"Hold on... what is this?"
Deep in the forest, far beyond where the caravan had made camp, Rei, Taenia, and Luido had arrived to launch a surprise attack on the bandits' hideout. However, the scene that greeted them was entirely unexpected.
Well, for Rei, it wasn't a total surprise. Thanks to his superhuman senses, he had already picked up the heavy scent of blood, the glare of a massive bonfire, and the distant echoes of shouting and screams.
The trio crouched in a thicket overlooking the cave that served as the bandits' hideout, peering out from the shadows to assess the situation. What they saw was a chaotic battlefield where nearly fifty humans and beastmen were locked in a violent struggle.
Swords, axes, and clubs swung through the air. Shields were raised in frantic defense, and spears were thrust out in desperate counterattacks.
Luido watched the carnage with wide, astonished eyes, while Taenia looked on in a daze. Only Rei remained calm as he surveyed the field.
"Why is there a fight already happening? We haven't even started our raid," Taenia whispered.
Rei kept his eyes fixed on the combat below. "Judging by the look of it, it’s a clash between rival bandit groups. Though... it’s barely a clash anymore."
He was right. Neither the attackers nor the defenders wore much in the way of armor, mostly just heavy coats to ward off the winter chill. It was clear they weren't knights, and their haphazard equipment made it unlikely they were adventurers either. It was a bandit war, and it was rapidly turning into a rout.
The group that had presumably attacked Rei’s caravan earlier was down to about twenty men. Their opponents numbered around thirty. Not only did the second group have the numerical advantage, but their combat technicality was leagues ahead of their rivals.
Outnumbered and outclassed, the smaller group had no hope of victory. Normally, bandits were quick to scatter when the tide turned, but the larger force had established a wide, effective encirclement. Their intent was clear to the three hidden observers: they weren't looking for a surrender. They were there for total annihilation. They intended to leave no one alive.
"...This really is unexpected. Those guys don't move like ordinary bandits," Taenia muttered, her eyes on the larger group.
"You're right," Luido agreed, her voice trailing off in her usual relaxed manner. "They're probably about F-Rank equivalent combat power on average."
While F-Rank was the entry level for adventurers, most bandits were little more than armed civilians or desperate peasants. Against a group with the disciplined strength of even low-rank adventurers, the result was the scene unfolding before them—nothing short of a one-sided massacre.
"What's the plan? We’ve been completely beaten to the punch," Rei asked.
"I don't know... this is a problem. We want that treasure, but there are way too many of them," Taenia replied.
Their party consisted of two D-Rank adventurers and one C-Rank. While Rei was an outlier, the two women were only as strong as their ranks suggested. Furthermore, one was an archer meant for the rearguard.
As Taenia weighed their options, Rei’s eyes narrowed. "Ah."
He had spotted a familiar face among the fighting bandits. He wasn't exactly a friend; in fact, they had only met once—back when the man had tried to ambush him.
"What is it, Rei?" Taenia asked, noticing his reaction.
Rei pointed toward a man standing at the rear of the larger group, shouting orders to his men.
"While I was on my way to the City of Sablusta, a group of bandits tried to jump me. I hit them first and drove them off, but I recognize that guy's face."
"Heh, those must have been some death-defying bandits to target you. So, which one is it?" Taenia asked with a smirk. Knowing Rei’s true strength now, she found the idea of someone trying to mug him hilarious.
However, as she followed Rei’s finger, the color drained from her face. Luido had the same reaction.
The man’s face was crisscrossed with several jagged scars, giving him a look that screamed 'criminal.' He carried a giant battle axe on his back. Despite his savage appearance, he was commanding his men with surgical precision, ensuring they took as little damage as possible.
"W-Wait a minute. Is that...?"
"Yeah, no mistake. I'm pretty sure that's Egg, Boss of the Prairie Wolves," Luido said.
They both knew the name. As Luido mentioned, he was the leader of a small but elite bandit gang famous in the region. Unlike other outlaws, they didn't engage in senseless murder or the assault of women. If a target surrendered the necessary goods, they would vanish like the wind. There were even rumors that they had occasionally stepped in to protect merchants from more vicious bandit groups.
Of course, they were still outlaws and thus targets for the guild, but they were considered low-priority. Among the common folk, some even whispered of Egg as a kind of folk hero.
As Taenia filled Rei in on the reputation of the Prairie Wolves, the battle reached its conclusion. Only three members of the rival group remained. One was the Bandit Gang Leader, a barbarian-like man with matted hair, dressed in monster furs and wielding his own giant battle axe. Beside him stood a man with a bow and a man with a sword, both of them trembling and weeping in the face of certain death.
"Egg! You bastard! What the hell are you doing!?" the rival leader screamed.
"What am I doing? Isn't it obvious?" Egg replied, his voice laced with boredom. Despite his tone, his eyes remained sharp as he stared down the survivors.
