"Why did you let them go so easily? You can’t seriously think bandits are capable of a genuine change of heart."
Rei wore a puzzled expression as he gave his Death Scythe a sharp swing, flicking the blood from its blade. After pulsing a bit of magic power through the weapon to confirm it was in perfect condition, he returned it to the Misty Ring.
Taenia watched him, then gave a small shrug as Rei turned his gaze back toward her.
"It’s not like I actually think they’re going to regret their actions or anything. But what else could I do? It was the employer's request."
"……What?"
"Well, let's just regroup with Alektor and the others for now. I'm sure he'll give you a proper explanation."
With that, Taenia left Rei and Set behind and hurried back to the camp.
Rei watched her retreating figure for a few seconds before letting out a short sigh. He turned to leave the dark woods, where the stench of blood and entrails still hung heavy in the air.
The fires Rei had ignited with his flame magic had already burned out. All that remained in the shadows were dozens of corpses.
(It would be better to burn them now, but……)
He thought to himself, but he couldn't exactly handle the task alone in the middle of the night. Deciding to postpone the disposal of the bodies, he made his way back through the trees to regroup with Alektor.
"Rei-san! I am glad to see you are safe!"
The first person to call out to Rei and Set as they emerged from the forest was, naturally, the leader of the caravan, Alektor.
He noticed that not a single drop of blood had stained Rei's robe and felt his eyebrows twitch slightly in surprise. However, he didn't comment on it, instead welcoming the man and his beast with a relieved smile.
"So, why the sudden mercy? Wouldn't it have been better to finish them here? Or at least take them to a city to sell them as criminal slaves to recoup your losses?"
"Yes, I considered that. However, as you can see from the state of the wagons, we have absolutely no room to lock up prisoners. We could have tied them up and forced them to walk, but with only Rei-san and the three members of the Beautiful Drops for protection, I can't afford to spare guards to watch them. Even if my own men tried to keep watch, we aren't professionals; they’d likely escape. Honestly, it is a regrettable loss given our damages, but..."
"……Then what was the reason for letting them run?"
It wasn't Alektor who answered, but Taenia, who stood beside him keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings.
"Rei, didn't you notice that Luyde isn't here? Usually, she’d come flying over the moment she saw Set."
"Hm? Now that you mention it..."
"Guruuu?"
Set tilted its head as Rei and Taenia turned their eyes toward it.
Indeed, based on past experience, it was strange that Luyde hadn't appeared to hug Set the moment they returned.
"What's she doing?"
"Despite how she acts, Luyde is actually quite skilled in stealth. That’s not exactly rare for an archer."
Just as Taenia said, many archers utilized a combat style centered on erasing their presence. Luyde was clearly one of them.
Once she said that much, Rei finally connected the dots: the reason they let the bandits escape and why Luyde was missing.
"……I see. You intentionally let them escape with the unconscious one so they'd lead her straight to their hideout."
"Exactly. For a merchant like Alektor-san, the fewer bandits on the road, the better. The same goes for us adventurers. And the bandits' hideout likely has a fair amount of spoils stored up. ……I can expect a share of that, right?"
"Yes. As a merchant, reducing the number of bandits is my top priority. Of course, I would like a certain share myself…… but I won't be unreasonable about it."
In response to Taenia's mischievous grin, Alektor flashed a smile that suggested he had his own motives.
Watching them, Fabel gave a wry smile at the exchange between her leader and their employer, though she also wore a combative smirk.
The bandits were enemies who had come to kill them without hesitation. She saw no reason to show them any mercy in return.
"So, that's the situation. Rei, you'll help us out too, right?"
As Taenia asked, her gaze was intense, as if she were determined to secure his cooperation no matter what.
After all, if they were going to raid a bandit hideout, they needed as much fighting power as possible. More importantly, since it had been revealed that nearly twenty bandits still remained, it was nearly impossible for the Beautiful Drops to wipe them out alone. The plan only worked because of the pair of Rei and Set, who had just slaughtered nearly thirty bandits in a matter of minutes.
