Wortenia Senki (LN) - Volume 1 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Resolve 

“Good work last night, everyone!” Rolfe’s voice echoed through the plaza in front of the gate. “I’ve come to relay our new plan of action, decided just now. Lady Shardina, Lady Celia, Sir Orlando and I will serve as captains and lead companies of thirty to forty soldiers each. We’ll then head to the south and east, and commence our search! Our formation will be as discussed earlier. As you all know, the culprit is the otherworlder that slew Sir Gaius. Exercise the utmost of caution. Now, each of you be swift, for we’ll be setting out!” 

As he watched the soldiers take their positions, Rolfe thought back to what had happened last night. The empire’s pursuers unknowingly passed Ryoma by at the gates. Celia, Rolfe, Orlando and Shardina had continued their pursuit since noon and deep into the night. But the trail of the soldier who had left the city gates quickly went cold, and no information as to his whereabouts cropped up. 

“How does this make any kind of sense?!” Celia’s angered bellow echoed through the capital’s gate. “We have this many soldiers mobilized, and we still cannot locate one man?! None of you are slacking off, I hope!” 

She looked around with a face befitting a demon. Her well-shaped eyebrows were furrowed upwards, and her eyes were dyed red. Her troops, which scattered in all directions in their search, returned empty-handed to their gathering point near the gate. As the price for not having located a single clue, they could only stand there and soak in her verbal abuse. 

All they had for now was an eyewitness report of a man dressed in a soldier’s armor passing through the gate at around two in the afternoon. That was a mere twenty minutes before they organized their forces and passed by the gate themselves. After searching for more than ten hours, deep into the night, their search came up with nothing. 

It was only natural for Celia to raise her voice in answer, especially considering Gaius had been her only remaining blood relative. It was hardly unreasonable to expect her to become emotional over this, but this was a problematic situation for a commander to be in. 

“Calm yourself, Celia. The soldiers have all worked to the best of their abilities.” A voice as pure as the chiming of a bell gently chastised Celia from behind her back. 

“Lady Shardina... My apologies.” Turning around to face the speaker, Celia’s voice lowered in tone. 

She couldn’t find it in herself to argue against the empire’s first princess. 

“I believe we should probably stop here for today... Everyone looks quite tired.” Shardina looked around. 

No soldiers made a blatant show of being tired, but they were all still visibly fatigued. 

“But... If we stop now...” Celia intended to argue back, but Shardina shook her head. 

She’d realized that if Celia were to force them to continue the search any further the way she was now, she would achieve nothing. 

“It’s dangerous at night, even in the vicinity of the capital. We should revise our search and start again tomorrow.” 

Rolfe, who had come over to see what the fuss was all about, backed up her words. He was likely thinking the same thing. 

“Yes, it’s just as Lady Shardina says. Overexerting yourself in this search would yield nothing. We would do well to step back for now and restart our efforts. What say you, Lady Celia?” 

Celia couldn’t find the words to argue back against Rolfe’s idea, but her emotions, which spurred her to chase down the killer of her family, wouldn’t let her accept the facts. 

“Sir Orlando,” Shardina said, hugging the silent Celia’s shoulders. “Take Celia back to her mansion. I’m sure this day has been hard for her, with Sir Gaius’s passing.” 

“No. I can go back on my own.” Celia rejected Shardina’s concerns. 

It was obvious to all that she was at her limit, though. 

“You shouldn’t force yourself, Celia. Sir Orlando, please see to her.” 

“Yes, ma’am! Now, Lady Celia, come this way.” 

Reacting swiftly to Shardina’s words, Orlando tried to wrap his arms around Celia. 

“Let go of me, Orlando! I can go home on my own.” 

But in her attempts to shake off Orlando’s hands, Celia lost balance and tumbled to the ground. It was only natural, since she’d been on the march for over ten hours, searching for the culprit without a break. 

In the end, Orlando carried her over to a carriage they’d prepared for her, and Celia went back home to her estate. 

“Haah... With all said and done, Lady Shardina, what are we to do after this?” Rolfe sighed, watching the carriage roll away. 

“I don’t think there’s much to do. There is no point in searching any longer...” Shardina shrugged casually at Rolfe’s question. 

“No point, you say...” He’d already presumed as much, but hearing it straight from Shardina’s lips still made Rolfe’s face contort slightly. 

“It was decided the moment that soldier left the gates.” 

“But still... We organized all our forces for this...” 

Rolfe honestly believed he had done his best, and doubted that anyone could take command under such conditions better than him. That was the sort of pride which a war hero would naturally possess. 

“I am aware. Sir Rolfe, I have no qualms regarding your command here. You’ve done all within your purview.” Shardina’s gaze shifted toward the forest. “Our chances of arresting him within the borders of the empire were already quite slim. After all, we don’t know what he looks like or what his age is. Still, if he were walking around dressed as a soldier, we might have had a chance of catching him.” 

“So what you’re saying is, he’s no longer dressed as one of the royal guards?” 

“It is most likely...” Shardina nodded. 

If I were in his place, I’d change out of those clothes as soon as I had the chance... Anyone being actively pursued would no doubt do the same... 

“Then... What are we to do next?” 

“We’ve already given orders to blockade the barrier stations. All that remains is to head for the borders and continue our search as we go.” 

As Shardina spoke, Rolfe regarded her with an anxious expression. Were they really supposed to continue searching for him without any way to tell him apart? 

“Do you think we’ll be able to find him that way?” 

“At any rate, we can narrow the options down to two possible destinations.” 

Rolfe’s face was washed over with surprise. He picked up on the confidence in her tone. 

“Two destinations? So you believe he will head south or east?” 

Rolfe faintly imagined the distance between the capital and the empire’s borders. Since she had said two destinations, he naturally considered the most adjacent border, the southern one, and the eastern border, which was the second closest. 

“Correct. But he’d most likely go east...” 

“May I ask what makes you think so?” 

“Honestly speaking, it’s mostly intuition.” Shardina said with a smile. “But I doubt I’m wrong.” 

Turning to face Rolfe, she continued. 

“He’s the kind of man capable of escaping the castle and shaking off our pursuit until now. He wouldn’t run about mindlessly.” 

“So you’re saying the otherworlder is aware of the empire’s geography...? But that’s...” Rolfe’s expression clouded over. 

If Shardina’s assumptions were correct, the task of catching this man was far harder than they’d anticipated. 

“It seems most likely...” 

“But wouldn’t he choose to go take the shortest route and go south? I would not pick the eastern border, were I in his shoes.” 

If nothing else, Rolfe would prefer the shortest route if he were on the run and in a situation where every moment he spent within the empire’s borders was a moment his life was at risk. In his opinion, there would be no point in deliberately picking the longer way out. 

“Right. If your intent was just to run, you would head south. But consider that this is what we would predict he would do.” 

“So you say he chose the eastern border over the southern one, assuming we would predict he would choose the latter? Impossible... No matter how you look at it, it’s too...” 

“Sir Rolfe.” Shardina shook her head at his words. “I, too, hope my suspicions are unfounded. But he’s outsmarted us every step of the way so far. If we underestimate him, he may slip through the border without us even noticing it.” 

“True enough...” Rolfe said, pondering. “However, we can’t discard the chance he might go south...” 

Rolfe’s sense of judgment was always pragmatic. That was both his finest feature and his greatest fault. For better or worse, he couldn’t shake off what he perceived as common sense. 

“I perfectly understand what you mean. Heading for the east is simply my intuition... Which is why I believe I will leave the southern border to you, Celia and Sir Orlando, and I will head for the eastern one.” 

“I don’t think that’s too bad of an idea... But wouldn’t it be wiser to split into two pairs instead?” 

Rolfe’s suggestion was a reasonable one. In most such cases, they would split their forces in half. Shardina shook her head, however. 

“No. Going east is simply my idea. Which is why, Sir Rolfe, you should stay behind and support Celia... After all, you have nothing to worry about. I have a reliable vice-commander at my side.” 

Rolfe recalled the sight of how Celia, usually calm enough to be known as the Queen of Blizzards, was overcome with frenzy. 

Yes... Just as Her Highness says, it would be dangerous to leave Sir Orlando alone to restrain Lady Celia’s rage... Rolfe took a moment to calculate things. Well, with that man at her side, I doubt Her Highness will come to harm. 

The image of the reliable vice-commander Shardina spoke of vividly surfaced in his mind. 

“Very well. I will organize our formations according to your decision, then.” 

“Please do, Sir Rolfe.” 

Rolfe then went on to force his tired body awake, working into the night to organize their formation. All this to apprehend a single otherworlder. 

“Sir Rolfe! We’ve finished moving the troops! We’ll be departing shortly!” The voice of a runner dragged Rolfe out of his reminiscence of what had happened last night. 

“Shall we go, Lady Shardina?” 

Shardina responded by waving her sword ahead, beyond the gates. 

“March onward!” Rolfe’s shout prompted two hundred soldiers on horseback to set out, in pursuit of the elusive otherworlder.

The column of horsemen rushed along the highway leading east. The vice-commander, Saitou, approached Shardina, who rode at the top of the line. 

“Your Highness. Just as you’ve ordered, we’ve prioritized setting up a blockade at Adelpho.” 

“I see. Good work. Very quick too, Saitou.” 

She’d only given the order last night, so his execution was quick, even if he was on horseback. Her expression showed she was pleased at Saitou’s report. 

“Do you think we’ll be able to arrest him in Adelpho?” 

This man, Saitou, seemed to be in his late twenties. He had a thin, tempered body, and his hair was carefully combed down. He gave the impression of a dignified salaryman. If you were to put him in a business suit and send him out to the business district, he would likely naturally blend in with the crowd. The eyes hidden behind his silver-rimmed glasses glimmered with intelligence. 

“Oh?” Shardina regarded the calm man’s question with a whimsical smile. “Did I ever say anything to that effect?” 

“No. That is precisely why I’m asking, Your Majesty the Princess.” 

Perhaps his answer didn’t fit with her expectations, because Shardina became a bit moody as she answered him. 

“Then let me ask you, my dear, reliable Saitou. Will we be able to arrest the otherworlder in Adelpho?” 

“No. It would most likely be impossible.” Saitou answered plainly. 

Shardina seemed to like that answer. 

“Oh? How so?” She asked, smiling faintly. 

“How are we to seek out a man when we don’t know what he looks like? Or do you happen to have some sort of information regarding him?” 

That had been the most problematic element of all their attempts thus far. All they knew was that the otherworlder was a tall, well-built male, and that he was intelligent and unforgiving in nature. You could find plenty of people like that in the empire. 

They had sought him out yesterday based on the assumption he was wearing a soldier’s armor, but once they left the gate, they lost all traces of him. As such, assuming that he changed out of his armor, as Shardina did, was reasonable. But that also meant they had no more clues to track him with. 

“That’s right... Heheh. No point in trying to seek out someone when we don’t know what he looks like.” 

“What should we do, then?” Saitou regarded Shardina’s smile with a dubious expression. 

Honestly speaking, the situation seemed rather hopeless. That question, however, simply made a prankster’s smile spread over Shardina’s features. 

“Well, we don’t know his face, so we’ll just have to have him tell us, won’t we? That he’s the culprit.” 

The moment Saitou heard Shardina say that, a sharp glint filled his eyes. It seemed he realized what his mistress was thinking. 

“I see. So that’s why you blockaded Adelpho’s checkpoint...” 

“Yes... Though, given our limited manpower, we probably shouldn’t expect too much...” 

“Can’t we mobilize the forces garrisoned in Adelpho?” 

“Not possible.” Shardina shook her head. “Moving the garrison would create an opening in the border, and that would increase the chances of Xarooda attacking. We can’t ask the nobles for support, either.” 

Their eastern neighbor, the kingdom of Xarooda, wasn’t a match for the empire in terms of national power. The western continent was divided into five regions, and among them, O’ltormea was a great power that controlled the central territory, and part of the south as well. By comparison, Xarooda only had a small territory, making up a third of the western tip of the eastern side of the continent. 

