Marienne's Bandit Extermination Plan
"But it's unexpected. I didn't think you'd volunteer for something like this," Elsid said as he walked, turning to the man beside him.
"What can I say? The others are all off on training or whatever, so a rear-support type like me who can't take on requests alone has to do stuff like this if I want to earn drinking money," Robin replied, shaping his fingers into a cup as if holding a drink.
"If that's the case, why not just ask Jin-gwang for a huge sum as payment? Why specifically ask for debt forgiveness as your reward?" Thinking about it, it was a mystery. Why would Robin choose that particular form of compensation?
"That way I can borrow more money from him later without collateral."
"...Ah, I see." Hearing that, Elsid couldn't help but wonder what kind of personality this man had. And why, out of all the people in the world, had he ended up connected to someone like this?
"What about you? You said you were coming to say goodbye before heading off somewhere, so why suddenly join the bandit subjugation?"
"No matter how busy I am, I can't just leave cockroaches behind and go."
It was obvious that the "cockroaches" Elsid mentioned referred to the bandits. As they talked and walked, the two soon arrived at Nao's central plaza. Perhaps because the subjugation force's departure ceremony was being held there, the square was filled not only with them but also with other adventurer volunteers and mercenaries from merchant groups that had suffered at the bandits' hands.
For reference, anyone who could prove their skill was allowed to volunteer. Elsid had passed easily by wrapping aura around his sword. Robin had passed based solely on his reputation as an adventurer, even before showing his aura. 'The Archer of Despair'... Well, from everything Elsid had seen so far, the man loved drinking on other people's money and never repaid what he borrowed. In short, he was a walking disaster who brought nothing but despair. It made sense why he had that nickname. Elsid still found it strange how Rain and Arke managed to form a party with someone like him.
Speak of the devil. Among the subjugation force in the plaza, he spotted golden and pink hair. 'Rain and Arke?' Surrounded by the crowd, he couldn't make out their faces or clothes clearly, so he couldn't be sure. Curious about the owners of those hair colors, Elsid tilted his head and tried to approach.
"I never thought I'd end up in a party with you again."
"Don't get the wrong idea. This is just a temporary party."
"It's been a while since we met. Let's give it our all together."
But then a head of red hair appeared beside the golden one. 'Was I mistaken?' Seeing the golden and pink hair together, he'd assumed they were Rain and Arke, but the golden-haired one was responding to the redhead with a rather aggressive tone. The polite, kind Rain he'd met didn't match at all, so Elsid convinced himself it was a mistake and looked forward again.
'So they've finally appeared.' Up ahead stood Tbon, the chief knight who had visited the Adventurer Guild yesterday to recruit volunteers, and beside him was a woman in armor who exuded an unmistakably extraordinary presence.
"Everyone, attention! The Lord is entering!" Tbon raised his voice, drawing everyone's gaze. In the next moment, a woman with orange hair flowing down to her waist stepped before the subjugation force gathered in the plaza.
"Greetings. I am Baroness Marienne, Lord of Nao."
Wearing pure white armor with a rapier at her waist, the woman introduced herself in a clear, elegant voice. At her introduction, the plaza—which had been as noisy as a marketplace moments ago—fell silent amid the murmurs of adventurers and mercenaries.
"First, I offer my respect and gratitude to the subjugation force who have lent their strength to protect our trading city of Nao. With your power added to ours, I am confident we can exterminate the bandits with far less blood and sacrifice, and achieve vengeance for those who have lost family to them."
"Everyone, attention!" As Marienne spoke and gave the signal, Tbon issued the command. From the far side of the plaza came four knights in heavy armor on horseback, followed by soldiers carrying spears. Just like the volunteers, these were Marienne's personal knights and one hundred elite soldiers accompanying the subjugation force.
"Let us go! To ensure they take nothing more from us, we shall unleash the blade of justice and judgment!"
"Waaaaah!!" At Marienne's resolute cry, most of the subjugation force erupted in cheers. Shortly after, Marienne led the way on a white horse matching her armor, and the subjugation force followed behind her. At last, the bandit extermination plan had begun.
***
After leaving the city gates, the subjugation force marched through the forest path leading to the bandits' stronghold. The territory's knights and elite soldiers took the lead, with adventurers and mercenaries following behind. The soldiers moved as one, never disrupting the formation—proof that their elite status was more than just a name. Behind them, the adventurers and mercenaries who had volunteered for the reward formed parties of three or four, acting in their own groups. Regardless of their professions, they all risked their lives for money, so they knew how foolish it would be to scatter like a disorganized mob in a situation like this.
