Chapter 15

"Looks like a ghost town,"

"Yeah,"

We arrived at an uninhibited village not that far from Sedum City. The buildings are rundown and overtaken with wildlife, and the well in the village centre has been reduced to a pile of rocks. Satou had noticed a broken barrier post from the road, so we had stopped by to check if something had happened.

Satou took the younger group with me to search the town and left the older group near the horse-drawn carriage to keep watch and start preparing lunch. I helped by cutting vegetables at first, but I left the rest of the cooking to the others.

Well, I am waiting for lunch. I finally get to work on making a puppet for Nana. At first, I was tempted to make a small animal for her, but in the end, I went with a young child design. My first attempt wasn't pretty. The hair was too messy, and the eyes looked evil. I succeeded if I was trying to make a movie prop for a horror film.

I tried again, this time getting the hair right, but the face is still not quite right. The eyes looked like they were glaring at me, so I had to redo them. Finally, I got something I am happy with on my third attempt. The doll looks just like a cute child, and I know Nana will love it. I still had some material left, so I made a red dress for the doll and put a matching bow in her black hair. I test the doll out by making the mouth open and close and moving the hands. I don't see any tears or loose seams, so I will give the doll to Nana after lunch.

"Hero Kura!"

Well, that was the plan until Nana came running over to me. She stared at the doll and hugged it to her chest when I let her hold it. Satou and the others are just returning when this happens, and I swear Satou looks jealous when he sees the doll pressed into Nana's chest.

"Hero Kura. Please may I care for this larval, I request,"

"Sure," I smile, seeing Nana's face light up slightly. "I made it for you anyway."

"Another puppet," Arisa says, looking closer at it. "It's cute."

After those interested in the puppet had a look, we all sat down for lunch. Today we are eating wolf meat again. The steaks were big, taking up most of the plates, but they tasted too good for me to complain. If anything, I would want a larger slice. Mia was eating stir-fried vegetables, and Nana ate only a small portion of meat with her usually porridge. She is still only eating small pieces of solid food, but we have given her a slightly bigger slice of meat this time.

Unfortunately, most people were too full to move right away after we finished lunch, so we had to take a slightly longer break. Satou passed the time with more alchemy while Mia and I looked for more barriers and fruits as the others recovered. I was surprised that Pearl overate. I thought she was the type of person who had more self-control, but she ate three wolf steaks at lunch. It looks like good food can corrupt even people like her.

"Here,"

With Mia's help, we found more Klite Berry, some strawberries and even some herbs called Regal Angelica. I didn't read about it in my alchemy book, but Mia says they can be used in potions and medicines. I will ask Satou about it later.

"There,"

Then after a few minutes, we find a small clearing filled with flowers. A few small animals run into the trees when we approach. Mia walks around for a bit and starts picking up some weeds before handing them to me.

"Russet Wort,"

Mia tells me. This is a herb I know of. It was written about in my alchemy book, and this is an ingredient used in MP potions. Mia and I pick up as much as we can. Satou said he found some earlier in a village, but we could always use more of this stuff. We ended up with a lot of the herb, but we barely touched this area. I'll tell Satou about it and see if he wants to come back later and collect some more.

"Mia, get behind me,"

As I got up, I felt my danger sense skill going crazy. I stare out, trying to spot what is happening, but all I see are several trees bending and swaying as something large approaches. I push Mia behind me, she doesn't have her bow with her, but luckily, I brought my sword. Drawing it, I watch as a dark black panther steps out into the clearing. It is large, almost as big as a bear with blood-red claws. It growls, hitting us with the smell of death.

"Mia, run back to the others,"

I take a step forward, but Miagrabs hold off the back of my shirt.

"Help,"

"Okay," I give in. "Head to the tree line and cover me with magic."

"Mmm,"

Mia nods her head and quickly runs back. I would have preferred her not to be here, but at least this way, she shouldn't do anything I wasn't expecting. I look at the panther, and it stares back at me with four dark soulless eyes. The air is tense, and everything has become so quiet that I could hear a pin drop. Finally, the monster lets out a loud roar and charges toward me.

