Chapter 68

“Goodness, bandits! How frightening indeed.”

The old man approached me, his words contradicting his smirk, similar to his servant’s.

If you’re that scared, shouldn’t you be staying near your servant instead of me?

Wait!?

Could it be… he’s planning to use me as a meat shield now!?

If the bandits break into the inn, he’ll escape with his servant while they beat me up!?

Darn, but it’s my job, so I can’t really complain…!

And without my cursed sword, that’s really all I can do.

But today, we have reliable members, led by Gazelle, so the bandits won’t get this far.

So, in that case… isn’t this the easiest assignment?

Wow, I’m so lucky!

“However, hmmm… this timing for an attack must mean the bandits targeted our cargo and attacked this village. How scary, how scary.”

Despite his words, the old man’s frog-like smirk remained unchanged.

Perhaps he’s lost his rational judgment due to fear? I understand, I’ve been there too!

“Oh, my lord, I understand how you feel. Let’s check around the inn once. …Hey, you there, you come too.”

One of the servants unilaterally told another knight who was waiting with us, pointing at him. It was a rude attitude, but the member didn’t change his expression and shook his head.

“Wait, it’s rather dangerous to go outside carelessly.”

“What, are you going against your employer’s orders? Huh? Basically, it’s because you guys didn’t place proper guards that bandits broke into the village, isn’t it?”

“…I remember that it was your master who rejected Felix’s proposal to place guards around the village, and instead insisted on focusing the guard around the inn.”

“What’s with that tone? Just shut up and follow me. Or are you planning to let me go alone? What will you do if something happens to me, huh?”

How can he spout such tsundere heroine-like lines, this guy?

“J-Just shut up and come with me! You want to leave me alone!? If anything happens to me, you’ll take responsibility, right!?” Something like that?

The more I imagine it, the more amusing it gets, and I couldn’t hold back a chuckle. Accidentally, I let out a “hee…”

“What’s so funny, you bastard?”

“No, I was just thinking how lively you are. To have such composure, you must be very confident in your abilities.”

“Tch…!”

For some reason, the servant glared at me with intense eyes, his face flushed red.

Eh, why? I praised him a lot.

I am utterly bewildered by the servant’s terrifying glare as he stares at me as if wanting to kill me.

The one who stopped this stare-down was, surprisingly, the old man.

“Hey, stop it. …Ah, I apologize. Our young one here seems to have gotten a bit carried away. But it’s out of loyalty and concern for me. Please, let it go.”

“…Alright, I understand.”

That’s good.

Thank you, old man, for intervening!

I would have expressed my gratitude wholeheartedly if it weren’t for the servant’s lingering scowl, so I held back.

Still, the atmosphere in the room has turned terrible. It’s so awkward.

Trying to change the mood, the old man began again, “Oh, by the way… Why did you… Takumi, join the Black-winged Knights? With that appearance, if you’d played up to men with a cute face, you could have found a much better-paying job than the knight’s salary.”

“…Well, it just happened that way. I was there when the Black-winged Knights defeated the pirate Barudo, and that’s how it started.”

I don’t quite understand the meaning, so I ignored it. What does “play up to men” mean? Why only men? Aren’t women acceptable? …Could he be implying that I’m unpopular with women? It’s none of your business!

“Ho, Pirate Barudo! That ‘consecutive attack’ Barudo, huh… Speaking of which, I heard that a bandit who used to be one of his men was captured recently.”

“Yes, he was captured by the Black-winged Knights in a recent mission.”

Heh, the Black-winged Knights are amazing, aren’t they?

With such an impressive group escorting you today, you should feel like you’re on a big ship, old man and servant. Just relax and enjoy the ride! They say too many cooks spoil the broth, after all! …No, wait, that’s wrong. That’s not the right saying.

“Hmm… So you were part of the bandit subjugation mission?”

“Yes, I was.”

“Hmm, so you must be quite skilled… a little troublesome… no, but that makes you more valuable… um…”

As the old man was pondering about something, his gaze sharpened.

But what’s happening outside?

I can still hear the commotion from afar, but it doesn’t seem to be getting closer. I guess everyone is handling it well.

As I thought this and glanced out the window, I thought I saw a familiar figure for a second.

It must have been my imagination. There’s no way he’d be here. My feelings of loneliness must be playing tricks on me.

“How did the bandit subjugation go? Did you fight as well?” The old man continued the earlier conversation, looking away from the window.

This old man sure loves to talk.

Outside, the knights are fighting bandits, but how can he be in the mood for small talk? He has a relaxed smile, as if confident that the bandits won’t attack him.

But that means he trusts the Black-winged Knights, right?

He probably wants to hear the Black-winged Knights’ battle stories. That’s why he’s so interested in my tales of bandit Wasso.

Yeah, I don’t mind telling him. Talking will take my mind off things!

