The night forest echoed with the chirping of insects, a sound loud enough to be a persistent irritant. Through the darkness, a small group pressed forward.
"Tch, persistent pests!"
Arrogan, taking the lead, clicked his tongue and lashed out with his magic sword. A goblin, caught just as it was about to spring, had its throat slit and collapsed silently.
"Seriously, marching through these woods at night... something is wrong with our heads."
"You didn't offer a single objection during the strategy meeting earlier today," Superbia replied with an air of exasperation. He thrust his sword through a giant bat—easily a meter wide—that had swooped down soundlessly from the canopy. "Why start now?"
"Hah! Personally, I don't get how you guys can be so relaxed around a monster like that."
"Oh, please. If you have a complaint, tell Rei to his face, not us," Culotte said, her voice dripping with disdain. "You're as quiet as a mouse when he's around, but the second he's gone, your ego triples in size."
"What!?"
Arrogan glared at her, but he seemed to realize this wasn't the time for a brawl. He turned back toward the front and continued through the brush.
"Anyway, isn't our party balance a joke? Two warriors and one thief. We’re obviously short on rearguard support."
He continued to grumble, even as he moved.
Currently, Arrogan, Superbia, and Culotte were the only three navigating the night forest. Of course, this didn't mean Rei, Schola, and Filma were back at camp resting. Following the plan devised during the day, the other three were moving to a separate position to snipe the bandit sentries from a distance without being detected. The three in the vanguard had split off to ensure they could quickly close the gap and finish the job if the long-range assault failed.
"If the sniping fails, the guards are obviously going to raise the alarm," Arrogan continued. "I don't know how we're supposed to stop that. They should have just stayed with us and sniped them from closer range."
"Rei already told you—it's a precaution," Superbia said. "More importantly, keep your head down. We're almost out of the trees. If we get spotted before they even raise the alarm, we’re finished. Besides, the sniping unit had to act separately. Leaving aside the ranger Filma and the inexplicable Rei, Schola is a pure mage. He doesn't have the stealth to move within striking distance of a bandit camp without being noticed."
As Superbia finished his explanation, Culotte added with a malicious grin, "That's right. If we get caught because of you, I wonder what Rei will do to you. He’s already watching you like a hawk. Honestly, I'd almost like to see it."
"Hey, don't say something so cursed, even as a joke! Fine, I get it. I just have to be serious, right?"
Arrogan responded with a voice that utilized his odd special skill—shouting in a whisper. Meanwhile, Culotte peered out from the tree line toward the cliff that served as the entrance to the bandit hideout.
As she had expected, two sentries were posted there. However, they were being blatantly negligent.
Is it because they're confident no one can find this place? Or are they just idiots?
Culotte flicked a glance back at Arrogan.
...It's probably the idiot thing.
The fact that they were holding torches was one thing. Even if they were called thieves, they weren't adventurers by class; they were just common bandits and thugs. They didn't possess night vision like Culotte, so they needed light to see.
However, despite being on watch, they were sitting at the base of the watchtower, engrossed in conversation and letting out bursts of stupid laughter. To Culotte, they didn't even deserve the title of sentries. Even though her group was hiding their presence and muffling their sounds, the guards hadn't noticed them at all, despite being less than ten meters away.
If they're this bad, we could have just brought Schola along without worrying about his lack of stealth, Culotte thought.
She checked on the two men with her. Arrogan and Superbia had already drawn their weapons, poised to strike. Culotte gripped the dagger she had used on the goblin earlier and waited for the signal.
"...Not yet?"
Several minutes passed. Growing impatient because the attack hadn't started, Arrogan whispered his irritation. Culotte ignored him, waiting for the assault from Schola and Filma to begin.
"I'm appalled," Filma whispered from the sniping point, some distance away.
Her line of sight was fixed on the bandit sentries. Seeing them sitting and laughing, completely failing to fulfill their duties, she couldn't help but feel a sense of disgust.
"Well, it helps us out, so there's no need to complain, right?" Schola offered.
"I know that, but... still."
Rei listened to their exchange while turning his gaze toward the forest.
Normally, grasping the layout of a forest shrouded in night would be impossible for anyone other than a specialist like Culotte. However, the body Rei possessed—a masterpiece of the Zephyle Clan—rendered common sense irrelevant. He could see everything inside the forest as clearly as if it were day.
He confirmed that Arrogan, Superbia, and Culotte were perfectly positioned near the forest's edge.
"The vanguard unit is in position. Are you two ready?"
The two nodded silently. Rei nodded back, signaling the start of the night raid.
"Alright. Schola, begin the incantation. Filma, time your shot with his spell."
"Understood."
"Leave it to me."
Schola began his chant as Filma notched an arrow, her eyes narrowing as she focused on the target.
"O wind, turn into an invisible arrow and pierce those who stand before me."
The spell Schola had used during the mock battle distorted the air, manifesting an invisible arrow before him. This invisible wind arrow was hard to see even in broad daylight; in the dead of night, it was virtually undetectable.
He finished the chant and paused, holding the magic at the ready until Filma gave him a nod.
"Wind Arrow!"