To top it off, most of Xarooda’s territory was made up of mountain districts, and the terrain afforded limited space for farmland or to support its population. It was inferior to O’ltormea on all fronts— military strength, economy, and manpower. 

As such, it was hard to believe Xarooda would send its soldiers across the border, and even if they did, O’ltormea would easily be able to respond to their invasion. 

But that was only assuming O’ltormea would be able to exhibit one hundred percent of its power to push them back. It was originally a small country in the center of the continent, and, by taking advantage of the turbulent times, grew into a greater country by taking over its neighboring countries. But that came with a cost, as O’ltormea was currently in a state of open hostilities, or cold war at best, with all of its neighbors. 

In addition, the nobles living in the territories near the empire’s borders were all survivors of defeated countries, and while they swore fealty to the empire on the surface, they only did so to retain their family’s name and honor. Shardina wasn’t foolish enough to presume their loyalty was genuine. 

In other words, the empire of O’ltormea was caught between two foes. One was their external enemies, their neighbors who frowned upon their imperialistic conquest, and their interior enemies, the potentially treacherous nobles. 

“Yes, true enough... Should the nobles hear of this, they could take advantage of things to start a rebellion.” 

Hearing Saitou say this made Shardina smile bitterly, imagining what should happen if the nobles and their neighboring countries learned of this incident. 

“We may have to announce it at some point, but now isn’t the time. So we have to be cautious with the means we pick for this... Even if they put us at a disadvantage.” 

Saitou nodded silently at Shardina’s words. 

When Ryoma reached Melpheren, it was blanketed by night. Having concluded his hunting in the forest, he’d finally reached his initial destination. 

It was past seven in the evening. Usually, it would take roughly three hours to get from the capital to Melpheren by foot. It was some ten odd kilometers in distance from the capital, and even considering the fact that he had stopped to hunt, he still arrived rather late. 

The city gate was rather large. It was already closed because of the late hour, but after paying a toll and presenting his guild identification, Ryoma was allowed to pass. 

“Phew, I finally made it.” 

Not having any acquaintances was tough, and Ryoma inadvertently started talking to himself. Though he had been here for just one day, being thrown into a world entirely detached from the one he grew up in was taking its toll, even on Ryoma. 

Well, I shouldn’t rush. I’ll take any chance to take things easy. 

Melpheren was roughly 100 kilometers away from the border; it would take some four hours to cover that distance on horseback. But going on foot at an average speed of 3-4 kilometers per hour, it would take three days of walking ten hours. However, Ryoma estimated, for several reasons, that it would take him more than a week. 

For now, I should report to the guild. 

Ryoma’s bag was digging into his side, stuffed full of all the materials he’d gathered from hunting. Withstanding his stomach’s grumbling, he shouldered the sack and made his way toward the guild. 

“These, please.” Ryoma arrived in the delivery counter at the guild’s basement level, handing the letter to the clerk sitting there. 

“Understood, please allow me to confirm everything is in order... Yes, it looks fine. The seal is intact.” 

The clerk girl took the letter and Ryoma’s card, then after confirming the wax seal had not been broken, input the information into Ryoma’s card. 

“Yes, everything seems to be in order. I will add to your points, then. What will you do about the hunting requests? Would you like me to calculate them now?” 

“Yes, please do.” Ryoma nodded. 

“Very well. So, that’s 54 wild dogs, 31 wild bees, and 59 wild rabbits... Good work. That’s quite the haul.” 

“Yes. The weapons I bought just yesterday have been dulled from the blood, though... Really ought to get them sharpened.” 

Hearing Ryoma’s grumbling as he took back his card made the clerk girl’s face fill with surprise. 

Did he really kill this many with a sword? In a single day? I thought he was a thaumaturgist who used some large scale destruction spell... Is he really just a F rank adventurer...? 

All of the reception dates for these missions were indeed described as yesterday. 

“Is there a blacksmith who can handle sharpening weapons in town?” Ryoma continued, feeling her stare of surprise and awe on him. 

“Erm... Leave the guild and take a left at the main street. It should be straight ahead.” 

“All right, I’ll check it out later. By the way, are you done calculating?” 

“Ah!” Ryoma’s probing spurred the girl to remember what she was doing. “My apologies. The grand total is four silvers and 23 coppers. You get one point per kill, so it sums up to 144 points. Congratulations, Mr. Mikoshiba. You’ve elevated yourself to Double F rank.” 

He only registered yesterday, and he’s already moved up to the next rank...? 

Ryoma honestly didn’t look all that happy. Though that was perhaps to be expected, since it didn’t seem like achieving this was too much trouble for him. 

“You don’t look very pleased about your promotion.” The clerk girl put her thoughts into words. 

“Well, I am, it’s just that it wasn’t much of an effort, to be honest...” Ryoma answered her directly. 

“Really? Well, one of two things usually happens in this situation. If someone had some training before registering, they usually reach level E within a week or so.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes. On the other hand, complete amateurs can find that simply elevating themselves to Double F rank is a great endeavor.” 

“Hmm. Is that so...” 

Ryoma hadn’t yet figured it out, but what hindered beginners the most was working in a group. Monsters in the forest often operated in packs, which meant adventurers had to contend with several enemies at once while on the hunt. 

But even weak monsters could pose a threat in large numbers. It was for this reason the guild recommended people join up and form parties, but naturally, not everyone was necessarily accepted. There were all sorts of reasons, such as the gap between individuals’ combat abilities being too wide, different ways of thinking, or conflicting interests. But whatever the case, few people took on requests alone. 

That also meant that people who struggled to enter groups were beginners, especially those who hadn’t been trained in some way. 

“We at the guild encourage veterans to join up with beginners and help them grow through real combat, but that can be difficult to arrange.” 

Amateurs had a way of doing unpredictable things. Of course, being unpredictable didn’t necessarily mean they couldn’t produce favorable results, but in most cases these sorts of things tended to end tragically. That was why veterans tended to hesitate about helping to raise beginners. 

Ergo, most beginners in the guild had to resort to completing missions by themselves until they became skilled enough, excepting those who were fortunate enough to team up with fellow novices. 

But, once again, monsters operated in packs, and therein lay the issue. Even monsters a novice could dispatch one-on-one were a whole different story if encountered as a group in the unfamiliar environment of the forest. They would have to fight while being wary of every possible direction, and that was hard for the beginners. Going too hard could result in loss of life. 

For this reason, most novices sought out strays - individual monsters who had become separated from their packs. Encountering them was extremely uncommon, though. One could spend the whole day in the forest and encounter only a scant few. 

The result was the two cases the clerk had described. Those who lacked the skill and only fought one-on-one, scouring the forests for strays, and those like Ryoma who were capable of fighting many opponents at once, who ended up rapidly climbing the ranks. 

It was also possible to raise one’s rank with only delivery requests, but it wasn’t recommended. If one were to up their rank without gaining experience through true combat, all that would await them would be a gruesome death later down the line. 

“Incidentally, Mr. Mikoshiba, since you’ve hunted this many, I’d assume you have quite a few fangs and furs, correct?” 

“Yeah. Picking them apart was a pain. I was going to take them to the curio store next.” 

“Then maybe you would like to do some provision requests?” 

“Provision requests...?” Ryoma tilted his head at the unfamiliar term. 

“Yes. It would yield less money than selling them in stores, but they would help you elevate your rank faster, so it should pay off more in the long run.” 

“Oh, really?” Ryoma said, seemingly interested. 

He was the kind of person who was fundamentally attentive when it came to maximizing his gains. 

“Yes. You’re aware you can only take requests that are the same rank as you or lower, yes?” 

He recalled that being mentioned when registering with the guild. 

“Yes, what about it?” 

“Actually, when you submit a mission that’s a lower rank than yours, your point gain becomes zero, but your payment doubles. It only applies for hunting requests, though.” 

That was rather alarming for Ryoma to hear. The booklet didn’t mention that. 

“What?!” 

“That way, when skilled adventurers take on hunting multiple requests of a lower rank, they earn much more.” 

“I see!” 

Ranking up is pretty nice, then. May as well take the chance and raise it. 

In this situation, there was no such thing as having too much money, and even if he were financially stable for now, there was no telling when that could change. While he did want to avoid drawing attention to himself, there seemed to be quite a bit of value in increasing his rank, and he preferred to take the time to raise it now, when he had the leisure to do so. 

“I understand. The reception counter is on the first floor, right?” 

“Yes, just past the stairway.” 

Bowing his head, Ryoma swiftly ascended up the stairs. 

“Hello. You’re here for provision requests, correct?” 

“Yes. I’d like to take all the requests for items obtainable from wild dogs, bees and rabbits.” 

The boy sitting at the counter explained the details of each request one after another in an experienced fashion. 

“With regards to each item, it will be two coppers per wild dog’s fang and five per fur, two coppers per wild bee stinger and five per wing, and one copper per wild rabbit’s ear and five coppers per fur. You will gain one point per item delivered. There’s no fixed date for completion of these requests. Handing them over at the delivery counter will complete the task.” 

“I’ll take them, then.” 

“Very well. Best of luck to you.” 

After this fairly simple exchange, Ryoma headed back down to the delivery counter. 

“Did you take the requests?” The same clerk girl greeted Ryoma with a smile. 

“Yes, I accepted all of them.” 

“Huh? All of them?” The clerk’s expression clouded over at his response. 

“Huh? Should I not have done that?” 

“Oh, no, nothing of the sort. But I did want to mention that if you deliver all the items you have, you’ll have more than enough points to go up to rank E.” 

That made Ryoma understand what bothered her. If he were to rank up to E, his rank F requests would stop yielding him points. And if he gained no points out of it, there was little point in delivering them to the guild. Selling them in town would make more sense financially. 

Well, whatever... I’m famished and it’s getting late... I still need to get my sword sharpened, grab something to eat and find an inn. It’ll be past ten o’clock after that... I’ll just think of this as a learning experience. 

Consulting the clock on the guild’s wall, it was already past eight in the evening. Right around the ideal time to have dinner and find an inn to stay in. 

“I can manage them for now. I’ll hand all of them over.” 

He could have turned down the requests, but that would result in lost points, which would make the calculation that much more annoying. He probably could adjust how many he delivered in order not to waste any points or money gained, but he wasn’t up to the task on his empty stomach and fatigued mind. 

“Understood. I’ll be taking the materials, then.” 

Ryoma spread out the contents of his rucksack onto the counter.

“Are you shitting me?!” A shout echoed through the first floor’s reception counter. 

Ryoma had just reported his provision requests and raised his rank to E. Going up to the first floor with the intent of leaving and looking for a place to eat, Ryoma happened on the sight of that man. 

“I risked my damn life completing this request! And now you say you can’t pay me for it?!” 

The large man’s hair was bundled up under his shoulders and he was clad in iron armor. This unfamiliar man was arguing with the clerk Ryoma had accepted the requests from earlier. 

“I’ve already told you! You eliminated the wrong targets, so we can’t pay for your work. It’s well past the due date for this request as well, so please pay your penalty!” 

This seemingly quiet, delicate young man was talking down the brute in front of him resolutely. 

“Do I look like some kind of sucker to you?! I looked up and down to find them!” 

“But didn’t I tell you, Mr. Golaes?! You have to make doubly sure you understand the details of the request!” 

“The hell!” The middle aged man burst out. “Aren’t you the observer here?!” 

“Mr. Golaes.” The young man shook his head. “You’ve gained quite the reputation as a mercenary, but your skill as an adventurer is lacking. The request you undertook involved subjugating the Crimson Moon Brigade. But your search found nothing while you were slacking off with your investigations, and you slew some random bandits you happened across.” 

The younger man was staring the older one down. 

“Just as the Guild advised you, your investigation should have been more thorough. It’s undeniable that the bandits you slew were the wrong ones. We’ve recently received a report that a nearby village was recently raided by the Crimson Moon Brigade and several young women were abducted.” 

The young man’s sharp glare stabbed at Golaes. 

