"They’re bandits, without a doubt."
I wasn't entirely confident in my ability to judge character at a glance, but I’d seen more than my fair share of outlaws in Gana Forest. I’d encountered them enough times to recognize the type.
Through the eyes of the Rimur Birds, I saw a group of men whose hair and beards had been left to grow wild. They were so caked in filth it looked like they hadn't seen water in days. This wasn't a place where ordinary people wandered for fun, and even if they were woodcutters or laborers, they would have looked far more presentable. At the very least, there was no question they were suspicious.
"They look like low-level grunts..."
There were five of them in total, yet their equipment looked like they were splitting enough armor for barely three people. As the old RPG saying goes, weapons and armor don't do you much good if you aren't actually wearing them.
Then again, it wasn't uncommon for bandits lurking in the wilderness to be poorly equipped. Usually, the leaders took the best gear, leaving the dregs for the bottom-feeders. They fit the profile of expendable grunts from a struggling gang perfectly. However, there was one glaring exception: every single one of them carried a sword that looked brand new.
"They definitely don't look like veterans who'd be trusted with high-quality blades..."
They were exhausted and haggard. Their attention was scattered, their guard so low they hadn't even noticed the Rimur Birds watching them. They weren't even speaking to each other; they just looked utterly defeated.
Pristine, identical swords that were completely at odds with their pathetic rags.
The cargo Pedro was transporting consisted of swords forged by the blacksmith who had commissioned the job.
"...I might be too late."
The probability that they knew something was high. But even as that thought crossed my mind, I couldn't help but fear the worst.
Regardless, I needed information. To get it, I had to take them alive.
I began my combat preparations. Just in case they weren't actually criminals, I also prepared a profuse apology and a mental estimate for compensation.
Once everything was ready, I went back to the inn to cancel my stay.
I spent the next hour pushing straight through the forest at full speed, relying on my slimes and specialized rope to navigate. It took a bit longer since I was carving a path where none existed, but I eventually drew close to the Rimur Birds' position.
I paused for a quick break and shared their vision once more.
"...Are they sleeping?"
Aside from two sentries, the rest were fast asleep. They still hadn't noticed me. Looking at the terrain, the trees were too dense to use a bow effectively. This was a poor spot for my usual paralytic poison arrows.
The footing was treacherous as well.
"I think I'll rely on my monsters entirely this time."
"Kukeee! Kukeee!! Kukeee!!!"
"Wha—?! Aaaargh!"
"My head... my head is splitting!"
"Hieeee!!"
"Stop it! Get away from me!"
"Ah... ugh... ah..."
Wow.
"That's incredible power, seeing it again."
I often forgot because I rarely used the ability, but Eins—my Nightmare Rimur Bird—could launch wide-range mental attacks using Dark Magic. He had a track record of throwing his surroundings into utter chaos before our contract, and I’d banked on him being useful for suppression.
In reality, he did more than just help; he drove them into a panic and then knocked them out cold. I moved in to secure them.
"I’m counting on you."
From my katana and its sheath, nine Iron Slimes and nine Metal Slimes separated. They split into groups of three and latched onto the men's wrists, ankles, and necks. While staying alert for any signs of a struggle, I helped align their limbs. In seconds, the slimes morphed into metal handcuffs, leg irons, and collars.
Once I was sure they were completely restrained, I used the slimes' metallic cravings as a makeshift metal detector to find any hidden weapons, then propped the men up against the roots of a nearby tree.
"Gweh!"
"Huh...?! What?! What's happening?! Hey! ...A kid?"
Three of them regained consciousness from the rough handling.
At first, they were too dazed to grasp the situation, but that changed the moment they realized they were bound.
"Hey! Did you do this?! Take these off, you little brat!"
"Cough... Do you have any idea who we are?! We're the Poison Spider Gang!"
"The Poison Spider Gang? ...Wait, wasn't that the group that was wiped out recently?"
"..."
When I threw out that bit of bait, their faces instantly twisted with frustration. I’d hit the mark.
At least I didn't have to worry about the apology.
"And you over there. I know you're awake."
"...Hehehe."
I had lined the five of them up in a row. The two on the right were the loudmouths. The man on the far left, whom I’d moved first, had woken up when his friends started shouting, but his attempt to play dead was pathetic. He didn't yell or try to run; he just sat there with an awkward, flimsy grin.
"Hey! You say something too!"
"You were trying to slip away on your own, weren't you?!"
The group immediately devolved into infighting. Another man woke up at the noise and joined the shouting match.
These guys had zero unity. This was a waste of time.
"Earth Fence."
"Wha—?!"
"Hie?!"
"Ugh...!"
"Guh, what the hell is this!"
I cast a wide stone fence that surged up at an angle toward the three bickering men. The sharp, jagged edge—a lingering trait from the attack magic I’d adapted it from—stopped inches from their eyes. The men froze, their attention finally fixed on me.
"I'd appreciate it if you saved the bickering for later. I have questions. Who is your leader?"
"""It’s me!"""
"...Which one?"
