Chapter 120 - Chapter 119: Hunting the Fierce Bandits
"Ho~... So this is Shaksara. It's quite a large town."
Mika gazes at the massive town far ahead from the sky above.
In terms of scale, it is undoubtedly larger than Sarbengeal.
It is a town facing the sea, and one can see many large ships docked in the harbor.
"It's the capital of the Am-Tast Trade Alliance, right? The view is nice, and places like this might be fun to live in."
This is the airspace of the Am-Tast Trade Alliance, in terms of location.
Well, there probably isn't even a concept of airspace infringement yet, so there's no need to worry about it.
Mika has been making Yaunasun his base for adventurer activities during his long vacation and has been coming here for about ten days already.
He would go out in the morning and return home in the evening to complete requests.
This morning, he left home as usual, but on the way to Yaunasun, he suddenly remembered something.
"Was there a town called Shaksara?"
The capital of the Trade Alliance is located about three days' journey by horse cart south of Yaunasun.
Mika had been told this by an official during the Cleiria kidnapping incident.
The bandits had been talking about things like "If we go back to Shaksara," but he had no idea what Shaksara was.
He had no particular business there, but he decided to come just to take a look.
"...The seafood dishes look delicious."
Mika swallows hard, trying to stop his mouth from watering.
If it's a port town, such cuisine should naturally be well-developed.
"But, there's no soy sauce, is there?"
There's probably no culture of eating raw fish anyway.
Sashimi, sushi, seafood bowls.
Soy sauce is indispensable for simmered dishes too.
"Ah, no good. Thinking about it makes me want to eat even more."
There is absolutely no way he can get soy sauce.
So, just remembering it will only torment himself.
"Why do I remember it when I can't eat it no matter what...?"
Mika turns around sharply and heads back the way he came.
On the way back, he saw a person standing on a rocky area off the main road.
There are no houses around, so they are probably not a local resident.
"An adventurer...?"
Perhaps they came for a gathering request.
They have already passed the border checkpoint, and this area belongs to the Viscountcy of Orcosa.
It is a rocky area far off the main road, slightly closer to the checkpoint than the midpoint between the checkpoint and Yaunasun.
Surrounded by trees, no one would come to such a place unless they were an adventurer.
"Good work."
Mika flies past, giving a quick salute with just his hand, and flies away.
He lands in a forest near Yaunasun and runs toward the Adventurer's Guild.
When Mika enters the guild, the adventurers near the entrance look surprised.
Ignoring them, he goes straight to the bulletin board where the request sheets are posted.
The Yaunasun guild is small and cozy.
It's better than Kotontesse, but certainly doesn't have as many requests as Sarbengeal, so finding requests is quite difficult.
Considering the size of the town, that is only natural.
However, the Yaunasun guild had a feature unlike any other he had seen.
It was located right next to the Bounty Hunter guild.
The buildings are connected inside, allowing for easy movement between them.
It seems that Yaunasun has quite a few Bounty Hunters.
Because of the heavy traffic on the trade routes, there are quite a few bad people.
Nevertheless, public order is maintained to some extent not only by the guard soldiers and knights but also because these Bounty Hunters are active.
Pickpocketing, purse snatching, and snatch thefts are common, but if someone acts too flamboyantly, a bounty is placed on them.
It is a small amount, ranging from tens of thousands to one hundred thousand Rats, but the Domain Lord becomes the client and places the bounty.
One might think the Domain Lord would go bankrupt, but the system is designed to recover the costs properly.
They are sentenced to very harsh labor for a long time.
From the Domain Lord's perspective, they can obtain cheap labor that can be worked to death, so that is fine.
Of course, the duration of the labor is determined by the bounty amount, so they are released once it ends.
And, of course, not only such petty criminals but also wild bandits and mountain robbers who attack merchant horse carts appear, so bounties are placed on them as well.
It seems that the funds for the bounties are contributed jointly by multiple merchant guilds in addition to the Domain Lord.
So, while there are few requests for adventurers alone, one can earn a decent living by working as a dual-purpose Bounty Hunter.
For this reason, Mika registered with the Bounty Hunter guild just in case.
There could be a situation where he catches someone causing trouble in the town, and it turns out they are a wanted criminal, so he registered beforehand.
Since he is already registered as an adventurer, the procedure is simple.
He just needs to link his guild card at the counter of the Bounty Hunter guild.
But, such things don't happen often, so for now, it has been meaningless.
"――――A few days ago, a merchant cart was attacked again?"
"It seems Zureept did it. ...This time, they killed everyone."
As Mika looks up at the bulletin board, he hears those voices.
"Terrible methods as always. Why haven't they caught them?"