“I won’t say the damages are entirely your fault, Mr. Golaes, but had you done your task properly, that could have been prevented!” He reasoned, his eyes unwavering. “With that in mind, do you still have any complaints regarding the Guild’s treatment here?” 

The very image of a stabbing remark. 

The young clerk’s sharp tone made the raging man gradually drop his shoulders. It seemed he wasn’t as dumb as he looked. If nothing else, he was smart enough to realize it was his fault. 

“Ugh... I’m sorry... I understand. I’ll pay the penalty.” 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Golaes.” The clerk’s expression softened. “I spoke harshly. Accept my apologies.” 

He bowed his head at Golaes. 

“Nah, it’s my bad. I’m sorry... I took that task because it was a low-rank one, but I guess you can’t send a merc to do an adventurer’s job... Go ahead and charge the penalty to my account.” 

With those parting words, Golaes walked out of the guild, his shoulders drooping. 

Man, I was naive... 

Ryoma had only stumbled onto this scene by accident, but it had shocked him down to his core. 

What was I thinking? That these requests aren’t real, like they’re just part of a game or something? I was considering dropping some of them back there, after all. 

Requests weren’t something one could accept or decline easily. In this world, they were matters of life and death. Ryoma realized just how naive he had been. 

“Is something wrong, Mr. Mikoshiba?” The young clerk noticed Ryoma staring at him and came closer. 

“Ah, no. I’m done with my provision requests, so I thought I’d go back to the inn for today and come back tomorrow for more work.” Ryoma said, slightly overwhelmed by how gentle the young man’s tone was now, compared to how strict it had been moments earlier. 

“I see. So that’s how you ran into that little scene. Did we startle you?” 

“Yeah... That’s right.” 

For a moment there, this boy’s delicate features somehow seemed more menacing than Golaes’s massive frame. The boy’s conviction and vigor probably made it seem that way. 

“You’d be surprised how often we get people like that.” The clerk’s expression clouded over. 

“The kind that don’t complete their requests?” 

“Yes.” The boy answered Ryoma’s question with a nod and a frown. “Those who can’t distinguish their own characteristics and experience end up like Mr. Golaes. He’s a very skilled mercenary, so there are no complaints regarding his combat skills. In fact, he may have attacked the wrong bandits, but he did beat them one against ten. However, his awareness regarding matters like investigation and exploration are simply too lacking. And for this, he could have chosen to team up with other adventurers.” 

“I see. So if you can’t do something, you can team up with those who can.” 

Ryoma’s answer made the young man’s expression soften. He looked like a teacher who had just heard his student give the answer they wanted to hear. 

“Heheheh. You’re honest and smart. Keep on working hard.” 

“I will. Thank you very much.” 

The boy smiled and made to leave, but suddenly paused, as if remembering something. 

“Oh! Yes. About the Crimson Moon Brigade we mentioned in the conversation there. They’ve recently been attacking people on the road between Melpheren and Alue, and the villages along that road. You should be careful if you’re heading in that direction.” 

Bandits on the road to Alue... Ryoma thought, staring at the clerk’s back as he left. 

The road to Alue. That was one of the towns along the road to the eastern border, and Ryoma’s next destination.

“This is no good, sonny! It’d be cheaper to just buy a new one.” 

Ryoma went to the blacksmith he’d heard of at the guild to have his weapon sharpened, but the old man there simply said that after examining the sword. 

“Is it completely useless?” 

“Yeah.” The shopkeeper scoffed. “How the hell were you using it to make it this blunt? The blade’s completely rounded. It’s pretty much a glorified stick.” 

Well, shit... Never thought I’d wear it out in just one day... 

Ryoma was certainly more used to using blades than the average person, but he didn’t have any experience with using one to cut through flesh so many times in one day. 

“Uh, well... I used it for hunting...” 

“It’s completely stained with blood and rounded out. How many days have you gone without getting it serviced to get it this bad, anyway?” 

“All day today. I only just bought it yesterday, and it was new...” 

As Ryoma spoke, disbelief played over the blacksmith’s face. 

“Don’tcha be pulling my leg, look at the state it’s in! It ain’t gonna end up like this if you kill just ten or twenty critters. You’d need to kill a hundred or so...” 

But the old man realized as he looked at Ryoma’s face. 

“You... ain’t joking, are ya?” 

“No.” Ryoma shook his head. 

“Aaah. Well, hate to break it to you, but I don’t have a sword better than this one on sale.” The blacksmith sighed, sending a glance at Ryoma’s expression. “I use casting to forge, see. Are you still fine with that?” 

He’d seen the difference in quality between the swords he made and Ryoma’s own sword. But Ryoma knew this much from the moment he first set foot in the store. 

“Yeah, a cast sword is fine. Preferably a convenient one... That said, could you sharpen these as well?” Ryoma said, presenting his bloodied chakrams. 

“What in tarnation? These things are weapons?” 

He’d probably never seen chakrams before. He picked them up curiously. 

“You can see blades along the rims there.” 

“Well, these don’t look as bad as the sword...” He said, holding them up against the light to inspect their condition. “When do you want them ready?” 

“By tomorrow morning, if you could.” 

“Well, assuming it’d take me an hour to do each one, I’ll probably be done before noon. I’ll take the job if you’re all right with that.” 

Before noon, huh? I guess I’ll just spend some time at the inn and stop by the guild on the way here... 

“All right. What’s your cost?” Ryoma said, reaching into the bag on his waist which served as a wallet. 

“Let’s see... If you’re gonna be buying a sword too, it’d be about four silvers in total.” 

That amount wasn’t a problem for Ryoma, given he’d earned a lot more than four silver coins when adding in all the materials he exchanged. 

It’s a cast-forged sword, so it’s cheaper than the sword I bought at the capital... I figured I’d need to buy replacement weapons soon enough, but it could have been a problem if they were all that expensive... 

The quality of one’s equipment could be a matter of life and death, so it was only natural to pursue reliable equipment. But if that high quality resulted in it being hard to replace, that could cause trouble. 

“All right. I’ll be back tomorrow, around ten in the morning.” Ryoma said, and left after paying. 

Right, now to get some grub... 

Rubbing his empty stomach, Ryoma disappeared into the streets of Melpheren.

The third day since Ryoma was summoned to this other world dawned. It was nearly noon, and Ryoma was traveling alone down the road to Alue. 

That morning, Ryoma had had a late breakfast before visiting the blacksmith to pick up his sharpened weapons. 

Bandits, huh. Hope I don’t run into any of them... 

The memory of what he’d seen when he stopped by the guild to accept requests flashed in his mind. 

“Hurry, hurry, hurry! All those who are confident in their skill, do take this request!” 

The boy manning the reception desk yesterday stood in front of the notice board with a middle-aged man called Girts; the two of them were calling out to people. Pushing his way through the crowd, Ryoma managed to get to the board, reading the paper patch plastered to it. 

Isn’t this the request the guy from yesterday failed? Weren’t they called the Crimson Moon Brigade or something? 

The reward written on the notice was one gold coin per person. It was quite the lavish reward. Owing to the sum being much higher than normal compensation, Girts was surrounded by a crowd. 

As he crossed through the crowd on his way to the guild’s entrance, Ryoma heard the men talking. 

“Didja hear that, lads?! A gold coin for everyone involved! With eight of us, we can walk away with eight golds. Plus all the treasure and whatnot on the mooks we kill!” 

“Dang... The guild’s going all out with this one.” 

“They ain’t got no choice. Golaes screwed it up... Guild’s gotta keep up appearances, y’know?” 

“What?! Rock Wrecker Golaes failed this one?” 

“Yeah. Apparently he offed some other group of bandits.” 

“Oh, so he went to kill them without investigating. That’s dumb... Well, whaddya expect from that rock-brained lunkhead? I mean, he’s strong and all, but there’s nothing inside that skull of his.” 

“Hey now. If he hears you say that, he’ll wring your head off.” 

“Whoops... Me and my big mouth...” 

The men standing around were all adventurers and mercenaries, it seemed. No shortage of malicious insults were being whispered all around. 

Golaes must be feeling terrible right now. He didn’t look like such a bad guy, either... 

With heartless insults being whispered all around him, Ryoma headed inside the guild. 

“I’m terribly sorry, but all the delivery requests between Melpheren and Alue are currently on hold.” The girl at the reception said, bowing her head deeply. “There are some urgent deliveries, but they’re all rank C and above, so I’m afraid you can’t take them, Mr. Mikoshiba.” 

“Is it because of those bandits?” 

He’d assumed this might happen, so he spoke to the apologetic reception girl with a smile. 

“Yes. This failure greatly damaged the guild’s dignity... And the governor’s guards are being forced in on us, too... Ah! My apologies. Please forget I said that.” 

Getting carried away with answering his question, she accidentally let slip some internal affairs of the guild. Placing her hand on her mouth, she looked up at Ryoma with a questioning look. 

So the governor’s got quite a bit of influence around here, does he... Hardly surprising. 

Even a massive organization like the Guild, with a network spread out across the continent, had to be considerate of the nobles. Ryoma nodded with satisfaction, having gotten a glimpse into the inner workings of things. 

“Oh, no, I didn’t hear a thing. That said, is there any work I can take on with my rank right now?” 

While there was no pressing need to take on more work, he wanted to gain as much experience as he could, since it would benefit him down the line. 

“Well, I think the only work you could take on right now are just rank F and E hunting requests.” She said apologetically, folding the documents in her hands. 

“F Rank missions don’t give me points toward raising my rank, but offer twice the pay, right?” 

“Yes, exactly. Those beasts would overpopulate if someone doesn’t periodically hunt them down. People at higher ranks wouldn’t take the requests without some kind of bonus, and those in low ranks are limited in how many they can hunt down. The guild can’t really afford to throw money around too much, but it’s something of a public service.” She had something of a resigned smile as she spoke. 

She was evidently displeased that the guild had to take losses over this. She may have understood this was necessary, but she didn’t quite consent to it personally. 

“Is there a deadline for these requests?” 

“Hunting requests under rank B typically don’t have time limits.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes. So there’s no loss in accepting all the hunting requests you can under rank B.” 

“I’ll take all the rank E hunting requests, then.” Ryoma said after pausing to consider her words. 

Since they have no restrictions or time limits, I should take these requests whenever possible... Best to earn money whenever I can. 

“Very well. I’ll refer you to this, then.” 

The receptionist handed him a book. 

“What’s this?” 

“A glossary of monsters you’ll have to hunt at rank E requests, how much they pay, and their habitats. There are a total of twenty hunting requests you can take at rank E. Explaining them all verbally would take too long, so for rank E and above, we produce glossaries and hand them out when people first take hunting requests. Be sure to read it thoroughly.” She said with her biggest smile of the day, as Ryoma flinched at the sheer girth of the tome she had given him. 

“Haah... Fine.” Ryoma was clearly exasperated. 

Having almost screwed up once before, he didn’t have any option but to read through it. 

“I’ve recorded the requests on your card, so the formalities are taken care of. Good luck.” 

I’ll just skim through it and try to get the gist of what I need to know... 

Placing the book in his sack, Ryoma left the guild.

It happened two hours after Ryoma left Melpheren. The highway led into a dense forest. The road was wide enough for three carriages to drive through side by side, but as he looked toward the forest, the trees seemed to be growing thickly. They blocked off the sunlight, making the area rather dim. Also, perhaps because of the threat of bandits, there was no one walking along the highway. 

Ryoma Mikoshiba was the sole person walking down this road right now. 

Man, I’ve got a bad feeling about this... 

A highway enclosed by thick foliage. The ideal place for soldiers to lie in ambush, and equally ideal for bandits to attack. 

It’ll be fine... Right? I mean, it’s the middle of the day... 

But Ryoma’s attempt to convince himself crumbled like a sandcastle at the sound of a girl’s screech, sharp enough to rip through silk. 

“Kyaaaaa!” 

“Shut up! You gonna be quiet or not?!” 

“No! Let me go!” 

“I said, pipe down already!” 

It was just as the road took a sharp turn to the right. Ryoma quietly snuck toward where the voice came from. Rushing over to a large tree near the turn, Ryoma hid behind it and observed what was going on. 

