Chapter 18 - <10>
Deep in the forest was an old, crude cabin. A hunter who lived in the area had probably used it. It was now the hideout of the Scott brothers, the culprits behind the Arlie theft.
Having reached the cabin, which was only a few minutes from where they had captured Sam, Ritz turned to the bound man.
"This is the place, right?"
"My brothers are in there. I'm not lying!"
It was hard to tell if he was scared or just being defiant, but Sam pouted as he spoke. On the way here, he had completely resigned himself and had been chattering away about things he wasn't even asked.
But they hadn't asked about the important things.
"Are they armed with anything?"
"Big Brother Bill has a sword, I guess, but he can't use it. He only ever used it to threaten me."
"So he can't actually use it?"
"Yeah. Big Brother Bill is a huge coward and has no strength at all. He's smart, and since he's the oldest, he acts all high and mighty, but that's it."
Given the situation so far, it didn't seem like Sam was lying. In that case, there was no need to be wary of this man named Bill.
"And the other one?"
"Big Brother Mont uses a huge battle-axe. Brute strength is his only pride, and he always won the martial arts tournaments in our village. Unlike Big Brother Bill, he's a man of character."
"Does a man of character commit robbery?"
"Well… Big Brother Mont is… a little slow in the head. He believes everything Big Brother Bill says."
I see, so it's three brothers: one with all the brains, a younger one skilled only in martial arts, and a spirit user. Individually, they didn't seem likely to become criminals, but when the three of them got together, they seemed to come up with strange ideas.
"Big Brother Bill is a real piece of work! He came up with the plan, but he doesn't do anything himself, just bosses me and Big Brother Mont around. Isn't that awful?"
"Like I care about that."
Apparently, Sam and Bill didn't get along. But they still committed crimes together, so they were a lost cause.
But this made things clear. It seemed Ritz just had to deal with the battle-axe user named Mont. Ritz turned to look at Anna and Franz. They both looked back at him with tense expressions.
"Anna, you're going to try to persuade them, right?"
"Yes!"
It seemed Anna hadn't given up on persuasion yet. Given how Sam was, it didn't seem likely to work on Bill, whom Sam himself called a coward.
"Alright, let's get ready just in case. Anna, fill that basin you brought with water."
"What for?"
"When the enemy comes out, we'll surround this cabin. That way, they can't escape. Then, if you persuade them, they won't be able to get away no matter who they are."
"Okay!"
"Franz, while I'm fighting the one with the battle-axe, you keep an eye on Sam and threaten the one named Bill with fire."
"Threaten him?"
"Yeah. And if he attacks, Anna…"
"What is it?"
"Set the Water Dragon on him. That should be enough."
"Okay!"
With this plan, they could avoid any unnecessary bloodshed. Once the plan was set, Ritz pulled Sam, who was tied to the end of the rope, closer and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.
"Alright, how about you call your brothers for us?"
"What! Me?"
"Yep, you."
"No way. I'll definitely get yelled at."
Ritz smiled at Sam, who was cowering before his own brother even at a time like this.
"You can choose which you'd prefer: getting yelled at by your big brother, or getting yelled at by me."
In that instant, the color drained from Sam's face.
"Oh, I suddenly feel like calling my big brother."
"I'm counting on you."
Loosening the rope slightly, he had Sam stand in front of the cabin. With a terrified look on his face, Sam took a deep breath and called into the cabin.
"B-b-b-brother!"
Sam knocked on the door with a trembling hand and called into the cabin in a strained voice. There was no response.
"Brother… open up…"
As Sam called out, clinging pathetically to the door, it opened.
"What's wrong, Sam? We were so worried."
Speaking in a gentle tone, a stocky, muscular, giant of a man emerged.
From the previous conversation, this must be Mont. The battle-axe user.
"Big Brother Mont… I'm sorry."
Sam called out his name. Yes, there was no mistake.
"Well hello there, I'm a mercenary hired by Tushil."
Ritz deliberately spoke cheerfully, waving at the burly man with a smile. For a moment, Mont looked as if the wind had been taken out of his sails, but his gaze soon shifted to Ritz's back, and his expression hardened.
Mont disappeared back inside the door, and his loud voice reached them.
"Brother, Sam's been captured!"
Though flustered, Mont grabbed his battle-axe and slowly stood in front of the cabin. Then, from behind him, a scrawny man with brown hair appeared, shouting.
"Sam! You idiot! Why did you lead a mercenary here?!"
If that was Mont, then this man was Bill. He certainly didn't look very strong. And from the way he was shouting, it was obvious he was timid.
"But brother… they're strong."
