Chapter 9: Encounter Bandits

To go from Ba.s.son which is the northernmost town in Celesta to the southeastern forest territory, it will take about one month by carriage when you go in a straight line. But you can't go straight. The Russell desert which can be called the symbol of Celesta spreads across from the center of Celesta to the west. There are two routes to the south that cross beyond this desert. Even if it is a detour, one route goes along the large Almonica river flowing somewhat west and the other route goes around the desert ended in the east. The route along the large Almonica river leads to the sea, about three days away from the desert edge and if you go along the beach for a week you reach the capital. From there to the forest you go through the oasis……well a total of approximately seven weeks. Going around the eastern desert end, it will also take seven weeks. Frankly, both are not good. However compared with the oasis area, the eastern end of the desert continues to a small post town and 「High-speed transfer」 is possible by switching carriages in a row. Night carriages are easily targeted by thieves and fares are expensive to align strong escort. However, we are so strong that it is possible to reach in four weeks or less. Our party led by Dianne-san was advancing towards the nearest desert edge to advance from there.

“Isaac disturbed……”

Dianne-san muttered in a blurred manner. Isaac looks at Dianne-san. Dianne-san was looking out from the edge of the carriage and looks cranky.

“……Hyaa, 100-man commander? I, that……disturbing?”

It is not unreasonable for Isaac to behave in a strange way. Even if it is said to be an obstacle, he can't get down from the carriage. That is troublesome.

The carriage we ride is a giant horse carriage peculiar for letting also ogres riding it. 5 horses pull. The interior s.p.a.ce is quite large and 50 people can ride if there is no ogre. It is not as extraordinary as distinctive though it is Isaac who is a minotaur even if it is so wide. But why Dianne-san mutters such a thing probably isn't understood by the others.

“…………Muu, we should have taken another road if I knew Isaac would also go home”

“No, no, why am I hated by the 100-man commander?”

“I don't hate you”

“……?”

Isaac tilted his head to the cryptic answer. Because it is poor, I put out a helping hand.

“There are days like that”

“……Th, That, is it such a thing?”

“It is such a day”

I tried to convince him that it was a woman-specific day. Dianne-san ignored. Anzeros glares at me with scornful eyes and Selenium…….

“We are acc.u.mulating”

More attention was given.

“……Hey, Selenium-chan. Uncle thinks you should be more careful”

What Issac heard somewhere is said to Selenium. Selenium is puzzled.

“Even if I'm in the way, it is Smithson, is not it?”

"……Hahaha"

I am in trouble asking for consent.

Selenium and I are the only ones who knows the cause of Dianne's frustration. Well, that's just frustration. Only Anzeros and Selenium, if you say it proudly pretend to ignore us so that Dianne-san can enjoy s.e.x with me. But if Isaac were to be careful, it would be impossible to hide it from him. With the intention of not wanting to spread the physical relation between Dianne-san and me, we are supposed to endure while Isaac is here. But it is a scary sign that Dianne-san is about to say “Embrace me naked” soon. When she was with the minister last time, I managed to be seen as a young soldier, but Isaac is a ten-man captain who is older than me, my Senpai. It is not hard to imagine that my relation with Dianne-san will be known by the corps at once and I will receive the bullying of overwork death as I'm the one who monopolizes the heroine of the corps following Selenium and Anzeros. I don't want to die yet. Therefore it is better to hide the fact properly.

An event happened as we were on our way to the town at the desert edge.

“Well then, let's continue moving tomorrow……the landscape is getting dusty soon”

“Yeah, it's nostalgic……hmm?”

“What's wrong Isaac”

“……Something is wrong”

Isaac, who had a face that seemed to be comfortable until now, looked out of the window with a strange face. I look at the window wondering if there is something. Sunset. The scenery that began to change from the meadow to the wilderness. A gra.s.s bush moves like rippling in the wind and especially having changed…….

“…… Smithson, danger!!”

“Smithson!”

“Andy!!”

“Andy-san, not good!!!”

At about the same time, Isaac, Anzeros, Dianne, and Selenium shout. Isaac jumps in front of me to close the window and Anzeros and Dianne push me on the floor with a phenomenal jump and this is about the same time that Selenium held my hand. And. Dosun!!

"!"

There was a loud sound coming from the other side of the window and Isaac's hand blocked something. A frown appears on Isaac's face. And a few seconds later.

“……Ah, achachacha!!?”

There was an arrow sticking through Isaac's hand.

“Isaac!”

“Acha! Achachaa!"

