Chapter 123: Riding carriage
「Well, sorry for the trouble …」 (Merchant +)
Merchants and their family say their gratitude to the Red Oath as they chewing the cooked meat.
Yes, just like usual, 「Red oath」hunted the animal/monster nearby, cooked and shared with the merchants.
「Is this the storage magic … ?
I had met a magician that can use storage magic before, but his capacity was only a little bit.
… to think you have such magic, I’m so jealious …」 (Merchant A)
For any merchants, storage magic is enviable.
Moreover, this girl can even pull out an assembled tent. Just how much is this girl storage limit?
「Well, to be honest, since your party were only young girls, I was a bit worried, but I guess this is …」 (Merchant B)
Another merchant was sitting next to campfire, looked up the large amount of firewood availble, their cheerful horses (horses that pull carriage), a lot of rabbit meet and murmured so.
Maevis chose a fallen tree because it easier to burn than raw trees, and she had made a lot of firewood by cutting with her sword.
Rena burned the firewood to make campfire in an instant without chant.
Pauline used recovery magic to make cure the horse tireness.
And, Mile pulled out a tent and a lot of prey.
These merchants also hire escorts many times before.
They understand the Average ability of C rank Hunter well enough.
And the 「Red oath」are clearly above Average.
There is no need to see how they fight to know their power.
The carriages had already crossed the border in the evening.
Even if it’s the country’s border line, it isn’t separated by a wall or a steel wire net.
And there isn’t any watchmen’s soldier either.
There’s no budget, personnel, meaning to deploy such things on a long border line that running through unmanned wasteland.
Only important city like capital or main trading city are built as castle city surrounded by walls.
The country didn’t have budget to build walls for wowns with no strategic importance.
The defense of such a town was reliance on soldiers, mercenaries, and fighting power by the hunters.
Even in modern Earth, the border line of a considerable country is completely free.
No, of course not every country.
There are still many countries where the border line was strictly protected.
And the main purpose of those are「monitored border lines」and to block incoming people. Some country have border line to stop and repel people escape from their country.
***
It was around the afternoon of the next day.
Mile detected suspicious movements ahead, stopped the merchant and called everyone.
「There are groups with strange arrangements ahead,
there’s a horse carriage stopped on the highway, 8 people riding on it and 6 people surrouded that place」 (Mile)
「Well, that’s … 」 (Rena)
Mile nodded to Rena.
「Yes, most likely…」 (Mile)
「Thieves that tryied to attack carriage, right」 (Maevis)
「If there are eight people on a horse-drawn carriage, it isn’t a merchant wagon but a carriage …?」 (Pauline)
Maevis and Pauline also roundly guess what happen.
「There is no other bandits in the surrounding that can ambush our carriages.
So … Can we go? 」 (Mile)
Mile asked merchants for permission.
As the girls were hiring and in an escort request right now
The girls can’t leaving their employer without permission.
It is these merchants who are paying for Red Oath to escort them.
Besides, there are six bandits over there, this party only have 4 young girls. Tow of them even look like underage children.
If these girls get caught up, the Bandits will know the existence of this merchant group
There is a possibility that they will be attacked as well.
With a full loaded wagon, there’s no way these merchants can run away from Bandits.
It’s a foolish thing to do, get all that trouble to face danger that should safely be avoided if the merchants wait for a while.
And doing foolish thing isn’t suitable as a merchant.
「Please go ahead!」 (Merchant A)
… It was an immediate answer.
3 girls are happy hearing that, and Pauline looks like a little surprised.
For Pauline, who was raised as a merchant that was an unexpected reply.
But Pauline smiled immediately as if she loved the the reply of the merchant.
「There are three kind of rewards for exterminating thieves.
The highest one is if we can capture them alive.
If we take them alive, we will get 7 gold coins per bandit sold as criminal slaves, we also get 3 gold coins per bandit subjugation, total 10 gold coins each bandit
Because they have 6 people then we will get …
Heh heh heh … 」 (Pauline)
… That smile was a bit black.
