Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku (WN) - Volume 6 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: 4

6-4 . The First Thieves [Revised]

However, even if it's not one of the three, bad things are bad, right .

◇

""Good morning, master . ""

"Good morning . "

Lulu and Liza who have immediately woken up with the first sign of morning sun give me morning greetings .

I let Tama down from my laps, and take Liza to the spear in order to apologize to her .

"T, this is . "

Even Liza is speechless .

Since externally, her important spear looks like it has been scribbled .   Let's apologize first before I say, "The performance has been improved . " .

After I make up my mind, I step forward toward Liza-- but, she's not looking at me .

Seemingly to check on the spear's condition, she tries stabbing with it many times . The red light that appears when she does heavy blow is stronger than before .

"Master!"

After she finishes swinging the spear, she comes closer to me . I decide to listen to her complaints before I make an excuse . Her voice's tone is a bit high, would be good if she's not angry .

"This is, it must be a reward right!"

Since I don't understand the flow of the conversation, I ask her .

"Arisa was saying to Lulu, 'If you properly service master, you'll get a reward someday . ', she said . "

Those, "service", and, "reward" probably have different meaning . That Arisa, don't indoctrinate weird things to Lulu .

For the time being, since she looks really happy, let's ride on this flow .

"It's because Liza has always worked hard . How is the spear?"

"Yes, the weight is the same as usual, but it is now possible for my arm to become one with the spear up until the tip . "

She looks so happy, she's rubbing her cheeks on the spear, I apologize to her for arbitrarily doing something to her spear after the breakfast before we depart . Liza says, "My spear and I, everything is master's . ", but I remind myself not to take advantage of that .

◇

Since Lulu will call me when Liza finishes breakfast preparation, I pick a towel and go to river beside the camping ground . There's a river nearby, so I want to take a bath there . By the way, the water temperature is below 10 degree (celcius), so normally I'd get a cold . Although, I don't feel that cold, maybe thanks to ice resistance .

Rather, I'm more interested with Lulu's gaze which I feel from over the bushes . During the cooking, she occasionally takes a glance over here . I thought the bushes should be tall enough to cover me, but . . .

She's at an age where she would be interested with the opposite sex, I guess it can't be helped .

Sine it would be troublesome in various ways when Arisa wakes up, I wash my body with a soap quickly .

I see several fish outlines before I wear my clothes, so I throw skewers at them catching around 10 fish and put them into the Storage .

I've thought that grilled fish are a staple of breakfast, but Lulu and Liza have already started cooking, cutting in between them now would be boorish .

I wipe my body roughly and wear clothes .

My hair is still wet, but it should be dried soon when it gets close to fire .

"Good morning, master . "

"Good morning Nana . Try saying some more words after morning greeting . "

"Good morning, master . "

"Yep, that's good . "

I pat Nana's head while praising her .

Ye~p . Her outward appearance is that of an adult woman, so patting her head looks really out place .

"Morning . "

"Ning~?"

"Good morning nano desu!"

"Good Morniii!"

The other members are waking up . I also greet them back .

Still, what's wrong Arisa?

"Why?"

What is she saying?

Arisa points my wet hair .

"Say something if you want to take a bath!"

"No way . You'll go peep if I tell you right?"

"Of course! It's my natural job as a slave to wash my master's back!"

"Your real motive?"

"A boy bathing at the center of mother nature! Missing that is a regrettable situation!"

When you said that so frankly, I could not punish you .

Usually, before we go to sleep or after breakfast, I go away alone to wipe my body with wet towel and Arisa usually try to peep me which she did once when she managed to escape from Liza's watch . I don't necessarily scold her when she peeps but since it'd be a bad influence to other girls, I'd give her spanking if I catch her peeping .

. . . How do I say this, feels like our role as man and woman is reversed .

◇

That day, my magic practice ends in failure again, to have a change of pace, I sit at the end of the wagon and make small shields using some wood .

Since I get Armor Creation skill after making one, I put it point to the maximum and activate it . Even though the shields are made of woods, they're made with the highest level technique of armor creation .

Since it's messy, I put a sheet for the fallen wood chips . I present two shields made after I've acquired the skill to Pochi and Tama . There are some shields in my storage but there is none which could fits Pochi and Tama so I have to make them myself .

