We were just about to reach the city of Edelweiss.
When bandits appeared on the highway that cut through the grasslands and forests, everything came to a halt. The highway was choked with merchant wagons, all forced to stop as a line of marauders emerged from the woods.
It looked like those merchant wagons were the specific target.
But something was off about the bandits. They wore pitch-black cloaks and masks, clearly meant to hide their identities, but their movements were unsettlingly eerie. They were too disciplined, their actions perfectly synchronized. They were less like men and more like an army of machines that had purged all individual will.
Dozens of them attacked as a single, coordinated unit rather than individual marauders, sending the merchants fleeing for their lives. And yet, for all their discipline, their movements were strangely sluggish.
The adventurers guarding the merchants launched a counteroffensive. A sword pierced one of the bandits almost immediately, and an adventurer let out a triumphant roar.
"I got one!"
But the bandit didn't stop. Despite being run through, he didn't shed a single drop of blood. He simply resumed his attack as if nothing had happened.
"What the—?! My sword isn't doing anything!"
"Is it true? Are the rumors right? Are they really immortal?!"
Something was definitely wrong with them. Were they wearing hidden armor, or was there some kind of trick to it?
As I watched the panicked adventurers struggle, the Little Witch turned to me.
"Alraune, what should we do?"
"We fight, of course! We have to help those merchants!"
This was the Duke Edelweiss’s Territory. My birthplace.
I was Saint Iris once, but before that, I was Iris Edelweiss, daughter of the Duke. I wasn't about to sit back and watch my home be ravaged.
"But how should I help?"
As I considered how to defeat them without exposing my identity, the bandits made their move. The adventurers were holding the line, but there were still dozens of enemies left. A handful of them broke off and surrounded the most luxurious wagon in the caravan.
While most of the merchants were running, a plump man in that wagon stood his ground, desperately hurling whatever he could find at the attackers. His resistance was futile. A bandit leveled a sword at his throat.
At this rate, he was going to be killed!
"Wood Horse Golem, save that merchant!"
The Wood Horse Golem, which had been pulling our covered wagon, charged. It was more than twice the size of a normal horse. Its massive frame slammed into the bandits, trundling over them one by one. It brought its heavy hooves down on the bandit threatening the plump merchant, crushing him into the dirt.
"Merchant-san, are you alright?"
"I-I'm saved... Wait, what in the world is this giant horse?!"
Once I confirmed the man was safe, I looked down at the bandit the Wood Horse Golem had trampled. Even though the blow had caved in part of his chest, not a single drop of blood stained the earth.
...As I thought, there was something strange about these bandits.
I detached the Wood Horse Golem from the wagon and pointed a finger at the remaining group.
"Go, Wood Horse Golem!"
I unleashed the golem like a wild horse. It wasn't a living creature, after all—it was a specially crafted machine. It tore through the bandits, scattering them and clearing a path for the merchants and adventurers.
My Wood Horse Golem really was incredible. Nothing could stop a charge from a body that massive. And since it was made of wood, it didn't feel pain or get injured like a normal animal. Even if a sword did manage to damage it, a quick infusion of my Light Magic would trigger an immediate regeneration.
With the bandits scattered, the merchants and adventurers erupted in cheers.
"That horse is amazing!"
"Go! Get the rest of them!"
"Wait... is that even a horse?"
"I’ve never seen one that big."
"Maybe it’s my eyes, but it looks like it has wood grain on its skin..."
"Is it a wooden horse?"
"Don't be stupid. Wood doesn't move. It must be wearing wooden barding."
Seeing the tide turn, the bandits began to retreat. They gathered their fallen comrades and vanished into the forest as one.
"...It's so eerie."
Throughout the entire battle, not a single bandit had made a sound. Where did that level of coordination come from? It didn't feel like I was fighting humans; it felt like I was facing something else entirely.
As the Wood Horse Golem returned, I used my vines to give its head a prideful pat. At the same time, I extended another vine toward a bandit that had been left behind on the ground. I stripped away the black cloak, only to find something I hadn't expected.
"Wait, it's empty?!"
There was nothing inside the cloak. In the place where a body should have been, there was only a mound of dirt and a shattered mask.
The Little Witch gasped in confusion.
"Did they escape while we weren't looking?"
"No, that shouldn't be possible..."
We had been focused on the Wood Horse Golem's rampage, but even so, it would be strange for someone to escape and leave their cloak behind. Where could they have gone?
As we puzzled over it, the plump merchant I'd saved approached us.
"Thank you for your help back there. I was in a tight spot. My name is Speck, a merchant."
I nudged the Little Witch's back with a vine. My companions were all non-humans, so she was the only one who could pass for a normal person in a conversation.
"......I'm Rufe. I'm a merchant, I suppose."
"Beast-ear merchants are quite rare. And you certainly have an... unusual horse."
