Rei emerged from the thicket where he had been observing the scene, his Death Scythe propped casually over his shoulder as he stepped into the view of the bandit gang 'Prairie Wolves'.
Roughly half of the bandits turned toward him with looks of utter confusion, while the other half wore expressions of pure shock.
The former were those who didn't know Rei and were left wondering why a weak-looking youth was suddenly standing in such a place. The latter half—including Egg—were those who had attempted to ambush Rei just a short while ago, only to be forced into a humiliating retreat in what could only be described as a one-sided rout.
"Hey, isn't that him...?"
"Yeah, no mistake. What the hell is he doing here?"
"Wait a second. If he’s here, does that mean that Gryphon is nearby too!?"
"Are you kidding me? Facing a Gryphon in the forest at night? We don't have a prayer."
Those who recognized Rei's face exchanged hurried whispers.
Though they spoke softly enough to be nearly silent, Rei’s sharp hearing picked up every word of their conversation.
(True, if Set were here, he could probably settle this in one strike... but as long as I'm under contract as an escort, the client's safety has to come first. It can't be helped.)
"...Why are you here?" Egg asked, his battle axe still resting on his shoulder.
The face covered in countless scars was painted with a flicker of bewilderment. His tone held more genuine curiosity than suspicion.
Egg knew exactly how much power Rei possessed; after all, anyone who could tame a Gryphon was a force to be reckoned with. Even if Rei looked like nothing more than a small boy—or perhaps an apprentice mage—Egg had no intention of letting his guard down.
At the same time, Egg suspected that a man of this caliber would have no reason to align himself with the bandits the Prairie Wolves had just slaughtered. Above all else...
"I sensed two presences. Yours wasn't one of them," Egg noted. "In fact, there are still two more presences lingering in those bushes. Why did you bother coming out?"
"Hey now, you've got a lot of questions. ...Well, I don't want a pointless fight either, so I'll give you a straight answer. The reason I—or rather, we—are here is simple. The caravan we're escorting was attacked by the bandits who lived here. We came to cut out the root of the problem to prevent further trouble, but it looks like you beat us to the punch."
"...I see. So these fools didn't know their place and tried to take on a monster like you? They really were unlucky. Though if they had any luck at all, they wouldn't have been killed by us either."
The moment Egg spoke, the surrounding bandits began to stir.
Egg was the leader of the Prairie Wolves, a man held in absolute trust. Many had joined because they were drawn to his character, but it was also a fact that he led because he was the strongest man in the Prairie Wolves. Hearing him describe this youth as a 'monster' sent a wave of shock through those who hadn't encountered Rei before.
"You certainly finished them off before we could," Rei said. "From what I heard of your exchange earlier, it sounds like their leader was a real piece of work?"
"Yeah. He was the kind of scum who bragged about finding joy in murder and took pleasure in slaughtering the weak. We took the initiative and wiped them out so their stench wouldn't rub off on us. ...So, what now? Your targets are already dead. Do you want a piece of us? We might not have much of a chance against you, but I promise we’ll at least go down swinging."
Egg’s words were heavy with a fierce resolve—the determination that even if he were reduced to nothing but a severed head, he would still find a way to tear out Rei's throat. Rei met that intensity with a calm smile.
"Wait, Rei! What are you doing? If they’re willing to let us go, we should take the offer and retreat!" Taenia’s frantic whisper drifted from the bushes behind him.
"...Are you sure?" Rei asked over his shoulder. "Weren't you after the treasure they hoarded?"
"Of course I was, but only if we could get it safely! I’m not crazy enough to pick a fight with the Prairie Wolves for a bit of loot."
"I'm with her— I agree with Taenia's opinion—" Luyde chimed in.
"If you're both fine with it, I won't argue."
In truth, Rei’s real desire was to further test the usability of the Rusted Spear he had recently acquired.
(Well, if I act stubborn and drag Taenia and the others into a fight where they might get hurt, it'll interfere with the escort request. Still, it’s a bit annoying to head back with nothing to show for it... Right.)
Muttering internally, Rei suddenly gave the Death Scythe a massive swing.
The sheer speed combined with the weapon's immense weight created a sharp, whistling crack as it sliced through the air, reaching the ears of every member of the Prairie Wolves.
That single strike—delivered with effortless grace—instinctively seared a realization into the minds of those who didn't know Rei: he was an opponent they could never hope to defeat.
"Like I said, I don’t like wasted effort. ...But regardless of your stance toward other bandits, you're still bandits. I could hunt down every wolf here right now, but..."
The moment Rei spoke, a freezing tension gripped the area. If they fought, they would lose; if they ran, more than half of them would likely be cut down. Following their leader’s lead, the bandits' resolve hardened, their spirits shifting toward a final, desperate stand. However...
"But well, I suppose I owe you one for taking care of the bandits we were supposed to kill. I'll let it slide this time."
It was a statement made from a position of absolute superiority, radiating the fact that he could kill them all whenever he pleased.
If an ordinary adventurer had said those words—or if Taenia had said them from the bushes—they would have been slaughtered on the spot. But because it was Rei, a man who stood on a completely different level of power from any other adventurer, the Prairie Wolves didn't dare to retort. They knew that if this small, robed figure truly got serious, the resulting carnage would be beyond imagining.
"...What are the conditions?" Egg rasped.
Egg possessed formidable combat ability himself, as demonstrated in his fight against the rival leader. Even so, he judged that he was no match for Rei and chose to negotiate to avoid a massacre.
