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Because the entrance was narrow, Culotte went in first to check if there were any lookouts. After that, Supervia, Arogan, Scola, and Firuma entered in that order. Rei entered last.
「……It’s narrow.」
In the cave, it was only wide enough for two people to walk side by side. There was only enough space for one person to fight freely.
Checking the situation, Rei spoke.
「Supervia, Arogan, Firuma and Scola, follow me. As for Culotte, her top priority is to secure the prisoners. After that, she will hide herself in the shadows of the lookout.」
「……A little while ago, Arogan vomited in the shadows……」
Though Culotte said that displeased, thinking about having to fight in the forest to protect the merchants, who were probably amateurs at fighting, she decided to hide herself in the end.
「Okay, let’s go. It’s a race against time with this. If you find a bandit, kill them without hesitation. If you delay, they’ll warn their fellow bandits, so if possible, kill them before they say anything. ……I will launch a surprise attack at the place they are partying. The fight shouldn’t take too long.」
Everyone nodded at Rei’s words, Culotte advanced to the right passageway were the prison was.
Rei saw that before quickly taking the middle passageway while trying to make as little noise as possible……
「-!?」
As Supervia approached the front, Rei waved his hand to stop him.
「Here they are.」
「Number of enemies?」
「I haven’t counted but there should be roughly 30 bandits as Culotte said. Almost everyone is drunk, but there are also some who aren’t.」
「Okay, the first time, you two took out the lookouts in the preemptive attack. This time, I’ll participate. I, Scola and Firuma will attack with magic and arrows to throw the bandits into confusion. Using the confusion, Supervia and Arogan will move in, I’ll stay back to protect the back line.」
Everyone nodded at Rei’s instructions, Supervia and Arogan prepared their weapons, ready to rush in at any time. Firuma set up her bow and Scola started to cast a spell.
Rei saw that and returned the Mithril Knife, which was hard to maneuver in the cave, to his waist and took out the Death Scythe, which was also a magic casting tool.
『Flame, burn the enemy according to my thoughts.』
At the same time, he said an incantation. A 30cm diameter fireball appeared in front of Rei, rapidly raising the temperature.
Rei glanced at Scola for a moment, he nodded back when he had finished his incantation.
『Fireball.』
First to be released was Rei’s fireball. It hit the center of a group of 5 people who were drinking. The first bandit to be hit by the fireball burned up in an instant, his life promptly leaving him. The bandits who were around the man hit by the fireball received both small and large burns.
「What? Enemy attack!? Everyone……」
A man near the burning bandits tried to order an interception at once, but was shot in the head by Firuma’s arrow.
「Enemy attack, it’s an enemy attack! Stop them!」
As expected, even though they were drunk, they realised that they were being attacked. A man with a huge body, who seemed to be the leader, shouted instructions from the back of the room.
Men in the vicinity with swords, axes and clubs, obeyed the order and turned towards the entrance to the hall. However, as if waiting for that, Scola’s magic was cast.
『Wind Blow』
An invisible fist made of wind. The closest bandits were beaten down by several dozen wind fists.
Though it’s killing power was nowhere near Rei’s fireball, it had several times the range compared to fireball.
「Ahhhh! It’s a monster, a monster is attacking!」
Beaten by the wind fists, a man who saw his friend hit in the stomach before falling down unconscious involuntarily yelled out.
His words that there was a monster only further confused the bandits.
「This idiot. There are no monsters that use wind and fire magic around here! Besides, there’s an enemy using a bow. Get a grip on yourselves!」
The leader shouted, however, it was no easy task to restore order to those who had fallen into confusion. If they were trained soldiers or adventurers then maybe, but not for bandits.
And……
「Go!」
At the same time as Rei’s sharp shout, Supervia and Arogan plunged in the bandits with their weapons.
「Hah, damn. I’ll do it. I’ll do it!」
While partially in desperation……no, Arogan had finally resolved himself to kill people. Using his magic sword, he slashed the belly of a nearby bandit.
