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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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Birds chirped, though flowers weren’t blooming.
Autumn, with winter fast approaching, was unusually mild and clear that day, making their journey comfortable.
It felt more like perfect picnic weather.
Still, after the brief commotion, they continued their march in tense silence, like treading on thin ice.
It wasn’t out of consideration for the rescued villagers, but rather vigilance against any further, improbable attacks.
“Improbable attacks,” in this context, referred to the possibility of bandits, or equally irrational individuals, attempting to rob them despite their obvious lack of valuables.
“I’ve felt something following us for a while”
Asirye said, her ears twitching, attuned to the approaching presence.
The presence wasn’t particularly well-concealed; in fact, everyone except the villagers had noticed it.
But there was a clear reason why no one seemed concerned.
“They’re probably just testing the waters. Anyone with sense would realize we have nothing worth stealing”
Eldmia replied.
Itsiel, after all, was officially a slave-free nation.
Eldmia’s recent encounters with slave traders were an anomaly; under normal circumstances, encountering illegal slavers in Itsiel was a once-in-a-lifetime event.
The environment wasn’t conducive to the illegal trade of slaves.
There was a reason why slave traders had to establish connections with bandits and operate in secrecy.
Conversely, this meant that ordinary bandits, even if they managed to capture people, would be turned away by slave traders.
In some cases, the bandits themselves would be killed or captured and handed over to the city along with their captives, bolstering the city’s reputation for upholding the law and dealing only in legal slaves.
It was a far more profitable venture than risking exposure by dealing with unvetted, low-value captives.
So, even if bandits successfully ambushed them, their gains would be meager: a few necessities, some adventurer’s gear, and a handful of women and children.
At least, on the surface.
To deliberately target them under these circumstances?
That would be the act of a complete idiot…
“Hee hee. Where are you adventurers headed with all those women?”
A voice called out.
“Fucking idiot”
Eldmia muttered.
“What? What was that?”
“Fucking idiot”
He repeated, louder this time.
The idiot’s face crumpled.
He’d emerged from the forest path, leading a group of over twenty bandits.
“I’m the one who should be annoyed. Why are you making that face?”
Eldmia thought, his patience wearing thin.
He’d sensed their presence but dismissed it as them simply scouting for prey.
Now, his generosity felt trampled upon.
He was already itching to draw his sword, and this oversized idiot was brandishing an axe, oblivious to Eldmia’s simmering rage.
“What the hell? If you just left the elf, I was going to let you go…”
The bandit started.
“Rule number one of engagement, which someone among you pathetic excuses for bandits should remember for the rest of your miserable lives”
Eldmia interrupted.
“What? What’s this guy babbling about…?”
“Never, ever, mention a beautiful platinum-haired elf in the presence of a large, dark-haired man.”
Without even drawing his sword, Eldmia lunged forward, connecting a full-powered straight hook to the bandit’s face.
The bandit crumpled, lifeless.
There was no reaction from the others; they were too stunned.
As Eldmia calmly unwrapped his wrist, the bandits behind their fallen leader stared in horrified disbelief.
“Rule number two of engagement”
Eldmia continued.
“Sh-shit! Attack! Atta…”
Another bandit yelled, before being cut short.
“Never touch Eldmia Egga.”
What was the value of an elf slave to these criminals?
Asirye, for instance, was incredibly skilled.
How she’d been captured by professional elf hunters and ended up a slave was a mystery.
Elves were not easy targets.
In a fantasy world where barely twenty-year-old humans could summon meteorites, capturing an elf who had lived for decades, even centuries, was no simple feat.
They weren’t helpless hermits either.
The chances of capturing a young, inexperienced elf?
One might as well hope to stumble upon a legendary sword.
Yet, despite this reality, such delusional idiots were surprisingly common.
It was almost as if someone was deliberately misleading them.
And, as if on cue, it happened again.
Someone really needed to explain this phenomenon.
“Die, you bastard!”
Eldmia roared.
The quicker-witted bandits had already recognized Eldmia’s solo act and kept their distance.
But there were always the slow ones.
Eldmia slipped inside a clumsy swing, jabbing the bandit in the face.
The bandit collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
He repeated this process about ten times, each bandit falling individually, unable to coordinate an attack.
Finally, the remaining bandits, gripped by terror, turned and fled.
His companions, trusting in his abilities, hadn’t even moved, simply watching the spectacle unfold.
It was almost anticlimactic.
“Huh… Asirye is an elf, but… I can’t understand the minds of bandits these days”
Gaendal said, stroking his chin, bewildered.
“Even goblins have more sense. Do they… really not understand?”
Eldmia asked.
“Those who have tasted power, yet remain weak, are often the most reckless. They were at that level”
Ginh explained, offering Eldmia a waterskin taken from one of the fallen bandits.
“Here. Wash up.”
“I’m fine… Actually, I’m not. Thank you, Ginh”
Eldmia accepted, examining his gauntlets.
The bandits, with their caved-in faces, shattered skulls, and broken necks, hadn’t bled much.
But his gauntlets were a gruesome sight.
“It was wise to use your fists. The result is the same, but less… stimulating for them,” Asirye observed.
“I wonder if beating them to death with bare hands would have been more stimulating,” Eldmia mused.
“That’s only true if you’re brutally beating them. A blend of reality and the unreal often inspires awe and admiration, rather than fear”
Asirye explained.
Honestly, he’d used his fists because drawing his sword felt like overkill.
But hearing Asirye’s explanation, he realized it hadn’t been a bad choice.
The villagers, after all, seemed more relieved than horrified.
“This close to the capital, and we have rogue mercenary groups and bandits running rampant. Is this normal?”
Eldmia asked.
“War erodes a nation. It’s surprising it’s only this bad. There are countries far worse off, even without war”
Ginh replied, his gaze fixed on the villagers preparing to move.
His eyes held a depth that hinted at years of experience, likely witnessing far worse than this.
They adjusted their formation, Yekaterina taking the lead, while Eldmia and Asirye moved to the rear.
Their march resumed.
Beside him, Asirye tilted her head, deep in thought.
“It seems like trouble follows you wherever you go, Eldi”
She said.
“I do tend to seek out trouble, given my circumstances, but I wouldn’t say I attract it”
Eldmia replied.
“It’s quite a coincidence that the mercenary group we were targeting was actively raiding, and that we were then ambushed by bandits while escorting the survivors”
Asirye pointed out.
It was a valid point, but compared to being reborn, a series of coincidences felt insignificant.
The sheer idiocy of the bandits, however, was genuinely infuriating.
“I think I can handle this level of coincidence”
Eldmia said calmly.
“…You’re strangely calm and detached in these situations, Eldi”
Asirye observed.
After being reborn, getting worked up over a string of incidents felt excessive.
The instinctive irritation at witnessing such profound stupidity, however, was unavoidable.
He couldn’t exactly explain his reincarnation, so he simply shrugged.
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[All these fucking retards thinking they can fuck over eldmia egga… when will they learn?]
And he’s finally setting out his creed properly, good shit!