"They?"
Bill and Mont, frowning suspiciously, turned their eyes to Franz and Anna behind Ritz. After a moment of speechlessness, Bill started yelling at Sam, spitting saliva.
"They're just kids, besides this one!"
"Even kids can be strong!"
"What did you say?"
Ritz couldn't help but burst out laughing. These guys were idiots. So idiotic it was kind of funny.
Mont, the most sensible of the bunch, stepped in between Bill and Sam, who were starting a pointless argument.
"This is no time for that! Let's take them down and get out of here!"
Sam had said he was slow-witted, but it seemed Mont was the most rational one. After a brief silence, Bill nodded. It seemed the enemy had reached a consensus. In that case, it was time for them to act.
"Anna, Water Dragon!"
"Okay!"
Anna slowly offered a prayer to the water basin, which was about thirty centimeters in diameter.
"Oh, water spirit that heals the earth, share your power with me! …Come, Water Dragon!"
Light overflowed from the small vessel, and a giant dragon shot up from in front of Anna towards the heavens with incredible speed.
"Water Dragon, please! Surround this cabin! Don't let the bad people escape!"
The Water Dragon neighed loudly as if to say 'understood,' and began to slowly circle an area fifty meters in diameter around the cabin. The Water Dragon's movements were fast, so now there was no escape.
"Awesome…"
Sam, who was tied up and had nothing to do, let out a voice of admiration.
"Idiot Sam! This is no time to be impressed!!"
"But I'm tied up…"
Ritz tied Sam, who was mumbling excuses, to a tree.
"There, that's good."
He clapped his hands, and Anna reported with confidence.
"Ritz, I've surrounded them!"
"Alright, well done."
For a moment, the Scott brothers stood there dumbfounded, but Mont, the only one with combat experience, came to his senses and gripped his axe again. It seemed he was coming for them.
"Hold on a second."
Ritz called out to Mont in a light tone.
"What is it?"
"Our conscience has something to say."
"Conscience?"
Anna stepped forward in front of the wide-eyed Mont. He grabbed her shoulder from behind to keep her from entering the range of the battle-axe.
"Hello. I'm Anna."
"…Huh?"
Not just Mont, but even Bill's jaw dropped. Unconcerned, Anna looked straight at them.
"Because you stole the Arlie, everyone is having a very hard time. You might have your reasons, but I think you should explain them properly to the villagers."
At Anna's impassioned speech, Franz sighed. Ritz just shrugged. He could tell just by looking at them that they weren't the type to apologize for something like this. But Anna faced them head-on.
"Return the Arlie right now and apologize to the villagers! If you apologize from the bottom of your heart, I'm sure the villagers will forgive you!"
A strange silence fell over the place. But that silence was broken by Bill's laughter.
"What's with this kid? Is she stupid? If I was going to apologize, I wouldn't have committed a crime in the first place."
"Stupid?!"
"What's wrong with making easy money? I don't care if someone gets hurt for it. Listen, kid! I'd rather die than apologize to someone!"
"That way of thinking is definitely wrong!"
"Shut up!"
Anna and Bill were glaring at each other. Ritz was watching Mont's movements intently. He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword so he could protect Anna if Mont suddenly charged.
"People who cause trouble for others and don't reflect on it won't receive the Goddess's protection, you know!"
"Heh. If you're going to punish me, then try it, right now!"
"Now I'm mad! Bad kids get caught and punished!"
When Anna declared this to Bill, Bill sneered.
"Listen to what the kid is saying."
"You're the one who's a kid!"
Ritz smiled wryly and patted Anna on the shoulder.
"Anna, are you satisfied?"
"Satisfied?"
"I told you if you couldn't persuade them, I'd take care of it, right?"
Ritz drew his greatsword from his back. Naturally, the scabbard was still attached.
"Ritz… um…"
"Hmm?"
"Don't kill them, okay?"
When he looked at Anna, she was staring intently at him with a serious gaze. Ritz placed his hand on her head and patted it gently.
"Of course. I'll capture them alive, so you can pull down their pants and spank them."
"…Okay!"
Ritz faced Mont and readied his greatsword. The well-built Mont, holding a giant battle-axe, was slowly closing the distance.
This murderous intent… he was probably quite skilled. But that was in this peaceful Yuresla. Ritz was a mercenary who had traded lives on an actual battlefield.
He had no intention of losing to Mont, but the difficult part was capturing him alive.
If it were a matter of cutting him down, the fight would be over in an instant.
But since Anna and Franz wished it, he wanted to avoid a massacre here.
However, until now, he had rarely captured an opponent alive; if anything, Ritz was bad at it.
