Chapter 82: Poetic Justice (2)

“And before that, there are a few things I need to ask.”

Even though their levels were much higher than ordinary bandits, they were still a band of thieves, so they didn't seem to have any loyalty or whatever.

In the case of the shapeshifter who called himself Marin or Ethesia's subordinate, they at least showed the will to never say anything as long as they were alive.

“I-I’ll tell you everything…! Ask me anything!”

This guy, just spilled everything.

There was no need to even threaten him with the 「Medium's Ring」.

The reason they were capturing and kidnapping everyone who passed through this area, not surprisingly, was to sell them as slaves.

They especially targeted merchants.

The reason was that it was the most profitable, as they could take the goods and fill the quota of slaves.

And they locked up all the people they kidnapped in their stronghold, which was about a day's ride away by horse from here.

Then, when the time came.

“People sent from Tiaria come and take all the locked-up guys at once…!”

“Slave traders?”

At that, Ibi's question made the guy who had been answering smoothly hesitate for the first time.

“You said someone from Tiaria sends people. Who are they?”

But when Ibi deliberately rubbed the daggers in both hands, making a sharp, grinding sound.

“Ugh…!”

The guy, who had flinched in fear, finally started to confess again.

“S-Subordinates…!”

“Whose subordinates, you bastard!”

“D-Don Paulo!”

At that moment.

“…What?”

Flinch, Ibi stopped moving.

But that was also for a moment, and in the blink of an eye, Ibi approached him and held the sharp blade of her dagger to his neck.

“Say that again, who?”

“Don, Paulo…! Tiaria's, cartel boss…!”

After hearing the name of her old boss, who she had once been indebted to, and who was now chasing her.

“…That damn old geezer.”

Ibi, who had withdrawn her dagger, clicked her tongue loudly and turned her back, leaving the scene.

The other companions, who didn't know much about Ibi's situation, seemed to be puzzled by her reaction, but since I knew well, I didn't stop her.

After asking a few more things, we gagged him.

Well, it wasn't a real gag, but a cloth tied similarly.

Ever since hearing her old boss's name, Ibi had been looking quite distressed.

“What do you want to do?”

Therefore, I asked her in a slightly more cautious tone than usual.

“I’ve already finished talking with the others.”

No one objected.

Rather, they seemed to want to fold up the camping plan and leave immediately.

So it was time to ask for Ibi's opinion last.

“If I say no, will you not go?”

“If you really don't want to.”

At my words, Ibi let out a hollow laugh.

“…Hoo.”

Then she let out a small sigh and shook her head from side to side.

“It seems I'm bound to get involved with that damn old geezer one way or another.”

Muttering as if she were tired of it.

“Yeah, whatever. Let’s go, f*ck. To mess up those bastards.”

Our next target was set.

--

Sub Quest

「Poetic Justice」

Go to the bandits' stronghold and rescue the captured slaves.

--

The next morning.

We first sent Jude off.

It was like we had given up on the mission to escort him to the other base village midway, but since we were going to take care of the source so that he wouldn't need an escort anymore, he didn't complain.

Rather, he expressed his gratitude.

He even gave us a separate reward, thanking us for saving his life last night.

In addition, Jude left us one more thing.

“The carriage, you’re leaving it behind…?”

If you just heard these words, it might sound like we were stealing his carriage, but it was a suggestion for his own good.

Since he had no goods to carry anyway, if he abandoned the carriage and just rode his horse, he could easily escape even if he encountered another group of bandits.

“The carriage might be a waste, but isn't it better to just buy a new one than to risk your life?”

Jude, who seemed to think that my words had a point, was quickly [Persuaded], and in the end, he took only his horse and left alone.

There was no need to be sad that our convenient means of transportation had disappeared after a long time.

We had just gotten six horses whose owner had ‘disappeared’, which was just the right number.

But first, I tied the horse I had picked out to ride to the carriage Jude had left behind.

“What are you going to use the carriage for?”

Seeing the scene, Toric asked in puzzlement, and I answered with a grin.

“There’s a use for it.”

For example, to push our ‘guest’, whose hands and feet were tightly bound so that he couldn't escape, into the luggage compartment.

“Oof!”

After that, I got on the horse.

To be precise, I tried to.

“…Ugh.”

If my outstretched leg had reached the saddle properly.

It was a matter of flexibility rather than length.

In other words, a matter of ‘dexterity’.

“…….”

Miki and Toric, who had much more disadvantageous conditions than me, had already jumped onto their saddles.

Even Rine had gotten on without any trouble.

Actually, in her case, the horse had lowered itself as soon as it saw her.

So, I was the only one who couldn't get on.

“Ah, right. There is a use for it.”

In the end, I quietly got on the driver's seat of the carriage instead of the horse's saddle, and Ibi was teasing me with a small laugh.

