Chapter 5.1

Year 133_Keireki Era_Fall/02
Yo.

Back to being a bandit, it’s me again.

Too bad about last time, huh?

Well, what’s dead is dead.

But hey, even in death, there are things to gain.

Adventurers operate under a shared system nationwide, and the Adventurers’ Guild that manages them is no different.

In other words, registering as an adventurer in any town is ridiculously easy.

Next time luck’s on my side, maybe I’ll try going the adventurer route again.

As a self-proclaimed “Jobber Who’s Died a Million Times,” I’m good at giving up.

Anyway, since I’m dead again, I might as well enjoy my return to banditry.

It’s not frustrating, and I don’t feel regret.

Stuff like this happens.

I’ve made my peace with it.

… Okay, sorry. I’m a little—no, actually, pretty bummed about it.

Sigh…

No, it’s fine. I’ll just wait for the next opportunity without getting bitter.

There’ll be countless chances anyway.

This time around, the bandit crew I’m with is a bit unconventional.

The Boss is a magic user.

But he doesn’t seem to be a professional mage. Maybe he’s skilled in magic but doesn’t have it as his official job.

Magic or not, we’re still bandits through and through.

Our base is an abandoned village.

I don’t know why it was abandoned; it was already in ruins when we set up camp here.

The Boss looks like a kindly old man, sitting in the middle of the village sunbathing.

Based on this body’s memories, this area is deep in the sticks, but the slightly convoluted trade routes mean travelers and merchants sometimes end up here by mistake.

In short, those unlucky folks are our marks.

“Uhh, excuse meee?”

On average, someone falls into the trap about once a week.

It’s not a huge haul, but we’re not a big gang, so it works out fine.

It’s just the Boss, me, and three others outside. That’s the whole crew.

“Hellooo~?”

… Oops, I was too distracted to notice.

Normally, I or one of the underlings would handle this, but here, we let the “village chief” deal with it.

The young folks, so busy with village duties—it’s all an act, of course.

“Yes, yes, what seems to be the problem? Oh my… a traveler, I see.”

The Boss, a.k.a. Fake Village Chief, put on his polite facade.

“Where am I? I think I got lost…”

“Ah, you must have wandered off the trade route. It’s easy to get turned around in this area. Would you like to have some tea here to rest?”

Doesn’t look like a merchant.

The slight disappointment is practically radiating from the Boss’s back.

The rest of us stay semi-prepared (as bandits, of course) but don’t fully gear up.

The traveler doesn’t look wealthy, and to add to that, they’re not a woman.

Like most gangs, this one is experiencing a drought in that department.

“Ah, that’d be great. My canteen’s empty, too.”

“Haha, drinking unclean water can be fatal on a journey. Oi, prepare some tea.”

The Boss issued his order.

“Yes, right away!”

I responded cheerfully, acting totally innocent. Zero bandit vibes here.

I take over the tea prep for the Boss inside one of the buildings.

The “tea” is just a concoction of random weeds, carefully processed into what’s best described as “Hey~ Grass water”. But hey, it passes as tea, sort of.

Even weeds can be turned into something tea-like with enough effort.

Just like how even a bandit like me could pass for an adventurer under the right circumstances. It’s all about timing, approach, and walking the part.

… Yeah, I’m still hung up on last time.

But I couldn’t just abandon Wiminea.

“So, where are you headed on your journey?”

While I’m preparing the tea, the Boss subtly pries into the traveler’s background from the living area.

This kind of intel-gathering is crucial.

If the traveler has companions or anyone aware of their whereabouts, we’d have to abandon this spot.

The village has houses with roofs and a functioning well, making it too valuable a base to lose easily.

“I was originally heading from Luluciette to Imuze,” the traveler said , continuing their explanation.

Apparently, they travel from place to place, taking day-labor jobs and building connections through those networks.

Thanks to those contacts, they were invited to Imuze for a new job.

“Day-labor work, huh.”

The Boss’s tone becomes more cautious.

He’s worried the traveler might be an adventurer.

“It’s literacy work,” the traveler clarified.

What do you think about this chapter?