by Funa
With this, the bandits’ fighting forces had already been reduced by one, without even knowing how much combat potential still lay within the passengers’ ranks. Furthermore, when it came time to retreat, they would be at least two men down, with one of their uninjured members having to help the now-blinded man along to safety.
“Damn it!”
The chief raged, but now, short of climbing the stairs into the cabin, which were already barricaded, there was no easy way into the carriage. They could not pull themselves up with their arms to try to squeeze in, because if they did, they would inevitably be attacked from within by the passengers’ blades.
They could torch the carriage, but doing so would mean the loss of both the valuables and the women, making this whole venture a net loss. That said, there was no way they could just pack up and go home now, either.
“Cut the canvas! If anyone inside gets hurt then it’s their own damn fault!” the chief ordered, his underlings brandishing their swords and spears as they closed in on their target.
Just then…
“Don’t take another step!”
Suddenly, four women in hunters’ garb appeared from around the bend behind them.
The bandits froze immediately in shock, but when they took a closer look, all they saw before them were two children between twelve and thirteen and a pair of young ladies around sixteen or seventeen.
A truly veteran C-rank hunter would be able to take on two bandits apiece, but with such youthful opponents, there was no way that the five bandits could possibly lose. Plus, the four girls together would fetch quite the pretty penny.
Clearly these were four idiots who thought far too much of their own strength. The chief sneered, yelling, “Forget the wagon for now! We’re takin’ these ones in alive! Try not to hurt ’em too much, though—the price’ll go down!”
***
“Is that their angle, then?” asked Mile.
“Guess we better try to take them in without killing them either. Doesn’t matter if we hurt ’em though. We can always fix them up with healing magic later, so we don’t have to worry about it diminishing their price as labor slaves,” Reina replied, with a snort.
“We don’t need all four of us to take down these guys though. Who’s gonna do it?” Mile asked.
Reina thought.
“Hm, the one who’s the best at getting it done without hurting them would be… Pauline, you’re up.”
Pauline nodded.
Mile took a running stance, steeling herself in the event that the bandits should try to take the passengers hostage. Well, even if they did do such a thing, they could deal with it.
Without uttering a sound, Pauline began incanting a spell in her head.
The bandits, assuming there was no way that such a little lady could cast an attack spell silently, figured they would be fine if they simply attacked her the moment she began speaking. Plus, even if she could attack with magic, it was unlikely to be anything more than some sad little fireball, without much power or speed. Since they were far enough away, they could easily fend off something like that.
The two little ones were nothing to speak of. The majority of the bandits’ attention was focused on Mavis. But, then…
“…Guh?”
“Ngah!!”
“Geheeeeee!!!”
The five bandits suddenly clutched their skulls and fainted in agony.
A violent, indescribable pain, like a slow burn, spread throughout their eyes, noses, mouths, and throats. And it wasn’t just in these sensitive parts but also in the exposed skin on their faces, necks, arms, and legs.
It continued to spread beneath their clothing, all the way to a certain place on their backsides, with a horrible, slow burning…
“Agh, agh, aghhhhhh!!!”
“Gyaheeeeee! Sh-she’s a devil! A deviiiiiiiil!”
The five men writhed on the ground. The sixth, who still had his hands clutched over his eyes, was outside of the effective range of her spell, but as he was already incapacitated, she left him be.
“Magic in the air, dissipate and send your powers away!”
Pauline dissolved the spicy components from the air, but what had already entered the men’s bodies and stuck to their skin remained.
“Passengers,” Mile shouted, “we are the hunting party the Crimson Vow! We have defeated these bandits, so please, be at ease!”
Surprised, perhaps, to hear the voice of a young girl, one of the passengers timidly peeked out from behind the canvas.
“Wh-what?! Goodness, it’s true! Everyone, look! Those little girl hunters just wiped out all the bandits!”
The man, who, judging from his appearance, was a merchant, shouted to the others. The top of the carriage opened up wide, and all the other passengers poked their heads out as well.
“Whoa! Whoooa!!”
“W-we’re saved! We’re saved, aren’t we, darling?”
One after another they cried out in joy and relief.
Pauline, meanwhile, muttered to herself, “Somehow, I don’t think we’re going to be able to run up too high a charge for coming to their aid…”
Mile and Mavis, who possessed the most brute strength, were left to the task of binding the bandits, who were still writhing and thrashing in pain. Naturally, they used supplies that were stored in Mile’s storage space.
For once, they used completely normal rope for this task. Anything more, AKA. “technology that was far beyond that of this world,” would be overkill in this situation.
Pauline went back to fetch their employers, while Reina was put in charge of negotiating with the carriage party.
It hadn’t been their intention to profit off of a situation like this, but they also did not work for free. Not insisting on payment would set a troublesome precedent for other hunters so, even if they only charged them a pittance, it was at least necessary to establish the fact that they had “received compensation” for their labor.
