「Something bad’s happened Master!」

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

「What happened?」

「Jo-Joseph-san is…!」

「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 town was attacked.」

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

「It wasn’t a monster」

「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?」

「Yeah, somehow.」

「How’s everyone else?」

「There are some light injuries.」

「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.」

「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?」

「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?」

「Make more pus.h.i.+nee and strengthen the defenses with more Nitoka. Tell them to use them properly next time.」

「I see.」

Yuria’s suggestion was probably correct. The pus.h.i.+nee’s are consumable items. This time the attackers h

ad 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?」

(Their material is glowing. They would be cautious.)

「…….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.」

(Yes)

「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.

I was surprised.

Every single one of the 50 people were women.

After the fight, all 50 of the defeated women were staring at me.

I was a bit embarra.s.sed, this wasn’t how I saw things developing.

「Umm…for now could you send out your leader?」

I thought that I should talk to them. When I asked, a single woman stepped forward.

「I am the Leader.」

It was an older-sister like woman, that was the impression I got after she removed her mantle.

In a single phrase…I’d describe her outfit as Bikini-armor.

「Your name is?」

「Isn’t it good manners to name yourself before asking others?」

「I’m Akito」

「…Maya」

After I named myself so easily and simply, Maya seemed to sulk a bit before introducing herself.

「Ok then Maya, what are you guys? I a.s.sume that you’re the ones who attacked my town?」

「Yes, I won’t make any excuses. It was me. I will take responsibility myself.」

「Nee-san!?」

「What are you saying Nee-san!?」

「That’s right. Onee-sama was thinking of everyone’s well being——」

All of the girls were saying this and that, but Maya glared at them once and they fell silent.

I understood that they had a lot the wanted to say, but after the look from Maya, they reluctantly accepted the situation.

That’s good, that means that as long as I settle things with Maya, everything will be good.

「I don’t care what happens to me since we lost. Please let them go if you can.」

「Whatever, just tell me the reason you attacked. Why did you steal the food from my town?」

「The reason?」

Maya humphed scornfully.

「You, did you come down from heaven or something? Isn’t it just so that we can eat?」

「So that you can eat…」

「That’s right, if not who would do something so dangerous? That attack caused multiple injuries with my people. One of them is still in dangerous condition.」

So I guess the townspeople’s counterattack wounded them as well?

「Where is that one?」

「What?」

Maya glared at me cautiously.

I took out a panacea from my bag and tossed it on Maya.

The injury that she had from our fight was healed momentarily.

I took out another panacea and displayed it.

「Where is she?」

I repeated and all the women’s eyes changed into looks of expectation.

The women guided me to their base. I used the panacea on the seriously injured woman.

She looked like she’d die at any moment, but was healed quickly.

I watched as they embraced her in joy, then took Maya elsewhere to talk to her.

「Are there any more injured?」

「N-no it’s alright. Everyone else only has scratches…because you went easy on us.」

「I see, then that’s fine. The medicine takes some effort to make.」

I didn’t have many people around this area.

「You…….what are your intentions?」

「Nothing much. Anyways, stop attacking towns. If you want pus.h.i.+nee….that food, then just come to me directly.」

「…Really what are you after?」

Maya was definitely on guard.

「Nothing. Though you probably understand if you’ve eaten it, it fills your stomach but is disgusting.」

「That’s why if I distribute it to everyone you’ll at least be able to maintain the bare minimum living standard. If that’s the case then I’ll gladly give as many as I have. In exchange—you must stop doing things like robbery.」

「….are you really going to give us this? As you can see we’re quite a large family.」

Maya said.

At some point the rest of the girls had gathered. They were all holding their breath in antic.i.p.ation of the exchange between me and Maya.

「Yeah.」

I nodded frankly. Finally, the hostile light in Maya’s eyes faded.

「Come to the town when you want. Madway will contact me.」

I said and prepared to leave.

We’ve reached a good stopping point…or so I thought when,

「W-wait up.」

I was asked to stop. I turned around.

「What’s up?」

「We attacked that town, they’ll hold a grudge.」

「I see.」

That might be true. They hadn’t injured me personally so I didn’t really mind, but Madway and the rest might hold it against them.

「A-also it’d feel bad to simply accept charity without doing anything.」

「Then what do you want to do?」

「Th-that’s….」

Maya stopped talking and looked around.

The girls all looked back at her and nodded.

「We’ll work for you. That’s for compensation.」

「Work for me?」

「Though we may have lost to you, I’m…we’re pretty confident in our strength. We could work for you as soldiers or bodyguards, something like that…」

「…….」

Somehow,

「You’re quite conscientious aren’t you?」

「——」

Maya turned bright red and made a moaning sound that can’t be expressed with words.

That was a cute character gap.

I unintentionally chuckled and answered.

「That’s fine. If you work for me, I’ll guarantee you food. I’ll expect you to work properly.」

「Y-yeah」

Maya’s eyes sparkled and the women let out a quiet cheer.

This is how I obtained personal soldiers.