by Funa
“I absolutely must bring you back home with me. If I don’t…”
“If you don’t?”
“Our father and brothers will murder me!”
“Ah…”
The other three understood.
“I told you! I refuse to come back home!” Mavis shouted.
“You may not refuse! I’ll bring you back whatever it takes! I mean honestly—hunters are such… No, never mind…”
Ewan trailed off under the threat of Reina’s glare. He was rather wimpy, as far as knights went. For her part, Mavis had lost the usual masculine edge to her voice and was now speaking in a more “ladylike” manner. Perhaps it was because it was her brother she was speaking to? It gave Mile and the others a sense of… well, it gave them a very strange feeling.
“What will you do if you get injured and it leaves a scar?!”
“Pauline can heal me, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”
“What if you’re attacked by bandits?”
“Just recently we defeated over forty of them. And in reality, those weren’t even bandits, but soldiers from another country…”
“Wh…?”
Ewan was horrified.
She had neglected to include the fact that there were other parties fighting alongside them during that incident, but still—it was the truth.
“D-don’t tell me you’re talking about that rumor that’s been going around…about a small group of hunters capturing a platoon of imperial soldiers…”
“Oh, so you’ve heard about it?”
That was when Ewan remembered.
His own unit had just returned from a practice tour when he heard about the so-called Amroth Regional Guerilla War. The thing that stood out the most about the story was that four young girls had been involved in it. There was “Firebomb,” who let off endless explosive flame spells that could pierce through even defensive barriers; the “Saintly Maiden,” who could use healing magic; the “Little Demon,” who let off the loudest, most ostentatious spells; and then… But no, surely…
As he thought, he looked over at all of them.
There was the redhead girl who seemed fond of burning people—i.e. him, just a few minutes earlier.
There was the silver-haired angel who looked as though she must have fallen from heaven, who made one feel at ease with a glance.
And then, there was the black-hearted, busty girl.
The Austiens had a bit of family wisdom: Never trust a busty girl.
But all this meant that the “Godspeed Blade” he had heard about…would have to be…Mavis? Were they talking about Mavis?!?!
It was true. Reports of the Crimson Vow’s activities had made it from the mouths of the captured soldiers that the girls had been unable to silence all the way to the palace military commanders.
This was bad.
Ewan was panicking.
If even a quarter of what the rumors had said about the Crimson Vow were true, he would never be able to win against all four of them at once. Unlike his brothers, Ewan could only fight against four or five enemy soldiers simultaneously—at best. These girls could take on scores of enemy soldiers and make it out unscathed, and there were four of them. There was no way he could possibly best them. He wouldn’t underestimate his opponents based on gender or age. As such, this was the only objective conclusion Ewan could reach.
In any case, he had no intention of harming Mavis or her friends, though that did not mean that he had not been prepared to use at least minimal force. Now, even that was no longer an option.
“At least show your face, Mavis! Just once, come see Mother and Father and let them know that you’re all right!”
“And when she does, you’ll trap her in the house, won’t you?” Pauline interjected.
Ewan glared.
You snake! I guess it’s true what they say about busty women…
He clicked his tongue against his teeth.
They continued to talk for some time after that, but they could not seem to reach common ground. Finally, some of the guests came to request that the girls run the baths for them, so they took the opportunity to draw their discussion to a close.
Ewan proposed reserving a two-person room at the inn so that Mavis could share it with him, but naturally, she refused.
After that, they were faced with Ewan’s unfortunate attempt to accompany Mavis to the bath, but everyone barred him from following through with that.
Because the bath had no windows except the small ones that allowed light to filter in from the ceiling, and because the small structure had been built in the corner of the courtyard, anyone who approached would be clearly visible. Peeping was impossible. There weren’t any thieves or assassins around, but if there were, it would be unthinkable for them to try to make a grand entrance through the front door.
Thus, everyone barred Ewan from entering with Mavis quite easily.
But, Ewan explained, back home, they had bathed together until age thirteen—something Mavis hurriedly tried to deny.
“Until you were thirteen?”
“Huh? Is that weird?”
“………”
The next morning, when the girls went to eat breakfast, Ewan was nowhere in sight.
Perhaps he had already finished, or perhaps he would eat after. Either way, they were not terribly concerned.
Of course, when they started to head out to the guild, and Ewan still had not shown his face, they began to grow suspicious, which is when Lenny explained:
“Oh, if you’re looking for Big Brother, he went out super early this morning.”
“Huh…?”
The girls were all perplexed.
What with the way he had been acting, they had felt certain that Ewan would try to accompany them on their job, but it seemed their troubles had come to a rather anti-climactic resolution.
They set out at once, before he could return.
“All of these suck…”
There wasn’t a single appealing request on the guild’s job board.
There were a decent number of postings, but nothing that suited them. Either the rank was too low, or the rank was too high, or the pay wasn’t worth it, or they were somewhere far away…
They would feel awkward taking on a job that required overnight travel while Ewan was around. But still, taking on a D-rank task was unforgivable.
