kscans

Chapter 259 - Battle in the Forest

Morning.

...When I woke up, Tina was sleeping next to me, bound by chains.

The bed was quite wet. We had gone at it pretty intensely. Especially Tina; I wondered if her armor was filled with water. There was a faint scent. I undid the shackles and woke Tina up.

When she opened her eyes, I told her to wipe her armor and body. ...Perhaps out of embarrassment, she scurried out of the house.

I started preparing breakfast.

We finished breakfast together, geared up, and set out. Our destination was the Eastern Forest. The Mantis was there.

When we reached the city, there were three figures. It was Milfy and her party. For some reason, they were in full gear.

Milfy said, "You were planning to go by yourselves, weren’t you? I understand what you were thinking."

The other two had similar expressions.

...It seems they saw through me. I looked around, but...

Matilda said, "Bardos-san isn’t here. We went to check, but it seems he’s busy with something." She had a troubled look on her face.

Was it still going on? I wished it would end already.

Tina said, "...Even if we say no, you’ll come along, won’t you? ...Then let’s go."

She nodded with a radiant smile.

The five of us began our monster hunt.

We entered the forest.

After a while, we encountered monsters, but they were the usual Goblins and Slimes. However, the fact that monsters were attacking meant that things were back to normal.

Just then, I felt a gaze.

Without letting on, I activated ‘Detection’. ...There were six red dots behind us. Enemies? They might increase, so I should stay on guard.

I said casually, "...There are six bugs behind us."

...If I whispered, they might realize we noticed them. The four of them nodded with blank expressions. They seemed to have understood.

After that, we frequently encountered monsters, but not the one we were looking for. The six behind us were still following, keeping their distance.

Were they waiting for the right place and time to attack? Cautious. It was highly likely they were former adventurers.

I found an open area within my ‘Detection’ range.

"...Hey, I think there was a clearing like a plaza around here. Why don’t we take a break there?"

A very obvious line.

The four of them nodded with smiles. ...Among them, Milfy was beaming. It seemed she had been holding back.

We arrived at the clearing.

It was about the size of a small park. We could move freely here.

We put down our food bags.

"...Why don’t you come out instead of hiding? You’re getting really annoying."

I provoked them.

At that, all six of them came out at once. Their equipment consisted of a swordsman in armor, a spear wielder, a scout in light armor, an archer, a magician, and a chubby man carrying a large pack. All men. They looked just like an adventurer party.

The swordsman said, "You noticed us? Then you should have just run back to town. ...To come to a place where no help will come... You must be a real idiot."

He laughed.

...The other five were also laughing. From their demeanor, their skills were probably nothing special. It could be taken as a provocation, but it didn’t feel like it. They were genuinely looking down on us.

I said, "...I just felt that we didn’t need any help. ...I don’t bother with complicated things when dealing with weaklings."

I provoked them right back.

Hearing that, the swordsman said, "...Huh? ...Weaklings? ...We’re a group of skilled veterans who fought to the death against monsters in the Empire. ...We’re different from some guy acting like he has a harem with four women."

He took the bait.

...A harem, huh. It’s true that the four of them are beautiful. It’s understandable why he would think that. However, the only one I love here is Tina. The other three are friends.

Shinsuke didn't know, but the three women were homosexuals with absolutely no interest in men.

Matilda said, "You’re quite the braggart. ...What does a group of skilled veterans like you want with us? Could it be that you’re the bandits that have been rumored about lately?"

To this, the swordsman said, "Bandits? ...No. We’re righteous thieves. We protect the people from the shadows. The funds and food for that are donated by the merchants. ...Though, only after we show them a little of our skill."

He answered boastfully.

...So that’s it. They show up out of nowhere, demand things, and if the merchants don’t hand them over, they beat them up and take them by force. It’s all in how you phrase it. Only a complete country bumpkin would fall for that.

In fact, the other four besides me were listening with exasperated faces.

Tina said, "...Sigh. So? Do you want us to make a donation too?"

To her cold gaze, the swordsman said, "...That’s right. Well, we’ve been through a lot and we’re pent up. We’ll have you beautiful ladies provide some extra service as well."

He licked his lips.

The other five had the same vile expressions. Just looking at people like this, let alone listening to them, was unpleasant.

I said, "...Sigh. Just looking at you guys is a waste of time. Let’s just get to the killing, shall we?"

I drew my sword.

Tina and the others also drew their weapons. Seeing that, the men’s expressions changed immediately, and they drew their weapons.

The swordsman said, "...Is that so? Then you can just die. ...You guys, beat up the women. You can even cut off their arms and legs."

The four of them nodded.

Everyone entered a combat stance. ...But the chubby one went into the forest.

A baggage carrier’s positioning? Or a surprise attack from an unseen location? In any case, it was better to be on guard.

...The two sides glared at each other. The first to move was the archer.

He fired three arrows at once from a distance. This was an attack meant to make us move rather than to hit.

Matilda and I split off... as did Tina, Milfy, and Rumily.

Normally it would be me and Tina, but we judged that the opponents were somewhat capable, so we formed pairs that could act optimally.

We hadn't discussed it beforehand. It was a move born from combat experience.

