Kuro no Maou

Chapter 247 – Careless Bandits Strategy!

The month changed. We reached the base point in subjugating Greed Gore, the Isckia Village on the 3rd of Platinum Month.

「......We are being tailed, eh」

It was when we were heading towards the Adventurers’ Guild of Village.

Occasionally I would feel a not-friendly stare at me from the crowd of people.

「Yeah, we surely are being tailed」

「Uh-huh I feel uncomfortable~」

Unfortunately, it wasn’t my imagination, apparently.

「Geh, they don’t look good people even from their looks」

Whilst walking the main street reaching to Adventurers’ Guild, I looked around indirectly and confirmed the figures of people tailing us.

This Isckia Village was a big village like Kwarl Village. There were not only villagers but armed adventurers walking on streets too.

The people think they were hiding well in the crowd of adventurers, well if they wore leather armour then I wouldn’t have noticed them, but it was impossible to not notice them since they had been sending those stares at me without having any intention of hiding the presence given by stares.

At the current phase they were only sending impolite stares at me, so it can’t possibly pick a fight with them saying「What da fuck ya watching, huuuh」.

Surely they must be having bad thoughts after being hooked but the beautiful looks of Lily and Fiona.

I had no relation with these worries in Irz Village, but in a greatly populated country like Spada, men looking at them with those stares have increased.

However, it’s their own freedom to think whatever they want, though it is unpleasant, but unless they try to make of move on these two I could only ignore them, this applies to the people tailing us at present.

Like that, whilst paying attention to the rear, we collected the detailed information about Greed Gore in Adventurers’ Guild.

As a result, we had to hear the depressing information about the unknown whereabouts of Greed Gore after the eyewitness reports stopped since some days before.

It was guessed that it may have gone deep in some dungeon where only some adventurers would dare to step in, otherwise there was also the possibility of it moving underground to some other place.

After reaching to this standpoint, I gave an order of looking over the place it was last spotted at, the Rank 3 dungeon『Isckia Hills』.

We decided upon our plans and left the Adventurers’ Guild only to find that the sun was already sinking down.

However for increasing the possibility of encountering Greed Gore, we decided to camp near the highway then left Isckia Village.

「We’re completely being tailed」

Several minutes after riding the horses Merry and Mary, I noticed the group tailing us in the village still following us.

「Yeah, we are completely being tailed」

「Uh-huh, I feel really uncomfortable~」

As expected it wasn’t my imagination, apparently.

「Are these the so-called bandits?」

「Most probably, it is a quick-witted person, they might understand the value of our equipments in just one glance」

Now that she said it, Fiona’s robe was made by some great high-grade materials, or so the old lady from robe specialist shop was saying.

Lily’s one-piece is also made from the high-grade fabric of Ancient Birod, my armour too has been reinforced by blackening, so it could be said as a magic armour.

「I see, but I was thinking that they are targeting us because of you two, after all you two are really beautiful」

「Is that true?」

「Why must I lie」

「Really~? Lily is beautiful?」

The voice of Lily sitting in front of me seemed to be in high spirits.

「Yeah, Lily is beautiful, you’re super cute」

「Fufufu~」

I handled the reins with one hand, while patting the head of Lily with the other.

Thinking over it, I sure have become good at horse-riding. After all I could talk and pat while making Merry run.

Otherwise, Merry might have recognized me as the master, ever since the date with Fiona, I had been increasing the sense of unity by pouring black magical energy too.

「Umm......Then what shall we do, Kurono-san?」

「Let’s see, it’s quite irritating for have someone stalking us, so I want them make their move fast. How about we invite them by showing our defencelessness tonight?」

.

.

.

And it reached to this terrible scene.

「Haven’t you exterminated them......」

The smell of roasting flesh and blood reached my nose. Although I have gotten used to it, but I just can’t take a rest.

My mind is not reckt to the extent to peacefully sleeping in the middle of this massacre scene filled with hands, legs and freshly severed heads. No, the time I got used to people’s death is the fact that my head is reckt.

「I’m sorry, it just happened inadvertently, right Lily-san?」

「Right~」

The duo of fairy and witch didn’t show any sign of remorse, but because I also used Full Burst so I can’t complain about them.

「And we also took one person as prisoner, isn’t this for the good」

「A prisoner, we took......」

With complicated feelings I look at the skin-headed man shivering with his face turned pale.

He seemed to have lost all his fighting strength, but for just in case I have bind him up with Anchor Hand made from『Black Hair Curse「Coffin」』

「Master—Urgh!」The maid with sense of wariness maxed out would use her prideful black hair wires to bite into the five limbs of the opponent and mince them, only if the opponent showed some strange movements.

Of course, seeing this state, I totally doubt it would happen.

No, the thing more concerning to me is that I remember this man.

「Hey do you remember about me?」

「ugh......Y-Yes」

He even used formal language, looks like he is seriously freaked out.

In the back alley of Spada slums, he had enough spirits to bluff even after his sword was broken, but it could only be said as natural to be freaked out after seeing so many of his comrades die in a flashy manner.

「It’s truly unfortunate, that you have degraded down to being a bandit」

Though I said that, but I knew that there was no way he would return to being a decent adventurer just by my words.

But, it’s my true feelings that I feel disappointed in him.

「W-wait, I’m not a bandit or something, after that I seriously become an adventurer! Just like you said, a decent adventurer!」

「Stop, I don’t want to hear you begging」

I’m not a kind person to the extent of believing his words.