「Gyaa~!」
As expected of a magic sword, a single slash cut the body of the bandit into top and bottom without any resistance.
The male bandit died while splattering his offal and blood into the surroundings, Arogan experienced killing someone for the first time in his life.
「Arogan, don’t become absent minded. There’s still enemies!」
Supervia shouted while driving his long sword into a nearby bandit’s head and hurling a dagger at a bandit who was trying to ready a bow.
As for Arogan, he understood Supervia’s worried words and knew it wasn’t the time to fight about it. He wielded his magic sword desperately against the bandits.
To support the two, Scola attacked with wind and water magic. At the same time, Firuma covered the two who were fighting at the front by shooting arrows given the wind attribute from her magic bow.
「Hey, first take out the 3 people at the back!」
According to their leader’s instructions, several bandits jumped at Scola and Firuma, however……
「If there’s this much space, there’s no problem.」
Holding the Death Scythe, Rei block the bandits.
「Get out of the way you damn brat!」
Receiving a surprise attack in the middle of their feast followed by fear and anxiety as their friends were killed, they were filled with anger. A male bandit, with bloodshot eyes, swung his axe down at Rei’s head, who was standing in the way to protect Scola and Firuma.
Though Rei was holding a huge scythe, his height was only up to the bandit’s chest, he also seemed to have a delicate build. He was convinced that he could kill Rei in a single blow.
But……
「It’s 3rd class to judge people by their appearance.」
Kin~! With a metallic sound, the falling axe head hit the blade of the Death Scythe.
……No. Rather than blocking it, the axe that was swung at the magic boosted blade of the Death Scythe went past it. It snapped right in two from the weight of the magic boosted Death Scythe.
「Impossible!」
Seeing a scene he did not expect, Rei’s Death Scythe cut down like the grim reaper at the bandit who was frozen in shock.
「Gah~!」
The bandit’s body was cut, split into top and bottom as his life left him.
(That said, I don’t know what will happen in this melee. I should use it just in case of an emergency.)
Inwardly muttering, he activated the skill he had recently learned.
「Magic Shield!」
At the same time Rei triggered the skill, a shield of light appeared. The shield would move as to not interfere with Rei’s attacks, it would also move automatically to protect him if he was attacked.
「Rei, that was……」
Though Firuma raised a voice of surprise at Rei’s magic shield, judging that there was no time, she immediately notched an arrow and shot a bandit that was heading for Arogan.
While some of the bandits were beginning to recover from the confusion, it was still hard to say if they had fully recovered. After all, the men had drank a lot of alcohol, because of their intoxication, they couldn’t sober up immediately as the enemy came.
Whether Arogan and Supervia understood it or not, they tried to end it quickly. The magic sword cut an enemy in two while the long sword cut off necks and limbs.
「Damn, they have considerable skill. And there’s even 2 mages? Isn’t this overkill for a bandit subjugation!」
The leader spat out as he looked at the three people who were blocking the exit from the hall.
「You with the bow! Take out the guy blocking the entrance!」
According to the leader’s instructions, several bandits drew their bows fully and aimed at Rei.
「I see, I see, then let’s do this. Flying Slash!」
Rei didn’t miss hearing the leader’s instruction and wielded the big Death Scythe while invoking the skill.
The slash flew forward, slashing 3 bandits who had readied their bows.
Though it’s level wasn’t at a stage where it could kill in a single blow, it could still give a large wound, having the same effect as a bow in this battle wasn’t possible.
「Rei!」
A voice like a scream came from Firuma’s mouth. It was because she saw a bandit aiming a bow at Rei while hiding behind the dead bodies of his companions.
Though she aimed her bow at the bandit, it was a moment too late and the arrow had already been fired.
Firuma’s arrow immediately pierced the head of the bandit who had shot the arrow, killing him. However, it wasn’t possible to stop the fired arrow. The figure of Rei pierced by the arrow flashed through her mind. But.
