Chapter 85:
The Strength of the Empire
“Is this a ‘red mark’ job?” the voices of the Crimson Vow chimed in unison.
The guild master was unable to reply.
They were right, after all. This was a so-called red mark job. That alone was enough cause for any normal hunting party to decline the request.
Indeed, even if it was at a guild master’s direct request, and even if the contribution points might be decent, there was little incentive to accept a job where the pay was relatively bad and there was a chance one might not come back alive. It was impossible for the dead to collect a reward, after all.
Of course, if there were massive profits to be had, parties might be more inclined to brave some danger. However, this was not the case with “red mark” jobs, which, by definition, offered an unfavorable ratio of risk to reward. Even if the potential
payoff let you live in luxury for the next ten years, a less than ten percent chance of coming back alive made it simply not worth it.
These were the sorts of job no one would be expected to take. And for the most part, hunters refused them.
Normal hunters, anyway.
Mavis smiled at the guild master. “Please tell us a bit more about it.”
It should go without saying that the members of the Crimson Vow were not normal hunters.
“Of course, this doesn’t mean that we’re accepting the job just yet. We’d just like to hear a bit more about the circumstances and job expectations.”
When Mavis spoke, the guild master had begun to look hopeful, but his expression faded again at Pauline’s words.
“Of course. I’d never push this on you without explaining it first—and I would never encourage a hunter to accept a job without sufficient information. Are you all aware of the Albarn Empire’s recent attempt at invading the Kingdom of Brandel? It ended in failure, with an unexpected and immediate full-scale resistance from Brandel’s forces.”
“Ah, y-yes, we’d heard something about that…” A bit frazzled, Mavis managed to squeeze out a reply. Not only had they heard about it, they had been directly involved in making it happen.
“Ah, that’s right! You all were traveling westward at the time. I suppose you would’ve… There was also that illegal intrusion in the Amroth area… Wait, I’m an idiot! You were there, weren’t you?”
“Ha ha ha.”
The members of the Crimson Vow laughed uncomfortably, choosing not to reveal that this was not the only related incident they had been involved in.
“Anyway, it seems the palace would like to dispatch a team to look into these suspicious bastards, but it stands to reason these guys will be on the lookout for anything of the kind. As such, anyone entering the country under suspicious circumstances is likely to be followed. And if any spies are discovered, there’s no doubt that they will be killed. Anyone the Albarnians send out are gonna be pros, so they’ll be able to identify a trained soldier or spy from a mile away. But we were wondering if you might be able to slip past them…”
“So the idea is that you would send in someone who’s skilled enough to deceive them?” Mavis asked.
The guild master shook his head.
“Take covert action to evade detection?” Pauline offered.
The guild master shook his head again.
“Kill all the lookouts?”
“That would start a war!!!”
Reina’s suggestion was utterly absurd. However…
“Send in amateurs?” said Mile.
“Uh…” The guild master looked dumbfounded.
“A ha ha! Obviously not!” Mavis laughed.
“Miley, there’s no way—” Pauline cut in.
“Could you try saying something sensible sometimes? People are going to think we’re idiots!” Reina chided.
The guild master, however, was silent.
“Huh?”
“Huh…?”
“Huh???”
“Don’t tell me…”
Mile smiled smugly as the guild master quietly nodded.
“ So we’re just pawns?!?!”
“ Huh? ”
“ You aren’t seriously calling us ‘amateurs,’ are you? ”
In the face of Mavis, Reina, and Pauline’s rage, the guild master hastened to explain himself.
“Of course not! No amateur would have the know-how to collect the necessary information, properly analyze it, and then judge what was relevant or not. Doing so would require a specialized education, and…”
“You still haven’t said we’re not amateurs!” Reina snapped.
“We can’t risk sending anyone who’s clearly physically trained and drilled with martial knowledge. Instead, we’ve chosen a few greenhorns who, like you, have plenty of know-how but won’t attract attention. What we’re asking you all to do is to guard them. In other words, this is just a particularly important escort mission. If our agents’ guards are visibly overpowered or seem like soldiers in disguise, their cover will be blown. This makes you perfect for the job—a party who’d never be mistaken for soldiers or spies, but will still be able to protect our agents from bandits or monsters.”