After waving his hand for a while, Isaac unplugs the arrow and threw it out of the window and scrubbed his hand. He is a strong ogre so that it is only necessary to do so even if it is an arrow wound.

“……Huu. ……d.a.m.n, 100-man commander! Anzeros!”

“Ah!”

“Don't say it all”

Anzeros jumps out of the door after the coachman stopped the carriage and Dianne-san rises up and starts chanting magic. Selenium jumped towards Isaac in a hurry and begins to chant medical treatment technique.

“Selenium, how is it?”

“Yes, because he is an ogre it is a small arrow wound, it will be fine in a little……!”

Selenium healed the wound while looking at me. The face was haggard at once, but it can be said that she is truly skillful.

“100-man commander, I will also fight”

“Don't push yourself”

I'm sure Dianne-san's magic is ready. The sensory increase, Illusion control. In the meantime, my view is in battle mode. I took an arrow and pulled the bow while I was applied with magic and as soon as I was ready, Isaac and Dianne-san each jumped out of the carriage from a different direction.

The dogfight with the group of thieves had started outside. Their arrows come flying the other way. The tip is burning so that they can burn the carriage and they attack the travelers who had jumped out in a hurry, robbed their goods, committed and killed them if it wasn't worth it. It's a routine process. But Dianne's magic prevented the carriage from burning. The illusion of “Material that is hard to burn” was put on the whole wagon. Illusion magic isn't only applied to the eyes of a creature, but sometimes even on things. I climbed the roof of such a wagon and looked down on the battlefield while lying down. About 20 thieves. Not a few.

“……It's bad luck for them to attack the carriage with Dianne-san”

I released one arrow with sympathy and sniped the heart of one of the thieves. Snipe. Another one down.

"Ha, good job, Smithson"

I repeat the work of a sniper and pull the bow repeatedly, therefore I get praise from Isaac for defeating one thief after another. It would be more difficult without Dianne's magic. It's so clear-looking. As if the crossbow I hold in my hand is already part of my body and I know my goal and direction, breakable a more precise place than writing a letter.

“Even I……uoryaaa!!!”

Isaac didn't have any weapons, as he was just going to visit his hometown in the first place. He picked up a rock which was in the vicinity and threw it at the thieves one after another. An ogre is strong in the dark. It seems that ogres are weak during the daytime like humans during the night. The preeminent strength and toughness come in handy. Now, Isaac would appear to be a formidable wall for the thieves.

Meanwhile, Anzeros was surrounded by seven bandits armed with swords and spears. No, they were surrounded.

"Heeheehee……"

"Little kid, you are brave"

“Oh, she has a nice a.s.s, I like it"

“Kid, you should have chosen your opponent wisely at night"

“First of all, we will beat all your teeth out. So that you can't bite us anymore"

Anzeros is silent while the thieves do their own things. Changing their loose standing position, they surround their opponent and are off guard. An Ace Knight is a name before the battle. It is an indication that says it is better to run away. Not to do that is an act of stupidity.

"…………"

Anzeros who thought that the thieves gathered enough stopped her feet. Then, her mouth is opened for the first time.

“I will pray that you will be born again into a non-disgraceful person in the afterlife”

No persuasion, no warning, no threat, just a sentence. As the thieves were listening, the moment they tried to laugh, Anzeros draws her sword at once and jumped forward. One frozen person is cut from the torso, another one's heart is pierced and the next man's face is neatly split apart.

"What……"

Only the last two were able to raise a voice of surprise. When the two hearts are penetrated, Anzeros stops her movement and prays with the sword in her hand. It hasn't been more than two seconds since she started swinging her sword. It was the terrible skills of an Ace Knight.

Dianne-san appeared suddenly before the boss, who tried to flee in the distance. No, from the sense that grew so that I can see, it is sure that the thief boss is unable to understand as the movement of Dianne-san who fly in the sky by jumping on a gra.s.s bush like a demon beast was seen lightly. It is natural. A dark elf who jumps faster than a horse's carriage is rarely seen. It was a monster physical ability of Dianne-san which is only shown when moving as a warrior and not as a commander.

“Hey, are you the boss?"

"Naa……"

“You'll pay for it. I'm in a very bad mood now that my men are hurt"

Dianne-san is laughing. I was pleasantly surprised. She laughs brutally.

“I'll let you choose. I put you here and you wait for the judgment of Celesta's law, or leave it to my personal feelings now and suffer and be killed while begging"

"……Da, Dark elf, take this!"

The thief boss is das.h.i.+ng and is challenging Dianne-san with a knife to try to escape. Dianne-san shows a carnivorous beast's smile. She has the face of a wolf who welcomes the pitiful prey who has rushed in out of desperation. ……But.