「Don’t worry, there are no problems here.」
To Firuma, who had her eyes shut, Rei’s usual calm voice was heard.
Firuma question the scene that appeared in front of her as she opened her eyes, the magic shield blocked the arrow before disappearing into mist.
「You understand? First give priority to reducing the number of enemies. The bandits are slowly recovering from their confusion.」
「Eh, yes.」
Nodding, Firuma gathered her thoughts together and looked towards the hall.
(Because it’s inside a cave, the power of the wind spirits are weak. Still, there’s a danger if I use the power of the spirits of the land carelessly……no, I should interfere with ground rather than the cave itself.
『Spirits of the land, Earth Spear!』
The spirits of the land responded to Firuma’s call, 1m long earthen spears with sharp points like swords sprung up from the bandits feet.
「Uwaa~!」
「Hey, what is that!?」
「Damn, what is happening!」
「Retreat, get out of the way!」
Seeing several companions stabbed by earthen spears that had suddenly come out from the ground, the bandits fell into confusion again.
The new confusion that came about just as they had recovered from the confusion of the surprise attack brought the bandits to despair.
「Uooooohhhhh!」
Seeing a friend pierced by a earthen spear from below, a bandit instinctively jumped back. Arogan raised a shout as he stabbed the nearby bandit.
In addition, while leaving his companion to fight Arogan and Supervia, there was a bandit who didn’t want to stay here any longer and ran towards the exit of the hall, however……
『Ice Needle』
He fell to the ground as his whole body was skewered by dozens of ice needles launched by Scola.
「Damn, hey. You and you. Come with me. Don’t let those guys see you.」
While almost in a state of panic, the bandits near the exit of the hall where mowed down by Scola’s magic, Firuma’s arrows and Rei’s huge scythe. Meanwhile, the leader ordered his aides in lowered tones.
Maybe the two understood what their leader was thinking. Giving a small nod, they erased their signs and moved to the interior of the cave.
A secret only the leader and his aides knew. That is, a secret escape path from the hall.
In the case of an emergency, only they would survive at the expense of their subordinates. Because of this, the secret passage leading to the outside of the hall was concealed at the beginning when this place was decided to be their stronghold.
The of bandits left in the hall were already down to 10. Most had yet to sober up from their intoxication. They began to attack the party that had launched the surprise attack in partial desperation. As for the people who knew about the passageway, other than the leader’s group, the rest were all dead. If they could quickly escape from here, they could reorganize the bandit group from scratch.
While thinking that in his mind, so as to be not noticed by the people rampaging in the hall, the leader moved further into the cave.
However, naturally, there was someone who wouldn’t miss this.
「……There are 7 people left in the hall. Can you manage them?」
「Eh? Yes. Though it should be okay……why this all of a sudden?」
Firuma asked while shooting an arrow into a bandit’s arm.
「No, it seems a rat is trying to sneakily escape. I will dispose of them. Once more, just in case……Magic Shield.」
「Huh? A rat?」
Paying no attention to Firuma’s puzzled voice, after creating another magic shield, which Firuma saw earlier, he kicked against the ground while wielding the Death Scythe. He went towards the fight between Arogan, Supervia and two bandits as he headed further in.
「Wai-, Rei!?」
「Uwa~, both of you take care. Rei’s going further in!」
At Firuma’s puzzled voice and Scola’s shout to the vanguard, Rei narrowed the distance……
「Shoes of Sleipnir, start.」
The effect of the magic item Shoes of Sleipnir allowed him to run through the air. Jumping once and twice, he jumped over the fight zone.
「Huh?」
「What!?」
Though Arogan and Supervia called out to Rei from behined, he paid no attention to them and with his 3rd and 4th steps……landed back on the ground.
That’s right, he landed in front of the bandit leader and his aides who where secretly trying to sneak out.
