Chapter 7
Bandit Hunting (1)
Perin Village, bandit extermination, hideout location confirmed, headcount at least twenty, no more than thirty.
Mana-wielding maniacs? None.
People kidnapped? Twelve women, one boy.
Wait a minute. What?
What the hell, a boy? Why?
That’s what they say. I don’t want to know the reason either.
Anyway, keep listening. Don’t interrupt.
Archers present? Five.
Mages? Unlikely in such a remote mountain area.
Valuables to be retrieved from the hideout?
Money is 50/50 split. We take the weapons, they take the necessities like food.
Move.
The forest was silent.
The absence of the animal sounds we had heard earlier indicated the presence of humans nearby.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one who felt it. Only the occasional clinking of chainmail could be heard, and the shared tension of the group naturally created silence.
Thud, thud.
Amidst the silence, where even breaths were inaudible, I spoke to the guide beside me.
It was Reims, the young man who had been forced to lead us to the bandit hideout after commenting that “that lanky mercenary looks more like a bear than a man.”
“Mr. Reims, how much longer until we reach the bandit hideout?”
“Yes, sir. We’ll be there soon. Just trust me.”
It was, without a doubt, the most unreliable assurance I had ever heard.
But what could I do? The young village headman had said that Reims knew the mountain trails better than anyone else alive.
‘He might know the mountain trails better than anyone else alive, but that doesn’t mean he’s competent.’
At least his skills were real. So I had no choice but to trust him.
As we continued ascending the mountain trail, someone came up beside me and spoke.
“Ase. Do you think I gave you too tough a task for your first mission? This is your first time on recon, right?”
It was Tanner, the temporary squad leader for today.
“Well, what choice do we have when I’m the only one with a bow?”
Bows were a pain in the ass to master. Of course, our mercenaries could use them to some extent, but they wouldn’t be as good as their primary weapons.
As for me, Hwaruan had trained me to be versatile, so I could use a bow as my main weapon, but most mercenaries only used darts or daggers at best.
“That’s true. For some reason, Raymond and Arnold are out today, something about a bottle of alcohol going around. Huh.”
Knowing that those two were suffering from a hangover after yesterday’s welcome party for me, I tried to lighten the mood.
“So, it seems we have another idiot on our hands this time? Judging by the detailed information we have.”
“Well, that’s how it is with those bandit idiots. It’s even better since there’s a bounty on them.”
The way bandits amassed wealth was similar to slash-and-burn agriculture.
They would set up a base in a suitable location, raid the surrounding villages, loot all the money and usable resources, then move on to another location and repeat the process.
They would spend their earnings in the city, and occasionally, like this time, they would get caught. And then they would have to cough everything up.
I didn’t want to know what happened to the bandits who generously offered both information and money.
After walking for a while, Reims called out to Tanner.
“Uh, Mr. Tanner. We’re almost there.”
Tanner raised his fist at Reims’s words, and everyone stopped. It was a hand signal for a halt.
“Alright, let’s check everything one last time before we go in.”
I reviewed what I had brought.
One longbow with the right tension, eight arrows.
One quarterstaff, one dagger I picked up from the floor.
I hadn’t lost or forgotten anything.
After adjusting the positions of my weapons for easy access, I looked at the other squad members.
The mercenaries participating in this raid were all equipped with weapons suitable for fighting bandits.
Most of them had targe shields strapped to their arms, and anticipating indoor combat, they were armed with hand axes, arming swords, and of course, daggers.
But as always, there were exceptions.
“Heh, a bow. Nice.”
A muscle-bound mass appeared in front of me and muttered. It was the dwarf Northerner.
Swish, swish.
“Ase. Are you scared? If you are, just say the word. I’ll eat your share of the reward.”
The Northerner, who was assigned to recon with me, asked while polishing his axe blade.
His cherished weapon, the last one he made before leaving his hometown, gleamed with its dark blue blade.
I chuckled at his words, a mixture of jest and sincerity meant to ease the tension.
“Gramps, if I was scared, I would have left the North yesterday. Or gone to raise sheep.”
“Heh heh, I don’t know why someone like you hasn’t left this place yet.”
“It’s all because of money, Gramps.”
“Yeah, that damn money. Let’s earn some, Ase.”
“Ugh.”
The old man, after examining his long beard in the reflection of his single-edged, two-handed axe as if it were a tree root, patted my shoulder and walked away.
I thought my arm was going to fall off.
“Alright, listen up.”
It was time. Tanner, the old Northerner, and two other mercenaries stood in front, with the assault team lined up behind them.
“The plan is simple. The recon team goes in first, clears out any danger, and then the rest of the assault team rushes in and cleans up. We’ll use the usual signals, so no lighting fires.”
It was a very simple plan.
This meant that we had a lot of discretion.
And also a lot of work to do.
“Let’s go.”
“Holy shit, are these bandits or an army?”
The bandit hideout, or rather, the fortified camp that could be considered a small fortress, was surprisingly well-organized.
Patrols consisted of two-man teams, and watchtowers were erected at the four corners of the palisade, each manned by one person except for the one in front of the main gate.
It was fortunate that the gate of the palisade was open.
Thank goodness, we didn’t have to climb ladders and siege this time.
“Well, the answer is simple, isn’t it, Ase?”
Jack, one of the recon team members, said.
“We take out one watchtower first, then you snipe the rest with your bow.”
