The garden of the mansion Nine attacked.
The neighbors reported it to the soldiers.
The gatekeepers, who were asleep, were also summoned.
Since there weren’t enough people, the gatekeepers suppressed their dissatisfaction and moved to investigate the incident.
Hubbub.
Hubbub.
Even though it was the middle of the night, onlookers gathered around the mansion and were excited by the soldiers’ conversations.
“Did you hear?”
“Hear what?”
“They say the study is a sea of blood.”
“No! How scary!”
The soldiers warned them that such talk was inappropriate.
The inn’s common room.
“There was a disturbance. Investigators will be here soon.”
“Yes, Boss. The others are heading to the designated spots. We will too.”
Nine and his group had already planned their escape.
They were seasoned criminals, which was why they had managed to abduct the wife and daughter from the mansion so efficiently.
They didn’t use the inn’s entrance.
They created a path to the opposite building using a rope from the window.
A little over an hour later.
Soldiers, suspicious of strangers, began their investigation.
“This is the room.”
“Step aside.”
They got the key from the innkeeper.
They burst into the common room where Nine and his group were… or had been.
“Hey!”
“Oi, where are the guys who were staying here? Where did you hide them?”
“H-hide them? There’s no such thing!”
“Think back to your conversations when you delivered meals. Did they say anything about where they were going?”
The innkeeper was being choked by the soldier.
Another soldier, thinking the innkeeper was going too far, intervened and saved him from what he thought would be his death.
“G-gasp, gasp.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Hmph.”
Near the south gate of the town.
“How is the opening and closing functionality?”
“Boss, it’s no problem at all.”
“We can open it enough for us to pass through♪”
They joined up with their subordinates, who had gone ahead.
The abductees, mother and daughter, were bound and gagged, unable to do anything.
Their swollen eyes were a piteous sight.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
““““Heeeeeave!”””””
An impromptu battering ram.
An unworked log from the lumberyard.
They slammed it against the gate, where there were no gatekeepers.
Four strong men charged forward.
They forced the gate open.
The lock had already been picked by the specialist.
GAAAAAN!
“We’re getting out of here!”
““““Ooooooh—!””””
The sound of the gate and the log crashing together was so loud, it felt like it echoed throughout the entire town.
Combined with the incident at the wealthy man’s mansion, the nearby residents lit up their lights and peered outside, wondering what was happening.
By the time they looked out, only the backs of several people fleeing the town were visible in the starlight.
Their exact number and identities were unknown.
Only a rough estimate of their numbers.
In the morning, pursuers were organized.
The cooperation of the Adventurer’s Guild was particularly significant.
On a side road off the southern main road.
Nine and his group were celebrating their safe escape from the town.
They gang-raped the mother and daughter and celebrated.
The mother and daughter, with their hope extinguished upon leaving the town, stared blankly into the void with eyes full of despair, responding with moans to the pleasure Nine and his group inflicted.
Their enjoyment was soon interrupted.
Nine, with his good ears, was the first to notice the sound of hooves and rising dust from the direction of the town.
“They’ve already caught up to us?”
“Too fast!”
Those subordinates who were worried about their speed began to panic.
Nine told them to calm down, saying they weren’t that slow.
“Unfortunately, the women are a hindrance.”
“What a waste.”
“Yeah, I’ll take care of them.”
“Boss…”
Nine always took care of disposing of women.
Why don’t you want us to kill women?
We discarded any conscience we had long ago when we were children.
Boss, you don’t have to worry about our conscience.
Their superiors’ approval and loyalty increased again. If there had been a game screen, it would have displayed that.
“Hurry up and go.”
“Yes.”
The pursuers, following the fresh footprints along the main road, changed course towards this location.
“We’ve been spotted.”
They must have a skilled scout.
“Aim for the forest.”
In this dense thicket…
If we get surrounded, we won’t stand a chance.
“““““Yes!”””””
Human legs can’t compete with horse legs.
I entered the range of the pursuers at the very front.
“Scoundrels!”
“So what if we are!”
I dodged the pursuers’ charge by jumping to the side.
The lead rider couldn’t kill me and continued chasing my subordinates without turning back.
“Escape and survive.”
“Is this the time to worry about your allies?”
“Either surrender peacefully or be killed here. Choose!”
Arrogantly from horseback. Surrender? Or be killed?
Hmph, you muscle-brained fools didn’t even realize your Magic Power was being gauged. How dare you bark like that.
Two on horseback. Six on foot.
The rest were with my subordinates.
No reinforcements.
“Kill!”
“Kill them!”
They noticed my change.
But it was too late. Your Possessed Magic Power has already been measured.
