by Ryota Hori
Those honest feelings rose from Ryoma’s heart.
Could I really leave these girls behind and go back to my world? Would I be satisfied with that?
He’d intended to do anything to get out of this screwed-up world he’d been summoned to and find a way back home. He’d even thought to himself that he’d find a way back home even if he had to kill everyone in this world to do it. But when mulling over the possibility of allowing two girls to be raped and murdered right in front of him, he realized he wasn’t as single-minded as he thought.
I’ve already got blood on my hands, and I don’t regret that. The assholes who summoned me here, tried to enslave me, and tried to make me fight for them? Their lives don’t mean shit to me. If I ever make it home, even if people judge me, I’ll tell them all that I did the right thing. “I did what I had to! You have no right to complain,” I’ll say. But if I just leave these girls to die, can I say the same thing then...? Fuck that. Never mind what other people might think, I’d never be able to forgive myself.
As cold and relentless as he could be when it came to fulfilling his objectives, Ryoma was fundamentally a good person, with the common sense and perception of justice one would expect of a decent, modern human being. But if anything set him apart, it was his resolve.
The resolve to pursue that justice, even it if meant separating his enemies from their souls, may have been the one thing that made him different compared to most people.
Taking his chakrams out of his sack, he moved through the forest towards the ideal position to launch a surprise attack. If his preemptive attack were to fail, the odds would be overwhelmingly against him. And this time, his face wasn’t hidden. If even one of them got away, they’d bring reinforcements and retaliate.
I don’t have much of a choice if I’m gonna increase my chances of success... Sorry, girls.
Ryoma mentally apologized to the girls, who were on the verge of crisis. Perhaps he was merely trying to mentally justify doing this, but...
Ryoma moved to the southern side of the forest, to a position that gave him a better view of the men and the girls. There were ten meters of distance between them, and the men couldn’t see Ryoma through the branches and leaves which hid the road from view.
Are those bastards going to rape them right here, in the middle of the road...?
At first Ryoma thought they might move somewhere else, but the men intended to do the deed right there and then, in the middle of the road. It had been some time since they’d attacked the carriage, but they didn’t seem to mind. Even considering this was an empty road in the middle of the forest, their confidence seemed strange, if not outright brazen.
Goddamn animals...
Staring at them in disgust, an uncomfortable feeling overcame Ryoma. But he shook off those feelings and waited patiently, restraining his anger and desire to kill all the while.
Then it happened.
“All right, so it’s decided! This is our little secret, lads. If the boss finds out, it’ll be all of our heads on the chopping block, after all!” Gates said, prompting everyone else to nod.
“Alrighty, let’s start with the blondie, then!” So said the man restraining the golden-haired girl.
“I’ll take the silver one, then!” The other men started speaking enthusiastically.
“Hey, Gates, what are we gonna do about these guys?”
“Aaaah? Let ’em do whatever they want. Though I’ll be taking the silver girl’s virginity for myself.”
“What?! Gates, you asshole, who died and made you king?! Her first time is mine!”
They were so horned up that they broke into a lowbrow argument, before eventually deciding on an order.
“You there, tyro. Keep watch. Well, the guild’s subjugation forces are being organized and the Empire’s army hasn’t moved, so there’s nothing to fear, but another sucker might show up, so keep your eyes peeled! And the guys going second, hold the girls’ arms tight!”
The men moved out at Gates’s instructions.
So he’s the head honcho, then.
Ryoma clenched the chakram in his fist tightly.
“All right!”
The men took off their sashes and lowered their pants down to their knees, exposing their privates. That was what Ryoma had been waiting for.
Now! Die!
The moment the men’s bodies were about to obscure those of the girls, Ryoma fired off a chakram. Cutting through the window, it whizzed toward Gates.
“Guah...” A splash of blood burst from Gates’s mouth.
The chakram Ryoma had fired sunk itself into the back of Gates’s defenseless head, lodging into his skull, and his body collapsed on top of the girl.
Ryoma fired his remaining chakrams from behind cover, and then charged out of the forest. He was aiming at the men who were pinning down the girls.
“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah?!”
“Geeeeeeeeeh?!”
One chakram sank into one man’s brow, and another into the other man’s throat. Unfortunately, the next man avoided the fourth thrown chakram by ducking his head, letting it sail over him.
Three down, four to go.
Ryoma had a valid reason to wait until right before the girls were going to be ravaged; he was waiting for the bandits to disarm themselves. If a man intended to rape a woman, he’d have to take off his pants. And since they were also wearing sashes, that meant they’d have to remove the swords on their waists as well.
Ryoma had, of course, considered the emotional damage it would inflict on the girls, but he had to win, and the most surefire way to dispose of the men was to wait until the moment they were about to start. Ryoma made a gamble, with victory or defeat leaning on that single moment. And the risk had paid off.
His preemptive strike took out the group’s leader, Gates, and threw the enemy’s formation out of order. Their weapons were thrown to the ground, along with the sashes they had removed to rape the girls, and some of them still had their pants hanging around their knees. It was impossible to reflexively prepare for battle in those positions.
The guards were some distance away, so Ryoma had to beat the men pinning the girls down first.