I charge forward too. I run as fast as I can, but I drop down and slash at the panther's legs right before we meet. It jumped, but it wasn't fast enough. My blade slices the bottom of one of the monster's paws. It howls in pain as it lands and glares at me when our eyes meet again.

"Mia, aim for its legs and slow it down!"

I don't hear Mia reply, but watery tentacles cause the panther to trip when the monster charges toward me. I don't waste this opening and cut the monster's head off with a single swing of my sword. It falls to the ground, and I jump back to avoid the rapidly growing pool of blood. Mia quickly runs to me but stops when she sees all the blood.

"Thank you, Mia," I smile. "Can you go and tell the other what had happened here. I'll be back soon once I have drained all the blood from this monster."

"Mmm,"

Mia nods her head and quickly runs away. She really hates the smell of blood, but she was a big help during the fight, so I should find some way to reward her. Maybe I will buy her a gift or some tasty ingredients for when I next help with cooking. I will figure it out later.

For now, I hand the monster on a tree branch and cut out its core. It isn't as large as the Hydra's or as dark red, but it is still high quality. When the monster has stopped dripping blood, nearly an hour has passed. I put the monster in my storage and the herbs I picked as I waited and headed back only to meet Satou, Pearl, Mia and Liza halfway to the ruined village.

"Kura,"

Mia mutters as they spot me. She runs over to me and hugs me. The other follows behind her, and Pearl looks relieved to see me.

"We got worried when it took you so long to come back," Satou says. "Pearl said the monster you fought had poisonous claws and that you might have cut yourself on them."

"Worried," Mia mutters, looking up at me.

"I'm sorry to worry you," I lower my head and take the monster out of my storage. "It was just so large it took a while to drain the blood."

"I have never seen one so big," Pearl mutters before explaining herself. "These monsters were common near my village, but those were only half the size."

Pearl proceeds to examine the monster explaining it to us. The monster's red sharp claws can cut through iron and are covered in a poison that could kill a man in twenty minutes. It had few teeth, but Pearl told us the monster uses its claws to cut up its pray and strong stomach acid to digest the pieces.

"They are fast, and their pelts are hard to cut," Pearl says as she looks at me. "We could only kill them if we trapped them first."

"It wasn't an easy kill," I tell her. "If Mia hadn't tripped it with magic, it might have ended differently."

I wasn't joking. That monster was fast and dodged my first swing. If Mia hadn't been there, I might have very well been scratched by its claw.

"We should head back to the others," Satou says as I return the monster's corpse to my storage. "The others might come looking for us if we take too long."

We head back to camp, and I carry Mia on my back as a reward for her help.

<0>

"Hero Kura, suspicious individual detected inside the forest. The target has already fled, but they may have already signalled reinforcements at this time, I report. Recommending an increase in alertness level,"

"Fishy,"

On the main road a little ways away from Sedum City, Nana gave a report. At the same time, she drove the carriage, supplemented by Mia. Satou confirmed there were people in the forest, so we readied our weapons just in case they were bandits. Satou took the reins from Nana as we approached a crossroad where multiple men were waiting.

They definitely were bandits. They were wearing rags and held hatchets and long knives in their hands. They even blocked the road with a crudely made bar. They glare and stare at us, looking intimidating, but not even the younger girls look scared by the men's actions. They were pathetic. I just sat by, waiting for them to make the first move.

"Hey, the coachman ain't a lady!"

"Some brats're riding in the back, so it's gotta be this one,"

"No, didn't he say it'd be an old hag and a little girl?"

I could overhear the bandits argue amongst themselves, but I stayed where I was. Satou wasn't making any moves, so I followed his lead and acted like I wasn't about to kill them when we approached. The bandits moved the bar out of the way as we approached them, and most of their group disappeared from sight.

"Did something happen?"

"No, nothin'. Just keep movin',"

Satou tried to be polite, but they just waved their weapons and ordered us to move on. If Satou wanted to have attacked them, I would have joined him, but instead, we carried on towards the city. I'm sure Satou wants to deal with them, but he probably doesn't want to put everyone else in danger when he makes his move.

We finally arrived at Sedum City. It is a castle city about the same size as Seiryuu City, but with a lot more people. The streets were tighter and more crowded. There were a slums built around the outer wall filled with wooden shacks and people covered in dirt. Some of the children begged us for food, so we spared what little we could.

