Chapter 18

The Baroa Forest, located in the northeast of Regal, is an important timber harvesting site in the region.

In Regal, where resources are scarce, the demand for wood, especially as a building material, is high. A large amount is also needed as firewood during the winter.

The obvious downside of it being a habitat for monsters cannot be ignored, but people cannot live without the forest's bounty.

There are several work huts in the Baroa Forest where people can stay overnight, maintain and repair tools, and perform simple tasks.

These work huts are used by various people, such as hunters and forestry workers, but not just anyone can use them.

There are strict restrictions on who can use them, and only those who have obtained permission from the guild or are recognized by the town are allowed to use them.

However, the huts are not locked.

Once that happens, it's pretty much over. No matter what anyone says, there will be a lot of people using them without permission.

A roof and walls in the midst of a rich forest where one can sleep and wake up. Of course, lawless people love such places.

That's why guild members like us do regular patrols, but I think we need to do something about it.

I wish the huts could be reserved in advance. It's not uncommon for people with permission to have overlapping usage dates.

When a large group overlaps, it can get as crowded as a mountain hut, with people sleeping on top of each other. You might end up using someone's leg as a pillow. I can't stand that kind of thing.

"Someone's around. The one outside... looks like the remains of a dissection."

Near the work hut is a pavilion where half-finished wooden items and bricks made of clay are scattered.

Next to it, the legs of a wild animal, likely a dissection, are hanging and swaying. They might be the legs of a Crazy Boar.

"There are people in the work hut."

"How many... I can hear voices, but..."

"Maybe hunters?"

"...Let's see."

I first inspected the legs of the Crazy Boar hanging from the tree.

It seems they were caught in a snare trap. The trap is designed to cause bleeding with spiked metal when it tightens, and it looks like the Crazy Boar struggled so much that the trap got stuck in its leg and couldn't be removed. The strong rope is deeply embedded, almost fused with the leg.

I recognized the spiked metal and the rope.

"Ah..."

I compared the illegal trap I had just recovered from my bag, and it matched.

The rope and metal were both homemade and unauthorized, yet they matched.

There's no doubt that this dissection site is the work of the same outlaw who used the illegal trap.

"We've found a troublesome situation."

"Exactly. We could have pretended not to see it if we hadn't found it..."

I glanced at Sienna, who also looked a bit reluctant.

Honestly, a little bit of illegal activity is fine. As long as it's not discovered and no one else is harmed, well, there are quite a few who break the rules.

But when we find it during an investigation, and especially since we're working together, it's a bit difficult to turn a blind eye...

But the reality is, those people are already in the work hut.

And it's getting dark. We have no choice but to spend the night in or near the work hut, with these petty criminals.

Just thinking about it is a hassle, right?

"...Anyway, let's move before it gets completely dark. Hey, can we leave the negotiations with the people in the work hut to Artemis?"

"Sure. We're of a higher rank... No, it's fine if you can handle the negotiations, Mutt."

"Hey, why me? You have more clout than me."

"I want to see how you handle outlaws. We'll protect you with all our might if things get out of hand. But if you lack confidence, it's fine."

Oh, you're giving me the dirty job.

Alright, but it's nice to have backup, as long as they don't shoot me by mistake.

"Got it. I'll try to handle it as smoothly as possible. What about pretending not to know and spending the night in the hut together?"

"Impossible. We can't show any weakness to lawless people. They're unpredictable criminals, so we need to restrain them at the very least."

Sienna is a very principled person in this regard.

I guess Artemis, being an all-female party, has had various experiences that make them cautious.

"Mutt-senpai, be careful."

"Thanks."

Responding to Lina, who was preparing her bow, I knocked on the door of the work hut.

The chatting inside stopped, and after a moment of silence, someone approached.

"Who is it?"

"I'm from the guild. I'm here to stay the night. Can you open the door?"

"Sure, go ahead."

When I opened the door, three young men were inside. They looked like hunters and were apparently sorting the fat from the meat of a dissected boar.

I'm not sure if I've seen them at the guild before. They must be new members.

But at least they don't look like obvious thieves, which is a relief.

They're almost certainly the outlaws who set the illegal traps, though.

"Three of you. The meat hanging from the tree outside, is that yours?"

"Yeah. It was a small boar. A powerful one, though."

They admitted it so easily. They don't even try to hide it?

"Hey, you guys."

"Ah, damn..."

No use pretending now.

Well, this confirms it. What should we do with them?

We could hand them over to the guards with the evidence when we return to town, but the problem is what to do until then.

"...You guys set the illegal traps, right? I've recovered them."

"!"

"You can't deny it. The iron decorations hanging from your necks are from new guild members. Since you've received the basic training, you can't make excuses."

The three young men exchanged glances and looked flustered.

