"...Huh. A bandit hunt. That sounds a little interesting. The reason there weren't any strong opponents among the bandits we fought today is probably because those bandits only just arrived here, right? In that case, we can't deny the possibility that stronger bandits might be out there, can we?"
Munching on the pizza Rei had baked, Vihera murmured, her eyes alight with anticipation for a fight.
Marina, who had just returned from her negotiations with Daskar, offered a smile as she sipped her cold fruit water.
"That's right. The ones we fought today were bandits who hadn't even bothered to hide themselves. Thinking about it that way, the possibility that there are bandits we couldn't find today who might be the kind of opponents Vihera is hoping for... well, I can't deny it."
Even as she said that, if asked whether there were actually any bandits capable of satisfying Vihera, Marina would likely tilt her head in doubt.
Of course, Vihera could enjoy fighting opponents weaker than herself.
But to truly enjoy a battle from the bottom of her heart, she needed an opponent of equal caliber.
Someone like Rei or Elena.
...Incidentally, Marina wasn't included in that group because she was a Spirit Mage whose weapon of choice was a bow, making her a purely rear-guard presence.
In that sense, Rei was technically a mage as well. However, Rei primarily fought with weapons, making him more of a Magic Warrior, and in that regard, he was a suitable match for Vihera.
Naturally, if Marina were up against some random adventurer, she had more than enough skill to handle them barehanded.
But... what Vihera sought was not an opponent of that caliber.
"Hmm. Still... Lord Daskar is quite bold, isn't he? Sablusta isn't a city governed by a Neutral Faction noble to begin with, is it? And yet he's reaching into their territory?"
"It seems the damage from the bandits has gotten a bit out of hand. ...Well, it makes sense when you think about it. If you come to Gilm right now, you're guaranteed to turn a profit. Plus, since so many people are traveling here, the chances of being attacked by monsters on the highway are low."
"But..." Marina paused to gather her thoughts before continuing her explanation.
"For bandits, that makes merchants the perfect prey, doesn't it? Especially since summer is ending and autumn is right around the corner. Once autumn arrives, winter won't be far behind. Before that happens, merchants need to make as many trips to Gilm as possible, and the bandits want to earn as much as they can while they still can."
And so, the bandit attacks had apparently been increasing lately.
Marina concluded her explanation there.
"I see. If that's the case, I can understand his reasoning. I don't mind either way; I don't hate bandit hunts."
Eating a slice of pizza topped with Gamelion meat he had taken down last year, Rei realized that autumn meant it was Gamelion season.
(I wonder how the Gamelion hunt will go this year. ...No, even if a few more people than usual try their hand at hunting Gamelion, it probably won't change much in the end, will it?)
Gamelion were monsters that appeared from autumn to winter in areas not too far from Gilm.
They were believed to be rabbit-based monsters, but they had massive bodies, sharp fangs, ears shaped like blades, and tails that lashed out like whips. Combined with their carnivorous nature, they were incredibly vicious monsters.
They were C-Rank monsters, but like Orcs, their meat was far tastier than their rank would suggest. Because of this, once autumn arrived, many people in Gilm threw themselves into hunting Gamelion.
The meat sold for a high price and was incredibly delicious when eaten personally. Combined with their large size, they were a highly prized catch for adventurers worried about their winter funds. ...That is, provided one actually had the strength to defeat a Gamelion.
At the very least, for the majority of adventurers who had come to Gilm seeking work from the ongoing Expansion Construction, Gamelion would be too much to handle.
(At worst, some might challenge them knowing full well they lack the strength, or they might even be used as disposable pawns. ...I'm sure the Guild is already taking countermeasures for that sort of thing, so I don't think there's any need for me to worry about it.)
Finishing his Gamelion pizza with those thoughts in mind, Rei listened as Marina spoke up again.
"Anyway, we'll take care of the backlog of work tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, we'll head out to subjugate the bandits. That works for everyone, right?"
At Marina's questioning glance, everyone present, including Rei, nodded.
"A battlefield alongside Lady Elena for the first time in a while... I'm looking forward to it."
Among them all, Ara was looking forward to the bandit subjugation the most.
When Elena had been traveling with Rei and the others, they had spoken via the Paired Orbs almost every night. Still, being within arm's reach of her meant a great deal.
Being able to act alongside Elena, it would have been unreasonable to tell her not to be happy.
(Well, with Ara, as long as Elena is nearby, even if she does go on a rampage, she can be stopped immediately, so it shouldn't be a problem.)
Everyone present knew just how much affection Ara harbored toward Elena.
...Rei, in particular, had even been attacked by her out of nowhere when he first met Elena—whether it was because their mutual eye contact had triggered Ara's jealousy or simply set off her sense of danger, he wasn't sure.
Of course, they had long since reconciled over that incident, and both Ara and Rei considered each other friends.
In any case, watching Ara rejoicing at the prospect of fighting alongside Elena, Rei voiced a concern.
"In that case, was today's bandit hunt a bit premature?"
Yes, the bandit hunt they had conducted around Sablusta on their way back to Gilm today.
It was the operation that had resulted in the annihilation of three bandit groups—though a few survivors had been left alive to extract information and to spread the word.
Rei, feared by bandits as the Bandit Eater, had come to attack them.
That was the message he wanted to send, to curb the bandits' activities and, if possible, drive them away from the area around Sablusta.
