With his order, many voices suddenly echoed from the forest behind him.
“Hahaha! After waiting for so long, we finally get to make a big move!”
“I've been dying to leave this damn forest. Once we make this score, I'm going to live like a king in the city for a few months, no matter what!”
“Hehehe! It looks like there are plenty of women in that caravan...”
“Hmm? You dare set your sights on the merchandise?!”
“I-I'm sorry, Third-in-Command! Ah—!”
“Just a little lesson to help you remember! Second Brother, stop lingering, let's go!”
“Coming!”
The bandits' Second-in-Command replied with a smile, lifting his feet to move out with the others.
“Wait!”
The middle-aged woman grabbed him.
“Where is my son! It's time to return him to me as promised, right?”
The Second-in-Command cast an impatient glance at the middle-aged woman.
“Oh~, I almost forgot about you—”
Thud!
He raised a leg, kicked the middle-aged woman away, and then dusted off his boot.
“You're of no use anymore!”
“My son... Return my son... to me.”
The middle-aged woman begged, clutching her chest.
“Huh? Your son? Let me think... Oh, I remember now! Your son~ we sold him off on the very first day! By now, he's probably been used as a sacrifice by some sinister organization, hasn't he?”
“—!!?”
The Second-in-Command's words instantly plunged the middle-aged woman into a freezing abyss of despair.
“Hahaha! Boys, let's go! Grab the loot—!”
The bandits departed, leaving the middle-aged woman lying all alone in the forest.
...
The caravan camp.
“Hahaha! It's all ours—!”
Emerging from the forest, the bandits were ecstatic as they looked at the "defenseless" camp before them.
“Brothers, take the gold—!”
Before the two commanders could even speak, the impatient bandits rushed inside.
“They're here—!”
Hiding in the shadows, the lying-in-wait adventurers watched the oncoming bandits, either gripping their weapons tightly or chanting spells.
“On my mark! One—! Two—! Three—! Go!!!”
Boom! Boom! Boom...
In an instant, numerous explosions rang out inside the camp as the brilliant light of spells blossomed in every corner.
“Charge!!!”
A large number of armed men emerged from hiding and clashed with the bandits on the spot. Even the people who had supposedly collapsed "came back to life," grabbing the weapons beside them to deliver lethal blows to the nearby bandits.
The bandits were caught completely off guard, throwing them into absolute chaos as they were systematically beaten down by the adventurers and caravan members.
“Damn it! That wretched woman actually dared to trick us!!!”
The Second-in-Command gnashed his teeth in fury.
“Stop cursing, Second Brother! We need to run—!”
Seeing things take a turn for the worse, the Third-in-Command immediately tried to pull Second Brother and make a break for it.
However,
“You won't escape!”
With the trap so meticulously prepared by the caravan and the adventurers, there was no chance for them to flee.
Looking at the several adventurers blocking his path,
“Damn it! Don't look down on me!”
The Second-in-Command furiously drew his sword and slashed toward Alec's group.
Thud!
A burly figure suddenly blocked his way. With a simple swing of a massive two-handed greatsword, the Second-in-Command was sent flying like a ball, rolling several times on the ground before falling completely still.
Having finished, Bart shifted his cold gaze to the remaining Third-in-Command.
“Eek—!?”
The Third-in-Command shuddered in fear, cleanly tossing his weapon away before dropping to his knees with his hands raised above his head.
“I surrender! I surrender—!”
...
“Flame Arrow!”
Boom!
“Ah—!”
After knocking down a bandit with a Flame Arrow, Shulim scanned the camp. Though the battle had not been going on for long, the bandits' resistance had basically ground to a halt.
Even so, Shulim felt like something was amiss.
She cast a glance toward the Third-in-Command, who was currently being bound with rope by Steen, looking utterly dejected.
She had seen the way the bandits rushed into the camp and could clearly identify two leaders, this person being one of them. However, what he shouted as they were trying to flee was highly concerning.
Second Brother...
If this Second Brother was indeed the kind of title used among bandits as she suspected—
Then where was the bandits' Chief?
Shulim raised her head, slowly shifting her gaze to peer across the forest.
Suddenly, she spotted something glinting from a high point in the distance...
“Mr. Alec!”
...
“Damn it! What a bunch of useless trash!”
On a mountain adjacent to the valley, the bandits' Chief was peering through a telescope, continuously observing the situation in the camp below.
Watching his subordinates jump into the trap so easily, only to be swept away like falling leaves, he was utterly white-hot with rage.
The few bandits beside him exchanged hesitant glances. In the end, one of them braced himself and said, “Chief, what should we do now?”
“What do you mean, 'what should we do'?! What else can we do?!”
The Chief roared in anger.
“Huh—?”
The moving telescope halted, then panned back to the previous position.
Within the magnified lens, the figure of a little girl appeared. She was staring intently in his direction.
“Did she see me?”
How could that be possible from such a distance!
The Chief felt his thoughts were somewhat absurd, but the little girl's subsequent action stripped any trace of a smile from his face.
He watched as the little girl actually raised her wand and pointed directly at him.
“Holy crap—!?”
The Chief was so startled he couldn't even hold the telescope steady, letting it fall directly to the ground.
She really saw me!? What is up with this kid!!?
“Ch-Chief?”
The Chief's sudden outburst completely bewildered the other bandits.
“Chief my ass! Run, we've been spotted!!!”
“What!?”
Hearing this, the bandits panicked and scrambled to follow the Chief as they fled.
...
In the forest,
one silhouette after another dashed rapidly through the trees.
“Shulim, are you sure they fled in this direction?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
Shulim replied with certainty.
“Great! You all heard her! Pick up the pace, we definitely can't let those bastards escape today!”
“Got it!!!”
Rapidly moving responses echoed through the forest.
Come to think of it...
As Alec ran at full speed, his eyes couldn't help but drift toward Shulim, who was not far off.
It's incredible that she can keep up. We aren't holding back at all! Though I could tell yesterday that she possessed extraordinary strength, I didn't expect it to be to this extent...
Shifting his gaze downward, he noticed the white light glowing on Shulim's legs.
Reinforce, is it? To think she can utilize Reinforce to a degree that rivals us veterans despite being only D-Class. Is this to be expected of someone heading off to that academy?
This child might become a truly formidable figure in the future...
...
Rate on N.U.
