Toward the Barony Territory (1)
Toward the Barony Territory (1)
Even if we wanted to deal with monsters and bandits on our way back, we couldn't just wander off in every direction looking for them.
We'd have to either come across someone under attack or be ambushed by bandits ourselves, and chances like that weren't likely to present themselves so easily.
After all, this was a carriage procession accompanied by knights and soldiers.
It was a convoy no ordinary bandits would even dream of attacking, while those capable of doing so had no reason to risk their lives raiding these carriages.
Manuel even went so far as to step out of the carriage to keep watch, but unfortunately, the convoy continued on without a single incident.
Even so, our safety didn't mean the road itself looked safe.
We constantly came across wrecked carriages, and every so often our carriage passed people traveling in absolute rags.
As we continued on our peaceful yet uneasy journey, we eventually drew close to Balea's home, the former Messesia Barony Territory.
"The situation is the same here, it seems."
There were many traces of battle along the path cutting through the forest.
At Knight Angel's remark, I nodded from my seat beside the coachman.
"Still, there isn't a single bastard in sight."
A grumbling voice came from inside the carriage.
Perhaps exhausted from spending days diligently scanning our surroundings, Manuel was resting inside the carriage.
Instead, I was out here keeping watch.
Angel and Manuel were pleased, thinking I was willingly bowing my head to them.
Perhaps that was partly why Manuel had given up and gone inside the carriage.
But I wasn't outside the carriage to bow my head to Manuel.
I was out here because whenever I left the scouting to Manuel, he completely missed the sensations I'd picked up on.
Though in hindsight they'd turned out to be nothing but wild beasts, it was incredibly frustrating, since I was in desperate need of real combat experience.
And my instincts had been right.
I felt something strange far ahead.
A sensation like bloodlust—or perhaps the heat of battle—was surging from up ahead.
I stood up from my seat.
"There is a fight up ahead."
Angel frowned at my words. He likely hadn't sensed anything at all.
But Manuel immediately popped out of the carriage.
Leaping out of a moving carriage was dangerous, but Manuel was also an awakened Academy student.
He easily climbed onto the roof of the carriage and peered into the distance.
"I don't see anything. Is it because of the forest? Hurry up! We're going to miss it again!"
Unlike Angel, Manuel believed me.
Manuel had seen my skills at the Academy.
Although he'd only seen me in action during the first semester's practical combat class, that alone seemed to have been enough to earn his trust.
"Liam, Bruno, go ahead and check it out first!"
"Yes, sir!"
Knight Angel didn't believe me, but he carried out Manuel's instruction nonetheless.
He sent the two mounted knights galloping ahead.
"We have to hurry too!"
Perhaps because we were away from the Academy and the capital, Manuel cast aside his pretense and shouted loudly.
The coachman shook his head and cracked his whip with all his might.
"Hyah!"
The carriage surged forward.
"Forward! Soldiers falling behind, keep up and don't lose us!"
As the carriage sped away, Angel sighed and spurred his horse after it. The other knights galloped after us, and the lagging soldiers began to run with all their might.
As the carriage rushed forward, voices began to ring out from up ahead.
"It's knights!"
"Help me!"
"Help... Argh!"
"Damn it! Why are there suddenly knights here?!"
"Should we run?"
"There are only two of them! We can take them!"
Along with the clashing of spears and swords, we could hear people crying for help and bandits spewing curses.
To think they didn't run even after seeing knights. They seemed more formidable than I'd expected.
As their voices reached us, the galloping knights and the carriage picked up even more speed.
Hyah! Hyah!
"Damn it! These knights are stronger than I thought! Aren't they some high noble's knights?"
"Huh? I hear hooves and carriage wheels! There must be more of them!"
"Then we're screwed! Retreat! Retreat!"
Though the bandits hadn't given up when they saw just two knights, they tried to flee once they heard a larger force approaching.
But we reached the scene before they could escape.
Wrecked carriages came into view, with corpses strewn around them.
There were only a few survivors, and most of them appeared to be wounded.
To them, we might have arrived far too late.
But since not everyone was dead, it wasn't too late for me.
More than ten bandits surrounded the carriages.
Actually, judging by their gear, they looked more like mercenaries than ordinary bandits.
Well, they say the only difference between a mercenary and a bandit is whether they have a contract, so they weren't all that different anyway.
Stories of seemingly ordinary mercenary groups turning out to be notorious bandit gangs were incredibly common, after all.
Then again, they hadn't seemed like ordinary bandits from the start. Ordinary bandits would never stand their ground when they saw knights.
Manuel flew into a rage at the sight of the bandits' raid.
"To commit such slaughter on the road! This calls for summary execution! Kill them all!"
To be honest, Manuel had no authority to give that order, since he held no territory, but everyone followed it anyway.
Whether Manuel knew it or not, his words meant that a noble would take responsibility, so all they had to do was obey without hesitation.
I immediately followed suit. Leaping down from the carriage, I ran in the opposite direction from where the knights and Manuel were charging.
With the forest and thick undergrowth in the way, we couldn't clearly see the far side of the wrecked carriages.
But I had already spread my mana far and wide. I knew from the start that a similar number of enemies were lying in wait on the other side.
Before I knew it, Balea, who had slipped out of the carriage, was following close behind me.
"You must not kill them all!"
Was she asking me to leave some bandits for her to kill?
"We need to leave a few alive to torture them! We have to find out where their hideout is!"
Although she wasn't asking me to leave some for her to kill, these still weren't the sort of words you'd expect to hear from such a beautiful young lady.