The young hunter was the first to disembark the carriage, walking all around the vehicle and inspecting it as though to ensure that its condition was still sound. Then, one by one, the other passengers stepped out. There was the middle-aged man who looked to be a merchant; a refined elderly gentleman with trim white hair and whiskers; a young married couple holding a small girl’s hands; and another girl of around ten years old, who appeared to be traveling solo.
“Wha…?”
As she saw the last passenger, Reina raised her voice in surprise. Hearing this, Mile paused what she was doing and looked toward the carriage. She let out a cry of shock as well.
“Whaaaaaat?!”
The girl, who was returning from her home in the provinces after a long vacation, was not wearing her own clothing, but rather, the uniform of her academy. It was not, incidentally, that she could not afford other clothing. Back in her home town, the fact that she had been able to enroll in an academy in the capital lent her quite a bit of status, so her parents had insisted, again and again, that she wear her school uniform as she traveled.
Reina immediately recognized that uniform. And so did Mile.
Very timidly, Mile asked, “U-uhm. Wh-wh-wh-what was the name of this kingdom again…?”
“Huh? U-um, this is the Kingdom of Brandel… Oh, I see! You’ve just come over from Tils! You’re already well past the border!”
“G…”
“Gh?”
“Gyaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
***
“…And so, I enrolled in Eckland Academy!”
The young girl, Phelis, who claimed to be a first year at Eckland Academy, happily regaled them with her tale.
After the incident with the bandits, the marching order of the caravan had been rearranged slightly. At the head was the carriage with the passengers, as well as the captured bandits inside. Pauline had laid her healing touch on the man whose eyes had been gouged, restoring his sight so that it was good as new—though it was unclear whether this was out of kindness or merely consideration fo
r the price he would fetch when he was turned over to be sold as a laborer.
Behind the carriage was the merchants’ former first wagon, where all of the Crimson Vow rode. On the off-chance that anything should happen to the carriage, they would be able to respond immediately.
Since this new arrangement had left the carriage jam-packed, and because the bandits were likely to be a bad influence on growing young ladies, the couple and their daughter decided to take to the rear wagon, while Phelis, the little student, rode along with the Crimson Vow.
So that there would be enough space in the cart, Mile packed some of the merchants’ goods away in her storage space. Observing this, the merchants all stared at her, speechless, causing Mile to feel more than a twinge of guilt.
Reina had negotiated their reward with the passengers, but as far as “negotiations” went, it had been a lax one. The amount that she proposed to them was (to Pauline’s great displeasure) a low one, so the passengers offered no complaints. On the contrary, they happily assented. Additionally, they wished to combine their processions until they reached their intended destination. Provided that the passengers did not mind traveling in tandem with the carts, which moved far slower than their carriage, the merchants agreed to the arrangement, and so, the contract was settled.
Just a short while ago, the passengers had been on the verge of losing their possessions and their lives. If they could have a squad of unbeatable guards traveling at their side, any fee was more than justified from their perspective.
Since this would be treated as an emergency job request, contracted on-site, it would be processed after the fact. However, pending an inquiry, it would in fact be treated as an official guild assignment. So the Crimson Vow would have to pay a processing fee, but it would also net them promotion points—though because the amount Reina had asked for was low, the guild’s cut would be low as well, which might engender some bitterness…
Because these passengers did not appear especially affluent, and because they were already traveling in the same direction, the amount they had requested was a low one. Though everyone knew it was common practice to take advantage of such emergency situations to extort the hapless clients for all they were worth, the Crimson Vow’s workload was not increasing by much—and, outside of Pauline, the girls were not the kind to take advantage of someone in a moment of weakness.
And so, the Crimson Vow sat listening to young Phelis’s stories. However…
Mile could not hold back any longer. Finally, she asked the question that had been weighing on her mind since she had seen Phelis in her uniform.
“Um, so, are there any cats living around your school?”
Phelis looked a bit startled, but then answered with a big smile, “There is! Is that a common thing, then? We have one at Eckland, the honorable Lord Cricket Eater!”
“Cr-Cricket Eater???”
“Lord?”
The four all spoke up at once: Reina, Mavis, and Pauline surprised at the outlandish name and Mile at the stately title and address.
“Yes, the messenger of the Goddess, the honorable Lord Cricket Eater. He is the beloved companion of the Wonder Trio, the divine sisterhood who received the Goddess’s blessings, and he lives in their care. Now and then, he blesses the rooms of we first and second years with his presence as well, doing away with the bugs and mice on our behalf.”
“………”
Sensing how still Mile had suddenly grown, Reina looked her way, but Mile was already catatonic.
***
When it came time to make camp for the night, Phelis rejoined the other passengers.
“…Mile. This is the place, isn’t it?” asked Reina, some time after dinner.
“…It is,” Mile replied.
“You do realize that we’re heading toward the capital, don’t you? Between the merchants and the carriage, we’re contracted twice over.”
