Chapter 43

The party based in Regal increased their activities after the onset of spring.

The archer party "Artemis" hunts in the Baroa Forest. They target the slow-moving monsters that have just awakened from hibernation, venturing deeper than usual. It's like an early culling.

The well-organized "Shield of the Earth" splits into several groups, guiding guild members from other towns to potential hunting grounds near Regal, or completing quests at locations a bit further away using horses.

The "Sword of Harvest," whose motto is to go at their own pace, varies among its members. Some groups have already set out on expeditions to distant places, while many others are taking on tasks closer to home.

Other small parties are also starting to take on requests that suit them.

Surprisingly, the rookie party "Sun at the End" that once invited me to join their party is still hanging on. The leader, Frank, has a unique personality, and they often found themselves in dangerous situations due to interpersonal conflicts. However, their inherent inability to read the room and their resilience have brought them this far. Remarkably, the number of members in Sun at the End has increased to six by absorbing and merging with other small, weak parties. During the winter, they barely managed to get by, but with more tasks coming up, if they make the right choices, they should be able to get through this year.

As for me? I'll just do things casually.

Basically, I complete tasks in the forest or by the river to gather delicious wild herbs in the spring. The more peculiar the herb, the better it tastes when fried as tempura.

With the guild bustling as usual, I took on a promising request and set out for fieldwork in the Baroa Forest.

"Hey, you there, Bronze guy, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure, what's up?"

A little ways into the forest, I was called by a pair of guild members. I didn't recognize them, so they were probably from another town. It would be natural for them to ask for a guide in the unfamiliar forest, but their faces suggested otherwise.

There's a cruel saying in my previous life that "first impressions are 90% of everything," and a similar rule seems to apply here. To put it bluntly, the two men looked like "we're criminals" with their faces. When such menacing faces draw their swords and smile as if to say "we're about to commit a crime," even I would be wary.

They looked to be in their early twenties but appeared older due to their bad looks. Both wielded short swords and probably throwing knives. Their bronze recognition badges looked suspicious.

... If they had been tailing me from the guild, I would have noticed.

Could they have been lying in wait near the forest? They seem to be quite cautious thieves.

"You don't look very peaceful. What do you want with me? If it's money, I've earned a fair bit recently."

"Hey, you're a quick talker, old man. Drop your sword and hand over the money. If you do, I'll spare your life. Oh, don't think you can run. I'm known as 'Rokier the Annihilator.' If you show me your back, I won't let you live."

"I'm 'Carlo the Instant Killer'... the moment you make a suspicious move, my throwing knife will pierce your skull..."

Their faces are scary, but with short swords and no shields, they're not that strong. They've probably been extorting money from poorly armed solo guild members.

In other words, they underestimated me when they saw my bastard sword.

I can't forgive that.

"Good nerve... My name is Mongrel. I'm the one who will turn you over to the Regal guards."

"Haha, this guy's got spirit, Rokier. ...He's drawing his sword? There's no turning back now."

"Can't be helped. Let's finish this. Go, Carlo."

If it were a street thug starting a fight in the city, I'd handle it bare-handed.

But outside the city, with armed thieves who are ready to kill, I have to use my bastard sword.

But these guys who attack based on my equipment are not much of a threat.

Spring is the season when weirdos come out. I'll treat this as extra income.

"Die!"

With a weak enemy's favorite battle cry, a throwing knife was launched at me.

"No enhancement on thrown weapons."

I deflected it with the tip of my bastard sword.

Light blades are only this effective.

"Ah..."

Seeing me easily dodge the projectile, Rokier seemed to realize something.

You had bad luck, but I don't intend to forgive you, though I do feel some sympathy.

"Since you only have short swords, you can't even use basic self-enhancements. You should have targeted iron badges if you were going after novice guild members in early spring. Even a regular bronze badge would have been suspicious."

"K, don't come closer..."

"No, don't misunderstand. It's not to help you next time. You're going to the pig pen."

"Uaaaaah!"

I struck Carlo's head with the flat of my bastard sword as he tried to turn and run. A good metallic sound rang out, and one of the villains fell unconscious on the ground. Now for the other one.

"...Hey, I haven't killed anyone yet... let me go..."

"You just called yourself 'the Annihilator' a moment ago. ...Or did you? From your serious reaction, it seems you have killed. It would have been better if it was just a bluff."

People have been killed by such insignificant villains.

In a world where life is cheap, it's not uncommon for villains to do such things, but it's still a nasty story.

"Please, let me go!"

The man left his unconscious partner and ran away.

A murderer and a heartless one at that. Well, it makes it easier for me not to feel guilty.

"Heaven's Judgment!"

"Ugh!"

How to finish off an opponent who has put distance between us.

The answer is simple. Run faster than them and hit them.

Struck in the head in the same way as his partner, the second man also fell unconscious on the ground.

Now, all that's left is to deliver them to Regal.

"Let's tie them up and hang them on the balance pole... They'll be heavy."

When dealing with monsters, you can remove the organs to lighten the load, but you can't do that with humans. It's a hassle, but I'll have to carry them like two whole roasted piglets to the city.

The usually chatty gatekeeper, who usually jokes around, becomes serious when he sees two humans hanging from a pole.

"An ambush in the forest... What despicable fellows. Those recognition badges aren't even theirs. Did they kill someone and impersonate them to enter Regal?"

"Sorry, Mongrel. We'll interrogate these guys. We'll give you a reward later. The amount will depend on the additional crimes they confess to."

The usually lazy guards who lounge in the gatehouse also appeared, sending stern glares at the bound pair. They will likely be subjected to almost torture-like interrogations to extract information about their other crimes. The violence will be just enough to keep them usable as criminal slaves. I don't want to be involved in that.

"I'll head back into the forest, then."

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

"I managed to subdue them without injury. I'll just gather some spring herbs in a shallow area and come back."

"I see... Be careful, Mongrel. We can't protect you outside the city."

"Thanks for your concern, it's appreciated. But I don't have enough time to share some herbs with you."

"Ah, well, just bring some meat next time."

"That's quite a bold request, you know."

"Ha ha ha."

Spring is the season when people, goods, and money move. It's inevitable that bad people will also be active. It's a seasonal phenomenon, and unfortunately, it's not unusual.