by Yuu Tanaka
The bandits’ words sharpened Fran’s glare. They sounded like slavers, and that marked them as her mortal enemies.
“Hang in there, you two!”
“If we let up now, they’ll get to the villagers.”
“We’ll protect them with our lives!”
The women were putting their lives on the line to protect the passengers. They showed no desire to escape, even if it meant death. I liked them. They had guts.
“Come on!”
Okay. Now, which one is the leader… I think it’s that one.
A large man stood behind the raiding party, barking out orders. He was better equipped than the rest, and his stats were higher, too. He must be their leader.
“Haaa!”
“Gyaa!”
Fran jumped off Jet’s back and struck the bandit captain, knocking him unconscious. We wanted information, and this guy was our best bet.
“The rest can die.”
“Grrr!”
Faster than the eye could follow, Fran beheaded bandits.
“Huh?”
“Who’s there?!”
“A kid?!”
Both bandits and bodyguards were equally confused. However, Fran and Jet didn’t slow down until all the robbers were dead. Fran took down the ones at the back of the caravan while Jet took care of the front. The remaining stragglers were quickly dispatched with a liberal application of Flame Magic, leaving the leader as the sole survivor.
“Are you okay?” Fran asked the bewildered adventurers.
“…”
Barely two minutes had elapsed since we arrived, and the marauders were all but obliterated. It wasn’t surprising that this hadn’t really sunk in yet.
“Area Heal.”
They seemed hurt, so it made sense to heal them. With their bodies recovered, their wits soon returned.
“Healing Magic?”
“Thanks!”
“I thought we were goners…”
The three adventurers looked relieved, but it didn’t take long for them to put their professional facade back on. They were still on duty and couldn’t let their guard down.
The adventurers took turns shaking Fran’s hand. Afraid as they were of her and Jet, their fears were overwhelmed by gratitude.
“We’re an adventuring party, the Crimson Maidens. You really saved us back there.”
“I’m Fran, D-Rank Adventurer.”
“D-Rank at your age? That’s amazing! I knew you were something special when I saw you fight.”
Some of the villagers got out of the caravan and reeled at the sight of the dead bandits. The scene might have been a tad intense for ordinary townsfolk. Their bodyguards explained how Fran had saved their lives, and the villagers bowed their heads in gratitude. Some of them even sobbed in relief. They must’ve been terrified by the prospect of being captured. Then again, it was equally possible that the sorry state of the bandits’ bodies might have scared them to tears.
Saving them wasn’t our only goal, of course.
“Hey.”
“Grrr.”
Fran healed the bandit leader and hit him again, signaling the beginning of his torture.
“Eaaagh! I’ll talk! I’ll talk! Just spare my life!”
“Answer my questions, and I won’t kill you.”
“Okay! Just don’t kill me, please!”
Fran’s frosty voice and Jet’s menacing growls must’ve scared him witless. Or maybe he caught a glimpse of what was left of his friends. Either way, he frantically told us exactly how many men he had and how to find their hideout. He also revealed that the bandits had already captured some innocent people. They were alive, though not well, and he’d planned to sneak into Bulbola where he could sell them as slaves.
Fran was intent on foiling those plans. It wasn’t that she had a strong sense of justice but that she hated slavers.
As we neared the end of the torture, the village mayor approached.
“What are you going to do now?”
“Raid their hideout, of course.”
“I-I see…”
Someone would have to stand guard while the caravan made repairs. Returning to find it annihilated would leave a bad taste in my mouth, so we left Jet behind as insurance. He should suffice until the carriages were fixed.
“I’m going to the hideout to save the captives,” said Fran. “When I do, I want you to let them join the caravan. In exchange, I’ll leave Jet here with you.”
Alone, we had no way of getting the captives home, even if we could save them. We were going to need their help.
“So you’re leaving behind this wolf…”
The mayor looked decidedly worried. He probably wanted Fran to stay behind. But he forced a smile and bowed gratefully, realizing that he was in no position to look a gift direwolf in the mouth.
“Then we are in your care.”
“Look after them, Jet.”
“Woof!”
There was still a hint of worry on the mayor’s face, but they would be safe for now.
Let’s get going.
“Hm. Walk.”
“All right, all right! No need to yank my chain.”
With the bandit leader’s guidance, we soon reached their hideout. It was a good fifteen minutes away, but the walk was uneventful. The place was located in a cave at the foot of a mountain. It had the look and feel of a hideout, to be sure.
Surprisingly, the entrance was concealed with magic. Despite our detection skills, it would have been hard to find if the bandit leader hadn’t revealed it to us. This wasn’t your run-of-the-mill band of bandits then.
With that in mind, we carefully entered the hideout. It was quite fortified, despite looking like an ordinary cave from the outside. There were over twenty men left, and they put up one hell of a fight. We couldn’t let our guard down thanks to all the arrows that were flying about.
The bandits themselves were strong. Some of them could use Sword Arts, and they even had mages among their ranks. They were more like an organized unit of mercenaries than a rowdy band of outlaws.