As he was thinking about what to do, Mont moved.
He tilted his large axe to the right, holding it in a middle stance. He was trying to prevent any openings. Ritz also took a middle stance.
"Wooooooh!"
With a beast-like roar, Mont attacked. Ritz's greatsword and the axe clashed with a clang.
"You bastard!"
Ritz pushed back the axe with all his strength. But Mont, stumbling back a few steps, quickly regained his posture. A greatsword with a scabbard against an axe. This was a disadvantage.
"Damn it, this scabbard is custom-made and expensive…"
He couldn't help but complain. It was a sturdy leather scabbard he had commissioned without a second thought, using the money he had earned on the battlefield. It was a fine piece, with the leather hardened with resin and polished to a shine.
If he had to fight like this in the future, he would have to get a cheaper scabbard made.
As he repeatedly parried Mont's axe, Ritz pondered.
Capture without killing… capture without killing…
He wanted to say from the bottom of his heart, "Can I just cut this guy down?" but that probably wouldn't fly.
After all, he was traveling with these two now, and he wasn't just a mercenary, but a regular traveler.
"Anna, it's okay if I injure him, right?"
While clashing, without taking his eyes off Mont, Ritz asked Anna. Anna should be able to heal minor injuries. He wanted her to compromise on that much.
Then, Anna nodded emphatically.
"Yes! I can use healing magic!"
"Alright!"
Then things were simple. All he had to do was knock him unconscious so he couldn't move. He hadn't been told not to aim for vital points, after all.
As Ritz swiftly drew his sword's scabbard and tossed it to the ground, Mont roared and charged as if that were the signal.
Sparks flew as steel met steel.
"You think you can beat me with strength alone?!"
As he slowly pushed back, Ritz also yelled. He wasn't bragging, but he had never been outmatched in strength. He slightly deflected the weight of the axe, sliding it to the side, and then swept Mont away, axe and all.
As Mont lost his balance and was about to fall, he almost reflexively swung his sword, but Ritz somehow managed to hold back.
"Whoa, almost cut him down."
The image of Mont collapsing, blood and guts spilling from his stomach, flashed before his eyes, and Ritz broke out in a cold sweat. At that range, that would have certainly happened.
Unaware of Ritz's struggle, Mont desperately regained his posture and attacked again.
"Damn it, what a pain!"
Ritz muttered as he readied his sword again.
Bill, who had been watching their fight from nearby, didn't help Mont and quietly tried to sneak away. Of course, Ritz didn't miss it.
While still glaring at Mont, he gave an order to Franz.
"Franz, the stupid brother is trying to escape! Set his ass on fire or something!"
"Got it. O, flame!"
In place of Ritz, who had refocused on Mont, Franz threw the small fireball that had appeared on his fingertip towards Bill. It was Franz's one and only technique, which made him nothing more than a human ignition device. But his control was hopelessly poor.
"Damn it!"
He threw a fireball in the direction Bill was fleeing, but it didn't work. At first, Bill ran away scared, but when he realized he wasn't being hit, he gradually got cocky.
"I'm over here, where are you aiming?"
"Grr…"
Biting his lip, he desperately tried to control the fireball, concentrating his mind. Franz, who had never thrown a fireball at a person, let alone a moving target, must have found it quite a difficult task.
Bill's mocking words reached the desperate Franz's ears.
"You think I'm going to get hit by a kid's fireball, you lousy shot!"
Being mocked must be extremely unpleasant. Especially for this prideful Franz.
"…I'll hit you… O, flame, go."
The fireball, which had only been able to form on his fingertip until now, grew to the size of his palm. It seemed that the more emotional Franz became, the stronger his ability to handle spirits grew.
Come to think of it, he had summoned the Fire Dragon when he was furious.
With masterful control, the fireball shot straight at Bill as if drawn to him. Bill, who had been too busy teasing Franz to escape, literally had his butt set on fire.
"Aaaah!"
"Hmph…"
While adjusting the flames on the screaming, rolling Bill so they wouldn't get too big, Franz said one thing.
"Your luck ran out when you angered me."
"Whoa, that's scary."
Next to Franz, Sam was genuinely trembling.
"Where are you looking?"
Mont's battle-axe grazed his side. Ritz, who had barely dodged it by moving slightly to the side, faced Mont again.
"Sorry. I'm their guardian, so I got worried."
"You son of a...!"
He gracefully dodged the man who charged at him. It was difficult to capture this man, who charged with all his might using a giant battle-axe, alive.
If he wasn't careful, Mont himself could cut himself down with his own battle-axe.
