Ch 34 - 35, EX

 Chapter 34: Hot Springs 

“Let’s go to the hot springs!” 

“Yes!” 

“Huh?” 

“?” 

Emile and Belle agreed to my suggestion without question or 

thought, pretty much by reflex alone. Roland and Francette 

responded inquisitively. As for Layette, it seemed she didn’t even 

know what hot springs were. 

“So, what’s a ‘hot spring’?” 

You too, Emile and Belle?! 

“Hot springs are where hot water flows out naturally, and it’s good 

for health and beauty...” 

“Let’s go!” 

I wasn’t even done speaking, but Francette and Belle were fully on 

board. 

So quick to respond... 

And so, we decided to go on a hot springs trip. 

...Roland’s input? That was never even in consideration. 

In any case, humans can’t just be working all the time. We need to 

play every once in a while! And so, the staff of Convenience Store 

Belle, plus lodgers, were off on a company trip! 

＊ ＊ 

“So, this seems like the place...” 

We looked up a place on the map, asked around at the Hunter’s 

Guild and Commerce Guild, bought a drink to get some info from an 

 

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old man who claimed to have traveled all over, and then finally 

arrived at our destination, Fire Dragon Mountain. 

No, a dragon didn’t actually live there. It was just called that due to 

the white smoke and heat billowing up locally, which meant it was 

highly likely to have some hot springs. Or maybe magma flowed 

here long ago, and that’s where the “fire dragon” part of its name 

came from. 

And so... 

“Hot springs? Yeah, they’re here.” 

Bingo. 

I’d found it right away. That was anticlimactic... 

“But I haven’t heard from many people who’ve actually been there... 

It’s pretty far.” 

I found this out when gathering information at a tavern... The first 

guy I spoke to explained that there were hot springs around, but 

they were also in a mountainous region far from town, and even if 

you went there to soak and relax your muscles, you’d be covered in 

sweat and sore all over from the walk back, so it was all rather 

pointless. 

That made sense. But since we’d come this far, I couldn’t just go 

home. And we weren’t in a hurry, so we could just walk slowly and 

camp out on the way back. I always had my camping gear in my Item 

Box, anyway. Besides, maybe we would end up running into some 

other hot springs nearby. 

Yeah, no problem! 

And so, I bought some local food products as camouflage, stuffed 

them into a dummy bag, and off we went! 

 

 

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“Hmm, where is it...” I muttered to myself while wearing the sensor 

for detecting hot springs, the “Hot Springs Sensor.” 

The Hot Springs Sensor was actually the “Searcher,” a glasses-

shaped target-detecting device. I had just set the target to “hot 

springs” this time. A reusable, eco-friendly product. 

But according to the Hot Springs Sensor, it seemed that there were 

no other hot springs around. 

...So, we ended up going all the way to the hot springs that I had 

originally been told about. Though, really, I should have expected 

this. If there had been hot springs close by, the locals would have 

found them at some point in the last several hundred years. Since no 

one had found any, they obviously didn’t exist... 

We arrived there without getting lost, thanks to the Hot Springs 

Sensor, and set up the tents (that I’d produced from the Item Box, of 

course) next to the hot springs. One for the girls, one for the guys, a 

tent with just a roof for resting under, and a table set. 

Setup was done by Francette, Emile, and Belle. Roland was useless... 

Though, honestly, that went for me too. 

There were obviously no buildings around the hot springs, and so it 

was just a pool of hot water that was welling up from the ground. 

The hot water that overflowed cooled immediately, flowing down to 

the lower levels in a small stream. I didn’t know if that led into some 

river or just got absorbed into the ground. 

There was a man-made groove where water flowed down from the 

hot well, leading into a hollow in the stone. This was about four and 

a half mats in size, with water draining out of the other side and into 

a stream, and it was used as a tub. 

In addition, normal mountain water, which seemed to be drawn 

from somewhere else, was flowing next to the tub, and the amount 

 

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of water flowing into it could be adjusted by moving the partition 

board. 

“Wow, this is really well made... Though, I guess this sort of 

ingenuity could be expected if it’s been around for several hundred 

years... Okay, Roland and Emile, shoo for now.” 

“Yes, ma’am!” 

“...All right.” 

Yeah, I didn’t expect them to argue with that. 

After they left, we all took off our clothes, and it was time for the 

hot springs! 

“Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot!!!” 

When I stuck my right foot into the tub, I leapt into the air from the 

sheer heat. 

  

 

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...It obviously wasn’t going to be the right temperature, considering 

that no one had adjusted it beforehand. I might even have died if I’d 

jumped right in. It would have been pretty pathetic if my second life 

ended because I got boiled alive in a hot spring. 

I closed the partition board on the hot water, then opened the side 

with the cold water, and waited. It seemed like it would take a while, 

but luckily, it wasn’t too cold and there wasn’t much wind, and with 

the heat coming from the water, it was manageable even while 

naked. We were planning on camping out for the day, anyhow, so 

there was no rush. It seemed like we could take our time, since Emile 

and Roland were probably off looking for animals or fruit to eat. 

And so, the four of us were leisurely talking while naked, when... 

Rustle... Three men suddenly appeared out of the bushes. Then they 

looked at us and froze. 

“Kyaaaaaaaaa!!!” 

Screams filled the air. 

...From the men. 

Francette and I have both lived for about thirty years. I may not have 

had a boyfriend for just as long, but I wasn’t going to screech in panic 

from kids seeing me naked at my age. 

Belle had grown up in a deserted house full of boys and girls, with 

just one room to provide any shelter from the weather. Layette still 

didn’t understand any of that stuff. 

In my eyes, I supposed these kids were “men,” but by the standards 

of the people here, they were probably only about thirteen to 

fourteen years old. They just happened to have bigger bodies. 

Basically, they were just “boys.” 

 

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And before the three of them stood Francette, brandishing the divine 

sword Exgram, which had been placed nearby, high above her head... 

naked. 

In any case... “Kyaaa”? 

They sounded pretty girly... 

“What happened?!” 

“Are you all right, Lady Kaoru?!” 

Roland and Emile appeared. 

I guess they would, huh... 

“Gyaaaaaaaaa!!!” 

This time, it was Francette and I who screamed. 

Yeah, even we couldn’t keep our cool about Roland seeing us naked. 

But even though Francette was screaming, she had to maintain her 

position to defend us, so she just stood there, trembling, face bright 

red. 

...But our instinctive yell was “Gyaaa.” 

We were so not girly... 

And didn’t Roland and Emile appear a little too quickly? Where had 

they been this whole time?! 

＊ ＊ 

“...So, you’re from a nearby village?” 

“Y-Yeah, we live in the village over that way. We come here once in a 

while...” 

It was a bit far from the town, but apparently, there was a village 

nearby. The boys explained that they were residents there. 

 

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Well, the village was on the opposite side from the town where we’d 

learned about the hot springs, so I guess there was no reason for the 

townsfolk to mention it. There were probably other towns on the 

village’s side of the hot springs, so there probably weren’t a lot of 

opportunities for them to interact. 

...Oh, and I’d already gone back to the girls’ tent to put on some 

clothes, of course. We would’ve been too flustered to have a 

conversation, otherwise. 

“Well, now that you’re here, why don’t you go in after us? It’s not 

like the hot springs belong to us. In fact, the people from your village 

are the ones who have been maintaining them, so we’re probably 

the ones in your way... It’s probably supposed to be a mixed bath, 

but that’s a little... you know. So, I’m gonna have to ask you to wait.” 

The boys nodded. I felt bad about making them wait, but in this case, 

I’d say it was definitely first come, first served. I mean, we wanted to 

go in first. These boys could go in later, with Roland and Emile. That 

way, it wouldn’t be like we forced them out. 

...But the villagers probably used this place as a mixed bath, so I 

wondered why they had freaked out when they saw us naked. 

Could it be that they were surprised by how flat I was...? 

Hey, shut up! 

Curious, I asked them about it, and they turned bright red. Ah, so 

young... I thought, then realized they were looking at Francette and 

Belle. 

Is it my chest? My eyes? ...Both? Damn it! Wait, why was one of 

the three boys looking at Layette?! Wh-Why you... Don’t tell me... 

Oh, she just reminded him of his younger sister, from when he 

used to take care of her? I-I see... 

 

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And so, I let Roland and Emile keep watch on the boys, while the rest 

of us enjoyed the hot springs. 

Oh, I know! 

A lion-head-shaped container with a little bit of potion inside. Hot 

water that runs through it will absorb some of its nutrients, providing 

beautifying, healing, and relaxing properties. Appears perfectly fitted 

where the hot water comes out! 

I pictured the details in my mind perfectly, so it’d work. 

And it appeared, just as I imagined. You know, that lion head thing 

that spouts hot water from its mouth. Like it’s barfing... Wait, that’s 

actually kinda gross! No, not like barf! Anyway, the lion head was 

stuck to the stone, and water being poured into the back of the head 

came out of its mouth. It was just an ornament... or so it seemed. 

We’d traveled all the way out here, so I wanted to do something a 

little nice for the always hard-working Francette. Every once in a 

while, she’d go to sword-training dojos to fight the students there, 

usually ten at a time, so she wouldn’t lose her edge, and she always 

came back with bruises on her body. Whenever I tried to heal her 

with potions, she refused, saying it wasn’t necessary for such minor 

wounds. But I’d feel guilty for Roland’s sake if she ended up 

sustaining too many bruises and wounds. So, I made the effects 

more subtle. 

And don’t pick on people weaker than you too much, Francette. 

...Don’t come home with a signboard, okay?! 

“Wh-What is that...?” 

“You gotta have one of these in the hot springs. In my world, every 

hot spring has a lion at the spout. Yup!” 

That wasn’t true, of course. Besides, a lion would probably look out 

of place in Japanese hot springs. 

 

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“I-I see...” 

Francette looked at it dubiously, but Belle and Layette were all over 

the lion head. The potion wouldn’t affect their hands or anything just 

by touching the lion head, so I didn’t stop them. 

I also made it so the lion head would break and lose all of its effects if 

forcefully removed, just in case. Everything I made had a self-

destruct mechanism, besides the single-use stuff. Even if it only had a 

mild effect, some influential or rich person could abuse it and cause a 

lot of trouble. 

The women of the world would be greatly drawn to such an item, 

even if the effects were minute, so it was possible that one of them 

would make their influential husband or lover fight for it. How 

fearsome a woman’s desire for beauty can be... 

...Me? Give me kind-looking eyes, breasts, and more height! Damn 

it, I should have negotiated with Celes better... 

No, I was going to fight fair and square with this appearance and 

with the genes I’d been given by my parents! I wasn’t gonna cheat 

with my potions! I’d play the hand I’d been dealt... 

“Why are you making funny faces?” 

I wasn’t!!! 

Anyway, us four girls started doing girl talk, but... 

There was nothing to talk about! My age was equivalent to my 

history without a boyfriend. Belle and Emile were technically a 

couple, but they didn’t seem any different from when they had been 

orphans together. Layette was out of the question. That left... 

“Francette, how are things with Roland?” 

“Huh? What do you mean?” 

“Oh, you know, just wondering how far you’ve gone...” 

 

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“What? We’ve been with you this entire time, so we haven’t gone 

anywhere else since we left Grua...” 

“...” 

Belle and I exchanged looks, then I sighed. 

She’s hopeless... 