"They have a base across the border, and apparently, they have several in the Trade Alliance too. They keep moving around, so they can't be chased down. Many have been killed in return, so they are simply strong."
It seems a fierce bandit has appeared.
Listening closely, they seem to be dangerous people who move back and forth between the Viscountcy of Orcosa and the Am-Tast Trade Alliance.
The attacked horse carts are usually wiped out, including the escorts.
And then――――.
"Is it true that they use [God's Miracle]?"
"It seems so. Before, they gathered more than ten people in the Trade Alliance (over there) to capture someone, but they were all wiped out."
It seems that bandit uses [God's Miracle].
Listening to the conversation further, it seems they are probably only using [Physical Enhancement].
(I thought it would be a disaster if information about [God's Miracle] leaked, but there are actually people doing bad things like that.)
This is a predicted situation.
Whether they are fallen knights, fallen mages, or some completely different method, I don't know, but if bandits use [Physical Enhancement], it would be tough for ordinary Bounty Hunters.
(Shouldn't the Domain Lord send a knight squad?)
Some knights can also use [Physical Enhancement].
If they don't launch a suppression operation centered around such knights, won't the damage only increase?
(Well, assuming the Domain Lord doesn't mind their own casualties.)
There is no need to think about which side's casualties would hurt the Domain Lord more: the Bounty Hunters or the Domain Lord's knights.
(A few days ago... I was flying over the road, but I didn't notice it was the attack site.)
Was it already dealt with?
Did I miss it?
I saw groups of people gathering on the road, but was one of them that?
Mika crosses his arms and begins to ponder, "Hmm..."
The wanted poster at the Bounty Hunter guild contained detailed information about the fierce bandit named Zureept.
It seems he was originally a wild bandit or mountain robber who operated in the Am-Tast Trade Alliance.
He moved around the Trade Alliance and apparently established a hidden base in the Viscountcy of Orcosa a few years ago.
The horse cart attack a few days ago heard earlier took place on the Trade Alliance side.
It happened on the road connecting Shaksara and Yaunasun.
Regarding [God's Miracle], it was written that they seem to use [Physical Enhancement], but this is listed as unconfirmed and unclear information.
Zureept's method is simply that wiping everyone out is his greatest feature.
There seems to be no direct eyewitness information for the past few years, and the wanted poster's sketch seems to be from more than ten years ago.
However, there is a very clear feature.
Three large cuts on the front of his forehead.
It seems he was tortured after arguing with the people who claimed that land as their territory when he was moving around the Trade Alliance in the past.
Those scars from that time serve as the mark.
Could it be that he couldn't use [Physical Enhancement] back then?
(He moves around everywhere, does whatever he wants as a wild bandit or mountain robber there, and then goes somewhere else, right? That's why he gets into trouble with local bandits, and the guards can't catch him.)
He seems to be a very selfish person.
It seems he has several subordinates, but the number is unknown.
Anyway, he just shows up, causes havoc with his gang, and then leaves.
And after a while, he comes back.
They are quite troublesome people.
So, Mika flew back to the rocky area again.
It was the place where he happened to see a person on his way back from Shaksara.
There is a possibility that an adventurer came to gather, but he felt a bit suspicious.
(I did check the "fixed-rate quests" and gathering requests appearing in Yaunasun just in case, but there was nothing like what would be done at that rocky area. So, who was there and for what purpose?)
There is a high possibility that it was nothing special.
If so, that's fine.
But unless he confirms that it was nothing special, he will feel a bit bothered.
(I've earned a decent amount with my recent work. Even if today is a bust, it's fine.)
Mika has earned about seven hundred thousand Rats in ten days.
He could earn more if he did "Curse-type" work in the Royal Capital, but he shouldn't be greedy.
The monthly income of a general C-rank adventurer is five hundred thousand Rats, about five gold coins.
To earn that much in ten days, what is there to complain about?
Anyway, Mika doesn't need much time to move, so compared to other adventurers, his footwork is on a completely different level.
Taking advantage of this short travel time, he can go a bit far and return with same-day speed resolution.
It is natural that his earning speed is on a different dimension from ordinary adventurers.
"There you are."
He strained his eyes from several hundred meters above and searched for the person at the rocky area.
Since he didn't remember the exact spot where he first saw them, it took a little effort.
"What are you doing?"
The person at the rocky area seems to have not moved from the spot where he first saw them.
Leaning their back against the rock wall, they are just standing there blankly.
Mika observes the surrounding terrain.
The place where the person is located is a rocky area slightly higher than the surroundings.
Rocky areas spread around, and a forest surrounds that rocky area.
As for the forest, it is only surrounded by trees that have almost no leaves.
"A lookout?"
Since it is slightly higher, it would be perfect for a lookout.
