace.
As I desperately ran to escape the bandits, I heard the commander’s voice from a distance.
“What’s up with that guy…?”
What am I supposed to do when I’m this scared!
***
A spirit lightly tickled Deruna’s ear as she slept in the cart.
Opening her eyes, she glanced at the peacefully sleeping Elenien before stretching her body.
She could hear unfamiliar footsteps approaching, thanks to her heightened senses.
Having witnessed Serupe’s fight with Adela, Deruna was confident he wouldn’t be captured easily.
While Elenien wandered a set route in the forest with the help of cooperative spirits, Deruna planned to target the bandits’ vital points herself.
The battlefield was divided into roles: Serupe as a distraction, the mercenaries taking care of the arms, Deruna handling the main forces, and Elenien as the core.
Effectively, Deruna was going to single-handedly take on dozens of opponents.
She felt her blood boil in excitement for the first time in a while.
“Let’s have some fun.”
As the spirits escorted Elenien away, Deruna stepped out of the cart.
This battlefield, where her life was on the line, reminded her of what it meant to feel alive.
Using the cart as a barricade, she stood ready for the approaching bandits.
“So you’re the infamous ‘Bloodmad Deruna.'”
“What’s with ‘mad’? What a way to describe a lady.”
“Hehehe, it suits you, doesn’t it? You’re all alone. Surrender now, and I’ll make you my woman. You could become a cornerstone of the ‘Green Wave’ that will overturn the empire someday. Together, we could—urk!”
“Dreaming like a helpless little girl, huh? How about you get impregnated by my sword instead, you pathetic fool?”
“Boss…?”
The bandit leader, who couldn’t even block or dodge the dagger Deruna had thrown, fell forward with a sword lodged in his gut.
Without hesitation, Deruna grabbed her spare daggers and dove into the bandits, pulling the embedded weapon out and slashing through her foes.
Blood sprayed like a blooming flower, marking her rampage.
“Damn pests, always driving me mad. Ugh. I’d rather marry a fertilizer merchant than deal with you idiots.”
Having quickly dealt with the bandits, Deruna sat down to clean her sword.
She let out a sigh of regret.
“Ugh, I was going to ask them why they were after our group. But I was so pissed I forgot. Does it even matter why, though? They’re all dead now.”
With her weapons reequipped, Deruna walked deeper into the forest.
—
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