Their weapons were dissection knives, machetes, and short swords, which are powerful but slow without magical enhancement.

"...Hey, mister."

"I'm not that old. Call me Mutt."

"...Mutt. We're in a tough spot because we don't have money. That's why we're working hard to hunt. The traps... weren't good, I know. But it's not that bad, right? Can you let us off this time?"

Of course, that's what you'd say.

"Sorry, we're here on an investigation. Ignoring it would damage our credibility as guild members."

"Can't you make an exception?"

"You might think the illegal traps are no big deal, but this Baroa Forest is the land of the Regal Count, and the guild is responsible for its management. We can't weigh the legitimate trust of the nobility against the requests of Iron Class members like you."

I can't be an accomplice to someone who doesn't even follow simple rules. It's just unnecessarily dangerous and offers no benefits.

Promises to stop are too flimsy to be trusted. We only found one illegal trap today, but there are probably more if we look.

"...Notch. Jest."

"Right."

"There's no other way..."

They didn't use explicit words, but they each placed their hands on their weapon handles and started to approach me cautiously.

Please, don't. I'm not good with human blood.

"Hey... let's go outside. It's too cramped in here."

"...Mutt. Are you alone?"

"No, I'm not. There are five others outside."

"What?"

"Two are Silver Rank and one is Gold Rank. Three are expert archers, one is a swordsman who can kill a boar with his bare hands, and one is an incredibly skilled mage. So... you should give up. You're just unlucky."

They must have been intimidated by the impressive lineup of backup, as they stopped in the hut. It's scary, right?

"...You're bluffing. It's a bluff."

"Bluff? Then, Rody, should we...!?"

"Wait. How about you check outside? You'll see it's not a bluff. If you attack me here, we'll have to defend ourselves."

"...There are people outside, but the number and the Gold Rank are a bluff. This guy is Bronze. He can't have such powerful allies."

Hmm! That's a reasonable deduction, but it's wrong! My rank is a disadvantage here! That's true!

"Let's kill this guy first and take out the others outside!"

"Right!"

Negotiations failed. I should have let Sienna handle it from the start...

"Sorry, everyone, it didn't work out!"

Saying that, I rushed out of the hut.

The three outlaws followed, machetes in hand.

"Don't shoot! I'll handle it alone!"

"!"

The moment they rushed out, Sienna and the others were already in position to shoot.

But they held back at the last second. Thank you.

Instead, the outlaws were shocked to see the actual lineup waiting for them outside and froze.

"Even if you become criminal slaves, you won't die."

"Wh-what!?"

Swinging my bastard sword, I knocked the machete out of the leader's hand.

With the enhanced strength of my sword, it was easy to send the heavy machete flying.

I kicked the leader in the stomach, forcing him to kneel, and placed the tip of my sword at his exposed neck.

It was over.

"Drop your weapons and surrender. I promise not to harm you."

"Please, don't kill Rody!"

"I won't kill him if you drop your weapons. Both of you. ...Artemis, shoot if they resist."

"Of course."

They didn't resist further, probably realizing the futility of their situation.

They dropped their weapons and submitted to our restraints without a fight.

Ironically, the sturdy trap ropes were useful for restraining them.

Strong enough to hold a struggling Crazy Boar, they would ensure the outlaws didn't try anything foolish.

"...Your sword strike was impressive, even though it was just one."

The young men, their hands tied, sat near the hut with solemn expressions.

They occasionally mumbled, but it didn't seem like they were planning an escape. It wasn't a conversation worth eavesdropping on.

Watching them from a distance, Sienna and I talked.

"I just deflected their weapons."

"True, but I thought you were a bit too lenient with someone trying to kill you."

"I'm not a morning person."

"One wrong move and someone could have been injured."

"You're right. No excuse."

Ideally, I should have killed them when the negotiations broke down.

Once outside, a quick volley from Artemis would have been the safest and most straightforward approach. In this world, they don't deserve mercy.

"But I'm glad you're not the type to kill humans without hesitation."

"...It's not about my strength, though."

"True, but we wanted to see more than just that."

"You're overprotective."

"Lina is like family to us. It's natural. ...I can overlook a few flaws if you're kind."

"Flaws, huh?"

Lina and Ulrika were gathering kindling around the hut, and Gorilliana was chopping it into firewood.

They were preparing a campfire. Tonight's meal would likely be the boar meat the outlaws had prepared.

"Mutt, I recognize your worth."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Why not be happier? ...If you like, you can join Artemis. Depending on the mission, we might not work together often, but..."

"I'd rather not. It's all women."

"Hehe, just like Lina said."

Sienna's laugh was as gentle as when she was with her Artemis comrades.

"But it's a shame. You would have been the second male member after Ulrika."

"!?"

Male member? Who is he? I don't get it!