We were attacked by nine bandits on the mountain road leading to the main road of the Old Kingdom of Portland, but we annihilated them.
However, at the call of the last bandit, a large female bandit appeared from the shade of the trees as if she were the main act.
Her height and shoulder width were larger than any of ours, and she was built solidly, making us look up at her.
From the fact that fox ears were standing alert between her temples and the crown of her head, it was clear that this female bandit was also a Fox Beastkin.
And her beautifully furred tail occasionally swayed into view.
Her hair was shining white, and her facial features had a muzzle shape that protruded somewhat.
Her eyes were blue but slightly upturned, what is commonly called fox-like eyes.
From her facial features, this female bandit might be an “ancestor-returning” of the Fox Beastkin.
Ancestor-returning Beastkin are rare, but are said to possess terrifying abilities.
Her attire was in the style of a seductive bikini armor, but she had well-defined abdominal muscles and visible biceps, and her ample breasts felt hard, as if packed with muscle rather than soft fat, utterly lacking in allure.
However, this female bandit was not armed and both her hands were empty.
Even so, my sixth sense told me that this female bandit was dangerous.
Currently, everyone from “Princess Harem” had gathered around the two-horse carriage after the battle with the bandits had ended.
Furthermore, Kirika’s and my summoned beast, the Mimic Slimes Mimi No. 1 and Mimi No. 2, were in the middle of eating and unlikely to be of use in a surprise attack.
Moreover, there was a fallen tree blocking the main road we were heading towards, and we could not advance beyond it.
Even if Elise eliminated the fallen tree with fire magic now, we likely couldn’t escape from the female bandit.
On the other hand, if we tried to go back the way we came, the female bandit would be waiting there.
In the end, it seemed that the only way to break through would be to fight the female bandit.
“Everyone, let’s defeat that female bandit too!!”
“I have no choice… I’m a bit low on mental strength, but I guess we have to do it.”
“Well, can’t be helped.”
“Mm, understood.”
“As Mimi No. 1 is unusable, I guess I’ll have to take refuge in the passenger car where Freya and Liliana are…”
Elise, Swan Hilda, and Mai agreed to my decision, but Kirika, who seemed unlikely to be of use in battle, decided to take refuge in the carriage.
As a small gesture of help, I granted them “Healing Magic” and various blessings to restore their stamina and mental strength.
“Great One who sits in the heavens! Grant blessings to the brave!”
Then, Elise and the others, who had received the blessings of the gods, were enveloped in a golden radiance.
“Hal, thank you. My magic power is overflowing.”
“Granting blessings even to God Clan members, Hal, you are truly amazing.”
“Hal, th-thank you.”
“I wish I could have received one too…”
“Hal, you’re amazing. Seeing the dignified you makes my core feel hot.”
“That is… the power of Hal who saved me… My heart feels tight.”
The three who received the gods’ protection thanked me, and Kirika, Freya, and Liliana, who were peeking out from the carriage door, blushed and directed heated gazes at me.
“You can’t fool me with such petty tricks. Well, try your best to resist!”
Meanwhile, the female bandit slowly approached us as if to toy with her prey.
We couldn’t continue our journey if the carriage was damaged, especially with Freya, Liliana, and Kirika inside.
So, myself, Elise, Swan Hilda, and Mai stepped forward to prepare to meet her.
The formation was Mai and Swan Hilda in the front line, with Elise and me in the rear.
“It seems you’re ready to face me. I hope you have at least a little bone…”
The female bandit muttered, licking her lips.
Then, as she slowly raised her right hand, the space directly above it shimmered, and a giant sword was in her right hand.
This sword was likely what is called a Zantou.
The weight of the Zantou must have been considerable, but the female bandit handled it with ease.
“She’s a magic swordsman… Tough! Elise, first strike!!”
I yelled, keeping my eyes fixed on the female bandit’s movements.
In other words, the female bandit was not the type to rely on brute strength, but was a magic swordsman like Swan Hilda.
Moreover, she had mastered “Space Magic,” which only Elise could use in “Princess Harem,” and seemed to be augmenting her physical strength and arm power with magic.
As expected, she appeared to be a formidable enemy.
“First come, first served! ‘Fire Lance’!”
At my command, Elise attacked the female bandit by throwing a spear of flame thicker than my arm.
Mai and Swan Hilda crouched low, ready to pounce at any moment.
“Too slow. ‘Water Lance’!”
“Swan Hilda, Mai, attack! But don’t overdo it, just observe!”
As if in response, the female bandit, facing the “Fire Lance” approaching her, threw a stream of water.
I ordered Swan Hilda and Mai to charge.