Acutally the merchants gave permission to help because they believe in the ability of 「Red oath」
But rather than worrying about Red Oath can win or not, when they heard Paulin mono-toned as if it was decided to capture all of bandits alive. All the hunter had bitter smile.
***
「Give up soon and come out!」 (Bandit leader)
The bandit who seemed to be the leader of the bandit group who surrounded the horse carriage, shouts loudly to threaten people in the carriage.
Because the bandits already came close, the horse-drawn carriage can’t forcibly run away anymore.
If the driver dare to do so, he will be slashed before the carriage gets enough speed to break though.
There are customs that bandits try not harm the people as much as possible, in order to avoid get attention from the country. How It isn’t so if the merchant try to escape or resist.
So, usually, the merchants don’t go against the bandits, nor resists to run away.
Even the goods in wagon are important, it can’t compare to the life the merchant himself and other people.
Besides, passengers won’t get killed if they follow the bandit’s demand quietly.
However, women may be taken away. It is bad luck for them, but at least they won’t be killed.
We never know if the bandits will have their way with the women or sell them somewhere. Still, it would be better than to be killed.
With that thought, the guard deceived himself from the guilt feelings, sitting in the seats without doing anything, watching the situation.
But for passengers, it’s an un-accept-able thing.
For ladies, girls, and their families, that is the end of the world. Rven if they can tolerable the bandits taking away all the money, including luggage and accessories.
Because sometimes there are some guards or hunters who happen ride the carriage.
Also, the bandits can’t be sure that there will be no one who willing to die in order to protect his wife and child.
Thus, the thieves ordered the passengers to go out without carelessly approaching the carriage.
However, the seven passengers on this carriage didn’t seem to be able to fight with the bandits.
There are a young hunter, a middle aged merchant with a dagger for self-defend. A little girl around 10 years old.
A young couple with nearly zero fighting power and a small girl who is 5-6 years old that seems like their child.
And a thin old man with a staff.
「I’m sorry, I can’t fight with as many as six bandits, I will surrender from the beginning」 (Young Hunter)
There was no one blamed the young hunter when he said so.
He didn’t receive an escort request, so they can’t force him to die in a battle that can’t win.
Another concern of passengers was about 2 young girls and the woman.
But then the girl said an unexpected word.
「I can use a little magic, I may deal serious injuries to about 1 or 2 bandits.
That way, the bandits won’t have enough hands to capture other people and give up taking your child along.
It’s not a high probability, but it’s better than not doing anything」 (10 Y.O Loli)
「Huh…」 (Young couple)
The young couple open their eyes in surprise to the girl’s words.
「But, if you do such a thing, you will be killed …」 (Woman)
「If you think about what happened after you were taken alive, get killed maybe better」 (10 Y.O Loli)
The young girl said that and shrugging her shoulders.
「Then, Let’s undertake it」 (Old man)
Everyone surprised with the old man’s word and looked at him.
「What, I have already lived long enough and I don’t have anyone left, even if I died now, it’s still better let such a young girl to die」 (Old Man)
「Well, I am alone too …」 (Middle age Merchant)
The middle age merchant with a dagger also followed after.
「Well, of course, we also fight!」 (Young Couple)
The young couple also said so, but they do not seem to be able to fight properly.
「You guys, don’t be foolish! Well then, I guess I have to do it, too!」 (Young Hunter)
The young Hunter irritatingly said so, but his face was smiling.
「As you said, if we can kill all of them but at least we can seriously injure two or three bandits so that they can’t take the women away, at that time we will win.
Even if we are killed, it’s still a victory.
Once the fight is over, they will not try to kill the survivals.
If they do such a thing, it means that thieves have killed everyone and it will be quite troublesome for them, too.
I would like to appeal that we chose a fight and surrendered after serious injure at least 2-3 of them.
And if we are still surviving and have enough combat power …」 (Young Hunter)
The young Hunter raises his voice.
「We will annihilate the remaining bandits, triumphantly return to the kingdom and divide the reward」 (Young hunter)
And a strategy meeting began.