Everyone was silent. But, as they thought about what the guild master was saying, they had to admit it made sense. It was true that if things went poorly, they might be attacked by imperial soldiers. However, the Crimson Vow was not the sort of party to turn down a job simply because it was dangerous. Furthermore, all of the Empire’s actions as of late—the attempted trade blocked by the disguised soldiers, the instigation of treasonous acts against the villagers during the fairy-hunting incident, the curtailed invasion of Mile’s homeland—could be considered acts of hostility toward everyone the Crimson Vow held dear, and even toward their own future livelihoods.
Plus, if things went poorly—and even if they went well—there was likely to be a new attempt at invading Mile’s, or rather, Adele’s, motherland of Brandel. Yes, that was incredibly likely.
Furthermore, it did not seem that this scheme was one that the guild master had cooked up himself. This had to be an item straight from the royal agenda, something that no mere guild master would be proposing on his own. He had spoken of “a few greenhorns with plenty of know-how,” and somehow, the members of the Crimson Vow suspected that these would not be members of the guild staff. Indeed, such a person would likely come from the military or the palace.
So, it was most certainly the palace who had issued the request. The next question was whether it was the royals themselves, or the guild master, who had thought to present this task to the Crimson Vow?
There could be only one reply for a rookie C-rank party aiming to become A-ranks one day.
After exchanging looks with her fellow party members, Reina declared, “We will accept this red mark job!”
“Um, I thought I was the party leader…” muttered Mavis, for what felt like the hundredth time.
***
“Off we go again, huh?” asked Mile as they made their way back to the inn.
“Well, we shouldn’t be gone that long this time. This is just an escort mission, really. There are plenty of jobs like this that might take you away for a whole month,” said Pauline.
“I guess that’s true. Still, it almost seems like they were just waiting for us to get back…”
“Actually, they probably were waiting for us,” replied Mavis.
“Huh?” Mile seemed surprised.
“Well, I mean, if they ended up waiting for a while and we didn’t show up, they would probably have found some other party to do it. But clearly the guild master had us in mind. So when we did return within an acceptable time frame, they probably waited for us to finish resting up, which wasn’t really all that long, even when you count the time we spent with the Servants…”
There were few guild masters in the world who would extend such consideration to a novice C-rank party. If what Mavis theorized was true, they had been honored with very special treatment.
“I wonder…” began Reina, doubtful. Regardless of the truth, the end result was the same: The guild master had offered this job to the Crimson Vow, and they had accepted. That was where things stood.
Lenny was flabbergasted at the party’s news.
“What?! You’re heading out again? But you all just got back!”
“Well, not exactly. We’re not going off on a journey this time, just a normal round-trip job escorting a small merchant caravan to another country,” Mavis explained.
Lenny was quiet. Though she was always quite blunt with the other three members of the Crimson Vow, for some reason, she could never stand up to Mavis.
“It would really give us that extra bit of encouragement we need to know that you’re waiting here for us, Miss Lenny!”
“Wh-wha…?” Lenny blushed and dashed away into the kitchen, cheeks pink.
“Mavis, I swear…” Reina sighed.
“Huh? What?”
Mavis was oblivious. Truly, having such natural magnetism with the ladies was a fearsome power!
Despite what she had said to Lenny, this job was still a journey. A journey of nearly a month, in fact, plus some time spent at their destination. Of course, the Crimson Vow didn’t need to prepare for travel, so the number of days they would be gone was irrelevant to them. All of their luggage, a large amount of food, and other daily necessities were all contained within Mile’s “storage.”
This is bad, Reina thought as she remarked, not for the first time, on the ease of their preparations. I can’t imagine life as a hunter without Mile…
On numerous occasions, Reina had tried to instill in herself a sense of discipline, so that she would not forget how to live as a normal hunter. Yet in spite of her best efforts, she had grown so accustomed to this lifestyle that it was hard to even imagine traveling without some magical storage on hand.
At least Reina was aware of this. Mavis and Pauline, who had no hunting experience prior to meeting Mile, and virtually none without her since, had zero sense of their own shortcomings in this area. Sure, they had done a few days of “Mile-free” practice on days off when she was not around, but they’d treated those the same way a group of city kids might enjoy going camping and “roughing it” now and then.
Perhaps Mavis and Pauline, who had never experienced loss in the way Reina had, believed that the four of them would simply continue on in this life indefinitely. Reina, however, knew that such a thing was an impossibility…
Ugghh! That storage magic is way too convenient! It’s just unfair!
