Crime (3)
Shlup!
“Ku… kuaaah! My arm… my arm!!”
A well-maintained, razor-sharp blade sliced through the air, and the bandit’s right arm was severed in an instant.
Blood erupted from the severed end like a fountain, and my heart thumped violently, pumping through my entire body.
I had killed ratmen and goblins, but I still had not become perfectly accustomed to taking a life.
Much less a human’s.
Given the situation, I had drawn my sword, but I still did not want to kill anyone.
If I had stabbed their heart or cut their throat upon first approach, I could have suppressed them perfectly, but I had not done so.
No, more accurately, I had not been able to.
“Ugh! Kheh!”
“Aaah…! My leg!! You damn…”
It hurts… it hurts!!
The bandits had been too stunned to react properly to my sudden appearance and were unable to defend themselves, so I approached one after another and swung my blade wildly.
Arms were severed, thighs stabbed, chests slashed, and their screams echoed deafeningly through the entire alley.
They had delighted in tormenting others with such arrogant expressions. Watching them crumble so instantly when it happened to them was a rather unpleasant sight.
Just as I was about to finish suppressing them, one thought suddenly surfaced in my mind. The bandit who had approached first had been six in total, yet I had only cut down five. Where was the sixth?
In that split-second moment, I sensed a rapid, approaching presence from behind.
Without time to think, I turned and swung my blade.
The figure sneaking up behind me was their leader, the one the bandits called “the boss.” He had approached from the blind spot of my vision and swung his spiked club the moment he drew close.
I had not suffered a fatal wound, but I had not perfectly evaded it either. The club’s spike had grazed my arm, leaving a scratch.
But that was no longer important.
The tension of facing a real person for the first time in battle, the intense, blood-red hue of the blood spurting from all directions, my heart pumping madly and flooding my body with blood, fueling my own excitement, and my inability to think coldly had forced me to swing the blade on pure instinct.
“Kuu… kheh… kuh… ugh… kuh…”
“Eh… eh…?”
The first thing I noticed upon turning back was a man whose neck had been nearly severed by my blade, his mouth gaping as he struggled to speak.
The man had stood there for several seconds before spitting foam from his mouth and collapsing. In the shock of my first ever kill, my hand holding the sword trembled uncontrollably.
This was the first time I had committed murder, in this life or the previous one.
***
“Hik… hiiik!”
“Save… please save me… I beg you, just my life…”
The bandits, having seen their leader fall, had completely lost all will to fight. Clutching their severed limbs, they begged me with their entire bodies to spare them.
I had not yet recovered from the shock of my first kill, but I had at least realized that I could not simply stand there.
The sky was darkening, and besides me there was another person I had to take with me.
If I heard the bandits’ voices and more people or similar humans arrived, I could not guarantee victory in the current situation.
I barely reached a conclusion, approached the woman leaning against the wall, and helped her sit up properly as she regained her composure.
“Now it seems we should make our escape. Can you still move?”
“Y-yes? Th-that… for a moment… ugh…”
The woman tried to rise at my words, but her limbs had no strength at all and she could only twitch in place.
This would not do. There was no choice…
I slid my hands under her armpits and behind her knees, then carefully lifted her into my arms.
“Please excuse me for a moment. Forgive my rudeness…”
“Huh? What… kyaa!”
Unprepared for the situation, the woman let out a soft scream and struggled, but upon realizing I meant no harm she stopped resisting and leaned against me.
“Do you know the way out of this alley? I’m sorry, but I entered this place by mistake—I got lost…”
“Ah, if that’s the case, I know the exit. There, to the right ahead…”
Following the woman’s guidance, we emerged from the alley. At the far end of the one she had fled through earlier, several men lay collapsed.
Their hair and beards were singed, and parts of their bodies were frozen, as if they had been hit by magic and knocked unconscious.
It seemed the six I had dealt with were only part of the group this woman had confronted alone.
