Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Experience That Walks Right Up to You
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I carried Liche, who had collapsed from mana exhaustion, on my back and headed for the Empire.
We'd already sent the carriage back, and it was only about a two-hour walk anyway.
"But why do I have to carry her?"
"Because you're the strongest, Master Luke?"
"Can't we just leave her behind?"
"If you leave her in a place like this, she'll really die..."
I was actually hoping she would.
"Besides, you two could easily carry her using mana."
Who's the master and who's the slave here?
"But you can carry her like she's cotton without even using mana, Master Luke."
"I don't like it."
"Honestly, you're enjoying it, aren't you? I mean, she's pressed against your back."
True, the sensation against my back was nice.
But Luna, I've done far too much to get excited over just having her on my back.
A guy who's touched, licked, and done everything else isn't going to be satisfied with just a touch, is he?
"Sigh."
This conversation would have made Liche raise hell, but the reason she was quiet was because she was asleep.
"How can one hunt make her collapse from mana exhaustion and fall asleep?"
No matter how much you try to understand and empathize with people, there are some things you just can't comprehend or relate to.
Like some divides that can never be crossed.
"You're the strange one, Master Luke... Other adventurers find it hard to hunt even once a day."
"But why?"
"They can't hunt as easily as you do, and if they need to repair their equipment, they have to take the day off. Plus, they can't just move on to the next stage right away."
Was Luke's body just that overpowered?
I don't think I've ever felt tired using this body.
Except when I've been drinking.
"Right... Sleep well."
You'll have to wake up soon enough, anyway.
And so, we walked for a long time in the direction of the Empire.
Then, just as we were getting close.
I deliberately changed direction.
"Mr. Luke? Where are you going?"
"Just taking a look around the area."
"Huh?"
I turned back the way we came, heading for a spot a little distance from the Empire.
Luna and Yui must have suddenly wondered if I'd lost my mind, but the truth is, I was looking for something.
And what I was looking for wasn't hard to find.
In fact, it was rather easy. They might even come find me themselves.
As I was wandering through the forest, Luna discreetly whispered to me.
"Master Luke. We're surrounded."
"Ah, looks like they're right on time."
The very thing I was looking for had come to find me.
"Stop right there."
A man who seemed to be the leader of the group swaggered forward.
"Hand over everything you have. Do that, and we'll spare your lives."
At that, the other bandits who had been hiding nearby emerged, snickering.
"Were the bandits what you were looking for, Master Luke...?"
"Yep."
Why hide it?
That's right. I was looking for bandits.
In this world, because of the monsters, almost no one besides adventurers and merchants travels outside the Empire's walls.
So, it should be unusual to find bandits in the middle of a forest like this.
But humans always find a way.
Monsters around? Then just find a place without monsters and set up an ambush.
Or maybe they used some method to drive out the original monsters and took over the spot themselves.
Of course, with the Empire just around the corner, what kind of ballsy, sane bandit would try to pull something?
That's why I turned around as soon as we saw the Empire.
The bandits would need some distance to set up shop and rob people.
That was the reason I was wandering around the forest.
"What are you bastards whispering about? Are you deaf? I said hand over everything you've got, now!"
the man who seemed to be the leader said.
To our enemies right now, we must look like golden goblins.
We had an injured person, making a proper fight seem impossible, and more importantly, they had us outnumbered.
"Fuck off."
But who would meekly comply? You'd have to be a total pushover.
They say they'll spare our lives, but would guys like them ever keep a promise?
Especially to a witness? Of course it's all a lie.
In fact, the bandits didn't even seem surprised, as if this wasn't the first time someone had reacted like me.
They just busied themselves drawing their swords and grinning, as if they'd just been given a reason to kill.
"Hey, Liche. Wake up."
"Ngh... Are we there...?"
"Yeah. We're here."
Liche hopped off my back and staggered for a moment.
Then she looked around.
"What's... what's going on...?"
"We're surrounded by bandits."
"Didn't you just say we were here...?"
"Yeah, we are. Right in front of the bandits."
My answer left Liche speechless.
She had a look on her face that questioned whether she was even talking to a human being.
But I didn't lie, did I?
I just said we were here. I never said we were at the Empire, did I?
And you know what, Liche?
It's not just monsters that give experience points. Humans do, too.
"You're going to kill all of those bandits right now."
"But... my mana hasn't recovered much yet...?"
"That's your problem."
Whether you punch them, kick them, or bite them to death.
You need to figure out a way.
If a person can't do anything without mana, what's the difference between them and a battery-powered machine?
"Kill the men and take the women. Kehehe."
That's sexist, you son of a bitch.
I unleashed my aura on the surrounding bandits.
Immediately, the sound of knees slamming into the ground echoed all around.
"Kuaargh!"
"Ghk...!"
"Wha-?!"