The base was equipped with an emergency exit, as well. The bandit leader showed us where it was, and we promptly blew it up with Flame Magic. Two birds with one stone.
The man who’d been our guide so far wasn’t the boss but only the captain of a smaller unit. The real boss was lazing about in the inner chambers. But I’d gotten used to referring to our captive as the Bandit Leader, so Bandit Leader he would stay. Unfortunately, Bandit Leader died halfway through our raid.
A stray arrow, loosed by one of his men, pierced him in the gut. As our guide, he was taking point, after all. And I suppose we neglected to heal his wounds. His last words were, “I thought you said you weren’t going to kill me?!”
Well, we kept our end of the bargain. Mostly. We couldn’t help it if one of his friends put an end to his life by mistake.
We found seven men locked away in the dungeon. Three of them looked like soldiers, while the remaining four seemed to be civilians. A quick Identify revealed they were adventurers and farmers. Fran broke them out of their cells and shackles. They were captured a few days ago, but thankfully none of them were wasting away just yet.
“You really saved us there.”
“Didn’t think a little girl would be the one to do it, though…”
“Come on, did you see how she blew up our cell? She’s way stronger than us!”
The adventurers weren’t a party, but they’d become acquainted with each other during their imprisonment. However, the farmers all came from the same village and knew each other well. They were on their way to Bulbola when the bandits attacked. Such was the risk of travelling without an escort, not that they had money to hire one.
“There were a lot of bandits out there. Did you run into the raiding party?”
“Yeah. All dead now.”
“Uh. By ‘all’ do you mean all?”
“Of course.”
“I can’t sense their auras. She must b
e telling the truth.”
“Damn, I knew you were strong, but this is a bit much to take… The bandits here were pretty strong too, you know.”
I knew they weren’t ordinary raiders. The Bulbolan adventurers told us about a gang of bandits, fifty strong. They seemed to have popped up out of nowhere, and I suspected they were a splinter cell of a larger band of mercenaries.
“What are you going to do now?”
“Hm? I’ve settled my business, so I’m heading back.”
“You have friends out there?”
“I wouldn’t call them friends, but there are people waiting for me.”
“Okay, so you have backup with you. I think this gang stored up quite a hoard for themselves…”
“Hm?”
One of the adventurers explained. In the event anyone succeeded in eliminating the bandits, they had full rights to whatever treasure and goods the bandits had collected. Unfortunately for the captives, their belongings were now part of the bandit hoard.
We brought them with us and found an underground storeroom. There wasn’t any treasure, but we did find weapons, food, and clothing. You could make a fair bit of money by selling it all.
In the pile, we found what we were looking for, stored in a bag that stopped its contents from deteriorating. Cure Turmeric, which looked like ordinary tree root. Despite appearances, the plant possessed magical properties. Properly processed, it could cure any status ailment and was a highly sought-after cooking spice. And there was a lot of it in the bag.
Now, this is a great find!
With my Cooking skill, I could tell at a glance what kind of flavor it would produce. It’d taste similar to the turmeric I knew on Earth and would add a significant amount of depth and richness to our curry. At the moment, the flavor of this stuff was much more important than its healing properties. We’d really lucked out. Fran tucked it away, with apologies to the original owner and promises to make one hell of a curry.
As we counted our lucky stars, the adventurers started talking. Their equipment was in this pile of stolen goods, and they wanted to ask Fran if they could have them back.
The oldest adventurer spoke up first.
“So, uh…there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you…”
“What’s up?”
“Well, the bandits stripped us of our equipment when they captured us, you see. And we’re pretty sure it’s in this pile of stuff. I don’t suppose we could have it back?”
“W-we’ll pay you, of course. We’ll carry your haul.”
“Hell, the three of us should be able to get at least half of this stuff back to town.”
The men knew that Fran couldn’t carry her spoils alone, no matter how strong she was. They offered to be her pack mules in exchange for their gear.
“So, how about it—what?”
“Hm?”
Fran, the nice adventurers are still talking! At least wait until they’re finished before you start packing the spices into the Pocket Dimension!
“Space-time magic… I figured.”
“Don’t know what I was expecting really…”
“I guess you have no need for us…”
The adventurers were crestfallen at their obsolescence.
Teacher, do you mind if I give them back their stuff?
Oh, I guess you were listening. Sure, I don’t see why not.
I didn’t sense any weapons with huge amounts of mana in the pile, anyway. I didn’t think adventurers with enchanted equipment would’ve been done in by a gang of bandits to begin with.
“Just take your stuff if it’s still there.”
“What? Are you sure?”
“Sure. I don’t need them, anyway. There’s still something I want you to do, though.”
“S-sure. Just say the word!”
“We’ll be taking part in the cooking contest. I want you all to come to our stall and tell everyone you know about it. Promise me that, and you can have your gear.”
“Is that all? We’d love to!”
“We’ll buy your entire stock! Well, as long as it’s not crazy expensive.”
“We’ll shill for you, sure!”
The adventurers and farmers thanked Fran again. They didn’t expect to get their equipment back for just promoting her food stall. As we stored away the remainder of the hoard, the scout-class adventurer began tapping the walls.