*Bang!*
In the middle of us and the female bandit, Elise’s flame spear and the female bandit’s water spear collided, creating a loud explosion and filling the area with a large amount of steam.
“She… she’s on par with me.”
“That mage over there, you’re better than I thought.”
Ultimately, the two spells canceled each other out.
*Clang, Clang, Clang, Clang.*
The moment Elise unleashed “Fire Lance,” Swan Hilda and Mai rushed forward at my command.
The sounds of intense sword fighting could be heard, but visibility was poor due to the thick water vapor and mist.
When the vision cleared after a while, Swan Hilda and the female bandit were locked in a struggle.
Even with her divine sword, she couldn’t cut through the Zantou at its base.
Although Swan Hilda was smaller than the female bandit, she was, in reality, a Valkyrie of the Lower God Clan.
The female bandit’s physical strength, who could contend with Swan Hilda equally, could also be said to be extraordinary.
Mai was observing for an opening nearby, but when she approached, the female bandit skillfully launched fireballs floating in the surrounding space at her.
“No, I think I’m losing!?”
“You swordsman who dares to match me is quite good, but I’m still not at full power.”
Swan Hilda’s face was unusually serious, and she gritted her teeth, while the female bandit wore a joyful expression, and perhaps because she was in a good mood, her pure white, beautifully furred tail wagged vigorously.
“Swan Hilda! Create some distance for now. I can’t use magic.”
“I’m doing my best to maintain the current situation.”
Elise, unable to use offensive magic because Swan Hilda and the female bandit were in close proximity, called out, but Swan Hilda seemed to be at her limit as well.
The battle had reached a stalemate, turning into a test of endurance between Swan Hilda and the female bandit.
“W-what should we do?”
I sought a way to break the deadlock, but we were at an impasse. I could send Mai in to separate Swan Hilda and the female bandit, but if she took one blow from the Zantou, Mai’s small body would be cut in two.
If her body were to sustain such damage, resurrection with “Resurrection Magic” would be impossible.
*Whoosh… Boom!*
“Aaaah! My… my eyes!?”
“Swan Hilda, Mai, retreat! Elise is attacking!”
As I was contemplating, something small and flying swiftly approached the female bandit and struck her right eyeball.
That was, if I remembered correctly, the small summoned beast that guided us to the inn town of Dorsen after rescuing Kirika from the Frog God.
Looking towards the carriage, Freya, Liliana, and Kirika were peeking out from the gap in the door, watching. When Kirika noticed my gaze, she gave me a V-sign with her right hand.
I immediately ordered Swan Hilda and Mai to fall back.
It seemed Kirika had summoned a small summoned beast to intervene in the battle.
Now Elise could launch her attack magic.
With the intervention of Kirika’s small summoned beast, the struggle was put on hold for a moment, and Swan Hilda and Mai returned to me.
Looking closely, both Mai and Swan Hilda had minor sword cuts and burns here and there, so I immediately cast “Healing Magic” on them.
“Hal, thank you.”
“Mm, thanks.”
Meanwhile, looking at the female bandit, she was writhing on the ground, clutching the area around her eye sockets with both hands.
Thanks to Kirika’s quick thinking, an opportunity had arisen.
“‘Sand Tornado’!”
Elise, never one to miss a perfect chance, cast an advanced spell with mixed earth and wind attributes.
When I saved her with “Resurrection Magic,” she could only use intermediate spells, so she must have been honing her skills during our travels.
“St-stop! It hurts, it hurts!! Aaaahhh…”
With Elise’s magic, wind swirled around the female bandit, gradually kicking up pebbles from the ground and pelting them at her.
The wind gradually turned into a tornado, and the tornado that enveloped the female bandit began to turn reddish.
This looked extremely painful.
When the tornado and pebble attack subsided, the female bandit stood dazed, covered in blood.
As soon as the female bandit appeared, Mai charged and pierced the blade of her short sword into the female bandit’s left chest to the hilt.
Twisting the short sword and then pulling it out, blood gushed from the wound, and she spat out a large amount of blood from her mouth.
The female bandit glared at us with an enraged expression, but after a moment, the light in her pupils faded.
“Did we defeat her?”
I muttered in a daze. The next moment, the space above the female bandit’s head distorted, and weapons, clothing, and daily necessities rained down, covering her lower body.
It seemed that the items she had stored using “Space Magic” had reappeared as the magic dissolved upon her death.
Looking at Elise, she seemed to be reliving the memory of her own assassination, her face pained.
In the end, the female bandit met a death known as “standing still,” a demise rarely seen even in the final moments of men called heroes.
Thank you for reading.
Episode 17-7 “Moffle is Justice” is scheduled for pre-release on June 24th at 0:00.
