There was a simple reason why the bandits captured by Rei and his group had surrendered the location of their hideout so readily. Naturally, that reason was Seto.
Withered by the King's Intimidation the Gryphon had unleashed, the bandits were utterly cowed. Desperate to get away from Seto as quickly as possible, they had answered every question without hesitation.
The fact that their leader, Eberogi, had abandoned them so callously undoubtedly played a part as well.
"They seem quite terrified of Seto for some reason... Did he do something to them?"
At the question from the subjugation force soldier who had come to report to Ranga, Rei glanced over at Seto. A short distance away, the Gryphon was happily munching on some dried meat he’d been given by one of the knights.
"I wouldn’t say he did anything specific, but they heard Seto’s roar from point-blank range. On top of that, he let it rip just as they realized they were outmatched and tried to bolt. I’d wager that’s why."
"Guruuu?"
Having swallowed the dried meat, Seto tilted his head slightly as if asking, Did you call? He turned his round eyes toward Rei, but the adventurer simply waved him off to indicate it was nothing. Rei then turned his attention back to Ranga.
"So, now that we know where the hideout is, are we moving in immediately?"
"Yes. ...And where exactly is this location?"
When asked, the guard looked away with a troubled expression, eventually gesturing toward the dense woods.
"They say it’s deep within the forest."
"...I heard the bandits' main strength was their cavalry, though?"
"Yes. Apparently, they’re a group that’s exceptionally skilled with horses. After all, word has it they aren't just some common bandit gang, but an actual mercenary band."
"I figured."
Rei nodded, his suspicions confirmed. Ranga felt the same, his brow furrowing in thought.
"So they really aren't just ordinary thieves. I hear stories of mercenary bands turning to banditry from time to time, but a group of this scale is a real headache. ...Rei-kun, could you wait a moment? I need to consult with the knights regarding our plan of attack."
"Understood. From my end, I’d like to wrap this up as fast as possible, so please try to keep things moving."
"Of course. It isn’t ideal for us to be away from Gilm for too long, either. More than anything, the paperwork is likely piling up on my desk even as we speak..."
Perhaps imagining the mountain of documents awaiting him, Ranga walked away with a hand pressed to his stomach. The knight who had been doting on Seto quickly followed after him.
Watching their retreating backs, Rei turned to a nearby soldier with an exasperated look.
"Does the Guard Force really have that much paperwork?"
"Well, I wouldn't call it light. We have to keep track of the number of people entering and leaving Gilm, document every dispute that happens in the streets, and a dozen other things."
"...Being in the Guard Force sounds a lot harder than I thought."
Only Rei’s solemn murmur echoed through the air.
Meanwhile, the members of the Bloody Blade who had retreated into the forest were pushing deep toward their hidden base.
Their pace was frantic.
Since the survivors of the advance unit sent to test the enemy’s strength had been captured, it was a foregone conclusion that Rei now knew the location of their hideout.
The Bloody Blade, led by Eberogi, wasn’t exactly known for its ironclad solidarity. Under interrogation, it was a given that any member would talk just to save their own skin. Furthermore, since their leader had abandoned them without a second thought, there was no reason to expect any lingering sense of loyalty or fellowship.
Eberogi intended to vanish from this region before the adventurers or the subjugation force could close in. His judgment was swift—the kind of decisive leadership one expected from a veteran mercenary commander.
But...
Suddenly, Eberogi skidded to a halt.
Drifting from the direction of their destination was a familiar, metallic scent. The smell of rust.
Did they get ahead of us...? No, that’s impossible. It's way too fast. Even if Crimson has a Gryphon, there’s no way he could have found a hideout buried in this forest so quickly. In that case... did something else happen?
The image of the Gryphon from the earlier skirmish flashed through his mind, but he immediately shook it off. Whatever the cause, the scent of blood hanging in the air was unmistakable.
The others had caught the scent too, exchanging looks of confusion and growing anxiety.
"Something happened at the hideout. Let's move."
He spat out the command and urged his horse forward. Even within the dense forest, Eberogi handled his mount with expert ease. His mercenaries followed suit, their equestrian skills proving to be truly top-tier despite their fall from grace into banditry.
They emerged into a clearing deep in the forest where the trees were sparse—the site of their base. What greeted Eberogi was not the subjugation force, but a swarm of nearly fifty goblins.
"Goblins? Here?"
A few stragglers had wandered in the day before, but never anything like this. This was an organized pack. The monsters were currently in the midst of a celebration, hooting and hollering as they waved around stolen food, weapons, gold, silver, and jewels.
Lying on the ground were familiar faces.
They were his own people—the non-combatants, the injured, and the retired veterans who stayed behind to handle the chores. They lay in pools of their own blood. Their limbs were twisted at impossible angles, their bodies riddled with blade marks.
Eberogi realized it was a stroke of grim luck that there had been no women left at the base. Had there been, they would have surely suffered a fate far worse than the men on the ground—much like the woman who had survived their earlier raid on the caravan.