“What? What’s going on?!” The men guarding the highway ran over, having noticed the disturbance.
“Were you morons even watching?! We’re under attack!” One of the men shouted, his face distorted with lust and rage.
“The hell are you?!”
“Don’t mess with us. You just made enemies of the Crimson Moon Brigade!”
Ignoring the men charging at him, Ryoma rushed to the girls’ side.
“You fucker, how dare you shrug us off. Die!” The man who had dodged the chakram stopped pinning down the girls and drew his sword.
Holding it over his head, he swung the blade down at full force down toward Ryoma’s skull. Ryoma’s sword, which he held under his arm, intersected with the blade. The sound of metal clanging and sparks spread out. A sword swung down. A sword brandished up. But the one that won over was the sword brandished upward.
The man aimed at Ryoma’s head, but Ryoma aimed at the man’s sword itself. That small difference was what tipped the scales of this exchange. While he’d managed to stop the sword from being flicked away, the man’s right hand was pushed back, and then a wet sound - like a watermelon being cut in half - echoed through the forest.
Ryoma’s sword swung down, crushing the man’s head.
Three more!
He’d reduced the group of seven to less than half their starting number, but the effect of the surprise attack was wearing off by now. The three that were in charge of keeping watch rushed back, weapons in hand, and were looking for a chance to strike.
They’re not charging in... Shit!
They were in a stalemate. In terms of martial skills, the three bandits were no match for Ryoma. They likely had ample combat experience, but they weren’t skilled in martial arts. Their formation was perfect, though, and didn’t allow for any openings Ryoma cou
ld take advantage of.
Ryoma returned his sword to his scabbard, kneeling as he waited for his opponents to make a move. His glare clashed with theirs.
The way this is going, it won’t end well... I have to go for it!
Ryoma broke his stance and suppressed his bloodthirst for the bandits. With his sword still in his right hand, all the force drained from his muscles, and he walked up to the bandits slowly. In contrast to how savage he was before, there wasn’t a hint of emotion in Ryoma’s features. Like a doll, there wasn’t a hint of prana to his expression.
“S-Stay away!”
“What are you thinking?!”
It took the bandits by surprise. Ryoma’s body was completely loose, and open to attack. He looked like an attack could easily do him in. He moved calmly, one step after another... When one of the bandits finally lost his temper.
“A-Are you making fun of us?! Die!” He shouted angrily, bearing down his sword on Ryoma’s head.
The moment he did, Ryoma’s body slipped to his right, and blood spurted out of the attacking bandit’s neck.
“Wh-What did you do?!”
In Ryoma’s hands was a naked sword, dripping with blood, which he’d apparently drawn at some point. But what rattled the other bandits wasn’t dread from his swordsmanship, but the fact Ryoma’s expression remained as still as it was even as he slew a man and was stained all over with his blood.
And this surge of terror clouded the bandits’ judgment. It was hard to deal with them when they acted together in a formation, but when fear and anxiety overcame them, they forfeited their means of survival.
They held up their swords, abandoning their formation, merely focusing on the enemy before them like mere animals. Ryoma slashed over one of the bandits’ exposed torso, and used the momentum to slash the final one diagonally from the shoulder.
“Whooooo...”
With the final one cut down, Ryoma flicked the blood off his blade and returned it to its sheath. Looking around, he sighed heavily.
I managed it, one way or another...
“U-Um... Excuse me?” A voice suddenly spoke from behind him.
Ryoma turned around, catching sight of the girls running toward him.
“Oh, your face!” She said, using her sleeve to wipe the blood splatter off Ryoma’s face.
“My apologies. I am the older sister, Laura.”
“And I am the younger sister, Sara.”
The silver-haired girl introduced herself, followed by the blond girl.
“Right. You two okay?”
“Yes, we are. We thank you for saving us.” They said, bowing their heads in gratitude.
“No, I’m sorry you had to go through something like that. I should have come in to save you much sooner, honestly.”
Even if he did do it to save them, he did deliberately let things get to the very moment before they were ravaged. The fear would likely leave lasting marks on their hearts.
The girls, however, shook their heads at Ryoma’s words.
“Don’t apologize, sir. The fact our bodies remain undefiled is all that matters.”
“It is as Sara says. No amount of thanks will suffice... We truly are grateful to you.” Laura supplemented to Sara’s answer, and the two of them once again bowed their heads.
“Hearing you say that is more than enough...!”
Ryoma once again stared at the girls, taken aback by their beauty. Their skin was light brown and their features were perfectly chiseled. Their limbs were supple, and their ample breasts made Ryoma terribly aware of their femininity.
They were dressed like Arabian dancers, but the collars and shackles stood out more than anything.
I can see why the bandits lost their heads from seeing them...
But at the same time, something about these girls felt off to Ryoma.
What’s with them, anyway? Are these girls stronger than those bandits?
The shape of their muscles, the way they carried themselves and the watchfulness in their gazes. They all gave the impression that the girls were skilled martial artists. In Ryoma’s eyes, they didn’t seem like fragile, dainty existences who would be so easily raped by those bandits.
