Translator: Ataru
Editor: Ray
After the carriage wobbled tremendously, it suddenly stopped. There was an ominous presence. When I looked at Clarice, our eyes met. Hers were shaking with anxiety. Then I shouted.
"It's an attack!"
"Eh?"
"Miss Clarice, it would be good for you to stay inside."
There were a lot of bandits targeting the contents of the carriage. As long as they got the goods, they’d sell it. Humans were no exception. Because slaves were one of the most expensive goods in the empire.
After that, we heard a man screaming from outside. It seemed that one of our escorts had been killed. As I stood up, the front and both sides of the carriage were torn open. The bandits had invaded the area where the passengers were. I wondered if the other escort had escaped.
"Oh, there seems to be a lot of people with money here. Eh? There’s even a young girl. I'm definitely going to enjoy this," an enormous man, who seemed to be the head of the bandits, shouted. The underlings gazed and smiled, also showing their interest in Clarice.
“Hii...!” Clarice’s muffled scream was heard.
I stepped forward in front of Clarice and kept her out of sight of the bandits.
"Hahaha, you going to protect that girl, Kid?"
"Well, I'm doing this with that in mind."
When I answered bluntly, the head of the bandits grinned.
"Do you think you can deal with the Jet Black Mountain Bandits alone? It seems like we’re being looked down upon, eh?"
Jet Black Mountain Bandits. It was a bandits’ custom to have a name, yet the name sounded great so it felt a little disconcerting. But I have heard the name. Like an adventurer's party, it seemed like those six bandits were divided into several roles such as attacker, tank, healer, and supporter. I heard that they were an elite group of quite troublesome bandits. Either way, they had to pay for the things they’d done. I unsheathed my sword and readied my shield.
"Everyone from Jet Black Mountain Bandits, it’s gonna be ugly but I won’t hold back. If you value your life, it would be best for you to leave immediately."
"You guys, kill this arrogant kid!"
When the head of the bandits shouted, six men started to get into their fighting stances. ‘Don't let your guard down.The basis of a battle is to go all out from the beginning.’ I swung my sword to the right. In the next moment, the men who seemed to be healers and supporters of Jet Black bandits were wrapped in the Fire of Guren. I could hear the screams of these men. Despite being startled, the head of the bandits charged straight towards me. It was good to keep your calm even when your comrades die, but it was useless anyway.
I used my shield against the great sword of the head bandit. At the same time, attack magic shining light blue came flying towards me. There wasn’t a leeway, but it wasn’t an advanced technique. I didn't dodge because even if I got hit directly, I would only suffer little damage. The magic resistance as a magic swordsman would protect me.
The head of bandits was swinging down his large sword while making a wide opening. I cut him on that opening, finished him off and the healer who applied recovery magic to restore his physical condition simultaneously. Then, using the acceleration magic, I closed the distance with the remaining three. There was no one to protect them now. In a flash, I swung my sword and they fell silently.
I looked down at the six dead bodies. I’ve never liked murder, but this was not my first time. The Jet Black Mountain Bandits was the target of subjugation by the Imperial Army. They would have been killed sooner or later. I held up my hands and mourned them. That was the custom of the Imperial Church.
"It's amazing, Brother! You were like Solon!"
Looking back, I saw Clarice staring at me with shining eyes. It didn’t feel bad being respected, but I started to smile wryly.
"You said ‘like’, but Clarice-san hasn't seen Solon, right?"
"But I'm sure Solon is also like this! You can do anything by yourself!"
"I wonder?"
"I bet it is!"
Well, I was the person himself, so she was not wrong. Despite being kicked out, I was the deputy leader of the empire's strongest adventurer party. Even bandits could be defeated easily.
I looked around and rushed to the coachman. He was quite old and his waist was bruised. I cleared the dust on his shoulder and helped him stand. I asked the coachman after he had calmed down.
"How is it? Can you move the carriage?"
"Well, somehow. But, I'll need a little help."
"That's good, then."
"You saved us, Sir. You are our lifesaver."
The passengers nodded “Yes!” enthusiastically and said their thank-yous. They also asked me if I wanted something, but I told them I didn’t need anything. After that, I decided to accept only the offer of the carriage’s owner to make my ride fare-free. It wasn’t a bad feeling, protecting people and being thanked for it.
Until now, the only ones that I’ve ever protected were the members of The Knights. But now, I didn't have the power to protect Sophia nor the ability to fight together with her. Then what should I protect from now on? I wondered if the Empire’s capital had the answer.
Notes
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