Even if you can use magic, it’s only a few spells.
“No matter how superior your martial arts are…”
“Gah!”
“G-get out of the way! You’re in the way!”
If you can’t surround and beat me, you’re not scary at all.
“Hyaaa!
“You’re looking down on me from above…”
“W-what— gah!”
“N-nooo!”
Jumping into the air, I dodged the spearhead and used the momentum of my fall to deliver a spinning kick.
The soldier was thrown from his horse.
Nine landed on top of that soldier.
“Guh?!”
“Who’s next? Aren’t you coming?”
“…………”
They were trembling at my strength.
Sigh, even my reliance on numbers… this is useless.
“Gaaah.”
“Hiii.”
When I threatened them, they got scared easily.
In that opening, I charged into one of their encirclement formations.
They made way for me.
“W-what are you doing!?”
“W-well… um… I thought I was going to be killed.”
“Fool! Chase him!”
Whoever could ride the riderless horses did so.
If not, they abandoned the horses and chased after Nine.
An enemy you can escape from allows for a blow to the back.
The mounted soldier said that and spurred on the adventurers.
“““O-oh. T-then, we can do it? We can, right? O-o-okay.”””
They chased after Nine.
Nine ran towards the backs of the pursuers chasing his subordinates.
Nine’s subordinates and the pursuers.
“Damn it, they’re already so close.”
“Horses are cheating, aren’t they?”
“Stop complaining and run.”
“Leave this to us and go ahead!”
“Hey!? Why am I included in the number of people staying behind to stop them!?”
The one who suggested the delaying tactic was good at combat.
The ones who were made to stay behind were good at dirty tricks (poison, harassment, in other words, Guerrilla Warfare).
““““Run them over!”””””
“Do it.”
“Grumbles… Damn it.”
The ones skilled in dirty tricks threw bags of poison powder, infused with Nine’s special “[Incompetent],” at the group of cavalry trying to run them over.
““““Guh, is this a blinding attack?”””””
““““Heeeeeeein!!”””””
The horses were affected by the neurotoxin first.
““““Nnwa—?! What’s wrong? Don’t move, calm down! Whoa, whoa?!”””””
The riders’ hands lost sensation, unable to grip the reins.
They fell off their horses without feeling pain.
The ones behind them moved to the windward side to avoid touching the still-floating poison powder.
“Here!”
“Gyafoon.”
Losing momentum. The melee attackers struck at the pursuers who were focused on the poison powder.
There’s just the right kind of prey (weapon) among the adventurers, isn’t there?
They killed them and took their possessions: hand axes.
“Who wants their head smashed? Who? Hahaha♪”
“C-cowardly gaa.”
“Hyaa! Guh.”
Hand axes are better for close combat than swords.
Has the cleanness of the hand axe increased with fresh blood♪?
“Hey hey, what’s wrong, what’s wrong♪! With that flimsy stance! You can’t beat us♪. Here!”
“Aaah.”
The melee attackers slaughtered the hesitant ones one after another.
“Can you keep it up? Ah, here.”
“A gap—Gah!”
The dirty trick specialists deliberately exposed themselves, luring their prey into a trap.
They were holding daggers. Daggers that blended in with the skin tone.
The attackers who were struck lost consciousness, not realizing the man also had weapons.
It’s not just poison, this man.
Gyaaaaaa.
As the two were wreaking havoc, Nine, who had caught up, joined the battle.
He launched a surprise attack from behind and trapped them.
Those who had chased Nine also joined.
The trap was sprung again. The sheer numbers overwhelmed them.
“Poison powder! It’s dangerous when you’re densely packed!”
“““What!!”””
Recalling the fallen soldiers, the encircling formation scattered like spiders.
Nine and the melee attackers pursued them.
The poison powder was a cry from the dirty trick specialist.
“You tricked us!”
“It’s your fault for being tricked.”
““As expected of the Boss! A refreshing slaughter!””
Someone shouted to flee, and the fact that they would be killed spread.
The pursuers retreated to the town.
Nine and his three subordinates chased the three people who had fled earlier and rejoined them.
“We won~~~♪”
But the spoils of war were meager.
“If only there were women~~”
“Too bad, Boss.”
“The people in town don’t understand.”
“Right. They don’t know how to read the room.”
“I had a blast after a long time~~”
“You battle maniac. You dragged me into this.”
Ahahahahahaha♪♪
After collecting money and valuables from the pursuers’ Possessions, Nine and his group departed to find a place to hide.
“I hope there’s a village.”
Ahead♪
“It depends on the Boss’s luck.”
“There definitely is♪”
