Published at 20th of November 2020 09:24:58 PM
Chapter 19.2: 19.2
Translator: SFBaka
Disarming the bandits proved to be no challenge . We collected their swords, spears, and bows and gathered them in one spot . I kicked the annoying bandits to another spot . Even a grown man would fly off for about five meters if I kicked them seriously . I felt some of my annoyance fade away after kicking them .
“Looks like it went pretty well . ”
I called out to the rest of the group .
“You’re amazing Alan-san! That was way too cool!”
Beck and Thor, who just stared at the commotion blankly on the carriage earlier, made a racket again .
Oh, right!
“Beck, Thor . You can pick any sword you like from that pile over there . ”
I pointed at the weapons we confiscated from the bandits .
“Yeah! We got us some swords! Hurry up Thor!”
The two of them jumped off the carriage excitedly . It’s fine even if you don’t hurry guys . Those swords aren’t going anywhere .
“Alan, that weapon… To think it can accurately intercept a flying arrow! It’s a really amazing weapon!”
“Well, yeah . It’s my trump card after all . ”
“Your magic was also amazing . Teach me next time, kay . ”
Un, will Cleria even be able to master it? Oops . Don’t get caught up by common sense . If there’s a will, there’s a way .
“Alright . I’ll teach it to you next time . ”
There are no more detection responses in the area . Beck and Thor were swinging the swords around and looked busy choosing ones that they like .
I approached the captured bandits . Some of them were already recovering from the pain caused by my spell and were sitting on the ground in stunned silence . Since they were hit by arrows of flame, they didn’t actually bleed all that much .
“Yo! How’s it going guys? How do you feel?”
“Damn you! You won’t get away with this bastard!”
A bearded guy who seemed to be the leader of the group, threatened me .
“And just what do you mean by that?”
I asked out of pure curiosity . It looks like the guy had something more to say .
“ Anyway, if you let us free now, we won’t mind letting you guys off! You can have our weapons as well!”
What, so he’s just an idiot huh .
“How about you guys give me some money then . I can think about releasing you guys depending on the amount . Of course, I’ll just free the guys who forked out money . ”
I wasn’t serious though .
The grunts riffled through their pockets in search of cash .
“I- I left all my money back in the hideout so I ain’t got any right now!”
One of the grunts suddenly confessed . Hou, so these guys have a base huh . Interesting .
The other grunts brought out all the money they had on their pockets and handed them over . It was all just bronze and silver coins .
“Oi, oi . The reward money for turning you guys in is a lot more convincing than this paltry sum . I definitely can’t let you off with just this much . You get me?”
I didn’t really know how much reward money we’ll get in exchange for these guys and just tried to bluff . But it seems they were actually convinced in the end .
“Well, I’m quite the understanding guy anyway . I’ll take a look at your hideout and decide if it’s worth letting you guys off then . Depending on how much is in there, I might even consider letting go of all of you . ”
I was just playing with them though .
“Hey! You guys! Oof!”
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The leader was about to object so I kicked him to shut him up . It seems he fainted . He’s not dead, is he? Well, it’s not like I care anyway .
“Well then, where’s that base you told me about?”
When I pointed out to the grunts, all of them made quite a ruckus and jostled with each other to answer my question .
I held up my hand to shut them up .
“You there . You represent them and tell me . ”
I pointed at the weakest looking grunt of the group .
“The base is that way . About five kilometers from here . It’s an abandoned goblin burrow!”
U~hee, it’s that kind of place huh . It’s a place where I normally wouldn’t want to go .
“How many of you are left in the hideout?”
“There are two others in the hideout . We also have a merchant captive in there . ”
“You’re sure?”
I turned towards the other grunts . All of them nodded obediently .
“I see, I’ll also add that merchant as part of the assessment, so don’t you guys worry .
I’ll bait them with hope-filled words first . They’ll be more cooperative that way .
“Alright! That merchant seems to be the owner of a large shop in the city . We were originally planning to hold him for ransom . ”
One grunt revealed something interesting . It’s another piece of good info .
“I see . That’s something to look forward to then . ”
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I wonder what these guys see me as? Maybe they’re thinking of me as someone from the same trade .
“Ria, I’ll go pay a visit to these guys’ base for a bit . ”
Cleria looked at me with a concerned expression . Oi, oi . Don’t tell me even you got fooled by my acting?
“It’s alright . I’ll be back right away . ”
“Beck, Thor . Take up your swords and keep an eye on these guys . If they so much as move a muscle, slash em right away . It’ll serve great as slashing practice . You don’t get opportunities like this often . ”
“”Yeah!””
Well, these two sure look eager . They might really slash at them y’know .
“Ria, if they make any suspicious moves, feel free to roast them with magic . Don’t show mercy . I’ll leave them to you . ”
“Understood . ”
I bet these bandits will stay put obediently after hearing all that . Let’s get going then .
(Long Distance Sprint Mode)
「Acknowledged . 」
I entered deep into the mountains in a run .
I soon found the goblin burrow the bandits mentioned earlier . I got three human signatures after activating scanning magic . Looks like this really is the place . I approached cautiously .
I found two men standing guard at the entrance of the cave, talking animatedly with each other . This looks like a great opportunity . Man, all that planning about how to rescue the captive just got wasted . It’s kinda silly .
I just approached them openly . Looks like they still haven’t noticed me .
“Yo! You guys bandits?”
I called out to them as I approached . It seems I finally got all their attention after I called out to them .
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“Who’re you!?”
“Oh c’mon . I asked first . Are you guys bandits?”
“Stop right there!”
Man, this sure is troublesome . Screw it then .
I simply released flame arrows and hit the bandits’ right shoulders with them . They fell over from the intense pain . I kicked the back of their heads like what I did to their leader earlier and made them pass out . That’s takes care of that .
When I entered the burrow, I noticed that it wasn’t as filthy as I first thought . It didn’t smell particularly bad either . I proceeded towards the location of the response I got earlier .
There were some holes in the wall in some places which allowed sunlight to pour into the cave . Looks like they made it with proper lighting in mind . There were a lot of rooms, but most of them were empty . Some of them only had junk inside .
I finally found the merchant in question . He was placed in the room furthest back with his arms and legs bound . It was a middle-aged man . He looks about 50 years in age . He also seems to be the well-educated sort . Let’s try talking with him .
“This may sound unbelievable, but I’m no bandit . I heard about you from the bandits and have come to rescue you . ”
“Oh, I’m finally saved! …I managed to remember the faces of each of those bandits so I can tell you’re not one of them . Are you perhaps an adventurer?”
“No, I’m not an adventurer . But I was tasked to guard a merchant carriage . We were attacked by those bandits along the way . After we repelled and captured them, I came to learn of you being kept in their hideout so I came to save you . ”
I cut the ropes binding the man with my knife .
“I am truly grateful for your timely help then! I will return this favor without fail . ”
The merchant declared as he rubbed the places where the ropes stuck to his skin .
“No, it’s true that I came here partly in order to rescue you, but my main goal was to secure the loot gathered by those bandits . That’s really what I came here for in the first place . ”
“Ahaha, you’re one honest lad . I suppose you’d be interested in that after all . Even I would do so if I was in your shoes, young man . Oh, do forgive me for the late introduction . I am Tarus, a merchant and owner of a general store in the city . ”
“My name’s Alan . Nice to meet you . ”