Conversely, wouldn't it be hard to see from below because of the rocks blocking the view?
"Hmm..."
He crosses his arms and thinks.
If the person at the rocky area is a lookout, there is likely a base nearby.
But it is not certain.
There is also the possibility that they are just a general person.
"Even if it is a hit, finding the base will be difficult."
If the entrance is hidden behind a rock, he isn't confident he can find it.
"...I'll ask them to guide me. If they are an unrelated person, I'll apologize later."
Mika quietly lands on the rock wall where the person is leaning their back so they cannot see him.
If he had [Detect Presence], he might have been spotted even like this, but that would be fine too.
Mika peeks his head out from above the rock wall to spy on the lookout below.
It seems he hasn't been spotted.
(Just a bit more this way.)
He moves carefully and comes directly above the lookout.
"Stone Bullet."
He whispers so quietly it's barely a sound and creates a "Stone Bullet".
Its size is about the size of a fist.
He intentionally makes the shape rough and jagged.
(Good luck.)
And then, free fall.
The "Stone Bullet" falls with a whoosh.
While calling it free fall, he makes subtle position adjustments.
Clang!
"Igh!?"
He hears the lookout groan, "Kuuu~~..."
"W-Who is it!?"
The lookout shouts a challenge, but of course, he ignores it.
Spying on the lookout secretly, he is pressing the upper part of his right eye and watching the surroundings and the top of the rock wall warily.
It seems to be bleeding from the wound.
"It hurts... damn it! Damn it, damn it!"
The lookout curses and kicks a stone.
(Unlucky to get hurt. If blood gets in your eye, being a lookout is tough, isn't it? So, what should I do?)
He aimed to graze the forehead because it would be troublesome if he knocked them out with a direct hit to the head, but it seems to have gone well.
Now, he can only hope they don't have something extra like a Recovery Potion.
The lookout, cursing and watching the surroundings warily, began to move.
Mika jumps back into the sky and follows the wary lookout without being spotted.
The lookout frequently checks the surroundings and disappears behind a rock shadow.
"Over there...?"
He can't tell just by looking from above, so he lands once at a slightly distant place and spies on the rock shadow where the lookout disappeared.
Using [Big Ear], he picks up any sounds.
"...ha... yo..."
"...mi... ha... ku... ka..."
"...gya... ha... ha..."
He doesn't know what they are saying, but he hears human voices, laughter, and even a voice like an angry shout.
"Whether they are the bandits in question or not, it's certain that someone similar is here."
It's unlikely to be a horizontal cave dwelling.
If he is wrong, he will say "sorry," but he can't imagine this is a normal family home.
"Well, shall I intrude?"
He confirms that [Physical Enhancement] and his magic range are moving without problems.
Mika jumps lightly from rock to rock and stands before the rock shadow where the lookout disappeared.
There, hidden by the rock, was a cave with a hole gaping open.
Voices of men can be heard from the depths of the cave.
It is impossible to tell exactly how many people there are just by sound, but it doesn't seem to be just two or three.
When he enters the cave, it is surprisingly spacious.
Chairs are placed immediately upon entering, but no one is using them now.
(Is it for the lookout?)
The cave continues to the back, with a width of about two meters.
The ceiling was also high.
It feels like walking between two playing cards set up and leaning against each other.
The sound echoes a bit, making it noisy, but Mika's impression is that it's not bad for a base.
As he proceeds through the dim cave, light leaks from the back.
Men's voices echo.
"Give it to me quickly!"
"Gyahahaha! It's because you're an idiot!"
"Really. Can't you even do a proper lookout?"
Mika walks steadily down the corridor as is.
Then, he emerges into a wide space.
At the back is a muscular giant man with a bald head.
The lookout, holding his forehead, pleads for a Recovery Potion.
A small man mocks that lookout and plays with the Recovery Potion in his hand.
There are three other men and four women in ragged attire.
Tattoo-like markings are drawn on the chests of the women.
The room is quite large.
A large table is placed in the center, with food and bottles of alcohol on it.
"Huh!? When did you sneak in, you brat!"
As Mika looks around the hall, one of the men notices him.
He walks forward aggressively and tries to grab Mika's hair, but Mika dodges it lightly.
He walks steadily and approaches one of the women.
The woman looks at Mika with a frightened expression.
She had many bruises on her face and arms.
Looking around, the other women seem to be in a similar state.
"Hey! This brat!"
One of the men lunges, but Mika easily brushes his hand aside and dodges.
Since he has expanded his magic range, he is aware of the movements.
"What are you doing to just one brat!? Catch him quickly!"
The muscular giant shouts loudly.
"You, fidgety little..."
"Kaeeeeeeeeee!"
As Mika skillfully dodges the men's hands and runs around, one of the enraged men draws a knife.