"I don't mind…… but if I go, I want the priority right to the bandits' treasure."
Naturally, since Rei knew his strength was the cornerstone of this operation, he asserted his right to the rewards.
With over fifty members, this was a fairly large-scale bandit gang. Rei judged that their hideout would likely contain magic items he might find useful, or perhaps items that could serve as throwing weapons.
"……Fine, I suppose. But don't get too greedy, okay?"
Taenia understood who held the initiative here, so she gave him a small warning as the negotiation concluded.
Later, as the moon began to set, Luyde finally returned.
"I'm baaaack—"
"You're late, aren't you?"
"But I was super busy! I wanted to come back as fast as I could too. Besides, they were lugging around a guy who was knocked out, so they weren't exactly breaking any speed records. It couldn't be helped—"
Luyde puffed out her cheeks in protest at Fabel's words.
"Now, now, Fabel, leave it at that. More importantly, did you find the location of the hideout? The bandits I interrogated mentioned a cave deep in this forest."
"Yep, they're definitely gathered in a cave. But they had traps and lookouts set up, so we'll need to be careful—"
"……I see. I suppose they're at least that cautious."
"So, who’s going? Just me and Set?"
"Hmm, that's a bit difficult. Strength-wise, I'm sure you and Set would be enough, but we want to go too."
Taenia muttered this, though in her heart, she was worried that if no one from their party went, Rei might strip the bandits' treasure of anything valuable before they even saw it.
(After all, Rei is an Item Box user. If he does that, there's no way we could ever prove it.)
"But wouldn't that mess up the balance of our forces? We are primarily here to guard the caravan; this bandit subjugation is just a side task. If both Set and I go with you, the caravan's protection will be spread too thin."
"You're right. That's why I want to split you and Set up. The subjugation team will be Rei, Luyde, and me. The guard team will be Set and Fabel."
"Eh—? I want to be with Set too! Fabel, that's not fair—"
"……Well, if we're dividing our strength, I suppose that’s the most logical way. It's a shame, but I'm fine with it."
Fabel nodded easily at Taenia's instructions. Luyde, who desperately wanted to play with Set, continued to complain until Taenia shot her down with an exasperated look.
"What are you talking about? You're the only one who knows the exact location of the hideout. I'm going too, so just behave and guide us. ……Is that okay with you, Rei?"
"I guess…… so. If we're dividing our strength, it's better for Set and me to be separate. ……Set, can I count on you to guard the caravan?"
"Guruuu."
Set chirped from the back of its throat as if to say, "Leave it to me."
Rei smiled slightly at the response and stroked its head.
"Alektor-san, is that acceptable to you as well?"
"Yes, of course. For the sake of other merchants, I definitely want to see those bandits eliminated. We will stay here quietly and……"
As Alektor spoke, Rei suddenly remembered the corpses he and Set had left behind and spoke up.
"Sorry, but could you help clean up the bandit corpses in the forest? It’s winter, so they won't rot immediately, but if they're left until spring, they could spread disease or rise as undead. They might also attract dangerous monsters looking for an easy meal."
Alektor thought for a moment at Rei's request, then eventually nodded.
"Understood. We probably won't be passing through this highway again for a while, but other merchants or travelers might fall victim to those things. Besides, knowing there are corpses that could turn into undead nearby isn't a pleasant thought even for a single night. However, we will be taking the equipment the bandits were using as compensation……"
Considering the losses sustained from the Icebird attack, Alektor wanted to earn back whatever he could. The treasure in the bandit hideout was still the main goal, but most of that would likely go to the adventurers actually carrying out the raid. In that case, securing the bandits' equipment—even if it only brought in a pittance—wasn't a bad choice.
Since Rei had expected Alektor to suggest something like that, he nodded without any hesitation.
"Fine. Then let's move out immediately. Luyde, if you please."
