The Bandits' Den
After the first clash with the bandits ended, there were fortunately no fatalities, but dozens had sustained serious injuries. Exhausted, the subjugation force decided to rest on the spot. In the meantime, following orders from the Lord of Nao and her chief knight Tibon, several dozen elite soldiers who were still relatively unscathed began searching for the bandits' main hideout before nightfall. Naturally, moving alone was too dangerous, so they operated in pairs. If nothing went wrong, they would likely locate the bandits' base quickly. Thanks to that, the subjugation force's volunteers were able to get some proper rest.
"Having the regular army led by the lord really makes a difference. This meal is an absolute feast."
Mushroom stew, two chicken legs, fruit salad, and more... Robin spoke while eating the meal provided alongside their rest.
"Ah, if only I could wash this down with a single drink, it'd be perfect."
"What nonsense are you spouting? Are you still half-asleep?"
Elsid, who was eating the same meal beside him, replied to Robin's follow-up remark. As a hired adventurer who might have to fight bandits at any moment, he couldn't let that comment slide without a response.
***
Meanwhile, from a distance, someone was watching both Robin and Elsid.
"So both of them joined the bandit subjugation."
The owner of that gaze was Rain, the golden-haired young man clad in heavy armor with a greatsword strapped to his back. Keeping Robin and Elsid in his sights, Rain muttered to himself.
"What's so special about that guy that you're staring at him like that?"
Just then, a red-haired boy who looked about Rain's age approached and asked.
"He's a swordsman. An incredibly strong one..."
Rain answered the boy's question while recalling the scene in the dungeon where the man had single-handedly cut down hundreds of zombies without anyone's help.
"Hmph. No matter how strong he is, he'll still be weaker than the knights of the Black Wolf Knights I belong to."
"I wonder about that."
The red-haired boy frowned at Rain's words.
"It's not a matter of wondering—it's obvious. The knight order I belong to is the empire's strongest, gathering only the most renowned knights."
"Right. I know that. But Kane, you're not actually part of it, are you?"
Calling the red-haired boy by name, Rain continued.
"It turns out your older brother you parted ways with in the past is the commander of that order, so you only got in through his connections."
"You little—!"
Provoked by Rain's taunting words, Kane grabbed him by the collar and shouted.
"Please restrain yourself, Lord Kane."
"Yes, he's merely jealous of you, Lord Kane."
However, a lanky man and a portly man who appeared to be Kane's followers appeared and held him back.
"Hmph, that's right! If you're jealous, just admit it honestly!"
"..."
The red-haired boy named Kane turned his back on his followers' words and walked away from Rain.
"Are you all right?"
"Really, why has he changed so much..."
Afterward, Arke, who seemed to have joined the subjugation force alongside Rain, approached and patted his shoulder while asking. Feeling the sensation of Arke's pat, Rain wiped his own face.
"Back then, no matter how foolishly I tried to provoke him, he'd just laugh..."
Staring at his friend's retreating figure, Rain muttered. He couldn't help but feel disappointed at how his friend, who had been more hot-tempered than anyone, humble, and kinder than anyone just a few years ago, had changed. If it had been the old days, Kane would have simply laughed off such a provocative remark, and Rain himself would have ended up more annoyed by that laughter. But his reminiscing was short-lived.
"Everyone, prepare yourselves! We've found the bandits' hideout."
Before Rain could sink deeper into sentiment, Marienne, the Lord of Nao leading the subjugation force, announced loudly enough for everyone to hear after receiving a report from her subordinate. The real fight to subjugate the bandits was only just beginning.
***
Not long after, the subjugation force arrived at the bandits' hideout.
"So that's the bandits' base."
Elsid saw the bandits' lair from the rear of the regular army. Beneath a towering cliff sat a massive cave entrance large enough for dozens of people to enter at once. That enormous cave was the place where the bandits swarmed like insects.
"Everyone, maintain heightened vigilance from now on. The inside of the cave is enemy territory. The moment you let your guard down, death awaits!"