He saw a carriage that seemed to have been attacked, and several men who had two girls grabbed by their hair. He could also hear the vulgar conversation going on between the men. 

“Heheheh, huge haul today. But hey, is it just me, or is none of that good stuff rolling our way these days?” 

“You got that right. We stocked up really good at that village yesterday, too.” 

“The women were pretty decent, for the sticks, at least. Not like we got a round with them, but still...” 

“Well, what’re ya gonna do. If we’re gonna sell them, the used goods are gonna get us less than new ones.” 

“I’m tired of doing middle aged hags, man. I’d kill for something young like those ones, see?” One of the men pointed at the girls and laughed with a smirk. 

“Ahahaha! Can’t argue with that!” 

“Hey, hands off the merchandise!” One of the others said as a man grabbed the blond girl by her arms. “The boss’ll have your heads for this!” 

“Aww, c’mon. Look at how good they are and tell me you don’t want a piece of that.” Another man said, pinning the silver-haired girl’s arms behind her back. 

“He’s got a point. ’Sides, the stuff in this cart hits our quota for the month and then some.” The man rummaging through the carriage’s contents came out, looking around at his companions. 

That prompted them to raise their voices in agreement. The men’s restraint was completely broken by the girls’ beauty. 

“If you dare lay a hand on us, we’ll bite our own tongues off!” The silver-haired girl called out valiantly, apparently losing her patience after hearing what the men said. 

“Ha!” The men’s smiles didn’t waver in the slightest. “We know you slaves can’t off yourselves or resist, so long as you have that collar on!” 

The girls went pale. They didn’t expect bandits to know about that. Just like the man said, the power of that collar restricted the girls’ actions, as slaves weren’t allowed to commit suicide or resist. 

“But just to be on the safe side... Hey, someone stuff a cloth in their mouths!” 

“Stop! Leave us alone!” 

The two desperately tried to shake off the men, but were no match for them in terms of raw strength. 

“Hey! We don’t have to tell you what we’ll do to the other woman if you don’t start acting like a good girl, do we?” 

The sight of a sword being thrust in the direction of the other girl prompted the silver-haired girl to cease her fervent struggling. 

“But man, your master’s a real cold blooded bastard, isn’t he? The moment we attacked, he just took off with his bodyguards.” The man who threatened the silver-haired girl taunted the two. 

“Can’t blame him, can you, Gates? Getting away from the Crimson Moon Brigade alive takes luck.” 

“You ain’t wrong!” The man called Gates burst out into a fit of laughter. 

“Whoa, check it out, there’s 500 golds in here!” The man who had gone inside the canopy to scavenge for goods called out. 

“Whoa, I can’t believe it. He’s right...” 

“Are these seriously all gold coins...?” 

Aside from assorted outfits and jewelry, there was also a chest full of mostly gold coins. It seemed the men didn’t expect their haul to be that good, as they gradually started cheering. 

“So! Got quite a pull here, I’d say. So that means we can do whatever we want to these girls, right?” One of the men said, his voice dripping with lust. 

As if pulled in by his words, the other men spoke up in agreement. 

“Yeah, I think so, too. We got so much money and jewels, no one’s gonna complain if we bring some damaged goods too, right?” 

The sight of the small mountain of gold in the chest had erased all traces of restraint from their heads. 

“But what if the boss finds out...” One man among them said cautiously with a concerned expression. 

They seem to have feared their boss quite a bit. But Gates simply regarded that man with a warped smile. 

“That ain’t a problem. We’ll just off the whores once we’re done with ’em. How can he get mad at us if he doesn’t even know they were part of the loot?” 

Those words made the one man that seemed to be hesitant about raping the girls smile in obscene expectation. 

One, two, five... There’s seven of them... All right, how do I take care of these guys...? 

The conflict was raging inside Ryoma’s heart. The men were standing in a small clearing some ten meters away from the large tree, and their outfits weren’t radically different from what the mercenaries and adventurers he saw around town wore. They were clad in armor and had weapons in hand. 

But their expressions were that of cruel predators. The kind that would rape, harm, steal from and hurt others, filled with confidence and haughty pride in their own strength. That faith hung over their faces like a shadow. 

Those are faces only a mother could love... 

In sixteen years of life, Ryoma had never seen anyone make the sort of disgusting, animalistically lustful expression they were making. 

What now? Should I save the girls? It probably wouldn’t be wise to get involved in any needless trouble, though... 

Ryoma was torn between his desire to save them and the desire to abandon them in the name of self-preservation. 

I might not run into any further trouble if I do save these girls now, but then again, there’s a chance that I might... And I’m definitely gonna have to certainly kill all seven of these guys if I do... If even one of them got away, he’d call for backup. Could I really manage that? If I attack from this distance and they use the girls as meat shields, then I’d really be out of luck... 

A reason to save them. A reason to abandon them. His own safety. His sense of justice. His pursuers from the Empire. Many factors crossed his mind, as he listened to Gates’s vulgar ramblings. 

He wants to rape them, and then kill them... 

Those words filled Ryoma’s mind with wrath and the urge to kill. 

Man, why am I even thinking about this so much? Do I really want to leave chuds like these alive? 

Those honest feelings rose from Ryoma’s heart. 

Could I really leave these girls behind and go back to my world? Would I be satisfied with that? 

He’d intended to do anything to get out of this screwed-up world he’d been summoned to and find a way back home. He’d even thought to himself that he’d find a way back home even if he had to kill everyone in this world to do it. But when mulling over the possibility of allowing two girls to be raped and murdered right in front of him, he realized he wasn’t as single-minded as he thought. 

I’ve already got blood on my hands, and I don’t regret that. The assholes who summoned me here, tried to enslave me, and tried to make me fight for them? Their lives don’t mean shit to me. If I ever make it home, even if people judge me, I’ll tell them all that I did the right thing. “I did what I had to! You have no right to complain,” I’ll say. But if I just leave these girls to die, can I say the same thing then...? Fuck that. Never mind what other people might think, I’d never be able to forgive myself. 

As cold and relentless as he could be when it came to fulfilling his objectives, Ryoma was fundamentally a good person, with the common sense and perception of justice one would expect of a decent, modern human being. But if anything set him apart, it was his resolve. 

The resolve to pursue that justice, even it if meant separating his enemies from their souls, may have been the one thing that made him different compared to most people. 

Taking his chakrams out of his sack, he moved through the forest towards the ideal position to launch a surprise attack. If his preemptive attack were to fail, the odds would be overwhelmingly against him. And this time, his face wasn’t hidden. If even one of them got away, they’d bring reinforcements and retaliate. 

I don’t have much of a choice if I’m gonna increase my chances of success... Sorry, girls. 

Ryoma mentally apologized to the girls, who were on the verge of crisis. Perhaps he was merely trying to mentally justify doing this, but... 

Ryoma moved to the southern side of the forest, to a position that gave him a better view of the men and the girls. There were ten meters of distance between them, and the men couldn’t see Ryoma through the branches and leaves which hid the road from view. 

Are those bastards going to rape them right here, in the middle of the road...? 

At first Ryoma thought they might move somewhere else, but the men intended to do the deed right there and then, in the middle of the road. It had been some time since they’d attacked the carriage, but they didn’t seem to mind. Even considering this was an empty road in the middle of the forest, their confidence seemed strange, if not outright brazen. 

Goddamn animals... 

Staring at them in disgust, an uncomfortable feeling overcame Ryoma. But he shook off those feelings and waited patiently, restraining his anger and desire to kill all the while. 

Then it happened. 

“All right, so it’s decided! This is our little secret, lads. If the boss finds out, it’ll be all of our heads on the chopping block, after all!” Gates said, prompting everyone else to nod. 

“Alrighty, let’s start with the blondie, then!” So said the man restraining the golden-haired girl. 

“I’ll take the silver one, then!” The other men started speaking enthusiastically. 

“Hey, Gates, what are we gonna do about these guys?” 

“Aaaah? Let ’em do whatever they want. Though I’ll be taking the silver girl’s virginity for myself.” 

“What?! Gates, you asshole, who died and made you king?! Her first time is mine!” 

They were so horned up that they broke into a lowbrow argument, before eventually deciding on an order. 

“You there, tyro. Keep watch. Well, the guild’s subjugation forces are being organized and the Empire’s army hasn’t moved, so there’s nothing to fear, but another sucker might show up, so keep your eyes peeled! And the guys going second, hold the girls’ arms tight!” 

The men moved out at Gates’s instructions. 

So he’s the head honcho, then. 

Ryoma clenched the chakram in his fist tightly. 

“All right!” 

The men took off their sashes and lowered their pants down to their knees, exposing their privates. That was what Ryoma had been waiting for. 

Now! Die! 

The moment the men’s bodies were about to obscure those of the girls, Ryoma fired off a chakram. Cutting through the window, it whizzed toward Gates. 

“Guah...” A splash of blood burst from Gates’s mouth. 

The chakram Ryoma had fired sunk itself into the back of Gates’s defenseless head, lodging into his skull, and his body collapsed on top of the girl. 

Ryoma fired his remaining chakrams from behind cover, and then charged out of the forest. He was aiming at the men who were pinning down the girls. 

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah?!” 

“Geeeeeeeeeh?!” 

One chakram sank into one man’s brow, and another into the other man’s throat. Unfortunately, the next man avoided the fourth thrown chakram by ducking his head, letting it sail over him. 

Three down, four to go. 

Ryoma had a valid reason to wait until right before the girls were going to be ravaged; he was waiting for the bandits to disarm themselves. If a man intended to rape a woman, he’d have to take off his pants. And since they were also wearing sashes, that meant they’d have to remove the swords on their waists as well. 

Ryoma had, of course, considered the emotional damage it would inflict on the girls, but he had to win, and the most surefire way to dispose of the men was to wait until the moment they were about to start. Ryoma made a gamble, with victory or defeat leaning on that single moment. And the risk had paid off. 

His preemptive strike took out the group’s leader, Gates, and threw the enemy’s formation out of order. Their weapons were thrown to the ground, along with the sashes they had removed to rape the girls, and some of them still had their pants hanging around their knees. It was impossible to reflexively prepare for battle in those positions. 

The guards were some distance away, so Ryoma had to beat the men pinning the girls down first. 

“What? What’s going on?!” The men guarding the highway ran over, having noticed the disturbance. 

“Were you morons even watching?! We’re under attack!” One of the men shouted, his face distorted with lust and rage. 

“The hell are you?!” 

“Don’t mess with us. You just made enemies of the Crimson Moon Brigade!” 

Ignoring the men charging at him, Ryoma rushed to the girls’ side. 

“You fucker, how dare you shrug us off. Die!” The man who had dodged the chakram stopped pinning down the girls and drew his sword. 

Holding it over his head, he swung the blade down at full force down toward Ryoma’s skull. Ryoma’s sword, which he held under his arm, intersected with the blade. The sound of metal clanging and sparks spread out. A sword swung down. A sword brandished up. But the one that won over was the sword brandished upward. 

The man aimed at Ryoma’s head, but Ryoma aimed at the man’s sword itself. That small difference was what tipped the scales of this exchange. While he’d managed to stop the sword from being flicked away, the man’s right hand was pushed back, and then a wet sound - like a watermelon being cut in half - echoed through the forest. 

Ryoma’s sword swung down, crushing the man’s head. 

Three more! 

He’d reduced the group of seven to less than half their starting number, but the effect of the surprise attack was wearing off by now. The three that were in charge of keeping watch rushed back, weapons in hand, and were looking for a chance to strike. 

They’re not charging in... Shit! 

They were in a stalemate. In terms of martial skills, the three bandits were no match for Ryoma. They likely had ample combat experience, but they weren’t skilled in martial arts. Their formation was perfect, though, and didn’t allow for any openings Ryoma could take advantage of. 

Ryoma returned his sword to his scabbard, kneeling as he waited for his opponents to make a move. His glare clashed with theirs. 

The way this is going, it won’t end well... I have to go for it! 

