「Something bad's happened Master!」

Risha ran into my room in the mansion with a panicked look on her face.

「What happened?」

「Joseph?」

Joseph was one of the citizens of my first town —Akito—.

He was among the first humans that I had turned back from long clawed apes.

He should've been in a different town right now.

「Did something happen to Joseph?」

「J-just please come!」

Risha was panicking so asking her was useless.

It couldn't be helped so I left my room with her.

Joseph was on the ground in front of the mansion.

「Joseph!」

I slightly panicked and ran over.

「Ahh, Akito-san」

It seems like Joseph had already been healed.

His clothes were completely torn and covered in blood even though his injuries had been healed.

Mira was standing next to him holding some panacea.

After praising her for treating him and earning a little extra magic charge, I once again turned to Joseph.

「What happened?」

「The other town? There should be a Fountain of Ilia there though? I made one. I thought that monsters wouldn't attack?」

「What?」

「It was people. People attacked us.」

Joseph said with frustration.

What he said was out of my expectations.

The first town —Akito—.

I took Yuria with me and returned there with Joseph.

「Akito-san!」

When we entered, Madway saw us and ran over.

「Madway are you alright?」

「How's everyone else?」

「I see.」

I once again looked at the town.

A few buildings were destroyed along with items.

「Is this the only damage?」

「No.」

Madway shook his head.

「They stole all of our food.」

「The food that Akito-san prepared for us. All of it.」

「The Pus.h.i.+nee?」

Madway nodded.

I headed towards the food storehouse.

There should have been a mountain of Pus.h.i.+nee there, but it had all disappeared as Madway said.

「Did they take anything else?」

Madway responded by shaking his head.

「That's all.」

I raised my eyebrows.

A group of people who only attacked the town to steal food…what's going on?

I cast the magic to repair all the buildings, then took Yuria and left.

I was following a magic circle arrow. The arrow was for a thing called Rapusha, which used Pus.h.i.+nee as an ingredient.

I used that as a radar and chased after the people who stole the Pus.h.i.+nee.

「Master」

「What will you do when you catch them?」

「…….」

That's right…what am I going to do?

I froze right there and couldn't figure out what my goal was.

All that was stolen was enough Pus.h.i.+nee for a town of less than 100 people to live for a month.

Even if you added all of them together it wouldn't reach a cost of 10,000 magic.

Nothing else was stolen and no one was really injured.

I finally realized that I hadn't even thought of what I was doing. I just got caught up in the flow.

「You didn't decide?」

「…..nope.」

I smiled wryly and asked Yuria.

「If it was you, what would you do?」

「I see.」

Yuria's suggestion was probably correct. The pus.h.i.+nee's are consumable items. This time the attackers had the element of surprise.

The next time they should be able to block them with the Nitoka, and I probably won't need to go myself.

I don't need to but…

「Well, it might be best to pull up the cause by its roots.」

This reasoning in and of itself may be correct as well.

「I understand.」

Yuria calmly agreed.

「Also, I don't know when a fight may break out. I'll have you come inside my sword.」

「I understand.」

The nitoka hadn't been used, but I was making battle preparations early by taking Yuria into my blade.

I touched the gem and she was sucked in.

The moment my blade began to let out its customary white light,

(They're coming Master)

「Eh?」

The trouble sensing Yuria warned. The next moment the magic arrow pointed forwards.

I instantly looked up and saw the enemies approaching me.

There were about 50 people approaching me completely hidden by mantles from head to toe.

They were coming from the direction indicated by the arrow.

—Preemptive strike—those words popped into my head.

「Why?」

「…….oh」

It's just as Yuria said.

Though I used it like a radar, the pus.h.i.+nee itself would start to s.h.i.+ne.

A monster would ignore it, but if you're a person and the thing you just stole started s.h.i.+ning, you'd be cautious.

And from there a —preemptive attack— would become the obvious conclusion.

「I was careless. It's a useful technique, but I need to think more carefully before using it.」

「Anyways, Yuria I'll leave the attack prediction to you.」

(I understand)

I gripped the s.h.i.+ning slave sword and prepared to clash with the enemy.