It became a bigger scene than I expected, but we had more than enough food to go around, thanks to the wolf meat. I hope Pochi and Tama would stop looking at me like I betrayed them by giving away the meat.

We talked a little, and they told us they were forced to flee from the Muno Barony. They told me how Zen destroyed their homes in his quest for revenge, and they were all happy to hear that I had killed him. The people tried to repay us with coins, and a few women tried to repay Satou with their bodies, but we turned them down. Arisa looked like she was about to explode when a big breasted woman pulled Satou's head into her chest. It was probably a good thing that we moved on when we did.

We paid the city's entrance tax and reported the bandits we saw along the road. The gatekeepers and a knight assured us that he would take some men on patrol to investigate. I was expecting them to make some excuses not to go investigate. They looked lazy and not interested in their jobs when we approached, but as soon as they heard my report, they swiftly organised some men to take a look. I guess they were just bored and not some lazy guards.

<0>

"Get out," The innkeeper growled when he saw our demi-human companions. "There kind aren't welcome here."

"Sir, perhaps this will change your mind,"

The innkeeper is an old man with strong muscular arms and legs. He is bold with a grey moustache and mean-looking emerald eyes. Wearing a stained apron and washing glasses with a filthy rag, I can't help but wonder why this inn is considered the best in town. But despite my worries about the place's cleanliness, I still pull out my dagger. The man's eyes widen when he sees the crest. I back up my dagger with my ID, and the man quickly offers us his best room.

"You're a noble? P-pardon my rudeness. We will prepare a room for you right away,"

The man panicked as he ran away and started ordering his staff around. I feel sorry for them. He seems like a terrible boss. Unfortunately, the only room they had was a six-bedroom, but we would be able to fit if a few of us shared a bed.

We put some of our stuff into the room and headed out. We had a long list of things to buy, so we split up. Lulu and Arisa went to buy food with Pochi and Tama as guards. Satou went with Liza to buy alchemy stuff and spare parts for the carriage while I took Pearl, Mia and Nana with me. I didn't have much to buy, but we still needed to buy a few things.

Unfortunately, our first stop involves a lot of paperwork. I was obligated to send a letter to the city's leader requesting a meeting. It was a rule that nobles followed, and if I didn't send the letter, I would be considered rude. My actions would be reflected poorly on Earl Seiryuu. I hand over the letter before sorting out the money order I got from that small town. It was close to an hour later when I finally left, but I walked out with twenty extra gold coins. I kept my recent core with me this time. I wanted to practice alchemy more later on when I had the chance.

Our next stops were rushed since the stores were starting to close. I brought more arrows for Mia at the blacksmith for a bargain. I wasn't planning on driving the price down so much, but after he insulted Pearl, I used my Haggling skill to its fullest. I don't even remember picking up that skill, but when I noticed it was already at level five, I maxed it out and forced the man to give me the arrows at a low price.

We brought some sewing equipment and materials for Nana at the next store. She started interested in sewing after Lulu suggested she could make all the toys she wanted if she learned how to sew. Our final stop was an alchemy shop. We couldn't buy any vials, but I brought everything else I needed to make MP recovery potions and Stamina recovery potions. I could always store the liquid in my storage until I got the suitable vials. I wonder what is happening, though. Satou said he couldn't find any vials at the last town we went to.

<0>

Last night was peaceful. Apart from Arisa waking Mia up to search for Satou after he slipped away last night. I have no idea how she did it, but Mia was able to locate Satou right away. When I asked how she did it, she said something about spirits, but I didn't understand her meaning. Anyway, with Mia's help, Arisa was able to locate Satou right away. I didn't want to let them go alone this late at night, so I went with them.

"Hey, if you've got three pretty wives like this, you oughta go home to them! See ya later, and thanks for the great drinks! Let's do it again sometime!"

The people that Satou was with mistook us for his wives as they left, but I just laughed it off. Arisa, meanwhile, smiled and acted as his wife as she took hold of Satou's arm.

"Thank you for taking care of my husband. I hope you'll stay friends in the future,"

Arisa said before leading Satou back to the inn. Her behaviour rubs off Mia as she takes my arm just as Arisa takes Satou's. On our way back, Satou told me he had found a way for us to get vials for potions. He tells me that someone he met tonight would be willing to give us pottery lessons and let us take home the vials we make. That brings us to the present as we are in a small workshop trying to learn.

