Ch 49 -- Fell and Sui combo vs. bandits
Fell picked up speed. I could see a blue sky ahead through gaps between the trees.
"Okay, we're out-" said Fer.
We left the forest and entered a wide sprawling prairie. Our journey through the forest had lasted for for a month and a half.
"Haa, we're finally out of the forest." I sighed. Grassland, it feels good...... but where are we? Are there any roads?
"Fer, have you been here before?"
"Maybe..." he replied noncommitally. So you're not sure, huh?
"Are there any roads around here?" I enquired.
"Roads made by humans? I think there's a road not far from here."
"Can you head there?"
"Why should we?"
"From what you've told me, Fer, I think that this is the Kingdom of Leonhart but it's better we check that with someone. In addition we need to get to a town quickly since the meat will be used up soon, that's why."
"The meat is running out?" Fer asked anxiously. "That's serious. There's bound to be a human road over that way. We'll go there at once." The possibility of running out of meat to eat is a big deal for Fer.
As Fer promised, he found a human road quickly. I hope to encounter someone while going along this road....
From high up on Fer's back I spotted a horse carriage in the distance as we ran along the road. "Ah, people..."
I heard voices, faint and intermittent. They must be quite loud since they're so far away. Are they shouting?
"That carriage, it's being being attacked by bandits." Fer said.
What? Bandits? !
"F-, Fer, please protect me, I will make a luxury dinner tonight!" The words tumbled from my mouth. I panicked and forgot I wasn't the one that needed help here.
"Don't forget that promise." Fer said as he accelerated towards the carriage.
We were suddenly beside the carriage. Adventurers who appeared to be escorting the wagon were fighting a gang of scruffy-looking ruffians. It looked like the bandits outnumbered the adventurers who were being pressed back.
"Plug your ears." Fer ordered. As Fell said I put my fingers in my ears.
"A-oooh!" Even with my ears plugged Fer's howl froze my body.
The bandits and the adventurers who heard his howl clearly were totally petrified.
Sui crawled out of her bag. "Aruji-, what's wrong?"
"There are some bad guys, Fer-ojichan is dealing with them."
"Huh? Is that so? Sui will help too."
"Right then, shoot acid bullets at the arms of those men with weapons over there and there and over there, OK? Don't hit them with big acid bullets, just get them to drop their weapons."
"I understand-"
Pew, pew, pew, pew, pew.
"Gyaaa"
"Gooo"
"Gaaaaah"
"Gyaaaa---"
"Giyaaaa---"
The bandits screamed as their arms were hit by Sui's acid bullets. It seemed Sui's acid bullet attack is evolving. She wasn't shooting it like from a water gun, it was more like a high-speed beam of acid spray.
"If you don't surrender right now I'll kill and eat you. Throw your weapons down if you understand." The faces of the bandits who hadn't been hit by Sui's attack blanched as Fer showed his teeth and they threw down their weapons.
But the biggest bandit, presumably their leader, refused to obey Fer and brandished an axe. "Where did you come from? Stop interfering!" he shouted as he aimed his axe at me. I crossed my arms over my head to protect myself.
Slash. Pew.
When I opened my eyes after the axe didn't hit me, the axe man was breathing his last, with a horrible appearance that made me want to throw up. Uuurp. Deep breaths, deep breaths...
Fer's claw slash cut him to ribbons and then he was hit by Sui's acid bullet.... I will let you imagine what it was like.
The surviving bandits knew the consequences of the crimes they committed but they didn't want to die. Seeing how the axe man was killed took the fight out of them and they meekly let themselves be tied up by the reinvigorated adventurers, none of whom were seriously injured since we had stepped in quickly.
After tying up the thieves, the adventurer's leader and a merchant from the carriage came to speak to us.
"I am Lambert, a merchant from Carerina, a city in the northwest of the Leonhart Kingdom. Thanks to you, everyone is safe and my cargo is OK. Thank you so much for your help." The merchant, a well-built man in his mid-40s bowed his head deeply as he spoke.
"I'm Rashu, the leader of the adventurer party 'Phoenix' who is escorting these merchants. We appreciate your assistance." The big muscular guy, he must have been more than 180cm tall, bowed deeply too along with everyone else in his party, thirty or so people all dressed in reddish-brown clothing.
"No, I just happened to be passing near by... my name's Mukouda."
"Ummm, are these your contract beasts?" Lambert-san seemed to be afraid, looking at Fer and Sui as he asked about them.
"Yes, they're my contract beasts, but they won't hurt anyone. Don't worry." When I said that, Lambert-san looked relieved.
"That Demonic Beast is a Fenrir... so the rumor was true." Rashu-san muttered while staring at Fer. Have such rumors spread so far?
"I heard that there was an adventurer who had taken a Fenrir as a contract beast, there were Wind Rumours... I thought that it was just someone's fantasy so I didn't believe it..."
I sometimes don't believe it either, but it is a fact.
If the rumors have spread this far, is it only a matter of time before the secret gets out? Rashu seems to have figured it out immediately after seeing Fer after all. It is going to be a a big problem if we can't move around freely because everyone recognises him as a Fenrir.
I had overheard high-ranking adventurers saying that the Kingdom of Leonhart is a relatively free country without discrimination and they were open about accepting outsiders so I hoped I could fit in there.
However Fer is a legendary Demonic Beast and insanely strong. It would be great to be able to move freely in the Kingdom of Leonhard and their allied nation, the Ellen Kingdom if they are understanding about our circumstances. I hope that will be the case.
I can't do anything else now, I have no choice but to simply see what happens. We're probably going to be OK since Fer is with us, no matter what happens. I won't worry about it now.
"By the way, where are you guys heading?" I changed the subject. I'm not going to admit out loud that Fer is a Fenrir.
"We are returning to Carerina." said Lambert-san. Is he going back to his headquarters after finishing his work? We also wanted to go to a city, I wonder if I can piggyback here?
"Fer, Sui, this seems to be the Leonhart kingdom that were headed for so would you like to go to the city of Carerina? "
"Get some meat there. I'm OK." said Fer.
"Sui is happy too-"
Fel and Sui seem to be OK with going to Carerina.
"Lambert-san, we've just arrived in the Leonhardt Kingdom and to be honest we're not familiar with the geography of the area. If it's possible would you let us travel with you to Carerina?"
Lambert-san agreed to my request with a smile.
"Everyone would be grateful for your company, I'm sure. Please do come along with us."
And so we departed for the city of Carerina.