Before entering the cave, Marienne dismounted and gave everyone a warning to stay alert, then led the way inside. As expected of a sealed cave, the bandits' hideout was extremely dark.
"Thirty soldiers with shields, move to the front. The soldiers behind them should carry staves embedded with luminous stones and follow immediately to secure everyone's visibility."
As they ventured deeper into the cave and darkness settled in, Marienne issued orders to the soldiers. Each luminous stone probably costs over a hundred gold... The fact that they were using luminous stones instead of torches upon entering this cave showed that the operation prioritized human lives over cost. If they had used something like torches, the people in front would have become nothing more than meat shields or arrow fodder. Additionally, thirty soldiers carrying large rectangular shields capable of covering a person's entire body were positioned at the front to block any attacks.
Once all formations were in place and dozens of luminous stones illuminated the cave, the expected situation unfolded.
Shushushushushuk!!
Tingtingtangtang! Tangtangtingting!
Hundreds of arrows flew without warning from the darkness. However, the barrage was futilely deflected by the large shields held by the soldiers at the very front. Yet that was only the first phase—the real battle hadn't even begun.
"Mages among the adventurers and mercenaries, cast spells appropriate to your tier toward the front!"
At Marienne's command, the mages among the adventurers and mercenaries began their incantations.
"Fire Arrow!"
"Water Spear!"
"Electric Ball!"
"Stone Hand!"
"Wind Cutter!"
"Magic Bullet!"
Though mages were a far rarer and more difficult class to master than throwers, dozens had gathered here due to the sheer number of participants. A dazzling display of elemental magic—fire, water, lightning, earth, wind—and physical-force spells unfolded before their eyes.
"Shield unit! Lower your shields!"
At Marienne's order, the soldiers immediately dropped their shields and pressed against the walls. The moment the soldiers lowered their shields and stepped aside, the mages from both the adventurer and mercenary groups unleashed their spells mercilessly upon the bandits.
"Aargh!"
"Aaaargh!"
"My leg!"
"My hand!"
"What the hell is happening?!"
Unlike the bandits' arrows that had been futilely blocked by the soldiers' large shields, this attack struck the enemy with devastating effectiveness. The mages' spells from the adventurer and mercenary groups displayed their full power, mercilessly ravaging the cockroach-like bandits. Agonized screams filled the air as chaos erupted among the bandits. If the light from the luminous stones had been even slightly brighter, they might have seen the full scene, but unfortunately, only the shadows of some who appeared to be bandits were visible.
"Archery unit! It's your turn now!"
But even that wasn't the end. Twenty elite soldiers among the regular troops drew their bows, nocked arrows, and fired toward the bandits.
Thud! Thud! Thuuuud!
Those arrows finished off the bandits who had miraculously survived the magic barrage. I don't think I need to stay here. Having witnessed the scene unfold, Elsid quietly suppressed his presence and slipped away amid the confusion. Using the rocks scattered throughout the cave, he moved carefully to avoid detection. Without even informing Robin, Elsid vanished into the darkness. Just what was his reason for doing so?
***
After some time, having overwhelmingly defeated the bandits, the subjugation force was granted a short rest of several dozen minutes.
"Huh? Where did Elsid go?"
At that moment, Rain, one of the adventurers who had joined the subjugation force, looked around. He had clearly seen Elsid standing not far ahead alongside Uncle Robin just moments ago.
"Is that the guy you were staring at earlier? He must've died already."
"No, that absolutely couldn't have happened."
Setting aside the irritation caused by Kane's words beside him, Rain was certain that with Elsid's skill, he wouldn't fall to something like this. Moreover, with Marienne's precise commands, the mages' spells, and the soldiers' seamless coordination, the subjugation force had been dominating the fight so far. Unless someone was foolish enough to charge in recklessly alone, it would be impossible to be defeated even if one tried.
"Where did he go...?"
Rain could see Robin checking the remaining count of his arrows from another direction, but Elsid was nowhere to be seen nearby. Rain tilted his head in confusion. Of all times, why would he wander off during this rest period? No matter how much he thought about it, the questions filling his mind refused to fade.