“……”
Mile was lost for words.
You knew this the moment you looked at those passengers and saw the uniform, didn’t you, Reina? Mavis wanted to ask, but even she knew that this was not the time or the place.
“So, what do you want to do?”
“…ends…”
“Hm? What was that?”
“I w-want to see my frieeeends!!” Mile wailed. “I left without even getting a chance to say goodbyyyye!!!”
Reina patted Mile on the head as tears streamed down her face.
“It’s okay, Mile. It’s okay to cry sometimes—and to think of yourself and what you want. You’re still only thirteen years old, after all. We may have been your classmates at school, but we’re all much older than you, so you can think of us as your big sisters.”
“W-weeeeeeeeh….!!”
Watching Mile wail and cling to Reina, Pauline smiled gently, while Mavis fidgeted, her hands trembling.
By the looks of it, she wanted to be in Reina’s place.
However, Reina appeared to be utterly unaware of this, or at the very least, feigned ignorance, paying Mavis no mind. Mavis’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.
Chapter 41:
The Home of Yesteryear
It was several days later.
The merchants and the carriage arrived safely in the capital, and the Crimson Vow received their job-completion stamps from both parties, along with the payment that came directly from the passengers.
Because the merchants had already made their deposit with the guild, as was the norm, the payment for that contract came from the guild’s coffers. However, the passengers had contracted the girls directly, so they were expected to pay them out of their own purses. Should the job be something done outside of the guild, the Crimson Vow could pocket all the money, but if they wished to have it processed as a guild job, the girls would have to pay the guild their cut.
Granted, there was scarcely a hunter around who would go and purposely involve the guild in a job that was already completed just to pay the guild their processing fee—but the Crimson Vow were not just any hunters. They wanted those promotion points, they wanted to be B-ranks, and they wanted any tasty morsel of a job that would improve their reputation to appear in the official guild records. Accepting an emergency contract would reflect well on them—and besides, it was not as though they were wanting for money.
They parted ways with the two groups in front of the Merchants’ Guild and then headed for the Hunters’ Guild.
Before they passed through the city gates, Mile had stowed herself away inside the wagon, and the moment they left the caravan behind, she darted away into a back alley while the others waited. When she returned shortly after, her hair was golden, her eyes were brown, and her face was one that they did not recognize.
With her hair and eyes, it had merely been a matter of altering the pigment, and she had camouflaged her face by bending the light waves around it. She had not made drastic changes to any of her features, but together, the effect was enough to make her look as though she were a different person entirely.
The other three stayed as they were. They had no acquaintances in this country that they knew of, and even if they should happen to be recognized, it was not as though it would cause problems for them to encounter someone they knew. As far as everyone but Mile—who would be in grave danger if her true identity as “Adele” were revealed—was concerned, this city was nothing more than another stop on their travels.
And so, once Mile’s transformation was complete, the four of them headed off to the guild without a care.
In her hand, Mavis gripped the end of a rope, with six men fastened to it. These were of course the bandits, who they had dragged down from the carriage.
Of course, the men’s wrists were tied together, but their arms were bound tightly to their bodies as well—snug as a bug in a rug, one might say—so there was no possible way they could try to run or fight at full power. In addition, noose-like coils were knotted around their necks.
Indeed, the way they had been bound, so t
hat they could not possibly escape, was almost excessive.
Exactly who was responsible for this was unclear.
Here she was, for the first time in so long, in the capital of Brandel Kingdom.
Mile had lived in this city for nearly a year and two months, but she had never once set foot in the Hunters’ Guild.
As she nervously passed through the door of the guildhall, the bell jangled, and all the hunters present turned their way. Then, the moment they saw that it was only some party of rookies, their attention dissipated, and the hunters returned to what they had been doing before. In every guild in every town they had ever set foot in, this was the customary reception.
“Pardon me. We would like to have a completed escort job and an on-site emergency contract processed,” Mile requested at the reception window.
“Oh, certainly! Step right this way!”
The clerk moved out from behind the counter to lead Mile to a conference table. The paperwork required for emergency contracts was a bit more complicated than that for a normal job.
After Mile came Reina, Pauline, and Mavis—and behind Mavis, six bandits on a rope, who shuffled their feet through the open door.
“Wh…?!”
All the hunters sitting around at their tables, and all the guild staff behind the counters, suddenly sprang straight up.
“Oh yes, by the way, we would like to turn in some bandits as well.” Mile hurriedly amended her request.
Apparently, she had already forgotten.
***
The proceedings at the guild were concluded without incident.
The processing for the emergency on-site contract and the inquiry around it went smoothly, and the reward money for turning in the bandits, along with their cut for the bandits’ future sale as criminal slaves, was as expected. What was unexpected was the envelope that the driver of the coach handed them, inside of which was a small bonus reward from the coach drivers’ union.