What the hell, is he serious?
“Me? Do that? Really?”
“You can do it.”
“We’re not asking you to fly or anything. We’re just asking you to do what you can.”
Villian agreed with Jack’s absurd suggestion, and Jack, seizing the opportunity, pushed further.
“Well, I’m too old for this. Hehe, you young ones should handle it.”
The old Northerner nodded and suddenly started acting like an elderly man, which was ridiculous.
Had these guys not sobered up from yesterday’s drinking? They were all trying to make me take the lead.
But there was nothing I could do. I was the only one with a bow.
“Alright, let’s do it this way. Listen up, everyone.”
***
Whoosh!
“Gurgling!”
First one down.
“Wait, the enemy-“
Thwang!
“Ugh.”
Second one down.
The two men, hit by arrows in their necks, fell silently outside the palisade, losing their balance with only the gurgling sound of blood escaping their mouths.
Simultaneously, I gave the hand signal.
Thud! Thump!
The recon team members, waiting below the palisade, successfully caught the bodies.
Although there was a slight mishap with the old Northerner, who was short, dragging the limbs of the body he was assigned to on the ground, the ironclad rule of the manly Golpion Jihouse, “Don’t touch what’s not there,” made me overlook it.
“Let’s go.”
I quickly joined the recon team, and we entered the palisade.
Jack led the way, with the old Northerner bringing up the rear.
As we had observed from the high ground earlier, there were log cabins scattered throughout the palisade.
Jack and Villian were experts in stealth and reconnaissance, so we followed their lead, moving only through the gaps between the cabins.
The faint sound of dirt being shuffled could be heard, but it was masked by the moans, eating, and drinking sounds coming from inside the log cabins, so there was no problem with our movement.
After walking for a while…
Whoosh.
‘Stop.’
A hand signal came from Jack, who was in front.
I strained my ears and heard voices. Judging by the murmuring, there were at least five of them.
“So, I grabbed that crazy bitch by the hair and poured alcohol down her throat.”
“…About what happened at the gambling den…”
“Have you heard the story about the knight who wiggled his hips to survive an orc? Hahaha!”
It would be difficult to subdue them without making any noise.
Jack seemed to agree, as he briefly raised his hand and then gestured with his hand blade towards another alley.
Whoosh, whoosh.
‘This way.’
It was the right choice.
Our mission wasn’t a full-scale raid, but to neutralize the patrol and the watchtower, so there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
As we moved around, we only targeted the patrols.
―Thud!
“Ugh!”
From the shadows, Villian quickly dragged a bandit into the alley, only his arm visible.
Moments later, another bandit, noticing his companion’s disappearance, approached. He was walking right into our trap.
“What’s going on? Hey, taking a piss?”
The old Northerner had already gone, and Jack went a while ago.
“The boss told us not to piss on the walls last time.”
So it was my turn.
“I told you to break the habit of pissing outside when there’s a toilet.”
Tap, tap. I gently tapped the ground with the handle of my dagger.
The bandit approached.
Rustle.
Suddenly, he drew an axe from his waist.
Whether it was instinct or something else, he seemed to sense danger.
“Hey, don’t mess around.”
“……”
“Where did that bastard go-“
The bandit came closer.
I lunged at him without a sound. His eyes widened in surprise.
Red on the road catches the eye. I had to subdue him with my bare hands.
Thwack!
I grabbed the back of his head and struck, covering his mouth with my other hand.
“Ugh-cough.”
His muffled scream, unable to escape through my hand, turned into a cough.
Who is it? Who coughed?
Who the fuck do you think it is, idiot? Shut up and drink.
A small comedic exchange took place somewhere inside a log cabin, commenting on his struggle.
Amidst the laughter, only the sound of something being smashed repeatedly could be heard.
―Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
“Ugh…”
Tenth one down.
The dagger was definitely more efficient. The quarterstaff was just getting in the way in this situation.
As far as I remembered, this was the last patrol.
“We got them all. Let’s move.”
I spoke quietly and took the lead this time.
“Wow, is that a man or a monster?”
Someone’s comment came from behind me.
***
Crack!
“Squawk!”
Eleventh one down.
The watchman’s head caved in.
I lowered the quarterstaff I was holding. The bandit’s hair oil glistened on the end of the staff.
The staff was definitely better than the dagger right now.
After taking out the watchman, we needed to dispose of the body before moving to the next watchtower. We didn’t know the patrol schedule, and there was no one to catch the body below.
Therefore, we had to prevent any blood from flowing, and a blunt weapon was more efficient for that.
And the fact that no alarm had sounded yet meant that this decision was a good one.
Coincidentally, all the guys in the watchtowers seemed to have gone to the toilet and hadn’t returned yet.
I wiped the staff with the watchman’s clothes and said,
“By the way, I hope the old Northerner is doing alright.”
Jack looked in a certain direction and nodded.
“Seems like it.”
I saw something red on the opposite watchtower. It was the old man’s axe blade.
“Seems like it.”
We signaled the assault team outside.
Rustle, rustle. The sound of something moving through the grass could be heard.
Soon, we saw the mercenaries approaching at a brisk pace, passing through the palisade gate and splitting up towards the log cabins.
“Raid!!!”
Someone shouted, and the sounds of metal clashing followed.
“Kill them all!!!”
Tanner’s voice could be heard faintly from afar.
The raid had begun.
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