Chapter 27 - 27 Bandit
That day, Bella was atop the watchtower in the Third Village as usual, monitoring the surroundings. In her hand, she held the telescope she had been entrusted with by Brian. Bella's eyesight was exceptionally good, which was why her hunting skills were so proficient, but using the telescope took her vision even further.
Since there were no tall buildings in the vicinity, her field of vision was unobstructed, and she could see far into the distance today as well.
Then, when she pointed the telescope toward the mountains—the direction she had been specifically warned about—she spotted a group of about thirty people. Since a group had appeared from a place where there was no highway without any prior notice to Bella, they were naturally outsiders, and the possibility of them harboring ill intent was high.
"Bandits? I don't know, but I have to raise the smoke signal according to the SOP."
Bella hurriedly climbed down from the watchtower and raised the smoke signal to contact the Main Village. Following that, she struck the alarm bell repeatedly and forcefully to signal an emergency.
(What should I do? If Steve-sama doesn't notice, will I have to fight?)
Clutching the gun she had received from Steve, she fought against her anxiety, praying that the newcomers weren't bandits. There were five guns in total that she had received from Steve. Even if she hit with every single shot, the numbers were completely insufficient. She might be killed by the enemy while reloading the next round. Thinking of that made her feel like crying.
However, Bella's wish was in vain; the group heading toward the village was indeed a bandit troupe.
The leader of the bandit troupe, Jack Olgren, felt a sense of dissonance when the sound of the bell reached his ears.
"Captain, does the sound of this bell mean we've been spotted?"
The man next to him, who felt the same dissonance as Jack, asked.
"Don't call me Captain. Here, I'm the Boss."
"Right, sorry. So, Boss, we're still quite far from the village, but for the bell to ring, they must have been on high alert."
"Well, since we've been ravaging our way along the border, the enemy would naturally be cautious. Even so, to ring a bell and raise a smoke signal at this distance... they must have someone with incredibly good eyes. Maybe a mage or something?"
"I find it hard to believe they'd station a mage in such a tiny village. They must just have terrifyingly good eyesight."
"I suppose so."
He convinced himself that the dissonance was due to good eyesight rather than the placement of a mage. In reality, it was thanks to the telescope rather than a mage, but of course, Jack and his men did not have that information.
"Alright, if we've been found out, there's no need to hide. You lot, run in and slaughter all the villagers!"
"Yeah!"
At Jack's command, the bandit troupe began running toward the village.
Bella saw the bandit troupe running toward her and aimed her gun at the enemy. However, her body trembled, and her aim would not steady. Though she had shot birds before, she had no experience with people. Even when she was guarding the immigrants, they had never encountered an ambush. If she had been in a situation like this back then, would she have been able to pull the trigger?
Becoming anxious, she looked back. She hoped that perhaps Steve had arrived, but Steve was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she saw the village that Steve had built.
(I have to protect the village Steve-sama made.)
The anxiety remained, but the mission to protect the village Steve had built burned in her heart. For times like this, there were markers around the village indicating range. Bella waited for the bandit troupe to reach them in a shooting stance with one knee on the ground.
When the lead bandit crossed the marker, Bella pulled the trigger. The recoil of the spring was transmitted to her shoulder through the stock.
The bullet, ejected by the force of the spring, pierced the bandit's throat. The bandit whose throat was pierced fell to the ground and writhed. The surrounding bandits flinched at the sight.
Bella immediately let go of the gun she had finished firing and took up another gun placed at her feet. It was not difficult to shoot a target that had stopped moving. Having shot one person, her mental anguish also faded slightly.
Following the first shot, the second shot pierced the right eye of a bandit who had stopped in his tracks.
The bandits were thrown into a panic after two of their comrades were taken down, but amidst them, only Jack was calmly observing the situation. He grasped that the only enemy was Bella.
"Don't stop! The enemy is just that child! Run!"
With those words, the bandits regained their composure and began running toward Bella according to Jack's orders. By the time the distance closed, Bella had fired all her shots. A total of five bandits lay on the ground, cold. However, that was the end of her ammunition.
Since reloading took time, she gripped the barrel and pointed the stock toward the enemy. She had heard from Steve that if she struck the opponent with the stock side, she could deal a fair amount of damage.
However, Bella had no experience in hand-to-hand combat and had only fought adults in training.