"Ehh…… I want to stay with Set—"
"Luyde."
Taenia sent a sharp, warning glare at her archer.
"I get it, I get it. ……This way—"
With a heavy sigh, Luyde took her bow in hand and led Rei and Taenia into the nighttime forest.
"Set. I'm leaving the guard duty here to you."
"Guruuu."
"You too, Fabel. Don't slack off; do your job properly."
"I know, I know. Make sure you bring back some souvenirs for me too. My finances are pretty tight after having to replace my shield."
"Yeah, if you're a good girl, I'll bring you something."
"Okay, Mother."
"Who's a mother? I don't want a kid like you."
Taenia made a face of utter disgust at Fabel's teasing.
"What? You started it! Anyway, Set and I will protect the camp, so good luck with the bandits."
Sent off by those words, the three of them headed into the nighttime forest to launch their surprise attack on the bandits' hideout.
Three figures moved through the woods, trying to make as little noise as possible.
Luyde was in the lead, followed by Rei and Taenia.
Luyde seemed to have excellent night vision, or perhaps because it was a path she had just traveled, she moved through the dark forest without any sign of hesitation. As for Rei, his body was naturally equipped with night vision, so he followed her without any difficulty at all.
However, Taenia, the only one among the three who lacked specialized vision or forest training, was desperately struggling to keep up.
If the moon in the night sky hadn't been hidden by clouds, she might have had a little bit of visibility. Then again, since they were deep in a forest, the tree branches likely would have blocked the light anyway.
"Wait, hold on. You two, a little slower…… Kyah!"
Taenia tripped over a tree root protruding from the ground and almost fell face-first. However, she reflexively reached out to a tree trunk and caught herself—a testament to her skills as a D-Rank adventurer.
"Geez— Taenia, if you're an adventurer, you should be able to do at least this much—"
"Don't be ridiculous! I'm just a normal adventurer! Don't expect me to run through a forest at night like you can. Besides, Luyde is an archer who's trained to move in the mountains, but why can Rei move so normally in this darkness too?!"
Taenia glared at Rei, who was moving beside her, as if to say it was patently unfair. The moon was hidden by clouds, and even the faint moonlight that managed to filter through was blocked by the canopy. She spoke begrudgingly to the two who continued to move as if the darkness didn't exist.
(It's fine for Luyde since she's trained for it, but Rei is wearing that robe and even has his hood up……)
"Even if you look at me like that…… I've always had good night vision. And until recently, I was living deep in the mountains with my master. As long as there's this much light, it's no problem at all."
"Ugh……"
"Haa, I guess I have no choice. Here, Taenia. Grab my hand—"
Taenia had nearly fallen several times already, and though she hadn't suffered any serious injuries, she had several scratches from the brush. Seeing her struggle, Luyde reached out a hand with an exasperated look.
"What do you mean 'no choice'…… To another person……"
"Wait."
Rei's hand suddenly clamped over Taenia's mouth as she was about to speak.
"Mmph!? ……Mm?"
Taenia's eyes widened, but when she noticed him directing a sharp gaze deeper into the forest, she realized something was wrong. She held her breath and looked toward the depths of the forest as well.
There, at the edge of her vision, she noticed the direction they were heading was getting brighter. At the same time, the faint sound of shouting reached her ears.
Rei likely judged that Taenia had calmed down. As he removed his hand from her mouth, she looked at him and Luyde and whispered.
"What happened?"
"Who knows. But I'm certain they aren't making that noise for a banquet. ……Luyde, the bandits' hideout is just ahead, right?"
"There's no doubt about it—"
"In that case…… maybe the bandits who failed to ambush us are getting scolded by their leader?"
"No, that's probably not it."
Rei immediately rejected Taenia's suggestion.
"Why not?"
"You'll understand once we get there."
Giving a short reply, Rei continued toward the bandits' hideout.
He furrowed his brow as the overwhelming stench of fresh blood began to drift toward them.