CH 18

Bandit Extermination (1)

After separating from Mize and the others, I immediately casted <Rage> and ran through the forest.

Along the way, I found several good vantage points, so I headed for the nearest one. While ignoring the animals and Demonic Beasts lurking in the forest, I lay my body down in a prone position and vigilantly watched my surroundings.

Then– I put the [Communication Paper], which has been ringing for some time, to my ear.

“Chris? Sorry, I couldn’t answer because I was near the target.”

“I guessed as much. Sorry to bother you while you’re busy, but just now, a group of more than 10 people have left the Royal Capital, and are heading towards the forest you are in. We aren’t completely sure, since we weren’t able to make contact with them, but the information we’ve received suggests that their equipment is similar to the previously encountered bandits. If this group is the enemy…”

“Yeah…I’ll handle them.”

I cut off the communication with Chris and placed the [Communication Paper] back in my pocket.

“This must be…a full-scale move on their part.”

They must have timed this to match with Mize’s departure from the Royal Capital.

While hiding my body in the bushes, I try to observe the enemy through the branches and leaves.

About a hundred metres away, I spotted a group of more than 10 people in red-brown cloaks.

The enemies hiding in the castle town were equipped for assassination, but the enemies that were approaching are different. Within their cloaks were sturdy swords with large blades and metal armour covering their arms and legs. It’s clear that they are expecting a showy battle. In the worst-case scenario, they may be prepared to engage in a frontal assault.

Unlike in the midst of the Royal Capital, in this vast forest, a large-scale battle wouldn’t attract much attention. Indeed, it provides the ideal opportunity to go on the offensive.

“…Just in case, I’ll check out their equipment.”

I’m more or less sure that they are enemies, since they’re wearing the exact same cloaks as the bandits I’ve defeated before, but I’ll check a bit more carefully to make sure.

I pass magic power through the black bracelet on my left wrist.

I haven’t used it at all since the escort mission began, but it finally gets to see some action.

— BF28 (Black Feather 28)

A jet-black sniper wand manifests itself.

It’s a magical tool that takes the appearance of a cylindrical black rod with a [Far-sighted Crystal] and a trigger attached to it. Three twisting, feather-like protrusions spiral out from the tip of the wand, and a long, thin, pointed black crystal is inlaid at its centre. Within the crystal was a faint, dark green glow.

After adjusting my posture, I use the [Far-sighted Crystal] to catch sight of the enemy.

Inside their cloaks were the dagger and poison the previous bandits were carrying. The poison, which was made from a special ingredient that couldn’t be found in this area, had a complex, unusual colour.

“…Enemies confirmed.”

During the skirmishes in the castle town, the enemies operated in smaller numbers due to the fact that they were operating covertly, which made it possible to eliminate them before they could coordinate with each other. This time, however, I have to defeat a large number of them at once.

— This might take a bit more time than I thought.

It would be impossible to take care of these numbers by just sniping them.

I can think of several strategies at the top my head, but none of them will work this time.

Mize and the others are around 800 metres behind me. If the enemy has someone capable of making a long-range attack, then the last line of defence should be around 500 metres behind me. I see that some of them are equipped with magic wands, but I don’t see anyone with a sniper wand, so I don’t need to watch out for snipers.

— I have no choice but to do it.

Can I do it? Should I give up?

Such questions are meaningless.

Don’t make light of me.

After all—- I am the man who slew the Demon King.

◆

14 men, their faces hidden by the red-brown cloaks they wore, walked across a plain.

The sound made by armour grating against armour is deafening. Yet these men had an important mission to complete; there was no room to complain during the operation.

“The target is in that forest.”

“It should be.”

A vast forest stretched out before the men’s eyes.

To take custody of the target; that was the mission given to these men.

Previously, since the target only spent time in the city, the men had to work in small numbers in order to prevent being noticed by third parties. But this time would be different. Here in the forest, away from the city, they wouldn’t attract attention even if they made some noise.

“Everyone, make sure to stay vigilant. There is probably an escort by the target.”

At the mention of that one word, several men check on their equipment.

The men were aware of the existence of an escort by the target. However, they knew neither the face nor the name of the escort.

It’s best to be on guard– but this time, unlike in the city, they were fully equipped and had more than 10 people with them.

The consensus among the men was that there was no way that they would lose.

Without another word, they continued to walk across the plain in silence.

At that moment– mixed with the sound of the wind and the chirping of the birds, was an out of place sound, pan.

In the next moment, a man died.

“Wha!?”

Another man walking in front suddenly had his skull pierced. Seeing their companion fall to his knees, not making any more movements, the group became agitated.

“There’s a sniper!”

“Damn! There’s no cover in this area!”

The men stood still in agitation.

Immediately after, there was a sound of something bursting again.

“Hiih!?”

Another person fell to the ground.

Like the other one, he had a cleanly pierced hole on his head.

“Run! Get to the forest!”

Running across the plain, they headed to the forest ahead of them.

During that time, one or two more people became victims of the sniper. There was no time to listen to their last words. If anyone took the time to do so, they would be the next to die.

“Calculate the sniper’s position from the angle of his shots!”

The man in the lead shouts.

“There he is! Two o’ clock, 100 metres ahead, on top of that hill!”

“That’s closer than I thought…Let’s take him down! The target may be nearby!”

The men all headed in the direction of the hill.

And beyond that, there was a man in a pitch-black cloak– Tweight.

“They’ve come.”

There are 9 men remaining; 5 were killed through sniper fire.

Tweight, who quietly muttered that, held a pitch-black sniper wand on his right arm. The men’s gazes were drawn to the weapon for a moment, then in the next, they displayed their wariness.

“How about the target!?”

“Later! Kill the sniper first!”

Tweight wryly smiled at the approaching men and miniaturized his sniper wand.

One of the men in red-brown cloaks activated <Rage> and drew his sword.

That single sword flashed, reflecting the green colour of the trees.

But as soon as the sword approached Tweight’s body– an explosion occurred.

“Wha!?”

Suddenly, a violent explosion engulfed the ground around Tweight.

3 men are caught in the explosion and lose their lives.

“An explosion…I-it was a trap!”

“Damn it! So, he was trying to lure us here from the beginning—- !”

The fixed-point installation magic <Bomb Trap> that were scattered around the area blew up all at once.

2 more men were vapourised by the resulting explosion.

Since the beginning, Tweight was sniping with the premise of luring the enemy onto this hill.

In other words, this hill was the battlefield prepared by Tweight. The remaining men realized this and decided that the situation was unfavourable for them.

“Let’s retreat temporarily!”

The dust created by the explosions obscured the men’s sight.

In the midst of the dust, a black shadow flickered.

“L-let’s retreat– Gyah!”

“Are you okay!? Goddammit, I can’t see anything!– Gwah!?”

Hiding within the smokescreen of dust, Tweight quickly began to dispose of the remaining bandits.

He used <Rage> to close the distance with the remaining bandits in a single step. Then with the blade created by <Fixation>, he pierced the men’s necks.

“Just retreat! The target isn’t here!”

A man who had escaped from the dust cloud shouted.

Since this place was planted with explosives, it is unlikely that the target would be here.

The 2 men who had survived turned their backs on Tweight and left the place.

“I won’t let you run away.”

Tweight chased after the 2 people who fled.