“Wasso the bandit was… more clever than skilled. More the type to outwit people rather than fight them.”

“Smart? A mere bandit?”

“Ah, he was quite the man. There was a guy calling himself Wasso at the hideout, but he was a decoy. The real one swapped places and tried to escape on his own…” 

Who would’ve thought they’d use such a trick?

But, even if they’re bandits, it’s not good for the boss to leave his subordinates and escape on his own!

Oh, no, well, banditry itself is not a good thing to begin with, of course.

Speaking of that Wasso guy, he seemed to admire the pirate Badurdo a lot. I heard through the grapevine that the two were sent to the same prison, so it’d be nice if they were able to reunite.

“Huh… Swapping places is a simple but good trick. Don’t you think so?”

“Uh…!”

I reflected on Wasso and the others, and turned the conversation to the old man.

But suddenly, the old man’s face turned grim. Not only that, the faces of the two attendants nearby also seemed tense.

Eh, what happened?

Surprised by the sudden tension filling the room, I stared at the old man in front of me. 

Then, “Heh, hee-hee-hee-hee, if you understand that much, there’s no helping it!” For some reason, the middle-aged man laughed with bloodshot eyes, then glared at me with a scowl. “Hey, it’s time for drastic measures! Fortunately, our target is still here. It’s earlier than planned, but let’s do it now!”

“Got it, Boss.”

Hearing the man’s roar, his servant slowly drew his sword and pointed the tip at the two of us.

What, what, whaaaaat?

Why, why, why? What’s going on!?

Could it be… out of fear of a bandit attack, he’s gone into a state of confusion because his terror has reached its limit? What should I do? I looked to another member of the group, my eyes questioning.

Without a word, he gave a firm nod, smoothly drew the sword from his waist, and faced the two servants. Wait, why!?

Aren’t these people our escort targets!?

Why are they pointing their swords at our escort targets!?

While I was panicking, one of the members spoke to the middle-aged men in a determined tone.

“As our commander feared, you’re no merchants from the Oster Kingdom, are you? What have you done with the real one, huh?”

“Hmph, my comrades have captured him. But once we catch the black-haired, black-eyed man over there, we’ll have no more use for him.”

“So Takumi is the target… How dare scoundrels like you tread upon the sacred land of Ritzheim! I’ll make sure you never step foot in this country again!”

“Hah! Try it! I wonder how much you can resist with just two people? By now, your companions are probably already dead.”

“Bluster all you want! We won’t be beaten by slave traders like you!”

Their angry exchanges began, and I was left agape.

Wait… what? The middle-aged man is a slave trader?

He’s not the real one, but switched with the real merchant who’s been captured by bandits? The bandits outside are actually his comrades?

So… I’ve been deceived by him!?

Feeling crushed, I watched as the man took a sword from his servant and confronted my group member.

Then, the two servant men surrounded me front and back, pointing their sword tips at me.

“Surrender quietly while you can. You don’t stand a chance alone.”

“We don’t want to lower your value by injuring you. You don’t want to get hurt, do you?”

Though I hate to admit it, they’re absolutely right!

I don’t want to get hurt, and I can’t see any way to beat them alone.

Can I use the cursed sword? But it has drawbacks after use…

If only there’s a way to scare them off…!

“Heh… vain effort.”

“What!?”

“No matter how outnumbered we are, there’s no way you can beat us, the Black-winged Knights. If you drop your weapons and surrender now, you won’t have to suffer!”

“Don’t underestimate me, you young brat!”

Ah, no good, huh? Figures.

Despite my desperate pleas, the two men attacked me in fury.

A bit away, the middle-aged man dueling with the group member yelled, “Hey, don’t scar his face!”

It would be nice if he told them not to hurt my whole body, not just my face! 

The man in front swung his sword at me. I instinctively circled around the dining table to dodge the wicked blade. In that gap, I drew the cursed sword I had at my waist.

Illuminated by the pale moonlight coming through the window, the blade momentarily shone white as if rejoicing in the upcoming battle.

From that moment, my body began to move entirely apart from my own will.

Kicking off the floor, I leaped onto the table in one breath.

The man on the other side widened his eyes and tried to cut my leg with his sword. But before he could, my leg kicked up into his chin.

“Gu…o…!?”

The man’s body tilted, and his eyes rolled back as he collapsed onto the floor from his knees.

“Wh…! Hey, wake up!”

The other man yelled, but the one on the floor seemed to have a concussion and showed no sign of getting up.

This cursed sword, called “Cursed Collection,” controls the wielder and automatically makes them fight. While it’s usually a nuisance, for me, who had never even fought before coming to this world, it’s actually helpful. Thanks to it, I’ve managed to subdue one of the men.

“Is it one-on-one now? Will you surrender quietly?”

“Da-damn it…”