"Ahh, it's no use, sir! This is no good at all, sir!"

"N… nooo… Ahh, I can't do it!"

"The clay man just won't calm down, sir!"

"I'm afraid I've failed,"

Pochi and Lulu's latest attempt ends in failure. They lower their heads and ball up their clay to try again. The Master of the pottery workshop had taught us only the basic steps and how to operate the pottery wheel, then left the rest to the catfolk slaves and resumed his own work. It was challenging to get the hang of at first, but it became easier once I earned the Potter and Clay Working skills.

"This is somewhat more difficult than I expected,"

"It is difficult to calculate the centrifugal force, I report,"

"Once you get a feel for it becomes easier,"

Liza and Nana struggle, but Pearl, while Pearl still hasn't made anything passable, she is doing better than most of us.

"Watch,"

"Mia, please supplement your demonstration with language, I entreat,"

"Watch this,"

Mia is much better and spends her time helping everyone else. It is a shame that she only gives one-word answers that do little to help. Mia tries demonstrating how to do it, but I can see Nana getting confused with so few words from the elf.

Liza and Pearl manage to finish what they are working on. Liza, who was attempting to make a cup, only managed to make a small plate. But despite her failure, Liza still looks pleased with her work. Pearl's cup is a little better. It is at least cup-shaped, but the handle she tried to add fell off.

"So, Arisa, what are you making?"

"What do you mean? A figure, obviously!"

"I don't think so,"

I peaked over to Arisa and saw her work. I should have expected Arisa to make something like this, and Satou reacted just as I thought he would. Satou brings his hands down on the sculpture of himself Arisa was making, crushing the thing.

"Aaah! Not 'Statue of My Beloved Master'! I was almost finished, too!"

"I'm banning you from making anything that would be offensive to public morals,"

Arisa's statue was a naked version of Satou. So far, she had only made the top half, but it was clear what she was planning for the lower half. Arisa falls to her knees, crying over her loss.

"Aww… All that was left was to design and sculpt the lower half…."

I ignore Arisa as she cries over her loss. I had been making a vial every few minutes now. It was hard at first, but once I got the hang of it, I was able to mass-produce the vials. Satou provided the clay for me to use. Apparently, the witch gave him the recipe during his visit. Unfourtantly, Satou was showing me up. Somehow he can make ten vials a minute.

"Have you gotten the hang of the clay yet, mister? I've finished my work, so I have a little time to show you the… Wait, what?!"

The Master of the studio returns with his apprentice, only to stop in his tracks when he sees Satou and me surrounded by vials. Was it not normal to make this many? I thought someone like him would be able to match Satou's speed. But judging by his reaction Satou and I are above average when it comes to pottery.

"Damn, you'd never guess you made all these in such little time! We won't even need to shave these down before we fire 'em. You two are not secretly some famous potters or somethin', are you?"

"No, it was just a hobby of mine when I was young,"

"I just make things for fun,"

Satou and I reply, causing the man to shake his head.

"Since they're so thin, you'd only have to let them dry out for five days or so before we put them in the kiln, even in this weather,"

"It'll take five days before you can fire them?"

Satou asks the question I was thinking. I guess Satou thought they would be done by the end of the day like me.

"Yeah, and thicker ones would have to dry for at least a trimoon. Otherwise, they'll crack while they're baking,"

When I see the look in Satou's eyes, I shake my head and have to hide my smile. I should have known he would have a solution to this problem. He called Mia over and handed her a new spell he had created. Peeking over her shoulder, I can't even begin to understand this spell. I had hoped that reading this would allow me to learn the spell too, but it didn't work.

"Clay Dry Nendo Kansou!"

After a long chant, Mia casts her spell. I am glad I don't have to use chants when I cast magic and only have to think of the spell. Water droplets began oozing out of the surface of the vial and dripping to the floor. However, the spell failed as the vials cracked before they finished drying. Satou spent ten minutes adjusting the spell before trying again.

"Clay Dry Nendo Kansou!"

