A voice called out from behind once Rei had finished off all but three of the bandits on horseback.
Turning toward the voice, he recognized the man who had been driving the lead carriage of the caravan they had passed a short while ago.
"You lot... you actually came back? You’re certainly a glutton for punishment."
Normally, no one would bother coming back out of concern for people they had just dumped a bandit attack on—even if Rei and the others had effectively invited the trouble.
Yet, this driver had gone out of his way to return. While Rei was wondering whether to be exasperated by such foolish honesty or impressed by it, the bandits naturally tried to seize the opening to escape.
Seeing that their horses were still incapacitated, they leapt off their mounts and tried to make a break for it on foot, but...
Slash!
A shockwave from a Flying Slash released by the Death Scythe tore through the earth right at the lead man’s feet, forcing him to a sudden halt.
"Don't run. I still have questions for you. At the very least, you'll stay alive until we're finished with that."
"Hi—Hieee!"
The bandits gasped at the flying strike—an attack that, to their eyes, looked like nothing but wind magic.
"Guruuu."
The moment they saw Set approach while growling low in its throat, all three of them lost their nerve completely, collapsing onto their backsides in the dirt.
The driver watched the scene, murmuring in a daze of admiration.
"I came back because I was worried, but it looks like my concern was unneeded. I never imagined you’d have a Gryphon with you."
The driver stared at Set in surprise, his cheeks twitching slightly as he spoke.
However, the three adventurers he had brought along as reinforcements were simply frozen stiff, paralyzed by shock at the sight of the creature.
"There's no need to fear Set. It won't attack on its own unless you show hostility."
"Uh, that... what exactly is that Gryphon?"
"It’s Rei's... the tamed monster belonging to the adventurer with the great scythe over there," Elena replied nonchalantly.
At her words, the driver’s eyes widened as if a piece of a puzzle had clicked into place. He turned his gaze back toward Rei and Set.
"An adventurer with a great scythe who commands a Gryphon... Then that boy... no, is he 'Crimson,' the one given that alias in the war with the Bestia Empire?"
"Yes, that's him. Though, let’s put that talk aside for now. We have more pressing matters to attend to first."
"Y-Yes, of course."
While nodding at Elena, the driver’s eyes widened again as if he had remembered something else.
His gaze fixed on Elena’s golden hair, which shone brilliantly under the sun, and her exceptional beauty. Then his eyes drifted to the scabbard at her waist. If the weapon housed within was the one from the rumors, then perhaps... From that look alone, Elena realized the man had deduced her true identity.
As the Princess General and the face of the Noble's Faction, Elena had appeared on the public stage many times, including the victory parade. It wasn't strange for someone to recognize her. Her beauty was so striking that no one could forget her after a single glance.
However, Elena spoke up before the driver could say anything, forestalling him.
"I am merely an adventurer on a journey. Do you understand?"
Her tone was insistent, and the driver swallowed the words he had been about to utter.
Rei had been watching the exchange, but his attention shifted as he spotted a group of about thirty people in the distance. They were far enough away that only Rei's vision could discern them; Elena only faintly sensed a presence, and the others hadn't noticed a thing. Only Set, with its superior five senses, was fully aware of them.
"Set, it’ll be a problem if we leave those bandits roaming around. Go take care of them."
"Guruuu!"
In response to Rei's command, Set let out a cry that sounded like "Leave it to me," took a few steps to build speed, and flapped its wings to soar into the sky.
The driver and the adventurers looked up in a daze, but Rei ignored them and turned back to the surviving bandits.
"Now then, let's get down to business. How many are in your gang in total? Besides these cavalrymen—though calling you that is being generous—how many are there?"
"T-That's..."
"I know there are about thirty more heading this way. As you saw, I've left them to Set. So, what I want to know is everyone else. And the location of your hideout."
"You think I'd sell out my brothers!?" another man shouted, regaining some of his bravado now that Set was gone.
Judging him to be a fool, Rei spun the shaft of the Death Scythe in his hand and pressed the massive blade against a man's neck.
But he didn't press it against the one who had shouted. He pressed it against the neck of the one who had hesitated first.
"Hi—Hieee!"
For the first few seconds, the man didn't even realize his predicament, but once he looked down and saw the giant blade resting under his chin, a scream leaked from his throat.
"Don't move recklessly. With the edge on this Death Scythe, your head will go flying if you so much as twitch."
"A-Ah. I get it... I get it! Just get this thing away from me!"
"No, unfortunately, you're going to be my example. The other two seem stubborn, but I'm sure they'll change their minds once they see what happens to you."
Rei moved the blade just a fraction, letting it touch the man's throat and leaving a shallow cut.
The man felt the blood trickling down his neck and his face twitched with terror as he looked toward his two comrades, pleading for help.
However, perhaps still clinging to some sense of loyalty, the remaining two men stayed silent. One glared at Rei, while the other simply averted his eyes.
Seeing this, Rei leaned in and whispered softly into the ear of the man he was holding at scythe-point.
"It looks like those two have decided to abandon you. A shame. I guess I'll have to use you as a model for suffering. First, you'll lose all your fingers. Then your arms, your legs... then I’ll slice off your nose, gouge out your eyes, and cut out your tongue. Once they see you in that state, I’m sure they’ll become much more cooperative."