The frightened women scream.
(Well, I think I have a general grasp of the situation.)
If there are no reinforcements despite this commotion, there probably aren't any other allies.
The women are just cowering and running around in fear, so they are not allies of the men.
It seems safe to assume they were captured and forced to obey.
(I don't need to confirm this much when dealing with magic beasts. Indeed, Bounty Hunters dealing with humans are different from adventurers.)
What Salomrassa taught him before was useful.
(What else needs to be confirmed...?)
The muscular giant.
Because he is bald, he cannot confirm the scar on his forehead.
(It feels like he's hiding it, but checking seems troublesome... Well, maybe it doesn't matter if I don't check.)
He is definitely a villain.
I don't know about the underlings, but the muscular giant is probably Dead or Alive.
What Bounty Hunters must be careful about is the condition of the bounty regarding the life or death of the target.
Must they be captured alive, or is it okay if they are dead?
In Yaunasun, there is a very simple way to distinguish this.
If the bounty is one hundred thousand Rats or less, capturing them alive is the condition.
If it is more than that, it is okay if they are dead.
This is the difference between whether the client is only the Domain Lord or if there are clients other than the Domain Lord.
When the Domain Lord places a bounty to catch petty criminals, the purpose is maintaining public order and securing labor power.
Therefore, if they are killed, labor power cannot be secured.
So, they will not pay the bounty.
And, clients other than the Domain Lord are attached only to quite serious villains.
Villains who rob merchant carts have multiple merchant guilds jointly placing large bounties.
For the merchant guilds, it is enough if the villains disappear, so life or death does not matter.
When placing a bounty of this type, of course, it is issued with the Domain Lord's consent.
Merchant guilds alone cannot simply say "It's okay to kill."
The fact that a bounty is placed means someone will pay that bounty.
No matter how bad a villain they are, if no one says "I'll pay money, so catch that guy," no bounty will be placed.
Well, normally, doing bad things creates enemies, and if you keep repeating it, someone will say "I'll pay money, so catch that guy."
So, there is no way a large bounty is not placed on this muscular giant.
It's judging by appearance, which is bad, but...
Mika jumps onto the table.
At that moment, the muscular giant is enveloped in a heat haze.
"Useless bastards! ...Do you know who you made angry, this brat!?"
"Are you an idiot? How would I know? Who are you?"
Mika answers with a bored expression.
The muscular giant trembles while gathering strength in his whole body.
"You probably don't know about a brat from such a backwater, but if you mention Lord Zureept, even the authorities in the Trade Alliance run away."
Yes, the muscular giant flashes a creepy smile.
Mika hears this and can't help but sigh.
(Okay, Zureept confirmed. By the way, do you introduce yourself like that...?)
He calls himself "Lord," so how strong is his desire for self-display.
As Mika shrugs in disbelief, Zureept's arm moves quickly.
He tries to grab Mika, reaching out with his large hands to grab Mika's body.
I don't know how many times he enhanced himself, but it seems to exceed double.
"Oh my."
But Mika dodges it with a backstep.
The underlings who were around the table stretch out their arms to stop Mika on the table.
"Yo-ho, ta."
Mika, who is aware of even that through his magic range, moves quickly and dodges skillfully.
"Brat! I'll kill you!!!"
Zureept shouts, raises both arms, and slams them onto the table.
Dogaaaaaan!
"Kaeeeeee!"
A terrible impact sound echoes through the hall, and the table splits in two.
The women, frightened by the impact sound, scream.
"Oh, o...!?"
Mika loses his footing and momentarily loses his balance.
"Dieeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!"
Not missing that opening, Zureept charges through the broken table.
[Author's Note]
Thank you to everyone who has been reading my work.
Many more people have been reading since the other day, and I have no words of gratitude.
Therefore, to express my gratitude to everyone who supports me daily, I have prepared a short story of gratitude... No, not a gratitude punch... I have prepared a short story.
It's a bit for my own change of pace as well...
The content is a story set in a completely different world from this work.
The tone and volume are light, just enough to read to pass the time.
While keeping a heartwarming series in mind, it somehow turned into a story with a "The details don't matter!" vibe.
I hope you can enjoy it a little during the New Year's period when you might be bored.
For those who are busy during the New Year's period, I hope you read it as a short break, distraction, or change of pace in between.
Scheduled for release on December 25th at 21:00.
Currently, the plan is to release one chapter every day, totaling about 6 to 7 chapters.
The title is "When I Fell into Another World, I Became a Familiar of a Beautiful Older Sister ~Apparently I Died Once, But Anyway, I'm Fine~"
I would be happy if you could enjoy it a little.
Then, a bit early, "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New Year."
Ryuto Knight