The spear wielder and the archer came for me. They must have decided they were enough to handle me.

The spear wielder said, "Hahaha!! I have no intention of dragging out a fight with a guy!! I’ll end this in a flash!!"

He unleashed his fastest thrust.

...Not bad. He was an experienced adventurer. Which made it a pity. For me, his attack was slow.

I slid the flat of my sword along his spear and closed the distance. He immediately let go of the spear. ...I was about to cut off his fingers, but it didn't go as planned.

The spear wielder tried to pick up his spear, but I swung my sword back and cut his right arm.

I couldn't make him drop it, but I inflicted a deep wound. He wouldn't be able to handle the spear as he wanted.

I said, "...What a coincidence. I have no intention of dragging this out either."

I agreed.

The spear wielder looked at me with a resentful face and held the spear with his left hand. Just then, I felt a killing intent from my left. Before I could block, a fireball flew in and burned the arrow.

Matilda said, "...You’re being too careless. Even if the opponent is weaker, you can still die."

She scolded me.

I said, "Sorry. You saved me."

I thanked her honestly.

During our conversation, the spear wielder created some distance. ...The two of them seemed to have realized that Matilda and I were tough and didn't attack recklessly. But I had no intention of dragging this out.

I gathered flames in my fist. "...Fire Shot!"

I unleashed a barrage of fireballs.

The two of them couldn’t handle it and took the full brunt. By the time it was over, they were both on the ground.

I muttered, "...Is this technique really that amazing? I thought anyone could come up with it."

Matilda said, "What are you talking about? No one would even think of firing magic attacks in succession. The basic principle is to make every shot count."

She had an exasperated look on her face.

I see. It seems the saying ‘even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while’ doesn’t exist here.

Meanwhile...

Tina’s group...

After dodging, they also faced the swordsman, scout, and magician. It was as if their coordination was planned, but that didn’t matter now.

The swordsman said, "I don’t want to hurt a beautiful woman like you or your friends. Please put down your weapons and raise your hands."

He said it in a strangely gentlemanly way.

...It was different from before. He was probably trying to end things by looking cool.

Tina said, "...Enough with the pleasantries, let’s just get started. This is a waste of time."

She readied her sword with an exasperated look.

The other two also readied their weapons.

The scout said, "Heh heh. Leader, you shouldn’t try things you’re not used to. You’ll just embarrass yourself."

The magician was also smirking.

The swordsman said, "Tch. Sh-shut up!! What’s wrong with trying to look cool for a bit?! Damn it! You guys!! Teach them a lesson!"

He had a pleased look on his face.

So he enjoys hurting women. Let’s end this quickly. Tina closed the distance in an instant.

...The swordsman couldn’t keep up with her fast movements and was dumbfounded. Tina cut him down with an overhead slash from the right. Even with his armor on, Tina’s sword was made of Orichalcum. Plain iron was as good as nothing against it.

Blood spurted out, and the swordsman fell.

...The other two were frozen, not knowing what had happened, but they quickly moved to counterattack.

However, Rumily appeared behind the scout and slashed both of his thighs with her short swords. The scout couldn’t move and fell.

Before the magician could cast a spell, he was cut down by Milfy’s wind magic and fell.

And thus, the battle of the five was over.

The last one, the chubby baggage carrier, didn’t appear. In fact, it didn’t feel like he was going to launch a surprise attack. Did he run away after his comrades were defeated? I activated ‘Detection’ just in case, but there was nothing.

I thought a guy like that would be the party’s trump card.

...In recent manga, it’s common for the lowest-ranking role to have a surprising turn of activity.

But it seems that guy was different. He really was just a baggage carrier.

After we regrouped, I said, "...The last one is gone. Seems like he ran away. ...Now then, what should we do with these guys?"

I looked at the bandits gathered in one place.

They still couldn’t move. They were looking at us with resentful eyes.

Tina said, "...For now, let’s tie them to that tree over there. We’re going to be busy from now on."

I agreed with her proposal.

We tied the bandits to a tree and ate a meal a short distance away.

After finishing the dried meat and water we brought, we were about to start searching for the Mantis.

...Just then, we heard a human voice from within the forest.

When we looked, the baggage carrier appeared. Did he come to rescue his comrades? He seemed to be in a great hurry.

The baggage carrier shouted, "Haa, haa. ...H-help me!!!"

At the same time as his shout, the baggage carrier’s head went flying.

...His body, spouting a fountain of blood, collapsed, and a Mantis appeared. To appear at a time like this, was it good luck or bad luck? But there were some even unluckier people.

Next to the Mantis were the bandits, tied to a tree and unable to move.

The swordsman shouted, "Ah, ahhhhh!! Hey!! Help me!!"

He shouted for help.

...But that was a bad move. The Mantis noticed the bandits and looked at them. Then, with its large scythes, it cut down the tree, bandits and all.

The bandits were killed.

I said, "...What a pity."

I offered a prayer.

...All are equal in death. At the very least, I hope they find peace.

Tina said, "...Shinsuke, the Mantis is coming this way."

With that one word, I switched gears.

The Mantis started running towards us.