I knew it. The Wood Horse Golem was too suspicious. It was far too large, and it clearly wasn't a biological creature. But Speck's attention soon shifted. He began staring intently at my face.
"Um, is something the matter?"
"No... you just reminded me of someone I used to know."
What was it? Was he suspicious of me, too?
To be fair, I was currently a very suspicious sight. I was sitting on top of the Amazoness Treant's head, draped in a cloak to hide my lower half and pretend I was human. It was a "combined form" we had practiced before leaving. With the cloak covering everything but my face, I should have looked like a normal person to a stranger. It was a trick I could only pull off in my Young Girl Alraune form, but this was the first time I'd used it in public.
Was it a stretch after all?
"Ahem. Rufe-san, I truly cannot thank you enough. Thanks to you, our caravan's cargo is safe. Managing to escape those Immortal Bandits with zero casualties is nothing short of a miracle."
"...Immortal Bandits?"
"Yes. They only target food supplies, but no one knows who they really are. They won't die no matter how many times you cut them, and even if you do manage to take one down, the body vanishes. That's why people started calling them that."
Targeting food... these had to be the bandits the Village Chief mentioned. I knew they were operating near Edelweiss, but it seemed the problem was much worse than I'd imagined.
"You've saved my life. I'm a merchant with the Pilz Trading Company in the city. If it's alright with you, I'd love to host you once we arrive."
"...Oh, but..."
"A Beast-ear female merchant is even rarer than those bandits. This is your first time in Edelweiss, isn't it? I’d be honored to hear your story."
"...How do you know I haven't been there?"
"I’m a merchant. I make it my business to know the people in my city."
Speck kept a polite smile on his face, but his eyes were fixed on our covered wagon. He was clearly curious about what kind of cargo a rare Beast-ear merchant would be carrying. He was sharp. Unlike Rufe, who was just playing a role, he was a professional.
If Speck was an established merchant in the city, he might have information about the House of Duke Edelweiss. We had saved his life, so building a connection now seemed like a good idea.
The Little Witch seemed to agree. "I understand," she said. "We'll visit you once we get to the city."
Speck’s caravan reorganized and began to move out. We arranged to follow at the tail end of the line so we could clear the city's checkpoint along with them.
But as we started to move, the Fairy Kiri, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, stopped us.
"Wait a minute!"
"What is it, Kiri?"
"Alraune-sama, those bandits... they weren't human."
Kiri flew over to the black cloak the Wood Horse Golem had trampled. I had the Amazoness Treant carry me down from the wagon so I could follow her.
"Kiri? What do you mean they weren't human? I know they were weird, but..."
"This dirt under the cloak... I can feel mana in it. This dirt is the bandit's true identity!"
"The bandit was made of dirt? Like, it moved like a human but was just soil?"
"Exactly! I’m a fairy who governs nature; I’m good at sensing these things. Besides, look at your horse. It moves even though it’s wood, right?"
I looked at the Wood Horse Golem. Well, yes. It moved because it was a golem.
Wait. A golem?
"This pile of dirt was a golem in human form! It probably reverted to its natural state to hide the evidence when it was destroyed."
That would explain the mound of soil where the bandit had fallen. If they were Earth Golems, their mechanical movements made perfect sense.
"But who would be controlling them?"
"I don’t know, but whoever can pilot that many golems at once must be incredibly powerful."
I thought about my own appearance. I was hiding my true identity as a monster with a cloak, and these golems were hiding their identities as piles of dirt with cloaks. If the controller were human, they wouldn't need to disguise golems as humans.
That meant the controller was likely a non-human, just like me. Either a monster or...
"Could it be the Demon King's Army?"
According to what I'd learned from the Beast Ogre Mantiger, a division of the Demon King's Army was planning an attack on Edelweiss. If their vanguard had already reached the outskirts, it all clicked.
"The Demon King's Army is already here."
The attack was imminent. We were lucky to have arrived before the city was sieged.
"And yet, based on that merchant's reaction, it doesn't seem like the city knows they're coming..."
Was that why they used disguises? Were they raiding merchants to secure local supplies? Or was there another objective?
"Either way, Edelweiss is in danger."
The fact that the city was unaware of the threat suggested the enemy had an expert in covert operations among them. If someone that capable was leading the army, we were in for a serious fight.
In that sense, our timing was perfect. If we hadn't had the Wood Horse Golem’s speed, we wouldn't have made it here so quickly. People might stare at it, but I was definitely glad I brought it along.
Hours passed as we traveled with the caravan. Finally, we saw it. Beyond the long line of wagons, a massive city surrounded by towering walls came into view.
Rufe stared at it, her voice trembling with excitement.
"Look, Alraune! Is that it? Is that Edelweiss? I've never seen a city that big!"
"Yes... it's huge. It's my first time seeing it this big, too..."
I'm sorry, Rufe. I lied. Actually, this wasn't my first time seeing this city. This was the place where Saint Iris was born.
──I’m finally home. Back in Edelweiss, my home.