Rei smiled, as if he had been waiting for exactly those words.
"One favor owed to me. If something comes up later, I'll come to collect. Just pay me back then."
"..."
A favor for Rei. Egg didn't know what that might eventually entail, but the choice was obvious when compared to the alternative of fighting Rei here. Furthermore, they had just finished a battle. While they hadn't suffered casualties, several were injured and everyone was exhausted.
After a few seconds of silence, Egg spoke.
"Fine. In the name of the Prairie Wolves, I declare that we owe a debt of gratitude to Rei."
His voice rang out clearly in front of the cave littered with the corpses of the rival bandits.
"I’ll be sure to remember that," Rei said with a nod, before asking a question that had been bothering him. "You seemed to know my name...?"
"Hmph. We have our own unique information network. Besides, those girls hiding in the bushes were calling out your name."
"Ho, so your hearing is quite good as well."
"Che. I’m not happy to be praised by the likes of you. It makes me wonder what you're plotting."
Egg frowned as he spoke, but Rei ignored the hostility and continued.
"Don't be so cynical. It was a genuine compliment. ...Anyway, now that you've finished off the targets, we'll head back to our escort clients."
"Go on, then. Seriously, between those idiots and you, today’s been the absolute worst."
"It's not all bad, is it? The treasure those bandits hoarded belongs to the victors. I know that wasn't your primary goal, but I assume you won't be leaving empty-handed?"
"Hmph. We aren't keeping the money those bastards hoarded. There are plenty of people we need to give it to."
"...I see."
Rei murmured, feeling a slight sense of respect. He understood from Egg's tone that they intended to use the wealth to compensate the victims of the gang they had just destroyed.
(I made them owe me as a bit of a long shot... but maybe this turned out to be an unexpectedly good investment?)
"Then we'll be taking our leave. Let's meet again if the opportunity arises."
"As far as I'm concerned, I'd be happy never seeing someone like you again for the rest of my life. Just get lost."
With those words trailing behind him, Rei walked away.
As he passed the bushes, Taenia hurriedly joined him, dragging Luyde by the hand. She kept glancing nervously over her shoulder, but the Prairie Wolves showed no sign of making a move against them.
"Honestly, my heart nearly stopped when you walked right out in front of the Prairie Wolves! Being a daredevil is one thing, but don't go dragging us into your suicide missions!"
Taenia grumbled incessantly as they navigated the pitch-black forest. They moved in the same formation as before: Luyde in the lead, with Rei and Taenia side-by-side behind her. The only difference was that since they no longer had to worry about being detected by bandits, they didn't need to keep their voices down. Free from the immediate threat, Taenia vented her frustrations without any lingering fear of the dark.
"Even so, we went all that way. It's only right that we got something out of it, isn't it? Since that something is a favor from a Loyal Bandit Gang, I'd say tonight's haul was more than enough."
"...Yeah, yeah, sure. It was great for you. But in the end, we got absolutely nothing."
"But— we survived an encounter with the Prairie Wolves— and that Egg guy let us go—" Luyde called out from the front without even looking back.
In truth, if only Taenia and Luyde had been there without Rei, there was no telling what would have happened to them. Even if the Prairie Wolves were known for causing minimal harm to civilians, they were still fierce enough to earn their name. Taenia had witnessed their martial prowess during their fight with the other bandits. While she believed she might be superior to their rank-and-file members in pure combat power, they had been outnumbered twenty-to-one, and then there was Egg—an opponent she had no hope of defeating. Realizing this, she knew that complaining to Rei further would make her look ungrateful.
"Fine, I get it. ...Anyway, let's stop talking and hurry up. It won't be a laughing matter if the caravan gets attacked while we're away."
"Rei and I have Night Vision, so we're fine—"
Who exactly was it that was slowing down the group? Taenia snorted at the implicit jab and continued pushing through the nocturnal forest.
"Rei-san? Taenia-san and Luyde-san too. You're back remarkably early. Have you already taken care of the bandits?"
Alektore muttered in surprise when he spotted the trio returning.
In front of him, Set was nuzzling Rei affectionately while Luyde happily petted the Gryphon. Taenia was looking at her companion with an expression of sheer exasperation. After letting out a small sigh at Luyde's behavior, she approached the merchant and shook her head.
"It was no good. By the time we reached the hideout, a conflict with the Prairie Wolves had broken out. The bandits here were completely overwhelmed. There was nothing left for us to do."
"...The Prairie Wolves, you say? They're supposed to be in a league of their own in this region."
"Yes. Rei somehow managed to talk things through so it didn't end in a fight, but the local gang was already wiped out. We couldn't exactly go looting the place under those circumstances, so we came back. More importantly, were there any problems here...?"
Taenia surveyed the campsite. In the distance, Fabel, who had been left in charge of the defense, gave a small wave to indicate that everything was fine.
Most of the merchants were still awake, their adrenaline likely still pumping from the earlier attack and the subsequent task of disposing of the corpses. Despite the hour, they were gathered around the campfires, warding off the winter's chill with bowls of hot soup.
"As you can see, there haven't been any further issues. We've finished clearing away the corpses as you requested. ...Still, I see. I certainly didn't expect the Prairie Wolves to make an appearance."
"It sounds like the ones who attacked us were a group of psychos who killed for sport. The Wolves tried to make them stop, but when they wouldn't listen, they decided to wipe them out... or something like that."
While explaining the details of the Prairie Wolves to Alektore, Taenia settled in to wait for dawn before the caravan continued its journey to the city of Sablusta.