Chapter 27
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 027
Chapter Title: The Mage and the Sinner (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
'What the hell.'
Three familiar faces.
All of them were the refugees I'd saved earlier that day.
The sight sparked a question in my mind.
Why had they come looking for me in the dead of night?
Did they have something they wanted to tell me?
'No way.'
The man in the lead among the three refugees gripped a sickle in his hand.
The other two clutched clubs.
To sum it up, all three were sneaking up on me, weapons in hand.
Malice radiated from them.
They clearly intended to kill me and loot my belongings.
'End this with three Lightning Bolts.'
I could have ordered Gilbert to deal with the three attackers, but cleanup would have been a nightmare.
Blood would splatter everywhere.
Since only these three had come, the other refugees probably weren't involved, so I wanted to handle this as quietly as possible to avoid alarming them.
I bolted upright and peered ahead.
The intruders approaching me gasped and widened their eyes.
They looked utterly shocked.
But they didn't have time for that—they needed to turn tail and run.
Lightning Bolt
Direct hit on the lead assailant.
A bolt of lightning shot from right in front of me and struck the leader square in the body.
He crumpled to the ground.
The follow-up strike streaked after him.
"Gah!"
Another attacker lost his life on the spot.
Just one left now.
"P-Please, spare me!"
The lone survivor threw himself flat on the ground.
He trembled violently and began begging me.
"You should've just never attacked me in the first place. And now you want mercy? Isn't that a bit too shameless?"
"I let greed blind me...!"
The man kept making excuses, forehead pressed to the dirt.
I unleashed Lightning Bolt at him.
The spell nailed him in the back of the head. His body convulsed, then went still.
'All done.'
The midnight ambush ended in less than a minute.
I glanced down at the sickle lying on the ground.
Without Gilbert, that blade would've taken my head.
And I never would've woken up again.
Realizing that sent a chill down my spine.
'Yeah, this is what chaotic times are like.'
Just hours ago, these people had been cowering from bandits. Now they'd turned into bandits themselves and come after me.
A sigh-worthy situation.
But that was reality.
'I need a living bodyguard.'
Gilbert was around, but I couldn't openly parade an undead around with me.
So I'd have to hire a trustworthy human escort to travel with—but that wasn't easy.
In a world where loyalty had hit rock bottom, finding someone reliable was no small feat.
Master hadn't kept Gilbert and his zombie soldiers as guards for nothing.
'First things first, clean up.'
I sighed at the three corpses on the ground.
This was going to be a sleepless night.
As soon as dawn broke, we set off for Bigplain.
Three refugees had vanished overnight, but the rest showed no surprise or alarm.
They didn't seem to care what happened to them.
They weren't longtime acquaintances—just people who'd banded together by chance on the road.
"We're almost there."
About three hours into the journey, the refugee spokesman spoke up.
And he was right.
Where the forest ended, the view opened up to reveal a vast plain.
'Is that it?'
A log palisade stood in the middle of the plain.
Made from upright logs, it looked tough to breach without siege weapons.
No wonder the bandits left it alone.
Even if I'd been a bandit, I'd have hit easier targets.
With tempting spots everywhere, no need to bother a well-defended one.
"We don't take refugees. Get lost!"
As we approached the palisade, a soldier guarding the village gate blocked us.
He leveled his spear at us with both hands, poised to thrust.
I glanced at the refugee spokesman, who was rolling his eyes in surprise, clearly unprepared for this.
We'd be turned away if we stayed put.
Time for me to step in.
"And who are you?"
The soldier swung his spear from the refugees toward me the moment I advanced.
"A mage."
"What?!"
My bold declaration made his eyes bulge.
Then, in a softer tone, he asked,
"You're... really a mage?"
Doubt was written all over his face.
So I decided to show him some magic.
The surest way to prove I was a mage.
Ignition
Flame sparked at fingertip—now larger than before.
I extended my right index finger straight out.
A flame flickered to life at its tip.
Ignition.
From experience, it'd grown stronger in rank, and with Burning Hand's effect boosting it, the flame was now about the size of my finger.
"Believe me now?"
"Forgive my doubt, sir!"
The soldier paled at my quiet question and lowered his spear.
But he still held his post.
"I want to enter the village."
"Uh..."
He hesitated to reply.
Probably under orders.
No outsiders allowed, something like that.
I could force my way past him, but that would surely anger the lord.
