Chapter 22: Bandit Attack

Inevitably, after much discussion, it was decided that Sir Richard would head out alone to conduct reconnaissance.

“…I’m worried.”

“Haha, I won’t overdo it.
Even if I do get hurt, I’ll manage to make it back to you somehow, Ellen.”

“Please don’t get hurt.”

Recently, bandits had begun appearing along the road ahead of us.

If that road was blocked, continuing onward would require a major detour.

For merchants, it was an enormous inconvenience, and apparently there were even villages that had become isolated because of it.

The response from nearby knight orders was expected to be delayed, and it was precisely because of such conditions that the bandits might be active.

Under those circumstances, Sir Richard set out alone to scout the mountain in question.

Those of us left behind could do nothing but pray for his safety.

“Do you think he’ll really be alright?”

“We have no choice but to trust him, but let’s do what we can on our end too.”

“What we can do?”

I tilted my head and looked at Annabel, the female head of the Librau Merchant Guild.

“The place where we think the bandits are holed up is actually pretty close to this village.”

So it wasn’t deep in the mountains.
Which meant—

“We do have guards with us, but there’s a chance the bandits could attack the village while Sir Richard is away, passing by him without crossing paths, right?”

“What…!?”

That was something I would have liked to discuss while he was still here.

“So what should we do?”

“We’ll set up some simple barricades.”

Conflicts between nearby villages and bandits weren’t really something we were obligated to intervene in.

We were worried, as any decent people would be, and we wanted to resolve it for our own goals and interests as well.

But it wasn’t worth risking our lives.

Under those conditions, Sir Richard going alone on reconnaissance was just barely an acceptable plan, made possible by his confidence and ability.

“Can I help too?”

“Of course.”

The village was enclosed by a wooden fence.
It was a measure against magical beasts.

But compared to well-developed towns elsewhere, the fence felt unreliable.

If they wanted proper protection, they would transport materials and build brick walls.

What we were doing now was only meant to make the area easier to defend and counterattack in case of battle.

Naturally, the Librau Merchant Guild had acquired the materials by purchasing them or exchanging goods.

“Are you used to doing things like this?”

“Well, the magical beast crisis made the Grandra territory famous, but damage like this happens everywhere.
Even during camping trips, you know.”

“I see.”

What we were doing now was similar to countermeasures against magical beasts or bandits during field camps.

We set up simple barricades centered around the merchant wagons.

Using them as shields, we would fight back against any attackers.

Still, were there really bandits in numbers large enough to attack a village?

From the information we had, it sounded like a sizable group.

If they kept attacking merchants in the same area, a knight order would eventually be dispatched.

Once that happened, they would surely be wiped out, and in fact, requests to the knight orders had already been sent.

The bandits must have known that as well.

Which meant that sooner or later, they would decide this place was too dangerous and flee elsewhere.

“If they realize the knights aren’t coming anytime soon, they might seize the chance to attack the village and then escape somewhere afterward.”

Annabel raised the worst-case scenario.

Hearing her concern, I felt a tense, unpleasant air settle over us.

“…It would be good to have stones ready for throwing too.”

“Oh?
You’re fired up, Miss Ellen.”

We secured more stones and other items suitable for throwing.

It felt almost like a game of war, but there was a palpable tension in the work.

I prayed that Sir Richard would be safe.

…and then.

My bad premonition came true.

“…They’re here.”

A group that clearly wasn’t made up of ordinary people appeared from the mountain side.
A fully armed group, at that.

The only saving grace was that they weren’t carrying Sir Richard’s corpse or anything like that.

It seemed he had missed them, passing by without encountering them.

That meant if we could buy time, Sir Richard should eventually return.

So what we needed to do here was stall the bandits.

“Magical beasts have appeared!
They are humanoid werewolves!
There is no need for mercy!
All units, prepare to attack!
As planned, we will kill every last one of them!
The knight order will arrive soon!
Until then, let’s kill as many of them as we can!”

I shouted at the top of my lungs, taking an intimidating stance.

If they underestimated us, they would only smirk at us with confidence.

To buy time, we had to show them clearly that we intended to fight back.

“Begin the attack!”

Shouting loudly, I stepped forward and cast magic.

What set my healing magic apart from others was that when I poured all my mana into it, a torrent of golden light erupted.

This time, I wasn’t healing anyone.
I simply invoked the magic to produce light.

In other words, it was a flash.
A visual threat meant to blind the bandits.

“Ugh…!?”

Until just moments ago, the bandits had been slowly approaching, brandishing their weapons as if to instill fear in us.

They seemed to be enjoying our reaction.

Then came my shout.

The surprise was obvious from their expressions.

And after their vision was stolen by the unexpected light—

“…Throw stones!
Now!”

I called out to my allies, who were still clustered together and slow to react.

I grabbed a suitable stone, a small one easy to throw, and hurled it at them.

…Unfortunately, it didn’t reach them.
It was too light.

But my intent, or perhaps my resolve, seemed to get through.

Annabel immediately picked up where I left off.

“Target the werewolf pack!
Those things aren’t human, they’re magical beasts!
Don’t think they’ll die easily!
Kill them one by one!
Crush their arms, blind their eyes, destroy their ears, slit their throats!
Put arrows through their hearts!”

Following her words, the guards raised their weapons and let out battle cries.

“Uooooo!”

I grabbed a pot among the goods on the wagon and banged on it with all my strength, clanging loudly again and again.

By making such a racket, it would be easier for the villagers to realize the emergency, giving them time to flee, and possibly even bringing help from the local militia.

Annabel also sent one of the guild members running to warn the village.

Now the situation should reach the villagers as well.

…In truth, we couldn’t really count on help from the knight order.

The best outcome would be for the bandits to lose their nerve at our resistance and retreat.

Failing that, Sir Richard would notice something was wrong and return.

And the fact that his strength was worth a thousand men.

That alone was our salvation.

And so, a small merchant caravan began a small defensive battle to protect a small village.