“Guess we’ve got no choice. Time to take on some dailies and prepare for some gathering…”
After a while, they arrived at the hunting grounds designated for C-rank hunters.
Occasionally, orcs and ogres appeared in this area, so it was never frequented by E-rank or lesser hunters. Now and then, some D-rank hunters might show up, but it was mostly C or B-ranks who visited these woods.
Mile activated her detection magic the moment she stepped onto the grounds. Normally, she did not use it while in town. There would be too many things for her to detect, for one, and that would be irritating. Plus, even if she were to exclude humans, she wasn’t sure what she would do if she discovered something that wasn’t human in the vicinity. So, it was easier just to forego it.
Even while hunting, Mile did not point out each and every creature she detected to her fellow party members. If they came to rely on her for every little thing, then if their party ever disbanded—or if Mile ever took part in a separate operation—the rest of them would be completely lost. That simply would not do, so Mile made the independent decision to limit her aid, helping the party with the things that she alone could do—like supply-carrying and defense—only in truly dire situations.
“Oh?”
Mile paused, looking suspicious.
“Is something wrong?” asked Reina.
“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”
I sense some people nearby…but they aren’t speaking or making any other sounds.
Mile thought this rather curious, but they were at a hunting ground. It wouldn’t be peculiar at all for other hunters to be here as well. If they were quiet, it
could be because they were resting, or because they were attempting to sneak up on some prey….
In fact, it would be much stranger for them to be making a racket in the middle of hunting.
Even as she had this thought, Mile continued to scan for prey visually along with her cohorts. Of course, her detection magic was still activated, but that was for safety’s sake more than anything else—not for the sake of making hunting easier. Except, of course, when they weren’t catching much the normal way.
They’re following us…
Mile had noticed from the start that the humans she had sensed earlier seemed to be keeping a fixed distance from them.
One was ahead, with four others behind. This was most definitely the pattern of pursuers trying not to be noticed by their prey. This was bad. Mile gestured for the other three to come closer.
“What is it?” asked Reina, sidling toward her as they walked.
“We’re being followed,” Mile replied. “There are five people heading our way. They’re closely grouped.”
“Hmm? Well then, we’d better find a good place to meet them.”
Mavis and Pauline nodded silently.
About ten minutes later…
Mile and the others stood in front of a tree with a trunk the circumference of several adults’ arm spans. Suddenly, five men appeared. Reina and Pauline were closer to the tree, with Mavis and Mile in front.
To the men, this looked like a prime opportunity, as the girls stopped for a rest with the tree blocking their rear exit, so they could not escape. However, naturally, the Crimson Vow had chosen this location so that they would not be attacked from behind.
“Huh? Who are you all? Do you have some business with us?” asked Pauline, timid and bewildered as the men approached with grins on their faces. She was a splendid actress.
“Heh heh heh, well, we was just thinkin’ you girls might like to tango with us a bit…” said the fellow who looked like their leader, a nauseating sneer on his face. “Don’t hate us, all right? We’re just tryin’ to fulfill a request here. This ain’t nothin’ but a job… Heh heh, and we’re very passionate about our work.”
The man’s face morphed from a smirk to a grin as Reina looked on suspiciously.
“Request?”
“That’s right. A request from a certain family: ‘Mess up those girls that travel with her so they can’t hunt anymore.’ Seems like they were hoping that it would persuade you to give up your hunting career and come back to live under your family’s thumb. Your folks are a real piece of work, huh? Hahaha!”
“Huh…?”
The girls were all stunned.
“All right lads, just keep yer hands off the big one. Don’t hurt her. The rest of those girls— you can do whatever you like!”
“Wh…?”
Mavis froze.
“Th-this can’t… They wouldn’t possibly…”
Mavis was pale as a sheet.
Her family. A family of proud nobles.
Her father and her brothers, who valued their knightly pride above all else.
She couldn’t believe it. No, she didn’t want to believe it…
Mile hurriedly moved to support Mavis, who looked as though she were about to faint.
The others couldn’t believe it either. They had heard so many tales of Mavis’s family. The family that appeared in those stories loved Mavis with a fierce intensity, but furthermore, they were extraordinarily proud and dutiful, as nobles went—the embodiment of noblesse oblige. Was all of that just…
Could her family’s fierce and intense love for Mavis explain what was going on now?
Her family was attacking her friends, in the name of loving her. For her sake…
Mavis crumbled, dropping to her knees.
“Mavis…”
Reina called out to her, worried, but Mavis’s eyes were dull with despair. Neither Mile nor Pauline knew what to say.
The man, however, had already continued speaking.
“Alright lads, take your pick! Anyone but the brunette, the big one!”
Hearing this, all four of the Crimson Vow screamed in unison:
“When you said ‘big,’ were you talking about her booooooobs?!?!”