The drying process was successful this time, but the MP it required was high. At this rate, we'd be able to dry only twenty or so of the bottles before Mia's magic ran out. I had to transfer Mia some of my magic to help her recover. Satou makes more adjustments as I help Mia before handing her the latest version of the spell.

"Clay Dry Nendo Kansou!"

This time it works, and Mia manages to dry all the vials at once.

"Oho, I didn't know there was a spell like that. You're awful powerful for such a small girl, aren't you, missy?"

"Mmm,"

Mia puffed out her chest with pride at the studio owner's praise as I transferred more of my MP to her. Now that we could dry the vials quickly with magic, the owner agreed to bake them along with his own work. Thanks to Satou's new spell, it looks like we really will have our vials by the end of the day. Well, some of them will be done by tonight. Most won't be ready until the morning.

"Wow, it takes more time than I expected. Wouldn't it be easier to put the glaze on before baking it?"

"You're an impatient young lass, eh? Plenty of studios don't bake before glazing, but then the moisture left in the clay seeps out and changes the colour of the glaze or dissolves it in places. If it's going to be used for magic potions, the special glaze has to be uniform, or the quality of the potion will go way down. The pre-baking is essential," The workshop owner politely explained to Arisa.

Since we had plenty of time till the end of the day, we all walked around town as a group. We visited the tourist destinations we'd learned about in the tavern. Walking in such a large group reminded me of my school days when we went on trips. I just hope the kids don't sneak off like I did with my friends. It was all fun and games until we got locked in a store room for nearly five hours. not to mention the detentions that followed and the groundings. I let out a small sigh. It wasn't worth it in the end.

"Big!"

"It's as tall as two Liza's, sir!"

Tama and Pochi gazed up excitedly at the bronze statue in front of the public office. Mia, Nana and Pearl aren't as impressed as the others as they saw it with me yesterday when we handled the paperwork. The ancestral king's statue was more than ten feet tall. Relative to the rest of the statue, the massive greatsword in its hand just looked like a normal one-handed sword.

"Girls, this is a statue of the ancestral king, so try not to be too noisy, okay?"

"Kay,"

"Yes, sir,"

Tama and Pochi clamped their hands over their mouths when Satou reprimanded them gently.

"Still, no matter how great a man he might have been, this is an exaggeration,"

"Mm,"

In front of the bronze statue, a poet recited an epic about the ancestral king. Most of the anecdotes were pretty hard to believe. In one, monsters surrounded him. His Holy Sword Claidheamh Soluis split into thirteen smaller swords that flew into the sky to protect him. In another, an assassin who broke into his bedroom had to fight the ancestral king's armour moving on its own. There were even multiple stories where he rode around on sky dragons or cursed hell demons.

Since this was all in praise of the hero who'd founded the kingdom, no doubt there was a lot of exaggerating. Before we knew it, the beautiful voice of the poet had drawn a crowd of listeners. After the song ended, I threw some money into the hat at the poet's feet along with Satou and joined in on the round of applause. Unfortunately, this peaceful scene was promptly ruined by one man.

"Hey! You damn idiots! Outta the way!"

That idiot returns. The same man who was banished from Earl Seiryuu's land makes his appearance as the crowd parts and lets him through. He looks like he is doing better than last time with his fancy outfit.

"It's unusual to see a noble going around without a horse-drawn carriage,"

"I think that guy's a former noble who's fallen on hard times. I saw him in the tavern before,"

"He's a former noble? It would be best to avoid him if at all possible, Master," Liza says, glaring at the man. "Perhaps you have forgotten? That is the same man who tried to take the ant cores in Seiryuu City."

"He is also the man at that accident outside of that small town,"

I remind him. Satou finally seemed to remember after Liza's, and I jogged his memory. None of us opposed the idea of moving on when he suggested it. We spent the rest of the day exploring the city, and when we returned, I found a reply to my letter. It turns out that Earl Kuhanou isn't in the city right now, and the person he left in charge of the city doesn't want to meet with me. I smile as I thank the messenger and give him a tip. I wasn't exactly looking forward to meeting any noble.

<0>

The next day we returned to the pottery studio. We all worked on glazing the fired vessels. Mia's magic must have worked well since there were no cracks in the dried vials. Mia had to use a new spell Satou created again, called Glaze Dry, or the vials would need another few days to dry.

