Year 141_Keireki Era_Summer/02
Mathias.
The man known as "Mathias of the Fire Wave" is not a local bandit.
He is a drifter, a bandit who once rampaged further to the southeast, leaving his mark by setting fire to the lands he attacked.
His acts of cruelty, done purely to satisfy his own desire for recognition, were top-class for a bandit.
Before long, he had gathered a massive following under his command.
Of course, "massive" only in the sense of being large for a group of bandits.
"Huh? Say that again."
Mathias, now at his hideout, threw out those words in a displeased tone.
The recipient of his ire was one of his subordinates delivering a report.
Their hideout, located on the mountainside, was a natural stronghold—perfect for spotting intruders and mounting a defense.
However, they were still just bandits. If the military got serious, they would be crushed.
Mathias knew this well, which was precisely why he favored this location.
If an opponent they had no chance of defeating came for them, they wouldn't bother sneaking in—they would come head-on. That would give him enough time to flee.
If it was another group of bandits, however, he could fight back.
If he used the terrain effectively and won a decisive victory, he could absorb the enemy's forces and grow even larger.
"H-here's the thing... A bunch of drifter bandits have banded together and are heading this way."
"Have the highway gang guard the mountain paths. The villagers will handle the ones trying to charge in head-on."
Mathias responded as if to say, "Don't make me state the obvious."
"What about you, Boss Mathias?"
His subordinate probed for his plans.
"If there's a real idiot out there desperate for my head... heh. They'll definitely use all their men as decoys and strike with a small elite force. That’s what I would do."
Mathias chuckled, unable to hold back his amusement. But when his subordinate asked,
"Then, what about the defense around here?"
Since an ambush was expected, he quickly regained his composure.
"Have the nearby guys guard my house."
"Understood. I'll put the usual guys on it. Boss, best of luck to you."
By "the usual guys," his subordinate meant those who were strong but too unruly to participate in coordinated defense efforts.
They had no teamwork, but they submitted to Mathias' brute force. That made them ideal for guarding him.
As he watched his men rush off, Mathias leisurely lit a cigarette.
His supply of paper-wrapped smokes was dwindling.
He figured he'd have to raid a merchant soon—but that was a problem for later. He had no doubts about winning this battle.
"I'm aiming to be a king of bandits. I can’t afford to be stuck in a place like this forever."
He sneered as he gazed out the window at the world below.
───────────────────────
Yo.
I’m the guy stuck dealing with the Boss’s crazy plans.
"You serious, Boss?"
"Damn right I am, shorty."
"You're just huge, that's all."
"Wahaha! Maybe so!"
Boss—Goadad—let out a hearty laugh.
His plan? Use all our forces as a decoy to go straight for Mathias’ head.
I asked, "You serious?" because when we were discussing the plan, Lulu said,
"Isn’t that exactly what the enemy wants?"
And the Boss, without hesitation, replied,
"I know. That’s why we’re doing it."
"Boss, are you really serious?"
Lulu’s tone wasn't scolding, just mildly exasperated.
"Yeah. Dead serious… Well, I guess it's only natural to be suspicious. But think about it. 'Go ahead and try your sneak attack. But my defenses are solid, so I’ll just crush you instead.' That’s the stance they’re showing us, right?"
He wasn’t wrong.
A small raiding party had an ideal infiltration route.
I could detect most traps if I was careful, and half-baked ones wouldn’t work on the Boss anyway.
"But if they're making it so obvious, doesn’t that mean they wouldn’t be able to counter an ambush otherwise?"
If their defense was perfect, they wouldn’t need to leave such an obvious opening.
"That logic is insane, Boss."
"If the guy was truly confident, he’d be fighting alongside his men on the front lines. That way, he wouldn’t lose too many subordinates, he’d gain their trust, and his men surrounding him would fend off any half-assed sneak attacks. It’s the best outcome for him, isn’t it?
Plus, if I take the lead on the front lines, we’ll finish the fight faster. Right?"
I guess this was an orc's way of thinking.
If it worked, there’d be no reason to fear an ambush in the first place.
The enemy wasn’t an army, just bandits.
They didn’t have the kind of strict command structure needed for complex tactics.
It… made sense.
If I were an orc, I might have agreed right away.
"I get the logic, but… who’s going to be on this suicide squad?"
"Me… and, well, you two who questioned me. The rest of you go play with their defense squad!"
And that’s how we got to the "You serious, Boss?" part.
That was my last attempt at questioning his decision before we moved into position for the ambush.
Of course, nothing changed.
"Lulu, you good?"
"I didn’t expect it to be this intense, but yeah, I’m fine."
She smiled, even winking at me.
Completely unfazed.
"Boss, what now? I can see the enemy... Oh, by the way, I specialize in shooting, but I’m not bad at close combat either."
"I suck at close combat. As long as I have some distance, I can do my part."
"Alright, I’ll charge in. You two, take out anyone who shows themselves. If there’s no target, stay hidden!"
And so, the plan was set.
Maybe the Boss had intended to bring us along from the start.
After all, sticking with him gave us the highest chance of survival.
Elsewhere, it was just bandits clashing with bandits—chaos.
In a messy battle like that, you'd be more likely to die from friendly fire than anything else.
A woman and a kid.
An orc boss who seemed big on camaraderie.
… He was definitely trying to protect us.
Well, I wasn’t just going to sit back and be protected. Time to show what I can do.
───────────────────────
"OORAAAH!! LORD GOADAD IS HERE TO HAVE SOME FUN! WHERE’S THE WELCOME PARTY?!"
His roar shook the ground.
It felt like he might start an avalanche—I wished he’d tone it down.
But it worked. Bandits began pouring out of the abandoned building.
"Let’s have a contest, then," Lulu grinned, pulling out an iron ball.
She also took out a small bow, smaller than a standard one.
She nocked the iron ball and fired it like an arrow.
It whizzed through the air at terrifying speed—"thump"—and one bandit collapsed.
"This is a pellet bow. I learned it from some southwestern folks a long time ago. It's easy to carry, so I love it. Alright, your turn, Vi."
I reached into my pocket for a stone.
For some reason, I’d been getting better at slinging than I expected.
I lined up my perfect shot.
"Here I go!"
The stone accelerated and—"Thud!"—cracked a bandit’s skull.
"Slinging! So cool!"
Lulu clapped cheerfully.
"Alright, next—"
"I already know what you’re gonna say. You wanna see who takes out more, right?"
"You get me! That makes me happy!"
I lost the contest.
But if we were judging by one-shot kills, I was the winner.
"Haah, I lost."
"I was surprised! You’re amazing, Vi.
But, no time to celebrate. We need to back up the Boss!"
What do you think about this chapter?