"…………"

I pull the trigger and pierce the heart of the boss with an arrow. Death in a moment.

"……Andy?"

I am a little bitter and nod to Dianne-san, who was stunned for a moment. I knew it was not for Dianne-san. Still, I didn't want to see her killing happily. It's too much to be a hero of war. If possible.

“Andy-san, are you going to use the arrows again?"

I was was.h.i.+ng the arrows that have been recovered by me and Selenium asked with a mysterious face.

“The arrows of our corps are a special product. Ah, they're not disposable. I was going to take them with me to the forest elf territory originally"

"I see……ah, the arrowhead isn't iron"

Selenium is someone who wonders about many things. Next, to me, Anzeros was was.h.i.+ng her clothes, armor, and sword. Naked as usual.

"……You two are getting off with a good level of mind Anzeros"

“Hee, I'm not at peace! I'm determined to be very embarra.s.sed, shameless Smithson!"

Anzeros is angry as she turned red.

“Separately I wait until the wash is over, I think we can wash it on the other side of the pond”

"……Yo, You are in trouble if you start doing something shameless in the gap where I am not present”

"…………"

She seems to have tampered with or she doesn't trust me whether it is difficult to judge me even if it is said in a whisper while blus.h.i.+ng. ……But, well, Selenium is also naked clearly.

"Sーmithーsonー♪"

“Uwaa"

Dianne-san, who had hugged me from behind, didn't wear any clothes.

“Thank you for a little while ago”

“Wh, What is it?"

“You helped me with covered shooting”

"……It was not something important"

"No, I was very happy. Someone I disliked was badly blown away at once”

It is extremely complicated and I think that it was somehow extraordinary. Still, I couldn't stand still there and shoot instantly and it seems to have touched Dianne-san's heart.

And.

"……Hey, Smithson”

Isaac gives a dark voice while was.h.i.+ng his body quietly at the corner of the pond.

"……What is Isaac"

“You……are you always having such a paradise during bath time?”

"…………"

Surely looking from the side, three naked beautiful girls are surrounding me and getting along well……ah it makes Isaac jealous. But Dianne-san keeps her chest tight against me.

“I never hated to take a bath with you”

"Ah……no, well, really"

"I don't care if you're a different man, Isaac"

"N, No……as expected it is kind of weird"

Surprisingly shy Isaac. No, he doesn't show hid ordinary face. There is only a part of doing it in the corps.

"…………"

"…………"

Selenium hides behind me not to show off her now and Anzeros hides her body by crouching down. Certainly, these two haven't shown skin to other people. They showed it to me only……. After all, it was found out.

"Uh……dammit, remember when you get home, Smithson. I'll never forget this feeling of sorrow, f.u.c.k!"

"No, that……well, anyway, Selenium……Anzeros, maybe you're wrong about that"

Somewhat I'm trying to persuade Isaac who has teary eyes also with tearful eyes (I remembered the h.e.l.l which will await me after I became aware of it), but later Dianne-san squeezed my face.

"Anzeros or『Something』……?"

It seems that Anzeros didn't like the treatment of the same row as Something. Dianne-san advances without swaying her big b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

“It is the time to tell you, Isaac"

"Haa"

“Smithson with me……No, between Andy and me, there is a physical relations.h.i.+p……!"

"!!"

Isaac looks very funny. Do you say what to do and say, Dianne. Is there any hara.s.sment against me?

“It is completely open to the sticky of the painted paint!!”

"What do you mean……What, you, Smithson!! What's going on!!"

Don't shake it, please.

“And I am more than that!"

Large declaration of Selenium.

"No, you can go to a pretty deep place"

Dianne-san counteracts.

“Mander deserved!"

Isaac has tears in his eyes.

“Let's settle it here now, Selenium. I'm already coming out, so no fear. From now on, Isaac will be with Andy"

"Naa"

“You are still embarra.s.sed in public. I can not be seen naked as a subordinate, there is nothing that extension, it is my incompetence”

"Waa……I'm Andy's female slave! I demonstrate it to you……!"

“b.u.mooo! Smithson, what the h.e.l.l did you really do during this kinda time? Can I kill you? Hey!?"

"Sorry Sorry Sorry"

The great chaos of all the naked girls prostrates in angry and furious. And.

“This shameless b.a.s.t.a.r.dーーーー!!"

We are blown high in the sky other than Dianne-san (She jumped away) from the sword pressure of the half-crying Anzeros. …… Ah, I was impressed that the bulky Isaac flies quite well.