We decided to wander around the market near the city gate for fun after that. We still had a few more vial backing and plenty of time to spare. Besides, it's fun walking around the market, and you never know what you might find.

"Say, do you have any bargains on picture books, by chance?"

"We've no picture books, I'm afraid. How about these philosophy books and memoirs?"

A small, dodgy-looking man Arisa had approached replied. There were a few bound books at his booth and around ten held together with thread. Next to the stall was a stack of five or so bundles of paper wrapped with string.

"Is it all right if I have a look inside?"

"Certainly. These are research papers that some rich person's heir sold to me on the cheap. I've brought them to scholars and magic users, but nobody would buy them, so I've been waiting for someone with a sharp eye to take a liking to them,"

"What is it? Did you find something interesting?" Arisa asked Satou curiously.

He had picked up one of the buddles of papers and was flicking through them. Something must have caught his interest as he instantly asked about the price.

"One copper per bundle," The man replied. "If you buy them all, I will part ways with them for one large copper."

"I was just going to use them to pack pottery with," Satou tells him. "I will be better off with sawdust."

"Two pennies for the lot, then! Take them, you thief!"

"What did you just buy?" Arisa asks as he pays for the bundles.

"Just some stuff for packing pottery," Satou lies.

I'm sure there is another reason, and he will tell us soon when we are away from the owner of the stand. He stuffs the papers into a bag, and we move on.

"Hero Kura! I have detected a mysterious rotating object detected. Be careful, I advise,"

Nana suddenly stops me all of a sudden pointing to a stand. Her face was too close, and it didn't take long for Mia to try and push Nana away from me. Nana was pointing to a spinning top with a glowing red top. Everyone else spots it too. The toy is eye-catching with its glow leaving faint after images as the spinning top spins.

"Hey, there care to look at the latest magical tool from the Royal Capital?"

The man selling the item spots us staring and waves us over with a big smile on his lips. A few children were watching the spinning top, too, but he shooed them away as we approached. He didn't do t to be mean, but there was not that much space there for us to talk. I felt sorry for the kids as I see them still watching the top from a distance.

"Is that a top?" Satou asked.

"Yes, it is, but it is no ordinary top," The man grins as he picks up the top. It glows even brighter in his hands and starts to spin by itself. "This is no trick. It runs on magic, and you are free to try it for yourself."

He hands Satou and me a top each, so I give it a go. It is pretty easy to use and not that different from when I transferred magic to Mia or when I helped Nana out. I quickly get the top spinning in my hand before stopping it and letting Mia try. Mai smiles, watching it spin in her palm. Pochi and Tama try to, but they can't get it to even glow faintly.

"Is something wrong, sir?"

"It's not spinning!"

Seeing them look worried, I start it for them. I kneel down and start the top spinning, letting it spin in both of their hands. I set the top spinning on the ground afterwards, and the two lie down watching the top spin, only to be scolded by Liza for dirtying their clothes. It was partly my fault, so I set the top spinning on the man's stall for them.

"That is a fascinating tool," Satou nods, watching Pochi and Tama cheer the top on to spin faster. "How much would it be for two of them?"

"Normally two and a half a gold for one, but for you, I will knock it down to two,"

With some haggling, Satou managed to take the price down some more to three gold for both of them. After he paid and exchanged some small talk, it was time for lunch. We ended up buying dumplings at another stall which turned out to be the city's signature disk.

These turned out to be vegetables wrapped in a thin layer of kneaded flour and baked. Despite there being no meat, none of the meat-loving girls complained. Although Liza's eyes were locked onto some chicken skewers for sale. Satou must have noticed her gaze because he asked her to buy all of us one apart from Mia, who ate some of the strawberries we picked early.

Still, our piece didn't last long. Satou suddenly stood up and stared in the direction of the gate. We all got a bad feeling about this and expected to see monsters approaching the city. Instead, a young girl races on a carriage towards the city, being surrounded by living armour suits and chased by the men we saw blocking the road. I knew I should have killed them when I had the chance.

"What's going on?"

Arisa asks as we make our way towards the gate. The guards have noticed the girl too and are rushing about trying to figure out what is happening.