But Balea was right.
Dealing with a few bandits here hardly counted as real combat experience.
For a proper battle, we'd have to wait.
I slowed my pace slightly so Balea could keep up.
Balea expressed her gratitude with her eyes, then reached out her hand.
Rumble.
The forest and the wrecked carriages began to move.
Balea's skills had improved tremendously, too. She could now move objects like this without even declaring a proper Area Declaration.
Just imagining what would happen if she established a proper domain sent shivers down my spine.
"What is this?!"
"Something is wrapping around my feet!"
"Argh! A ghost! It's a Tree Spirit!"
"Help me! A ghost is clinging to me!"
Though she hadn't declared a proper Area Declaration, the effect was undeniable.
Seeing tree roots bind their legs and shattered carriages writhe as they drew near, the mercenaries were overcome with absolute terror.
Thanks to that, the fight was light-years away from actual combat, but I diligently subdued the bandits all the same.
Breaking limbs and shattering jaws, I took them down one by one. Before long, the entire far side of the carriages had been cleared.
Watching me shatter the ribs of the last mercenary-cum-bandit with my fist, Balea tilted her head in confusion.
"Were they really opponents that could be dealt with so easily?"
It was only natural that she found it strange.
These were mercenaries confident enough to take on two knights, and some of them could even use a small amount of mana.
Although Balea had paralyzed them with fear, I had neutralized them as easily as if I were playing a game, so her reaction was understandable.
And sounds of fierce fighting could still be heard on the other side.
Crackle!
"Deal with the electrocuted ones first!"
"These bastards have experience fighting knights! We must form a proper vanguard and engage them properly!"
Along with the crackle of electricity, Manuel's shouts and Knight Angel's yells rang through the air.
"Damn it! Can't we fall back?!"
"Did the guys on the other side all run away? Why is it so quiet over there?!"
The shouts of the bandits who hadn't yet been subdued could be heard as well.
After spreading my mana to check, I could tell they didn't seem to need any help.
The knights had the bandits thoroughly surrounded, and the soldiers were entering the battlefield one after another.
The soldiers who had come to assist us stood there, dazed by the battle that was already over.
"Now then, shall we ask where their hideout is?"
With a flushed face, Balea approached the bandits.
Seeing how excited she looked, I felt I was about to witness something unsightly, but Balea hadn't lost her reason to that extent.
"From here on, it's restricted viewing."
Winking at the soldiers, who were staring blankly, Balea manipulated the trees and carriages to wall herself and the fallen mercenaries off from view.
"Arghhhhh!"
And then the screaming began.
Though they couldn't see what was happening, the screams alone were more than enough to terrify everyone else.
Meanwhile, the battle on the other side was already drawing to an awkward close.
Hearing the screams, the remaining bandits threw down their swords and raised their hands, while even the knights flinched at the sound.
Shaking my head, I walked over to the barrier Balea had created.
Then I cast a wide soundproofing barrier made of mana.
"Ah, thank you. I didn't think that far ahead."
Sensing that I'd set up the soundproofing barrier, Balea's voice of gratitude drifted out from inside the wall.
The problem was that agonizing screams accompanied her voice, making even her words sound a little terrifying to me.
In the end, for the sake of my own peace of mind, I cast a soundproofing barrier over my ears as well. Once the screams were blocked out, everything became incredibly peaceful.
After some time had passed and the battle on the other side had ended, the barrier shifted.
None of the tortured mercenaries were dead.
But every one of them wore an expression of absolute horror. A few had even fainted, foaming at the mouth.
"Did you find out where their hideout is?"
"I did, but that's not the important part."
Balea's expression was incredibly grim, a stark contrast to how she'd looked moments earlier.
It seemed she had heard some terrible news during the interrogation.
She immediately pointed at one of the mercenaries who wasn't foaming at the mouth.
"Would you mind repeating that? Where is your hideout, who is guarding it, and where did the rest of you go?"
At her question, the mercenary answered instantly.
"Our mountain fortress is in a cave below the cliff, two thousand paces east of here. And originally, the mercenaries here were the squad guarding the fortress. While the boss and the main force went with the other mercenaries to raid a territory, we just wanted to make some quick extra cash on the side, but then..."
In other words, they had abandoned their guard duty while their boss was away to pull a side job, only to get caught red-handed.
But where had he said the boss went? Which territory were they raiding?
"They all went to raid the nearby barony territory. The Baron passed away, so his young son is ruling the territory as deputy, but he can't manage the soldiers or the knights properly. This time, they colluded with a few of that territory's knights and soldiers to make a massive score, so everyone rushed over there."
I had a good idea of which territory they were talking about.
The former Messesia Barony Territory. That was Balea's home.
Gathering bandits and mercenaries to raid a noble's territory was an incredibly absurd and preposterous idea, but, on second thought, it was actually quite plausible.
It was a barony ruled by a young deputy baron who lacked leadership, and there were even conspirators on the inside.
If they made a massive score and scattered, there was a high probability they'd never be caught in these chaotic times.
As I thought this, I looked up and found Balea frowning at me.
"They aren't exactly people I like, but my mother and others who shouldn't have to die are still in the territory. I can't just leave them all to die."
She was thinking the same thing I was: the barony territory wouldn't be able to fend off the bandits.
Her frown deepened, and she looked on the verge of tears.
"I know this isn't in our contract, but... no, I'll rewrite any contract you want. Please, just help me this once."
She bowed her head to me earnestly.