So, I soaked in the water until my fingertips got wrinkly, then put my 

clothes on and called the guys over. 

“That was way too long!” 

Oh, I guess it was... 

“Whoa, what the heck is that?!” 

They were surprised by the unfamiliar object. 

“What kind of animal is that?” 

Huh? They didn’t know what a lion was? Maybe lions didn’t exist in 

this world, or at least not around here... 

Well, there was no TV or animal encyclopedia, so maybe that wasn’t 

unusual. If there wasn’t any TV to watch, weren’t any books to read, 

or any zoos to visit, I probably wouldn’t have had an opportunity to 

see a lion, either. Not like they had lion mascots or anything like that, 

either. 

I just laid around the girls’ tent, listening to them talk in awe. 

＊ ＊ 

“You want us to visit your village?” 

“Y-Yeah. It’s really close, only about two hours away. It’s a small 

village, but a nice place. There are freshly picked vegetables, yams, 

and we’ve even got dishes with deer and boar meat! They’re all 

really good!” 

 

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Oooh, deer and boar meat! And yams! ...But why were they 

looking around with shifty eyes? 

Well, I was gonna go anyway. In this world, a two-hour walk was 

considered “really close.” Though, I had to say, I was having a hard 

time believing that children would invite three armed strangers from 

another land to their homes so readily. Rural villagers are far more 

insular and suspicious of outsiders than most city folk might think. 

Well, maybe that’s biased on my end, but at least it was true in my 

own experience. 

“Why did you accept their invitation? Wasn’t it a bit suspicious?” 

“It was pretty suspicious.” 

“It was...” 

Afterward, when I told the boys, “I guess we can check it out, then,” 

one of them stayed behind to be our guide, and the other two said 

they were returning to the village because they ‘had something to 

do.’ They were obviously heading back first to prepare something... 

We still hadn’t gotten a chance to enjoy the hot springs to the fullest, 

so we weren’t leaving quite yet. The plan was to stay for two nights 

and three days before heading out. Even in Japan, a hot springs trip 

of only one night and two days meant that you’d arrive in the 

evening, have a meal, and soak in the water once, only to leave in 

the morning, which just left you tired from going there and back with 

no time to relax. If you’re going to the hot springs, you’re supposed 

to stay there for a while and spend your time in blissful leisure. Get 

into the hot springs, get out, repeat. And, occasionally, maybe walk 

around to check out the local tourist sites... 

I wondered what the small village in the mountains had in store to 

entertain us. 

A village of bandits that robbed travelers blind? A village of criminals 

that lived with the families of human traffickers? It wasn’t like I went 

 

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around doing good deeds and volunteer work as a hobby, but if they 

wanted us to visit, then so be it. 

I would go, along with the Fearsome Einherjar, the Valiant Royal 

Brother, and the Self-Detonating Fanatic... 

“So, you want to go, knowing full well how suspicious this is...” 

Francette gave me an exasperated look, but I didn’t mind. 

“Yup. It seems interesting. Besides, I’m not one to back down from a 

challenge.” 

“...I know.” 

“I know...” 

Layette repeated after Francette and Belle, despite not knowing 

what they were talking about. What a cutie. 

The boy who had stayed behind to be our guide had also gone to the 

men’s tent with the other guys. So, we had this discussion with just 

the girls. 

“If it’s a bandit village, we’re going to wipe them out. We’ll try to 

catch them without killing anyone, but our safety is the main priority, 

so don’t hesitate to kill or incapacitate anyone if you sense that 

you’re in any danger. I can cure anyone as long as they’re not dead, 

anyway.” 

*nod, nod* 

“I’d like to save the children, if at all possible, but they may already 

be trained to think a certain way and be beyond help. If they try to 

kill us without showing any remorse, take them out. The lives of my 

friends are a million times more important to me than some bandit 

kid’s. Think of it this way. Risking your life to save a criminal doesn’t 

mean you’re putting just your own life in danger, but you’re also 

putting my valued servant’s life in danger.” 

*nod, nod* 

 

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There, now they should understand. 

Every life is equally precious? If there’s some idiot who thinks some 

grimy old bandit’s life is worth just as much as Layette’s, bring them 

to me! I’ll straighten them out with an hour-long lecture! The choice 

between saving either an evil-looking, violent bandit, or a beautiful 

little girl, isn’t even a question. 

What’s that? What if the choice was between an evil-looking, 

entirely average citizen and a beautiful little bandit girl? Uh. Urggh... 

W-Well, anyway!  

“Which one should we prioritize in that case, Kaoru?” 

“Yes, we need to make sure we would know what to do!” 

Francette and Belle pressed on. 

Uhh... 

“I-In that case, you should figure it out yourself!” 

“Hey, you avoided the question!” 

“She did...” 

Sh-Shut up! 

And so, after enjoying the hot springs for two more nights, we 

packed up the tent a little before the second daytime bell (around 

three in the afternoon) and started moving toward the village. 

During our trip, our guide had eaten his fill of the meals I made, so he 

was full of energy. He had also started doing some post-meal 

exercise... or, rather, he was attempting martial arts. Roland and 

Francette found this amusing and gave him some pointers, which the 

boy took very seriously. Emile and Belle joined in, turning it into an 

impromptu martial arts class. 

Eat, train, hot springs (with healing effects)... This cycle was repeated 

over and over again. It goes without saying that this was highly 

 

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effective. Having made visible progress in such a short time, with the 

guidance of professionals, the boy was in high spirits as he guided us 

toward the village. It really didn’t feel like they were bandits setting a 

trap. The other two boys that had gone ahead to the village had just 

seemed like normal kids, and I hadn’t gotten the impression that 

they were criminal types... 

Maybe I was just being overly cautious? Though, dying from being 

overly cautious sounded a lot better than dying from a lack of 

caution, so that was fine by me. It wasn’t like I was inconveniencing 

anyone, anyway. 

 

Two hours or so later, we arrived at a small village in the mountains. 

Although it was just a village, its perimeter was surrounded by a 

wooden fence. No military force was going to invade all the way out 

here, so maybe it was a bandit village, after all... 

“It’s for the wild beasts and monsters,” Francette told me, upon 

seeing the look on my face and sensing what was in my head. 

Come to think of it, those structures just wouldn’t be enough to stop 

human invaders. It wasn’t an issue of durability, but a human could 

just slip through the openings or climb over the top, so it was likely 

there to stop beasts and monsters, which would likely rely solely on 

brute force rather than wits. The fencing was only around the 

residential area, which was lined with houses, and the fields could be 

seen outside. I figured the fences were designed to stop monsters 

that ate humans, rather than the small animals that ate the crops, 

and putting up enough fencing to cover everything wasn’t efficient. 

As we walked toward the entrance section of the fence, some people 

working in the fields just outside the fences came over and gathered 

around us. 

 

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“Ohh, it’s not every day we get visitors. Welcome. Well, enjoy your 

stay!” 

“O-Okay...” 

Hmm... 

Everyone welcomed us with pleasant smiles. They were hard at work 

in their fields, and none of them struck me as bad people. They just 

seemed like Villager A, Villager B, Villager C, etc. It seemed that I had 

been mistaken in assuming that this would be a village full of bandits. 

But something was still bothering me... 

Normally, a village that was so far off from the main roads, with no 

regular visitors to speak of, should have been pretty wary of 

outsiders. Not to mention, three out of the six of us were armed with 

swords, two of those were wearing expensive-looking gear, and for 

all they knew, we could’ve been a bunch of lower-class nobles or 

knights in name only, here to make unreasonable demands and take 

advantage of their hospitality. We didn’t seem like the kind of guests 

who’d be the most welcome... 

Plus, this was a small village. I found it hard to believe that those 

boys, who should have returned two days ago, hadn’t spread the 

news about us yet. Interesting news spread like wildfire in places like 

this, and we should’ve been the talk of the whole village... 

But they were acting as if nothing had happened. 

Hmm... 

Well, I supposed that meant it was too early to let my guard down. I 

shot Roland and Francette a glance, and they gave me a faint nod in 

return. They were pros when it came to battle and intrigue, so that 

was expected of them. Unlike low-ranking soldiers, knights and 

royals were learned in the ways of subtlety and trickery. 

 

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Several villagers walked up to talk to us, and in the meantime, I saw 

two or three of them moving toward the entrance of the fence. I 

figured that they were heading off to let the others know about us. It 

seemed like they were just ordinary farmers, and had no intention of 

using force on us... 

Well, I was sure there were people with other occupations among 

them, like hunters and woodcutters, but in any case, they didn’t 

seem like a group of criminals. Still, there was something off about 

them that kept me from dismissing this as just a normal village. The 

way those two boys had left, while leaving one of their number 

behind, felt very unnatural to me. They should have all left or all 

stayed together as a group. Though, really, it would’ve been a huge 

deal if they hadn’t returned at all for two whole days without alerting 

their families, so the latter was pretty unlikely. 

But why would they leave a kid with a bunch of strangers they had 

just met, especially since those strangers were planning on staying 

for two more nights? And didn’t they think the boy’s family would 

freak out when they delivered that news? Not to mention, the boy’s 

family had never come to meet up with the boy over these past two 

days, despite being a mere two-hour walk away. 

...Well, I supposed that answered my question. 

  

  

 

 

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Chapter 35: Siege 

“Ah, it must have been quite a trip for you, coming all the way out 

here in the mountains! Welcome! I am Hasdal, the village mayor. 

Please, stay the night in my humble home.” 

There was no way that there would ever be an inn at a village like 

this. The mayor’s house was bigger than the rest in small villages, 

mainly for the purpose of housing and feeding travelers and visitors. 

So, declining his offer wasn’t really an option. It wasn’t like we 

couldn’t camp outside, but turning him down would be discourteous 

and would make the mayor lose face. 

But this did make me wonder... There was a very obvious question 

he should have asked us in the beginning. That being, “What is the 

purpose of your visit?” 

Though, he probably didn’t ask, because he already knew that those 

boys had brought us here... 

Anyway, our guide thanked us for the meals and the martial arts 

lessons, then ran off to his own house as we made our way to the 

mayor’s house. 

“Urgh!” 

We entered the mayor’s house and got led into the main hall to find 

a large group of men sitting there. The youngest ones seemed to be 

fifteen to sixteen years old, having just recently come of age, and the 

oldest ones looked to be about sixty... 

Unlike in modern Japan, sixty-year-olds in this world were pretty 

much ancient. Maybe it was their diet, or the harsh living 

conditions... 

“The meal will be ready soon, so please relax here with the others...” 

With that, the mayor went toward the back of the building, 

presumably into the kitchen. 

 

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“W-Wait a minute...” I whispered quietly, and Francette replied in a 

hushed voice, “D-Don’t tell me...” 

“A marriage hunting party for single villagers who can’t find a wife!” 

“No, it’s not!!!” 

The men all shouted at once, in response to the comment that 

Francette and I had yelled without thinking. 

They didn’t have to deny it that vigorously... 

“Besides, all that’s left on your side is a kid and an infant!” 

Sh-Shut up! 

The mayor returned, the food was brought out, and it was time for 

us to all dine together. There weren’t really any deep conversations 

going on during the meal, and the villagers mainly seemed to talk 

about whatever nonsense came to mind. As such, we opted to stick 

to normal girl talk (that wasn’t very girly) that we were okay with the 

others overhearing. Roland and Emile were busy muttering things to 

each other. The food came on large plates, in the style of a big feast, 

but the ingredients were run-of-the-mill crops and boar meat, which 

had presumably been procured by the hunters. 

