Under the City (2)
"Bandits, right after we set off?"
"Ugh, what a pain. What a massive pain."
Watching the approaching cloud of dust, the two muttered their respective complaints.
"Yee-haw!"
Regardless of their grumbling, a bizarre cheer echoed from the distance. It was the ecstatic shriek of bandits who had spotted their prey and whipped themselves into a frenzy.
—To think there are those who do not merely steal in secret, but extort through outright violence.
"Right? I'm telling you, grave robbers are practically saints around these parts."
Yohan replied reflexively to the Goddess's monologue. He quickly realized he was no longer part of a grave-robbing crew and shook his head. A guilty conscience had made him speak without thinking.
"Actually, scratch that. Both kinds are absolute bastards."
Whether they were digging up the dead to rob them or mugging the living, it was all the same. Yohan added the clarification as if making an excuse.
"Agreed."
Falco, who had been quiet until now, chimed in. Her voice carried an unusual weight, lacking her typical calm tone.
"A-anyway. You said an Apostle's power grows automatically in the way I desire most, right?"
Clearing his throat, Yohan questioned the Goddess.
—Indeed, it is so.
"Then give me the power to beat these bastards to a pulp right now!"
—Thou dost already possess such power. Hesitate no longer, my Apostle!
"Alright, I'm gonna turn them into mincemeat!"
Grinning, Yohan suddenly leaped off the moving carriage.
"Oh."
Falco looked genuinely impressed for a split second by his confident display.
*Crash!*
"Oof!"
But at the heavy thud and Yohan's pathetic groan that followed, she closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh, her brief admiration vanishing instantly.
The mounted bandits, kicking up a storm of dust as they charged toward their prey, suddenly slowed down.
"What the? Did someone just jump out of the carriage?"
They were bewildered to see a figure tumble out of their target vehicle and roll along the ground.
"Probably got scared shitless, tried to run, and tripped over his own feet," one of the bandits sneered, prompting nasty chuckles from the rest.
But their amusement was short-lived.
"Wait, he's up! Hold on, he's coming this way!"
"He fell from that height and rolled like a barrel, and he's just standing up?"
The idiot who had just eaten dirt in spectacular fashion scrambled to his feet in the blink of an eye. Then, radiating a terrifying aura of pure bloodlust, he began sprinting straight toward them.
"That... that guy..."
He's a lunatic. That bastard is definitely out of his mind.
This isn't going to be an easy mark.
The bandit leader's seasoned instincts told him that the man who had just tumbled from the carriage was no cowardly fool.
"Son of a bitch, I thought he was a sheep, but he's a goddamn tiger! Boys, draw your steel!" the bandit leader bellowed.
At his command, the bandits unsheathed their weapons. They had been plundering this region for years, surviving all kinds of hazards in their line of work. Compared to what they had faced, putting down a single madman shouldn't be much of a challenge.
"Shoot him first! I don't care if you kill him in one shot, just riddle him with holes!"
"On it!"
At the leader's shout, two archers drew their bows. *Twang!* The taut bowstrings groaned, and a moment later, arrows flew toward the target. Their aim was true. The two arrows were on a direct collision course with the madman.
"Huh?"
But the bandit leader's expectations were utterly shattered. The charging lunatic casually snatched both arrows out of the air with a single hand.
Dodging an arrow was something any agile fighter could manage. But catching high-velocity arrows mid-flight with pinpoint accuracy was an entirely different story.
"We're fucked! Retreat!"
This wasn't an easy target—hell, this wasn't even someone they could fight. The bandit leader immediately wheeled his horse around and ordered a full retreat.
"Where do you think you're running?"
"W-what?!"
Just as they turned to flee, something leaped onto the rump of the bandit leader's horse.
"Hey. Weren't you guys planning to rob my carriage?"
The "something" was none other than the lunatic who had just face-planted off the carriage moments ago.
"Eek!"
"Did he just teleport?!"
Terrified shrieks erupted from the bandits. Even amidst the panic, the leader tried to calm his racing heart and think. An excruciating pain flared in his shoulder where the madman had grabbed him. This guy was definitely a monster.
Think. How do I survive an encounter with an overwhelmingly powerful enemy that caught us completely off guard?
The bandit leader quickly came up with a master plan to resolve the crisis.
He let out a long breath.
Now that he had made up his mind, all that was left was to execute the plan. With the most solemn expression he could muster, he addressed the lunatic.
"Please spare my life just this once!"
"Are you kidding me...?"
Yohan had planned to beat up some bad guys to spread the name of his dimwitted Goddess, but the bandit leader's reaction completely defied his expectations.
"We failed to recognize a great noble and foolishly attacked! Please, show us mercy just this once!"
"Please show us mercy!"
What made it even more absurd was that the other bandits immediately bowed their heads and chanted in unison the moment their leader groveled.
—What in the world is happening?
Not only Yohan, but even the Goddess could not hide her utter bewilderment.
"What on earth..."
Falco, who had caught up late, looked thoroughly dumbfounded as she took in the scene.
"Ah, this ruins everything."
Yohan slapped his forehead, feeling genuinely disappointed. If these bandits had attacked with the intent to rob or kill them, he could have executed justice in the Goddess's name. But punching people who were bowing and begging for mercy would just make him look like a bully.
"Please spare us~"
"Spare us~"
Could this get any more pathetic? Sighing inwardly, Yohan shook his head.
"Fine. I'll be generous. I'll let you live."
Since things had turned out like this, it was time for a change of plans. Yohan looked down at the face-down bandit leader.
"R-really?"
