Read Novel Full Vol 24 Chapter 20
Vol 24 Chapter 20
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Chapter 20 – Reconstruction Progress
A five-thousand-strong band of bandits has set its sights on the port town of Gothenburg. Standing in their way are beautiful maidens. Determined to protect the town by capturing the attacking bandits and forcing them to work like cart horses, the maidens prepare for battle. The first strike comes from Carla-san, who sends the bandits flying with surprising ease. How will the battle unfold?
“A nice, straight path has been cleared, hasn’t it?”
From atop the outer wall, the path they took straight through the bandits is clearly visible.
Carla-san and the others have passed through and spread out in a fan formation.
The bandits probably couldn’t understand their strategy, but it wasn’t an encirclement; it was merely the groundwork for a drive-in.
Scattering them would make finishing them off difficult, so the plan seems to be to semi-encircle them, drive them toward the center, and eliminate them one by one.
They didn’t appear to have enough numbers to corner a group of five thousand, but they were actually just a school of sardines driven into a tight cluster by a pod of orcas.
The bandits probably don’t realize they’ve been driven into a hopeless situation.
However, the bandits were thrown into utter chaos when a clear path was cut straight through the center of their group. They had been confident of victory.
It’s no wonder they’re confused, given that their leader—the one who arrogantly demanded our surrender first—was sent flying through the air in spectacular fashion. But Gilmas next to me seems flustered, too.
He’d heard they were strong, but this… The Northern Continent is… No, this should be a good thing, he mutters to himself.
It was only Carla-san charging in, but that alone must have made the difference in strength painfully clear. As the guild master, he should be quite powerful himself.
Our female members were already formidable to begin with, and then they surpassed even that level, becoming exceptional. So it’s understandable that even Gilmas couldn’t have anticipated their strength.
Alessia-san says that only those who have reached the clouds themselves can see the view above them.
Her words sounded arrogant, so I tried not to let my guard down. Apparently, though, they were a quote from a powerful figure from the past.
That person must have been incredible, but they probably got their comeuppance.
“What the hell is that? A barrier? How wide of an area is it covering?!”
As I contemplated the fate of the arrogant, I heard Gilmas’s shocked voice echo out.
Looking ahead, I saw a translucent wall towering behind the bandits. As Gilmas said, the barrier covered a vast area, completely encircling the five thousand bandits in a semicircle.
I didn’t know if the barrier could be destroyed, but to escape, the bandits would have to run to Gothenburg’s outer walls, enter the city, and flee from there.
However, that’s impossible since Alessia-san and the others are guarding the outer wall.
Still, Gilmas did call it a barrier.
When it comes to barriers, though, it’s Felicia. I didn’t know she could do something like that. She only uses the Ship Summoning barrier when fighting on ships and to shield me on land, so I hadn’t realized it.
I see. That explains why Alessia-san and the others were so confident about not letting a single bandit escape—they factored in Felicia’s barrier.
If they were thinking about the town’s safety, I wish they had set the barrier along the outer wall. However, I suppose they deemed preventing the bandits from escaping to be more important.
Maybe they thought a scaredy-cat like me would request a barrier along the outer wall if I found out.
I can’t deny that.
Oh! Alessia-san drew her sword and swung it as if aiming for the sky.
A slash flew along the trajectory of the sword and exploded in midair.
It’s a technique I often see used to slay monsters in the open sea. I can accept the flying slash, but the explosion part still baffles me, no matter how many times I see it.
“Wouldn’t firing that slash into the bandit group finish them off?”
Gilmas mutters. But doing so would turn the bandits into mincemeat, so it’s probably not an option.
Signaled by Alessia-san’s explosion, the group surrounding the perimeter, led by Dorothea-san, sprang into action. The orcas had begun their hunt.
Suddenly, a wide-area lightning strike slammed into the bandits. Stunned by the lightning, the bandits fell, flopping to the ground. From the start of the fight, their numbers seemed to have decreased by about a third.
That lightning was Felicia.
I had heard that she would unleash the lightning strike first. This attack serves as a screening process. Those unable to withstand her weaker lightning strike are deemed common folk who have turned to banditry because they lack the strength to fight.
Those who are still standing after the strike are those who have leveled up sufficiently and can fight.
Into this already chaotic situation, the lightning strikes, further throwing them into disarray. The women charge in.
Was it a sardine bowl? It must feel like an orca charging into a ball of sardines.
The bandits scatter, being kicked aside.
…Beforehand, I was terribly worried, but I finally understood how Donatella-san could remain so composed.
Rampage.
Few sights could be more convincing than the one before my eyes if one were to explain the meaning of this word.
Wait, are the girls using weapons or magic?
They advanced as if walking through an empty field. Wherever they passed, bandits collapsed one after another.
Even Claretta-san, who isn’t in the combat class, is having the same effect. There must be a vast power disparity.
