NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 29
Chapter 29: Adventurer, Standing Still
“Hey, Cross. Let’s head back now.”
Cross, who was glaring in the direction the bandits fled with apparent reluctance, gets a light pat on the shoulder.
“Yeah.”
“…”
Franz observes the former’s figure walking ahead, covertly at first, but then quickly shifts his gaze back.
────I see, that’s right.
Franz has long had an unsettling feeling about Cross, especially during their battles. Even when Cross was brawling with mercenaries, he transformed drastically, as if flipping a switch inside. Whether the opponent was beneath his consideration or not, Cross treated the exchange of life as something “uncommon,” yet afterward, his composed demeanor suggested he already forgot about the skirmish.
It seemed the gap between their views on life and death was vast.
It’s not that Cross doesn’t fear death.
It’s not bravery.
Not brashness either.
It’s not enlightenment.
Nor does it seem like he disregards life entirely, though that was somewhat close.
Franz finds it hard to put into words — though it doesn’t feel like something as simple as a difference in religion.
In the past, before getting to know him well, Franz admired Cross’s boldness. But now, he finds himself more pitiable of Cross’s strength than envious of it as an adventurer.
Franz supposes the constant nearness of life and death must’ve affected Cross. To the extent that the act of killing has become “normal.”
Even while understanding that Cross voluntarily chose such a life, Franz feels an aching sympathy for his grim existence.
On the other hand, himself────…
His body, still heated from the excitement after battle despite his fatigue, feels like he’s running a fever. He feels the veins on his cheeks pulsating. He tries to calm himself down but finds his facial muscles rigid and his mouth as dry as a desert.
“Hmph…”
Not wanting the kids, or Toto, to see his pitiful face, he splashes his head with water from his canteen. Rubbing his wet face with his leather-gloved hands, he tries to calm his turbulent heart.
“…”
Cross silently observes, without saying a word, his gaze somehow gentle yet seeing through everything.
* * * * *
As they return to the wagon, it seems the skirmish has settled down. Everyone had gathered outside the carriage.
“Everyone, are there any injuries?”
“All of us, including Toto, are unscathed. They all ran off in unison.”
“But a couple of the wagons got hit with arrows. Sorry about that, Toto.”
Indeed, the wagon looked like a porcupine. Several arrows stuck into the cargo. The tarp would need replacing at this rate.
“Not at all! We owe you our lives. Thanks to everyone, we’re safe!”
“I thought I was a goner for sure…”
“Wow, adventurers are so strong!”
Seeing Lulu’s sparkling eyes makes Franz feel the earlier surge of adrenaline dissipate.
“I’m glad the children are all right. Still, that was quite a large group of bandits.”
“Was there any talk of bandits around here?”
“I haven’t heard anything. Most of the gang got away, but I think it’d be wise to report this to the guild.”
“I’ve been using this road for years and never expected an attack. I’ll report it to the Merchant’s Guild as well.”
Considering the number and the clever pretense of the carriage breaking down, it’s hard to imagine this was a new bandit group—likely some group that’s migrated from elsewhere. Reporting it to the Guild should ensure mercenaries or the local guard could organize a search-and-destroy team.
“What should we do with the ones we took down?”
“We’ll hand them over to Myca’s gate guard. Let’s start roping them all up.”
“Though we got away with sparing everyone on our side… did Cross kill all the ones he handled?”
“No, I didn’t hold back, but they’re merely knocked out. They’re not dead.”
At this, Maury and Barth widen their eyes.
“Are you serious? You didn’t kill any of them? What’s gotten into you?”
“…Just a whim.”
Turning his head away, Cross answers. Franz, watching this, can’t help but smile to himself.
They split up the unconscious men and bind them one by one. They managed to capture about half of the attacking bandits—14 members in total.
Franz reflects on this, impressed by their teamwork. Through their persistent training, it’s clear they were all up to the challenge. The sense of accomplishment is evident on everyone’s faces.
“Cross, is this good?”
“Yeah. One last thing—thread the rope through the loop and secure it around the neck. That way, if they move, the rope will tighten around their neck, preventing escape.”
Initially, they considered binding their hands behind the back, but Cross demonstrated a more sophisticated technique. It involves securing the arms around the front and back of the body and tying the rope around the neck.
“Wow, this is tricky.”
“This is a specific binding technique. It’s useful, so you might want to remember it. Next time, I’ll teach you some more, including techniques for escaping ropes.”
“Cross! Can you check this one over here too?”
The available rope ran out, but Toto generously provided some leather cords meant for clothing from the cargo.
“…Alright, everything secure?”
“Yup. Now how do we transport them? Should someone walk at the front as guard?”
“Yeah… Let’s do that.”
As they were about to finish, some bandits regained consciousness and started thrashing around.
“There will be reinforcements coming soon! You’ll all be dead!”
“Behave yourself!”
“Let go of me, you whores! When we’re free, I’ll tear you to pieces… ┌GRR┐!!!”
“I’ve had enough.”
With just his fingertips, Cross twists the nose of the foul-mouthed man. Horrific cracking sounds follow as blood spurts from the sideways-turned nose.
“There’s nothing I hate more than highwaymen. They make me feel nauseous with loathing. My comrades have shown you mercy, but I’d love nothing more than to kill you right now.”
Ignoring the man’s desperate attempts to free his hand, Cross glares at the bandits and yanks the man’s nose clean off.
“Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh! ┐GHHHHH!!!”
“If you dare insult us again, I’ll rip your ears and nose off, crush your eyes, and cut your limbs. Then I’ll tie a rope around your neck and drag you all the way to Myca.”
Cross delivers this threat in a coldly cruel voice, tossing the torn piece of flesh into the ground with a wet slap. The bandits shake with fear and nod wordlessly to show their compliance.
“C-Cross…”
This rage seems indicative of Cross’s immense restraint all along.
“… …”
Toto and his children have completely cowered together, utterly terrified.
“Huh? What’s wrong with you?”
“I-I apologize! That is…!”
When caught under Cross’s gaze, Toto instinctively shields the children behind him. Despite their familiarity with him, such a hellish scene was bound to unnerve anyone who wasn’t acquainted.
“Toto, it’s fine. Cross is like that, but he is gentle if you’re not his enemy.”
“He doesn’t hold back against foes, though… Anyway, what should we do with this guy? He’ll bleed out at this rate.”
“Leave him. If he dies, so be it.”
“That’s not an option, surely? Pamela, can you lend me a bandage? I’ll handle the treatment.”
After Barth’s treatment, they divided the bandits into smaller groups, tied them together with ropes, and towed them slowly with the wagons. Accepting their fate, they all walked along with grim expressions.
“They’re being pretty obedient.”
“Yeah, at this pace, we should make it to Myca before nightfall.”
“If we don’t make it, we can always make them jog.”
There are no more attacks and they finally see Myca’s gates in sight. The situation was explained to the gate guards, and the bandits’ custody was handed over. It turned out no one has ever reported bandits in this area before, so they were greatly appreciated.
“Well, didn’t net us much money.”
“There didn’t seem to be any bounty heads.”
In the Pharas Kingdom, the enslavement of captured criminals is encouraged, so any captor earns a bounty. Notorious bounty hunters might fetch hefty rewards, but this time they received just one piece of gold and four pieces of silver. For nameless bandits, that’s about all.
“Thanks so much this time! You are our saviors. Please come by our store for the best service!”
Toto and his children bowed deeply, and with smiles, accepted their signatures on the request form before departing. Though they hadn’t expected to fight humans rather than monsters, the escort mission was successfully completed.
“Oddly, it’s a city full of blacksmiths.”
“Well, with all the minerals coming here, it’s natural that the blacksmiths gather too.”
“Have you been here before, Barth? Any good inns you know?”
“I know a place with good beer… But last time I didn’t have the money, so I rented a corner in the stables.”
“Spending more on booze than on lodging, huh? Sounds like a true blacksmith alright. My stomach’s rumbling, so let’s grab food and ask about good inns.”
Since it wasn’t a particularly busy season, they decided to eat before securing lodging. Following Barth’s lead, they entered a place called The Rowdy Black Goat on the main road.
“Ewww… This is terrible…”
“Bitter, huh… This doesn’t suit my palate either…”
“Hmm? I don’t mind it, though.”
“Paired with the meal, it’s pretty good. What’s this beer called?”
“Barley beer. The distinct bitterness fits well.”
While Pamela and Cross disapprove, it’s a flavor that grows on you with a smooth throat sensation. Barley beer seems more popular here than wine, so if there’s room in the cargo, they might take a cask back as a souvenir.
“Hey, Belgan!”
“…? Oh! Barth! Long time no see!”
It seems Barth is acquainted with the shop owner, who apparently is human despite Myca being full of blacksmiths.
“We’re here on business tonight. There’s five of us—do you know any good inns around here?”
“…You’re joking, right? This place is a tavern *and* an inn! Didn’t you stay here drunk a few times?”
“Did I? I don’t really remember…”
“Quit drinking so much that you black out all the time. Last time as well——!”
Surprisingly, an inn was found, so they settled for the night at this place.
* * * * *
The next morning, after reporting the escort mission’s completion to the guild, the group visited the mining office to consult their next mission’s client.
Since the request indicated an on-site meeting, they showed the request document to a man at the counter.
“Hello, we’re the adventurers who received the request. Is the responsible person available?”
“Huh…? You too?”
“What do you mean, ‘you too’?”
That remark gave Franz a bad feeling, but they were guided to the responsible person’s office.
“Damn… I’m sorry! Since no one at Angila’s was taking the request, I also sent it to Myca’s guild. A cancellation letter was sent, but it seems we had a miscommunication…”
Upon seeing the request, the responsible person immediately turned pale and apologized without even introducing himself.
“——So it’s a duplicate request. Not commendable behavior.”
Barth’s usually gentle eyes darkened threateningly.
Adventurer’s Guild rules prohibit sending the same request to multiple branches. To cancel or amend a request, one has to file a notice through the original guild, who’ll take care of the changes between branches. But it seems this time they bypassed proper protocol and attempted their own changes.
“And…?”
“I deeply apologize… Last week, a C-ranked party in Myca took the job, and the monsters have already been dealt with. Therefore——”
Franz’s mind went blank before the man even finished. Mauri’s loud complaints sounded distant.
The expedition’s costs consumed nearly all the party’s operating funds. The rewards from the escort mission and the bandit bounty, totaling two gold and four silver pieces, wouldn’t cut it. Even allocating the entire reward to operational funds, with such small amounts, it wouldn’t last until next month.
Franz’s face drained of color, his limbs felt unbearably heavy. Clueless of what to do, he stood rooted on the spot like a tree.