"Damn it! We don’t have time for this! Listen up, you lot! We’re driving these goblin shits out! Don't waste time trying to slaughter every last one—just clear them out!"
"Leader!?"
Even in a group gathered for profit, some bonds had formed over time. Hearing an order to merely "drive off" the creatures that had slaughtered their comrades, several men glared at Eberogi in protest.
Eberogi stared them down, his gaze sharp enough to draw blood.
"I’m just as pissed as you are, believe me. But if we linger here, the subjugation force and Crimson will be on our heels. Do you really think we can win that fight?"
The mercenaries had no answer for that. Naturally, their loud argument within sight of the pack did not go unnoticed.
"Gyagagagagyo!"
"Gyogya?"
"Gyagyogugo!"
The goblins screeched to one another and attacked in a frenzied mass. They were monsters that preyed on the weak and fled from the strong, but they were also decisively stupid, often throwing themselves at superior foes when riled up. This pack was currently intoxicated by the thrill of the massacre they had just committed.
Above all...
"Gagyagyogyogyo!"
A monster significantly larger than the rest—roughly the size of a grown man—charged forward, swinging a heavy club. It was clearly a high-ranking species.
"Tch, a hobgoblin! Where the hell did this many goblins come from?"
Eberogi shouted in irritation, ducking under a swung club before his longsword flashed out. The hobgoblin’s head was sent flying instantly. While a hobgoblin was far superior to a common goblin, to a veteran like Eberogi, the difference was negligible.
"Gyagagagaga!?"
"Gyojovel!?"
One goblin screeched while waving around a rare monster material. Recognizing its value, Eberogi’s brow twitched.
"Move it! Scatter the goblins! But recover as much of the loot as you can! We need every coin of that to replace our weapons, armor, and horses! Without that gold, we don’t even get food or booze!"
『Oooooooooh!』
Weapons, armor, horses, food, booze, and women. Reminded of the things indispensable to their mercenary lifestyle, the men threw themselves into the fray.
The goblins tried to intimidate the approaching humans and beastmen with loud screeches, seemingly unable to comprehend that their leader was already dead.
Damn it, keep it down. All that noise is just going to lead the subjugation force right to us.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Eberogi vented his frustration by cleaving a goblin in two. He ignored the spray of goblin blood and continued his grim work.
Within ten minutes, the goblins realized they were being annihilated and began to scatter in every direction. Without the hobgoblin to lead them, they had no sense of unity and fled solely to save their own skins.
Several mercenaries moved to pursue them on horseback to avenge their fallen friends, but Eberogi’s roar stopped them in their tracks.
"Hey! We’re leaving now! Pack up the valuables and the supplies! That includes the materials those goblin shits scattered everywhere!"
The mercenaries snapped to attention and began to frantically pack under Eberogi's direction.
But then...
"Heh. Your judgment is impressively fast. I thought you’d have a bit more composure than that."
The voice was quiet, yet it cut through the clamor of the clearing with unsettling clarity.
Eberogi felt a chill run down his spine. He turned reflexively toward the source.
Leaning against a tree trunk was a youth who could still be called a boy. In his hand, he held a massive scythe. He was watching the Bloody Blade’s frantic retreat with an expression of mild amusement.
His appearance and weapon were enough to identify him, but the presence crouching quietly beside him made it certain. It was an A-Rank monster—a Gryphon with the upper body of an eagle and the lower body of a lion.
Usually known as Gilm’s unofficial mascot for its friendly behavior, the creature was now fixing the mercenaries with the sharp, predatory gaze of a bird of prey.
"...Crimson..."
The name escaped Eberogi’s lips like a curse.
Time rewinds slightly.
The subjugation force had extracted information from the captured bandits far faster than they had expected. No torture had been necessary.
They had simply asked one question: "Do you want to stand before the Gryphon again?"
Cowed by Seto’s King's Intimidation, the men had broken instantly.
They confessed that they were a mercenary band known as the Bloody Blade. Having failed to make a profit during the Spring War, they had turned to banditry in the lands of Margrave Larkus, whom they blamed for their misfortune. They revealed that they received larger shares for slaughtering caravan members, and they provided every detail regarding Eberogi’s leadership and the group’s strength.
"...This is dangerous."
One of the knights murmured as he listened to the report. The enemy was a highly mobile cavalry unit led by a sharp-witted commander. The subjugation force had pursued them several times before, but the bandits had always slipped away. Their ruthlessness in leaving no survivors ensured that no information ever leaked.
Eberogi would have undoubtedly realized he was being hunted the moment he saw a Gryphon. Even if he didn't know Rei's full reputation, the presence of a large subjugation force would be enough to make him abandon the region.
The other members of the force nodded grimly at the knight's assessment.
"Then shouldn't we have Rei and Seto take action immediately? We know where the hideout is now."
"So, in the end, we can't solve this without Rei, eh?"
Someone murmured solemnly, but they were in agreement. Dealing with the Bloody Blade took priority over military credit. A request was sent through Ranga for Rei to move ahead and monitor the hideout, with authorization to take any action necessary to prevent the bandits from escaping before the main force arrived.