I've only just made three of it but since the time is almost up, I clear away the tools .

Arisa who has noticed it, faces toward me .

"The guys you mentioned earlier?"

"Yeah, very soon . There are two people on the highway, five people in each forest on the sides of highway, and two people on a tree a bit further .   Arisa will deal with the two on the highway, while the five in the right forest will be taken care by Liza, Pochi and Tama . I'll defeat the two on the tree and the five in the left forest . I will leave Lulu's guard to Mia and Nana . "

Everyone nods at my instruction . Since I've explained it beforehand, they don't have any particular question .

Everyone is tense, but the enemies are no big deals . On the left side, beside a level 7, the others are small fries at level 2-3 . The beast girls could annihilate them alone if they want .

When we enter the forest after a slight curve, there are a man and a woman sitting on the road .

They look like normal villagers . "Oo~i", they call out over here .

When the wagon loosen its speed, the man approach while trying to say something .

"I'm sorry, my wife is,s,s,s,s . "

"Fuhn, I have no interest with thieves' acting . "

Arisa hit the man and woman with mind magic without asking . She had a hard time choosing a location so our horses wouldn't get swept with her attack . Even though she loves to act a bit dramatic herself .

Yes, these 14 men and women are thieves .

Without checking the result of that battle, I use 2 crossbows alternately to shoot down the bowmen on the tree . They shouldn't be dead .

The beast girls jump out from the back of the wagon and begin their assault in the forest . I also jump from the coachman-stand and charge toward the opposite forest .

In just a few minutes, [Oyu Village Thieves Gang] is annihilated . Half of them are injured but none dies . We hang them on trees while disarming their weapons . I feel wasteful to use ropes on them, so I roll them up with tree vines, per Liza's suggestion .

I've noticed this with the accident faker in the city back then, there is no punishment for, [Injuring] and, [Assaulting] in this world . Just to be sure, I check on everyone's status and their Reward and Punishment hasn't changed .

The thieves have been subjected to Arisa's magic, Sleeping Field to make them sleep .

Just in case, checking on the map, there is no village called, "Oyu Village", in this region .

"By the way, what do you want to do by capturing them? Isn't the earl-san's city still relatively far away? Isn't it faster if we just kill them?"

"Since I was ordered not to kill if possible, I did not kill anyone, but thieves should be killed as soon as one comes across them . If master wants the prize money then their heads are enough . Furthermore, even if ones kill a thief, their Reward & Punishment won't change into [Murderer] . "

Arisa and Liza's  suggestions are quite brutal, but I wonder if that's just how it is in this world . If I overlook these guys here, they would probably kill or sell merchants or travelers who use this road as slaves .

Even so, I don't want to see the beast girls kill people, and I, myself, don't want to kill . I want to avoid murder as much as possible .

But then, I feel like I would retract that if my companions' lives are in danger . Even if I'm a hypocrite, I am not a saint, if that time really happens I'll give in .

I did kill Zen anyway, even if it was his own intention .

"Let's bring them to the earl's city and sell them as crime slaves . Is it not more profitable than killing them here?"

Even though I don't want to kill them, I have no intention of letting them go . I will have them pay for their crime adequately . Their [Reward and Punishment] stats are filled with [Murder], [Rape], [Theft] and more . There is no innocent one .

Liza has a face that looks like she has more to say, but it seems that she doesn't have any intention to object my words more .

"It can't be helped~ let's do it like that . "

While saying so, Arisa shakes her head like some kind of gaijin . I understand that she's worried, but that gesture is slightly petulant .

Then, she points her finger at me, and continues with these words .

"If your life is in danger, don't hesitate to kill the opponent, understand . That is the rule of this world . I won't forgive you if you drag your peacefulness like that country and get yourself killed pitifully!"

◇

Still, 14 people are too many indeed . Even though the wagon hardly has any luggage, more than half of the wagon's back is buried with the thieves . Morever, they stink .

Since it'd be annoying if they wake up, in addition to Arisa's magic, I make them drink sleeping potions that I've made on the first camping night and take them along to the earl's city while they're sleeping .

Although it's just for two days, the thieves' smell and snores are huge nuisances .

If we find another thieves, I'll leave them half-dead . I did not think that bringing criminals away from a remote place would be this troublesome .