by Funa
What a joke.
Apparently, they thought to prey on this village to supplement their less-than-stable thieving business. Instead of robbing them blind in one fell swoop, they wanted a steady supply of food and revenue. And a steady supply of women. They were also planning to use the village to recruit new underlings.
Though, under that plan, they would run out of young women and girls, and once they expended all the young adults and boys of the village as human shields and disposable grunts, the village would only be left with senior citizens.
But that wasn’t a big deal. If that happened, they would take what was left of the village and move on to the next place. The troubling part was, they had acted as if they were proposing a legitimate protection service. Due to this fake posturing, the village couldn’t seek help from their lord. There hadn’t been any harm done yet, and these bandits were technically just “proposing a protection contract.” They were merely offering up the conditions of the contract, and they weren’t making threats or committing any crimes in the process, though no one knew what would happen if the villagers actually refused.
It would have helped if they’d had proof that these bandits had engaged in previous acts of banditry, but there was no way to tell who their past victims had been, and it wasn’t as if there were any local merchants, much less any who had survived their attacks. Even if there had been, they would likely have been far too busy running for their lives to remember the faces of their attackers. Besides, the bandits could simply deny any such claims, and there wouldn’t be anything that could be done about it.
And even if their lord sent out soldiers to help, the bandits could just rob people in some other region, then return once the soldiers left. It was unrealistic to expect the soldiers to stay in a distant village like this one over a long period of time. Besides, sending soldiers to some tiny village in the mountains to fight bandits, risking casualties in the process, was far more costly than simply letting the villagers get sucked dry. The lord could just ignore the issue and keep collecting levies without bothering to decrease taxes. It wouldn’t be surprising if he came to such a conclusion, honestly. Although, this may have been different if the village in question paid higher taxes, or produced rare materials...
“...So, instead of doing something about it yourselves, you wanted to trick a bunch of unrelated foreigners from another country into fighting the bandits for you? Even though there are children among us, and only three of us are even capable of fighting?”
The villagers likely assumed from Belle’s appearance that she was a fighter, but her dagger was basically just for intimidation. At best, she could only take down one person with her. Belle’s self-proclaimed role was to be my shield and buy a few seconds until Emile or Francette could rush to my side. She would cling on to the sword that impaled her so the attacker couldn’t retrieve it...
Wait, like hell I’d let her do that!
“N-No! We did not expect your small group to fight off nearly thirty bandits alone!”
Well, we could, but... yeah. Pretty easily, too.
“We will fight too, of course! Gathered here today are the men of the village, minus the children and young men without offspring. However, although we are hardy from rigorous labor, we are all amateurs when it comes to fighting men. The only ones who have some basic ability in a fight would be the hunters, but their expertise is in fighting beasts, and will not be of much use in this case.”
But even as he spoke, the mayor’s eyes had vigor in them.
“A young man going to the city to make his name in the world is one thing, but if families with elderly parents and young children abandoned this village to move to the city, they couldn’t survive with just their skills in farming, logging, and hunting. The best they could hope for would be to rot away in the slums. In that case, we may as well risk it all in a fight... Even if we fall in battle, it would be a thousand times better than running away without a fight and watching our loved ones starve to death! So, when the children informed us that some travelers had arrived, travelers who seemed to have fighting experience at that, we couldn’t help ourselves. We want all the help we can get. We want to raise our chances of winning, no matter how small they might be. And we will give up our lives if we can increase our chances of saving the women and children, even if we end up in hell rather than heaven...”
With that, the mayor pressed his head against the ground once more. Looking again, I realized that quite a few of the people here were advanced in their years. Instead of being protected, the elderly were going to sacrifice themselves to help the younger generation live just a little longer. That even included the mayor himself...
Hmm, I see.
I see...
I stood up, arms folded, then said, “Mayor. Why did you use such schemes to try to drag us into this?”
“...” The mayor kept his head down, unable to respond.
So, I continued.
“Instead of plotting, you should have said: ‘We are going to put our lives on the line to fight for our village. Please help us.’ That was all you needed to do...”
The mayor and villagers kept their heads down...
＊ ＊
“That was incredible, Kaoru!” Francette said as soon as the villagers left and it was just our group in the room that we were assigned to. Roland and Layette followed.
“Indeed.”
“Incredoru?”
Francette grew ecstatic any time I did Goddess-like things that encouraged people to have faith in me. Roland also seemed glad to be able to participate in protecting the populace. Emile and Belle’s reactions... went without saying.
And Layette, what the heck was “Incredoru”? Had she combined “Incredible” and “Kaoru”?!
Anyway, this wasn’t a task suitable for my main role as the owner of Convenience Store Belle, but rather something for the Eyes of the Goddess. Though, it wasn’t like I was obligated to do anything. I suppose this was like a club activity I did as a hobby.
Man, I’m too easy...
