The Black Death God Arrives
Deep in the forest, not far from the imperial capital. Atop a remote peak where no human footsteps dared tread, a bandit hideout stood hidden among the trees.
“Khh khh, I wonder how much ransom they’ll cough up for her?”
“No need to bother with that. We can just have some real fun with her ourselves.”
“……Eep.”
The bandits’ sticky gazes all turned toward the woman tied up inside the hideout. Her name was Layla Schwartz. The unfortunate young lady of Count Schwartz’s household, now captured by bandits.
Damn it… I can’t believe I actually got kidnapped by bandits.
She bit down hard on her lip. Letting her guard down just because the road led to the capital had been a fatal mistake. These weren’t ordinary bandits—their organization and scale were on another level. In the end, not only her escort knights but even the coachman had been brutally slaughtered.
“Hey, miss. It’s boring in here. How about keeping me company?”
“Hehe, big brother. The boss told us not to touch her, remember?”
“It was a joke, just a joke.”
“I wonder when the boss is coming back…”
“He went out for a night raid, so it’ll probably be tomorrow.”
Even as the bandits chatted among themselves, they never let their guard down around her. She had already tried to escape twice, after all. And if they let her slip away, their so-called “boss” would never let them hear the end of it.
Father… I miss you.
She stared at the floor, eyes stinging with unshed tears. In her twenty years as a noble daughter, she had never once been kidnapped. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to become the plaything of these bandits, either. All she could do was hope someone—anyone—would come to save her.
But… would Father even come?
Her father had always stressed one thing above all: usefulness. Usefulness as a noble daughter. Usefulness as his child. Usefulness as a mage. Since she had failed to prove her worth in any of those areas, perhaps…
“At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if that Black Death God guy shows up.”
“Black Death God?”
Layla’s gloomy thoughts were cut short by the bandit’s sudden remark.
“You’ve never heard the story, boss? There’s some crazy bastard called the Black Death God living in the capital. They say he goes around hunting down bandit groups.”
“Come on, what kind of god with nothing better to do would waste his time slaughtering bandits?”
“It’s a figure of speech! A figure of speech!”
Black Death God. Even Layla had heard the name before.
The peculiar adventurer who wears black armor… right?
Unlike regular knights, he wore full-plate armor painted entirely black—already strange enough on its own. What was even stranger was that despite that appearance, he wasn’t a knight at all. He was an adventurer. It was a mystery how a man who lived day-to-day could afford and maintain such expensive full-plate armor.
Still, the reason he was so famous was because of his massive—
Splat!
“…What the hell? What was that sound?”
An odd noise came from outside. It sounded like something bursting open—maybe a pumpkin. The bandits heard it too and began whispering among themselves.
“Did you guys hear that weird noise just now?”
“Wasn’t that just you farting?”
“Hey, I’m serious! There’s something weird going on outside…”
Splat!
“…?!”
Another wet, bursting sound rang out. The bandits fell silent at the faint noises coming from beyond the hideout. In the suffocating quiet, the sounds outside became crystal clear.
Clank. Clank.
Armor…?
Layla recognized that sound. It was the noise made by knights walking in full-plate armor. Even if the joints were covered with cloth, encasing the entire body in steel meant every movement produced an unavoidable clatter.
There was no way bandits would be wearing armor like that.
“Shit! Is it a knight?!”
“We’re under attack!”
“Everybody grab your weapons!”
“Yes sir!!”
The bandits finally realized what was happening. Faces tense, they each drew their tools—sickles, spears, clubs, swords, and more. True to their nature, their arsenal was all over the place. They flanked the hideout’s only door from both sides and held their breath.
Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank…
Stop.
The sound of clashing armor came to a precise halt right in front of the door. Both the bandits and Layla held their breath. The tension was so thick it felt like something was about to explode.
BANG!
“U-ugh!”
“Kill him!”
The hideout door flew open as the bandits swung their weapons. But their blades only cut through empty air. The person who had kicked the door open had already leaped back, well out of range.
“Bandits really are predictable, huh.”
“Y-you…! Gah!”
Crunch!
A massive black object sliced straight through one of the bandits’ bodies. It was far too large and broad to be called a sword.
“Which one of you is the Lady Layla?”
“……”
“Don’t tell me I just chopped her up by mistake?”
The infamous Black Death God had finally revealed himself before their eyes.