Indeed, it was a devilish magic, that storage spell… Though of course, unlike Mile’s “storage magic, or something like it,” most normal storage magic would still see its contents spoiled by the passage of time. Let alone have the capacity to so easily accommodate a tent or washroom or an entire dragon…
***
Two days later…
“We are the merchants who have hired you.”
The members of the Crimson Vow found themselves face-to-face with the three self-proclaimed merchants. The three men, one in his mid-thirties, one in his mid-forties, and one in his late forties, were all thinly built, none appearing especially muscular.
Normally, a merchant would not be quite so explicit in his introduction—he would merely introduce himself as the client, or give his name. Indeed, given the setup and the specifications of the job, there was no need to specifically present oneself as a merchant, and yet this is what the man had done.
All of which meant it was highly unlikely that these were actual merchants. Of course, the members of the Crimson Vow were already well aware of this, based on what the guild master had told them.
The Vow and their clients confirmed the requirements of the job—to escort this caravan of three wagons to the capital of Albarn, along Albarn’s main highway, then make a few stops around the Empire before returning—along with the outline of their planned route. These plans were nothing more than provisional; the route itself and the towns they would stop in were subject to change, depending on the circumstances of the trip.
It made sense, of course, to remain flexible—even normal merchants would do the same. A bridge might be flooded out after a big rain, a mountain pass might become impassable following a landslide, or the price of the goods they were carrying might rise in one area and fall in another; to be able to change plans according to new information was a necessary skill for any capable trader. The only exception to this was when one had a contract or agreement in place ahead of time.
“No need to be tense,” said one of the men, dropping his merchant guise to speak frankly. “We aren’t the only investigators, after all. We’ve already sent a number of teams out into the Empire, in a number of disguises: peddlers carrying their wares on their back, those pulling carts, independent merchants with just one wagon, and even some non-merchants, such as hunters, missionary priests, and so on… Although, of course, those aren’t their main occupations. And there’s no telling how many of them are going to get useful information or how many will make it back safe.”
“What do you mean, ‘No need to be tense’?!” raged Reina. “If you’ve got someone else who can bring back the necessary information, then you don’t care if this whole team gets wiped out? I certainly won’t stand for that! You can all go and throw your lives away if you want, but spare us the involvement!”
Putting your life on the line to protect someone was all part of a guard’s job, and naturally, death was a possibility one accepted. However, being subject to the whims of an employer who cared nothing for their own lives and intended to act recklessly was grounds for cancellation. Seeing Reina’s point, the men quickly backpedaled.
“N-no, that wasn’t what I meant! I just meant that those guys are the ones who are in charge of the more direct, illegal approaches. All we’re expected to do is to act as normal merchants and bring back any information that we ‘just so happen to overhear’—nothing dangerous. We will be adjusting our route based on the information we gather, but we won’t be doing anything extreme. We have specialists to take care of that sort of thing, and we’ll leave it to them. We’re just bureaucrats; we don’t have any training or practice in warfare or espionage…
“This isn’t one of those Miami Satodele books where we’ll be collecting intel by some outrageously dangerous method. We’re just going to have some conversations with the locals, gather some rumors, and do our best to run down a few leads. That’s what we’re most suited to. We aren’t going to do anything at all illegal or risky, so you can just think of us as perfectly normal merchants.”
Even if they went on to desk jobs, if this were modern-day Earth, these men would have at least received the basic training required of all members of the armed forces. Perhaps this was not the case in this world, or at least within Tils…
Or, they might really be bureaucrats or office workers and not soldiers at all…
Mile shrugged. She had heard that even in modern-day Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, the desk jockeys were not considered true SDF members and did not go through tactical or physical training.
Meanwhile, Reina sheathed her proverbial sword. It seemed she had misinterpreted their clients, though she certainly had no intention of apologizing. How else was she supposed to have interpreted the man’s words?
The clients did not appear to mind Reina’s ire. Perhaps they were good-natured sorts, or at least patient enough that that sort of thing was not enough to wound them.
At any rate, things went more smoothly after that.
