Ch.22Debt Settlement (3)

“Haaah.”

Early in the morning—or rather, at dawn—we woke up and checked each other’s physical condition.

Aside from our messy hair and bits of grass stuck here and there, there was nothing particularly wrong with our bodies.

Clatter… clatter…

We began packing up our sleeping area, and within minutes, we were back on our pack horses.

“If we keep moving at this pace, we should be able to fill all the containers by tomorrow.”

“Yeah. I was worried because the containers are so large and there are so many of them.”

We filled eight containers yesterday, so we should be able to fill even more today.

Yesterday we started at 3 PM, but today we began our exploration in the early morning, around 6 or 7 AM.

“I see one over there.”

No sooner had I finished my thought than I spotted another tap. I placed the collection container beneath it.

Drip, drip.

While the sap flowed from the tap, I pulled up some grass and wrapped it around the tap to mark it as harvested. With the container now one-third full, I hung it at my waist and got back on my horse.

“This isn’t as difficult as I thought. It seems like this request is more about time than danger.”

I said this to Seriya, who promptly replied.

“Well, this forest is child’s play. There are animals like bears, but they don’t usually come down to the lower forest. Since many people use the black market, they quickly exterminate wild beasts when they become too numerous, to maintain the flow of people.”

“Who does? Adventurers?”

“No, soldiers or hunters employed by the Rascal City government.”

“I see.”

My knowledge grew again today, and along with it, another tap revealed itself.

This request—which by now felt more like routine work than discovery—was probably commissioned by someone who urgently needed a large quantity of sap.

In my opinion, it was likely that some workshop had issued this request because something had happened to their usual raw material supplier, making them desperate.

Harbor city taverns were always full of merchants trembling with anxiety about ships not arriving, so while I didn’t know the exact circumstances, I could grasp the general situation.

Lost in such imaginings while busily collecting sap, our Iron Worker party had somehow managed to fill our tenth container with sap.

“Great. Ten containers before lunch. At this rate, we might complete the request today.”

“Heh. That’s good news.”

With the tenth container loaded onto our pack horse, we mounted our horses again.

When we first accepted the request, we were worried enough to buy antidotes, but surprisingly, things were going smoothly.

If we could finish the request today, we could rest well and then leisurely submit the sap to the client.

If not, our pack horses would need to run faster.

I picked up the eleventh container and dismounted to start collecting sap.

*

“That makes fifteen containers…”

We proudly shook the containers of sloshing sap.

It wasn’t even lunchtime yet, but whether by luck or skill, we had accomplished the impressive feat of having only five containers left to fill.

Once we filled those remaining five containers, we could earn additional rewards, which would help us pay off our debt faster.

And incidentally, it would also help us accumulate achievements for our next rank promotion.

“Neeeigh!”

Even the horses seemed happy, so it felt like fortune was smiling upon our adventure.

Crunch! Crunch!

Since it hadn’t rained, the grass in the shade was gradually drying out.

While Rascal wasn’t particularly known for frequent rain, it did have a climate where rain fell just when you started to forget about it. We wanted to collect as much sap as possible before it rained.

A drop in body temperature wasn’t a big issue, but poor visibility and darkening skies would be problematic.

Moreover, the forest floor wasn’t very firm. It would quickly turn to mud if it got wet, so we desperately searched for taps to fill our last five containers.

“There’s one!”

Fortunately, we were on horseback, and from that height, the brass-colored sap taps were quite visible.

We skipped lunch and combed through the forest for nearly six hours. Finally, just as the sixth hour turned into the seventh, we succeeded in filling our last collection container.

“We’ve filled them all!”

“Hahaha! The request is complete!”

We rejoiced as we placed the final container on our pack horse, then mounted up and began to quickly descend the mountain.

While the fresh, crisp forest scent wasn’t bad, having grown up in the city, I was starting to miss its musty smells.

Clop! Clop!

The pack horse gained speed and galloped through the forest, and before long, we successfully emerged onto a quiet road.

