The time was evening.
The location was near the bandit hideout, beyond a hill out of sight from the main road.
Several tents were visible in a small plaza surrounded by rough earthen walls, coarser than those found in the village.
There were no apparent entrances; the walls seemed to have been sealed from the inside using earth magic.
The walls were about three and a half meters high.
After the explanation, I decided to accept the Information Department’s request.
Nanashi-san summarized the mission into four main points:
First, there were abducted people inside the hideout, and to prevent them from being used as hostages, we had to delay being discovered for as long as possible.
The bandits had set up simple watchtowers with guards, and since there wasn’t terrain nearby to hide a large group, we would be operating with a small team.
Second, it was predicted that the abducted people would be transported away at night, meaning now was our only chance to catch the bandits off guard.
Security would be much tighter during transport.
Third, the Information Department’s agents would handle the rescue, and our role was to stall or subdue the bandits if they were discovered.
Fourth, we were to capture the bandits alive as much as possible to obtain information about nobles.
However, this did not apply if the lives of the captured were in danger.
Regarding the third point, what to do if we were discovered, Nanashi-san said,
“Let’s do our best to infiltrate undetected. However, considering we’re escorting amateurs out, assume we will be discovered. It’s been two days since the village attack, so some of them may be physically weak.”
When I heard that we didn’t have to kill the bandits in the fourth point, I was, pathetically, relieved from the bottom of my heart.
I’d never killed anyone before.
Our team consisted of five members from the Information Department, including Nanashi-san, and four combat personnel: me, Neil-san, the dwarf Dan-san (Rank B), and the elf Mina-san (Rank C).
I wondered if four people would be enough…
Mina-san was a woman, and Dan-san was a man.
The bandits numbered about forty, and there were approximately twenty captives.
The difference in numbers was staggering, but according to the branch manager, “Considering your ranks, it should be sufficient.”
Considering my common sense from my past life, the difference in numbers seems impossible…
“Hey, red-haired lass. You look like you’re scared?”
Dan-san asked in a low voice, stroking his beard.
Mina-san, holding a magic staff, interjected in the conversation.
“That’s rude, Dan. We’ve already introduced ourselves, so call her by her name. I’m sorry, Katia-san.”
Dan-san and Mina-san were apparently husband and wife.
Dan-san looked his age of sixty, but Mina-san looked to be in her thirties (her actual age was not shared), making them appear an unlikely couple.
In this world, dwarves, elves, and beastmen seemed to have lifespans similar to humans.
In my past life, I imagined them to be long-lived, but seeing them like this in person was a bit disappointing.
Dan-san was one hundred and fifty centimeters tall with a rich, white beard.
Mina-san was one hundred and sixty centimeters tall, with long ears and shoulder-length, light blonde hair.
“No, it’s true I was nervous.”
I responded in a low voice.
“Don’t think too hard about it. Just protect the captured folks and crush ten of ’em each, that’s all there is to it.”
Dan-san said, hoisting his hammer.
He looked every bit the part of a dwarf.
His way of speaking could be taken as rude, but perhaps he was trying to be considerate.
“Um, if we talk too much, we’ll be discovered.”
Neil-san cautioned.
His weapon appeared to be a bastard sword based on its length.
Silence dominated the area for a while.
I steeled myself and prepared to move at any moment.
Then, Neil-san shouted in a low voice.
“Everyone! That’s the signal!”
Neil-san pointed to a small fireball launched into the air by magic.
I ran without looking back.
People’s lives were at stake.
As I ran, I saw a section of the earthen wall crumble.
That must be it!
I joined up with the Information Department and the captives, who had managed to escape near the created exit in the earthen wall.
As reported, it was mostly women and children.
There were no injured people within sight.
Were we in time?
Almost immediately, bandits appeared in a fluster.
They were armed, but many hadn’t properly put on their armor, indicating that they had rushed out in a panic.
We had to buy them time to escape.
“This way! Come and get me!”
I drew my sword and deliberately spewed flames from it.
Considering the recently learned fact that magic and aura cannot be used simultaneously…
“That woman’s an idiot! She’s using magic from her sword!”
Yes, it worked!
As the lured bandits charged in, I unleashed the aura I had built up within my body.
I bisected the opponent’s sword with my black sword and,
“Wh-what!?”
I struck the bandit’s solar plexus with the pommel of the main gauche I had drawn with my left hand.
One down!
I saw commotion among the surrounding bandits.
This was my chance.
I targeted a bandit who looked relatively old and well-dressed among those who had stopped moving.
If my guess was correct, the situation would become even more favorable.
I released a low-powered fire in front of the man to make him recoil, then moved behind him.
I struck the back of his neck with the pommel of the main gauche.
Wait, maybe I don’t need a dagger…
I’ll put it away.
“B-Boss! Hold on! You bitch!”
As I predicted, that man seemed to be the bandit leader.
The confusion intensified.
I was worried about the difference in numbers, but it seemed fine.
Even though I had baited them, the bandits were much weaker than I had expected.