“All right, our staff vacation is put on hold, as of right now. From here on, we’re going to set aside common sense and move forward as the Eyes of the Goddess...”
*nod, nod, nod, nod*
Okay, let’s gooo!
Earlier, we’d had a conversation with the villagers. They had been driven out of their original lands due to circumstances beyond their control long ago and hadn’t had any choice but to develop a village deep in the mountains. They’d lost many of their companions along the way, and they weren’t going to just let all the hard work of their ancestors go to waste because some lowly bandits said so.
And they claimed they didn’t mind if most of the men gathered here died, as long as they could protect the village itself. As long as the women, children, and young adults lived, the village would survive and their knowledge would be passed on. Then, the next generation could have many children. That way, their lives, too, would be passed on.
“Our deaths will not be in vain.”
Rather than abandon their village and flee, only to end up in the gutter of some slum and perish, full of regrets, they would die with pride and with their heads held high...
As the mayor and the others said so with a laugh, they no longer had a subservient air about them.
Maybe they’ve gotten over it...
In any case, it was time to prepare for battle.
“So, I will dive into the enemy’s ranks and take out about half of them right at the start. I’m sure Sir Roland and Emile also wish to succeed in front of Kaoru, so we can split the remainder evenly among the three of us...”
It seemed that Emile wanted to shoot down this idea, but he also knew that he wouldn’t be able to take on an even third of the entire enemy force. Realizing this, he seemed a bit reluctant, but nodded without saying another word.
As for Roland, he was accustomed to thinking that he didn’t have to directly defeat enemies, but that using his subordi
nates to achieve victory would add to his own glory, so he didn’t seem to mind.
But...
“That’s no good. We can’t just produce a deus ex machina and conveniently solve all their problems without the villagers lifting a finger. They wouldn’t learn anything or grow from this at all. What do they do if they face another danger when we’re not here? What about after that? And after that?”
“Urgh...” Francette couldn’t respond.
“And what do you think will happen if word of this spreads? Everyone will think they can just wait for a savior when facing their own dangers. They’ll think, ‘Someone will come and save us, just like that village!’ They need to overcome obstacles with their own hands. Getting a little help is one thing, but relying entirely on God or other people doesn’t do anyone any good. Besides, that’s not what they want.”
Francette looked down wordlessly, seemingly ashamed of her own imprudence.
Surprisingly, Emile responded, “That’s because everyone doesn’t know about Kaoru’s power, or our own. If they did, they would have asked for our help differently. Besides, would you be okay with letting people get hurt or die when we have the power to save them?”
“Yeah.”
“...Huh?” Emile seemed surprised by my reply.
But that’s just the way of the world. You can’t just rely on everyone else for everything while taking on zero risk yourself. If that became the norm, humans would go real rotten real quick.
Roland and Francette seemed to understand. Wisdom comes with age, I suppose. Francette was over thirty now, come to think of it.
No, the villagers wouldn’t be dying this time. I’d make them fight for themselves, but we’d be helping a bit.
Yes, just a bit...
＊ ＊
“Heh heh, well? Have you decided to take us up on our offer yet? It’s not like you have a choice, after all, so just hurry up and accept it. All you gotta do is give us all your money, feed us as much as we like, and send some women our way to take care of some chores. That’s a pretty good deal for protecting a whole village, if you ask me.”
With that, the three men sent by the bandit group laughed vulgarly.
“...Hm?”
One of them had a perplexed look on his face.
“What the hell are you giving us that look for?!”
The last time they’d visited, with their leader present, the villagers had had a much more fearful, nearly subservient attitude. But this time, there was defiance in their eyes.
“You think you can act up because it’s just the three of us?! Listen here, we’re from the famous bandit group, the Beasts of Disaster...”
“And?”
“Huh?”
Something was off. Very off. The three men finally came to this realization.
After being shown to the mayor’s house, they had given what was basically an ultimatum to the mayor and the several elderly men gathered there. They had planned on making the villagers accept all of their terms, maybe taking a few young women with them, and stopping somewhere nearby to relieve them of their virginity. So, they had struggled to win their highly-coveted positions as the members who would come on this excursion. All they had to do now was reap the benefits of their role. Or so they thought...
“Here is our response.”
The mayor opened his mouth.
“We refuse your proposal. What we would need to give up for what little benefit you’ve offered is far from acceptable. That is, the money, food, and... young girls... you’ve demanded. And, above all, we do not trust you in the least. No one in our village is stupid enough to make such an agreement with a group that’s so unlikely to keep a promise...”
The bandits watched, mouths agape, as the mayor went on matter-of-factly. Then, as the words finally began sinking in...
“Wha?! What the hell is this? You know what’ll happen if you don’t do as we...”
“I wonder...?”
“Y-You little... I’ll kill you and make an example out of ya! The rest of the village will see we mean business if we kill a couple...”