Best to stay put for now.
'The lord here is elderly.'
Before arriving, I'd heard various stories about Bigplain from the refugees.
So I knew a bit about the place.
It sat at the edge of the central region.
The lord was a knight named Jade.
Not nobility, which was a shame, but ruling a village this size meant he was fairly wealthy.
I planned to get some support from him.
"Could you wait a moment?"
"Sure."
As I pondered, the soldier asked politely.
I nodded, and he glanced at his fellow guard.
The guard dashed into the village.
Soon, he returned with an elderly man.
'That must be Jade.'
The old man wore casual clothes.
He looked like a wealthy commoner, but the sword at his waist gave away his status.
He had to be Jade, the village lord.
Another sign he was a knight: his back was straight, his stride vigorous.
Still training steadily, even now.
"Are you the mage?"
Moments later, the old man stopped before me and looked me up and down.
"Yes, Sir Jade."
Old or not, a knight was a knight.
He still had the strength to take my head.
So I answered respectfully.
Apparently pleased, Jade's expression softened as he asked again.
"What brings you to my village?"
"I was heading east when black mages ambushed me, and I got lost. I've wandered the forest for days, so I'd like to rest here and recover body and mind."
I couldn't just demand support outright.
So I said I wanted to rest.
Even so, Jade had no choice but to invite me to his home.
His honor was on the line.
Snubbing a mage and letting word spread would be a massive disgrace.
"Are those your retainers?"
Then Jade glanced behind me.
Referring to the refugees, no doubt.
"No. We met them by chance on the way here. They were facing off against bandits, so I saved them."
As I replied, the refugee spokesman chimed in.
"That's right, my lord. The mage sir shot lightning and slew the bandits in one go."
Perfect timing.
Now Jade knew I wielded lethal offensive magic.
If he knew anything about magic, he'd have realized I could use both fire and lightning magic.
The guard who'd fetched him must have mentioned seeing me cast Ignition.
"Lightning, you say?"
"Yes! It was so fast, I couldn't track it with my eyes!"
Jade asked, and the spokesman answered promptly.
He turned back to me.
"A rare hero in these troubled times. Since you've dealt with bandits around my lands, I can't just let you pass. Mage, I invite you to my manor."
"Thank you. Ah, could I ask one favor?"
"Speak."
"I want to sell the loot from the bandits. How should I go about it?"
I eyed the cart the refugees had brought.
It held the spoils I'd taken from the bandits.
I'd promised a share of the loot to the cart owner in exchange for hauling it.
Of course, I could've forced them with mage authority, but paying ensured fewer nighttime visitors.
"Quite a haul. How many bandits were there?"
"Eleven in total."
"Oh ho."
Jade eyed me with interest.
He probably thought I'd taken them all down with magic.
Otherwise, how else to gather so much loot?
I didn't correct the misconception.
If he saw me as an impressive mage, that suited me just fine.
"I'll buy the lot."
"Thank you."
The bandits' loot wasn't particularly valuable.
Yet buying it all was Jade showing goodwill.
Gratitude was in order.
"Come, let's head in."
Jade led the way himself.
Passing the soldier, he added,
"Give the refugees some empty houses."
"Yes, sir."
I glanced back to see relief light up the refugees' faces.
Thrilled to have a place to stay.
But their real hardships were just beginning.
They were practically beggars.
To avoid starving, they'd need jobs right away.
And endure the villagers' clannishness.
'Still, they're alive, so opportunities like this arise. That's what matters.'
I followed Jade, hoping the refugees would adapt well.
Then I stopped short.
Right as we entered the village, I spotted something bizarre.
'What the heck is that?'
A central square.
A platform stood in its midst.
And someone occupied it.
'Did he steal something?'
The man on the platform was bound to a wooden pillory, hands and head locked in place, hunched over.
Exposing criminals in high-traffic areas was common.
A warning to passersby not to sin.
Nothing odd about that.
But the man's appearance drew my interest.
'Not a man—a bear.'
Among everyone I'd seen in this world, he was the tallest.
Easily over two meters.
And his build matched—massive.
A physique that turned heads.
"Sir Jade, why is that man up there?"
Curiosity got the better of me, so I asked.
He followed my gaze, sighed deeply, and replied.
"I'll explain on the way. I was hoping to get advice from someone anyway. Perfect timing."
Advice, huh...
Offering counsel was a mage's specialty.
Time to shine.