“Huh? Yes, well, I suppose that’s fine, but…”
Out of nowhere, Pauline had asked whether their employers minded if the Crimson Vow did some of their own business along the way. Though the client was a bit bewildered, he offered a tentative affirmative. The guild master had told him ahead of time that there was a storage magic user among the escorting hunters. As such, he assumed that the Crimson Vow merely wished to take advantage of any resources in their storage to make a little bit of pocket money.
It was easy to overlook a group of young girls running a little side hustle between guard duties. After all, their guarding work would mainly be done while the group was moving between towns, and no one expected them to get into any scuffles as a result of their sales. Even if they were busy selling their goods, they would remain right beside their clients, leaving plenty of time to come to the rescue if some local hooligans were to come causing trouble. All in all, the notion was a fine one.
Plus, the aim of this expedition was to gather information, not to turn a profit. Their aim was to sell low and buy high in order to attract as many people as possible and gather all the information they could. Having some young ladies peddling their wares alongside them might even bring in more business…
Yet, when the client suggested this—
“Are you serious?!” Pauline shouted.
“You’re giving peddlers a bad name!!!” Reina raged.
“If you sell your goods at substantially lower than local market price, you’re going to cause a commotion and be a bother to the other merchants!”
“You’re supposed to be spies! What are you thinking? You’d have to be stupid to want to stand out like that!”
“If your prices are clearly way too low or too high, everyone is gonna be suspicious of you! What townspeople are gonna share their gossip with someone suspicious?!”
It was an utter beatdown. Given their own backgrounds, there was no way that either Pauline or Reina could accept this plan.
“It’s hard to even tell who’s the real merchant at this rate…” Mile stewed. “Or wait, I guess our clients here aren’t real merchants…”
It was just as Mile said. Though she was still quite young at the time, Reina had helped with her father’s business, playing salesclerk alongside him, which meant that she could at least be said to have some experience as a merchant. Likewise with Pauline, who had helped at her own father’s shop…
“Also, you’re all a bit shrimpy-looking. You should put on a few layers under your clothes, or roll up a spare change of underwear in there, so you can look a bit plumper.”
Pauline wasn’t wrong. The three men were all rather thin and shabby in appearance. This was probably inevitable, given that the trio was comprised of office workers of some description. However, if they were truly to pass for merchants successful enough to command a whole caravan—not foot peddlers or those with hand-drawn carts—one would expect a bit more meat on the men’s bones. Plumpness equaled profits and would ensure they would not be mistaken for a pauper or bandit in disguise.
Furthermore, in order to ascertain the quality of foodstuffs one might purchase, a refined palate was required, so it was as good as common knowledge in this world that any skilled merchant was rotund.
Weight equaled wealth; it was a mark of success and a way to attract the ladies. This also meant that no one was going around wasting money on dieting fads.
It was time for Pauline and Reina to step up. “Starting now, we will be your guides. Before we set out, you all are going to learn the ways of the merchant!” Pauline and Reina’s Merchant School was open for business.
Why, Mile wondered, were they quite so fired up about this? It seemed a bit out of character to—
“And then we’re going shopping!”
They seemed equally fired up about the commercial aspect of this journey. Perhaps they had caught on to Mile’s side hustle during the dwarven village incident and intended to orchestrate something similar.
The clients did not seem to be especially concerned about any of this, likely assuming that the Crimson Vow did not have very much in the way of storage capacity. In this world, common sense would suggest a girl like Mile could store a few dozen kilograms at least, and two to three hundred kilograms at most. How wrong they were.
***
“We’ll be heading out the day after tomorrow, so let’s use today and tomorrow to stock up!”
After their little merchant charm school wrapped up its lessons, the Crimson Vow’s pair of resident merchants urged Mile swiftly along to the wholesale district. This was not the typical shopping area lined with retail storefronts, but a neighborhood filled with warehouses where one could buy in bulk.
While this was the sort of behavior one might expect of Pauline, Reina seemed unusually enthusiastic. Perhaps she was recalling her younger days, when she traveled as a peddler with her father? Of course, Mavis tagged along too, probably not wishing to be the odd woman out,.
“Mile, do you know much about the Empire?” asked Pauline.
“Ah, well, I did at least have a private tutor until I was eight. And though I dropped out, I had classroom lessons at an academy in the capital for a while. So I at least know a bit about our neighboring land…” Mile answered bashfully.
Mile—or rather, Adele—was no star pupil. Still, it was obvious to everyone at the Academy that this was a front.
