Kaoru ch 122

 

122 Siege Warfare 8

 

 

It came like a bolt of lightning out of the blue, an earth-shattering report. For a second everyone was dumbfounded, after that, it turned into rage-like cheers. Nevertheless, we still have some preparations to do, like removing the corpses, etc.

It’s nearly sunset anyways, so they might come here in the early morning.

 

[They’re probably coming tomorrow morning…] Kaoru

 

Well, there were people who were hiding and watching the situation from a distance, so the reports might come sooner than expected. But perhaps the situation was already acknowledged by the bandits who wondered why the sub-leaders did not return after such a long time.

Anyway, let’s get a good sleep tonight.

Of course, the bandits may secretly come in at night and try to sneak up on the girls and children and take them as hostages, so the villagers took turns doing the night watch.

But of course, we’re not part of that rotation.

So, let’s take a rest in preparation for tomorrow.

 

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And the next morning.

Of course, I get up early to prepare for the bandits to come, so I’m done with washing and eating breakfast. I also instruct the villagers to eat lightly, which is contrary to their usual customs.

It would be dangerous if you were stabbed after eating such a big meal. On the contrary, if the <Action> started when you hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday’s dinner, you might run out of gas midway because you didn’t have enough energy for it.

So it’s deemed to be more dangerous.

Well, even if you got stabbed in the belly, there’s a potion prepared in the unlikely event that it ever happened.

 

And now, the group.

There were about 20 shooters, against the rest of the bandits which was…

29 people – 3 people – 4 people = 22 people.

…Yeah, that’s about it.

 

The bandits stopped at a very remote place… A place where they could not be reached even by shooting with a bow… Then 1 came out of nowhere and approached the closed gate. And when he stopped before the gate.

 

[Call the village chief. It’s your fi…… ] Bandit

 

Do su~tsu!

 

[Eh?……] Bandit

 

For a moment, he didn’t realize what had happened, he’s simply looking at the <ornament that looks like arrow wings> growing from his chest with a dull face… And after falling down, he never moved again.

These guys are always shooting agile rabbits and birds. If the distance was this close, no hunter would miss a standing-still prey.

With this, 21 people remain.

 

[Temeraaaaaa !! (YOU BASTARDS !!)] Bandits

 

It is the first thing that the bandits would commonly shout.

One-sided killing without listening to the messenger means a complete refusal… or a declaration of hostility.

That means they don’t even need dialogues.

Well, that should have been understood in the previous <Elimination of all the sub-leaders>, but I thought that it was already acknowledged. Also, they wasted another companion in vain.

Namu-Namu…… (Praying.)

 

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Oh right, we didn’t kill the first three. We only tied them up and gave them a potion to weaken them just in case, so even if they’re taken back by the thieves, they’re useless to add in their force, so I’m somewhat relieved.

Unlike the muscle relaxants, weakening potions are safe because they are not dangerous. (TC: Press X to doubt.)

It was safely designed so that it does not hinder the breathing, heartbeat, internal organs, etc… It only blocks the strength entering the limbs for a few days while the potion is in effect.

Besides, even if they escaped, they’re just ordinary bandits, so it won’t have a big impact on us……

 

But that’s not the case with the sub-leaders.

Should they escape, the damage will quickly spread. A smart villain is a bad one.

Besides, before the big event, it was necessary to make the villagers more confident. I proved to them that <These bandits are just pretending to be strong and they’re not a big deal!>.

…Yes, the bandits are weak.

I’ve never seen or heard of a bandit who practices martial arts every day.

No, well, some of those people may have been doing it before turning into bandits, but…

Anyway, most of the bandits were just ordinary people who had neither formal training nor day-to-day training.

They simply brandished their blades to those who do not possess weapons, or to those who were afraid of violence, even though ordinary people do not intend to harm others.

Farmers, miners, hunters, and woodcutters were much better when it comes to skills.

In the first place, if you’re really strong, you’ll be able to get a decent job, such as hunters, soldiers, mercenaries, dedicated escorts, hired guards, and so on. You don’t have to do banditry in a place like this. (TC: Unless you’re a criminal on the run.)

 

Then, what if the villagers did not spare their lives, did not hold back, and just seriously killed them with all their might?

Yes, we set this up to show it to the bandits.

 

[You bastards, give everything you got!] Bandit

Do su~tsu!

 

The arrow that was fired hit one of the thieves, but unfortunately, it hit the toughest part of the armor, so it didn’t seem to have any effect. And when the bandits who reached the gate before the next arrow was released, tried to open the gate.

 

Zun!

[Gyā āāāāā ~!] Bandit

Doshu!

Zudo!

Bashou!

