Chapter 66

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“W-wait… You’re not planning to kill me, are you?”

The bandit leader asked with a frantic expression.

Lucy nodded indifferently.

“Yes, I am.”

“Is there really a need to kill me? Do you know how much bounty is on my head?”

At the leader’s words, Lucy tilted her head.

“Who are you?”

“…”

The leader made a baffled expression.

“Y-you don’t know who I am? Even after seeing the red rose tattoo on my cheek?”

“No.”

A simple answer.

The leader shrugged her shoulders as if resigned and said,

“I’m the leader of the Red Rose Bandits. If you capture me and turn me in to the city, you’ll receive a huge bounty.”

Technically, you could still get the bounty by just killing her and bringing her head.

But capturing her alive would fetch a much larger reward.

“I won’t resist. Turn me in to the city. You’ll make a lot of money.”

The leader removed the dagger strapped to her thigh and placed it on the ground.

Then, she interlaced her fingers and raised her hands above her head.

A sign that she wouldn’t resist.

Of course, this was just a ploy to lull Lucy into a false sense of security.

The dagger she had placed on the ground had a hidden mechanism.

A device that would release poisonous gas when a button was pressed.

She had already pressed the button, and the gas would soon be released.

This was how she had survived bounty hunters and knight orders until now.

Pretending to surrender, then using the poisonous gas to kill her opponents.

…

Lucy approached her on horseback.

At that moment,

Hiss—!

The dagger’s mechanism activated, and poisonous gas began to rise.

Thick green gas quickly enveloped the area, and the leader swiftly covered her nose and mouth, dropping to the ground.

Lucy was engulfed by the gas.

‘Hehe.’

The leader inwardly cheered.

Once caught in the gas, survival was impossible.

The gas was so potent that even a slight inhalation would lead to death.

After a while, the leader slowly got up.

The gas released from the dagger was extremely powerful but didn’t last long.

Once exposed to the air, it quickly dissipated and lost its potency.

By now, the gas should have dispersed, and Lucy should be dead…

“?”

The leader’s eyes widened.

“W-what…?”

Lucy was still sitting on her horse, completely unharmed.

She had clearly been engulfed by the gas, yet she looked completely fine.

“How…?”

This was a first.

No matter how strong the bounty hunter or knight, even a whiff of the gas would lead to a painful death.

But Lucy’s face was calm, as if the gas had no effect.

The leader immediately moved.

If the gas didn’t work, her next course of action was clear.

She pulled out a hidden dagger from her clothes and lunged at Lucy.

“Die!!”

Just then.

The Death Mount Lucy was riding flashed its blue flames and swung its front leg.

Thud—!

The Death Mount’s leg struck the leader squarely in the chest, sending her flying like a broken branch. She spun several times in the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

Thump!

A heavy sound echoed as her body bounced a few times before coming to a stop.

“Ugh… ugh…”

A faint groan escaped her lips, but soon, everything fell silent.

The Death Mount slowly approached, sniffing the fallen leader.

Her arms and legs were sprawled awkwardly, and she didn’t move.

Her eyes were closed, and her face was smeared with dirt and leaves.

She had been knocked unconscious.

◈

A short while later, when Lucy returned to the campsite, the situation was already over.

The Red Rose Bandits had been wiped out, and all of them had their heads eaten by Amon.

Amon was playing with Hon using the rabbit doll, Darcan was casually petting Finn, and Crevius was having a serious conversation with Brian and Thomas.

When Lucy returned, everyone’s attention turned to her.

“Lucy!”

Finn fluttered over.

“Huh? You didn’t kill her?”

Behind Lucy, the bandit leader was being dragged along, bound by shadows.

“She said we could get a bounty if we take her to the city.”

At Lucy’s words, Finn nodded and examined the leader.

The leader was unconscious.

Her bones were broken in several places, and blood was dripping from her mouth.

Brian and Thomas approached.

“We’ll take care of her.”

Brian pulled out a rope from his bag and began tightly binding the bandit leader.

Outwardly, she looked like a delicate woman, but she was the leader of a bandit group that had committed countless atrocities.

They couldn’t let their guard down.

“Alright. She shouldn’t be able to escape now.”