They weren’t just feeding us, but a mass of villagers as well, so they 

couldn’t get too extravagant. The villagers seemed to understand 

this, as well. There seemed to be a lot of food at first glance, but it 

was a relatively small amount when considering the number of 

people there, so they only scooped small portions onto their plates, 

so as to not make it seem like there wasn’t enough food. 

Why did they go through so much trouble to gather all these 

people here, I wonder... 

＊ ＊ 

The not-so-extravagant meal ended quickly. There was actually more 

food portioned out on the plates near us, and the villagers didn’t try 

 

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to touch those. Feeling a bit suspicious, I extended the range of the 

poison-detecting bracelet’s effects, but found nothing out of the 

ordinary. 

Now that the meal was done, I figured it was time to bring up the 

main topic. 

Maybe they were planning on making us repay them for the meal 

and lodging? Drifting gamblers relying on the hospitality of their local 

gaming parlor owner might have had such an obligation, but we 

were invited here. 

What’s going to happen now...? 

“Well then, it’s time to begin our monthly village meeting. Our guests 

may only be here on the day of our meeting by coincidence, but 

since they are currently present, they are free to give their input, just 

like our fellow villagers, without any reservations. We could learn 

much from a fresh perspective, after all. Hohoho!” 

Lies!!! Like hell it’s a coincidence! They timed everything so we’d 

be here on this day on purpose! 

Roland, Francette, Emile and Belle stared at the mayor with 

accusatory eyes. But it seemed that he hadn’t made it to his position 

as the mayor without developing the appropriate skills. He was 

completely unconcerned by the cold looks that all of us (excluding 

Layette) were giving him. 

The meeting went on, and we were sometimes asked questions like, 

“What sort of crops are selling in the cities?” and “What kinds of 

crafted products are the prosperous villages selling?” 

“Now, on to the final topic. How to deal with the bandits and their 

demand for a ‘protection fee,’ in the form of valuables, food, and 

women. Any ideas?” 

There it is!!! Let’s see how everyone else is reacting... 

 

211 

Yup, Layette looked like she wasn’t thinking about anything at all. 

So cute... 

Likewise, Emile and Belle had blank looks on their own faces. 

It wasn’t that they’d given up on thinking. If anything happened, 

after all, they would just follow me and do whatever I said... Wait, 

they had given up on thinking! 

Roland wore an awkward expression. In his mind, the royal family 

had a duty to protect its people. But this wasn’t his kingdom, and the 

duty to protect these people fell to the nobles and royals of their 

nation, not to him. Besides, the royal family was supposed to protect 

their subjects through administration, not by swinging the sword 

themselves. But, as a member of the royal line—no, as a man—could 

he really abandon people in trouble right before his eyes? That’s 

probably what was going through his head... 

As for Francette... 

There was a twinkle in her eyes. They were sparkling like crazy! 

A traveling knight arrives at a village in danger. The knight cuts 

down the mob of villains, and as she turns to leave, a voice can be 

heard from behind... 

“Please, what is your name...?” 

“I am Francette. An einherjar of no consequence...” 

I could tell that kind of scene was being played out, in her head, right 

that moment. 

...She’s hopeless! 

A man with noble features and expensive equipment, who was 

clearly an aristocrat traveling incognito... A young woman, who 

seemed to be his wife or lover, also in expensive-looking 

equipment... Two hunters, likely brother and sister, or even lovers, 

who appeared to have been hired as bodyguards... A maid, 

 

212 

accompanying them to handle the two nobles’ needs... And, finally, a 

little commoner girl, who they had presumably taken into their care 

along the way. 

Yeah, from an outsider’s perspective, they were obviously a noble 

couple with a soft spot for commoners on a sight-seeing trip. 

Moreover, the nobleman clearly sympathized with the village’s 

plight, and his wife/lover was exuding an aura of enthusiasm. In fact, 

it was gushing out of every pore of her body like a geyser. I could tell 

the mayor was desperately trying to stifle a grin upon seeing all of 

this. 

Well, I supposed that was to be expected, considering that he 

thought the decision-maker of the group was at least partially on 

board, and the woman, who he presumed to be the actual highest 

authority due to her influence over said decision-maker, was fully 

ready to help. It was uncommon for noblemen to simply ignore a 

woman’s request, after all. Especially if it was from the woman they 

were romantically involved with. 

And the opinions of the bodyguards, maid, and the little girl...they 

were irrelevant. 

...Or so he thinks. 

The mayor and villagers looked at us... or, rather, at Roland and 

Francette, expectantly. 

Then, unable to withstand the pressure, Francette finally said, “You 

can count on us—” 

Not so fast! 

“...To pray for the safety of your village, so please don’t hesitate to 

ask your liege lord for assistance!” 

Francette began to make a careless comment, but I cut her off 

immediately. 

 

213 

“Whaaaaaat?!” 

The kind and simple-looking noblewoman was just about to give the 

reply they were all waiting for, and just as they were reveling in their 

victory, an unexpected interruption had ruined it all. The looks on 

the villagers’ faces went from confusion to anger. 

Well, I suppose that’s natural... 

“Know your place, maid! Keep your mouth shut and do as your 

master says!” 

“Yeah, that’s...” 

Then, the mood suddenly got tense. 

“Huh...?” 

Just as the mayor raised his voice in anger at me, and the other 

villagers followed suit... 

Well, first, the air grew cold. 

Francette, whose eyes had been sparkling just a moment ago... 

Roland, who had been mulling over the idea... 

Emile and Belle, who were entirely unconcerned until then, leaving 

the decision completely up to me... 

And even Layette, who was just sitting there absentmindedly... 

They all glared back at the mayor and villagers with fury in their eyes. 

“I am impressed, Kaoru. You saw through to their true nature: lowly 

and unworthy of saving.” 

“I am disgusted. We’re leaving. I refuse to defile myself by staying in 

this village a moment longer!” 

“...Can we destroy this place before we leave?” 

 

214 

The villagers and their mayor went white in the face. It seemed that 

they had quickly realized the mistake that they had made. 

Hey, don’t look at me with those pleading eyes. I’m just the maid, 

after all. 

＊ ＊ 

“Please forgive uuuuus!!!” 

The village mayor rubbed his head against the floor in apology, the 

other villagers in a similar position behind him. 

After that unfortunate incident, the mayor had thrown out all his 

schemes and bargaining tactics and finally spat out the truth. 

According to him, the situation was as follows: 

They were a small village: not particularly wealthy, but able to lead a 

modest life, sustaining their needs with agriculture, forestry, hunting, 

gathering, and the occasional trip to the nearby hot springs for their 

leisure. 

Then, one day, they arrived. The aforementioned bandits. But 

instead of attacking and robbing the villagers, they brought a 

proposition with them: 

“We’ll protect your village, so give us your valuables, food, and 

women as compensation.” 

What a joke. 

Apparently, they thought to prey on this village to supplement their 

less-than-stable thieving business. Instead of robbing them blind in 

one fell swoop, they wanted a steady supply of food and revenue. 

And a steady supply of women. They were also planning to use the 

village to recruit new underlings. 

Though, under that plan, they would run out of young women and 

girls, and once they expended all the young adults and boys of the 

 

215 

village as human shields and disposable grunts, the village would 

only be left with senior citizens. 

But that wasn’t a big deal. If that happened, they would take what 

was left of the village and move on to the next place. The troubling 

part was, they had acted as if they were proposing a legitimate 

protection service. Due to this fake posturing, the village couldn’t 

seek help from their lord. There hadn’t been any harm done yet, and 

these bandits were technically just “proposing a protection 

contract.” They were merely offering up the conditions of the 

contract, and they weren’t making threats or committing any crimes 

in the process, though no one knew what would happen if the 

villagers actually refused. 

It would have helped if they’d had proof that these bandits had 

engaged in previous acts of banditry, but there was no way to tell 

who their past victims had been, and it wasn’t as if there were any 

local merchants, much less any who had survived their attacks. Even 

if there had been, they would likely have been far too busy running 

for their lives to remember the faces of their attackers. Besides, the 

bandits could simply deny any such claims, and there wouldn’t be 

anything that could be done about it. 

And even if their lord sent out soldiers to help, the bandits could just 

rob people in some other region, then return once the soldiers left. It 

was unrealistic to expect the soldiers to stay in a distant village like 

this one over a long period of time. Besides, sending soldiers to some 

tiny village in the mountains to fight bandits, risking casualties in the 

process, was far more costly than simply letting the villagers get 

sucked dry. The lord could just ignore the issue and keep collecting 

levies without bothering to decrease taxes. It wouldn’t be surprising 

if he came to such a conclusion, honestly. Although, this may have 

been different if the village in question paid higher taxes, or 

produced rare materials... 

 

216 

“...So, instead of doing something about it yourselves, you wanted to 

trick a bunch of unrelated foreigners from another country into 

fighting the bandits for you? Even though there are children among 

us, and only three of us are even capable of fighting?” 

The villagers likely assumed from Belle’s appearance that she was a 

fighter, but her dagger was basically just for intimidation. At best, 

she could only take down one person with her. Belle’s self-

proclaimed role was to be my shield and buy a few seconds until 

Emile or Francette could rush to my side. She would cling on to the 

sword that impaled her so the attacker couldn’t retrieve it... 

Wait, like hell I’d let her do that! 

“N-No! We did not expect your small group to fight off nearly thirty 

bandits alone!” 

Well, we could, but... yeah. Pretty easily, too. 

“We will fight too, of course! Gathered here today are the men of 

the village, minus the children and young men without offspring. 

However, although we are hardy from rigorous labor, we are all 

amateurs when it comes to fighting men. The only ones who have 

some basic ability in a fight would be the hunters, but their expertise 

is in fighting beasts, and will not be of much use in this case.” 

But even as he spoke, the mayor’s eyes had vigor in them. 

“A young man going to the city to make his name in the world is one 

thing, but if families with elderly parents and young children 

abandoned this village to move to the city, they couldn’t survive with 

just their skills in farming, logging, and hunting. The best they could 

hope for would be to rot away in the slums. In that case, we may as 

well risk it all in a fight... Even if we fall in battle, it would be a 

thousand times better than running away without a fight and 

watching our loved ones starve to death! So, when the children 

informed us that some travelers had arrived, travelers who seemed 

 

217 

to have fighting experience at that, we couldn’t help ourselves. We 

want all the help we can get. We want to raise our chances of 

winning, no matter how small they might be. And we will give up our 

lives if we can increase our chances of saving the women and 

children, even if we end up in hell rather than heaven...” 

With that, the mayor pressed his head against the ground once 

more. Looking again, I realized that quite a few of the people here 

were advanced in their years. Instead of being protected, the elderly 

were going to sacrifice themselves to help the younger generation 

live just a little longer. That even included the mayor himself... 

Hmm, I see. 

I see... 

I stood up, arms folded, then said, “Mayor. Why did you use such 

schemes to try to drag us into this?” 

“...” The mayor kept his head down, unable to respond. 

So, I continued. 

“Instead of plotting, you should have said: ‘We are going to put our 

lives on the line to fight for our village. Please help us.’ That was all 

you needed to do...” 

The mayor and villagers kept their heads down... 