 

The gate was not just a simple single large wooden door, but an obstacle, filled with gaps just like the rest of the fence. It can only be opened sideways much like Japanese doors and a part of the gate was blocked.

It was modified so that the bamboo spears will be able to freely pass through from the gaps of the gate.

The bamboo spears pierced 2 bandits who carelessly approached and tried to forcefully open the gate. Of course, the villagers with bamboo spears were lurking behind the shadows ahead of time. As expected, no one can carelessly approach the villagers with bamboo spears.

……That just leaves 19 more. Already, 1/3 of the bandits had been taken out.

 

[S-Shit… Don’t stick to the gate, charge from all directions! !] Bandit

 

Most of the bandits were equipped with swords. I don’t know if the sword was cooler than a spear, or whether the sword was more convenient for the bandits, or the length of the spear interfered with their mobility when moving through the forest.

Either way, for some reason, no one was equipped with a spear.

Also, none of them was equipped with a bow, was it because the bandits cannot replenish their arrows? Was it more effective to threaten the villagers by using a blade? Or maybe because it won’t be intimidating when licking a bow instead of a knife?

Anyway, the fact that they have neither spears nor bows, means that it was disadvantageous for the bandits to charge at the gate. So it seems that their number one objective was to break through the fences that looked unable to prevent humans from entering through the gaps.

 

<It would have been easy for a man to get through the gaps of the fence>… If only they’ve been carefully observing it when they arrived here earlier.

The orders that were given by their leader without any hesitations were, as expected, very confusing. Ever since they lost their strategist, the [Brain] of the bandits.

 

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Finally, the battle really began…

The villagers were tensed, but as expected, no one was afraid or anxious. They all stood firm, squeezing the bamboo spears and the farming tools that they were very familiar with.

The villagers who were hiding came out from the shadows, I also stepped out from the shadows and revealed myself.

 

Yes, the bandits wouldn’t care about one unarmed little girl.

……Unless you want to take her as a hostage.

 

And I don’t think they will take any hostages in this situation.

<A bandit group who can’t win a battle against the villagers without taking hostages?> If such a rumor spreads, it’ll be all over for them. No one would be intimidated by such a bandit group.

Well, I don’t know if the battle situation will become unfavorable for us, but at that time, Francette, Roland, and Emile will jump in.

……I ordered Bell to stay with Riette-chan and hide in a house at the center of the village. Of course, it’s not the village chief’s house where the bandits would most likely check first, but an ordinary villager’s house.

Of course, she opposed the idea and said something about being <Kaoru-sama’s escort>, but when I said, <This is a goddess decree, I order you to protect Riette-chan!> she obediently abided my order.

 

As for the battle situation…

[Gya!]

[Oh, shit!!]

[It hurts!]

 

The bandits tried to squeeze through the gaps in the fence, but more spikes pierced into their bodies as they tried to escape their predicament. The screams and cursings echoed throughout the village. And the bamboo spears were used to push out those who have stopped moving.

Before the villagers with bamboo spears came by, the bandits who rushed in and tried to push through the fence also got some deep cuts and were bleeding from all over their bodies.

 

[Ughh……?]

 

And, of course, the spikes were poisoned.

To prevent unexpected accidents, we do not use lethal poison with immediate effect. Should a villager got caught in it, he can still be saved. As long as they’re not dead, I’ll be able to do something about it with healing potions, or the <Tears of the goddess>.

 

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And so, 14 bandits, about less than half of their original numbers, got through the fence. About 50% of them got roughed up by the spikes and the poison, and the other 50% got out without being caught by the spikes. However, there were almost 30 villagers stood before them.

Yeah, 5 bandits died in the <crossing the fence> obstacle. Well done!

Half of the villagers were elderly. Though they said they don’t mind dying as meat shields.

 

And so, without being able to do anything, Francette and Roland who were lurking in the waiting room of the guardhouse came out.

…Of course, to help the villagers who were in danger. They won’t help those who were not in danger.

Francette aside, Roland also had been educated and trained as a royal family since he was a child, and only a few soldiers and knights around him have the skills to be able to match his.

The bandits won’t stand a chance.

In particular, there was that Divine Sword [Ex Hovuz] that I gave him because he was so persistently annoying as soon as I set out on the trip… (TN: 『エクスホヴズ』)

Oh, of course, there was no ultra-high-speed vibration function. It’s just a sturdy, easy to cut with, maintenance-free, and stylish, kind of sword. Still, he was very happy with it, that Roland. Just how much did he want a divine sword?…

And I kept pressing him to keep the divine sword confidential and secret.

Well, the skirmish was about to end.

It’s the final showdown.

……I’ll step back a little bit.

 

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BGM after this chapter…

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