At this moment, the only thing in Bella's head was whether she would be unable to see Steve again if she died. Although the enemy had not yet reached her, her memories up until now flashed through her head like a revolving lantern.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Suddenly, Steve's voice was heard from behind her.
Thinking it was a hallucination, she turned around, and there stood Steve himself.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I made it in time."
At those words, something welled up from deep within Bella's chest.
"Steve-sama!"
When she shouted his name, Steve smiled.
"Oops, first I have to stop the enemy's movement."
When Steve used magic, the ground rose up like boots and restrained the bandits' feet. Everyone became unable to move on the spot.
"Bo-oss..."
"Don't make such pathetic sounds. There just happened to be a mage on the other side."
When one of the bandits spoke to Jack in a voice as if seeking help, Jack barked at him.
Steve walked toward the bandits who were having such an exchange. Then, he spoke with a smile.
"Now then, since I've restrained everyone, why don't you honestly tell me for what purpose you are operating?"
"Hah, don't get cocky, brat. I'll break out of this restraint in no time."
Jack glared at Steve.
"I've restrained both your feet with earth, but how do you plan to escape? It's impossible unless you cut off your legs."
"Exactly."
As Jack said that, he used Body Enhancement Magic.
"Magic?"
"That's right. It means there are people among bandits who can use magic too. Well, cutting off one's own legs with a sword would be impossible without using magic."
Jack laughed off the surprised Steve and then cut off the legs of the subordinate standing next to him. Human bones are very hard. It is often said that people 'shorten' their pinky fingers (T/N: a reference to yakuza finger-cutting), but if one tries to do that with a dagger or a blade, the tool stops at the bone and cannot complete the cut. To do it, one must place a chisel on the finger and strike it from above with a hammer.
If it were the leg bones, it would be incomparable to a finger. Yet he had cut them with a sword.
Along with his surprise, Steve was desperate to suppress the joy of encountering a new type of magic.
"Gyaaaaaah!"
"Don't howl. I'll heal you now."
Then Jack used recovery magic this time to restore his subordinate's severed legs. He followed up by casting Body Enhancement on the subordinate.
"Alright, now you cut my legs."
"Yes, sir."
The subordinate cut Jack's legs, and Jack restored his own legs this time.
"So you can use Body Enhancement Magic and recovery magic."
"That's right. I'm what they call a 'Double,' someone who can use two attributes of magic, which is rare even among mages."
"Heh. Well then, I find it impossible to believe that such a person would be leading a pack of stray bandits. With that much ability, the country would hire you regardless of the conditions, and if you still refused, they'd eliminate you because you'd be too much to handle."
"Aren't you quite the clever one. I almost want you as my subordinate."
"Thanks."
Steve conversed without taking his eyes off Jack. Then, he readied the sword he was holding.
"Don't think you can win against an adult using Body Enhancement Magic."
"Then shall I try using it as well?"
Saying so, Steve demonstrated the use of Body Enhancement Magic.
"What!? Are you a Double too?"
As Jack was surprised, Steve wore a mischievous smile.
"It's not just that, I can also do things like this."
He said as he cut the skin of his own arm with his sword. After confirming that a little blood had come out of the wound, he used recovery magic to close the wound.
"Three types of magic...!!"
"I can use even more, but it wouldn't be beneficial to show them off here, so I'll stop."
Steve showed off a variety of magic that exceeded the 'Double' Jack had boasted about, breaking the opponent's pride. Jack flew into a rage at having his boast crushed.
"Victory or defeat isn't decided by the number of magic attributes. I just have to cut you down here. You lot, let's do this!"
Jack released the nearby bandits from their earth restraints in the same way and used Body Enhancement Magic to improve their physical abilities.
The bandits attacked Steve all at once.
However, the bandits' attacks could not hit Steve, who was replicating the movements of the Royal Guard Knights Order's captain with his SOP Magic. While dodging the attacks, he created earth pillars with earth magic and slammed them into the bandits' crotches.
The bandits, who received intense blows to their vital spots, crouched down on the spot one after another, clutching their groins.
And then, they were once again rendered immobile by earth restraints.
"I thought you were a child, but well, well. You're a fine soldier. There isn't anyone even in the Knights Order who can move like that."
"There aren't many bandits who would know about the Knights Order either."
"Heh, I suppose so."
Jack fully understood that their true identities must not be revealed. And he also knew that if he didn't kill the boy in front of him, he wouldn't be able to protect that secret.