“So then, you must know why they’re referred to as a major power?”
“Of course! There are three areas where they’re powerful: size of territory, military strength, and…burden on the population.”
“Well done!” said Pauline, patting Mile on the head. Mile giggled.
Indeed, while the Albarn Empire spanned a vast territory, it was not an especially fertile land. Large swathes of the nation were comprised of wilderness and precipitous mountain ranges, with few major rivers flowing through the country’s interior. Those tributaries that did exist were mostly small streambeds, which carried little water and quickly dried up. Thus, food was often insufficient, and the economy was troubled. They had plenty of wood and mineral resources but little to distinguish themselves from the neighboring lands.
Furthermore, there was little profit to be had in transporting large quantities of wood or iron over long distances along the sharply graded roads. Other countries had plenty of their own resources already. There had yet to be any Industrial Revolution, so there was little need for mass quantities of iron and copper. Most countries were perfectly self-sufficient with respect to natural resources.
Even if they could turn a profit in such ventures, there was the threat of bandits and monsters lying in wait for returning caravans laden with profits and newly purchased goods… Trade with other countries was simply out of the question.
The Empire had no farmland, no food, no money…and an abundance of both iron with which to forge weapons and wood to fuel the fires of the forge. There was truly only one path they could follow with no detours: the military one. They invested all their resources in arming their troops, placing further stress on their food sources and the economy. All of which meant that there was only one way to see returns on that investment:
War. Pillaging. Acquiring new territory and fertile lands. Conquering an indentured labor force they could work into the ground, and a population that would become their new second-class citizenry.
This was how the future of the Albarn Empire would be decided.
Would they absorb the surrounding lands and become a true superpower? Or were they on the road to ruin at the hands of the other nations who would rally together and crush them?
“Oh, over there! We can get tons of cheap wheat from that dealer! We don’t want pricey goods, just lots of cheap stuff that people in the Empire can buy. Because of limited carrying capacities, normal merchants have to stock more expensive merchandise in order to turn a profit, but we have Mile, so…”
“Our dear Mile…”
“Ha ha…”
“Ah ha ha…” Mile’s laugh rang a little empty compared to the others.
As long as Pauline is happy… And we’ll be saviors! All of the citizens of the empire will be overjoyed!
“Hee hee. Ee hee hee hee…”
“Mile! Let’s stop by some shops that sell cheap booze for the masses! If it’s the low-quality stuff, then the people in the Empire should be able to buy it!”
“R-Reina, you can’t just go around shouting things like ‘cheap booze’!” Mile hurriedly interrupted. If the citizens and merchants around overheard Reina carrying on, they would be grabbing her by the collar to pick a fight in no time.
She couldn’t help but notice, again, how unusually enthusiastic Reina seemed. If stocking up on goods for sale was reminding her of traveling with her father in her youth…well, that was better than growing gloomy at the memory of those she had lost.
“I wonder if we should stock up on some luxury items, too,” Reina continued. “We can’t push the price of stuff like flour or salt too high, but we can sell luxury goods at whatever price we want. If there are shortages, and enough folks are desperate to get their hands on our goods, we can milk ’em for all they’re worth!”
“No, Reina, look, you can’t just go around shouting like this…” Mile protested again, but she was unable to halt Reina’s rampage. She looked to Pauline for back-up, but—
“Hee hee hee… Eee hee hee hee hee hee…”
It was no use. Pauline was just as bad as Reina, perhaps already riding the high of what would be their first true mercantile venture. This was no simple negotiation or the straightforward sale of their homemade figures—for once they were choosing their own stock and setting their own prices.
For the entire day and the next, Pauline and Reina dragged Mile all around town on their grand mercantile scheme…
***
“All right! It’s time to set out!”
“Yeah!”
At Mile’s shout, all three wagons began moving.
Though they were filled with goods, each one was outfitted with simple canvases. From afar, they were indistinguishable from cheap passenger wagons. Of course, given that there were three of them traveling in tandem, and there were no mounted guards in sight, it would be plenty clear to anyone that this was in fact a small merchant caravan.
The traveling party consisted of the three faux merchants and their three wagons, along with three drivers and the four members of the Crimson Vow.
