Bandits

The journey progressed smoothly. However, there was one piece of information that concerned them.

The highway to the dwarven village saw considerable traffic, and information gathered at the villages they stopped by along the way.

Among the news was that bandits had been rampaging in the area recently.

"The knight mentioned it too…"

Mako made a troubled face. Back when she was in the Neosis Kingdom, bandit subjugation had been an important duty for the military.

"That's unusual. For bandits to appear in Ogress, even in the frontier."

Kukuri knew from experience that this area was supposed to be safe.

"Hmm, among us, who has experience with combat against people… no, with killing humans?"

At Chaos's words, he himself and Kukuri raised their hands.

Sei and Mako, having lived in peaceful Japan, naturally had none, and neither did Gantz, who had rarely left his village.

Sei had exterminated monsters under Ria's guidance, and Mako had done the same with the hero group, but neither had faced humans.

"In terms of fighting strength, there's no problem, but…"

Chaos was deep in thought, but Kukuri was optimistic.

"It'll be fine. We can rough them up without killing them, right? Besides, I think the chances of even encountering them are pretty low."

The ones being addressed were Sei and Mako. Gantz seemed like he'd be fine regardless.

"I don't mind getting hurt myself, but killing humans is…"

"It might dull my spear…"

Seeing the two who still held a taboo against killing, Chaos sighed.

He hadn't yet told them that the two were transferees from Earth. Nor that in Japan, even killing livestock by one's own hand was rare.

"Well, if it's about ten of them, we can manage somehow. If there are twenty, it might be a bit difficult to fight while protecting others."

"Ah, it's fine. I can at least protect myself."

"Same here."

Chaos wasn't a worrywart. He was simply cautious.

"We have magic too, so I suppose it'll be fine…"

Chaos's judgment wasn't wrong. However, his understanding of the underlying information was mistaken.

He didn't know that not a single person had survived an encounter with this bandit group.

On the highway lay the wreckage of a carriage that had been ravaged by bandits.

The eight men who had been escorts were all dead, and the merchant they had been protecting was also slain.

They hadn't been simply killed—they had been sliced apart, starting from the tips of their limbs.

Sei held the trembling Mako's shoulders while Chaos examined the escorts' bodies.

Kukuri investigated the area around where the battle had taken place. Traces remained in the grass off the highway showing where the bandits had come from and gone.

"This is brutal… The escorts were all reasonably ranked mercenaries. And they were all killed in close combat. Around thirty of them, I'd guess."

"Could we win if we fought them?"

To Sei's question, Chaos shook his head.

"Against opponents who could slaughter mercenaries of this rank, I alone would struggle… Also, there's something strange."

"Something strange?"

Chaos indicated the wounds on the bodies. Though feeling sick, Sei stared at them.

"The wounds are almost identical—meaning they were killed with similar weapons. And there are no arrow wounds."

"A bandit group with standardized equipment?"

"That's what it seems, but would a bandit group standardize their weapons? And I've never heard of bandits not using bows to stop their targets."

Also, there were no bandit corpses.

Apparently, bandits usually take only valuables from their fallen comrades and leave the bodies behind.

"So, the bandit group had no casualties?"

"Can you even call such a group bandits…?"

As an ominous premonition plagued Chaos, Kukuri approached him.

"They're not very experienced bandits. They came and went from the same direction. The footprint traces are clear as day."

"Can you tell how many?"

"About twenty. Maybe a bit fewer."

That was less than Chaos's estimate. And the direction the bandits had retreated was slightly off from their route to the labyrinth city.

"Hold on. Let me check something."

Sei deployed her map. A few kilometers ahead, there was a single human.

When Sei appraised the details, she involuntarily gasped.

In the crime record: murder, robbery, rape. In Gifts: [Duplication] Level 5.

And the title was: Hero from Another World.

Indeed, one of the points marked on the map had been in this vicinity.

Since it was close to the village, she had hesitated about whether to retrieve another person, but since Mako had been on the verge of death, she had put it off.

They had said bandits had appeared recently. In other words, if she had retrieved him back then, this wouldn't have happened.

"Mako, I figured out who the bandits are."

Returning to the carriage, Sei announced in a gloomy mood.

"It was a hero. Kaneda Masao."

Mako's eyes went wide. Her reaction spoke volumes about the truth.

"Kaneda-kun… He was a returnee from abroad. He was a bit different because of the cultural differences, but I didn't think he'd do something like this. Though he did seem a little off after coming to this world…"

He had been somewhat selfish, or rather self-centered, but not enough to cause problems, she said.

If anything, he was the type to go along with whoever was stronger.

This was her fight.

Sei steeled herself. Someone summoned from Earth had already killed many people.

She didn't mind being killed herself, but she would definitely kill this guy. She had to.

"Mako, stay here with Kukuri. Chaos and Gantz, please come with me."

There probably wasn't any danger, but she'd have the two stay to protect the carriage.

"If you're planning to fight, there's a village a little further ahead. It would be better to leave the horses and carriage there. The enemy's identity is unknown. More fighters would be better."

That's what Chaos said. It was true, but making Mako fight and kill a classmate would be cruel.

Besides, according to her appraisal, three people would be enough. In fact, Sei alone would ensure no one else got hurt.

"I'm going too… I have to stop him."

The reason to keep Mako away from the battlefield vanished.

"Fine, but I'm going to kill him, okay? Given his Gift, I'd prefer to kill him with a surprise attack if possible."

Duplication. She had asked Mako about it beforehand, and it was a fairly troublesome ability.

It created copies of oneself. With exactly the same skills and equipment.

The number of copies that could be created and the distance from them increased as the level rose.

At Level 5: 32 copies. Distance: 500 meters.