The girls are literally putting the bandits to sleep. Those knocked flying by Carla-san are probably taking the most damage.
“Gilmas. Isn’t it about time?”
I call out to Gilmas, who, like me, has been staring blankly at the trampled bandits.
The situation has already reached its final stage.
The bandits, cornered and surrounded by the girls, were pushed to the center of the battlefield. They frantically readied their weapons.
They had absolutely no chance of making a comeback, but they seemed like a stubborn bunch, trying to make a last-ditch effort.
Specifically, the scoundrels realized the girls had no intention of killing them and were using their fallen comrades as hostages.
As the girls tried to approach, the bandits fired at their fallen comrades. The girls blocked the attacks—it was a baffling situation, yet an undeniable stalemate had formed.
I thought Felicia’s barrier might be able to handle this, but the fact that she hadn’t used it suggested that she either couldn’t or wouldn’t.
Alessia-san and the others could probably handle it, but they showed no sign of moving. It’s unclear whether they don’t intend to force a solution or have some reason of their own.
In any case, we should quickly retrieve the fallen bandits while we have the chance. They’re in the way, after all.
“Ah, yeah, I kinda got caught up watching. Let’s start collecting these fallen fools! Got it? Some might be pretending to be knocked out. Always work in pairs and restrain them carefully. Once you’ve restrained them, just leave them lying there. The porters will collect them! All right, let’s get started!
At Gilmas’s signal, the Gothenburg defensive forces, who had been standing idle until now, began to move.
The division of labor was clear: Those capable of fighting restrained the bandits, while the untrained carried them. This facilitated the smooth recovery of the bandits.
Slave traders were waiting at the destination, so escape was no longer an option.
“Don’t come any closer! If you do, I’ll kill him!”
One bandit had the other in a bear hug while another held a sword to the first bandit’s throat. Are they stupid?
Before anyone could react, all three bandits flew through the air in a burst of flames: the one being held hostage, the one in the bear hug, and the one holding the sword.
It looks like Ines did that.
Well, that makes sense. The female members were helping them, so maybe the bandits mistakenly thought the hostage was valuable. As long as they’re alive and able to work, there’s no reason to hesitate about attacking the hostage along with the others.
They were only protecting them, gently putting them to sleep to avoid the hassle of treating their injuries later.
From there, it was quick.
For the bandits, taking their comrades hostage was their last hope. Seeing that hope brutally shattered broke their spirit, and they fled.
But escape was impossible now. The bandits collapsed, gently laid to rest by the girls.
In the end, our side suffered no casualties. The massacre, called the “bandit extermination,” came to a close.
Leaving behind five thousand laborers…
＊＊＊
Results of the Bandit Suppression.
Approximately 5,000 prisoners and slaves were secured.
200 of these were secured at the Toyoumi Trading Company’s Southern Continent Branch.
Another 1,500 violent criminals were assigned to the Adventurers’ Guild from the remaining 4,800. They will be sent to perform dangerous labor outside.
The remaining 3,300 were assigned to Gothenburg, where they will perform forced labor and atone for their crimes.
After interrogation, the location of the bandits’ hideout was revealed. Our female members and volunteers from Gothenburg raided this location.
The remaining bandits at the hideout were gently put to sleep and secured. The captive civilians and looted goods were rescued and brought to Gothenburg as well.
＊＊＊
“The reconstruction is progressing at an incredible pace, isn’t it?”
I’d thought reconstruction had been proceeding smoothly up until now, but several days after the battle with the bandits ended, I realized the speed had increased dramatically.
“We’ve gained about five thousand more people who can work not for their own livelihoods, but for the town. If we manage them efficiently, reconstruction will advance.”
Donatella-san responded as if it were obvious, but I felt like she was saying something pretty scary.
“Don’t worry. Just because they’re criminal slaves doesn’t mean we’re working them to death. We provide them with proper food and sleeping quarters, and they get breaks and days off. The only thing they lack is freedom.”
“No freedom” is a scary phrase, but they’re criminal slaves, so that’s just how it is. I don’t know the details, but in Japan, going to prison means losing a lot of freedom. Having breaks and days off makes these criminal slaves quite fortunate.
The bandits deemed the worst criminals seem to be in even harsher conditions. Considering the terrible things they did, I think they’re even lucky to be alive.
When I heard about the bandits’ hideout, I thought they deserved the death penalty.
Also, during the battle, there was a strange stalemate, and it turns out there was a reason for it.
The female members had deliberately left the most capable fighters for last, which created the stalemate. Apparently, a unit was observing the bandits’ subsequent actions from the outer walls and assessing the danger level.
The bandits who captured hostages and fled are now being held by the Adventurers’ Guild as dangerous individuals.
In any case, having secured a large number of laborers, the town of Gothenburg began its reconstruction with tremendous momentum.
At this rate, the reconstruction project might slip from our hands sooner than expected. When that happens, it’ll be time to party with the God of Light-sama and the other goddesses!
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