Trap (2)
The carriage rolled past, but the hidden bastards didn't charge. For a moment, Valerius wondered if they were gunning for his group, but that didn't seem to be the case. Of course, if they were just plain bandits, they wouldn't be dumb enough to hit a carriage escorted by knights. Still, something felt off.
"Raven."
No sooner had they left the ambush spot than Valerius stepped forward. The knight squadron jolted in shock at his cannonball charge.
"N-No! What the hell are you doing?!"
Vice Knight Commander Kal cried out in horror. Even as the knights bellowed for him to hold formation, Valerius was already bounding forward like a wild beast. Right on his heels, Raven dropped into a seated shooting stance and unleashed a storm of arrows.
"Ambush! Watch out—"
A few bandits spotted them and shouted, but Raven's arrows pierced their throats clean through. Three dropped dead on the spot, and the rest scrambled to their feet in panic.
"Hey."
One Black Lion had already arrived. Valerius swung his rusty axe, cleaving a bandit holding a flimsy shield straight in half. The others screamed and fled at the sight of their comrade turned into a chewy cookie in an instant. Who wouldn't run from a monster baking people with an axe?
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
But Valerius had backup. Arrows arced in gentle curves, hitting with uncanny precision even through the thick underbrush. A few missed, sure, but with Valerius holding the line, it didn't matter.
His eyes scanned fast. Gear that stood out. Cleaner clothes. Someone who looked important. And there—one popped up right on cue.
"Everyone, group up! We'll get picked off one by—"
Valerius grabbed the sloppy leader by the collar as he tried to rally the bandits.
"Kill the rest."
Raven's arrows flew on command, dropping the remaining bandits.
"G-Gahk!"
It took less than a minute to slaughter all twenty-two. The bandit leader in Valerius's grip trembled, terrified by the gruesome evidence of that destruction.
"Sheesh. You slow-ass punks."
Valerius scolded the knights who finally showed up, weapons in hand.
"Half of you, gather the arrows and anything useful."
Knights reduced to looting corpses? They ground their teeth at the insult but moved to obey in silence. After all, they were under the lady's orders right now.
"Raven. Prep for interrogation."
"On it."
Valerius tossed the bandit leader to the ground and dusted his hands. Raven hopped down, flipped the man face-first, and pinned his back with a knee.
"P-Please, spare me! We didn't do anything wrong!"
"The hell you didn't. You were lying in wait to rob carriages!"
"W-We were just resting!"
The bandit boss started spilling as the threat sank in. Valerius smirked at the sight.
"Mmph! Mmmph!"
Rough, callused hands roughly scrubbed the bandit's face. White powder flaked off.
"Well, look at this. Not from the North."
"Huh? How can you tell?"
"Makeup."
In this medieval fantasy world, most folks were pale, but Northerners were ghostly white. These guys had caked on makeup to fake it.
"You're right. Skin's not quite pale enough."
"Hair and eyes are normal too. Central continent, maybe."
"Hey. Doesn't look like a regular commoner up close."
Yanes, who'd wandered over to watch, prodded the bandit's collarbone with her staff. A peek under the collar revealed a tattoo.
"I sense mana. Probably a seal."
"Oh-ho."
They'd snagged him on a whim, but these were craftier than expected.
"I can break most seals with alchemy."
"You can?"
"It's in my wheelhouse."
"Alright. Handle it."
Surprisingly, Yanes claimed she could crack it with alchemy. Sounded confident enough to trust. Seals made interrogation tricky anyway.
"Tie him tight and strap him to the carriage."
"Bro, at our pace, he'll croak quick."
"Hm. Wall it is, then. Knights get bored, they'll vent on him."
They rolled the bandit boss up like a larva and secured him to the carriage. The knights returned with their haul—nothing major.
Something's fishy.
The story checked out as coincidence, but it nagged at him. Kal's sour mood the whole time didn't help.
"Gotta live right. Not like these vicious level-2 ganking jungler bastards."
Valerius spat and turned away.
A week passed like that. Shockingly, the bandit boss survived all the way to the Forbidden Forest entrance. Yanes had dosed him with her half-baked potions from failed brews. The personality-wiping recovery potion traded castration risk for freakish healing, letting him endure the knights' beatings for seven days.
"Ah. Done."
The mix finished right as they hit the forest gate. With camp setup underway before entry, interrogation kicked off immediately.
"Ooh, fading."
The tattoo fizzled at the potion. Not fully gone, but better than nothing.