"The apprentice of the witch I visited before is in trouble," Satou answers. "There are bad guys after her, so we have to hurry."

Satou doesn't have to tell me twice. I draw my sword and rush forward with him as the others follow close behind us. Liza picked up Arisa, and Nana carried Mia so we could make better time. I didn't expect Pochi and Tama to pick up Lulu, though. Lulu screams and begs them to put her down, but the young girls smile and assure Lulu this is for the best.

"How many are there?" I ask.

"Twelve,"

When we reached the gate, the battle had already begun. Twelve bandits on horseback engage the living armour suits while the girl driving the carriage desperately tries to keep ahead of the men. I rush forward and leap onto the carriage just as one of the bandits jumps onto the back.

"Waa!"

The girl screams, but I ignore her and attack the bandit. The man at me wide-eyed as I knocked the sword out of his hand with my first swing. With my second swing, I planned on killing the man but… but I couldn't do it. At the last second, I twist my sword and strike him with the flat part of my blade, knocking the man out.

"Who… who are you? Wa, wait! Is that ane elven bell?"

The girl looks back with tears in her eyes. Now that I get a closer look at her, she is dressed similar to the witch I met.

"I'm a friend of the witch,"

I tell her as I jump up and kick another bandit off of his horse. I was afraid the fall might kill him, so I used the air magic spell, Air Hammer, on the ground where he was landing. The updraft broke his fall just as I had planned. He still might be injured, but there shouldn't be anything serious.

"Hey, who do you think you are?!" One of the guards yells at me. He must be with them as he is stopping the other guards from lending us aid. "Magic is prohibited here! Are you trying to hurt people?!"

"Yes!" I shout back, shocking him. "Using magic to defend people is the job of a hero!" The man stares at me, and the bandits try to escape on for Satou and the others to capture them. "But what are you doing?!"

"A hero?"

"Did she say, hero?"

"She must be lying,"

"But that is a holy sword in her hands,"

I bring my horse to a stop as the guards stare at me.

"The potions in this carriage are for your fellow soldiers!"

I have heard plenty of people talking about how the Earl and his army are fighting the Kobolds in a nearby silver mine. These potions are meant to help those brave men and women, and yet these guys were going to let them be destroyed.

"How can you just stand by and let them be destroyed when they are putting their lives on the line?!" I can see the leader of the guards take a step backwards. "Can you really sit by when injured soldiers could die without them?! What is it was you?! What if you were the ones dying?! Would you want to hear that the means of saving you was destroyed because some guards didn't act?!"

"Shut up! You know nothing!" The guard leader screams, but his men move forward. "Stop, you fools! I am your captain! Do you really dare define me?!"

"Fight for what is right!" I yell, and the guards draw their swords. "Fight for you fellow soldiers at the mines and defend this carriage!"

"Don't move!" The guards ignore him and rush forward, capturing the last of the bandits. "I will have you all killed! You are traitors! You are all…."

Suddenly, the man collapses, but no one comes to his aid. Instead, they rush forward, capturing the bandits and start escorting the carriage. I quickly spot Arisa, who shoots me a wink.

"Oh, dear," Arisa says to Lulu in a loud unnatural voice. "Perhaps he has anaemia?"

"My brother is fighting in the mines," The new leader of the guards comes up to me. "I will ensure these potions are delivered."

"Thank you,"

I reply as I jump down from my borrowed horse. I had no idea how to handle that horse and got lucky it was trained well. It would have been so embarrassing to have that horse run off with me on its back. Thanks to the guard's help, the battle was swiftly brought to an end. The bandits were all captured, and they promised to pay Satou and me a reward for capturing them. The carriage was safe, being escorted by six guards. Nothing could go….

"Ahh!!!"

I turn my head as I hear the girls scream. I spot her just as some robed people drive wagons loaded with logs into both sides of the carriage shattering the potions. The robed people don't get far before the guards capture them, but the girl and one of the guards escorting her are both hurt. I quickly run over to them and give them both a potion to drink. They were hesitant to take something so expensive at first but accepted the potions.

"What I am going to do?" The girl sobs into my chest as we watch the liquid from the potions drip onto the floor. "Without those potions, the pact will be…."