Rest in Peace, Jerry Bandits
"Well, aren't you a brave little thing, hauling a kid all the way out here?"
Jerry, the bandit leader, swaggered forward and jerked his chin at her.
"Hey, when someone speaks to you, you ought to answer. What makes a girl like you so stiff?"
At his grating, condescending tone, the corner of the brown-haired woman's mouth twitched ever so slightly. Just as quickly, her expression smoothed over as if nothing had happened, and she remained completely still, offering no reply.
"Well, I don't mind a woman who plays hard to get. It's much more satisfying when you break them."
With a leering smirk, Jerry snatched her by the wrist and yanked her against his chest. But right then, a voice chillier than winter ice grazed his ear.
"I enjoy breaking things, too."
"What?"
"Breaking things," she repeated calmly. "I like doing that, too."
Pausing for a fraction of a second, the woman tilted her head up to meet Jerry's gaze, baring her teeth in a smile. It was chillingly predatory.
"What did this wench just say?"
"I said I'm rather fond of snapping things, too," she said, her voice dripping with leisurely composure. "Breaking men like you—fools who don't know their place and run their mouths—tends to be quite satisfying."
"Ha!" Jerry's eyes widened in disbelief before he glanced back at his men and burst out laughing. "Bwahaha! I heard women from the capital had guts, but damn if it isn't true!"
His laughter did not last long.
The bandits, who had been snickering along with him, instantly fell silent the moment Jerry raised a hand.
"Listen here. A girl ought to be sweet and obedient. When you don't know your place and put on airs, it really pisses me off, you hear?!"
He reached out to grab a fistful of her hair.
In that exact instant, the woman vanished from before his eyes.
"Wh-what?!"
"Too slow."
The voice echoed from directly behind him, leaving him no time to turn his head. A brutal kick landed squarely on the back of Jerry's knee, sending him crashing forward in an unsightly heap. Face buried in the dirt, the humiliation burning in his chest far outweighed the throbbing pain across the bridge of his nose. Me? Kicked into the dirt by a scrawny slip of a woman?!
His face flushing crimson with mortification, Jerry scrambled furiously to his feet.
"Y-You bitch—!"
Whipping a concealed dagger from his robes, he lunged straight at her. Yet his title as bandit leader proved utterly meaningless.
Crack!
A sickening crunch echoed across the dirt road, followed by the metallic clatter of the dagger hitting the ground.
"Aaaaargh—!"
Jerry gasped for air, howling in sheer agony. Her slender, delicate hand had snapped his wrist in the blink of an eye. As their leader writhed on the ground, frothing at the mouth, his lackeys froze in bewildered panic. Out of everyone gathered on that mountain pass, only one person remained completely composed: the mysterious woman.
"I told you," she murmured, her softly downturned eyes curving into gentle half-moons. "I like snapping things."
"What's the matter? I thought you liked breaking things too."
Her gaze was that of a predator toying with its prey. Terrified by the chilling aura rolling off her, the bandits stumbled backward in retreat. Without even comprehending why pure dread gripped their hearts, they gripped their weapons tighter.
"I suppose you aren't very bright. You still can't grasp the situation. If I were you, I would have fled already."
The voice that had sounded so melodious only moments ago now carried a bone-chilling weight. Yet human beings were foolish creatures easily deceived by appearances; seeing that the one who had dismantled their boss was a fragile-looking woman, they refused to accept what was right in front of them. Even as their instincts screamed at them to run, they hesitated to back down.
"You crazy bitch! Who do you think you are?! Get her!"
Driven by the urge to avenge their leader, they finally charged.
"This is why dim-witted men..."
Standing in the center of the howling mob, Rachel Brown's eyes gleamed sharply. Before anyone could see her move, the dagger snatched from Jerry was already resting lightly in her grip.
"...never live long."
As if returning to its true master, the blade darted through the air with the grace of a swallow.
"Aaargh!"
"Guh!"
Wherever the silver blade flashed, it left only blooming arcs of crimson.
"Surround her! Grab her, damn it!"
"She's too fast! What the hell is she?!"
The bandits swarmed frantically toward the woman weaving effortlessly among them, but their efforts were futile. Her movements were overwhelmingly swifter than their eyes could track. In a matter of breaths, five of the fifteen bandits had already collapsed beneath her blade.
"Over there!"
"Wh-Where? Aaaagh!"
A bandit scanning frantically at his comrade's shout shrieked in terror as the woman, silhouetted against the sun, dropped onto him from above.
Snap.
Without a trace of hesitation, she twisted his neck. Witnessing the cold, efficient slaughter firsthand, the remaining brigands scrambled back in horror.
"R-Run—!"