Each of the wagons was drawn by two horses. When traveling the hilly roads of the Empire, it was desirable to have a surplus of towing power—which meant two horses at minimum. Assuming, that is, that one had the funds to invest, desired a consistent travel speed, and wanted to maintain a general standard of security. Naturally, this particular caravan was not the sort to sacrifice time or safety just to save a little bit of cash.
Typically, there would be one merchant riding in each of the wagons, but given that the three were not real merchants, there was no point in insisting on this. Besides, the road was long and boring, so instead the three of them rode together in the second wagon, where they would be able to talk. Truthfully, the Crimson Vow should have been riding in the same wagon as their clients—or perhaps, distributed themselves amongst all three wagons. However, it was tedious to sit alone with the cargo, and riding along with the merchants would be too stifling. With the men, they were restricted in the topics they might discuss, whereas alone, they could let loose and relax a little bit.
With all this in mind, it was determined that the members of the Crimson Vow would all ride together in the first wagon, an arrangement the merchants accepted with some relief. Perhaps they too would have felt stifled at having to spend such lengthy amounts of time with a group of young ladies.
Granted, any group of male hunters would have been thrilled at the idea of spending so much time up close and personal with the Crimson Vow, but these men were of a different sort.
“So, is everyone all right with the current plans for this escort?” asked Reina, as the Crimson Vow conferred in the first wagon. It was important to discuss these things in private in order to avoid revealing too much.
“Yes, sounds good to me.”
“I’m in!”
“No objections!”
The Crimson Vow was in agreement. They had already discussed their whole plan of action back at the inn, so this was nothing more than a formal confirmation. It was unimaginable that any of them would object at this point.
This expedition was a long-term trade foray, a condensed operation of three wagons crossing national borders. Common sense would suggest to any bandits that these wagons would be carrying high-priced goods—in other words, items that would allow a merchant to turn a profit even in relatively small quantities. In which case, one would expect a guard contingent.
It was due to these factors that the Crimson Vow had decided to ride inside the wagons.
If they were to show themselves, any bandits who saw them would assume that they must be dealing with a group of rookie merchants who hired some cheap, greenhorn C-rank hunter girls as a way to scrimp on coin. Under this assumption, they would descend on the group immediately, cackling all the way.
After all, the aim of this job was not bandit elimination. If they were to capture any thieves, dragging them all the way to the next town to turn in to the authorities would slow their speed considerably. There was not enough space to carry additional people in the wagons, and it was always an ordeal trying to make uncooperative bandits walk.
Knowing this, the Crimson Vow was determined to concentrate on the job at hand—and they certainly were not going out of their way to purposely attract or capture any bandits, rewards or no.
If they did not show themselves, most sensible bandits would assume that these guards were rather skilled—senior enough that they would receive the preferential treatment of being allowed to ride inside the wagons instead of walking, even at the cost of space for the merchants’ inventory. Therefore, bandits would not attempt to attack them without some measure of caution.
In truth, the conjecture that there were “rather skilled” guards on board would be altogether accurate.
“So we’ll smother any sparks that come flying our way, save any ally spies from danger, fight for the sake of any beast-eared girls, chase down any profits, and never pass up any chance to look cool.”
“Of course! After all, we are…”
“The Crimson Vow!!!”
The Empire had no idea what sort of absurdities were about to hit it.
***
The caravan set out from the capital headed towards the southwest. They would be approaching the country to the immediate west, Mile’s home country of Brandel, but rather than crossing the border there, they would turn southward into the Albarn Empire.
The group assumed that nothing of note would occur between their starting point and the border of Albarn. As long as no particularly stupid bandits got it into their heads to attack, that part of their journey should go smoothly.
There were not very many merchants who would purposely head toward the Albarn Empire. Given the precipitously sloping roads, traveling through the region meant increasing the number of one’s horses and lessening one’s load. Those carrying their goods on foot would never be able to weather such a journey. Furthermore, the general market conditions in Albarnian towns were bleak, the citizens possessed of little purchasing power, and the political climate was less than favorable as well.
With this in mind, it was only natural that few merchants would possess the whimsy—or rather, foolishness—to purposely enter the Albarn Empire, especially when the Kingdoms of Brandel and Marlane to the west and east presented none of the same challenges. Some merchants might be tempted to make the grave miscalculation of assuming that the lack of competition in the Albarn Empire would allow them to make a killing. However, the reality was that there were no such windfalls to be found.