＊ ＊ 

“That was incredible, Kaoru!” Francette said as soon as the villagers 

left and it was just our group in the room that we were assigned to. 

Roland and Layette followed. 

“Indeed.” 

“Incredoru?” 

Francette grew ecstatic any time I did Goddess-like things that 

encouraged people to have faith in me. Roland also seemed glad to 

 

218 

be able to participate in protecting the populace. Emile and Belle’s 

reactions... went without saying. 

And Layette, what the heck was “Incredoru”? Had she combined 

“Incredible” and “Kaoru”?! 

Anyway, this wasn’t a task suitable for my main role as the owner of 

Convenience Store Belle, but rather something for the Eyes of the 

Goddess. Though, it wasn’t like I was obligated to do anything. I 

suppose this was like a club activity I did as a hobby. 

Man, I’m too easy... 

“All right, our staff vacation is put on hold, as of right now. From here 

on, we’re going to set aside common sense and move forward as the 

Eyes of the Goddess...” 

*nod, nod, nod, nod* 

Okay, let’s gooo! 

Earlier, we’d had a conversation with the villagers. They had been 

driven out of their original lands due to circumstances beyond their 

control long ago and hadn’t had any choice but to develop a village 

deep in the mountains. They’d lost many of their companions along 

the way, and they weren’t going to just let all the hard work of their 

ancestors go to waste because some lowly bandits said so. 

And they claimed they didn’t mind if most of the men gathered here 

died, as long as they could protect the village itself. As long as the 

women, children, and young adults lived, the village would survive 

and their knowledge would be passed on. Then, the next generation 

could have many children. That way, their lives, too, would be passed 

on. 

“Our deaths will not be in vain.” 

 

219 

Rather than abandon their village and flee, only to end up in the 

gutter of some slum and perish, full of regrets, they would die with 

pride and with their heads held high... 

As the mayor and the others said so with a laugh, they no longer had 

a subservient air about them. 

Maybe they’ve gotten over it... 

In any case, it was time to prepare for battle. 

“So, I will dive into the enemy’s ranks and take out about half of 

them right at the start. I’m sure Sir Roland and Emile also wish to 

succeed in front of Kaoru, so we can split the remainder evenly 

among the three of us...” 

It seemed that Emile wanted to shoot down this idea, but he also 

knew that he wouldn’t be able to take on an even third of the entire 

enemy force. Realizing this, he seemed a bit reluctant, but nodded 

without saying another word. 

As for Roland, he was accustomed to thinking that he didn’t have to 

directly defeat enemies, but that using his subordinates to achieve 

victory would add to his own glory, so he didn’t seem to mind. 

But... 

“That’s no good. We can’t just produce a deus ex machina and 

conveniently solve all their problems without the villagers lifting a 

finger. They wouldn’t learn anything or grow from this at all. What 

do they do if they face another danger when we’re not here? What 

about after that? And after that?” 

“Urgh...” Francette couldn’t respond. 

“And what do you think will happen if word of this spreads? 

Everyone will think they can just wait for a savior when facing their 

own dangers. They’ll think, ‘Someone will come and save us, just like 

that village!’ They need to overcome obstacles with their own hands. 

 

220 

Getting a little help is one thing, but relying entirely on God or other 

people doesn’t do anyone any good. Besides, that’s not what they 

want.” 

Francette looked down wordlessly, seemingly ashamed of her own 

imprudence. 

Surprisingly, Emile responded, “That’s because everyone doesn’t 

know about Kaoru’s power, or our own. If they did, they would have 

asked for our help differently. Besides, would you be okay with 

letting people get hurt or die when we have the power to save 

them?” 

“Yeah.” 

“...Huh?” Emile seemed surprised by my reply. 

But that’s just the way of the world. You can’t just rely on everyone 

else for everything while taking on zero risk yourself. If that became 

the norm, humans would go real rotten real quick. 

Roland and Francette seemed to understand. Wisdom comes with 

age, I suppose. Francette was over thirty now, come to think of it. 

No, the villagers wouldn’t be dying this time. I’d make them fight for 

themselves, but we’d be helping a bit. 

Yes, just a bit... 

＊ ＊ 

“Heh heh, well? Have you decided to take us up on our offer yet? It’s 

not like you have a choice, after all, so just hurry up and accept it. All 

you gotta do is give us all your money, feed us as much as we like, 

and send some women our way to take care of some chores. That’s a 

pretty good deal for protecting a whole village, if you ask me.” 

With that, the three men sent by the bandit group laughed vulgarly. 

“...Hm?” 

 

221 

One of them had a perplexed look on his face. 

“What the hell are you giving us that look for?!” 

The last time they’d visited, with their leader present, the villagers 

had had a much more fearful, nearly subservient attitude. But this 

time, there was defiance in their eyes. 

“You think you can act up because it’s just the three of us?! Listen 

here, we’re from the famous bandit group, the Beasts of Disaster...” 

“And?” 

“Huh?” 

Something was off. Very off. The three men finally came to this 

realization. 

After being shown to the mayor’s house, they had given what was 

basically an ultimatum to the mayor and the several elderly men 

gathered there. They had planned on making the villagers accept all 

of their terms, maybe taking a few young women with them, and 

stopping somewhere nearby to relieve them of their virginity. So, 

they had struggled to win their highly-coveted positions as the 

members who would come on this excursion. All they had to do now 

was reap the benefits of their role. Or so they thought... 

“Here is our response.” 

The mayor opened his mouth. 

“We refuse your proposal. What we would need to give up for what 

little benefit you’ve offered is far from acceptable. That is, the 

money, food, and... young girls... you’ve demanded. And, above all, 

we do not trust you in the least. No one in our village is stupid 

enough to make such an agreement with a group that’s so unlikely to 

keep a promise...” 

The bandits watched, mouths agape, as the mayor went on matter-

of-factly. Then, as the words finally began sinking in... 

 

222 

“Wha?! What the hell is this? You know what’ll happen if you don’t 

do as we...” 

“I wonder...?” 

“Y-You little... I’ll kill you and make an example out of ya! The rest of 

the village will see we mean business if we kill a couple...” 

“All right, there’s an admission that you’re a bunch of bandits, along 

with a declaration of your intent to murder, as well as intimidation, 

and even assault by grabbing an elderly man’s collar. This fulfills the 

conditions for self-defense and is reason enough to defeat the 

bandits!” yelled Kaoru. 

“Wha...” 

Five men and women suddenly appeared from the room next door. 

Their clothing and features made it clear they weren’t from the 

village. 

“You bastards the ones who put these geezers up to this?! I’ll kill you 

first... Gwah!” 

Bam! Smack! 

As the bandits were distracted by Kaoru’s speech, Francette, Roland, 

and Emile had snuck up behind them. And unlike Roland, Francette 

and Emile wouldn’t sit idly by and allow some lowly bandits to talk 

down to or threaten Kaoru. 

The three bandits fell to the ground. As for Belle, she stood in front 

of Kaoru in a low posture, her hands crossed over her chest. 

“Good! You’re fulfilling your role well, Belle. You must use your body 

as a shield for Lady Kaoru at all times!” 

Upon hearing Francette’s words, Kaoru snapped. 

“It was youuuuuu! I was wondering why I could never stop Belle 

from being so self-sacrificing, but it was all your doinggg!!!” 

 

223 

＊ ＊ 

We took out three of them for now. When the bandit leader and his 

men had first arrived, the villagers counted twenty-nine men. 

...Which left twenty-six more. 

I treated the three we had captured with healing potions just enough 

so that they wouldn’t die, had them tied up, then gave them some 

medicine that would lower their metabolic speed. They wouldn’t be 

capable of joining any fights until they were given a neutralizing 

agent first. 

Francette and the others captured these three, but that wasn’t a big 

deal. Even if we weren’t around, the villagers could have easily 

defeated them by ambushing them with bamboo spears or putting 

poison in the food or water. So, by the time they had gotten around 

to fighting back against the bandits, they were guaranteed to at least 

take out three of the enemy. 

It just so happened that the enraged Francette and the others beat 

them first, and taking out the messengers was only the first step of 

the villagers’ plans. 

“Lady Kaoru, we’ve finished reinforcing the palisade. Please take a 

look.” 

“Ah, all right.” 

One of the villagers reported to me, so I stood up in response. 

Francette and the others followed, of course. Once the fight against 

the bandits had been agreed to, I had given several orders to the 

villagers. One of them being, naturally, the reinforcement of the 

palisade around the village. 

The palisade was built for keeping out monsters, and it was far too 

fragile and the gaps in it too large to be of any use against human 

attackers. As such, I had it modified and reinforced as a 

countermeasure against the bandits. 

 

224 

“Yeah, that’s pretty good. Definitely a passing mark. Now, about the 

water buckets...” 

The villagers looked thrilled to win my seal of approval, then quickly 

ran off to carry the water buckets. 

This palisade was a defensive structure, originally designed to stop 

charging orcs and ogres while spears were held out between the 

openings. Therefore, it didn’t account for smaller monsters like 

goblins, kobolds, and horn rabbits. And, of course, humans. 

It had been modified by narrowing the gaps between the stretches of 

palisade and installing sharp stakes on the open edges to cut up 

anyone who tried to force their way between them. The parts that 

had wider gaps intentionally left open had such traps built into them 

with extra attention. 

Of course, poison would be applied to them before the actual 

showdown. This village had hunters, and unlicensed apothecaries 

too, so they could prepare poison extracted from plants and 

poisonous monsters without my interference. 

As everyone checked the status of the fences, several of the villagers 

came over with buckets of water. 

Time to pretend to reach into my pocket and make some potions! 

I produced some convenient medicine inside a test tube... 

“Good work. Please leave it there.” 

The villagers placed the buckets on the ground, and I dropped a few 

drops of the potion into each one. 

“Slowly pour this water on the ground under the palisade and 

around the stakes. Apply it to the palisade and the spikes, as well. It 

will make the wood more durable. If you run out of water, refill the 

buckets and call for me. I will add more of the medicine.” 

 

225 

This should have been an acceptable amount of help. I was just 

making the palisade a little stronger, and if they had taken the time, 

they could have reinforced the palisade themselves, even without 

my potions. I was just using items to reduce the required time. Just 

like spending money on in-app purchases. It wasn’t cheating. 

I decided to check the effects of the durability-enhancing water, 

which I had dubbed the “Super Hard Liquid Coating.” The effects 

should be instantaneous, so I should have been able to check the 

effects immediately after application. 

I first pulled on a stake that secured the fence to the ground...and it 

didn’t move. It didn’t budge one bit. 

“Fran, can you test the durability of the stakes?” 

Maybe Francette’s powerful arms would have better luck than my 

noodle arms? 

“...A powerful foe.” 

Francette tried to pull the fence out, but only managed to move the 

stake and the ground around it very slightly. It seemed to be far from 

being pulled free. The stake itself didn’t seem to be breakable, 

either... 

Judging by the look of it, it may have been possible to slip through 

between the palisade sections, but breaking the palisade itself 

seemed highly unlikely. And if someone did squeeze through, the 

sharp stakes and thorns would cause a lot of damage to any poor sap 

who tried. Besides, they were coated in poison. 

“Kaoru, what should we call this medicine, or I should say, the 

palisade coated in this medicine?” Francette asked. She was 

probably asking to note it in that “Records of the Goddess Kaoru’s 

World Reformation” diary that she secretly kept, all without realizing 

that I knew all about it. 