Judging by the distant sight of Rascal’s city walls, we seemed to be quite far from the city.

“Huh, it’s my first time seeing Rascal like this…”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m looking at it from horseback.”

“Ah…”

I responded, and was about to urge my stationary horse forward.

Or rather, I was going to.

Shing!

Until burly men with drawn weapons suddenly appeared from within the forest.

*

“What’s going on?”

“What do you think? Adventurers these days are so clueless…”

I heard snickering laughter.

They didn’t look like bandits, more like mercenaries… but what was their purpose?

As Seriya and I dismounted, they spoke with smug expressions.

“I’ll get straight to the point, kid. Hand over the sap, and we’ll spare your lives.”

They seemed to be under the delusion that they could kill us.

But what to do about this…

“Is this all of you?”

“What if it is?”

“Just twenty-three men…”

I’ve dealt with over fifty bandits before.

I snorted and drew my longsword.

“?!”

“Seriya.”

“Yes.”

“The archers are yours.”

As Seriya nocked an arrow, I gripped my longsword firmly and charged at the enemies.

“You bastard!”

The one who appeared to be the leader hastily raised his sword to deflect mine, but I had no intention of swinging my longsword at him.

When I lowered my sword and charged, he momentarily panicked and lowered his guard, giving me the opportunity to draw my middle sword with my left hand and slice through his neck.

Slash!

Thud…

“You son of a bitch!”

“You little brat! We won’t give you an easy death!”

I swung my longsword and cut the two men who said that in half.

Swoosh!

“Arghhhh!”

“Guhk..!”

Thump!

Splat..!

When fully grown adult men—wearing armor, no less—were cut in half with a single blow, the mercenaries were visibly shocked.

And I started moving again just as Seriya urgently planted an arrow in the neck of someone aiming a crossbow.

“S-stay back!”

At such close range, polearms weren’t very helpful.

I grabbed the shaft of a spear with my left hand and pulled it toward me. The man who couldn’t let go was dragged along and impaled on my longsword.

After pushing aside the now useless corpse, I faced a simultaneous attack from an axe and a club coming from my left and right.

“…Amateurs.”

I muttered, turning my body toward the club, taking the hit, and then slicing the neck of the bandit who was recovering his missed axe swing.

Slash!

“Eek!”

Then I drew my middle sword again and pierced the heart of the club-wielder, while Seriya used the opportunity to shoot an arrow at a spellcaster who was chanting.

“Gurgle…”

“Damn it! The spell caster…!”

“Get that elf bitch first! Kill her!”

After five men attacking me and five attacking Seriya—a total of ten—died in less than five minutes, the mercenaries panicked and began charging recklessly.

It seemed the first man I killed really was their leader.

Judging by their skill and organization, they appeared to be a ragtag mercenary band.

Or perhaps they had simply underestimated us.

Either way, they would all die.

“Die!”

Clang!

Crack…

Thud!

“Gurgle…”

The reason was simple.

Because I decided so.

Seriya drew her dagger and eliminated all the trackers who had clustered together, while I used the opportunity to toy with the remaining nine bandits, cutting off their limbs one by one before killing them.

“My arm!! My arm!!!!”

“Gurk…gurgle…”

Some wailed as they clutched their severed limbs, while others drowned in their own blood filling their lungs…

Would the Blood God Karil guide the souls of such fools to Valhalla?

I sincerely hope not.

“No!! Please!!! Stay away! Stay away!!!”

“If you didn’t want to die, you shouldn’t have messed with us.”

Shing…

“Aaaagh!! Mother!! Father!! Blood God!! Please!!!”

Slash!

I cut the carotid artery of the tenth bandit, and he collapsed to the ground, desperately trying to stop the blood flowing from his neck.

“Hsssssk!! Hsssssk!!!”

With his throat cut, air leaked from his windpipe. There was no hope for him, and so he died.

Having paid a terrible price for his arrogance.