That had been the purpose of the bandit hunt, but taking on a request from Daskar to subjugate bandits meant he would have to let those very survivors go.
Muttering his slight regret over this, Rei was met with a reply from Vihera.
"I don't think you need to worry that much. If they have even a shred of confidence in their own skills, I don't think they'll actively go out of their way to attack merchant caravans... but I also don't think they'll flee the area around Sablusta either."
"For Vihera, you're just happy the weak enemies will be gone, aren't you?"
"...I won't deny that."
Responding to Marina's words, Vihera quietly averted her gaze.
For Vihera, she had no desire to go out of her way to fight bandits that could only be called small fry.
But if they were right in front of her, she couldn't just leave them be; she had to fight.
Looking at it that way, the ideal scenario for her was for the weak bandits to flee the Sablusta area on their own, leaving only the ones confident in their abilities behind.
"Bandits are bandits. No matter how weak they are, if we let them go here, there's a high chance they'll cause damage in the surrounding areas. To prevent that, we should eliminate all of them. ...Though I suppose it's too late to be saying that now."
They had already gone on three bandit hunts during the day, after all. The bandits who survived those encounters had surely already taken some sort of action.
And while it was impossible to know what decisions the survivors would make or what actions they would take... there was no doubt that the information would spread to the other bandit groups.
If Rei and his party were truly lucky, there was a slim chance the surviving bandits would immediately flee the scene and escape the Sablusta area without being discovered by the other bandits. But expecting things to play out that conveniently was a stretch.
"I imagine it'll take some time for the bandits to haul out all the treasure they've been hoarding. Plus, a group of bandits lugging all that luggage around would stand out like a sore thumb. There's a high chance they'd be spotted by the guards of nearby villages and towns, or by merchant caravans and adventurers."
"Now that you mention it... I guess so? Though if that happens, it'll probably just cause another commotion."
Rei and his party were wiping out bandits with ease as part of their bandit hunt.
But that was only possible because it was them.
Without a certain level of strength, one could easily be overwhelmed by the sheer number of bandits, or the bandits might simply get away.
Looking at it that way, it was only natural to conclude that today's bandit hunt had been unnecessary.
However, the request to subjugate the bandits had only come after they had returned to Gilm.
Given that, even if their actions had been premature, there was no need to worry about being blamed for it.
After all, for the merchant caravans and adventurers passing through the Sablusta area, a decrease in the number of bandits was undoubtedly welcome news.
"Whatever we decide to do, what's done is done. Besides, we're heading out the day after tomorrow, not tomorrow, right? Either way, the situation will have already evolved by then."
"...Then should we just do it tomorrow instead? I've got a bit of a backlog of work, but adding another day to that shouldn't be a problem."
It had been Marina who decided they would subjugate the bandits the day after tomorrow.
Because of that, even if they said they were going first thing tomorrow, a brief discussion with Daskar would allow them to adjust the schedule without issue.
But to Marina's suggestion, Rei shook his head.
"No, we already decided on it. Let's not go changing it just to suit our convenience."
"Are you sure? I don't think it would be a problem for me to adjust things on my end."
Meeting Marina's questioning gaze, Rei nodded firmly once more.
Forcing a change to an already settled plan—Marina might say she was fine with it, but there was no telling how it would actually play out.
Of course, Daskar wouldn't do anything to put Rei and his party at a disadvantage, but Rei still felt bad about forcing extra work onto the already busy Daskar just to coordinate things.
"Thinking about the damage the merchants will suffer even just tomorrow, wouldn't it be better to go sooner?"
Naturally, it was Vihera who said that.
Part of it was genuine concern for the merchants, but more than that, her desire to fight strong opponents was likely the driving force.
Of course, if she truly wanted to fight strong opponents, she was already sparring with Rei and Elena in their daily morning combat training.
Wanting to fight people other than them probably meant that fighting someone like Rei or Elena constantly made her inevitably crave other opponents. That was likely the reasoning.
It was like eating fine dining every single day and occasionally wanting to try other cuisine.
Others might call it a luxury, but for Vihera, it was a somewhat pressing concern.
Naturally, she hadn't grown tired of fighting Rei and Elena, but if that became her baseline standard, her body might internalize it.
Needless to say, Rei and Elena possessed strength that undoubtedly ranked among the upper echelons of this world.
They weren't the absolute strongest in the world with no equals, but those stronger than them were overwhelmingly few.
If she came to perceive fighting such opponents as the standard, then for a Battle Maniac like Vihera, the future would hold more suffering than enjoyment.
In that sense, Vihera needed to fight a variety of opponents and reset her baseline senses.
"Don't the adventurers in Sablusta already take on bandit subjugation requests? And merchant caravans should normally have escorts too, right?"
"I understand what you're trying to say, Rei, but... the Local Deputy there is the problem. I hear the higher-ups are getting quite a bit of backdoor money from the bandits."
"Then wouldn't it be better to do something about Sablusta's leadership instead of the bandits?"
"It would be better if we could, but there are all sorts of political complications. It's not that simple."
At Rei's words, Marina replied with a complicated expression.
The fact that there were that many bandits around Sablusta should naturally have been a negative factor for the Local Deputy... and for the noble who had appointed the deputy in the first place.
Yet despite that, the fact that Sablusta hadn't taken any major action meant there was something at play that outweighed those negative factors.
"Things never go as planned, do they."
Vihera's murmured words melted and disappeared into the summer night air.