"You're a bandit just like me! Why would you do this? Have you lost your damn mind!?"
"...Just like you?" Egg chuckled darkly. "Just like you... you really think we’re the same, you degenerate piece of scum?"
He laughed as if it were the funniest thing he’d ever heard, but in the next heartbeat, his face twisted into a mask of pure fury. He unleashed a deafening roar.
The sound was so powerful that the two men flanking the rival leader dropped their weapons and collapsed, instantly losing consciousness.
(Is that... a skill?) Rei wondered.
While Rei couldn't sense magic power directly, the event reminded him of the Shock Wave technique Mirene used. Since Mirene had developed that skill to compensate for her lack of magic power, he figured Egg had likely done something similar.
"Ngh... damn you..."
The rival leader, showing enough grit to have led a gang, managed to remain standing, though he staggered for a moment before glaring at Egg with murderous intent.
"Are you serious? You really mean to kill me?"
"Of course. I warned you before, didn't I? Stealing is one thing. That's our trade. But I told you not to kill for sport. Every time you murder someone, it just piles more hatred on us from the townsfolk, the merchants, and the guild. I told you a hundred times. But you didn't listen. Instead, just to spite me, you went out of your way to slaughter your victims."
"Hah! They're prey! What's wrong with killing prey? The feel of flesh giving way, the spray of blood... the look of pure despair when they realize they're dead! Is there anything better in this world? You know it too—the rush of killing humans or beastmen is something you can't get from a monster!"
The rival leader screamed, his bravado clearly a shield against the fear rising within him.
"...Disgusting," a voice whispered beside Rei.
It was Taenia. She looked on with pure revulsion. She finally understood why that group had tried to kill them immediately during the first ambush without any attempt to take them prisoner despite their appearance.
"Killing for pleasure... and he calls himself a bandit."
"He's the absolute worst," Luido added. "But that piece of trash is done for. Look."
Egg was stepping forward, his giant battle axe held ready as he loomed over the rival leader.
"Enough. Even among bandits, there's a line you don't cross. You’ve fallen too far into the pit... you're beyond saving. I’ll be the one to put you down."
"Shut up, shut up, shut up! Always acting so high and mighty, like you're the king of the woods! I'll kill you and take it all!"
With a crazed roar, the rival leader swung his axe and charged.
Both men wielded battle axes of similar quality. They were well-made weapons, though not magic items. However, the disparity in skill was astronomical.
"You're naive. And a moron."
With a single horizontal slash, Egg knocked the rival leader's axe clean out of his hands. Before the man could even react, the return stroke slammed into his head, shattering his skull and killing him instantly.
"...Incredible," Taenia whispered.
It hadn't been a duel; it had been an execution. Even so, she was struck by the sheer speed and precision of Egg’s axe work.
However, her admiration was cut short when Egg turned his gaze toward the very thicket where they were hiding.
"Hey, you two in the bushes. You're trying hard to hide, but you're not going to fool a professional bandit. Are you friends with these guys?"
"...Eh?" Taenia breathed.
He had said "two," even though there were three of them.
Before she could process the confusion, Egg continued. "Come out while I'm being polite. Otherwise, I'll assume you're with them and give the order to attack. You have ten seconds."
"One... two... three..."
Egg's men adjusted their aim, pointing their weapons toward the thicket.
"W-What do we do!?" Taenia hissed.
"Should I just go out?" Rei asked calmly. "I can handle them."
"Don't be reckless! Even if you're fine, we'll be dead in seconds!"
Egg’s count reached eight... nine... The Prairie Wolves were tensed and ready to strike.
"Wait! We're coming out! Don't attack!" Taenia shouted, realizing they wouldn't survive a confrontation in their current position.
"Is this okay?" Rei whispered.
Taenia sighed and shook her head. "It's the only choice. Based on what I've heard about the Prairie Wolves, they might be reasonable. Besides, for some reason, they think there are only two of us. If we can use that..."
"I have an idea. It might settle this without a fight, though if it fails, things will get ugly fast. You want me to try?"
Taenia looked at him and made a split-second decision. Coming out peacefully was one thing, but they were still dealing with a large band of outlaws.
"...Fine. Luido, you okay with this?"
"Yeah. If things go south, I'll provide cover with my bow."
"Hey! Enough talking! Get out here!" another bandit shouted.
Rei gave a small nod and turned to the women. "I'll go out first. You two stay here. If they focus on me and things look bad, use the opening to run."
"Are you really going to be alright?"
"Don't worry. Like you said, if it's just me, I'll be fine."
With that, Rei left Taenia and Luido in the shadows. He pulled the Death Scythe from his Misty Ring and stepped out into the clearing.
"It’s been a while... though maybe not quite long enough to say that. We’ve met in an interesting place, haven't we?"
Rei rested the Death Scythe's shaft on his shoulder, his sharp eyes sweeping over the crowd with an intimidating intensity that seemed to dominate the clearing.