 

226 

Well, not like I minded. She could keep a diary if she wanted. 

...But I wouldn’t let her publish it! But I didn’t think to name it... 

Hmm... 

When you knock on it with your hand, it feels and sounds rigid. 

And when you pour the medicine on it, it erases time and only 

leaves the result, like King Crimson. 

You go “kon” with your hand (te), and it becomes King Crimson... 

Te goes kon, into kincri... 

Tekkon, kincree... 

“Tekkonkinkreet, a.k.a. Tekkon!” 

Yes, the Nagase Clan’s horrible naming sensibilities were still alive 

and well... 

＊ ＊ 

“...Bring me the village mayor.” 

Two bandits had come to visit. This time, they stayed outside of the 

entrance of the fence and made their demands from there. They 

must have found it suspicious that the three men they had sent 

previously hadn’t returned yet. 

...Well, they’d have been idiots if they hadn’t. 

Francette and I were hiding in the shack near the entrance, listening 

to their exchange. This shack was where the people on night watch 

duty took turns resting during periods of danger, like when monsters 

came to attack. The only furnishings were a couple of chairs and a 

table that looked like reused junk, but it was better than nothing. 

The young men who had responded to the bandits yelling at the 

entrance called the mayor over. 

“Yes, how can I help you...?” 

 

227 

The mayor was a pretty good actor. Must have been the wisdom that 

came with age. 

“Our men should have come by yesterday! Where are they?!” 

Yep, of course they came to check. And the mayor’s reply... 

“Indeed, the three of them did pay us a visit.” 

“Well? Where are they?!” 

The bandits aren’t in a very good mood. That was to be expected, I 

suppose... 

“Oh? They left right after. They said they were acting on their 

leader’s orders, and we gave them all the money we had, plenty of 

non-perishable food, water in a leather bag, and three of the best-

looking young girls in the village...” 

“Huh?” 

The two bandits seemed dumbfounded. Then, the mayor’s words 

finally seemed to sink in. 

“Wh-What?!” 

“We only did as we were told by your messengers... Their words 

were their leader’s words, or that’s what we’ve been told...” 

The bandits look troubled! What will they do now...? 

“...Damn it! We’ll be back!” 

Ah, they’d retreated to get new orders from their leader. Not like 

they had any other option, really. 

They thought their men had betrayed them and ran off with the 

money, food, and girls. They couldn’t let the villagers realize this, or 

they’d expose their lack of solidarity and make themselves look bad. 

Of course they’d try to hide that. And, to make sure others didn’t 

follow suit, they had to catch and make an example out of the 

 

228 

deserters. Now, they’d waste days trying to punish traitors who 

didn’t exist. During that time, we would continue our preparations. 

The reason we hadn’t made a move on the visitors today was, of 

course, because we thought they might have suspected their 

previous messengers could have been attacked, and may even have 

stationed other bandits to keep watch on us from afar. That, or they 

could have already suspected the previous messengers had betrayed 

them, and had someone keeping watch on their own men. Either 

way, it was too dangerous to make a move this time. That was all. 

“All right, let’s keep working, then!” 

“Yeeeah!!!” the villagers all shouted at once. 

The village was becoming much more cheerful. But they were still 

just doing as they were told, and all their work was without risk, so 

far. When it came down to it, would they be able to break out of 

their shells as herbivores? Could they stand up to their carnivorous 

oppressors? 

Would they flee, or would they give up their own lives to deliver a 

sting, like the honeybee does? I remembered a manga I had bought 

at a used book store long ago. In that story, all the old people had 

willingly stayed to shoot at their enemies, buying time for the 

younger generation to get on a ship and fly off to space... 

Did the old people of this village have that same resolve? A famous 

line from a certain title came to mind. “Why do you think tigers are 

strong? Because they’re strong by nature!” Tigers don’t lift weights 

or train to learn special moves. But they’re strong. That’s because 

they were born as tigers. 

But the bandits were no tigers. They were nothing but stray dogs, 

trying to make themselves look big with weapons and violence. 

These men lacked the talent to become hunters, the discipline to 

become soldiers, the diligence to become merchants, the skills to 

 

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become craftsmen, and the endurance to become farmers. What 

would be exposed from under their bravado when their desperate 

attempt at intimidation failed and the villagers they looked down on 

retaliated...? 

＊ ＊ 

A few days later, the villagers had already formed their rural village 

defense organization, Arc Path. 

Farming was an occupation that cultivated life through the creation 

of crops. A farmer who planned to kill other people was a farmer 

who had lost their way. But, this time, they had no choice. So, they 

hadn’t completely fallen off of their path, but it was more like they 

had deviated from it in an arc, which was how they had gotten their 

name. 

...I named them, of course. 

What? I thought it sounded cool! 

There had been a lot of progress on the upgrades for the palisade 

since the first messengers had arrived. Using the extra time we had 

bought, the palisade had been completely reinforced. We had even 

set various traps around it and in the surrounding woods, as well as 

the bushes where the bandits might set up camp. 

The traps ranged from highly advanced ones to cheap tricks. Some of 

them were literally made by the village kids, and might not even 

trigger properly. But with there being deadly traps in the mix, the 

bandits had to deal with each one as if it was highly dangerous. This 

restricted their actions and narrowed their range of options. And 

so... 

“They’re here!” 

The lookout alerted us as Francette and I were waiting at the shack 

on standby. From there, we could hear any conversations at the 

 

230 

entrance. Roland and Emile were at a nearby house, while Belle and 

Layette were waiting in a house further away. 

After some time, two bandits appeared. They called for the mayor 

like last time, to talk... or, rather, to intimidate the villagers. 

“Heh, we’re back. Now, I’ll need you to give us money, food, and 

women, like we mentioned...” 

It seemed they had given up on finding the “traitors that had run 

away.” 

“What? We already gave you all of our money, food, and young girls. 

What are you talking about?” 

“Urgh... Whatever. That’s not important, damn it!” 

Unable to come up with a retort, the bandit yelled and tried to cover 

it up. But the mayor didn’t let up. 

“You claim not to have received what we have already given you, and 

now you demand more? What kind of agreement is this?! Besides, 

are you truly even the same bandits who came here last time? I find 

it suspicious that you claim you haven’t gotten what we’ve handed 

over already! The person we gave everything to was definitely from 

the same group as the first visit. Some of us remember their faces. 

But we don’t recognize any of you...” 

“Wh-What are you...” 

They didn’t want us to know that they allegedly had a traitor. And 

even if they confessed, that wouldn’t be reason enough for the 

villagers to want to pay them again. That left the bandits with limited 

options. 

The conversation came to a deadlock and the bandits seemed rather 

troubled, but then the mayor brought up a suggestion. 

“If someone who we recognize...not the leader, but someone who’s 

distinct enough that they stood out, like that bald man with a wound 

 

231 

on his cheek...and that silver-haired man who looked a bit frail to be 

a bandit... If those two were here, we would know that they were 

definitely messengers from your leader. Then we would be open for 

negotiations...” 

The two messengers cursed at the mayor, then left. Their next visit 

would be when we made our move. 

＊ ＊ 

“I’m the boss’s second, Deyles, and this here’s Exdel, his advisor. 

We’re here, just like you wanted! Now, you’d better...” 

The baldy and the slender guy had come with two others, making a 

total of four bandits. The mayor and villagers waited some distance 

away from the entrance, further inside the palisade, so the bandits 

moved forward and took a few steps toward them. Then... 

“Wha...” 

The entrance suddenly slammed shut, and several villagers sprang 

out of hiding and charged, each of them gripping a bamboo spear in 

their hands. 

“Y-You bastards!” 

Wham! Wham! 

The bamboo spears were thrust into each of the bandits in quick 

succession. The bandits were definitely not masters of the sword, 

and there was no way that they could have parried so many attacks 

at once. 

In a desperate battle between amateurs with no experience in 

martial arts, the difference in fighting abilities tends to be rather 

insignificant. And in cases where there was just a slight difference in 

power, that disadvantage could be overcome with superior reach 

and numbers. The four bandits couldn’t do anything against an 

 

232 

ambush with so many long bamboo spears coming at them all at 

once. 

Why had the villagers gone through so much trouble to set this up 

instead of just killing the messengers last time? Since they only had 

one chance to conduct an ambush, it was obviously better to use 

that chance to its maximum possible effect. That was why we had 

baited out the highest priority targets available. 

Since the bandit leader was unlikely to come himself, they wanted to 

take out the second-in-command and the advisor, the latter of whom 

was the reason that the bandits were able to maneuver relatively 

well in the first place. According to the three bandits the villagers 

had captured, those two were the brains of the operation. The 

leader may have been strong and charismatic, but apparently he had 

muscles for brains... 

Now, the bandit group had fallen from being formidable and cunning 

foes into just another pack of meatheads. Not only that, but the 

bandits would be blind with rage from losing their key members. 

When they did invade, they’d meet a counterattack carried out by 

Roland, Francette, myself, and the members of Arc Path, who had 

been taught how to fight without mercy. The preparations to defeat 

the bandits were complete! 

But Roland and Francette... 

I didn’t know you two were capable of torture and teaching people 

how to fight dirty... 

I didn’t think knights and royals did that kind of stuff. 

“They’ll probably come first thing tomorrow morning...” 

Once they got the shocking news, it would be like a bolt from the 

blue, and they’d be left dumbfounded for some time, then go wild 

with rage. It would be near sundown by the time they made 

 

233 

preparations and mobilized, so they’d probably come early 

tomorrow morning. 

Well, that was assuming there was someone watching from afar who 

reported the incident right away, but judging by how no one had 

come to see what was happening after their second had been gone 

for so long, they were likely aware of what was going on. 

In any case, I decided I would try to get some sleep tonight. Some of 

the villagers were standing watch in case the bandits tried to sneak 

in and take the girls and children hostage. And, of course, we weren’t 

part of the guard duty rotation. So, we would rest up for tomorrow. 

＊ ＊ 

The next morning arrived. 

It went without saying that I had woken up early, had some food, 

and washed my face in preparation for the bandits. Though it went 

against their usual routine, I had instructed the villagers to each have 

a light meal, too. It would’ve been bad if they were to get stabbed in 

the stomach when it was full, but I figured it would be worse if things 

went south when they still hadn’t eaten since last night, causing 

them to run out of energy. 

Well, I did have potions for if they got stabbed in the stomach. 

And so, their group arrived. There were about twenty of them, so it 

was probably everyone they had left. Twenty-nine minus three 

minus four makes twenty-two. ...Yeah, it was right around that 

number. 

Francette and I were hiding in the nearby shack again. 

The bandits stopped at a spot some distance away, far enough that 

even arrows wouldn’t reach, then sent a grunt over to the closed 

gate. The runner stopped in front of the gate. 

“Bring out your mayor! Your...” 

 

234 

Wham! 

“Huh...?” He looked rather confused for a moment, then looked 

down at the “feathered accessory” sprouting from his chest with a 

surprised expression, then fell to the floor, never to rise again. 

The hunters shot rabbits and birds on a regular basis. There was no 

way they would miss a stationary target from such a short distance. 

Twenty-one left. 

“You bastaaards!!!” 

The one shouting seemed to be their leader. 