Ryoma broke his stance and suppressed his bloodthirst for the bandits. With his sword still in his right hand, all the force drained from his muscles, and he walked up to the bandits slowly. In contrast to how savage he was before, there wasn’t a hint of emotion in Ryoma’s features. Like a doll, there wasn’t a hint of prana to his expression. 

“S-Stay away!” 

“What are you thinking?!” 

It took the bandits by surprise. Ryoma’s body was completely loose, and open to attack. He looked like an attack could easily do him in. He moved calmly, one step after another... When one of the bandits finally lost his temper. 

“A-Are you making fun of us?! Die!” He shouted angrily, bearing down his sword on Ryoma’s head. 

The moment he did, Ryoma’s body slipped to his right, and blood spurted out of the attacking bandit’s neck. 

“Wh-What did you do?!” 

In Ryoma’s hands was a naked sword, dripping with blood, which he’d apparently drawn at some point. But what rattled the other bandits wasn’t dread from his swordsmanship, but the fact Ryoma’s expression remained as still as it was even as he slew a man and was stained all over with his blood. 

And this surge of terror clouded the bandits’ judgment. It was hard to deal with them when they acted together in a formation, but when fear and anxiety overcame them, they forfeited their means of survival. 

They held up their swords, abandoning their formation, merely focusing on the enemy before them like mere animals. Ryoma slashed over one of the bandits’ exposed torso, and used the momentum to slash the final one diagonally from the shoulder. 

“Whooooo...” 

With the final one cut down, Ryoma flicked the blood off his blade and returned it to its sheath. Looking around, he sighed heavily. 

I managed it, one way or another... 

“U-Um... Excuse me?” A voice suddenly spoke from behind him. 

Ryoma turned around, catching sight of the girls running toward him. 

“Oh, your face!” She said, using her sleeve to wipe the blood splatter off Ryoma’s face. 

“My apologies. I am the older sister, Laura.” 

“And I am the younger sister, Sara.” 

The silver-haired girl introduced herself, followed by the blond girl. 

“Right. You two okay?” 

“Yes, we are. We thank you for saving us.” They said, bowing their heads in gratitude. 

“No, I’m sorry you had to go through something like that. I should have come in to save you much sooner, honestly.” 

Even if he did do it to save them, he did deliberately let things get to the very moment before they were ravaged. The fear would likely leave lasting marks on their hearts. 

The girls, however, shook their heads at Ryoma’s words. 

“Don’t apologize, sir. The fact our bodies remain undefiled is all that matters.” 

“It is as Sara says. No amount of thanks will suffice... We truly are grateful to you.” Laura supplemented to Sara’s answer, and the two of them once again bowed their heads. 

“Hearing you say that is more than enough...!” 

Ryoma once again stared at the girls, taken aback by their beauty. Their skin was light brown and their features were perfectly chiseled. Their limbs were supple, and their ample breasts made Ryoma terribly aware of their femininity. 

They were dressed like Arabian dancers, but the collars and shackles stood out more than anything. 

I can see why the bandits lost their heads from seeing them... 

But at the same time, something about these girls felt off to Ryoma. 

What’s with them, anyway? Are these girls stronger than those bandits? 

The shape of their muscles, the way they carried themselves and the watchfulness in their gazes. They all gave the impression that the girls were skilled martial artists. In Ryoma’s eyes, they didn’t seem like fragile, dainty existences who would be so easily raped by those bandits. 

“Um... Is something the matter?” Laura asked, feeling Ryoma eye them suspiciously. 

“Oh. Ah, sorry. Just thinking about something. Do you girls have a last name, by the way?” 

He had his suspicions, but asking now would be unwise. Ryoma spoke to them with the most pleasant voice he could manage. 

“Slaves have no family names...” Laura’s reply made Ryoma’s expression distort. 

He’d assumed as such from the collar, but this world really did have slaves. 

“Oh, I’m sorry...” Ryoma regretted asking that insensitive question. 

“It is fine. Do not let it bother you.” But even as the girls said that, there was a shadow over their expressions. 

An awkward silence hung over the three of them. 

Damn... I shouldn’t have asked that... 

He knew he had to say something to mend this situation, but he had little experience with these sorts of things. No matter how much he racked his brain, it felt like anything he would come up with would only make things worse. 

What eventually broke the oppressive silence was Sara’s voice. 

“Um... If you wouldn’t mind, could you tell us your name?” 

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he forgot to introduce himself. 

“Oh, oops. Sorry. My name’s Mikoshiba, Ryoma Mikoshiba.” 

“Mikoshiba... Master Mikoshiba. Allow us to thank you again. You have truly been a great help.” The two bowed their heads yet again. 

“Don’t mention it. Well, that aside, what will you be doing now? Do you want me to escort you to Alue?” 

Their response, however, surprised Ryoma. 

“No... Our apologies. We cannot move away from here without orders from our Master.” 

Those unexpected words made Ryoma’s thoughts grind to a halt. Their expressions didn’t seem joking, though. 

“...Are you for real?” He asked them, almost timidly. 

Ryoma was so confused he’d spoken in his most casual, unrestrained manner. 

“Yes.” The two of them nodded in unison. 

“And where is this Master of yours?” Ryoma examined the attacked carriage, but none of the corpses lying there seemed to be the right person. 

“Our Master fled along with his bodyguards when the carriage was attacked.” 

Sara’s answer left Ryoma astonished. They were obeying the orders of an owner that left them behind and ran? 

“So let me get this straight. This Master fellow just ran off and left you behind?” 

“Yes.” 

“And that’s why you’re staying here?” He asked, hoping to be answered in the negative. 

His prayers went unanswered, though, and it was the kind of hunch Ryoma wished was wrong that ended up being proven true. 

“Yes. We cannot move unless our Master orders otherwise.” The two nodded, and Ryoma raised his head, looking upward. 

C’mon... This has to be a joke. 

This was, honestly speaking, a rather irritating development. For all Ryoma cared, he just wanted to take these girls back to town, get away from there as soon as possible and bid the two farewell. There were his pursuers from the Empire to consider, and the two of them were suspicious enough to boot. But so long as the girls insisted on not moving, going back to town wasn’t possible. And he couldn’t drag them all the way there either, obviously. 

Well, not much I can do. I guess I’ll help the girls set up camp and leave them the food. They’ll have to take care of themselves after that... 

Realizing there was no changing the girls’ minds, he gave them instructions to start setting up camp. Leaving them in the heart of the forest like this left a bitter taste in his mouth, of course. 

Well, I’ll do what I can to help them. 

He knew this was hypocrisy on his part, but he could only do so much. As he had the girls prepare the camp, Ryoma carried the bodies of the bandits and what seemed to be dead bodyguards. He figured leaving them there wouldn’t be wise, but that lead to a more alarming development. 

As Ryoma dragged the second corpse to the trees, thirty meters away from the highway, the sound of a girl’s scream reached Ryoma’s ears. 

That was Sara’s voice! What’s happening?! 

Ryoma dropped the corpse he was carrying and ran back to the campsite. Looking between the trees, Ryoma caught sight of the road. 

“Did you really think you’d get away with this, you cheeky whores?!” One of the bandits, his armor stained with blood, screamed while riding on a horse with Sara carried under his arm. “I know what you look like! We’ll chase you down wherever you go and kill you!” 

Dammit! I could’ve sworn I killed him! Ryoma clicked his tongue. 

Still, cursing to himself wasn’t going to change anything. The fact of the matter was that the bandit who’d had his stomach slashed by Ryoma had grabbed Sara and was trying to escape on horseback. 

Ryoma took out a chakram from his sack and took off after the bandit. 

Not yet. He’s too far. 

Although he was in a hurry, the tree branches were getting in the way and weren’t allowing him to run freely. Chakrams were a powerful weapon, but they had one flaw: their range was much shorter than a bow. 

A common bow’s range was roughly sixty meters, but a chakram could only manage ten meters at best; they were compact and could be fired in succession, but their range left much to be desired. By the time Ryoma reached the highway, the bandit had already spurred his horse to gallop and had a twenty meter advantage on Ryoma. 

“Shit!” 

Ryoma looked around, but there were no other horses. Though even if there were, Ryoma had no experience with horse riding and wasn’t likely to catch up with the bandit anyway. 

“Master Mikoshiba!” Laura caught up to Ryoma, blood trickling from her mouth. Perhaps the bandit had punched her. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll think of something!” 

“No.” Laura shook her head at Ryoma’s attempt to soothe her. “I have a request to make of you.” 

“A request?” 

Her expression was surprisingly lacking in fear, despite her little sister having just been abducted. And even as Ryoma eyed her dubiously, she continued speaking clearly. 

“Yes. My apologies, but would you mind cutting the ring finger on your left hand?” 

“Sorry to ask, but what for?” Her words made Ryoma doubt whether Laura actually understood the situation they were in. 

“Please. There’s no time.” Laura’s expression did seem grave in its own way to Ryoma. 

The urgency in her voice spurred him to do as he was told, and he nicked his left ring finger against the tip of his sword. 

“Is this good enough?” 

“Yes!” 

Laura then took Ryoma’s sword and used it to cut her own left hand’s ring finger, then knelt before him. 

“Exalted God of light, Menios. Lend your ear to my pledge.” 

Is she... praying? 

“I offer up my body, my heart and my soul to my master.” Laura continued speaking, even as Ryoma stood there dumbfounded. “All shall be as my master wills it! Now, Master Mikoshiba, present your left hand.” 

Guided by Laura’s words, Ryoma stuck out his finger before her. 

“By mingled blood, my oath is forged.” Laura said as she brought their ring fingers together, and their blood mixed together. 

A sharp light emanated from Laura’s neck. Her collar crumbled away soundlessly, and the shackles on her limbs were released as well. 

“Good, I can move! Come, we must hurry!” 

Laura’s limbs filled with strength. Ryoma could almost feel her muscles harden like steel within her supple, feminine body. 

“My Master, please permit me to make use of my power.” Laura said. 

Ryoma didn’t understand what was going on, but was spurred by the intensity of her gaze to nod. Seeing that, Laura began chanting. 

“Spirits of wind, gather at my side and grant us speed to stride as a gale! Wind Protection!” 

As Laura called out, concluding her incantation, a green light enveloped both of their bodies. 

“Come, Master. We must take Sara back!” 

“Take her back?” Ryoma’s gaze wandered to the distance. “We can’t catch up to a horse from here...” 

The bandit riding on the horse already had a two hundred meter gain on them. 

“We can still make it!” Laura called out, and began chanting yet again. “Spirits of wind, gather at my side. Abide by my will and cut down my foe. Wind Slash!” 

As she concluded her incantation, Laura swung both arms horizontally, and blades of winds emanated in their wake, which then took off in the direction of the bandit. The bandit heard the sound of the wind slicing through the air, and felt something cut into his flank. 

“What... Shit! She’s using thaumaturgy! Is that guy a thaumaturgist too?!” 

As he spurred the horse to gallop faster with one hand, suppressing his wounded flank with the other, the image of Ryoma’s face surfaced in the bandit’s mind. 

Still, cursing under his breath wasn’t going to change the situation any. With each horizontal swing of Laura’s arm, a blade of pressurized air burst forth and flew in his direction. 

“G-Goddammit!” 

One of the blades finally mowed off the horse’s hind leg, and with its right leg gone, the horse collapsed to the ground. 

“Now, let’s go.” Confirming from afar that the horse had collapsed, Laura took Ryoma by the hand. 

“H-Hey, wait a minute.” The moment he took after Laura, who was pulling him by the arm, Ryoma realized something was off. 

His body rushed onward with feather-light nimbleness. It only took them ten seconds to catch up to where the bandit had been incapacitated. Looking back at the distance they’d just covered left Ryoma shocked. It was a distance and speed that would be impossible even for a sprinter who held the world record. 

Is the wind she used earlier... the same power that geezer had? It definitely was. So what is this...? 

“It is wind thaumaturgy.” Seeing Ryoma’s confusion, Laura regarded him suspiciously. “Do you not know of it?” 