With those words, five invisible arrows of wind were unleashed. Simultaneously, Filma released her arrow, aiming high so it would descend from above the guards.
An instant later, the Wind Arrows swarmed the first guard, shredding his neck and face. He collapsed from the watchtower in a spray of blood. At the same moment, the second man, who hadn't even realized they were under attack, was killed instantly when Filma's arrow plummeted from the sky and pierced the crown of his head.
"Now!"
Culotte saw the first guard collapse and the second pinned to the ground by an arrow from above. She signaled Arrogan and Superbia, and the three of them sprinted from the trees, closing the distance to the entrance in seconds.
Superbia clicked his tongue as they reached the watchtower.
"This is bad. The one Schola hit isn't dead yet. Arrogan, finish off the one who fell. I'll watch the cave entrance to make sure no one comes out."
"Hey, why do I have to do it!?"
"Shut up! We don't have time to argue. This is a race against the clock!"
"Tch. Fine. Dammit."
Superbia moved to the cave entrance, longsword ready, and listened to the sounds within. Fortunately, he could still hear laughter and cheers. It sounded like a drinking party. Judging that the sentries' deaths hadn't been noticed, Superbia breathed a sigh of relief.
Nearby, Arrogan stood over the guard on the ground. The man was thrashing in pain and confusion, but Arrogan simply stood there, frozen.
"Dammit, why me..."
"Ga... hah... h-help..."
The guard's misfortune was that Schola’s mastery was still lacking. Or rather, while he was skilled for an E-Rank adventurer, a Wind Arrow focused on stealth and speed lacked the raw power to kill instantly, even with five hits to the head and neck.
In that regard, the man Filma had killed was luckier. He had died in an instant, never knowing what hit him.
"Arrogan! Hurry up!" Superbia hissed.
Arrogan hesitated. The act of killing—reaping the life of one of his own kind while looking them in the eye—made his hands shake. He had shouted that he would kill opponents many times in mock battles or during his duel with Rei, but he had never actually taken a human life. His magic sword trembled in his grip.
"Tch. Culotte, go scout the interior like Rei ordered."
"U-Understood!"
Superbia watched Culotte slip into the cave. He then stepped toward the guard thrashing in agony on the ground and swung his longsword down in a clean, clinical arc.
"Gah!"
The blade severed the man's neck, and his head rolled away, leaving a dark trail on the earth.
"BLEAAARRGH!"
Seeing a human being die like that, Arrogan ran to a nearby shadow and heaved, emptying his stomach. Superbia watched him with a complicated expression before returning his focus to the cave.
The cheers and laughter continued from within. They were still oblivious.
The rearguard unit arrived shortly after.
"Where's Culotte?" Rei asked.
"She infiltrated the interior according to the plan," Superbia replied.
Rei checked on Schola and Filma. Filma seemed fine, perhaps possessing the mental fortitude to hide her guilt. Schola, however, was deathly pale.
"Schola too, huh?" Superbia noted.
Rei glanced at Arrogan, who was still vomiting. "It seems so. Seeing someone suffer from the magic he used hit him hard."
"Well, it's their first time killing a person. That's a normal reaction."
"You seem remarkably unfazed, Superbia."
"You get used to anything eventually. I'm sure you're the same, aren't you?"
"I wonder... wait, she's back."
Rei cut off the conversation as he sensed muffled footsteps. A moment later, Culotte emerged from the cave.
"How was it?" Rei asked.
Culotte nodded, keeping her voice low. "The path is straight for a while, then it splits into three. The right side is a jail; I saw several people who looked like merchants held there, though I couldn't get an exact count because of the guards. The middle path leads to a large cavern—that's where the party is happening. The left path seems to be a warehouse or armory."
"How many bandits?"
"Roughly thirty."
"I see. Did you find any other exits?"
"I didn't have enough time to check."
"Then we should try to take down as many as possible in the first strike," Rei mused.
"But we can't let them take the merchants hostage," Superbia added.
"True. Culotte, is there a shortcut from the banquet hall to the jail?"
"Like I said, I'm not sure. But if I were a bandit, I'd have a plan for an emergency. I doubt they'd just leave the hostages unguarded if a subjugation force arrived."
"Then... Culotte, you head straight for the jail and secure the hostages. After that... Gran, you're there, right?"
Rei called out into the darkness, and Gran emerged with a wry smile.
"I didn't think you'd spot me. What do you want?"
"Would it be acceptable for the rank up exam if I left the hostages to you after we rescue them?"
"No. My role is strictly to observe and determine if you have the skills of a D-Rank adventurer. I can't intervene unless there's an extreme emergency. And this doesn't qualify."
"...Fine. It's a waste of a scout, but Culotte, once you've secured the prisoners, bring them back here and keep them hidden."
"Understood."
"Alright, we're going in. Like we discussed today: Arrogan and Superbia in the vanguard, Schola and Filma in the midguard. I'll take the rearguard. Can you do it?"
Rei looked at Arrogan, who had finally rejoined the group. He nodded, his expression bitter.
"Yeah. I'll do it."
"Schola, you?"
"I... I'm okay. I'll manage."
Schola had regained some of his composure.
"Good. Let's move."
At Rei's signal, they stormed into the cave.