Year 141_Keireki Era_Spring/09
Bandits come in many forms, even if lumped under the same label.
There’s the classic type that ambushes travelers,
those with bases who launch raids,
the kind like this girl, who settle for extortion,
and the ambitious ones who conquer entire villages.
Of course, there are others as well.
Legend speaks of "bandit kings" who seized entire nations,
sky pirates who wreaked havoc alongside the now-rare dragonkin,
and even "holy bandits" who convert others through sheer brute force.
But enough about bandits.
"The others have already fled, so I was wondering what to do, and then—"
"You found me bawling my eyes out and came to laugh at me?"
"Yeah, that’s right, I came to laugh… wait, no! I came because I was worried, all right?"
"Hah, my bad. Really, thanks for that."
"Geez…"
She really did help me.
I’d been on the verge of losing it, but thanks to her, I managed to regain some composure.
"What’s your name?"
"Suou. And you?"
My name, huh…
Well, if I’ve already lost everything, I guess I can at least carry forward a little of what’s left.
"Zerogram."
"Whoa, what a hardcore name. You could pass for a champion gladiator with that."
"Yeah, I guess it does sound like that. But it means 'empty.'"
Hearing that, Suou responded with a simple "Huh."
It was the kind of reply that said she wouldn’t pry further if it wasn’t her place.
"So, Zerogram is… ugh, that’s long. Let’s see… Zerogra, Gram… Zerog. Yeah, Zerog works, right? So, Zerog, what are you gonna do?"
Rapid-fire questions.
I hadn’t even nodded yet, but honestly, I didn’t care what she called me, so I didn’t bother interrupting.
"What do you mean, 'what'?"
"I mean, seriously, bandits taking over a village is just asking for trouble. You know some count’s knights or seasoned adventurers are gonna show up soon."
She’s right.
Ambitious operations like this usually end up crushed.
While some rare cases do succeed, most are doomed.
"Yo! Where’s the booze?! Go find more, damn it!! Ugh, this is so frustrating! Why’d they have to kill the women and kids, huh?! No fun left, no fun!!"
"You were the one who killed them, boss."
"SHUT UP!!!"
The boss’ voice echoed.
It’s clear this band of bandits is a lost cause.
"Alright, let’s get out of here."
"Guess I’ll tag along."
We slipped out of the house and headed for the village’s edge.
Near the fence marking the boundary, there was a lookout—a fairly old bandit.
Judging by his demeanor, he was another mid-joiner like me. A few stolen fruits dangled from his belt.
"What’s the plan?" Suou whispered.
Her meaning was clear: "Who’s taking him out?"
I noticed her hand resting on the hilt of her sword and understood.
"Leave it to me."
I picked up a nearby rock.
Something felt off inside me, like my body wasn’t quite right.
But this wasn’t the time to dwell on that.
"Hmph!"
I hurled the rock with just enough force.
It struck the bandit square in the head, crushing his skull in one clean hit.
"Huh?"
"Nice shot… What’s with the look? Surprised it worked so well?"
"Yeah, something like that."
I felt… different, like my technique had suddenly sharpened.
But no, that couldn’t be.
Things like this never happen. Once you’re gone, that’s it. You go back to zero.
I must’ve just gotten lucky, letting my guard down now that the opponent wasn’t as strong.
"Well, let’s move before anyone notices."
"Yeah."
Suou and I left the village behind.
Suou was a cheerful girl, full of laughter and chatter.
It was almost hard to believe someone like her was a bandit.
"Why’d you end up as a bandit, Suou?"
"Hm? Oh… When I ended up drifting around, extorting was the quickest way to get by. And, well, not having any proof of identity meant I couldn’t even enter a city."
This was one reason bandit numbers were on the rise.
Identity.
Without some way to prove who you were, cities wouldn’t let you in.
You could acquire identity proof in villages or towns sometimes, in the form of a letter of introduction:
"I’ve done this much for such-and-such village, so you can trust me."
Such letters could grant access to cities… maybe.
But most villages and towns are wary of outsiders, so earning trust in the first place is difficult.
In that sense, the Adventurers’ Guild badges are ideal for proving identity.
The guild is widespread, and even shady-looking people can have their credibility vouched for after investigation.
Suou was sharp, with a good grasp of the local geography.
She claimed she’d memorized it by sneaking a look at the chief’s map.
"We’d better steer clear of that village."
"Yeah. With both our faces known, we’d just get hassled as deserters if we ran into those bandits again."
After some discussion, we decided to head for a small town that should appear along the main road.
It was quite a distance, but better that than risking a fight with those overly ambitious bandits.
What do you think about this chapter?