Who is this man? Could one so skilled with martial arts not know of thaumaturgy? No, that shouldn’t be possible. But... 

In this world, those who held power had a close relationship with thaumaturgy. It was a necessary technique for the strong to remain strong. Most everyone would know that. Even if they lacked the aptitude to use it, it was common knowledge to all. 

I can’t say I don’t know about it... Ryoma was stumped by Laura’s words. But if I say too much, she’ll see through my lie. What do I do? 

A deafening silence lingered, only to be dispersed by a voice calling out to them. 

“Laura.” It was Sara. 

“Are you alright, Sara? You’re not hurt?” 

“Not at all! I braced myself for the fall, so I’m fine.” 

She braced herself? I suppose it might not be impossible, but getting up without a scratch from falling off a galloping horse...? 

Just as Ryoma had assumed, these sisters were extremely skilled. 

“I see. What about the bandit, Sara?” 

“His leg was squashed under the horse and he can’t move. What should we do with him, Laura?” 

“That is for my Master to decide.” 

Understanding the situation, Sara gave a small nod, and the two turned their gazes to Ryoma. 

“Me?” 

Well, not like there’s much to think about here. 

Ryoma saw little merit to be had in keeping the bandit alive. 

“Fine, I’ll decide what to do, but no complaints, got it?” 

Seeing the two of them nod, Ryoma pulled out his sword and approached the horse. 

“Fuck! My leg! Get off me, you shitty horse!” 

Ryoma could hear the sound of the bandit cussing and kicking as the horse neighed loudly. 

“Y-You...” The bandit’s features washed over with terror as he noticed Ryoma approaching. “S-Stay away! Back off, stay away from me! Don’t come any closer!” 

Ryoma kept on walking, though. All the color drained from the bandit’s face when he saw the sword in his hands. 

“H-Hey, l-let me go, please. How about money? You want money? Or maybe women? I can get you women, too!” 

But Ryoma continued his silent advance, his countenance unmoved by the bandit’s words. With his face as expressionless and unmoving as a mask, he did nothing but draw ever closer. 

“Why, you...! Where do you get off being so quiet and stuck-up?! The Crimson Moon Brigade has more than a hundred members! You think you can make enemies out of us and get away with it?!” 

Ryoma raised his sword, as if he hadn’t heard the threat at all. 

“W-Wait! We’re not just ordinary bandits. We’re privateers, approved by the kingdom of Xarooda! If you lay a hand on us, you’ll be picking a fight with them, too!” 

The bandit shouted on and on, and then, Ryoma finally parted his lips to speak. 

“Are you fucking dense?” 

“What?” The bandit simply asked back, surprised by Ryoma’s breaking of the silence. 

“If I kill you here, who’ll be left to tell anyone it was us? What’ll you do, snitch on us to that Xarooda kingdom of yours from beyond the grave?” 

As Ryoma stated the obvious, the bandit merely stared at him dumbfounded. 

“The dead can’t do anything. Not that I was planning on letting you stay alive anyway.” 

“S-Stop.” The bandit said, his face pale with realization. “Please, don’t. I’ve got a little girl at home!” 

It seemed villains acted the same way in reality as they did in fiction. They accosted the weak, but begged those stronger than them for mercy. If this were some sort of fictional story, the bandit’s words may have struck a chord of sympathy with the protagonist, making them hesitate. But unfortunately for him, Ryoma was not that naive. 

“Maybe you have a kid, maybe you don’t. It’s all the same to me.” Ryoma said, his expression refusing to change. “But don’t worry. Unlike you shitstains, I’m decent. I won’t go after your daughter.” 

“No...” The man’s face contorted with terror. “Doooon’t!” 

A merciless blow of steel rained down on the bandit’s head. 

“Are you sure disposing of him so quickly was wise?” Laura called out to Ryoma as he sheathed his sword. 

“Is there a problem?” 

It seemed that, of the two sisters, Laura was the one more primed to do the talking. 

“No, but there was a lot you might have wanted to ask him.” 

There were quite a few significant things the bandit said. Ryoma, however, shook his head. 

“No. Honestly speaking, I didn’t really care. Besides, there wasn’t any basis to judge if anything he said was true.” 

“Basis to judge...?” Laura regarded him quizzically. 

Perhaps, Ryoma wondered, she was the naive type, who tended to believe everything she heard. He left that unsaid, though. 

“I’m not enough of a softie to swallow any old story a bandit like that would try to feed me. And honestly, I don’t care if he was telling the truth, either... That said, I’m glad we got your little sister back safely.” 

“Thank you very much, Master.” 

The sisters bowed deeply before Ryoma. He’d saved them twice in one day, and any person would be grateful for that. But as he accepted their gratitude, Ryoma asked about something that had been bothering him. 

“Well, you’re welcome. But more importantly, what’s with this ‘Master’ business you’ve been going on about?” 

Ryoma wasn’t the sort to get excited at other people calling him ‘Master.’ To be frank, it made him uncomfortable. 

“You made a blood pact with us earlier, did you not? You’ve become our lord and owner, and so we naturally refer to you as Master.” 

As Laura made her proclamation with her chest puffed up in pride, numerous questions popped up in Ryoma’s head. After some thought, he recalled how Laura had asked him to cut his ring finger earlier. 

“Blood pact... Was that the thing from earlier, with the cut fingers and the blood?” 

“Yes.” 

As Laura nodded staunchly at Ryoma’s question, Sara stepped forward. 

“Master, would you exchange a blood pact with me as well?” 

“Yes, that’s right. Master, you should form a blood pact with Sara, too.” Laura nodded at her sister’s words, as if it was a given. 

Well, then... What the hell did I get myself into here? 

It felt like the conversation was moving ahead regardless of Ryoma’s will, leaving him in the dust. He found himself looking up to the heavens. 

“Sorry, but can we not? I mean, you don’t have to serve me or anything.” 

Ryoma’s words probably came like a bolt out of the blue, because the girls’ faces filled with sadness. 

“Wh-Whatever for...? Do you find us that loathsome?” 

Sara’s eyes filled with tears, and Laura’s expression clouded over. But Ryoma wasn’t speaking out of affection, or lack thereof, for them. Anyone would naturally be taken aback if they were suddenly told they were the master of a slave. 

“No, that’s not the issue here.” 

“It isn’t?” The girls gazed up at Ryoma. 

Having two girls of unparalleled beauty looking at him like that certainly was causing a conflict in Ryoma’s heart. He pushed that aside and asked, while swallowing his words of consent. 

“Weren’t you waiting for your owner here earlier?” 

“Now that I’ve formed a blood pact, I no longer need to listen to that man’s orders.” While that was certainly what had happened earlier, Laura shook her head in denial. “However, Sara is still bound to his thaumaturgy, so she cannot move from here. That is why we asked for you to form a blood pact with her.” 

“Which would mean we could go back to town?” 

““Yes. Only if we form a blood pact.”” The two said concurrently, nodding strongly. 

Well, guess I don’t have much choice. I’d rather not leave the girls here, after all. 

Ryoma couldn’t help but feel spiteful at his tendency to get himself caught up with some trouble when he was already a man on the run. Still, he couldn’t leave them to die if he had the means to help them. 

Especially when they were such peerless beauties. 

“Fine.” Ryoma heaved a heavy sigh. “Let’s do that blood pact thing. After that, we’ll sift through the carriage, take everything of value and head for Alue. If we set out now we should get there at eight in the evening. But when we get there, could you give me an explanation that’s a little more convincing?” 

“As you wish.” The sisters’ relieved voices echoed against the trees. 

After Ryoma made the blood pact with Sara, they returned to the carriage and started sifting through the items the bandits had taken. 

“Oh, wow. There’s some expensive looking stuff in here.” 

Aside from the chest full of gold coins, there were also several crates full of hair ornaments and bracelets decorated with what seemed to be rubies and sapphires. 

“Slaves are dressed up for when they’re sold. Doing so makes them more appealing, and also increases their price.” 

“Hmm...” 

Judging by the size of the carriage, there had likely been ten or so slaves. 

“These gold coins were gained from selling the other slaves.” 

If they were as pretty as Laura and Sara, Ryoma could see how they’d fetch such a sum. The girls eyes’ filled with tears as they remembered their friends who had been sold. 

The sudden sound of footsteps from across the trees cut into their conversation. 

“Laura, Sara!” 

Ryoma’s voice prompted the girls to pull out the swords they’d retrieved from the dead bandits. They stood on either side of Ryoma, with him taking the center of this effective, if impromptu, formation. 

Is it monsters? Or are there still more bandits left? 

But contrary to Ryoma’s expectations, it was an ordinary person’s voice. 

“Boss! Over here!” One man pushed his way out of the trees and onto the highway. 

Looking to and fro, he spotted Ryoma and the twins. With surprise in his eyes, he turned around. 

“Oh, we finally found it! What about the luggage? The goods?!” 

Following that man, three men in armor appeared. And the voice they’d just heard came again from behind them. 

“Looks like the bandits got away. But the carriage is wrecked, eh...? The goods seem to be fine though, eh. Everything’s right here.” 

“What? Laura and Sara! So they are alive! The bandits didn’t defile them, did they? Their value would be quite depreciated if they became used goods, you know!” 

“Don’t think you gotta worry about that, but we might have another problem, eh.” The man fixed his gaze on Ryoma. 

“What? What are you talking about?!” 

“Boss, it looks safe, so just come out already.” 

“Is it really safe?!” As the voice spoke, they could hear the sound of someone stepping over the grass. 

That’s a person? 

Ryoma’s question was, sadly enough, a natural one to ask. What came out of the greenery was a pig 170 centimeters in height and over 200 kilograms in weight. His physique was akin to that of a potbellied sumo wrestler, except it didn’t look like there were any developed muscles under all that fat. All that lard was the result of insufficient exercise and overeating. 

He wore nothing on his torso save for a sleeveless vest, with a turban bound around his head and white Arabian pants. He looked like some kind of merchant ripped straight out of the Arabian Nights. 

So that’s the slave merchant. I can definitely see him running off and leaving the twins behind... 

Seeing this pig made everything click. They’d likely been ambushed and, not caring for appearances, the pig took off with his bodyguards. Ryoma couldn’t see his obese form evading the bandits’ blades otherwise. 

“Oh, so you two are all right! I was worried the bandits had defiled or killed you, or at the very least taken you away!” The pig said, as he approached the twins. 

His carefree attitude made it clear he was confident they couldn’t lift a finger to harm him. 

“Stay away!” Sara brandished her sword at the slave merchant. 

“If you get any closer, we’ll cut you!” 

But the girls’ threats were only met with mocking snickers from the merchant and his bodyguards. 

“Say, boss. The girls are being awfully indignant, eh?” 

“Indubitably so. It seems they’ve forgotten their place as my slaves. Perhaps I haven’t disciplined them well enough.” 

“Hey now, missies, maybe you forgot, but this man right here is your owner. You belong to him. What makes you think you can point a sword at him?” 

“Shut your mouth! We don’t belong to you anymore!” 

“Gahahaha!” The pig man’s face contorted with ugly lust at the sound of Laura’s threat. “I don’t know what put that idea into your heads, but you belong to me. You’re my precious merchandise that I spent a good five years polishing up.” 

Each time he laughed derisively, his fat stomach undulated. 

“You left us here to die and ran for your life!” 

“Of course I did. What’s the point of me clinging to my merchandise if I end up getting killed for it? But I’d also go back to pick up any merchandise I left lying around. What’s wrong with that?” 

There was certainly some sort of logic to the slave merchant’s words. The act of picking up something you dropped made sense... so long as said ‘something’ wasn’t a slave. 

Seeing the merchant and his bodyguards not showing a hint of remorse at Laura’s shouting, Ryoma felt his anger flare up. They only saw other people as objects. They had the sort of ugliness one had to see with their own eyes to truly understand. 

“Now, now, boss. Leave this to us.” 

“That’s right, eh. They might be strong, but without a master they can’t use their thaumaturgy.” 