"Name and affiliation?"
"……."
The bandit boss shuddered but clamped his mouth shut. He'd planned to bite his tongue, but the potion wrecked that too.
"Aw, customer's shy."
Valerius grabbed his right leg and twisted with a light squeeze.
"Gaaaaah!"
A crack, and the bone popped out. Then he reset it and dislocated the other way.
"Grk! Guh! Kyaaaah!"
The screams echoed as the periosteum ground raw in this torture loop. Five rounds in:
"I-I'll talk! P-Please!"
The properly broken boss begged through tears.
"Name and affiliation?"
"J-Jenon. Pitbull Mercenary Company!"
Valerius tilted his head. Pitbull Mercs? Rang a bell.
"Bro. The ones supplying spirit mages from Fillerbinker."
"Ah, those assholes?"
"Y-Yes! W-We supplied that spirit mage."
Slave traders, in other words.
"So why hide there?"
"I-I just followed orders. Patrol the area and rob any caravans."
Pitbulls operated in the North's east. Crossing to this northwest spot? Not random—someone big cleared the path.
"Bullshit. That pass is a nightmare—no caravans go there!"
"Agh! B-But orders were to ambush anyone passing!"
No way they'd target caravans there. Outsiders, for sure.
"That's it? No other reason?"
"N-No! Just hit caravans!"
Go through that hassle and seal for caravan hits? Doesn't add up. Mages wouldn't waste labor on it.
"Hey."
Yanes called Valerius over, pointing her staff at the seal spot.
"The seal's old. Not fresh for this job."
"Aha. So not for this gig?"
The boss paled at their exchange.
"Older than that. Interesting. Wonder why."
His grip tightened on the man's skull. Pure terror hit the boss—that strength could crush it easy.
"F-For Pitbull's business!"
"Business?"
Valerius caught the boss's eyes darting—to Kal. A split-second glance, but a master's senses caught it.
"Sl, sla—"
Thud.
A grotesque pop from his head. Tension melted from his rigid body.
"Tch."
Eyeballs bulged out, black blood oozing.
"...Southern shaman trick."
"Yeah. I know it well."
Learned from them the hard way—viciously effective.
"Fun times. Raven, clean this up. Careful, it's poison."
Valerius stood and scanned the camp. Knights dispersed silently after watching.
Why glance at Kal? That sparked suspicion. And the ambush spot—fine for mounted knights, monsters or not. Not caravans, but a force like theirs.
"Set night watch and crash hard. We hit the Forbidden Forest tomorrow."
No replies from the knights as he headed to the carriage, women trailing.
"Hey, maid."
"...Yes?"
Valerius lit a cigar, smoke thickening the air.
"Pitbulls hunt slaves. Lady's side knows and claims countermeasures. How's it going?"
"...Can't say."
Expected. Alliance or not, that intel cost extra.
"Fair enough. But it's handled, right? Fillerbinker's next to Rozanica."
"……."
"Screwing up and stirring the hornet's nest hits Rozanica hard."
Forbidden Forest run was for Rozanica's safety. Valerius was touchy about that.
Bella's eyes sharpened.
"So? What can you do to the lady?"
Serpia ruled the North. The lady sat at power's peak. To her maid, his words reeked of insolence.
Valerius stared back, emotionless.
"Classic villainess. Shady bitch."
"...You! Watch your mouth! Calling the lady a villainess?!"
Bella roared, but he just snorted.
"Bandit eyed Kal before dying. Quick, but eyes met. Looks connected."
"……."
"Kill Kal mission I get, but he's with Pitbulls?"
Bella's eyes rolled, rage fading to calm smile.
"Oops. How'd you know?"
Even anger faked—she tilted her head playfully.
"Don't worry. Kal dies, problem solved. Minimal Rozanica fallout."
"Got it."
"Yeah. So focus on the forest, hard. Make those Si ni Volk knights drop dead from the grind. Got it?"
He snorted at her cheeky tone. Fitting henchwoman for that villainess. Name similarity had sparked faint fondness—gone now.
"Whew."
Valerius exhaled smoke, scratching his head. Pitbulls disguised as bandits here, tied to Kal?
"Bro. This—"
"Yeah."
Raven followed; Valerius nodded. Si ni Volk knights deployed east mostly—highlands suited their horse skills. Spotting their vice commander here first time? Busy guy on a nothing mission? Made sense now.
"Someone's poking the Forbidden Forest."
Layers of schemes tangled here.