There, the preparations are complete.
"Liche, you won't be able to take a single step out of your dorm room tomorrow."
Why?
Because I'm going to make it that way.
"Now, now, hurry up and kill them."
"This time... they're not Demonic Humans, they're actual people..."
"What, feeling guilty?"
Liche looked exhausted, but I couldn't tell if it was from guilt or from having just woken up.
So I asked.
If she said she felt guilty again, I was planning on cooking up these bandits for her.
But there would be no need for me to cook the bandits.
"No... I don't feel that anymore."
It seemed she'd steeled herself after killing her classmate who had turned into a Demonic Human.
That's it. It's weird to feel guilty about killing bad people, isn't it?
People have died because of them. If you spare them, you're an accomplice. And if you don't kill them, you're going to get raped, you idiot.
Didn't you hear what they said? They were only going to kill me. What do you think trash who've thrown their lives away are going to do when they take only the women?
Liche approached the bandits, who were kneeling on the ground, unable to offer any resistance.
"S-Spare me...!"
The same guys who were just threatening us to hand everything over started begging for their lives the moment they realized they were screwed.
But would anyone really spare an enemy who was trying to kill them?
If she did, even if she were the protagonist, the comment section would be in an uproar, demanding she kill them.
Liche gently extended her hand toward the bandit in the very front. The movement was so light, one might mistake it for a caress.
But as her hand touched his head, the bandit's head burst into flames, and the fire quickly spread to the rest of his body.
She had only conjured a small flame with her limited mana, but their clothes and human bodies caught fire easily.
"Aaaaargh!!!!"
She could have just attacked their heart or neck for an instant kill, but she specifically chose to burn them to death, said to be the most painful way for a human to die.
After burning the bandit leader first, Liche, with an expressionless face, immediately moved on to the next one.
"Kuaaaaaargh!!!"
"Hwaaaaaak!!!"
Screams echoed from all around.
Luna, who had been watching Liche's actions from behind, sidled up next to me.
"Miss Liche has changed a lot from how she was at first."
"Changed for the better."
Only a day had passed.
For us, who had only been watching, it was no big deal, but from Liche's perspective, a lot must have happened.
"It's a shame, though. With all this fire."
"What is?"
"We don't have any marshmallows. If we did, I'd put them on a stick and roast them."
"......"
*Smack, smack.* Luna stared at me as if I were a madman as I licked my lips.
Only after watching all the surrounding bandits burn did Liche return.
"It's done."
"Then let's go back."
"Okay... I'm a little tired."
"You're walking on your own two feet this time."
Don't even think about getting a piggyback ride again.
Before, you collapsed before I could say anything, so I'll let it slide. But if you collapse this time, I'm just leaving you behind.
"...That's a shame."
"What?"
"Ah, nothing. It's nothing."
What do you mean, nothing? Did you think I didn't hear you? I'm not some dense rom-com protagonist.
You have two perfectly good legs. What's there to be disappointed about?
You want me to give you a shoulder throw?
I squinted at Liche, seriously considering it, and she quickly walked ahead.
"Come on, come on! Let's hurry back and rest!"
"Tch. She figured me out."
***
"So, they found out after all?"
Atop the tallest building in the Empire.
A mysterious robed figure sat on a ledge, muttering with their chin propped on their fist.
"No news..."
The time for a report to come in had long since passed, but there was nothing.
The figure closed their eyes and briefly recalled the past.
A few months ago, they had happened upon a student being bullied by nobles and turned him into a Demonic Human.
Turning humans who suffered from the world's injustices and their own weakness into Demonic Humans was easier than breathing.
And since the orders they'd received were related to the academy, they sent him in as an informant under the guise of a student.
Since then, they had received important information at regular intervals, such as the academic schedule and the movements of Headmaster Lucia.
But starting yesterday, all contact had ceased.
Yesterday was supposed to be the day they received a report.
They didn't think he had betrayed them. Having become a Demonic Human, who would help him if he sided with humanity?
That only left the possibility that he had been discovered and executed.
"To be found out this quickly... was it the Headmaster?"
The title of Headmaster wasn't just for show, it seemed; she had figured it out faster than they'd anticipated.
Being discovered was, of course, a calculated risk, but they hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
The figure truly thought this, completely unaware of the truth.
"Hmm... What to do."
The student acting as their informant in the academy had done his part well enough.
Thanks to him, they had attempted several attacks while the Headmaster was away, but they hadn't managed to inflict any significant damage.
They still needed information and were slowly preparing for the next attack, but with communications cut off, they no longer knew the right time to strike.
"If we can't determine the right time... perhaps it's better to move up the schedule?"
They didn't know when the opportune moment would be.
In that case, was there any reason to drag things out?
That was the figure's thought.
"Alright! I'll get ready and attack when the time feels right!"