"This took a while, but it should be enough."

Rusty picked up a ladle filled with a strange purplish liquid. It was boiling in a large iron cauldron and was ready to be divided into smaller portions. Beside him were several containers he had fashioned from metal. Although he could have used glass, his system did not allow him to recreate it. He was still restricted to metals and materials the system recognized as weapons or armor. If he made a metal bottle with even a small spike, the system would categorize it as a weapon, which meant he could replicate it without difficulty.

"Oh?"

As he finished portioning the liquid, something landed on the roof of his home. A moment later, he heard soft giggles, and soon a light tap echoed at the entrance to his basement smithy.

"How is it?"

"( •̀ᴗ•́ )و"

"So it's time. I am almost finished here. We will leave immediately."

It was Gleam who had come to inform him of the bandits' movements. Thanks to her ability to fly, she had become skilled at scouting the area.

"This type of work is degrading for a demon king."

"You are doing great, Aburdon!"

His guide, Aburdon, moved along with her, just as he had in the past. With his help, they had created a complete map of the city and the surrounding lands. For now, Gleam kept to areas with few monsters, but in time, they planned to venture into the Orc forest and the territory of the barbarians.

A few days had passed since his first visit to the bandit camp, but they were not spent idly. Rusty had learned that careful planning was always the best approach. The city had shown no intention of attacking the bandits and seemed most likely to be working with them. Because of this, he had been observing the camp closely, watching for any sign of movement.

His guides claimed that the bandits were probably paying the lord for the right to remain there, which meant the best time to strike would be during the transfer of that money. Thanks to Gleam's speed it was easy to fly back with news of the right moment, and that moment had finally arrived.

"Does it look right?"

"If we leave now, we should reach them at nightfall. That will give us enough time to attack the bandit camp and return before the night is over."

Rusty answered Aburdon and shrank to his smaller form so the two could depart. They had a hard time limit to hit both targets, the bandits and the city guards. The guards defending the shipment of coins and supplies were none other than the mercenaries he had interacted with before, and he would feel no remorse for them after what they had done to the children.

Rusty hid behind a tree as the group of soldiers advanced. There was one carriage, four mounted soldiers surrounding it, and more life signals coming from inside. It was a surprisingly small force for transporting treasure, but the emblem of the city nobility was displayed on it, which meant no one would dare attack. The bandits were working with them as well, so the only ones who might strike were their partners in crime.

He remained still, waiting as the carriage drew closer. He had chosen a spot near a small hill in the forest where the carriage would be forced to slow while climbing. No one else was nearby, and with Gleam's help the attack could begin. She hovered above, settled on a treetop, and prepared her magic. Once her casting was complete, the new spell took hold.

Her antennae twitched as a single bead of concentrated mana swelled at the tip of one, pulsing with colors that did not belong together. Rusty watched from the cover of the hill. His current form was the all-purpose armor, and his weapon was a steel bow. He drew an arrow, notched it, and waited for the lightshow to follow.

Gleam focused, and the world narrowed to a point of light. The Prismatic Mana Bolt condensed between her mandibles. It was the size of a hazelnut, a shimmering core of prismatic light. She held it for a moment, then released the magic directly at the soldiers.

The bolt streaked forward and, true to its name, split like a volley. Each fragment was no thicker than a sewing needle yet far more deadly. The magic arced through the air, its colors startling the armored men just as they were about to sustain multiple blows.

The first beam struck the lead soldier's face through his open visor. He had no idea what was coming and died instantly as the ray burrowed into his skull. His horse, spooked by a flash of emerald light, bolted sideways and crashed into the carriage. One of the cartwheels splintered, and the vehicle began to slow.

Once the first man was down, the others grew more alert. Several rays of mana hissed against their armor, and although a few injuries were inflicted the remaining three held firm. Just as they began to locate their attacker, an arrow shot forward, pierced one of them through the throat, and carried him against the wooden carriage frame. The arrow went clean through, and chaos erupted as the horses pulling the carriage started to panic.

Left and right, attacks came while the protectors shouted and tried to deflect them. One of the colorful rays struck the coachman's head while another arrow collided with the mounted guard. The top of the hill soon came into view but along with it, the carriage came to a stop and toppled to the side.

The carriage tipped, its axles screaming as wood snapped and iron-bound wheels broke free. The chest inside clattered against the frame but did not burst open. The horses thrashed, yet a stray shard of prismatic light had already severed their reins. They bolted into the trees and left the riders scrambling.

With the carriage overturned, those trapped within climbed out. Two guards emerged along with a man Rusty recognized. It was the same merchant who had once entered his store with two burly men to cause trouble. These guards, however, were different. They bore the mark of mercenaries from the city, it was clear that a deeper conspiracy was at work.

"Above!"

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One of the soldiers shouted just before the second volley split apart in midair. Seven rays of pure magical fury rained down. Their shields held and deflected the light, but Rusty had already moved. He abandoned his bow for a halberd and swung it cleanly, decapitating the last mounted soldier.

"S-stay back, what do you want? We had a deal!"

The merchant's words were met with silence. He screamed when Rusty's shining frame advanced. At first he mistook him for a man, but as Rusty drew closer the soldiers saw the truth.

"It's not a man. It's a living armor? What is a thing like this doing here?"

The magical barrage from above ceased, and one soldier rushed forward to strike Rusty. His strength was far below Rusty's. He was nothing compared to a D-rank monster, and after a single exchange his head flew through the air. The remaining soldier raised his shield, glanced at the merchant, and then broke into a run. He fled into the forest without hesitation, leaving the chubby man to die alone.

"Wait, what are you doing? Don't leave me here!"