"I said it’s me!"
"Screw you! Like I’d ever take orders from you!"
"Hah! Don't listen to them, kid. Neither of them could lead a horse to water."
"Um... young master? Our boss, well, he was killed during the subjugation, hehe..."
The sycophantic man on the far left spoke up hesitantly. His voice was oily and unpleasant, but he seemed like the most reasonable one to talk to.
"I want to ask you a few things."
"Hah?!"
"Don't think you're getting away with this!"
"Let us go right now and maybe I won't kill you, brat!"
"I'll tell you anything you want!"
One of them was surprisingly compliant.
It was so abrupt that I almost suspected he was plotting something.
"What are you saying, you traitor!"
"You idiot! You're supposed to negotiate!"
"Don't start acting soft now!"
Naturally, his comrades began hurling abuse at him.
"Shut up!! We're already caught! It's too late for that! Young master! I'll tell you everything, just spare my life! I don't care what happens to these losers! Just save me!"
He was desperately selling out his friends.
"""Don't screw with us, you piece of shit!!"""
The man's betrayal sent the infighting into a new fever pitch.
Unable to listen to any more of their screeching, I gave a quiet signal to Eins.
"Kukeee!"
""""!!""""
A single cry was enough to silence the lot of them. Now that it was finally quiet, I moved the conversation forward.
"I’m going to ask questions, and you are going to answer. I should warn you, the things binding your limbs are my tamed monsters. They don't have keyholes like normal restraints, so they won't come off unless I tell them to."
This was a new application for the metal-type slimes I’d developed specifically for catching criminals. Even if they managed to escape me in this state, the slimes' contract would allow me to track their exact position and direction effortlessly. Furthermore, their Physical Attack Resistance made them incredibly durable. It would be difficult even for me to remove them by force.
"Don't get cocky, kid. I don't care about your pets. The fact that you're using these instead of just killing us shows you're soft! You don't have the guts to finish us, do you?"
"I have no desire to kill you pointlessly, but I will do so if it becomes necessary."
"Hah! It's obvious you're bluffing."
"Even a child wouldn't be scared by that weak line."
Apparently convinced they were in no real danger, the men started acting up again.
I wondered where my Intimidation skill had gone. Intimidation skill, please return to your station immediately... What was I even thinking?
"Listen, kid. I'll say it one more time. Let us go right now. If you do, we might just let you live."
"...That man over there said it too, but do you actually understand the situation you’re in?"
They didn't seem to be hiding any hidden strength, nor did they look like they had a secret plan. I had the Rimur Birds patrolling the area, and there was no sign of an ambush. I honestly couldn't comprehend how they could be so arrogant.
"What exactly do you plan to do if I set you free? Turn yourselves in? Turn over a new leaf and find honest work?"
The men went silent.
Even if they claimed to be repentant, there was no reason to believe them. If I released them now, they would simply return to their life of crime. I had to act with that assumption in mind.
"If I let you go back into the wild, you'll just find new victims. I don't want to kill you for no reason, but I won't be that irresponsible."
I would hand them over to the guards in the nearest town. I wouldn't let them hurt anyone else. If they resisted... then taking responsibility for that was the burden of the person who caught them.
"Tch! The brat's trying to act like a hero."
"Don't get full of yourself. Now that I look at you, you've got expensive clothes, a fine sword, and good armor. You've got monsters and magic, too—you must be loaded. We could make a fortune stripping you and selling everything off."
"A rich kid, huh? I hate people like you... living easy without a single struggle, looking down on the poor from your high horse. ...To hell with this!"
Spitting out words of pure resentment, the man grabbed his own collar and tried to wrench it off.
That was a mistake.
"Ugh... wh-what's wrong with this... collar..."
"H-hey! What's happening?!"
"It's... getting... tighter..."
"I forgot to mention," I said coldly. "I’ve ordered the slimes in those collars to maintain constant contact with your skin."
Pulling on the collar to force a gap was easy enough. However, the second a gap was created, the slime—obeying its order to stay against the skin—would immediately shift its mass to fill the void. The pressure applied to create the gap remained as the new baseline.
"I’ve also instructed them to strangle the wearer if they become violent, if they move a certain distance away from me, or if they attack me. And, of course, I can have them kill you instantly on my command."
Slimes were physically weak, but if they could accurately compress the carotid artery for a few minutes, they could kill a human easily. It was essentially a slave collar, a staple of fantasy stories. Although in this case, he had done the strangling himself.
"We don't need a lecture!"
"Make it stop! Now!"
His airway was being crushed.
To escape the pain, he tried to pull at it again, which only caused the collar to tighten further.
The man had repeated the cycle so many times that he no longer had the breath to even speak. Yet, because the pressure was imperfect, he couldn't even fall unconscious.
"Why are you just standing there?!"
"He’s going to die!"
Only now did the men seem to realize their lives were truly on the line. Their faces were masks of panic as they screamed.
Looking at these men, who only cared about shouting their own emotional demands—who reminded me so much of my boss from my previous life—I gave them my answer.
"...And?"