Shooting down their runner without hearing him out meant that the 

villagers denied them completely... in fact, it was a declaration of 

war. They had no intention of talking, now. Well, that should have 

been clear from the way the villagers had taken out their second-in-

command last time, but they had decided to try to talk it out anyway, 

and ended up letting another one of their men die for nothing. 

Rest in peace... 

We do not negotiate with criminals and terrorists. Bargaining and 

tricking the opponent are all fine, though. No need to diligently 

follow the rules when your opponents clearly don’t. We should use 

all the trickery and traps we’ve got, instead. 

Oh, and we hadn’t killed the three bandits that had come by earlier. 

Once we tied them up and gave them a weakening potion, there was 

no risk of them helping the enemy side, even if they managed to get 

rescued. Unlike muscle relaxants, weakening potions were safe to 

take, so no worries there. If you were to drink it, it would just render 

you unable to move your limbs, without affecting your breathing, 

heart, or other organs. And even if those bandits we captured did get 

away, they were just some peons, so they wouldn’t have made much 

of a difference. 

 

235 

But that wasn’t the case for the second-in-command. If he had 

escaped, it would’ve been a big blow to us. Nothing’s harder to deal 

with than a cunning villain. Also, I had to give the villagers some 

confidence before the main battle. They had to see for themselves 

that, while bandits may act tough, they were really nothing to fear. 

Yes, bandits are weak. Not once have I seen or heard of bandits who 

spent every day training in martial arts. Though, I guess it’s possible 

that a few such bandits exist... 

In any case, the majority of bandits haven’t received real training in 

any official capacity, and didn’t practice to improve themselves each 

day. They were merely ordinary men who were feared because they 

flashed weapons at defenseless, unarmed people, and were 

prepared to use violence on harmless folk. In fact, farmers, miners, 

hunters, and woodcutters could beat them easily in a straight-up 

fight. 

Besides, if they really were strong, they would have gotten into an 

actual, legitimate profession and become hunters, mercenaries, 

contract bodyguards, or other security personnel. They wouldn’t 

have been here, debasing themselves by being bandits. 

So, what would happen if the villagers all came at them with the 

intent to kill, without holding back and without regard for their own 

lives? We intended to show the bandits just that. 

“Get ’em, men!” 

Wham! 

An arrow landed on another bandit, but it hit a reinforced part of his 

armor, so it was unfortunately rather ineffective. The bandits arrived 

at the gate before the next arrow was fired, but when they tried to 

open it... 

Slam! 

 

236 

“Gyaaaaaa!” 

Bam! Thud! Fwip! 

The gate wasn’t just a board, but another obstacle, with open slits 

like the rest of the palisade. It was made so it could be moved from 

the side to block the gate section, and bamboo spears could be 

thrust out from the spaces around the gate. 

Two bandits carelessly approached the gate to move it to the side 

and open it, and spears were thrust into them. The villagers holding 

the spears had been hiding until it was their time to strike. Even the 

bandits wouldn’t have been dumb enough to heedlessly walk up to 

villagers holding spears out in front of them. 

...Now there were nineteen left. 

“D-Damn it! Forget the gate, attack from all sides!” 

Most of the bandits were equipped with swords. Maybe they 

thought swords were cooler, or that swords were somehow better 

for bandits, or that long spears got in the way when moving through 

the forest. Regardless, none of them were holding a spear, for 

whatever reason. They didn’t have any bows, either. Maybe arrows 

were hard to come by for bandits, or bladed weapons were better 

for intimidating villagers, or it was harder to look tough with a bow 

when arguments broke out... 

Anyway, they seemed to realize that they were at a disadvantage 

fighting over the palisade and the gate without any spears or bows, 

so they decided to prioritize getting past the undefended sections. 

They had observed during their last visit that the structures were 

designed in such a way that regular people could easily get through 

them. It seemed that the bandit leader wasn’t the boss for nothing, 

as he wasted no time in giving out orders, despite having lost his 

second. 

 

237 

The time for direct confrontation had finally come. The villagers grew 

tense, but they were past the point of getting cold feet, and they 

stood tall with bamboo spears and their familiar farming tools in 

hand. Those who were in hiding had revealed themselves, and 

everyone, including me and Francette, was now out in the open. 

Though, the bandits wouldn’t care about some unarmed girl. 

...Except maybe to take as a hostage, anyway. But it was unlikely that 

they would be taking hostages at this point. 

If word got out that they’d needed to take hostages from a bunch of 

villagers, they’d be done for. No one would be afraid of a gang of 

bandits with such a terrible reputation. They could still go for it, if 

they got desperate enough, but with Francette being right next to 

me, I wasn’t really worried. Besides, once the fighting really kicked 

into gear, Roland and Emile would come flying out of hiding. I had 

ordered Belle to protect Layette, who was hiding in a house in the 

center of the village. Not in the mayor’s residence, which the bandits 

might try to take over, but in an ordinary house. 

Belle had insisted she wanted to guard me, but I used my special 

move, “I give you my divine order to protect Layette,” and she did as 

she was told. As for the current state of the battle... 

“Agh!” 

“Urgh, damn!” 

“Ahhh!” 

The bandits screamed in pain whenever they tried to slip in between 

the palisade sections and consequently got shredded by the spikes 

placed there. And, once their movement was impaired, they were 

quickly impaled with bamboo spears. The bandits who managed to 

get through tried to hurry away before the spear-wielding villagers 

came for them, but they were typically bleeding all over with pretty 

deep wounds. 

 

238 

“Huh...?” 

And, of course, the spikes were coated in poison. 

Just in case there had been any accidents, I decided not to use 

poison that could cause instant death or anything. I didn’t want the 

villagers to accidentally prick themselves and end up dying. As long 

as they were still alive, I could use a healing potion, or rather, the 

Tears of the Goddess, to cure them. I had gone with this approach 

for safety purposes, but if they ended up being attacked by bandits 

again when I wasn’t around, they would likely have to use a quicker-

acting, deadlier poison. Obviously. 

And so, a total of fourteen bandits made it past the palisade, half of 

them looking pale from the poison spikes and the other half having 

somehow managed to avoid getting stabbed, with nearly thirty 

villagers standing before them. Yup, five of them were down just 

from having passed through the palisade. Pretty good! Out of all the 

villagers, half of them were elderly. The ones who said they wouldn’t 

mind dying to be a shield for their younger kin. 

Roland and Emile appeared from one of the nearby houses to 

prevent that from happening. Though, really, they were just there to 

help any villagers who were in danger. Everyone else was on their 

own. 

It went without saying for Francette, but Roland was also quite 

skilled, having received martial training ever since he was a child, so 

he was strong enough to fight off a few ordinary soldiers and knights. 

Bandits were no match. Especially because he had that divine sword, 

Exhovud. I had finally caved under his incessant complaining... 

Oh, but it didn’t come with any supersonic vibration functions. It was 

just durable, easy to maintain, and sharp. Roland was still really 

happy, though. How desperate to get a divine sword was he...? 

 

239 

I had told him the sword was top secret, and he wasn’t to tell anyone 

about it. 

By this point, the initial skirmish had ended. It was time for the main 

battle. 

...I think I’ll back up a bit. 

“Mercenaries? But two or three more aren’t gonna change anything! 

...Oh, I get it. You’re the ones who put them up to this, aren’t you? 

Screw this village, you’re all gonna die! Then the next village we 

target will know to do as they’re told! Watch your village burn, all 

due to your own stupid actions, and despair!” 

The bandit leader was enraged from losing half of his men and 

seemed to abandon the idea of milking the villagers long-term. Now 

he had changed tactics to killing everyone here, then moving on to 

the next village to leech off of them. Not that these bandits could 

ever have leeched off of the very people who had killed nearly half of 

their men with indirect attacks. They would’ve had to worry about 

getting knifed in their sleep every night. 

Once the villagers realized that the bandits could be easily killed, 

there was no way they’d ever put up with their unreasonable 

demands again. Especially considering that they had reduced their 

enemy numbers by half in the initial skirmish, all while taking zero 

casualties of their own... 

And the sound of swords clashing rang in the air! Actually, one side 

didn’t have swords, so I guess not. The bandits had their swords 

raised with the fences at their backs, while the villagers stood before 

them, stances low, with their spears pointed at their foes. The 

bandits’ positioning was scattered and uncoordinated, while the 

villagers stayed close to each other, moving in on the bandits in a 

half circle. A phalanx, I think it’s called? Though they didn’t have any 

shields. 

 

240 

Though it had a weakness to sudden flanking maneuvers and rear 

attacks, the phalanx was an impenetrable formation when there was 

no chance of hidden enemy reinforcements. Even if the bandits did 

have any forces in reserve, they would appear on the other side of 

the palisade, and there was no way for those reinforcements to take 

the villagers by surprise. Moreover, considering that it’d be an influx 

of untrained men wielding cheap, dull, poorly-maintained swords, 

there was no way they could have cleanly cut through the bamboo 

spears, even the ones that weren’t secured firmly in the ground. 

By the time the bandits realized that they were the hunted rather 

than the hunters, it was already too late. Trapped in this confined 

space, with the palisade at their backs, they couldn’t get through the 

concentrated wall of spears thrust toward them, and thus found 

themselves helpless. 

“Bastaaards!” 

One of the bandits knocked a bamboo spear upward with his sword 

and tried to attack, but was promptly impaled with additional spears 

from both sides. Another bandit tried to slip through the bamboo 

spears, but then another villager appeared from behind two of the 

other spearmen and swung a three-pronged hoe down, straight into 

the man’s skull. 

There were plenty of men wielding farming tools right behind the 

spearmen, prepared to bring their tools down on any bandits who 

might approach. Those tools had more reach than the bandits’ 

swords, and swords had the disadvantage of being ineffective with 

the arm fully extended. They had to get closer to get a proper swing 

in. On the other hand, garden hoes could be brought down upon 

their target with the arms fully outstretched. 

Several of the panicking bandits turned to go back out through the 

palisade, but more villagers had moved around them with their 

bamboo spears at the ready. Some of those spear-wielding villagers 

 

241 

included women and children, but they only needed to point their 

weapons at the bandits to fend them off. As for the bandits, they 

were trying to get through the narrow space between two palisade 

sections, with no room to swing their swords. 

...They were done for. 

But it seemed the bandit leader couldn’t stand the thought of the 

infamous Beasts of Disaster, nearly thirty men in all, being taken 

down by mere villagers without even killing a single one of their 

opponents. He screamed in rage and tried to rush through the 

bamboo spears surrounding him. The villagers recognized that this 

was the decisive moment and all thrust their bamboo spears into the 

leader at once, then brought down their farming tools upon his body. 

After letting out a resentful growl, he finally sank to the ground. 

Several other bandits followed, then the remaining men threw down 

their weapons and surrendered. The death penalty was pretty 

common around these parts, and captured bandits tended to 

become slaves for life rather than being executed, unless they were 

the type to ruthlessly murder entire caravans that had already 

surrendered to them. Being put to work in the mines as a slave was a 

harsh life, and one that often didn’t last very long, but it was better 

than being killed on the spot. If they didn’t cause any problems, 

there was a chance they could get moved to an easier, safer work 

environment for a healthier, longer life. 

These bandits were apparently a wicked bunch, but the leader, 

second, and advisor had already been killed. So, even if we captured 

the remaining small fry instead of killing them, it was unlikely that 

they’d survive by themselves. 

We rounded up the bandits who had surrendered, and the villagers 

stood around dazedly for some time. But they eventually came back 

to reality again, and raised their voices, giving cheers of jubilation. 

