Year 141_Keireki Era_Summer/02
Yo.
I’m a bandit who just got talked to by some weird chick.
"So, Lulu, now that I think about it, you don’t seem to be carrying any weapons."
"Ah—my weapon is..."
She rummages through the pouch at her waist and pulls out a small iron ball, just about the size to fit snugly in her not-so-large palm.
"This."
"An iron ball?"
"Yeah, yeah, with this, I—"
Before she can finish, a deep voice booms, "Aaaaaall hands, asseeeeemble!!"
"Let’s go. You can tell me about it on the way."
"Only if you tell me about yours too, Vi."
A nickname.
She’s closing the distance fast.
Not that I mind, but I’m not exactly a people person, so it’s a bit overwhelming.
I don’t mind showing her, but I don’t have anything on hand to demonstrate with.
As we head to the meeting point, I pick out a few good-looking stones along the way and tuck them into my pockets and coat.
Along with the short sword and other stuff I already had.
Unfortunately, this body doesn’t seem to come with a tomorrow.
───────────────────────
"Oi, you lot! Keepin’ busy?!"
That ridiculously loud voice belongs to our boss.
Judging by his deep green skin and sharp, fang-like teeth, he’s got some Ogrekin blood in him—a race from the western lands.
Tall, too. Easily close to two meters.
His arms are like logs, and while I don’t remember much, he’s definitely one of the top-tier bosses I’ve ever seen.
"That’s Goadad the Tolerant. No bandit around here is more famous than him.
You must’ve come here drawn by his name too, huh, Vi?"
"Yeah."
For now, I nod at Lulu.
I have no idea who Goadad is. Which means this body probably just wandered in randomly.
Lulu, on the other hand, said "Vi too," so she must’ve come here because she knew of his reputation.
"We’re ready, boss!"
"Let’s do this!"
"All set and rarin’ to go!"
"Hell yeah!"
The other bandits answer Goadad’s call with wild enthusiasm.
The sheer energy shows just how popular he is as a leader.
"Alright! Then I got some great news for you crazy lot! We’re finally ready to crush those Masias bastards who’ve been pickin’ fights with us! We’re gonna wreck their hideout and paint the place red!!"
Another round of deafening cheers.
A quick glance around shows the bandits have swelled to fifty—no, sixty strong.
"Oi! Bring it out!"
At Goadad’s command, his men roll in a few wagons.
The covers are pulled back to reveal a pile of weapons.
Not cheap bandit trash, but real, high-quality gear fit for an actual army.
"This here’s the real deal! We jacked it off some merchants runnin’ military supplies for Biumode and Tuiknok! None of that knockoff garbage! Only the best for my crew! First come, first served, but only one per head! I’ll allow one per person. Got it?!"
Something prickles at my chest.
A faint, creeping numbness. What is this?
"Aren’t you going to grab one, Vi?"
"I’d rather not step into that cloud of sour stench."
Gotta match the tone to this body. Cute and all.
"Haha, I think I’ll pass too."
As we watch from a distance while the others swarm the weapons,
"You two! What’s wrong? Don’t you want one?!"
Goadad called out.
Surprisingly considerate for a boss.
"Ah—don’t really use that kind of weapon."
"Me neither."
He didn’t seem particularly annoyed, just let out a thoughtful hum before walking off.
Lulu and I exchanged looks, neither of us sure what to expect.
When he returned, he tossed a basket our way.
A picnic basket.
"Make sure they don’t see. Hide behind me and eat up."
He lowered his voice.
Inside the basket—sandwiches that look downright delicious, side dishes, cookies, and even two bottles of cider.
Of all things, Goadad saw Lulu and me as kids.
Lulu’s probably a bit older than me, and I’m definitely not a single-digit brat, though.
We exchanged another glance before accepting the basket and sharing the food.
Not like I wasn’t hungry.
I let Lulu pick what she wanted first, and I took whatever’s left.
She hesitated at first, but after her stomach growled, she laughed sheepishly and grabbed a meat-filled sandwich.
With the generous amount of food, we both end up full and relaxed.
Goadad, seeing that, nodded in satisfaction.
But only for a moment—then he suddenly let out a low groan and slowly turned toward the wagons.
───────────────────────
"Looks like some of you broke our deal, huh?!"
His roar shook the ground.
Some of the bandits didn’t cower but instead glared back at him with hostility.
"One fancy weapon each? Yeah, right. I’m done playin’ your soft-ass buddy-buddy games! We’re takin’ as many as we can carry, and we’re joinin’ Masias! Over there, we can loot and pillage as much as we want!"
Several of them raise their weapons and point them at Goadad.
"I cut you slack, and this is how you repay me? Sad. I’m real sad."
The giant spread his arms, looking up at the sky.
"My tolerance has run dry."
A faint flow of ink driftsed from the traitors toward Goadad.
But compared to what he emits in response, it was a drop in the ocean.
"‘The Petition of Tolerance.’ It activates when someone breaks a promise made with him, under specific conditions. But the return is so small, it’s almost never worth using."
Lulu murmured.
"Sounds useful for business, though."
"If breaking a contract just triggers a weak penalty, it’s not really worth it."
So Goadad has some trick that lets him use ‘Tolerance’ as a trigger to boost himself?
As we talked, he casually borrowed one of the high-end weapons from a nearby bandit and, with monstrous speed and strength, turned the traitors into meat paste.
Another round of thunderous cheers at his overwhelming might.
The twinge in my chest—was that because I got hit by the Petition’s effect?
… No, I don’t really get how Petitions work.
"Had a little hiccup, but don’t sweat it! Now let’s go tear apart Masias’s hideout!!"
What do you think about this chapter?