However I don’t have the hobby of playing with others’ lives like those apostles, I intend to hand them over to the Isckia Guild or vigilante corps.

Before that, I wanted to hear the information about the bandits, but looking at his current state it seems impossible. It’s better to make him faint——

「Wait Kurono, this man is saying the truth」

「Lily?」

But, a lifeboat for this man appeared from an unexpected place. She had been in the child form but currently Lily said the words fluently and forced her way in between me and the man.

「F-fairy-san! Please, save me! After getting saved by you, I’ve been praying the fairy goddess every night! I also don’t lay my hand on children, please, save, save me!!」

「Do you know him?」

Looking at the shouting and crying man with a sidelong glance, I asked Lily.

「When I went on Slime subjugation quest, I had saved him along the way」

「So it’s something like that」

That is one great coincidence. Recently I have been feeling lot of time that this world is small.

「Hey you, calm down, it’s fine, I won’t kill you」

「*weep*......T-t-thank you, thank you very much Fairy-san......」

The adult man lowers his head towards a small girl, or rather the scene of him grovelling in prostrating form is quite surreal.

「The we will ask you some questions, it’s fine to say slowly, but answer honestly, okay?」

「*weep* Y-y-yess」

So she will start the interrogation at this point, seriously I can’t make light of adult Lily.

Lily turned back in an instant and winked as if saying here you go. She’s cute as always, err nothing, I meant now I can get the info from this man.

「Then name yourself first, and show your Guild Card if you’re truly an adventurer」

「I-I’m Zack, a poor adventurer from the countryside of Spada. The Guild Card is on my neck」

There surely is a chain on his neck, as for the end of it is within the leather armour so I can’t see what is attached to it.

I wind the black hair wire, officially a think『Anchor Hand』and take out the Guild Card from his bosom while still restraining Zack.

At that moment his face seemed to spasm from fear, but I pretended to not notice it. What, you hate tentacles that much.

「Bronze Plate, eh」

「Heh Heh, this is the limit for someone like me」

I remembered that he was saying he could use Enhancement Magic and Martial Skills as a bluff, so it must be truth that he doesn’t know any of them.

If one can’t use any, then reaching up to Rank 3 would be difficult, even more if the person is a normal human.

「I’m Kurono, a member of Rank 3 party『Element Master』, did you attack us even after knowing us」

「If I had known you people were the targets, I would’ve stopped these people with all my strength」

「What do you mean? No, let’s go in order, first who are you people?」

「These people were Slave Dealers」

I have come to understand that the existence of slaves is quite a normal thing in this world.

But, one needs to have agreement with some elites to possess slaves, but because I have never entered the upper area of Spada nor went to slave market, so I don’t the truth about it.

Of course, I have heard they are forced into labour by being whipped as it is banned according to law. Apparently on the outward at least they don’t have a tragic environment to live in.

「Though I say that, they are bandits-like guys. The reason they targeted you is not doubt because of that witch and fairy-san」

Apparently my guess hit the right spot. Truly an shitty talk, making me want to puke.

「Are you the people making riots in Fauren?」

「Bandits of Fuaren? *sigh* Those assholes, as expected this bad name was gaining fame......most probably you’re right, they appeared out of nowhere after ‘restocking their commodities’ from Fuaren. I was hired as a bodyguard for these people calling them as slave dealers」

「Bodyguard?」

「It’s about private contract quests, from the introduction of my friends, I took on this quest as it gave lot of rewards, hence I’ve been doing a decent job as an adventurer. I also haven’t attacked some village and taken girls」

I send a glance to Lily and she opened her mouth to show her approval.

「It’s the truth」

「Fairy-san......Thankz......」

If Lily says so then it must be the truth, moreover this man doesn’t seem to have a high grade magic to deceive telepathy.

If Zack has been just doing his quest and has not been involved in any criminal act, then I can’t keep on criticizing him.

Although, after being attacked like this, as the person concerned in ‘a fight between fellow adventurers’, I can do what I want to do with him, frankly I can kill and still not get accused.

However, I don’t hate this man to that extent and also don’t want to needlessly spill blood.

Zack’s Guild Card also had an accessory imitating the wings of fairies. Most probably he became a believer in god after being saved by Lily.

It might be true that he is praying to the fairy goddess.

「But, if they are truly the bandits of Fauren, then it means you took part in a criminal syndicate as a bodyguard. I don’t know how big this sin might be, but if you still want to cooperate with them......you know what happens, right?」

「Y-Yeah, I resign from the private contract quest right now! I won’t feel any regret in giving out information to help the subjugation of bandit group」

Upon hearing those words I released Zack from the restraints.

Like this, Zack is no longer a bodyguard, but a freelance adventurer.

If he somehow makes the Guild recognize that he was made to forcibly take on the quest and has not done a single criminal act, then his punishment would be really light.

Of course, if he showed any suspicious activity currently, I will surely plunge all the bullets into him.

「I-I’m saved......」

After being freed from the wires Zack took a deep breath, he must’ve been in a state of tension as I held the line for his life-and-death.

Thinking this is a daily occurrence for adventurers, I won’t have any sympathy.

「Now then, as we have become cleared up about each other’s positions, how about you tell us in details about the bandits of Fauren, aka the Slave Dealers who hired you」