Chapter 23

In a room that wasn't very spacious, the presence of the large-bodied captain and three bandits was quite intimidating.

And the miracle of them all having fierce, bandit-like faces.

I thought the captain wasn't that much of a bandit, but now that I see him, he's quite the bandit.

I decided in my heart that I could call him a bandit with peace of mind from now on.

"Hey, you kidnapped our medic, didn't you?"

"Is this woman a medic?"

"Of course, she's a medic. Does she look like a combatant?"

"N-no, isn't this woman a marchioness's daughter?"

"From any angle, she looks like a forest elf."

The bandits turned to look at me.

I had been wearing a hood deeply, so I removed it to show my ears.

"Wha...!"

"You...!"

"You were lying, weren't you!?"

The bandits were stunned. Actually, it took them way too long to notice.

While they were still in shock, I circled around to where the captain was and left the house in one go.

"Risris Medic!!"

Deputy Captain Berrie, who was behind the captain, pulled me over.

Hugged tightly, I felt the tension in my heart ease.

"I'm glad... you're safe."

"Yes, thanks to you."

Garu, Zara, and Urgas were there. Surprisingly, a few members from other expedition teams were also present.

"Deputy Captain, can I borrow a sword?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Zara handed a battle axe to Deputy Captain Berrie and drew one of the twin swords from its sheath.

I wondered what she was going to do, but she went into the bandits' house.

"Deputy Captain, what's Zara doing...?"

"She's switching to a sword because a battle axe is disadvantageous indoors."

"Ah, I see."

I peeked through the window to see what was happening inside.

"Four large bandits and Zara, it's quite a tight situation, isn't it?"

"Four bandits? I only see three. Are they hiding somewhere else?"

"Ah, sorry. I counted the captain as one of the bandits."

"Ah, I see."

It seems the captain's bandit-like appearance was officially recognized by Deputy Captain Berrie. Good, I'm not the only one who sees him as a bandit.

Through the window, the room was tense with the captain, Zara, and the three bandits staring each other down.

It seemed difficult for anyone else to join the fight from our side.

"Maybe Urgas, who is in the rear, could join in."

"Deputy Captain, please have mercy..."

A few knights had gone around to the back door in the kitchen.

Urgas opened the window slightly, took out a notebook, and was observing the situation inside. It seemed he was taking notes for a report.

"Deputy Captain Berrie, what did the bandits demand from the marchioness's family?"

"Ah, this is the marchioness's territory, but they've been occupying it without permission since five years ago—"

They had been ignoring the eviction orders. They would hunt in the forest and threaten the servants who came to negotiate with weapons.

"So, their demand was to revoke the eviction order."

"Um, what about a ransom?"

"No, there wasn't one."

I suddenly wondered if they were really bandits.

I peeked at the men in the room. They were bearded, had bad eyes, and carried weapons.

Yeah, they were completely bandits.

It seemed the knights had finished positioning themselves at the back door.

Deputy Captain Berrie tapped the window lightly, signaling.

The captain drew his sword. The bandits tensed up.

"We're settling this here. If you lose, you'll leave this place."

"What!?"

That was the signal.

The leader, who seemed to be the biggest, raised a large sword and charged.

First to move was Zara. I wondered if a small twin sword would be enough against a large, heavy sword.

But there was no need to worry.

Zara blocked the sword coming down from above, deflected its path, and immediately kicked the bandit in the stomach, sending him flying backward.

The bandit crashed into the wall, let out a groan, and stopped moving.

"Brother!!"

"Brother, what the hell!!"

The one Zara easily defeated was apparently the brother.

Instead of retaliating, the bandits collapsed in tears on the spot.

"Oh no, what the hell!!"

"Being beaten up by such a beautiful lady is something I've never seen before!!"

Zara isn't a beautiful lady. She's a beautiful man.

"Because she was so beautiful, I was mesmerized."

"Can't help it, I guess."

Maybe it's better not to correct them.

After that, the knights waiting at the back door rushed in.

The bandits were quickly restrained.

The bandits, tied up and being led away, looked defeated.

The captain and Zara came out.

"Mel-chan, are you okay?"

Suddenly, Zara hugged me. It was a bit forceful.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine. Are you okay, Zara?"

"Yes, I'm fine. They were amateurs in combat."

"Ah, so they weren't really bandits, huh?"

"Probably not."

They didn't seem like bad people. They were probably just three tough-looking men who lived by hunting.

"Still, occupying and kidnapping is wrong."

"Exactly. I got tough with them because they took Mel-chan, even though they were amateurs."

"They had weapons."

"They had machetes."

"Oh, machetes, huh?"

I thought they were weapons, but they were probably just tools. I hadn't seen such large machetes in our village, so I didn't realize.

"Risris Medic, let's go back."

"Ah, yes."

The incident was resolved.

The bandits were restrained and taken away by the knights.

The place where I was taken was quite far from the headquarters.

We finally made it back.

It was late at night, but the lights were on in the mansion.

They probably couldn't retreat because of the kidnapping incident.

Before entering the mansion, I noticed something.

"Ah!"

Deputy Captain Berrie looked at me and asked, "What's wrong, Risris Medic?" but I was too flustered to explain properly.

"Calm down. It's okay."

After being gently patted on the back, I finally managed to speak.

"I left the pot at the bandits' hideout..."

"Oh, that pot."

When asked if it had any special meaning, I shook my head.

Without it, I couldn't cook meals on the expedition, so it was a problem.

"Then, let's go shopping together next time. The cost of a pot should be covered by the expenses."

"Really?"

"Yes, don't worry."

That's good. It was getting a bit sticky anyway.

"Let's pick one out when we go shopping next time."

"Yes!"

Yay! A new pot!

I want to get a good one.

"I heard there are wootz steel pots for sale."

"Wootz... the steel used for forging swords?"

Wootz is a steel with a wood-grain pattern. It's said to be non-stick and durable. I heard this from a merchant who visited our village.

"Wootz is a very valuable material even for swords. Whether there are pots made of it is another question."

"I see."

If they exist, they would probably be expensive.

Well, it's fine. I'll choose a lighter and more user-friendly pot than the current one.

We were talking at the entrance of the mansion when the captain called us.

"Prepare the meal. We're leaving after eating."

"Yes!"

Come to think of it, I hadn't eaten anything. Maybe because I was relieved, my stomach growled.

In the dining hall, a knight who had given me butter handed me a bowl of soup.

"You must have had a tough time. Eat this and regain your strength."

"Ah... yes."

The knight dropped a large chunk of butter into the clear soup.

"Oh...!"

Butter soup, again.

Well, they say hunger is the best spice, so maybe it would taste good, but—

"Ugh...!"

One bite, and the intense richness made me roll my eyes.

Urgas, sitting diagonally in front of me, had the same expression.

Even when hungry, bad food is still bad.