“Say, I think there’s another room.”
It seemed the bandits had a hidden chamber. The adventurer groped along the walls, looking for an entrance. Fran wasn’t so patient.
“Move.”
“O-okay. I can’t seem to find a door, so—”
Boom!
Fran knocked down the wall with her Advanced Sword Art. The adventurers stood there stunned as she punched through solid rock, reminded of the difference in strength between them.
And here’s our treasure trove.
While it was no dragon’s hoard, there was still a decent amount of gold and silver. The hidden room also held a heavy metal box, important enough to be stowed away in secret. When we opened it, we found a single glass bottle filled with mysterious fluid. It looked like your run-of-the-mill potion, but I was sure that it was something more. I sensed great mana in that bottle, and the inside of the box was cushioned so it wouldn’t break.
Let’s Identify it.
However, my Identify failed. I could only learn its name: Soul Essence. I didn’t know what it was for, but the fact that it was sealed with magic scared me. And it was more carefully packed than the rare metals, so it must be valuable. I stowed it in my Pocket Dimension for the time being.
We got what we came for. Let’s get going.
“Hm.”
We were running a little late. We were supposed to be back in Bulbola by now.
The men grew hungry on the way back to the caravan, so Fran handed them skewers and sandwiches to sate their appetite. The farmers received them with tears. They must’ve been distressed by their time in the bandits’ den. Soon, the adventurers joined in—thanking Fran with misty eyes. I knew then that they would keep their end of the bargain.
“They’re back!”
“Over here, you guys!”
Caravan repairs had proceeded smoothly. The bandits’ bodies were tossed in a neat pile, but goblin corpses with bite marks had taken their place around the carriages. It was a good thing we left Jet behind.
“Looks like you’re okay. I didn’t expect the bandits would give you much trouble.”
“Hm. I beat them up, easy. I got a good haul out of it, too.”
“We’re good to go over here. Are those the captives from the hideout?”
“We sure are. Fran here saved us.”
With a quick explanation what went on at the hideout, we prepared to get going. There were five carriages in total, and we managed to fit all of the men onto them, though it was tight.
Fran rode on the lead carriage and guarded the caravan back to Bulbola. She talked about the contest with the other passengers in the meantime and told them about the Black Tail. Our time wasn’t wasted, after all.
An hour passed, and we reached Bulbola without further disturbance. We parted ways with the villagers and made our way to the Adventurers’ Guild. Since we needed to prepare the monster meat from the Crystal Cage, we requested to use the Dismantling Room and were led downstairs to the basement.
This place is bigger than Alessa.
We could carve up even large quarry here. The facilities were much better too, since it was equipped with a magical device that spouted water.
Let’s start with the Gullinbursti.
“Okay.”
I took the golden boar out of the Pocket Dimension.
Let’s drain it of blood first.
“Hm.”
Fresh monster blood could be used as a medical component or food ingredient. I suspended the freshly drained blood with Telekinesis and promptly stored it in the Pocket Dimension. I stored its heart too, despite the
fact it was inedible.
“These tusks are huge.”
Apparently, we can get a lot of money for its fur.
We’d hunted the boar mainly for its meat but ended up getting a lot of other materials in the process. We carved the Apis and Gullinkambi up, too. Now, we had enough meat to make pork, beef, and chicken curries, not that we were going to use all of it. Some parts just wouldn’t taste as good.
Now we can sell everything else.
“Hm. Where to, though? Lucille Trade Association?”
Hang on, there’s still something I want to look into.
I needed to know about the potion from the bandits’ hideout. We should be able to find an alchemist in a city this big, but where should we start?
Thirty minutes later, having sold all our leftover materials, Fran and I headed to the third floor of the Adventurers’ Guild. We asked the receptionist where we could find an alchemist, and she told us that the guild employed one just for such an occasion.
He was pretty good, too. We decided to leave the identification of the mysterious potion in his hands.
The older elf woman led us to his office and knocked on the door. The nameplate said “Eugene’s Laboratory”. This section seemed to house the biological research facilities. I saw the words “Sickbay” and “Atelier” written on adjourning doors.
“Come in.”
“Excuse us.”
An old man in loose robes was waiting inside. His slicked-back white hair flowed all the way to his back. He had a gentle smile, wise-looking round glasses, and the air of a scholar or researcher. He was lanky, although I wasn’t sure if he was underweight or just tall.
His eyes were strange though. What were supposed to be the whites of his eyes were black as ink, and his irises were emerald green. They had no shine to them either, giving the man an eerie quality. He looked like he had long thin feelers growing out of his hairline, too.
The alchemist was unsettling to look at. Fortunately for us, the elf lady greeted him like she would anyone else, reducing our shock. If we ran into this guy out on the city streets, we would’ve been on full alert.
“This girl wishes to consult you, Doctor Eugene.”
“Really? This adorable little girl is an adventurer?”
“Hm. D-Rank Adventurer, Fran.”
“And a D-Rank at that? My, aren’t you special.”