Chapter 13
The bandits’ meeting hall.
Serupe thought his trading company was being targeted because of Elenien, but he was mistaken.
No matter how much of a threat they posed to the Empire, it was unlikely that the various leaders of the Green Wave would all simultaneously target one elf.
To them, Deruna, Serupe, and Elenien were all equally enticing prey.
“I never imagined the Spirit Child I saw years ago would be wandering so openly outside. And that fertilizer merchant—he’s strange. Isn’t he just an Academy student? Yet he’s entrusted fertilizer to a merchant and has already struck a deal for regular supply contracts with villages? On top of that, he’s traveling with Deruna.”
“Quiet.”
“Hehehe, it’s truly tantalizing. Fertilizer! Fertilizer! If that child has developed a stable method to produce it, the value is astronomical!”
As one chatterbox paced around the table, another seated tactician spoke.
“Karon Luspe. If that insane monster starts rampaging, all of this will be nothing more than gold behind a trap.”
“But if we can capture Deruna, we could pressure the Luspe Viscount family through the Archil Count family. This is an excellent opportunity for the Green Wave to expand its influence.”
“If we fail to capture her, it’s meaningless.”
“Don’t worry.”
The talkative one leaped forward, moving a piece on the table.
“A beast that has only known battle, no matter how cunning it pretends to be, is still just a beast.”
“Bloodmad Deruna. Sure, she might be clever at times, but ultimately, she only knows how to plunge headfirst into the battlefield over and over again.”
“Even if numbers don’t matter to her, a proper force attacking at once will render her efforts meaningless.”
Far-off, a massive game piece was surrounded by smaller ones, representing Deruna.
To the Green Wave leaders, Deruna was nothing more than a prey that had willingly walked into their trap.
“A promising merchant, a Spirit Master, and a mercenary. They all have their uses! This is going to be exciting!”
However, they failed to consider the dark shadow looming over the board.
***
“Ugh, where am I?”
—Dirtling.
The spirits had helped me escape deep into the forest.
I had managed to evade the bandits for now, but…
If I kept running, I might survive.
‘But if I run, I can’t guarantee Deruna and Elenien’s lives…’
Going back wouldn’t solve anything either. Still, I couldn’t abandon the people who had extended a hand to help me.
I turned back.
If I could cause even a little more chaos among the bandits, it might make it easier for Deruna to move.
Not that I really had the option to run in the first place.
As soon as I turned, the bandit commander who had been chasing me was standing there.
“Haah, for a merchant, you sure are fast. Am I the only one who managed to catch up?”
The bandit commander, who looked every bit the thug he was, chewed on something in his mouth.
Just looking at him gave me flashbacks. Ugh, I hate thugs.
My trembling hand drew my sword.
“This guy… Something’s definitely off.”
“What’s so off about me? C-couldn’t we just go our separate ways?”
The commander tilted his head and began twirling his greatsword as he took a stance.
“There’s always people like you, acting all innocent.”
“What? Waaaah!”
“You dodged that?”
I tried to fight back against the relentless assault, but the difference in skill was overwhelming.
When I fought Adela, at least I’d received tailored training. This time…
“You little rat, just die already!”
Furious that I kept running, the commander aimed a precise blow at my vital point.
‘I-I’m going to die…’
Desperately, I swung my sword in defense, but I was too slow.
“Serupe!”
—Kiing!
A blade struck the greatsword at just the right moment.
The impact diverted its trajectory, allowing my sword to stab the bandit commander instead.
“Urk… Damn it… I was too reckless…”
I rolled away from the fallen greatsword, and the commander collapsed with my sword embedded in him.
Relieved, I exhaled deeply and retrieved my weapon.
Would I have been able to fend off the commander without help?
“Phew, I tried imitating Deruna, and thankfully it worked.”
“Thank you for saving me.”
I offered my thanks, and the mercenary who had helped me approached and pulled me to my feet.
Wasn’t his name Kals?
It sounded similar to Caras. A common name, I guess.
“But if I had missed even a little, that blade would’ve hit your neck, haha!”
“Eeeh?”
“Anyway, I came looking for you after hearing Deruna’s orders. I’m glad I wasn’t too late. From now on, I’ll lead. Follow and support me.”
“Okay.”
As soon as I responded, Kals darted into the forest.
“Wait, how am I supposed to follow you when you go so fast!”