Surviving after defeating far more than ten on her own and escaping the scene was impressive.
The woman in my arms might be far stronger than I had imagined…
***
After running out of the alley for about thirty minutes, we finally succeeded in leaving the slums.
The back alleys of Dracton that the local had mentioned were right here; inns, taverns, and various facilities such as parks were visible around us.
I placed the woman on an empty bench in the park and sat beside her.
Only then could I properly observe her appearance.
She had light brown hair, delicate features, and large, clear eyes—someone who looked undeniably beautiful at first glance. She also appeared younger than me, perhaps the same age. How had someone like her ended up in these slums?
Our gazes met naturally, and I noticed the buttons of her shirt were torn. People kept glancing at her curiously…
I removed my robe and draped it over her.
As I did so, the woman realized her own disheveled state, blushed, and clutched the robe tightly around herself.
“…Th-thank you…”
“No… no need. I should have been more attentive earlier.”
I answered her greeting with a light shake of my left hand.
Even from the shock earlier, my hand and body still trembled slightly.
The woman kept glancing at me and cautiously spoke up.
“A-are you alright…? You don’t look well…”
“It’s just that I’m a little unwell. You don’t need to worry. Resting should make me fine soon.”
“How can you not worry… you’re still shaking… oh no, blood on your arm…”
Blood? Upon hearing her words, I looked at my left arm. Dark red blood was still flowing.
It had soaked the bench, and since it was not enough, it dripped to the floor, leaving traces of itself. The spot the spike had scratched earlier had probably struck a vein, causing a significant amount of bleeding.
As I noticed the wound, a dull pain began to throb.
‘Oh… I really was out of it…’
I pulled out a recovery potion from my pocket and sprayed it on the injury.
With a sizzling sound, steam rose, and I felt pain as if salt had been sprinkled on the wound.
Grinding my teeth to endure the agony, the woman watching me grimaced as well.
“Hic… what should I do… I caused you this wound for nothing… ugh…”
“It’s just a minor scratch. You don’t need to feel guilty. Here, wipe your tears. If you keep crying, your face will be a mess. Come on…”
To the woman suddenly bursting into tears, I handed her a handkerchief while soothing her.
People passing by kept glancing our way, and some stared suspiciously at me. This kind of attention was not what I wanted.
I gently, yet desperately, continued to comfort her, and finally her sobs quieted as she began to regain composure.
“…Now that I think about it, I haven’t properly thanked you. Thank you, savior. I am truly grateful. Without your help, I cannot imagine the horrible things those men would have done to me…”
“Anyone in that situation would have helped if they could. It wasn’t a particularly great feat of gratitude.”
“Helping others requires courage. And courage is not something anyone can easily display. I am Ellie. It’s late, but could you please tell me your name…? I really want to repay you…”
“I am…”
Although I had helped, I did not want to receive anything in return. With my half-distracted mind now, I probably could not do anything properly anyway…
While I was lost in thought, Ellie suddenly stood up and waved at the opposite side of the park.
A bright smile bloomed on her face for the first time that day.
“Eda! Anje! Lara! This way! I’m here!”
Following Ellie’s waving direction, three figures appeared.
Upon hearing her voice, the figures turned and began running toward us at full speed.
Seeing they were all female names, they must be her friends. It seemed Ellie had come here to play with her friends and got separated, which was how this happened.
“If your friends have come looking for you, I should take my leave. Please do not enter such dangerous places in the future. If you must, be sure to go with others.”
“Wait, just a moment, savior! At least tell me your name…”
“I didn’t do this expecting repayment. You don’t need to worry about it too much. Then…”
While thinking about the future, having one less burden was helpful.
I lightly greeted Ellie and quickly left the park.
When I glanced back, her friends had drawn their swords and were chasing me, while Ellie desperately tried to stop them. Had they mistaken me for the kidnapper?
I decided not to pay them any more attention and headed toward a convenient inn before it grew too late.
I needed proper rest more than anything right now.