"Yeah. But since you picked a fight, you'll have to pay for the emotional damages."
"P-pardon?"
The bandit leader's eyes widened. His gaze seemed to ask how there could be "damages" when not a single punch had been thrown. Of course, that expression vanished in an instant, replaced by a groveling smile.
"We just bought that carriage and horse, so our wallets are a bit light. Why don't you fill them back up? Think of it as helping the less fortunate, you know?"
"Yes, yes! Of course, sir!"
Despite Yohan's blatant extortion, the bandit leader nodded vigorously in agreement.
Yeah, this works. Yohan snorted, feeling somewhat satisfied. His original plan was to beat up the instigating bandits and loot their corpses. But since it had come to this, shaking them down for some cash was the next best thing.
"Th-this is all we have on us right now."
"Hmm, well, this should do..."
Having successfully extorted the bandits in reverse, Yohan stroked his chin with a satisfied look.
—I cannot say I highly encourage such behavior.
The Goddess did not seem particularly pleased with the situation. Yohan couldn't tell if she was upset because he was shaking down criminals, or if she was just disappointed that no blood had been spilled.
"Th-then, we shall take our leave..."
"Oh, and one more thing."
Just as the bandits were about to slip away, Yohan blocked their path. The bandit leader glared at Yohan with a scowl, as if wondering what else there was left to steal.
"Don't worry, I'm not taking any more of your money. I just want to ask you something."
Hearing this, the leader's scowl softened. At this point, Yohan was starting to feel insulted that he had been targeted as prey by such idiots in the first place.
"Yes, yes, of course. Ask away, if it's something I know."
"We're heading to Balifield. You know what kind of place Balifield is, right?"
"Yes, of course I do."
It had been quite a while since Yohan last visited Balifield. He wanted to see if these bandits had any news about the city.
"Actually, didn't a massive storm just blow through there? Not for small-time operators like us, but among the big syndicates that run in packs."
"Hmm."
"You gotta keep a low profile to live a long life, but those city bastards just don't know when to stop, do they?"
He was referring to the massive criminal organizations entrenched in Balifield, rather than small-time bandit crews wandering the wasteland.
"So it was those bastards after all?"
Yohan muttered, glancing at Falco. Falco nodded silently in agreement.
The grave robbers who had headed to Balifield to liquidate the goods they stole from Junk Town—they had clearly caused some trouble there as well.
"Alright."
"S-so, can we really leave now?"
"Yeah. We're off."
Yohan signaled Falco to head back to the carriage. Leaving the bandits behind, the two began walking back. Just as they neared the carriage...
*Twang!*
With a sharp slice through the air, an arrow flew straight toward Yohan's back.
*Snatch.*
Without even turning around, Yohan simply reached back and caught the arrow out of the air.
"Oh, that was actually pretty cool."
"Heh, you think so?"
Falco clapped lightly in admiration, and Yohan chuckled, his lips curling into a smug grin.
"Anyway, those bastards—"
—To think they would stab thee in the back after being spared so mercifully.
*Thud!*
Even as the Goddess lamented, several more arrows flew toward the carriage, thudding into the wood. This time, they had targeted Falco, not Yohan.
—My Apostle.
"What."
—Thou hast my divine permission. Beat those wretched scoundrels to a bloody pulp.
"With pleasure."
Though a stream of colorful curses poured from the Goddess's mouth, Yohan focused on the bandits, who were already mounting their horses to flee.
Yohan immediately sprinted toward the bandits. Though he wasn't doing it consciously, perhaps because he was channeling a fraction of the Goddess's power like before, he closed the distance at a speed far exceeding that of a galloping horse.
*Crash!*
To avoid injuring the innocent horses, Yohan delivered flying kicks straight to the bandits' backs, sending them tumbling to the dirt.
"Aaargh..."
"Y-you monster!"
Covered in dirt and looking thoroughly pathetic, the bandit leader shrieked in despair.
"Hey. I let you go nicely, so you should've just left. Why'd you have to go and beg for a beating?"
"Fuck you! I'm gonna kill you, you bastard!"
Realizing there was no longer any escape, the bandit leader scrambled up and drew his sword.
"Kill him!"
With that shout, the entire bandit crew lunged at Yohan. But not a single one of them stood a chance.
*Thwack!*
"Gah!"
Sent flying by single punches and kicks, the bandits twitched on the ground for a brief moment before going completely limp.
"Y-you..."
The bandit leader could only watch his men drop one by one, gripping his sword and staring in horror. The fight was so utterly one-sided that whatever fighting spirit he had managed to muster evaporated instantly.
*Step.*
Finally, the bandit leader took a step forward. Yohan took a step toward him in response.
*Whoosh!*
Yohan braced himself to dodge the incoming slash and counterattack, but the bandit leader suddenly dropped his sword.
"Eek, help!"
"Wait, what?"
And then, he bolted in the opposite direction.
"Unbelievable..."
Yohan let out a deep sigh. Even in a world devoid of loyalty and morals, this was just too much.
Fine, I'll let you join your buddies.
Deciding to personally foster some camaraderie among the bandits, Yohan picked up one of the swords scattered on the ground. He closed one eye, measuring the distance to the fleeing bandit leader.
"Up we go."
*Whoosh!*
The sword left Yohan's hand, slicing through the air and burying itself deep in the leader's back.
Watching the bandit leader collapse, the Goddess sighed.
—A truly pathetic end.
"Tell me about it. Alright, let's get moving."
Yohan agreed with the Goddess and turned back toward the carriage. Falco cast a brief glance at the fallen bandit leader in the distance before quickly falling in step behind Yohan.