“If you fall behind, you’re on your own! I won’t wait!”
“Please, don’t leave me behind!”
As I despaired, Dirtling tugged at my clothes and pointed in a direction with soil.
It seemed to be showing me the way Kals had gone.
—Hegee.
Following the small rumbling noise it made, I found Kals hiding ahead.
“See? You’re keeping up just fine. Stop complaining.”
“My spirit guided me here.”
“That’s a skill too.”
Well, he wasn’t wrong…
“Let’s keep going. Once Deruna cleans up the bandits, we’ll regroup.”
“Understood.”
Kals scanned the surroundings and moved forward.
Since it could get truly dangerous from now on, I carefully followed him.
If I ever lost sight of Kals, I relied on Dirtling to guide me.
Whenever I lagged behind, Kals seemed to intentionally adjust his pace to let me catch up.
How far had we gone?
Kals raised a finger to his lips and gestured for me to stop.
Following his signal, I looked ahead to see bandits scattered throughout the area.
“It looks tough to break through… We’ve been isolated. It seems there’s a tactician among the bandits.”
“What should we do?”
“I’ll show them the difference between strategy and tactics. I’ll take on the bandits head-on, and you’ll provide cover. If you don’t contribute enough, I’ll leave you behind. Keep that in mind.”
“What?”
Kals ignored my startled response and took something out of his pocket.
Raising one arm to aim, he positioned the other arm at a right angle behind him before throwing.
Explosions erupted among the bandits.
“Aaagh!”
“Hot, it’s so hot!”
“Khaaa!”
Hearing the bandits’ screams, Kals drew his sword with a resolute expression and charged into the fray.
He began taking out the confused bandits one by one.
—Dirtling!
Dirtling followed him, raising walls to block arrows and assisting Kals.
I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing…
Dirtling could always escape and return to me, but I’d get caught if I got surrounded.
Forget being a burden—I didn’t want to die!
“W-Where from?”
Gritting my teeth, I cut down the first bandit and swung my sword desperately from Kals’ opposite side.
As I moved so frantically that my mind grew hazy, Kals’ voice reached me.
“Follow the spirit!”
A wind spirit appeared out of nowhere, motioning for me to follow. Closing my eyes tightly, I ran in the indicated direction.
Several more explosions rang out behind me.
—Hegeh…
Dirtling, looking exhausted, collapsed by my side.
I leaned against a nearby tree and surveyed the area.
Had we broken through…?
I couldn’t even remember how many I’d cut down.
The blood on my sword was the only evidence of the battle.
“Phew…”
As I sighed, staring at the blood dripping down the blade, Dirtling wiped it off with soil.
After burying the bloodied dirt, Dirtling patted me reassuringly.
“Thank you.”
—Hekh Hekh.
While spirits varied greatly in intelligence, Dirtling seemed remarkably perceptive and understanding of my emotions.
After stroking Dirtling’s head, I got moving again.
***
Deruna, who had been steadily reducing the bandits’ numbers, suddenly halted.
‘I tried to break through, but there’s no clear path.’
She realized intuitively that she was being drawn into a trap.
The more she killed, the tighter the bandits’ encirclement became.
It was getting too dangerous.
It was time to follow the original plan and hide.
As she retreated and signaled, the mercenaries gradually regrouped.
“Only four of you made it.”
“Kals went to Serupe’s side, but there’s no news yet.”
“Hah, does that guy even know how to use the communicator? Now that I think about it, I gave him my contact but didn’t get his. The spirits can sense their general direction, but it’s not precise.”
“Kals may be a jokester, but he’s not incompetent. He’ll bring Serupe back soon enough.”
Deruna nodded and said, “I’m not too worried about Serupe. Let’s move first. Kals will have a hard time, though.”
“Haha, that guy’s life is like that. This time, he might actually die for real.”
“Well, I told him he could ditch Serupe and get into a coffin if necessary, so it should be fine. Let’s get out of here ourselves.”
One of the mercenaries tilted his head at her remark.
“So, the employer will be fine? Even if we’re selfish mercenaries, isn’t this too much?”
“I haven’t told you yet, have I?”
Deruna sighed deeply before speaking.
“That guy is more of a monster than Karon.”
The bandits wouldn’t know.
They wouldn’t realize that the alarm had already been sounded.
A monster was lurking among them.
—
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