"If I use any more mana here, I'll run out, and I won't be able to use Body Enhancement on everyone for the trip back, but it seems I can't afford to say that."
Saying so, he layered his Body Enhancement Magic.
"It was twofold until now, but this time it's fourfold. Surely you can't use this?"
"Not necessarily."
Jack had used the fourfold Body Enhancement with full confidence, but Steve learned and used that as well through his SOP Magic.
"I see, so this is how you manipulate the multiplier. Then I guess I could even do tenfold."
"Impossible! From the way you talk, you're saying you just learned it now? As if there's such a thing as mimicking magic just by seeing it!"
Jack lost his cool and shouted. He couldn't believe that Steve had mimicked his magic just by seeing it. And realizing that showing it meant it would be mimicked, his own failure amplified his anger.
"Restraining thirty people with magic, and then restraining those who escaped again with magic. On top of that, using Body Enhancement Magic... just what kind of mana capacity do you have? I'm convinced now that I must kill you right here."
"As a side note, you realize that my sudden appearance here was also magic, right?"
"N-no way, are you saying you used teleportation magic?"
Because Steve exposed it, Jack understood that he had even used Teleportation magic.
Whether the name was Teleportation or Instant Movement, the effect as magic was the same.
"It seems I was deceived by your appearance as a child. You, you're someone from the Kingdom of Cascade's army."
"And if I am, what will you do? Will you kill me?"
"I'm going to kill you either way!"
Jack kicked off the ground and lunged at Steve. His body, enhanced fourfold, approached Steve with the swiftness of a large beast.
Just as the high-speed sword swung down from above was about to reach Steve's body, Steve unleashed the Godspeed Sword.
This one was also enhanced fourfold.
Jack had swung his sword down certain of victory, but that sword received an impact and was knocked off course.
Bella could not follow their movements with her eyes, but she heard the sound of metal clashing against metal, and afterward, she saw both of their swords break.
And then, she saw Steve looking displeased as he looked at the broken sword.
"As expected, it can't withstand that impact. I need steel with more toughness. Bella, can you throw me a gun? My weapon broke."
"Okay."
Requested by Steve, Bella hesitantly threw the gun she was holding toward him. Steve caught it and aimed it at Jack.
"Now then, if you have no more magic, I'll have you restrained as well."
"Hah, so not having the resolve to kill makes you a brat after all?"
"No, I'm supposed to receive a reward by capturing you lot alive. After that, it depends on whether you have the information we want. No damage has been done to this territory, but considering what you've done until now, I have no intention of forgiving you. I wouldn't mind killing a few of you right here and now."
"No, stop. My subordinates still have a chance to survive. I won't tell you to try it here."
"Then, I'll restrain you on that basis."
Steve restrained Jack with earth. Jack did not resist anymore. He realized that the more he resisted, the lower the possibility of survival became.
Jack was restrained even to his hands and feet.
"However, like this, we can't even drink water and we'll starve to death. When are we going to be transported?"
"Right now."
Saying so, Steve disappeared somewhere with Teleportation magic. After waiting a few minutes, Steve returned and spoke to Jack with a smile.
"The preparations are complete, so shall we go?"
"Go where?"
"I can't tell you that because there's a risk of escape. Well, after the transfer, it's not under my jurisdiction anyway."
Saying so, Steve used magic. Jack experienced a sensation like motion sickness as the scenery before him changed. He only knew that he had moved from the scenery in front of the village earlier to a place like a dim warehouse. He could barely make out the situation by the light of candles. And although it was dim, he could see the state of his subordinates.
"I don't know how much distance there is, but to teleport nearly thirty people at once... someone with that kind of mana, you'd probably be the only one even if you searched the whole continent."
"I wonder. The world is a wide place, after all."
From here on, it would be Aurora's jurisdiction, so Steve left Jack and the others and teleported to Aurora's location. Then, after informing her that he had brought the captured bandits to the isolated facility as promised, he returned to Bella.
It took less than thirty minutes for Steve to appear before Bella again.
"Welcome ba...ck?"
"I'm back. Thank you, Bella. Thanks to you, the village didn't get attacked."
"No, I couldn't have done anything by myself. I don't know what would have happened if Steve-sama hadn't come."
"You raised the smoke signal properly, didn't you? It was because of that that I noticed and was able to come here."
When praised by Steve, all the tension Bella had felt until now suddenly broke, and she began to cry. Steve gently embraced the crying Bella. The embrace continued until Bella stopped crying.