It seemed the men didn’t think Laura and Sara could use their power. The situation was five against three. They were at a disadvantage, but depending on how things went down, they were capable of overcoming this. If they could just kill the slave merchant, the head of the group, the rest would work out. 

“Looks like that boy there filled their heads with nonsense and now they’re getting cheeky with us.” One of the bodyguards shot a nasty glare in Ryoma’s direction. 

“Oh, I see, so you’re the one who put those dumb ideas into the girls’ heads, are you? Some white knight in shining armor you are. Well, so be it. We took some pretty big losses from the bandit attack, so I could use an extra slave. Capture the boy alive, men! He’s got a good physique. He should fetch a good price as a manual labor slav— Ghrck!” 

A splash of blood spurted from the merchant’s mouth. A shiny ring had lodged itself into his girthy neck at some point. Ryoma had silently fired off a chakram, which tore through the slave merchant’s neck and cut off his sentence. 

The bodyguards stood frozen in place, unable to process the sudden attack that had just transpired. 

Seriously. What a blithering idiot. 

Ryoma couldn’t see him as anything but a fool for going on endless tirades in front of someone who was clearly bent on killing him. There were no rules in battles to the death; there was only the question of who survived and who didn’t. 

Just go ahead and hand me the chance to kill you on a silver platter, why don’t you... 

Some corner of Ryoma’s heart filled with scorn at the dead pig, but now he was in the middle of a battle. Stifling his mocking, he focused on what had to be done. 

“Now!” 

Responding to Ryoma’s call, the twins rushed forward from his side, with their swords brandished. They passed by Ryoma’s sides, charging the stunned, uncoordinated bodyguards. 

Like I thought. 

The result he expected was playing out before his eyes. Each of the girls had their own particular style of swordplay. Laura’s was one of force. Her sword swung down rapidly on the opponent’s blade, snapping it at the root, and sinking into the man’s head with that same momentum. 

Sara’s skill, by comparison, lay in her technique. As the opponent thrust their own sword out instinctively, her sword clashed with it and drove the opponent’s own blade into their throat. 

Their styles juxtaposed strongly with each other. But Ryoma could tell they had both gotten to this point owing to long and arduous training. 

“Wh-What the hell are you... How are you this strong?!” 

The brains of the group, the slave merchant, was dead, and the surprise was enough to throw off the bodyguards, leaving them open to attack and allowing the twins to easily dispatch them. Only the man who’d rushed out to the road first remained in front of Ryoma. 

“Hmph! So you’re the only one left.” The girls’ cold gazes fell on the remaining man. 

“W-Wait up... Hey.” He seemed to have finally understood the position, as his eyes filled with panic. “Wait, how? How can you use your power...? You can’t use it without a master!” 

The bodyguard’s words made the girls’ lips curl with smiles full of scorn; the smile of a beast confident in its victory. And yet, they remained as alert and ready for battle as before, with their muscles strained and at the ready to deflect any attack the bodyguard might send their way. 

“This man is our Master!” The girls’ gazes fell on Ryoma. 

“That’s bullshit. Slaves can’t just... make a blood pact with someone on their own...” 

“We learned how to bind a blood pact when we were young. Have you forgotten where we descend from? Our father taught us.” 

“What?!” The man went pale at Sara’s words. “Then why haven’t you done it until now?!” 

“We don’t owe you any explanations!” 

As Laura said that, Ryoma approached the man slowly. 

“Kuh. Shit! I won’t forget this, you bastards!” 

The man decided to take one last gamble. He turned around and took off as fast as he could. 

Not a bad call... But he screwed up. Ryoma thought to himself as he watched the man’s retreating back. 

He wasn’t running into the forest, but rather down the road. There were monsters in the forest, and that threat eliminated it as an option of escape. But Ryoma took out a chakram and wordlessly flung it into the back of the man’s head. The sound of the chakram cutting through the wind and sinking into the man’s skull filled the forest. 

“Now, then. I have a lot to ask, but let’s get to Alue first. We can talk then.” Ryoma told the twins after retrieving his bloodied chakram. 

““As you wish.”” They bowed their heads, and proceeded to put the dropped valuables into order. 

It showed they knew what they were supposed to do. 

I only wanted to help them out, but somehow it looks like I ended up getting in way over my head. 

Ryoma sighed, watching the two girls obey his orders. 

After carrying the corpses of the slave merchant and his entourage into the forest, Ryoma and the girls took all the jewelry and valuables they could find and made their way to Alue. Thankfully, they didn’t run into any more bandits or monsters, and arrived after 10 in the evening. All the eateries were already closed, and so Ryoma decided to stay at the single inn at town.

“Right, let’s talk while we eat. Come on, don’t stand around, go ahead and take a seat.” 

Sitting before them was some stew and bread the innkeeper had graciously heated up for them. Ryoma thought he’d made a fairly simple request of them, but the girls eyed the chairs he motioned toward with confusion. 

“What’s wrong? It’s gonna go cold.” Ryoma asked the girls dubiously as the twins exchanged glances. 

“It is not permissible for slaves to eat at the same table as their master. We will eat later.” 

“Huh?” Ryoma asked back at Laura’s answer. 

“It is not permissible for slaves to eat with their master.” As Sara repeated the same words, Ryoma gazed at her face intently. 

Is she serious? 

It was far too foolish of a statement to believe. 

“Um... Not permissible, you say...? You’ve got stew right in front of you. It’ll go cold.” 

“It is not permissible for slaves to eat warm food.” Laura replied, as if she were stating some obvious truth. 

What the heck’s up with these girls... Are slaves really that concerned with what their master says? But I’m their master... I guess that means... Hey, hold on a second! 

Ryoma, who had no experience with subjugating people, found the twins’ attitude to be all too heavy. 

“So let me get this straight. You have to obey your master, correct?” 

““Yes. It is the duty of a slave to serve their master.”” They answered Ryoma’s question in unison. 

Their words didn’t have so much as a hint of hesitation. They believed that from the bottom of their hearts. 

“And I’m your master, right?” 

“Yes. You are the Master we’ve formed a blood pact with.” Laura said, with Sara nodding silently in agreement. 

“Right. In that case, this is an order from your master. Sit down and dine with me!” 

““Huh?!”” The two exchanged surprised glances. 

“Food’s only half as good if you’re eating it alone, you know? Plus, I want to discuss what we’re doing next. So sit down!” 

In all honesty, he could hardly stand to eat a lavish meal alone with the twins gawking at him like this. It was unbearable. The sisters fell into contemplative silence for a moment. 

“...Very well. Our apologies. Come, the Master has spoken. Let us sit down.” Laura, who seemed to have steeled herself, urged Sara to sit. 

“All right, let’s talk over dinner, then!” 

““As you wish.”” 

Ryoma was of the mind that eating together would be more fun, but the girls seemed to be uncomfortable with the idea. After eating a spoonful or two of stew, they put their utensils down. 

This is awkward... Well, from what I’ve heard so far, it looks like slaves get treated worse than I imagined. I’m not gonna get them to change immediately. 

Old habits die hard, as the saying goes. Putting that matter aside, Ryoma decided to ask about the blood pact. Perhaps it wasn’t an ideal topic to discuss over dinner, but Ryoma couldn’t leave that loose end untied. 

“So, let’s recap where we stand right now. I know I’m repeating myself by asking this again, but I’ve become your master now, right?” 

“Yes. The blood pact we forged earlier has placed us in a relationship of master and slave.” 

“Yes, about that! Tell me more about that blood pact thing.” Ryoma asked, furrowing his brows as he chewed on some bread. 

“The blood pact has two purposes. The first is a ritual of loyalty, done between a knight and their lord. In that case, it is merely a formality, and it has no binding power. The other one is done between warrior slaves and their masters.” 

“Warrior slaves?” Ryoma returned the bread in his hands to its prior position on the table and looked at Laura. 

“Yes. In addition to labor slaves and sex slaves, there is a unique type of slave known as a warrior slave. As the name implies, they are slaves used to fight battles, and since they naturally possess the power to fight, they have the means to revolt against their masters. As such, all warrior slaves have a seal placed on them, forbidding them from all hostilities without explicit permission from their master.” 

Laura’s explanation made Ryoma’s heart wash over with disgust. Ryoma couldn’t stand the idea of people violating the wills of others. Everything Laura was telling him right now came off as nothing more than people forcing their wills on their slaves. If they feared the thought of slaves revolting against them, it simply meant they were treating them in ways that would cause the slaves to revolt. 

“I see. Next question, then. How were you able to make that pact?” 

If Laura’s explanation was true, there was no way for slaves like them to know how to make a blood pact. If all of them could, the whole system of managing slaves would collapse under its own weight. Ryoma asked this question for one simple reason; this could have been a trap by the Empire. Perhaps they were sent for Ryoma to save them, so they could build up his trust until he left himself open to attack. 

“Th-That’s...” Sara stuttered. It seemed that, for whatever reason, she didn’t want to answer Ryoma’s question. 

But after exchanging a glance with Laura, she fell silent. 

“It is fine, Sara. It is only natural that he would be suspicious. Very well, I will tell you. We only ask that you keep this story to yourself and tell no one else, Master.” 

Seeing the grave, unyielding resolve in her eyes, Ryoma nodded vigorously. He wasn’t the type to spill other people’s secrets, anyway. 

“Our surname is Malfist. It is the name of a lineage of knights that was in service to the kingdom of Quift, which once existed along the central continent’s western coast.” 

A lineage of knights? So they’re nobles, from the higher echelons of society. They’re definitely pretty and refined, but how did these noble princesses become slaves...? 

Laura’s somber story went beyond Ryoma’s imagination. 

“So your real name is Laura Malfist, right?” 

“Yes. The Malfist house was a long-running clan of warriors that has served the Quift royal line for generations. We were greatly trusted by the royal family, and our lineage often stood as the crux of national defense. But that ended roughly five years ago. A dispute with a long-running neighbor and trade partner, Shadora, led into outright war, which brought the kingdom of Quift to destruction. Our father’s land was an island off the shore of the kingdom, but even that place was not immune to the spread of the fires of war.” 

Tears glistened in the girls’ eyes, perhaps from the memory of what had happened. 

“Our father fought desperately to defend the citizens and the kingdom. But when the king was assassinated due to betrayal from the prime minister’s faction, the war was turned in Shadora’s favor, and Father was forced to abandon our territories.” 

“And that’s when you both managed to escape?” 

“Yes.” The twins nodded. “He assigned us several soldiers as guards, and sent us to the border to flee to another country.” 

“But if he gave you guards, how did you end up slaves?” 

“That is because all of us... including ourselves, were poor judges of character.” 

“Laura...” 

Ryoma’s question made the girls’ faces distort in anger, humiliation and regret. 

“We failed to see just how weak people’s hearts can be. It happened one night, as our boat, disguised as a trade ship, crossed the border to a neighboring country. Our guards tied us up, and sold us to the slave merchant Azoth. Despite all of them being well trusted knights, who had served us well for years...” 

The guards they had trusted betrayed them and sold them into slavery. It really did sound tragic. And as they say, misfortunes never come singly, and one bad thing leads to another. 

I feel for them, but I can’t exactly blame the people who betrayed them, either... 

That thought surfaced in Ryoma’s mind. The bodyguards who sold them were trying to cling to their own lives. Having the family line collapse was like having your company go bankrupt. If you were to ask the employees to care for the CEO’s family after the company went under, it would never happen. 

That kind of bond could only last for as long as money flowed. That was what Ryoma thought, but he wasn’t so foolish as to put that thought into words. Staving it off, Ryoma progressed the conversation. 

“So that slave merchant, Azoth, was the guy we met this afternoon?” 

“Yes. We knew how to read and write, and had basic training in martial arts and thaumaturgy, so he had us trained to become warrior slaves.” 

It made sense that they learned how to fight if those were the circumstances. Ryoma could see why they would be made warrior slaves, too. 

“I see. So, how did you know how to make a blood pact?” 

Ryoma’s eyes glimmered. That was the biggest question. 

“When we were younger, our father taught us how to perform the blood pact. He said it may come to be of use to us.” 