The man's footsteps echoed through the trees, followed by a strange crunching sound. There was no scream, only wet gurgling that faded quickly. The merchant stared in horror, clutching the chest filled with coins in his arms. Soon, from within the forest, another creature emerged, a shiny silver ant.

"T… this… you? How can it be possible? No, stay back!"

The man seemed confused when Gleam appeared. Her mandibles dripped with blood after she tore through the last mercenary's jugular. In the city, she was known as Edmund's pet monster, and the merchant may have realized this truth, but he would take it to the grave. Rusty thrust his halberd forward and drove it into the man's heart with a single, swift strike.

"Ahh… you should have let him live."

When the battle ended, Rusty lifted the chest from the ground. His visor glowed with Aburdon's light as the demon lord complained.

"Why?"

"This fat human was part of the merchant guild. You should have tortured him to uncover his secrets and force him to reveal what was really happening."

Aburdon made a fair point, since the merchant had been involved in a conspiracy within the city. Still, the truth was not difficult to guess, nor was it hard to see who was being paid off. To Rusty, it did not matter which humans were corrupt. If they came after him, he would defeat them. His goal was never to thrive in this settlement, and he doubted his future would end here.

"It's fine, we already knew that the nobles and merchants were involved."

Rusty replied as he forced the chest lock open. Inside, he found a good number of coins. He turned it around, and just as they were about to spill against his body, they were pulled into his storage space, where no one would ever be able to reach them.

"It is always better to confirm these things, my dear Rusty."

Aburdon said again.

"You just want him to torture someone, don't you?"

Alexander asked, unwilling to believe a word Aburdon said.

"You are calling me a liar? That hurts me, hero."

"..."

Alexander remained silent, and Rusty used the moment to gather some of the guards' weapons and armor. They were not of the highest quality, but the steel could be repurposed for his wares or sold later.

"But if your theory is correct, then these attacks are targeted. In any case, let us go, Gleam."

"(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)"

His guides had developed a theory after observing certain details. The merchants attacked by bandits were those who did not belong to the guild and were relatively new. Now that they had witnessed a merchant guild member dealing with the bandits, the possibility of coordinated robberies sanctioned by the guild became much more convincing. Fortunately, with Rusty and Gleam on the case, these crimes would soon come to an end, and all the profits would be theirs.

"Are we on schedule?"

"Indeed, we are, my dear Rusty."

Aburdon replied, and Rusty shifted into his smaller body. With everything of value secured in his storage, he set out toward the bandit camp. He wondered if he was being a little greedy, since he had already earned enough money to live comfortably in the settlement for more than half a year. However, this was not only about wealth. Fighting humanoids advanced his levels much faster than battling other monsters. It almost felt as if the world itself wanted him to focus on them. His levels continued to rise, and judging by the numbers, reaching the next D rank evolution was not far away.

Soon they were flying through the air. Their flight was accompanied by a cloudy sky and a trail of blue mana light. The night was quiet, yet from time to time, the growling of monsters could be heard as they glided above the treetops. Eventually, they reached the bandit camp, and as they had expected, another drunken party was underway.

"They are getting drunk again, just as expected. Let's do it!"

They had observed the bandits for a long time and had noticed that almost every night they drank heavily and stayed awake until late. They remained completely oblivious to danger because of their deal with the nobility. This left them exposed to his plan, which he intended to carry out once more.

As before, he waited until a bandit wandered off alone and then took him over. Within his storage, he carried the purple brew, which he quickly mixed into the water and ale that the others were drinking. He moved through the camp unnoticed, filling every barrel he found and even allowing some to seep into the only well in the area.

Since their last visit, there seemed to be a new arrival. A merchant wagon had been added to the pile along with the others, and its merchandise had not yet been handled. From inside the holding shed, someone was screaming, but their cries were drowned out by the bandits' laughter and revelry. Unfortunately, the bandit leader was not someone who appeared often, which made the idea of spiking his drink seem impossible. Even so, after moving around the camp for nearly an hour, all his bottles were empty, and all that remained was to wait.

"Now we just have to wait…"

They waited, and soon the signs of his brew taking effect began to show. It was not a poison but rather a very strong sedative that became even more potent when combined with alcohol. Once it seeped into the body it slowly caused its victim to pass out and fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

It started with small details, a shoulder slumping here, a head nodding forward there. Laughter dwindled, then stopped. Someone snored, softly at first, then louder. The sentries at the edges of the camp swayed where they stood and collapsed like broken dolls. Within thirty minutes the noise of the camp had faded into silence as nearly all the bandits drifted into slumber.

Gleam landed on one of the crude watchtowers, close to the sentry stationed there. She lunged at him, her mandibles piercing flesh and drawing blood as she quickly disposed of the guard. Then she leapt from place to place, dispatching each person she came across. Rusty, meanwhile, descended into the lower part of the bandit lair. Most of the enemies lay unconscious, but a few remained awake, and these he targeted first, knowing the rest would not stir even if a battle broke out.

If not for his desire to gain the loot and Alexander's complaints about saving the hostages, Rusty would have set the whole place on fire. The wooden beams and walls would have gone up in flames and taken care of his enemies with little effort. This was not too bad, however, since he could still test his skills on the roused bandits, and their leader seemed to remain active.

Rusty moved forward toward the makeshift residence of the bandit leader, a structure that looked like a cabin. With his life detection skill, he sensed another person inside, one whose level was insignificant. He was not sure who it was, but they likely posed little threat.

"Gleam, I will go for the leader. You target the regular bandits."

Gleam wiggled her antennae in understanding, and soon the two monsters attacked.