The bandit leader’s arms were tightly bound behind her back, and her legs were completely tied up.

Now, unless someone untied her, she wouldn’t be able to do anything.

“We’ll take responsibility and bring her to the city.”

At Brian’s words, Lucy nodded and then dismissed Amon, Darcan, and Crevius.

Next, they gathered the scattered bodies of the Red Rose Bandits and burned them, finishing the cleanup.

Finally, the group began eating dinner again.

Though it had cooled a bit, the potato stew was still delicious.

Throughout the meal, Brian kept glancing at Lucy.

Now he realized just how powerful Lucy was.

‘When she defeated the monsters, I had no idea she was this strong…’

Who would’ve thought she could wipe out the Red Rose Bandits in an instant?

After finishing dinner, Brian and Thomas busily got back to work.

They washed the pots and dishes in the stream and gathered more firewood to keep the fire going through the night.

Lucy tried to help, but Brian stopped her, telling her to rest.

“We’ll handle this. You just relax, hehe.”

Then, Brian and Thomas set up a tent for Lucy to sleep in.

They didn’t mind sleeping against a tree, but they wanted Lucy to sleep comfortably in the tent.

“Hmm…”

But there was a problem—the tent was too old.

It was the tent Brian and Thomas had brought from home, but it hadn’t been used in a long time, and the fabric was torn in several places.

“What should we do…?”

Brian looked at the tent with a troubled expression.

At that moment, Lucy spoke softly.

“It’s fine. I don’t need a tent.”

“Huh? But it’ll get cold at night…”

Brian suddenly stopped speaking.

As Lucy casually spread her hand, piles of bones began to rise around them.

The bones formed a dome shape, quickly creating a cozy shelter.

“…”

Brian looked dumbfounded, while Thomas approached and touched the walls.

“We can sleep here.”

Lucy smiled as she said this.

The dome was a modified version of her Bone Shield.

Lucy’s Bone Shield was sturdy enough to block even dragon magic, so sleeping inside it would be safe.

Moreover, the dome completely blocked the cold air from outside, and the warmth from the campfire comfortably filled the interior.

There were small gaps in the ceiling, allowing for proper air circulation.

“H-how did you…?”

Brian looked around in amazement.

It was like a fortress.

A safe and cozy fortress made of bones.

And she had created it with just a wave of her hand.

“Bro…”

Thomas whispered to Brian.

“I think we’ve met someone really incredible…”

Brian nodded blankly.

Thanks to the dome Lucy had summoned, the group spent a comfortable night.

There was no need to set a watch, and even when the campfire died down, the warmth remained, keeping them cozy throughout the night.

When morning came, Lucy dismissed the dome, and the refreshing air immediately greeted them.

Birds chirped in the trees, and the sound of the stream flowing in the distance could be heard.

The group began heading towards Bellagard once more.

“Ow, it hurts… My bones are broken, so it’s hard to walk…”

The leader of the Red Rose Bandits limped as she spoke.

Currently, she was tightly bound with ropes and being dragged along by Brian.

“Is it okay to treat a woman like this?”

At her words, Brian sneered.

“Hmph, considering what you’ve done so far, we’re being more than generous. There’s a man named Frank in our village who’s still suffering because of you.”

“Frank?”

The leader shrugged.

“Don’t know him.”

“Shut up.”

Brian yanked the rope hard.

“Do you want me to beat you up right here?”

“Oh my, you’re going to hit a tied-up woman? Is that your thing?”

“What? You crazy…”

At that moment, Thomas stopped Brian.

“Bro, ignore her. We’re just taking her to the city anyway.”

“Sigh.”

Brian took a deep breath to calm himself.

“Yeah, once we get to the city, I’m sure people will give her a warm welcome. With all the things she’s done, she definitely won’t die peacefully.”

“Hmm~ Shouldn’t you be more worried about something else? I mean, I know who that kid really is.”

The leader gestured toward Lucy with her eyes.

“That kid. She’s a witch.”

Lucy, who had been walking ahead, stopped and turned around.

The leader smiled brightly at Lucy.

“Don’t you think people would rather catch a witch than some bandit leader?”

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Smart enough to know about witches, not smart enough to realize they are famous for their curses…

Oh yeah, the author is thanking the positive comments! Probably.