“All right, there’s an admission that you’re a bunch of bandits, along with a declaration of your intent to murder, as well as intimidation, and even assault by grabbing an elderly man’s collar. This fulfills the conditions for self-defense and is reason enough to defeat the bandits!” yelled Kaoru.
“Wha...”
Five men and women suddenly appeared from the room next door. Their clothing and features made it clear they weren’t from the village.
“You bastards the ones who put these geezers up to this?! I’ll kill you first... Gwah!”
Bam! Smack!
As the bandits were distracted by Kaoru’s speech, Francette, Roland, and Emile had snuck up behind them. And unlike Roland, Francette and Emile wouldn’t sit idly by and allow some lowly bandits to talk down to or threaten Kaoru.
The three bandits fell to the ground. As for Belle, she stood in front of Kaoru in a low posture, her hands crossed over her chest.
“Good! You’re fulfilling your role well, Belle. You must use your body as a shield for Lady Kaoru at all times!”
Upon hearing Francette’s words, Kaoru snapped.
“It was youuuuuu! I was wondering why I could never stop Belle from being so self-sacrificing, but it was all your doinggg!!!”
＊ ＊
We took out three of them for now. When the bandit leader and his men had first arrived, the villagers counted twenty-nine men. ...Which left twenty-six more.
I treated the three we had captured with healing potions just enough so that they wouldn’t die, had them tied up, then gave them some medicine that would lower their metabolic speed. They wouldn’t be capable of joining any fights until they were given a neutralizing agent first.
Francette and the others captured these three, but that wasn’t a big deal. Even if we weren’t around, the villagers could have easily defeated them by ambushing them with bamboo spears or putting poison in the food or water. So, by the time they had gotten around to fighting back against the bandits, they were guaranteed to at least take out three of the enemy.
It just so happened that the enraged Francette and the others beat them first, and taking out the messengers was only the first step of the villagers’ plans.
“Lady Kaoru, we’ve finished reinforcing the palisade. Please take a look.”
“Ah, all right.”
One of the villagers reported to me, so I stood up in response. Francette and the others followed, of course. Once the fight against the bandits had been agreed to, I had given several orders to the villagers. One of them being, naturally, the reinforcement of the palisade around the village.
The palisade was built for keeping out monsters, and it was far too fragile and the gaps in it too large to be of any use against human attackers. As such, I had it modified and reinforced as a countermeasure against the bandits.
“Yeah, that’s pretty good. Definitely a passing mark. Now, about the water buckets...”
The villagers looked thrilled to win my seal of approval, then quickly ran off to carry the water buckets.
This palisade was a defensive structure, originally designed to stop charging orcs and ogres while spears were held out between the openings. Therefore, it didn’t account for smaller monsters like goblins, kobolds, and horn rabbits. And, of course, humans.
It had been modified by narrowing the gaps between the stretches of palisade and installing sharp stakes on the open edges to cut up anyone who tried to force their way between them. The parts that had wider gaps intentionally left open had such traps built into them with extra attention.
Of course, poison would be applied to them before the actual showdown. This village had hunters, and unlicensed apothecaries too, so they could prepare poison extracted from plants and poisonous monsters without my interference.
As everyone checked the status of the fences, several of the villagers came over with buckets of
water.
Time to pretend to reach into my pocket and make some potions!
I produced some convenient medicine inside a test tube...
“Good work. Please leave it there.”
The villagers placed the buckets on the ground, and I dropped a few drops of the potion into each one.
“Slowly pour this water on the ground under the palisade and around the stakes. Apply it to the palisade and the spikes, as well. It will make the wood more durable. If you run out of water, refill the buckets and call for me. I will add more of the medicine.”
This should have been an acceptable amount of help. I was just making the palisade a little stronger, and if they had taken the time, they could have reinforced the palisade themselves, even without my potions. I was just using items to reduce the required time. Just like spending money on in-app purchases. It wasn’t cheating.
I decided to check the effects of the durability-enhancing water, which I had dubbed the “Super Hard Liquid Coating.” The effects should be instantaneous, so I should have been able to check the effects immediately after application.
I first pulled on a stake that secured the fence to the ground...and it didn’t move. It didn’t budge one bit.
“Fran, can you test the durability of the stakes?”
Maybe Francette’s powerful arms would have better luck than my noodle arms?
“...A powerful foe.”
Francette tried to pull the fence out, but only managed to move the stake and the ground around it very slightly. It seemed to be far from being pulled free. The stake itself didn’t seem to be breakable, either...
Judging by the look of it, it may have been possible to slip through between the palisade sections, but breaking the palisade itself seemed highly unlikely. And if someone did squeeze through, the sharp stakes and thorns would cause a lot of damage to any poor sap who tried. Besides, they were coated in poison.
“Kaoru, what should we call this medicine, or I should say, the palisade coated in this medicine?” Francette asked. She was probably asking to note it in that “Records of the Goddess Kaoru’s World Reformation” diary that she secretly kept, all without realizing that I knew all about it.