Rei spoke with a coldness that made the veteran bandit’s skin crawl. Cold sweat broke out on the man's forehead, and his teeth began to chatter.
Just one more push...
Rei pulled a dagger from his Misty Ring. Since he couldn't reach down to stab the man while holding the scythe to his throat, he simply took aim and threw it straight at the man's instep.
"Gyaaaaaaa!"
The dagger pierced through the boot and into the man's foot, making him scream in agony.
Even then, he didn't dare thrash around, knowing the Death Scythe's blade was still pressed against his jugular. In reality, Rei was ready to pull the blade back instantly if the man moved, but the threat was enough.
"It hurts, it hurts... Damn it, why me... Damn it!"
"It's because your comrades won't talk. It's a real pity. I don't exactly enjoy the pain of others, but... that was your right foot. Next is the left."
Rei pulled another dagger from the Misty Ring and brandished it slowly.
That was the breaking point.
"I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! I'll give you the information instead of these guys, so just stop!"
"Hey! Are you really going to sell us out!?"
The man under the blade screamed back at his comrade in a fury of desperation.
"Don't give me that! You just sat there and watched me get tortured!"
"No! That guy was just trying to—"
Before the man could finish his shout, the butt end of the Death Scythe was slammed into his solar plexus.
Because Rei had held back his strength, the blow didn't kill the man, but it was enough to knock the wind out of him and send him collapsing to the ground, unconscious.
The last remaining bandit said nothing, merely watching while shaking in terror.
The man Rei had been torturing was the most shocked of all. In the blink of an eye, the great scythe that had been at his throat had vanished, its butt end part already striking his comrade's stomach.
Truly realizing that they had picked a fight with a monster, he began to answer Rei's interrogation with frantic honesty.
Everyone present, including Elena, watched the interrogation in silence. To them, the fact that these men were bandits was reason enough to kill them without hesitation; if anything, some wondered why Rei was being so "merciful" by keeping them alive.
A short while earlier.
Having been tasked with destroying the reinforcements, Set flew high to avoid detection. Within minutes, it spotted the bandits walking along the highway. Letting out a short growl, it flapped its wings to build speed and dove toward its targets.
Aided by gravity, Set plummeted straight down. After the initial dive, it tucked its wings to fall silently.
Despite the surprise, a few bandits among the group below sensed something and tried to look up.
"...Hm? What was that? Just my imagination?"
The bandit at the rearmost position looked up but saw nothing. He turned his gaze back forward—and in the next instant, he was crushed by the falling Set. His bones shattered instantly, and he died without a sound.
"What!?"
The surrounding bandits cried out, unable to comprehend what had happened. Some didn't even realize their comrade had been killed yet.
The skill Set had used during its descent was Optical Camouflage, obtained from the magic stone of the Lemures.
At Level 1, the effect only lasted for about ten seconds. Three seconds had been spent on the dive, leaving seven seconds.
However, for an A-Rank monster with a Gryphon’s agility, seven seconds was an eternity.
While the viscera, bones, blood, and fluids of the crushed bandit scattered across the ground, Set leapt again and swung its front paw down on a nearby target.
One head was pulverized by sharp eagle claws; another man was sent flying by a lion's kick, his ribs shattering as he tumbled away. A strike from its beak was just as lethal, crushing a skull in a single peck.
In those few seconds—before the bandits in front could even turn around—Set demonstrated its overwhelming power, killing or incapacitating more than ten men.
And then...
"U-Uwaaaah! What is it!? What's happening!?"
One bandit finally noticed the slaughter behind him and screamed. Set fixed its gaze on him while still invisible.
"Gurururururuuu!"
With a loud cry, it flapped its wings and charged forward.
The cry was audible, but no monster could be seen. Common bandits had no hope of handling such a situation. They were sent flying by the impact of a two-meter-tall Gryphon's charge, their bones breaking and flesh mangling.
"A-A monster!? Everyone, ready your weapons!"
One of the remaining bandits shouted, but Set had already torn through the crowd. It instantly regained its footing and lunged again.
Just before its eagle talons could strike the man who had called for weapons... the effect of Optical Camouflage wore off.
Only about seven seconds had passed since Set dropped from the sky. In less than ten seconds, thirty percent of the bandits were dead, and another forty percent were lying on the ground with injuries so severe they couldn't stand. Some were unconscious; others could only groan in agony.
In a sense, those who remained uninjured were the most pitiable. While the others had been struck down without understanding what had hit them, the survivors now had to witness Set's form—the terrifying majesty of a Gryphon—up close.
Once the confusion took hold, the bandits were helpless. It didn't take long for the rest to be annihilated.
Later, using the information Rei had extracted, he and Elena launched a raid on the bandit hideout and successfully seized their treasures.
There were a few guards left in charge of the camp, but mere thieves stood no chance against them.
As for the survivors, they were handed over to the caravan to be sold as slaves. The caravan also purchased the captured horses and the loot from the hideout that Rei and Elena didn't want, resulting in a profit of several gold coins.