"So it's just the two of us, huh..."
"It seems that way."
As expected, Elsid and Robin—who had been together from the start—ended up forming a party of two, whether they liked it or not.
"Everyone, halt!" Marienne, at the front, gave the order. The subjugation force stopped in succession, and the knights and soldiers at the head drew their swords and raised their spears.
"Looks like it's starting."
"Seems so."
At the sight, Robin and Elsid prepared themselves.
"Leave some for the others, you monster swordsman." With that, Robin fell back to provide rear support befitting an archer. At the same time, Elsid transformed Faker into a sheathed katana. Naturally, he adjusted its length from the ninety centimeters Jin-gwang usually wielded down to sixty centimeters so he could swing it one-handed. Even if he used a wooden sword, it wouldn't matter since his wooden sword possessed the strength of steel without needing aura, but fighting with a wooden sword among hundreds of people might make others think he was joking around in the middle of battle. He didn't want to hear complaints like that.
Just as he held an arming sword in one hand and the katana in the other—
"Everyone, prepare yourselves! The enemy is coming!" Marienne raised her sword high and shouted. At her words, the adventurers and mercenaries in the subjugation force all drew their weapons and readied for battle.
What a spectacle... Among them were those who drew aura and wrapped it around their weapons. Dozens of aura users—swordsmen, spearmen, staff wielders, claw users—scattered their auras in every direction. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet... a dazzling array of colors dominated the view.
"Yaaaaah!!" In an instant, hundreds of humans in black outfits—like a swarm of cockroaches—came charging toward them, screaming. Clang! Naturally, Marienne the lord and her knights and soldiers at the very front had already clashed swords and spears with the cockroach-like bandits, and the adventurers and mercenaries began their own fights.
"Guess I'll get going too." After watching the scene, Elsid dashed forward and joined the fray.
"This is our territory!"
"Die!" Two bandits quickly rushed him, one wielding a dagger and the other an axe.
"Don't worry. I won't kill you." Saying that to the charging bandits, Elsid sprinted forward and swung his swords swiftly. Thwack! Crack! Snap!
"Well, it'll hurt enough to make you wish you were dead..." The two sheathed swords struck the bandits' bones countless times. "Aaaagh!" "Just kill me!" The two bandits screamed and begged to be killed. It was no wonder—El sid's attacks were truly unique. He precisely targeted joints that could dislocate—the jaw, shoulders, knees, elbows—and mercilessly dislocated the bandits' bones, leaving them unable to stand or raise their arms, sprawled on the ground. Occasionally, when he couldn't dislocate a bandit's joints... Thud-thud-thud-thud! "Guh-urk!" He would land ten strikes in a single second on the bandit, producing sounds like a pig being slaughtered or a burp, before knocking them unconscious.
With each passing moment, another bandit fell to the ground screaming under Elsid's hands.
"You bastard! How dare you lay hands on my subordinates!" Amid the chaos, a burly, overweight man who seemed to hold some rank among the bandits appeared and swung a two-meter-long axe with all his might. Elsid stood directly in its path.
"Too slow." But Elsid didn't dodge the attack. Whoosh. Instead, he crossed his two swords in an X shape from below and swung them upward simultaneously. CLANG! The massive axe and the two swords collided with a thunderous roar... Clang! In that split-second clash, Elsid emerged victorious. The giant axe was sent flying, soaring over the burly man's head for a moment.
"Get lost!" Having lost his axe, Elsid didn't bother using his swords on the burly man. With the simple intent of telling him to scram, he kicked him. "Guh-erk!" The kick landed in a rather unfortunate spot, and the burly man rolled his eyes back and fainted.
"Oops, it burst." Standing before the burly man, Elsid muttered something incomprehensible. After that—whether because the stronger bandits had been defeated or because the others had witnessed the gruesome fate they wanted to avoid—no other bandit dared to charge at Elsid recklessly.
"Retreat! Everyone, fall back to the stronghold!" As the battle continued, a retreat order came from the rear of the bandit group along with an unfamiliar voice. Though their figures were too distant to see, the voice was clear, and upon hearing the command, the bandits fled for their lives. Thus, the first engagement with the bandits ended in victory for the subjugation force. Though there were injuries, not a single death occurred, making it a truly satisfying victory.