He thrust back the axe with his sword, creating distance, and repeated this process over and over. Mont seemed to be getting quite tired, as his steps were heavy.
For now, he would have to do something about Mont's axe and then knock out the man himself.
At that moment, Mont muttered lowly as he stared at Ritz.
"How dare you capture my cute little brother Sam."
Ritz couldn't help but grin. He remembered Sam had described Mont as a "kind, virtuous brother." In other words, this man was soft on Sam.
So… Mont's weak spot was Sam.
This burly man probably doted on his youngest brother, Sam, and his anger towards Ritz was because he had captured him.
In that case, he would use that to shake him up and try to capture him without injury.
"Cute? That stupid brother of yours?"
Ritz decided to provoke him further to make him lose his composure.
"He's a pathetic guy. I just roughed him up a little and he spilled everything about you guys."
"What did you say?"
"Hey, I didn't hurt him enough to kill him or anything."
Mont's grip on his readied axe tightened. Just one more push.
"If he's so cute, you should keep your brother in a box. That useless bum."
"You bastard!!"
He took the bait… Ritz calmly readied his greatsword.
He had been waiting for this moment. If he had come at him calmly from the front, this plan wouldn't have worked.
Mont, having lost his senses, was swinging his battle-axe and charging at Ritz. 'Rampage' was the perfect word for it.
Ritz, with his sword at the ready, stood his ground as if to confront him. Mont, thinking he had caught Ritz, swung his axe down with all his might.
But Ritz was no longer there. He had dodged to the side at the last second.
"Whoops."
Ritz then swung his greatsword up with all his might and, without a moment's delay, struck Mont's elbow with the pommel of his sword. The battle-axe was instantly knocked from his hand and flew backward.
"What!?"
As the panicked Mont turned around, Ritz struck the back of his head with the pommel of his sword with all his might. He felt a heavy thud.
"Ugh…"
Mont groaned, but for a moment, he didn't seem to understand what had happened. He slowly started to turn towards Ritz, but before he could complete the motion, he slowly toppled over sideways.
With a heavy thud, Mont lay completely on the ground.
"And that's one down."
Ritz let out a big breath.
He had somehow managed to capture him without killing him. Damn, keeping them alive was much harder than killing them. He made a mental note to practice capturing people alive, out of sight of Anna and Franz, and let out a small sigh.
Sitting down next to the completely unconscious Mont, Ritz picked up the axe.
"Hello? Are you alive?"
He called out, but there was no reply. When he brought his hand to Mont's mouth to check his breathing, he could feel that he was barely breathing.
"Oops, did I hit him too hard?"
Ritz scratched his head and gave a wry smile.
"Oh well."
He figured Anna and Franz would have to forgive him for that much.
"Anna, Franz, it's over."
Ritz used his brute strength to pull over the rope Sam was tied to.
"Heave-ho."
Ritz tied the still-unconscious Mont to the same rope after Sam. Since he was strong, he tied it extra tight.
Franz brought over Bill, who had his butt fire extinguished. He seemed to be in a daze from rolling around so much. Ritz took him from Franz and tied him up after Mont.
Now all three of them were tied to the same rope. Using the rest of the rope, he wrapped it around a nearby large tree, completely immobilizing them.
And with that, the case was closed.
"Water Dragon, thank you for your hard work!"
When Anna called out to the Water Dragon, it returned to its original vessel and disappeared. For its appearance, it was truly a powerful entity.
"Now, the only thing left is to figure out how to get the Arlie back."
Ritz muttered and turned his gaze to the cabin. Behind the cabin, a large pile of red leaves was stacked up.
"Is that… the Arlie?"
"Looks like it. Well, they probably targeted it because it was being cultivated so carefully, but they didn't know how to process it, let alone its value."
"I see…"
Next to the impressed Anna, Franz staggered towards the cabin.
"What's wrong?"
"…Cleaning up my master's mess."
At Franz's mutter, Ritz burst out laughing. Anna was laughing too.
"You've got one difficult master, Franz."
"Good luck!"
"…Shut up."
Watching Franz's staggering back, Ritz suddenly remembered.
"Hey Anna, what happened to the Aerial?"
He hadn't seen Anna talking to the Aerial since they found Sam.
"Oh! The Aerial is still put away!"
Apparently, she had forgotten about it after putting it in the basket. Anna gently opened the basket.
"I'm sorry! I forgot! Don't look at me like that."
It seemed she was apologizing to the Aerial.
"I'm really sorry!"
After Anna's profuse apologies, the Aerial seemed to have cheered up, and a smile returned to Anna's face.