 

242 

Amidst the tumult of laughter and tears, I had Francette and Emile 

help me with a certain task. We were going around administering 

healing potions to the fallen bandits. If they were physically unable 

to drink, or refused to because they suspected it was poison, we 

poured the potion onto their wounds. Now that we had won, there 

was no need to let anyone else die. 

It wasn’t that I was being generous. I would turn them in to the city 

guards and have them receive the appropriate punishment for their 

crimes. If they were wanted “dead or alive,” now that I had them 

captured, I would naturally just turn them in alive. There was no 

need to kill them first. Besides, if they died, it would be a pain to deal 

with all the rotting corpses and maggots. 

But I was more concerned about the villagers killing their already-

surrendered enemies once, and then doing so again in the future. 

With how things had unfolded until now, and the abuse they’d 

received from bandits in the past, it was possible that the villagers 

would have taken such action. 

It would have been disturbing if the villagers ended up becoming a 

band of merciless killers, or went around murdering bandits in the 

name of justice. I didn’t hold back if it was for self-defense, but I also 

didn’t agree with deliberately going out to shed blood. We had to 

show them the importance of control and moderation. 

There was also the most important reason of all... 

If we turned the bandits in alive, we would not only get a monetary 

reward, but we would also get half of their worth when they’re sold 

off as slaves! 

...What’s that? I just ruined everything I said? 

...Anyway, we were tying up the living bandits, and pouring healing 

potions on the dying, when a young villager came running up in a 

hurry. 

 

243 

“If you’re finishing them off, please let me do it!” 

See?! 

  

 

244 

 

245 

    

＊ ＊ 

“...That’s why there’s no need to hold back in battle, but if you 

capture them alive, make sure to turn them in to the authorities! 

Otherwise, everyone will know that you’ll kill even those who 

surrender, and no one will ever have reason to yield. That will only 

lead to more people needlessly dying and getting injured. You’ll miss 

out on your cut of the criminals being sold as slaves, too...” 

It seemed they understood where I was coming from, once I had 

given them an explanation. It wasn’t that they had turned into a 

bloodthirsty mob, but they were just on a temporary high from all 

the adrenaline. Whew... 

There were very few bandits whom we had captured alive, at least 

besides the ones who had surrendered in the end. If they had been 

smacked hard through their armor with dull swords, they may have 

gotten away with just fatal wounds like ruptured organs and broken 

bones. 

...As in, they may have eventually been fatal, but they wouldn’t have 

died instantly. But having been stabbed with multiple bamboo 

spears, most of them seemed to have died within a minute of 

sustaining their injuries. It wasn’t as if bandits would ever wear plate 

armor... 

Well, I guess there’s not much you could do about that. 

“Thank you so much! I will remember this for the rest of my life!” 

Yeah, I don’t think the rest of that old mayor’s life is going to be 

very long... 

Francette, Roland, and Emile had been watching the fight nervously, 

with their hands on their sword hilts, ready to help the villagers if 

they were in danger, but they ended up not having to step in. 

 

246 

We had planned on letting the villagers handle it themselves in the 

first place, so they had assumed they wouldn’t need to get involved, 

and if they had needed to step in, it would’ve been if the villagers 

were completely incapable of doing it without help. In that case, we 

would have had Francette deal with the bandits, then told the 

villagers that they were on their own next time. But the villagers and 

the elderly had done it themselves. 

Next time... If there was a next time, could they fend for themselves 

without me, the emergency backup, or the convenient Tekkon? And 

did they really have the guts to do it without any outside help? If 

they failed, it would be on us for egging them on... 

No, forget that! 

They had asked for help this time, so we helped. Nothing more, 

nothing less. 

I can’t take responsibility for everything that happens after. The 

rest is all up to them! 

I’d just watch over them from afar. ...And not get involved. I couldn’t 

protect every farming village, mountain village, and fishing village in 

the world! 

The villagers had begun preparing for a feast. I decided to eat my fill, 

then take my leave. The food in this village, like that simmered stuff 

that looked like the tips of thick-stemmed bamboo, and that cloud 

ear mushroom-looking thing, was actually pretty good... 

Francette didn’t get to do much this time, but she wasn’t in a bad 

mood or anything. She understood that it wouldn’t have been a good 

thing if she had actually needed to step in. Emile, too, of course. As 

for Roland... it went without saying. 

Now, time to go retrieve Layette and Belle... 

＊ ＊ 

 

247 

“First, please send a messenger to the city. Have them take the 

bandits into custody, and get your reward payment and half of the 

proceeds for the sale of the criminals as slaves. 

“...Don’t do anything reckless like taking them into the city 

yourselves. Those bandits are crafty, so they’ll complain about their 

bound hands hurting, or that they need to go relieve themselves, or 

they’ll have sprained their ankles, and then try to kill their escorts to 

get away. 

“Even if they’re unarmed, they can easily kill someone who’s not a 

trained fighter by snapping their neck, shoving a finger in their eye, 

or crushing their throat.” 

“...” 

The villagers were looking a bit pale. 

Ah... 

Yeah, they were taking this too lightly. 

“Make sure you have a specialist handle the escorting. Instead of 

hiring a hunter, you can ask the police to take in the bandits for free. 

And make sure you send three or four reliable people with them, so 

no one gets any funny ideas about the reward money and the 

commission. Even police officers might be tempted to make a little 

extra cash.” 

“...” 

Are they shocked because I suspect the police? 

Half of the commission for the sale of criminals as slaves went to the 

city, and the police officer who took them in got a cut... I mean, a 

bonus... so I was sure they’d be happy to bring in the captured 

bandits, but they were the kind of people who had ignored the 

village while it was in danger, so I didn’t consider the police all that 

trustworthy. 

 

248 

Though, I suppose it’s possible that it’s a policy set by their 

superiors and it’s not necessarily the fault of the individual officers... 

Anyway, the food was being brought out, so it was time to eat and 

hightail it out of here! We were just outsiders, after all. We didn’t 

belong in this village. To these people, we weren’t all that different 

from the bandits: temporary irregularities. The village had been 

protected by the villagers themselves, not by some god that 

happened to pass by or a Deus Ex Machina that had wiped out the 

bandits for them. 

I decided the meal and usage of their hot springs was payment 

enough to cover my consulting fee. It’s like they say, “I’ll let you off 

easy this time!” 

...Well, I guess it’s not really like that. 

“Thank you, Miss Francette!” 

It was the boy who had first brought us to the village. I looked over 

to find the hoe he was still gripping in his hand had some black-red 

blood caked onto it. ...Already battle-tested, eh? 

This boy seemed to think Francette exercised the most authority in 

our group. Well, Roland and Francette were obviously the most 

important-looking just based on their equipment, and Roland tended 

to hold women in high esteem, particularly me and Francette, so it 

couldn’t be helped if Francette looked to be at the top of the food 

chain... I mean, the hierarchy. And above all, Francette was the one 

who had put effort into training the boy in the use of the sword, and 

she was obviously more skilled than Roland, so the boy thought of 

Francette as the biggest authority figure among us. 

“I’ll train hard and buy a real sword instead of using farming tools! 

Then I’m gonna kill every bandit out there!” 

He seemed to think Francette would praise and encourage him for 

killing the bandits, and for steeling his resolve to protect the village. 

 

249 

But Francette shook her head. 

“Then you would no longer be a farmer.” 

“Huh...?” 

He didn’t understand what she was saying. The boy looked at 

Francette with a blank expression, and she continued: 

“You mustn’t learn martial arts just for the sake of killing other 

people. It must be to better yourself, and to protect those you care 

about. ...You may end up killing others, at times, as a result. But if 

you learn the martial arts because you wish to kill, that would make 

you more like a bandit than a knight or a farmer. Sir Roland and I did 

not teach you how to wield a sword for something like that. 

“The people here fought bravely and drove off the bandits this time 

around, despite having no combat training. This victory wasn’t 

achieved from a desire to kill the bandits, but everyone’s genuine, 

desperate will and desire to protect their fellow villagers. Protecting 

the village is not about an eager drive to murder... 

“It’s about everyone in the village cooperating together, and having a 

strong will. You certainly don’t need a bloodthirsty killer among you 

to accomplish that.” 

He clearly didn’t understand everything Francette had said, but the 

boy did seem to get the gist of it. His right hand holding the hoe 

loosened its grip, and he nodded. The adults around Francette who 

had been listening would likely repeat what she had said to the 

children later. 

The young adults, who had been getting overly excited and rowdy, 

quieted down, and the mood grew heavy. But the old men used the 

wisdom of their years and raised their voices to liven up the feast 

once more. They produced what seemed to be their secret stash of 

mead and alcohol, made from local fruits and grains, but since the 

 

250 

captured bandits were still around, my group and a portion of the 

villagers held back on any alcohol intake. 

We chose to eat the best dishes offered, said our farewells to the 

mayor and a few of the older villagers, then slipped out of the feast, 

which would likely go on for some time. The elderly villagers sensed 

that we didn’t want to stay long, so they gave us their thanks and 

saw us off. Being rich with experience, it seemed they were rather 

perceptive about this sort of thing. 

Oh, and I advised them to disarm all those traps we had prepared 

but ended up not using. I didn’t want the villagers to accidentally get 

caught in one of them, after all. They may have gone unused this 

time, but setting those traps was a useful experience, so it definitely 

wasn’t a waste. Failures and mistakes are useful, so long as they 

contribute to the next attempt. Nothing in life is a waste. All those 

times I had to clash with my shitty superiors and supervisors helped 

me level up my patience and ability to ignore irritating things, so they 

weren’t wasted. 

Yeah, I’m sure of it! 

＊ ＊ 

Francette seemed to be deep in thought as we walked down a 

mountain path that was little more than an animal trail. 

“Is something bothering you?” 

“Oh, no... I was just thinking about that village...” 

I tried talking to her, but it seemed she wasn’t too deep in thought. It 

was just on her mind a bit. 

“A small village manages to survive by enduring exploitation from 

bandits, and without handing over their food and their girls, but now 

that they’ve learned to fight back, you’re worried about whether 

they can keep it up. Is that it?” 

 

251 

“...Yes. Once they start fighting back, one mistake will lead to the 

destruction of the entire village. And there’s no guarantee that it will 

always go well like it did this time...” 

That much was obvious. Fortune decides the outcome of any given 

battle. 

“They may all get wiped out some day.” 

“Y-You say that so dryly...” 

Francette’s eyes widened, but it was the truth. 

“Depending on the scale they’re dealing with, it’s up to the villagers 

to decide to fight or do as they’re told like before. It’s not as if they 

always have to fight. And no matter what they choose and how 

things end up, they now have the freedom of choice. All we did was 

give them a free trial run with a safety net this one time, and one 

extra option moving forward. Whatever they do now isn’t our 

concern, and we can’t be responsible for it. That’s all there is to it.” 

“...” 

Francette was rather hardheaded and obsessed with justice. 

Even though she’s around thirty... Whoa!!! 

Yeah, I had just narrowly avoided a boomerang thrown at me. That 

would’ve been fatal... 

Anyway, it was all over with. There was nothing we could do now. So, 

we were going to spend some time at the hot spring and depart after 

enjoying another soak in the morning. 