“Um... Is something the matter?” Laura asked, feeling Ryoma eye them suspiciously.
“Oh. Ah, sorry. Just thinking about something. Do you girls have a last name, by the way?”
He had his suspicions, but asking now would be unwise. Ryoma spoke to them with the most pleasant voice he could manage.
“Slaves have no family names...” Laura’s reply made Ryoma’s expression distort.
He’d assumed as such from the collar, but this world really did have slaves.
“Oh, I’m sorry...” Ryoma regretted asking that insensitive question.
“It is fine. Do not let it bother you.” But even as the girls said that, there was a shadow over their expressions.
An awkward silence hung over the three of them.
Damn... I shouldn’t have asked that...
He knew he had to say something to mend this situation, but he had little experience with these sorts of things. No matter how much he racked his brain, it felt like anything he would come up with would only make things worse.
What eventually broke the oppressive silence was Sara’s voice.
“Um... If you wouldn’t mind, could you tell us your name?”
He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he forgot to introduce himself.
“Oh, oops. Sorry. My name’s Mikoshiba, Ryoma Mikoshiba.”
“Mikoshiba... Master Mikoshiba. Allow us to thank you again. You have truly been a great help.” The two bowed their heads yet again.
“Don’t mention it. Well, that aside, what will you be doing now? Do you want me to escort you to Alue?”
Their response, however, surprised Ryoma.
“No... Our apologies. We cannot move away from here without orders from our Master.”
Those unexpected words made Ryoma’s thoughts grind to a halt. Their expressions didn’t seem joking, though.
“...Are you for real?” He asked them, almost timidly.
Ryoma was so confused he’d spoken in his most casual, unrestrained manner.
“Yes.” The two of them nodded in unison.
“And where is this Master of yours?” Ryoma examined the attacked carriage, but none of the corpses lying there seemed to be the right person.
“Our Master fled along with his bodyguards when the carriage was attacked.”
Sara’s answer left Ryoma astonished. They were obeying the orders of an owner that left them behind and ran?
“So let me get this straight. This Master fellow just ran off and left you behind?”
“Yes.”
“And that’s why you’re staying here?” He asked, hoping to be answered in the negative.
His prayers went unanswered, though, and it was the kind of hunch Ryoma wished was wrong that ended up being proven true.
“Yes. We cannot move unless our Master orders otherwise.” The two nodded, and Ryoma raised his head, looking upward.
C’mon... This has to be a joke.
This was, honestly speaking, a rather irritating development. For all Ryoma cared, he just wanted to take these girls back to town, get away from there as soon as possible and bid the two farewell. There were his pursuers from the Empire to consider, and the two of them were suspicious enough to boot. But so long as the girls insisted on not moving, going back to town wasn’t possible. And he couldn’t drag them all the way there either, obviously.
Well, not much I can do. I guess I’ll help the girls set up camp and leave them the food. They’ll have to take care of themselves after that...
Realizing there was no changing the girls’ minds, he gave them instructions to start setting up camp. Leaving them in the heart of the forest like this left a bitter taste in his mouth, of course.
Well, I’ll do what I can to help them.
He knew this was hypocrisy on his p
art, but he could only do so much. As he had the girls prepare the camp, Ryoma carried the bodies of the bandits and what seemed to be dead bodyguards. He figured leaving them there wouldn’t be wise, but that lead to a more alarming development.
As Ryoma dragged the second corpse to the trees, thirty meters away from the highway, the sound of a girl’s scream reached Ryoma’s ears.
That was Sara’s voice! What’s happening?!
Ryoma dropped the corpse he was carrying and ran back to the campsite. Looking between the trees, Ryoma caught sight of the road.
“Did you really think you’d get away with this, you cheeky whores?!” One of the bandits, his armor stained with blood, screamed while riding on a horse with Sara carried under his arm. “I know what you look like! We’ll chase you down wherever you go and kill you!”
Dammit! I could’ve sworn I killed him! Ryoma clicked his tongue.
Still, cursing to himself wasn’t going to change anything. The fact of the matter was that the bandit who’d had his stomach slashed by Ryoma had grabbed Sara and was trying to escape on horseback.
Ryoma took out a chakram from his sack and took off after the bandit.
Not yet. He’s too far.
Although he was in a hurry, the tree branches were getting in the way and weren’t allowing him to run freely. Chakrams were a powerful weapon, but they had one flaw: their range was much shorter than a bow.
A common bow’s range was roughly sixty meters, but a chakram could only manage ten meters at best; they were compact and could be fired in succession, but their range left much to be desired. By the time Ryoma reached the highway, the bandit had already spurred his horse to gallop and had a twenty meter advantage on Ryoma.
“Shit!”
Ryoma looked around, but there were no other horses. Though even if there were, Ryoma had no experience with horse riding and wasn’t likely to catch up with the bandit anyway.
“Master Mikoshiba!” Laura caught up to Ryoma, blood trickling from her mouth. Perhaps the bandit had punched her.
“Don’t worry. I’ll think of something!”
“No.” Laura shook her head at Ryoma’s attempt to soothe her. “I have a request to make of you.”
“A request?”