What this meant for the caravan was that they were a rare sight, but there was little they could do about that, and so, it was not something they could worry about.
“From here on out, we refer to this group as a normal merchant caravan,” Reina said. “We’ll refer to our clients only as ‘the clients’ or ‘the merchants’ or else by the shop name and their individual names. Mentioning anything about ‘spies,’ ‘the capital,’ or an ‘investigation’ is strictly forbidden. There could be eyes or ears anywhere, so we can’t talk about that stuff even when it’s just us. Plus, we need to get in the habit, so we don’t slip up in front of someone later. Understood?!”
The other members of the party nodded. This was the most basic of basics on a covert mission like this. All of them were well versed in such affairs…thanks to Miami Satodele’s spy thrillers.
Happily, their employers were on their level, too. There could be no blind spots among those who had studied with the most knowledgeable Miss Satodele.
In fact, if there was any major concern to be had, it would be that Miami Satodele’s novels were in circulation in the Albarn Empire, too. However, this had yet to occur to a single one of either party…
When they stopped to make camp, there was all the typical jaw-dropping on the parts of the merchants and drivers, who were amazed by the tent, the food, and everything else—but really, those scenes were business as usual, so I will spare you the details here.
***
“Why is it we’re already being attacked by bandits when we haven’t even made it over the border? On a road that so few merchants ever pass through…”
Indeed, the three wagons were surrounded by bandits, both fore and aft, blocked in by thick logs that the bandits had placed to prevent them from escaping. The Crimson Vow were within the wagon, not yet having revealed themselves to the brigands outside.
“It’s probably because so few merchants ever pass through. If it’s so rare for them to get any targets passing by, they probably don’t have the luxury of choosing which ones to approach,” supposed Mile.
“Ah…” the other three sighed.
The less abundant the prey, the more desperate the predator. A starved wolf cannot afford to be picky about what it hunts.
“Well then, why don’t they just move to somewhere with more targets?”
“Bandits need their own territories. Besides, they might not want to move away from where their families and relatives live. We can’t just assume that every single bandit is an orphan, without a single relation in the world. They might even just be farmers who do a bit of banditry on the side, or huntsmen’s wives with a part-time gig.”
“Ah…” Mavis seemed to buy Mile’s logic, but Reina just looked annoyed.
“Why is it that you always have a weird explanation for everything?!”
Clearly, she just wanted to fight the bandits and had no interest in theorizing about their livelihoods.
“Even so…” Pauline trailed off.
“Good point.” Mile nodded. “Right now, they’re nothing but bandits who are attacking these merchants. Even if their intention is not to wipe us all out, until the merchants surrender, they’re going to attack us with everything they’ve got, and I’m sure they won’t care if any of us wind up dead. And, even if we surrender, they won’t be satisfied by taking the cargo—they’ll want to take any girls who they can make some money off of, too. Such is the way of these kinds of criminals, after all!”
Mile had very little tolerance for those who broke rules without a care. Indeed, she carefully obeyed both the rules of this world—which clearly indicated that the guards of a merchant caravan attacked by bandits were justified in taking down those bandits—and the rules she had decided for herself—which she thought of as Mile’s rules, or “Mi-rules” for short.
Reina gave a shout. “Our objective is to crush those bandits! Crimson Vow, roll out!”
“All right!!!”
“Bwah ha ha ha ha!!!”
Seeing the hunters disembark from the head wagon, the bandits burst out laughing.
“We were wondering what kind of powerful guards these guys had with ’em, but it’s just some rookie little ladies!”
“Not that we were really concerned when we decided to attack. No matter how strong y’all were, we figured we could overwhelm you with numbers. No matter how powerful a knight is, he’s got no chance against a hundred farmers attacking him with bamboo spears. So with just four little greenhorns here… Still, we don’t wanna see anyone hurt on our side, so this is probably a blessing. Hurry up and surrender; leave your wagons, cargo, and equipment; and get outta here!”
The bandit party numbered just shy of twenty. They were a mixed group, none of them seeming especially filthy or grizzled, ranging in age from around fifteen or sixteen into their fifties.
These have gotta be a bunch of moonlighting farmers… the members of the Crimson Vow thought.