After all, the goal of this entire trip was to go on a staff vacation and 

visit hot springs. It was an episode of “Witnessed by the 

Housekeeper! College Girls Hot Spring Gourmet Timetable Murder 

Case!” Yes, the hot spring was all that mattered! Everything else was 

the whims of the Goddess. 

 

252 

I had just so happened to come across someone and decided to help 

them through their trouble. It was a singular, fortunate event. It 

absolutely didn’t mean I would take care of them forever. That’s just 

how it was. 

 

We arrived at the hot springs, so I shooed Roland and Emile away 

and immediately got into the water. 

What’s that? The women got to go in first last time too? Women 

take longer, so maybe the guys should go in first, you say? I don’t 

care! Hmm, Francette seems to be deep in thought. I think I’ll modify 

the lion head to increase its healing effects and add a relaxation 

effect, too. And... there. 

Hm? Wait a minute. I feel like I’m forgetting something... Oh! 

“Belle, Francette, can you come over here?” 

And as the girls and I enjoyed the hot spring together... 

“Who goes there?!” Francette called out in a low, sharp voice. She 

immediately picked up her sword, which lay next to a nearby rock, 

taking a fighting stance with her sword’s point toward the shadows. 

Belle and I positioned ourselves to protect Layette and backed up a 

bit, with our bodies still in the water. 

Then... 

“What happened?!” 

“Lady Kaoru!!!” 

Roland and Emile popped out of the bushes behind us, swords 

drawn. Then they froze, standing bolt upright, their faces tight... 

There was nothing and no one in the direction Francette was 

pointing her sword. 

Francette’s face turned toward Roland and Emile. 

 

253 

Likewise, Belle, Layette, and I also turned toward the two men. 

Roland and Emile turned pale in response. 

Our faces distorted in anger, and our bodies were neatly covered 

with towels. 

“I wonder...where have you two been, and what were you doing? 

Why did you think there was trouble when Francette spoke in such a 

low voice? When the villager kids appeared the first time, how did 

you show up so quickly? I wonder... I wonder... I wonder...?” 

“Gya...” 

“Gya?” 

“Gyaaaaaaaaagh!!!” 

And so, the trial had begun. 

“Guilty!” 

“Guiltyyy!” 

“Already?! That was a quick decision!!!” 

It was time for Roland and Emile to receive their punishment. If I had 

let Francette punish Roland and Belle punish Emile, they would have 

gone easy on them, so I made them swap. Then, I whispered in their 

ears. 

“Belle. Roland tried to peep on you and I while we were naked.” 

Tching! 

Belle’s face contorted with rage. Then... 

“Francette. Emile tried to peep on you and I while we were naked.” 

Fwsh... 

All the emotion drained from Francette’s face. 

Roland and Emile turned chalk-white. 

 

254 

“W-Wait...” 

“H-Help...” 

Not my problem! 

In fact... 

“Did you two think I wasn’t mad, too?” 

“But we aren’t interested in you and Layette...” 

Snap! 

“Gyaaaaaa!!!” 

...I messed up. I had turned up the hot spring’s healing effects for 

Francette, so when Roland and Emile went in later, they recovered 

right away. 

Damn... 

The next day, we had another leisurely soak in the hot spring and 

made our way home, full of energy... 

Completely forgetting that I had set the lion head to increase the 

water’s healing properties and relaxation effects, without ever 

removing it... 

  

  

 

 

255 

Extra Story: Roland’s Melancholy 

What can I do...? 

One day, Francette had suddenly come to the royal palace and said 

that she would follow Kaoru, and that she wanted to cancel our 

engagement. Surprised, I had asked her what it was about, and she 

had informed me of the earth-shaking news that Kaoru was 

departing from the kingdom! Actually, that she wanted to cancel our 

engagement was an even greater incident! I had asked her for details 

in a panic, and I found out that Kaoru’s reason for her journey was to 

find herself a partner! If that happened, Kaoru would stay wherever 

she found her partner, and our kingdom would lose the protection of 

the Goddess. 

Not only that, but there were sure to be rumors about our kingdom 

driving away the Goddess, or that we had been abandoned by the 

Goddess, and those would quickly get out of hand. 

Plus, Francette would likely follow Kaoru and stay wherever she 

ended up! That’s just how she was! This meant our nation would not 

only lose our Goddess, but we would lose Francette, who was known 

as our ‘great hero,’ the ‘guardian of the kingdom,’ and, of course, 

‘Fearsome Fran.’ 

...And I would lose my fiancee. I, a man of the royal family, would be 

one-sidedly abandoned by my betrothed. 

Gyaaaaaaaaa!!! I-I can’t let that happen! I-I must prevent that, no 

matter what! 

But I couldn’t use my station or physical force to stop Kaoru. 

Wh-What should I do...? 

I know!!! 

“I will go with you!” 

 

256 

“Huh...?” Francette looked at me, wide eyed, but I didn’t care! 

There’s no escape! I won’t let you or Kaoru get away, Francette!!! 

...And so, here we are. 

As Kaoru’s companion, Francette and I were on an eventful journey 

with two kids and a younger child. 

Emile is sixteen, so he’s not a kid anymore? Sixteen is still a little 

brat! Definitely a kid! 

Francette was now sleeping next to me. 

...In the bed next to mine! She said we wouldn’t share a bed until we 

were married, but I knew what she was really thinking. If she got 

pregnant, she wouldn’t be able to continue traveling with Kaoru. 

I mean, unlike commoners, nobles and royals sought purity and 

celibacy from their marriage partners, so she wasn’t wrong to hold 

out until marriage. Bloodline was everything to nobles and royals. 

But we were engaged, so how about a little, you know... 

Damn it! 

Then when would Kaoru’s journey end so we could return to the 

kingdom and get married? And if Kaoru decided to live somewhere 

else, would Francette come back to the kingdom? And would Kaoru, 

who didn’t look any different after all these years and could have 

been tens of thousands of years old but still hadn’t found a marriage 

partner, be able to find someone to marry in the next ten or twenty 

years? Would her marriage partner even be human? If she was 

looking for a god roaming the human realm like herself, maybe it was 

going to take hundreds, if not thousands, of years. 

...Francette and I wouldn’t be alive that long! Wait, I’d known 

Francette for over four years now, but it didn’t seem like she’d aged 

since... No no no, I was concerned about that before and asked 

Kaoru about it behind Francette’s back once. 

 

257 

She told me, “I don’t think I added an anti-aging effect to that 

potion...” 

That’s what she said, anyway. Her questionable phrasing made me a 

bit anxious, but I chose to believe it didn’t have any such effects... 

Anyway, this was a troubling situation. Pretty bad, in fact. 

The way Kaoru was looking to other countries for procreation, how 

Francette always followed Kaoru around, the way I always got 

brushed aside, everything! All I could do was sabotage things from 

behind the scenes to prevent Kaoru from hooking up with someone 

from another country, but Francette stuck her head out from the 

alley to watch over Kaoru’s shop every day. From morning to night... 

No, even through the night... 

Francette seemed to have limitless energy, but I felt like she was 

looking a little tired as of late... Wait, when did she sleep, anyway? 

Oh no. Come to think of it, the situation may have been worse than I 

imagined. 

If Francette fell ill... well, I guess we had Kaoru’s potions. If Francette 

made a mistake due to fatigue and lack of sleep, getting injured as a 

result... well, I guess we had Kaoru’s potions. I mean, even if she did 

slip up from being so tired, she’d probably get away with a minor 

scrape. It was hard to imagine Fearsome Fran would sustain an injury 

from an enemy force of less than a thousand men. 

Those who aren’t from our kingdom seem to think that that’s some 

story we made up to make her seem like a hero, but Francette would 

actually pull it off. She’d take on one or two thousand with relative 

ease... 

She hadn’t gotten her nickname for nothing. 

Anyway, this was bad! No matter what anyone said, this was a dire 

situation! Francette and I had been training Emile to get stronger, 

but he had a long way to go. He could probably take on five or six 

 

258 

common thugs at once. If we were dealing with trained soldiers, or 

Rank C hunters or higher, maybe two or three opponents at once 

would be the best he could hope for. 

Belle? She may have managed to take out one person in exchange 

for her own life, or stop a knife by being a human shield, but that 

would be it. Kaoru would never let that happen, though. Realistically, 

all Belle could do was watch over Layette. 

Anyway, there’s no need for Francette to be so worried about Kaoru 

in the first place. Francette has seen what Kaoru is capable of, many 

times, with her own eyes. Those who have tried to harm Kaoru have 

had their heads blown up, have dropped to the floor spitting out 

blood, and been struck with lightning. We’ve even seen her run 

through the chest with a blade and still be fine... 

I tried to convince Francette not to be so extreme with her attempts 

to protect Kaoru, primarily by arguing that Kaoru would be saddened 

if something happened to her from overworking herself, but she 

responded, “What if something unexpected happened to her?!” and 

“What if Lady Kaoru abandoned humankind because we upset her, 

and she ascended to heaven?!”, firming up her resolve even further... 

Ahhh, what was I supposed to do...? 

It had been problem after problem, lately, and the only good thing 

that had happened recently was Kaoru gifting me a sword... 

I had been trying to convince her to do that every single day, and she 

finally granted me the divine sword Exhovud upon declaring, 

“Aaagh! Shaddap! Fine! Just leave me alone already!” 

It may have been inferior to Francette’s Exgram, but was comparable 

to the swords bestowed to the four royal guards, the Exhrotti. 

Unbreaking, unbending, easy to maintain because it repelled blood, 

and it never lost its sharpness. Truly a weapon made for the lazy. Its 

 

259 

ease of maintenance was one thing, but the fact that it never broke 

despite how rough it was treated gave it a great sense of reliability. 

Kaoru had indicated many times that the fact that a member of the 

royal line had received a divine sword must be kept a complete 

secret, but that much was obvious. Even an idiot would know it 

would be bad if word got out that a member of the royal family had 

received a divine sword from a goddess. Some would scheme to take 

advantage of it, and the religious factions like the Temple of the 

Goddess would start making political moves, and most of all, my 

brother Serge’s claim to the throne would be in danger. 

It was very unfortunate that I couldn’t brag about my sword, but this 

was one secret I had to keep. The fact that I had a divine sword still 

remained, so I had no reason to complain. 

A divine sword... 

The weapon I had always wanted, granted only to heroes chosen by 

divinity! 

Ahh! Ahhh! Aaaaaahhh!!! Haah... Haah... Whew, I got a little 

excited... 

＊ ＊ 

Soon, we were going to arrive at Beliscas, the town where we 

planned on staying next. 

“Kaoru, I wanted to ask you for a favor...” 

Hm? Francette’s asking Kaoru for something. 

“What is it?” 

“I want to be someone who can live with you in your next 

‘backstory.’ It’s a bit too difficult to keep watch over you at all times 

when we live in separate residences...” 

 

260 

“Of course it would be difficult! What did... Wait, why were you 

watching me at all times in the first place?!” 

Was she crazy?! I couldn’t believe she was planning on watching over 

Kaoru all day while living separately. Anyone other than Francette 

would have fallen unconscious from fatigue by now. 

But now, Kaoru would likely accommodate Francette’s request in her 

backstory. It would all be fine now... Wait. Wait a second! What did 

Francette just say? 

“I want to be someone who can live with you...” 

“I want to be someone who...” 

“I want to...” 

“I...” “I...” “I...” 

Why “I” and not “we”? What about me? What about meeeeee!!!