Read Novel Full Vol 24 Chapter 19
Vol 24 Chapter 19
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Chapter 19 – Jumping Into the Fire
I watched as the temporary shop opened and became so packed that it was a complete madhouse. Then, Simon-san from the Commerce Guild staff rushed in. Apparently, a large bandit group was targeting Gothenburg, which had just begun to recover from its previous devastation. I frowned at the serious situation. Donatella-san’s reaction was different, though.
“Even though they’re bandits, they’re attacking boldly in broad daylight, aren’t they?”
From atop Gothenburg’s battered outer walls, I called out to Felipe, the guildmaster of the adventurers’ guild, who was waiting beside me in the summoned rubber boat.
“Yeah, with that many of them, they probably think night raids are too much trouble. More importantly, are you sure you don’t need to evacuate?”
I see. There are thousands of them—over five thousand, according to the guildmaster—so the bandits probably aren’t considering losing at all.
Since Gothenburg is in such disrepair, the bandits can invade from anywhere. The bandits must have gathered intelligence on that.
They’re also aware of our presence. They might be planning to seize the Stronghold.
To put it bluntly, they’re underestimating us.
If we had mixed in some high-ranking monsters with the ones we transported, they might not have attacked so easily. Unfortunately, the monsters we release are all low-level, small fry that even slightly skilled hunters could take down.
I understand why the bandits thought they could defeat us with those monsters.
I regret that we didn’t show more strength; perhaps they wouldn’t have attacked. However, Donatella-san and the others are thrilled to have useful people working for free, so I’m torn.
Even unpaid labor incurs costs, such as food. Apparently, though, monster meat can cover all that.
The Gothenburg group—no, the Donatella-san group—is lying in wait, ready to take action. The bandits are marching boldly forward and probably haven’t considered that possibility.
Gilmas, who suggested our evacuation, probably shares the bandits’ mindset.
He knows that Alessia-san and the others will fight, and I’ve told him how strong they are. Still, words alone can’t seem to dispel his anxiety.
I considered staging a mock battle to prove it, but revealing their true strength might scare the bandits away entirely. That’s why the information shared was deliberately restrained. It can’t be helped.
“There’s no need to evacuate. Gilmas and the others, just focus on securing the bandits that Alessia-san and the others have defeated.”
Originally, only I was supposed to stand by on the Stronghold.
However, when Ines, Felicia, and Alessia-san began to fight, I insisted that I couldn’t just hide away on the ship.
I pleaded that if Alessia-san and the others got into trouble, I could create a refuge by summoning the ship. I fought hard for this position.
It’s just a matter of waiting on the Stronghold versus waiting on a rubber boat atop the outer walls. Still, I wish someone would appreciate my resolve to stand in the midst of human conflict.
“Well, we’ve got that covered, but if things get dire, we’ll fight too. We can’t just stand by and let Gothenburg fall into the hands of bandits.”
“We’ll definitely need your help if it comes to that.”
We considered evacuating the populace, but it was too dangerous to get them out of town. Plus, making multiple trips by ship would be too time-consuming and wasteful. The people have gathered and are waiting at several evacuation points around Gothenburg.
Alessia-san and the others seem utterly confident of victory. However, that very confidence is becoming a source of unease, as if it were a bad omen.
In the worst-case scenario, the adventurers guarding the shelters and any able-bodied men can fight the bandits and buy time for everyone to escape.
It’s a gamble, but they believe total annihilation can be avoided since quite a few people are staying in Gothenburg.
“Yeah, leave it to me.”
While talking with Gilmas, the bandits approached and stopped in a clearly visible position.
“Damn. They’ve got someone over there who understands bow range, too. They’re not just a rabble after all.”
Gilmas muttered, his face tense.
I see. Marina-san could probably easily shoot arrows past the entire group, but that range seems to be standard for a bow.
“Ah!”
Suddenly, a fireball flew from the bandits’ position, landing just before the gate and exploding.
“They’ve got mages, too? This is bad. Wataru-dono, you should at least prepare to escape.”
Prepare to escape? What escape? My body is strapped to the rubber boat to keep me from falling out accidentally.
The only ones who are free inside the rubber boat are Rimu and Pent. They were deemed too unreliable to hold back against people, so they were left behind.
I’m considering taking care of Fuu-chan and Beni-chan, too. Since they’re fine as long as they don’t fight, though, they’re just sitting on top of Dorothea-san’s and Marina-san’s heads. They really are relaxed.
Given the situation, the fear of needing to pee is scarier than the fear of escaping.
Still, my senses are pretty messed up.