"Yes. We caught them properly."
Anna nodded and smiled at the Aerial. Then, a gust of wind blew up from Anna's palm. The wind whipped up her hair, rustled the trees in the forest, and carried the fallen leaves up into the sky.
Anna watched its departure intently. Even Ritz, who couldn't see spirits, understood the situation. The Aerial had returned home.
Aerials were spirits that loved freedom. Now that the incident was resolved, she had finally regained her original freedom.
After watching the sky for a while, Anna turned to him with a beaming smile.
"It said 'thank you'!"
"I see. That's good."
"Yes!"
Though it lost its companions, wind spirits are born from the wind. It would surely meet many new companions soon.
"Well then, I'll ring the bell."
"Okay!"
Ritz returned to his luggage and took out the bell. He had borrowed this bell from Nors the day before, and it was a prized possession that could be heard over a wide area.
After ringing the bell with all his might, Ritz decided to wait for the merchants and take a break. In the meantime, he checked the large quantity of Arlie.
The Arlie seemed to have been left as it was after being stolen, but surprisingly, it was as fresh as if it had just been picked, and had dried beautifully. It was fortunate that they had left it untouched.
If it had been carefully stored, it might have rotted instead of drying. You never know what will turn out to be a blessing.
The three of them were relieved that it was safe. Even if they caught the culprits, it would be meaningless if the Arlie wasn't recovered.
Then they found it: the bottle and stake set. And right next to it was the instruction manual Sam had mentioned. According to the manual, this was a genuine magical item. And it seemed to be from the Water Main Temple.
Proper Use of the Bottle and Stake of Moisture
This is a very convenient tool that can be used on a village-wide scale. However, improper use can lead to disaster, so please be sure to have a spirit user or a water priest present when using it. Also, please use this only in villages affected by drought. Wind spirits can also enter, but please never put them inside. We will not be held responsible for any rampage that may occur.
Instructions
1. Submerge the bottle in a well.
2. Borrow one spirit from a water spirit user and transfer the spirit to the stake.
3. When the water spirit in the stake uses its power, the water will become a large quantity of water and return to the bottle. Wait for that water to replenish the well.
4. When the well is full, please do not forget to release the spirit from the stake.
The spirit will have consumed a considerable amount of power, so please do not forget to provide follow-up care.
Please use this with a sense of gratitude towards the water spirit. Water Main Temple*
"Why the hell would your master trade something this important for junk?"
Ritz couldn't help but complain. If it weren't for this, the three brothers wouldn't have done something so stupid.
"It happens sometimes. We've been yelled at a few times before."
Though his expression was blank, Franz said it with a truly weary look on his face. Anna burst out laughing at the sight of him.
"What?"
"Because making you look like that, Orphe must be a really difficult person!"
Ritz also burst out laughing.
"He's certainly a handful!"
"Right? So, what are you going to do with this bottle and stake?"
Having been glared at by Franz for laughing, Anna asked without hesitation. To which Franz's reply was concise.
"Make the original owner dispose of it."
It was the most reasonable solution. Anna nodded, and Ritz started laughing. The best thing would be to have the Saradio merchants who were transporting the herbs deliver it to Orphe.
After that, the three of them were eating the remaining meat pies for a break when they heard something like a scream.
"Aaaah! Stay away!!"
It was Sam and the others, tied up outside.
"What the?"
When Ritz looked outside, a small flame was moving around the three of them.
"Oh, it's Sara-chan."
At Anna's words, Franz also leaned forward in surprise. There it was, the Salamander Franz had saved. The Salamander had apparently been following them all this time.
Seeing the three of them stick their heads out the window, the Salamander chirped happily, "kee."
"What are you going to do, Franz?"
When Ritz asked, Franz frowned in confusion, but after a moment, he seemed to have made up his mind.
"I'll take it with me."
"Yay, Sara-chan is one of us!"
Next to the innocently joyful Anna, Franz sighed.
"I'm the one who has to look after it."
And so, the Salamander, Sara-chan, became their companion.
"Master Franz!"
The call of men could be heard from a distance. It seemed the group of Saradio merchants had finally arrived.
For a moment, the three of them stared blankly at the group of merchants, but finally, the realization that it was over washed over them in a wave of relief.
"And with that, case closed, right?"
Ritz turned to Anna and Franz with a smile.
"Yes!"
"So it seems."
The two of them also nodded at each other with relieved faces.
Soon, at the sound of an approaching carriage, Anna leaned out the window.
"Over here!"
Anna waved at the merchants with a beaming smile. And so, having successfully captured the culprits, Ritz and his party safely recovered the Arlie.