Snapping back to their senses at the scream, the bandits bolted in unison. Yet it was already too late. Agonized shrieks continued to reverberate through the mountain valley—until, at last, not a single one was left standing to scream.
"H-Hah... gasp..."
Staring at his men sprawled across the road, Jerry crawled backward until his legs gave out and he collapsed onto his backside. Three minutes? Five? No, it hadn't even taken that long. In little more than a fleeting breath, the woman before him had cut down every single one of his subordinates.
"M-Monster..."
Standing motionless amidst the heaps of battered, bleeding bodies, the woman let out a quiet chuckle.
"Haven't heard that one in a while."
Jerry bit down on his lip so hard it bled, his trembling fists clenching tightly in the dirt.
"You should have chosen your targets more carefully," she said softly. "You ought to have figured it out the moment I broke your wrist."
Fifteen armed men, decimated by one woman wielding a single dagger. He wanted to scream that it made no sense, but the horrific reality was sprawled right in front of him. His men were hardened cutthroats who had survived through countless back-alley brawls and raids. There was a reason they had thrived as bandits. The fact that such brutes had been slaughtered like cattle by this lone, petite woman defied all comprehension.
"Eeeek—!"
A suffocating terror seized Jerry as she took a slow, measured step toward him. While his men were battered into bloody heaps, her appearance was virtually unchanged from when they first stopped the carriage. Even after tearing through a vicious melee, not a single crease marred her dress.
As if noting the sheer terror paralyzing him, she offered another pleasant smile.
"Don't worry too much. They're all still breathing." She paused as if just remembering something minor. "Ah, though if they aren't bandaged quickly, they might bleed out. I only grazed their vitals, but still."
"Wh-What the hell are you?!" Jerry shrieked in desperation.
The woman stepped up directly in front of him. Trapped in the depths of her calm green eyes, sleep paralysis seemed to grip his limbs; he couldn't even twitch a finger.
"Are you so curious about who I am?"
Tucking a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear, she tilted her head with an innocent, gentle expression.
"Fine, I'll tell you."
Just as she turned slightly, pivoting on the ball of her foot—
"I'm a nanny."
Smack!
A sharp roundhouse kick cracked violently against his temple, plunging Jerry into instant darkness. The very last word to register in his slipping consciousness was that incomprehensible, absurd title: nanny.
Fortunately, they weren't exceptionally skilled.
Forcing down my ragged breath, I wiped the bead of sweat tracing my jawline. As expected, taking on a crowd with this body is still pushing it. Compared to my former vessel, the stamina and muscular strength were laughably pathetic. It was frustrating, but what could I do? It wasn't my original body. Still, had I not trained diligently every night, I would have died without even being able to deploy my techniques.
Taking what little solace I could from that, I turned around—only for a troublesome sight to meet my eyes.
"Oh dear."
I stared dismayed at the coachman slumped over the driver's box. A long arrow was buried deep in his chest. It seemed the bandits had picked him off right away to halt the carriage.
Yet an even greater complication was already waiting for me.
"W-What is all this...?"
Edwin, whom I had deliberately knocked unconscious, had come to. His large eyes were wide with shock and horror.
"Your Highness, are you all right?"
"Who are these people? Why are they all dead?!"
"They appear to be local bandits, Your Highness. But I do not believe they are dead; merely unconscious."
"G-Good heavens..."
Gazing at the crimson streaks staining the dirt, Edwin grabbed my arm in a panic. "A-Are you hurt? Who on earth did this?" He pressed a hand to his temple, shaking his head as if nursing a vicious headache. "I... I was awake, and then something struck the back of my neck so hard, and after that, I can't remember a thing."
"The carriage came to an abrupt halt, so you must have hit your head, Your Highness."
"R-Really?"
"Do you not recall? The carriage braked violently, and you tumbled across the floorboards with me."
"I don't know... I really can't remember."
Thank goodness you don't. Maintaining an utterly innocent expression, I patted him gently on the shoulder.
"I lost consciousness as well and only woke moments ago. I was just as startled to see the outside in such a state."
Edwin looked up at me with frightened eyes. "Um... shouldn't we turn back? I have a really bad feeling about this."
"We cannot give up after coming all this way."
"B-But—!"
Before he could protest further, I gently grabbed him and lifted him back into the carriage cabin.
"Hey! You're just doing whatever you want—!"
"Luxen Village is just a short distance ahead. If we wish to return before sundown, we must hurry."
The sun was already high overhead; our time was limited. After carefully lowering the coachman's body to the ground by the roadside, I climbed into the driver's box and took up the reins.
"Yah—!"
With a flick of the reins, the two horses let out a resounding whinny. The carriage surged forward once more, speeding along the road toward Luxen Village.