It was probably some kind of fireball magic, but when I saw the explosion, I thought, “That’s pretty weak.”
Even when our ladies go easy, I think their attacks are several times more powerful than that fireball.
Take Ines’s or Ilma-san’s flames, for example. Even though they’re only about the size of a ping-pong ball, they cause explosions incomparably larger than impact magic.
Monsters are often reduced to minced or turned to ash, not just torn to shreds, so they rarely use it.
I was definitely tense, but now that I see the situation, I understand why Donatella-san looked so composed.
That said, she is gathering the slave traders in the rear and taking command.
Since these are criminal slaves, not debt slaves with properly defined terms through the God of Commerce-sama’s contract, it seems the plan is to enslave them immediately upon capture.
I’m not entirely sure, but apparently, when dealing with clearly identified criminals, the detailed procedures can be postponed. The requirement for formal paperwork later is likely the God of Commerce-sama’s safety net.
This situation makes it clear that Donatella-san doesn’t see them as bandits. She views them as human resources.
“Now then, as you can see, our side has many skilled individuals among these men. We also have more than one mage. If you surrender your wealth, food, and women, we’ll treat you reasonably kindly. We are merciful, after all. Ah, I almost forgot—there should be someone here who owns a giant ship. Don’t forget to hand that over, too.”
A man who seemed to be the leader of the bandits stepped forward and loudly urged us to surrender.
At the word “merciful,” the bandits erupted in crude laughter.
The fact that the word “merciful” evokes laughter suggests that this is a pretty dysfunctional group. While some may have joined the bandits out of desperation, the core members are probably just lowlifes.
Am I being forgotten here, too? Am I being treated as an afterthought? It’s quietly shocking, you know?
While I’m still reeling from the shock, the flimsy, hastily repaired gate at Gothenburg opens, and Ines, Felicia, and Alessia-san step out.
The bandits cheer at the appearance of this group of beauties.
I proposed a plan to deploy the Hideaway and launch a one-sided attack from within, but it was rejected because bypassing the ship would defeat the purpose, and taking them down would take too long.
Then, I suggested that we attack the bandits ourselves to prevent them from bypassing us. That was rejected, too, because taking prisoners, transporting them, and treating them would be too much trouble.
I voiced my concern that we were becoming overconfident because of the high level of the female members, urging caution. However, the response was a cold, severe analysis of our combat strength.
Apparently, even with five S-rank members on the bandits’ side, we could handle it. Additionally, Marina-san had already conducted reconnaissance and reported that the bandit boss and his close aides were only at the B- to C-rank level.
In other words, it would be too much trouble, but Alessia-san alone could handle it if she wanted to.
She said that, since letting them into town would cause trouble, they would all go out to fight. However, since putting them to sleep gently would be difficult, they would use excessive force, meaning everyone.
Honestly, I don’t know what else to say. Still, worry is worry, so I came all this way, though part of me understands it’s probably just pointless concern.
“Ahaha, the first thing you’ll do is hand over the women, right? Fine. We, being merciful, swear to respond to that wise decision with appropriate kindness. First, drop your weapons, kneel, and welcome us into the town.”
The bandits interpret Alessia-san and the others’ arrival as a sign of surrender and get excited.
But no, the women weren’t offered up. They are the reaper’s scythe for the bandits. Well, apparently, she doesn’t kill them; she just puts them to sleep. It’s a one-way ticket to forced labor.
I owe them no obligation to tell the truth. Let them experience it firsthand and despair.
The women, having no intention of indulging the bandits’ idle chatter, split into two groups.
One group: Alessia-san, Ilma-san, Claretta-san, and Ines.
The other group consisted of: Dorothea-san, Marina-san, Carla-san, and Felicia.
Alessia-san’s group spread out to guard the outer wall and waited.
Meanwhile, Dorothea-san’s group lined up behind Carla-san, who held a large shield in front of her.
Then, Carla-san charged toward the bandits.
The bandits were startled by this sudden turn of events and began to shout. They thought she would surrender, but instead, she charged right at them—no wonder they’re flustered.
Carla-san makes contact with the bandits.
“People can actually fly like that?”
Rather than bowling pins, the bandits float up into the air like dandelion fluff dancing in the wind, then thud back down to the ground.
“Nah, they can’t fly. More like they’re just getting blown away, right? Weren’t we supposed to catch them?”
“I think they’re injured, but I don’t think they’re dead.”
I had the same question when I heard the plan, but apparently, Carla-san’s shield skill is incredible. It can blow enemies away without actually hitting them.
The fall damage after being blown away is still the same, but unless they hit something really hard, they shouldn’t die. So they should be alive… Probably.
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