I proceeded to destroy the weapons of two others who charged at me and knocked them unconscious with palm strikes to the jaw.
That makes four.
“Katia-san, are you alright!? You’re too fast! And you’re taking them down so quickly! There are already four lying on the ground!”
Neil-san and the others had arrived.
Nanashi-san and the others were…
“Katia-dono! Everyone! We’ll leave the rest to you!”
Outside the wall.
Nanashi-san deployed earth magic from the outside to seal the entrance.
The wall meant to protect against monsters had instantly turned into a prison.
“Alright, let’s get started. Are you bastards ready?”
Dan-san distorted his mouth covered in beard and intimidated the bandits.
From there, it was a one-sided rout.
Each time Dan-san swung his hammer and Neil-san swung his bastard sword, the number of standing bandits decreased.
In the rear, Mina-san was using wind magic to blow away any bandits who approached.
After I knocked out an additional seven bandits, the bandits, reduced to about one-third of their original number, surrendered.
“Hey, red-hair. It was easy ’cause you took out their leader.”
Dan-san called out to me.
He still didn’t call me by my name.
Honestly, I was relieved that no one had died in this battle.
However, now that I had become a soldier, it would be impossible to never kill anyone in the future…
“What’s wrong? You’ve got a sad look on your face.”
Despite his rough tone, he was considerate of me.
“Dan-san… as a soldier, how do you… how do you think about killing people? I didn’t kill anyone this time, but…”
Ideally, I should come up with the answer myself.
However, I felt that if I harbored these worries, I would one day cause an irreversible situation.
As someone who had lived in peaceful Japan in my previous life, I couldn’t even find a starting point for my thoughts.
That was why I wanted to know Dan-san’s way of thinking, as someone who seemed to have a long history as a soldier.
“Are you a newbie? With skills like that… what kind of training did you go through to get like that?”
My master is amazing.
If we go into that topic now, I won’t be able to ask what I want to ask.
“Yes, I’m a newbie. I would really appreciate it if you could tell me about the mindset I should have.”
It was a bit forceful, but I corrected the direction of the conversation.
He had a puzzled look on his face, but,
“It’ll get a bit preachy, but is that alright? That’s what old geezer stories are like.”
He brought the conversation back.
Just as I thought, he was a helpful person.
“Yes, I want to hear it.”
“Alright. This is just my personal opinion, so I don’t know if it will be helpful to you.”
Dan-san stroked his beard once.
“As a premise, I didn’t become a soldier because I wanted to kill people or monsters. So far, so good? How about you?”
“Yes. Me neither.”
There might be some lunatics like that, but that wasn’t the topic now.
I became a soldier because of Grampa’s request, and now that I knew the situation, it was to serve the country for the sake of Kaisa Village.
If the Garcia Kingdom disappeared, I didn’t know what would happen to Kaisa Village.
I don’t intend to say anything grand like I’m going to protect the country, but I want to do what I can.
“Then, of course, it feels better not to kill if you can help it! It’s not a soldier’s job to judge criminals!”
“Y-yes.”
He was unusually emphatic…
“Alright? Why do we kill monsters? Redhead.”
“Um, to protect ourselves, and sometimes to eat them or use them as materials.”
“That’s right. We do it because it’s necessary. It’s the same with harvesting crops. Taking other lives to live is something everyone does. There’s no good or evil in that. What about this time?”
“That’s true. We didn’t need to kill the bandits this time. But…”
This time, the situation was just favorable.
“That’s right. If those captured folks were about to be killed by the bandits in front of my eyes, I would have killed the bandits without hesitation.”
What about me?
I couldn’t confidently say that I would have.
“The important thing is the mindset you have in those moments. Identify what you need to protect and be prepared to cut away everything else. Think about what is really necessary.”
Identifying what to protect…
I see, I realized it now.
I was weighing the guilt I would feel if I committed murder against the lives of the captured people, trying to protect my own heart first.
If I were the one being rescued, I wouldn’t want someone like that to come and save me…
As a result, no one died, but I didn’t have the necessary resolve when accepting the request.
“Fortunately, this country’s abnormal system allows for that. You’re somewhat free to choose whether to accept any mission or job. Soldiers don’t have to stop thinking.”
What Dan-san was saying wasn’t that complicated.
Think carefully with your own head, and if you think it’s necessary, don’t hesitate to use your strength.
An answer that wasn’t an answer… but it was a surprisingly satisfying way of thinking.
“Thank you. I’m really glad I met you today.”
As the first person I met on my first day as a soldier, there couldn’t have been a better person.
“The way you say that sounds like a love confession! Redhead!”
Dan-san said, laughing heartily.
That’s not what I meant.
“The bandit capture is over. What were you two talking about instead of helping?”
Mina-san came over.
“Well, I was confessed to by Redhead. If I was thirty years younger, I would have accepted– Ouch!”
Mina-san pulled Dan-san’s beard.
Mina-san’s face was scary because she was smiling…
