◆
"Hmm, I wonder what that is?"
Out in the mountains, I could see something moving. It appeared to be a group heading straight for our position.
"Looks like the bandit hunt is already over. As expected of Sylpha-tan," Grimo remarked.
"They do seem to be in an awful hurry, though. I wonder if something is amiss," Jiriel added, sounding concerned.
"...No, that isn't Sylpha's group."
The presence approaching didn't feel like Magic Soldiers. Those were... bandits.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"B-Bandits! The bandits are attacking!"
The few soldiers left behind raised their voices in alarm. I hadn't expected them to abandon their hideout and target the main camp instead. It was a bold counter-move.
"Dammit, intercept them!"
The soldiers tried to manipulate the Magic Soldiers to mount a defense, but they were all just green recruits who had only recently started practicing their control. They sent the Magic Soldiers forward, only for them to be cut down one after another by the bandits' blades.
"Hoh, there are less than three hundred of them, but they’re quite something, even considering how pathetic our guys are. They’re being toyed with. Looks like the one in the lead is the head honcho," Grimo observed.
I followed Grimo's gaze and spotted a man with long hair tied back. Even in the heat of a brutal skirmish, he carried himself with an air of elegance, and a sense of iron-clad will seemed to reside in his cool eyes. I recognized that man. I had seen him on the Adventurers' Guild bounty list.
The list occasionally featured individuals who were exceptionally skilled in magic, so I checked it from time to time to see if anyone interesting popped up. If I recalled correctly, his name was Mars.
"I've seen that man somewhere before..." Jiriel murmured, seemingly lost in thought.
He must have been a fairly famous figure. However, we didn't exactly have time to reminisce.
"The enemy has less than a tenth of our numbers! Defeat them quickly!"
"B-but it's as if they're reading our every move...!"
"We can't stop their momentum!"
The bandits led by Mars cut a path through the Magic Soldiers as they made a beeline for us. They responded to our movements with incredible speed and outmaneuvered us with ease. Between his bold use of the main force as a diversion and his tactical finesse, he certainly had the skills of a military strategist.
"But our numbers are still superior."
I issued a command for five hundred nearby Magic Soldiers to converge on his location. If I could kill their momentum here, I could surround them with the gathered soldiers and capture Mars and his men without much trouble.
"M-Master Lloyd! The Magic Soldiers' movements are being blocked!"
"It's another detached unit!"
Looking around, I saw that the surrounding Magic Soldiers were being held back by a wall of bandits. Damn, he had split his forces in two before the charge. The bandits led by Mars drew closer and closer to the defenseless main camp.
"Ril! Please!"
"AOOOOOOO—N!"
With a high-pitched howl, the Magic Wolf—the Lesser Fenrir, Ril—leapt into the fray. It swung its sharp claws, which were as large as a man's head.
"Gwaaargh!?"
"A—A Magical Beast!? Why is something like that here!?"
After scattering the front row of bandits, Ril set its sights on Mars. Coiling its sturdy legs like springs, it pounced.
"...Even if you are a beast, I will show no mercy to those who stand in my way," Mars muttered as he drew the sword at his waist.
In an instant, Ril's massive body was sent flying through the air. Blood sprayed as Ril crashed to the earth. Its limbs went limp, and blood pooled from a deep wound in its chest.
"Ril—!"
What? He took down a Lesser Fenrir in a single blow? I had assumed he was frail because I'd pegged him as a strategist, but it seemed he possessed considerable combat prowess as well.
"It's over."
While we were momentarily stunned by the sight, Mars spurred his horse forward. This was bad. Right now, nearly all of my mana was tied up in controlling the soldiers. I hadn't deployed a Barrier; I was completely defenseless. The sword that had just defeated Ril closed in on my face.
"Master Lloyd!"
"Watch out!"
Grimo and Jiriel stepped forward to shield me, but right then—
Clang!
A sharp, ringing clink echoed out as the sword in Mars's hand was knocked away.
"Wh-What!? His sword just flew out of his hand!?"
"I saw something glowing fly by for a split second... It came from that direction!"
Just as they said, I had seen something fly in and parry the sword. I knew that feeling from somewhere. If I recalled correctly, that was...
When I looked toward the source, I saw a silhouette standing atop a steep cliff. Had someone sniped the sword right out of Mars's hand from that distance?
"I thought the mountain was sounding a bit rowdy... We certainly are fated, aren't we? I don't really understand the situation, but my training has reached a stopping point-aru. I'll show you the results-aru."
The voice drifting on the wind was one I knew well. The silhouette bent its body deeply and then launched itself into the air like a released spring.
"Wha!? She jumped from a height like that!?"
"It's not... magic. It's pure physical ability! C-Could that be...!"
The shadow rode the wind, rapidly growing larger as it approached. Then—
Tap.
With a surprisingly light, airy sound, she landed right in front of me. She was a girl with pale pink hair tied into buns, bandages wrapped around her hands, and dressed in a crimson martial arts uniform. On her back, the character for 'Martial' was emblazoned vividly.
Mars narrowed his eyes, looking down at the girl. "Who are you?"
"The 108th Successor Apprentice of the Hundred Flowers Fist, now with Full Mastery! Tao Yuifa has arrived-aru!"
Tao announced her name with absolute confidence and settled into a fighting stance.