Year 4_Keireki Era_Spring/01
"Gasp.”
A sudden, involuntary gasp as I remember how to breathe.
Ah.
Right.
I’m a bandit. Whether a thief or a mountain bandit—doesn’t matter, I’m a bandit through and through. Nothing but a lowlife.
Here I am on a reasonably sized, uh… trade route, I guess?
Looking around, this road probably connects some major city to a satellite town.
I don’t remember the name of the city, though.
Maybe it’s because my body’s pulling me away from the memory, or maybe it’s because I’ve been out in the sticks for so long that the thought of a city has faded from memory entirely.
Either way, does the name matter?
There’s no guarantee I’ll wake up near here again.
Now, my fellow bandits in this life… oh, we’ve got quite a crew here.
More than ten of them, and every single one’s got some frontline weapon on them.
At this scale, there are probably even some hiding back to keep distance.
Hmm?
… Oh yeah, the memory checks out. We’ve got two archers and three guys with spears, or what they’re calling spears.
Really, they’re just thick branches cut diagonally at the end. If we called these “spears” to a weaponsmith, they’d cry.
"Boss, they’re probably coming any minute now."
One of the bandits spoke, smelling sour (none of these guys bathe, not even a splash of water, so sourness is just standard).
He directed his words to a slightly tougher-looking bandit.
If he’s called “Boss,” then he’s got to be the strongest and meanest here.
In bandit circles, it’s all about strength if you want to be at the top.
After all, this line of work is all about brute force. There’s hardly any need for brains.
Anyone smart enough to know that wouldn’t become a bandit in the first place.
"Heh, let ‘em come whenever. No way in hell a bunch of adventurers could beat us!"
Yes!
We lowlife bandits have boundless confidence!
Whoever the opponent is, we think we can win!
Including me, everyone here is sort of… oblivious to danger, maybe because of how we grew up. It’s not like we don’t feel fear.
But after a scare, we walk three steps and completely forget what we were worried about. Convenient, right?
A glint of light flashed from a distance.
That’s the signal.
One of the hidden bandits must have spotted our target.
"Speak of the devil, looks like the adventurers are here. Alright, everyone… don’t screw this up."
"Hell yeah."
I join the rest in taking our positions.
I don’t remember much about these guys, but this body’s got a role locked down in its muscle memory.
Apparently, I’m on standby.
The front line charges first, and I follow up for a wave attack.
I heard somewhere that deploying forces piecemeal is dumb… Wonder if that’s true.
Well, at least this time, we already know how it’s going to end.
“Ehehe…”
"Hihihi..."
The bandits block the adventurers’ path.
"Hear me, bandits preying upon the trade route! We have been commissioned by the guild to wipe you out!"
A fallen knight bearing a sword and shield made a declaration.
Behind him stood a girl with her hair in a ponytail, ready for bare-handed combat, and a person with a tall triangular hat… probably a mage.
And there’s a bipedal rat, too. A rat head with a human body.
The party seems to be made up of these four.
Knights like that can often use a skill called “Petition”—basically, the power to make wishes come true.
But magic and petitions aren’t relevant for us bandits, so let’s skip the explanation here.
"Alright, boys, get ‘em!!"
The boss’s scream sent the front line surging forward.
With a shield strike, one goes down, and another falls to the knight’s sword. He’s well-trained!
The martial artist girl crushed one guy’s head with a kick, then pierced another’s gut with her hand.
But we’ve got more bandits! Here come the spear (read: thick branches) wielders!
The mage completed a spell in time to blow up all three spearmen with an explosion.
Flawless execution of the spell. Impressive!
But hold up—don’t forget we’ve got archers!
… Except they haven’t moved.
Ohh! That beastfolk archer got to them first and shot them down!
I thought they were well hidden, but this is a real pro team! I’m in awe!
"Push forward, PUSH FORWARD!!"
The boss shrieked hysterically and charged with an ax in hand.
Naturally, we followed!!
The boss and what’s left of us were mowed down by the fallen knight’s shield bash and sword. It ended laughably quick.
As for me?
You don’t die a million times without learning something!
Though I probably haven’t actually died a million times since I wasn’t even counting!
In situations like this, you at least go for the target you can hit the hardest.
Which means… the mage! I choose you!
As I swung my club down, ready to smash it onto the mage’s head right after their spell…
"Hii."
A tiny squeak escaped from her as she raised her arms to shield herself, her big pointy hat slipping off.
Looks like she’s just a kid.
Her eyes were hesitant, a little fearful, and her hair was an enchanting pink hue, like a rare gem.
She’ll probably be popular, I thought absentmindedly, completely sidetracked from the fight.
A lovely girl like this, choosing to become an adventurer… she must have her reasons.
Maybe she’s on a mission of some kind.
Without thinking, I freeze my club mid-swing.
The next moment, the martial artist’s kick obliterated my head.
If it’d been some grizzled old guy, I’d have swung without a second thought, but a scared kid… I can’t just smack her.
After all, even if I get wiped out, it’s not the end.
I can’t bear the thought of leaving scars on a young girl with a future.
"I’m sorry! They slipped past the front line! Are you hurt?"
The martial artist girl rushed over to the mage.
"Y-Yeah… thank you, you saved me."
But then she looked at the bandit whose head was just shattered.
"Just now… he looked like he was going to stop attacking me, like he’d given up…"
"Bandits live in despair. It’s not unusual to see sorrow written on their faces."
The rat archer responded while scanning for any remaining threats.
"Regardless, the fight is over. The trade route should be safe for a while now. Alright, let’s head back to town."
The adventurers collected “proof” and prepared to leave.
The bodies were stacked to the side, waiting for the clean-up crew.
The mage glanced back as they left, looking at the pile of corpses, as if something still didn’t sit right with her.
But tomorrow, she’ll probably have forgotten.
(Sometimes, that’s just how it is.)
It’s a universal truth of the world. Adventurers don’t have the luxury to dwell on every odd moment they come across.
What do you think about this chapter?