“He did that... in case you gained your own slaves?” 

They’d originally been in a social position that would employ slaves, so they knew how to bind slaves in a contract. 

“Yes. However, slaves cannot perform a blood pact with other slaves. We needed to find someone who was at least a civilian to form the blood pact with.” 

Ryoma nodded. That made sense. If slaves could form blood pacts with other slaves, the whole system wouldn’t be able to bind them. And it wasn’t like any random commoner would do. They’d have to pick the right person. 

“You were looking for someone trustworthy... So, that means you trust me?” 

“Of course. You fought all on your own to protect us, and I thought you were a worthy man for us to serve.” 

“I felt the same way.” Sara nodded gently, reinforcing Laura’s words. 

“Aaaah.” Ryoma sighed heavily, having heard their explanation. 

Well, what do I with them now... 

Those were Ryoma’s honest feelings. The twins’ gazes were fixed on him. 

“I understand your story. But if that’s the case, I’ll just set you two free. We got the money from the slave merchant, so you two can use it to start your new lives.” 

Ryoma was on the run from the empire; having to care for the two of them would only be a hindrance. 

“We cannot!” 

However, Ryoma’s words were met with clear rejection from Laura. 

“Even if we have become slaves, we still have the pride and blood of Malfist running through our veins, and you protected our lives and chastities despite risk of death. Let us serve you, until our lives are at an end.” 

The girls’ eyes were alight with strong resolve. 

“No. Listen, I didn’t save you just so you’d be grateful to me. You don’t have to go this far.” 

Of course, he didn’t mean they shouldn’t feel grateful at all. He expected at least some words of gratitude at the bare minimum, but this was going too far. 

“No! Let us serve you!” Laura said, as Sara nodded in agreement. 

“Well, damn... I’ve got my own circumstances to consider, you know.” Ryoma said vaguely, only for Sara to cut into his words. 

“Is that... related to you being an Otherworlder, Master?” 

“What’s that?” Ryoma said, the smile persisting on his face. 

Still, the twins picked up on Ryoma’s agitation from the minute changes in his demeanor. 

“You’ve nothing to worry about. We have no intent of telling others. We simply want to learn of your circumstances.” 

A brief silence fell over the room. 

“Why?” Ryoma eventually asked. 

“If we are to serve you, Master Ryoma, we need to know of your circumstances. So we ask that you share your situation with us.” 

Another long silence lingered. 

What do I do? I could kill them to prevent them from talking, but... No, that’d be stupid. I’ve already gone to all this trouble of refusing to abandon them. I’ve been prepared for this the moment I chose to save them... Right. 

Conflicting emotions ran across Ryoma’s mind. 

“Alright, fine.” 

““Do you mean it?!”” 

Ryoma’s words prompted the girls to lean over the table, and Ryoma raised his hands to stop them. 

“I understand how you feel, but personally, I don’t need slaves. So if you choose to follow me after I tell you everything, I want you to do it not as slaves, but of your own free will.” 

He didn’t want them to come along out of their obligation as slaves, but as people with their own wills and choices. That was the optimal conclusion Ryoma decided on. The sisters exchanged a glance after hearing his decision, and then, Laura proclaimed in a loud voice. 

“Very well. If that is our Master’s will!” 

Their way of thinking hadn’t changed much, it seemed. 

Ryoma told them of that fateful day when he’d been summoned to this world; how, after being summoned, he slew the thaumaturgist who summoned him; how he was on the run from the Empire’s pursuit; how he had the advantage of them not knowing what he looked like; and how he was now planning his next move. 

But even after clearly detailing the dangers of traveling with him, the twins didn’t seem to have changed their minds. Quite the contrary, in fact. 

“If they do not know what you look like, traveling alongside us will make it even harder for them to notice your flight, will it not? They would assume you do not have any allies in this world.” 

Such was her proposal. After seeing their resolve to accompany him, hearing the advantages of their traveling with him, and saying he would eventually release them from their servitude, Ryoma decided to allow the sisters to come with him. 

“Are you sure you want to come with me? I’m planning to leave this world as soon as I get the chance to, you know.” 

Ryoma had no intent of staying in this world for much longer. Even if no one knew how to send him back to Earth, Ryoma intended to find a way how from nothing if he had to. Such was his resolve. 

“In that case, we will remain by your side until the day you find your way back home.” Laura said, a smile on her face. 

“Laura.” Sara, who stood next to her, parted her lips to speak. “Could we not also go to Master Ryoma’s world?” 

“My. Yes, that is an option. A wonderful idea! That way, we’ll always be able to serve him.” 

Sara’s words made Ryoma’s expression turn aghast. 

Now just a damn minute... Take them back with me? Gramps would have my head on a pike... never mind what Asuka might do. 

But without regard to Ryoma’s inner conflict, the sisters grinned happily. 

Well, I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. I should focus on getting across the border for now. 

The next day, Ryoma’s group of three went through the town of Alue, stocking up and gathering gear for the journey ahead. The sisters were most used to a fighting style that used scimitars in both hands, but sadly, no one in Alue sold those. 

Since armor didn’t fit them (for how large their bosoms were, their hips were slim), they made do with buying swords and throwing knives. 

What was truly staggering, however, was the inheritance from the slave merchant, Azoth. They brought the gold coins to the bank, and as expected, there were five hundred of them. They carried the necklaces and jewels to a gem dealer, who named a startling cost. 

“The grand total is three thousand gold coins.” 

“““Huh?!””” Three stupefied voices overlapped in the gem dealer’s shop. 

“Are you displeased with the price? Frankly, this is as much as I can give...” The gem merchant apparently took their exclamation to be not surprise at the cost, but disappointment that it was too little. 

“Ah! No, no... It’s fine.” 

Ryoma knew there were a lot of rings and necklaces in the chest, but he never imagined it would fetch this much. Hearing Ryoma’s response, the gem merchant smiled. 

Huh? Is this guy... trying to rook us? 

Perhaps he thought Ryoma and the twins to be amateurs, and unjustly tried to buy the jewels off them at an unfairly low price. That said, Ryoma had no idea how much they really cost, and carrying so much precious metals with him when he was on the run would be a risk. 

“I see! I’ll be taking them all, then. However, I’m afraid I don’t have that kind of amount on hand... Would a transfer to your account be acceptable?” 

“Yeah. Um...” Ryoma glanced at the twins. 

It wasn’t hard for Ryoma to figure out he was the only one of them with an account. 

“Take this, then.” 

Of course, even while using his account was the only option, he felt guilty at having it all transferred to him. But upon seeing the sisters nod, he handed over his card. 

“Before we register you at the guild, we’ll need to stop at the bank.” 

“The bank, Master?” Sara echoed Ryoma’s words. 

The two of them didn’t really have much knowledge when it came to being an adventurer. 

“Yes. You need to have an account before you register, so they can reward you for completing missions.” 

“Is that a fact?” The sisters’ faces were filled with surprise and respect. 

This person really is amazing. He was summoned only a few days ago, and he already knows more than we do. 

While Laura was bowled over with admiration, Ryoma’s footsteps suddenly came to a stop. 

“Right, here we are.” 

Ryoma passed through the entrance of the bank, facing the main street. 

Thirty minutes later. 

After opening accounts in the bank, the three of them headed for the guild, and the girls completed their registration. On top of that, the three of them also learned of some important information in the guild and headed back to the inn. 

The Empire was blockading the borders. When they registered the sisters at the guild, they intended to advance to the next town, Adelpho, only to be forced to change their plans. 

“We need a backup plan.” 

“Yes, I believe going to Adelpho would be a poor idea.” Laura said. 

“I agree.” Sara nodded. “If it were a normal blockade, we could pass through by paying the stationed forces generously.” 

“Princess Shardina, huh...” 

“Yes.” The two nodded at Ryoma’s words. “The blockade is commanded by the princess’s direct orders, so bribery is unlikely to work here.” 

Money could solve most problems, but with the princess being in direct command, it wasn’t likely a bribe would tempt anyone. At worst, they could be beheaded on the spot. 

“So do we keep going... Or do we retreat...” 

A map of the empire’s territories they bought in the tool shop was spread out on the table before them. It was for civilian use, so it only showed the locations of the cities, the roads connecting them and the rough distance between them, but it was better than nothing. 

“If we’re retreating, we’d have to go south...” 

To get to the southern border, they’d have to go southwest of Alue through the monster-ridden forest, return to the capital and go further south from there. Cutting through the forest would diminish the distance, but since they were likely to encounter monsters, the distance would be more or less the same. 

“No... I’m not going south. The Empire’s likely to be most wary of the southern border.” 

That border was the closest one to the capital. His pursuers would naturally assume that Ryoma, being on the run, would prefer to take the shortest path possible out of the country. 

“Which leaves the north and west...” 

The expression on Laura’s face clearly showed she wasn’t in favor of that, and the reasoning behind that was apparent from a brief glance of the map. They were both too far. According to the map, the distance between each of them, if one were to go in a straight line, was 500 kilometers. If they were to go on foot, at 30 kilometers per day, it would take them half a month to get there. 

If they were willing to waste their time crossing that distance, it would be wiser and safer to simply wait for the heat of the pursuit to die out, and the blockades to be lifted on their own. That said, if they were to simply wait, there was a chance the Empire would resort to deploying its massive manpower to flush Ryoma out. Considering the dangers, it was clearly better for Ryoma to cross the border as soon as possible. The sisters understood that well enough, too. 

“I guess our only option is to keep going towards the eastern border...” 

The sisters nodded. 

“I have an idea about that.” Sara said, and two sets of eyes fixed their gazes on her. 

“You’re going to suggest going off the highway?” Laura asked, prompting Sara to nod back. 

“While we may have no choice but to cross the eastern border, we don’t have to go through Adelpho to do that. If we choose to enter the forest over taking the highway, we should be able to cross into the neighboring kingdom of Xarooda. What say you?” 

Sara moved her finger from Adelpho’s location on the map to a forested area north of it, which led into the kingdom of Xarooda. 

Not a bad idea, but... 

Ryoma couldn’t shake off a certain concern. Sara’s suggestion was sound and had no flaws to speak of, but an inexplicable anxiety gripped his heart. 

If the princess was smart enough to predict I’d rather go east and closed down the border because of that, wouldn’t she consider the possibility I might try to go off the highway? 

This world’s highways were protected by warding barriers which only extremely powerful monsters could hope to cross, so traveling along the highways allowed for safe passage. That was written in the guild’s booklet as well. 

But that didn’t mean using the highways was the only option. Those who were confident in their skill and willing to forgo staying in a pleasant inn in favor of spending the night in the forest were welcome to travel off the main roads. Few would make that choice, though. The only ones who would were either criminals, adventurers or spies; people with particular reasons and circumstances. 

Judging from how swift her decisions had been up to this point, Princess Shardina was a sharp-minded woman. She wouldn’t neglect to consider the possibility that such people might choose to cross the forest. That said, judging by the information he had picked up along the way, there weren’t that many pursuers heading to the eastern border. It was unlikely they’d be able to handle the entire stretch of land the forest occupied. In that regard, Sara’s suggestion still seemed workable. 

But if they were to be discovered, they’d be arrested without a doubt. The Empire’s soldiers didn’t know what Ryoma looked like, which would conversely make any man of large build a suspect. If so, even with Laura and Sara accompanying him, it was unlikely they’d let him go. 

I don’t see them letting me walk away just because Laura and Sara are with me... In which case, there’s no point in us going together... No, wait a second... 

A faint thought surfaced in Ryoma’s mind. The Empire’s forces weren’t aware of the Malfist sisters. They wouldn’t be detained so long as they weren’t traveling with him. And when he considered that, an idea flashed in his mind. 

“Sara, Laura. Let’s go with crossing through the forest. But...” 

As Ryoma spoke with a cruel smile overtaking his lips, the girls’ eyes widened with surprise. 

All right. It’s about time I taught you who’s the one being targeted here, princess. 

That was the moment when the hunter and the hunted exchanged their roles.