The 「Bandits' Stronghold」 was, as our ‘guest’ had confessed, no different from a fortress.

In fact, they had built a fortress with a stockade.

Naturally, there were many soldiers guarding it.

Therefore, although they were called a band of thieves, it was no exaggeration to say that they were a small warlord.

In the game, there were a truckload of players who, thinking they were just a band of thieves, went in to have a blast, but couldn't even get past the fortress walls, let alone the boss, and were wiped out.

In short, marching in there openly was no different from suicide.

So, it was time to use our heads.

“I brought him, boss.”

The bandit pushed the young man he had brought into the room with enough force to almost throw him, and made him kneel.

But the ‘boss’ didn't even glance at the young man, and was only engrossed in tearing the turkey in front of him with his bare hands.

“You came to find us on your own?”

Then, seeing the wild appearance of the boss, who immediately put the large piece of meat he had torn into his mouth and chewed noisily, the young man, with a terrified expression, managed to nod his head.

The boss, who finally looked down at the young man, soon let out a hollow laugh.

“So, who are you?”

“I-I am a merchant….”

“Good. There are plenty of guys who used to be that here. ──Ah, no. Weren’t they all taken a while ago?”

At the boss's joke, which he threw with a twisted lip, the subordinates standing behind the young man snickered.

“Do you know what kind of place this is?”

Chewing on the tough turkey, the boss turned his head away from the young man again.

“It doesn't matter what you used to do, or what you came here to sell. From now on, you're just a slave.”

“I-I have important information…!”

At that, the young man shouted urgently.

“Information?”

When the boss showed a slight interest in this, the young man immediately continued.

“I found the traitor… that Don Paulo is looking for.”

“……What?”

At that moment, the boss's hand that was dismantling the turkey froze.

The young man, with trembling hands, reached into his clothes and took out a rolled-up piece of paper.

Seeing this, the boss gestured with his chin, and a subordinate snatched the paper away roughly.

The unfolded paper was a ‘wanted poster’.

“Right now, that woman and her party are heading this way…!”

A sketch of a certain half-dark elf, his subordinate who had robbed Don Paulo's safe a while ago and disappeared, who must have lost all her sense of fear.

The boss, who had received it from his subordinate, looked back and forth between the wanted poster and the young man for a moment.

“Are you sure?”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

The young man said with his head bowed low, as if to avoid his gaze.

“I happened to hire her adventurer party for an escort, and we were together until yesterday…!”

“They’re coming here? Why?”

“W-Well… to rescue the slaves trapped here…”

“What?”

“S-So, from what I heard! They were planning to camp nearby today, and then sneak in at dawn… they said…!”

At the young man's words, the boss looked at his subordinates, dazed for a moment.

“Hah──”

Then.

“──Kehahaha!”

He began to roar with laughter.

At that, his subordinates also burst into laughter.

“What? Rescue the slaves?”

“They’re out of their minds.”

“Well, a sane person wouldn't dare to anger Don Paulo.”

“That's right, boss.”

As if they had heard the most hilarious story ever.

Then, the boss, who had roughly thrown the turkey leg he was holding onto the plate, shot up from his seat.

“Is it true?”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

“Good.”

Then he approached the young man, who was still kneeling, and tapped his cheek.

“If that story is true, I’ll have to give you a reward.”

This time, he placed his thick hand on the young man's slender shoulder.

“But if it's not true…”

“…Ugh!”

To press down on it.

The young man, who couldn't hold back a scream, writhed in pain, his kneeling legs struggling.

At that, the boss, as if it were just a joke, released his grip and patted the young man's shoulder again.

Then, without caring about the young man who had collapsed on the floor, clutching his crushed shoulder, he said to his subordinates.

“Hey.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Gather all the men.”

With a twisted grin on one side of his mouth.

“We’ve got a f*cking big fish on the line.”

And, that night.

It was as the young man had said.

“……Hah.”

Not far from their fortress, there was indeed a group of adventurers camping.

“Those stupid bastards…”

The boss, who had just laughed it off when he first heard the story, now seemed to be getting angry rather than amused, seeing it with his own eyes.

Not only had they lit a campfire as if to openly announce ‘We are here’, but there was even a bard playing an instrument and singing next to the campfire.

“They’re practically begging to be killed.”

The boss was now beginning to take the fact that he was being targeted by such clumsy and stupid rookies as a humiliation.

“What should we do, boss?”

At his subordinate's question, the boss turned his head.

Then, from the hill where he had climbed to observe the campsite, he slowly stood up.

Below the boss, flickering torches── a ‘band of thieves’ on horseback── began to gather one by one.

“Let’s go.”

The boss looked down at them and ordered in a tone that was suppressing his anger.

“It's a raid, boys.”

At that moment, cheers erupted all at once.