“Y-you bastards!”
Mavis was angry.
She was utterly livid.
It was the first time that the others had ever seen an expression of true rage on Mavis’s face.
Actually, she looked… pretty cool.
“You really gave me a shock! And you dared to make me question my own family… I won’t forgive you. I’ll cut down each and every one of you!”
“Mavis, wait!” As Mavis reached for her sword, Reina held her back. “You only get to take two of them! At least leave one each for the rest of us!”
“Got it.”
Mavis would channel the rage she felt toward herself into striking down the men. How could she have doubted her family, even for a moment?
Reina, Mile, and Pauline—their true targets—all felt a similar urge to kill.
“Oh, so the little ladies from the Hunters’ Prep School are tryin’ to look tough? We’ve been C-rank hunters for twenty—”
Cling!
The bandit leader gaped as the sword in his hands was struck down by Mavis’s interrupting attack.
“Pick it up.”
“Huh?”
“Pick up your sword. I’ll wait.”
“Ugh!”
His face twisted in humiliation, the leader swiftly retrieved his sword, taking several steps back.
“You think you can make fun of me?! You’ll regret not taking that chance while you had it! Oy! You lads, get in here!”
Rallying his companions, the leader squared off against Mavis again. Another of them joined him, sword in hand. Each of the other three faced Mile, Reina, and Pauline, respectively.
Mile was wielding a sword, so they assumed she was a sword-user, but she was still a child of no more than eleven or twelve. The other two were clearly mages. It would be dangerous to allow them to use magic, but at least from this distance, if they leapt in the moment the girls started a spell, they could easily take them down before the spell could be finished. Mavis was a fierce opponent, but she was clearly still a rookie with minimal experience, so against two veterans, it would be no contest.
Or so the men thought.
Fwoosh!
Two attacks flew toward Mavis at once, but thanks to her training against simultaneous attacks from Mile and Veil, she could take on several enemies at the same time. Even in that split second, she saw each attacker clearly. The leader was slightly quicker, and she clashed with his sword first. With their blades still interlocked, she repelled the second attack as well. Both of the men’s stances were ruined, so she could have easily pursued them both. However, Mavis did not move.
“Wh…?”
The two men were stunned to see their dual-attack—a certain victory—repelled so easily, though in reality this was not all that mysterious.
What the leader had been about to say was, “We’ve been C-rank hunters for twenty years.” In other words, even after over twenty years with the guild, they were still just shy of B-rank. Apparently, they couldn’t make a living without taking on illegal jobs that the guild would not have endorsed, and judging by their bedraggled appearances and gear, they were low-ranking even amongst C-rank hunters. Here they were, broadcasting all that to the world, when they clearly had nothing to be proud of.
By contrast, the graduates of the Hunters’ Prep School had been recognized for their exceptional ability and undergone half a year of intense training. They were completely different from those who had scraped to be promoted from a D to C-rank. Each of the members of the Crimson Vow were somewhat—no, very much—part of a special group.
Mavis called to the men coolly.
“Bring it on.”
The remaining three bandits were in a panic.
Once the mages began casting their spells, the bandits had pla
nned to rush the child sword-wielder in front of them and knock her down. The rest of the girls would be too frightened to act after that, and the bandit leaders could deal with them easily once they had finished taking down the knight. The task was simple.
Or so they had assumed. Shockingly, the leaders were losing even their two-on-one fight. Just as they started thinking that they wouldn’t be able to go to the aid of their leaders until the girls before them were vanquished—so as not to be attacked from behind—the members of the Crimson Vow who were supposed to be their quarry began to speak.
“Well then, I suppose we ought to get started as well,” said Pauline.
“It looks like they’re disgraced hunters from another town’s guild. Seems like they don’t know anything about us,” added Reina.
“Taking them all on one-on-one isn’t really that fun. Why doesn’t each of us take one-third of each of them?”
“There’s an idea!”
All three chimed in at once: “That’s what we’ll do!”
Whsh-whoosh!
Mile swung her sword playfully, and with a clatter, all three men’s armor fell to the ground.
“Wh…”
Unable to comprehend what had just happened, the men stared, dumbfounded.
Mile had removed the men’s armor as a consideration to Reina and Pauline, who could not easily strike someone without a weapon—as well as to make Reina’s fire magic more effective. However, in reality, the party’s mages were in need of no such advantages.
While the bandits were still in disarray, they began their incantations.
“Ignite!”
Reina had used an Igniting spell—the most basic of basic, everyday kind of fire spell. Three of them, actually, of decent strength.
“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
The three men’s heads went up in flames like torches.
After stoically watching this display for several seconds, Pauline was up next.
“Waterball—Ultra Hot!”
As Pauline’s words rang out, three spheres of water appeared above her head. They were made of red water.
“Fire!”
The spheres flew forcefully toward the men’s heads, struck them, and extinguished the burning flames.