If it reached Level 10, one could deploy 1,024 copies at a distance of 1 kilometer. Truly a one-man army.

Furthermore, defeating enemies with copies also earned experience points, raising skill levels. It was a Gift that allowed one to grow stronger very efficiently.

But the counter-strategy was simple. At his current level, his stats weren't that high.

He had probably ignored efficiency in getting stronger and just followed his own desires.

"If we attack with wide-area annihilation magic, we can definitely get him."

"If it's only about a thousand, I could just cut them all down."

Unlike the broken abilities that other heroes possessed, this wasn't one. The two with transcendent power evaluated it as such.

That's what Carla and Ria had said, but Sei wasn't that strong yet.

"Could I have just a little time to talk to him?"

"… Fine, but I'll kill him when I decide the timing."

In the grassland stood a fairly large tree.

A boy sat with his back against it. Around him were the defiled bodies of women.

Gnawing on stolen rations, the boy grinned with a sickening smile.

Hearing the sound of metal armor from upwind, he stood up.

"Kaneda-kun…"

A girl accompanied by a dwarf and a lizardman stood there.

"Tsubaki-san…"

"Kaneda-kun, why are you doing this…?"

"Why? Why shouldn't I?"

Either going mad or at least having lost his sanity, Kaneda shouted.

"I have power! If I have power, I don't have to obey anyone! Rather, I'll be the one doing the ruling!"

"That's wrong! Our power is meant to protect people!"

Even seeing the women at Kaneda's feet, Mako still said that.

"Shut up! You're just a Japanese woman! That's right! I'll make you my slave too! A Japanese woman would make a fine slave!"

"Beyond saving."

Chaos muttered, and Gantz nodded.

"Then I'll stop you."

Mako said, readying her spear. That was the signal.

Two short swords were embedded in the back of Kaneda, who had been wearing that repulsive grin.

It was Kukuri's throw, having circled around from downwind. And Sei, who had burst out from right beside him, slammed Kaneda to the ground.

"Just to be sure—do you have any intention of obediently returning to Earth?"

"Shut up! You're Japanese too!? Don't look down on me when you're just a spoiled Japanese person!"

His rage must have been so intense he couldn't even feel the wounds in his back. Sei smiled.

"Thanks for that."

She thrust her katana into his medulla oblongata, killing Kaneda.

Good thing he was scum. She didn't have to feel guilty.

After that, the group sent Kaneda's body back.

It was their first use of a Return Stone, but there were no problems.

"Be born as something more decent in your next life."

They also dealt with the bodies of the mercenaries, the merchant, and the women. Apparently, burying them carelessly would turn them into undead, so cremation was the norm.

Mako was vomiting from the smell of burning flesh.

They collected as many belongings as they could. If they went to the guild or the guard post in the labyrinth city, they could be returned to the relatives.

They decided not to report the bandit group's elimination. Standing out too much wasn't good. Besides, the bandits wouldn't be appearing anymore.

"Well then, shall we go?"

Kukuri cracked the whip on the horses, and they resumed their journey.

Sei and Mako would spend the next while in a heavy mood.

"So that's what happened."

That night, Sei reported the events to Ria through the communicator. This communicator looked exactly like a smartphone but had no functions other than communication. However, it could apparently connect from anywhere in the world.

"Shishou, are you listening?"

"I'm listening, but you interrupted me in the middle of some fun. I'm a bit annoyed."

She could faintly hear Carla's sighs from the other end. Was she at it again?

"So I wanted to ask—if a hero dies over here, what happens on Earth?"

"They die. Because the soul and body have been severed."

So they do die after all. So it is murder after all. There was no murder in her crime record, but was it counted as self-defense? It had been pretty one-sided though.

When she asked about that, apparently killing a criminal didn't add murder to one's crime record. The system was flexible like that.

Also, apparently murder during war didn't count either. Because in war, it wasn't against the law.

"Also, this is important—when they return, what happens to their memories, abilities, Gifts, and skills? If they return to Earth normally, it would cause huge problems."

"I had Rana and Teru set up a barrier, so everything gained in this world gets stripped away. The fine adjustments are left to Earth's gods though."

Well, if that weren't the case, Earth would be in chaos. Multiple superhumans would appear.

"You seem to be in a bad mood."

"This was my first time killing a person."

This probably wasn't something mental resistance could help with.

She wasn't confused. She just felt sick.

"Everything becomes normal with practice. If you don't like it, become overwhelmingly strong and force them to agree to return without a fight."

If you make them think death would be preferable, they'd want to return.

"Understood. That's all I have to report."

"I see. I'm counting on you."

The moment she hung up, she thought she heard Carla's coquettish voice again. What was she doing, that person?

… Well, she knew WHAT she was doing.

Returning to the camp, Sei began her delayed meal.

She could tell both her and Mako's complexions were bad. For Mako to have no appetite was quite something.

So after finishing her meal, Sei showed off a special magic.

Unusually, it was magic she had learned from Ria rather than Carla.

Its name: Bath Magic!

Combining earth, water, and fire magic, she created a bathtub in an instant. She had also created walls, so there was no worry about peeping. Well, all the men in their party were different species, but it was a matter of feeling.

"Yay! I'm so happy!"

Girls love baths. That's a universal law that hasn't changed since Shizuka-chan's era.

"Let's get in, let's get in!"

Mako pulled Sei by the hand.

Huh? Is it okay for us to bathe together?

Well, the bathtub is big enough, so we can fit? No no, that's not why I made it so big?

The girl boldly removed her armor, clothes, and underwear, her figure exposed under the moonlight.

Supple and graceful, still with the freshness of youth. Erotic precisely because of that incompleteness.

(Girls are the BEST!)

Screaming in her soul, Sei proceeded to wash each other's backs with Mako.