Despite the fact that there were four young girls present, these rabblerousers seemed perfectly content to take any valuables and leave the group unscathed. Rather considerate for a group of bandits, when you thought about it. Though, given that they weren’t professional bandits, they probably just lacked the connections necessary to take a group of women hostage and sell them off into slavery. (Of course, “professional bandits” was a rather odd turn of phrase…)
“All right! Just go ahead, and—”
“Firebomb!”
“Fireball!”
“Godspeed Blade!”
“Aqua Shower!”
Bwa-boom!
Ka-bwow!
Shnkshnkshnkshnkshnk!
Fwashaaa…
After Reina and Pauline’s fire attacks, Mile had chosen a water spell to make sure to extinguish the flames…
***
“There’s a town just before the border, so we can turn them in there.”
“Yeah, it’d just cause trouble if we tried to turn in a group of bandits captured here in Tils to authorities somewhere within the Empire. For one thing, there’s no telling what kind of reward—if any—we’d get for turning in foreign criminals. It’s lucky that there’s still a town we can take them to before we get to the border.”
It was indeed lucky, as Pauline suggested, though it only made sense that there would be a fairly large town along the main highway, just before the border. Similarly, there would be a town on the other side of the border, as well—hence the term, “border towns.” There were plenty of reasons that settlements cropped up in these sorts of places.
“Please, you’ve got to help us! We’ve got families to care for…”
Once captured, the bandits’ tone quickly transformed from that of threatening outlaws to groveling farmers. The Crimson Vow, of course, utterly ignored this. Bandits were a calculating lot, and there was no point in giving them any leeway. It was likely that they had killed who knows how many people before—and the people who they had robbed and killed would have also had families to care for. If the members of the Crimson Vow were to simply let the bandits go, there was no telling how many more lives and livelihoods they might take.
If nothing else, the young hunters could not afford to set the precedent that bandits could simply cry their way out of being captured, especially after committing such villainous acts. Even if you were just considering a simple shoplifter who claimed, “I don’t know what got into me, it’s the first time I’ve ever done this, please, forgive me!” there was nothing to stop them from merely saying this every time, when in truth they were habitual offenders. As such, one could not simply overlook a crime. Whenever criminals were captured, they had to be thoroughly punished.
Thus, not a single member of the caravan spared a thought for these offenders—not even Mile.
Were they really farmers? Were they usually honest, hard workers?
That did not matter in the slightest.
They had heard all the lines:
“He’s a good man as long as he isn’t drinking!”
Then, the fact of his drinking at all is proof of his poor judgment.
“The devil made me do it! It was a total impulse!”
Well then, the next time you end up in a similar situation, the “devil” might just come calling again.
Such acts could not be overlooked.
“So, um, we did already hear about this from the guild master, but…”
The merchants appeared to be quite impressed by not only the Crimson Vow’s skill but also their lack of hesitation when it came to facing down opponents. Apparently, being able to see this skill for themselves was something of a relief.
Despite having heard that the party was strong, their clients were still aware that they were working with a group of teenage girls. It was only natural that they worry what might happen if they were faced with an attack. Now, they had just beaten nearly twenty bandits—moonlighting farmers or no—without any additional assistance. Clearly, this was a relief to those they were guarding, an assurance that they would make it back from this job alive.
“This is gonna slow us down until the next town, though…” said Reina. The whole reason they had hoped to avoid bandits on their journey was precisely to avoid this sort of situation. They could not possibly load this many people into the wagons, but binding them all with rope and forcing them to walk would slow things down immensely.
However, given that the bandits had attacked, there was little else to be done. They couldn’t just slaughter them all to avoid the trouble of dragging them to the next town, and letting them all go was equally out of the question.
“We have no choice,” said Mile “Let’s tie them up with the Pauline method, and hurry up and get them to town!”
“Guess so.” Reina, Mavis, and the merchants all nodded.
As for Pauline…
“Please don’t attach my name to a method of tying up criminals!!!”
She seemed rather angry.
Indeed, the methods used by the Crimson Vow were ones that Pauline had put forward. First, both of the bandit’s arms were drawn behind his back and his thumbs tied together with Mile’s special fishing line. If he tried to break through it, his thumbs would be lopped right off, never again to grip a weapon or farming tool… Then, each bandit was attached to the back of the wagons with ropes tied—not around their arms or torsos—but around their necks. If they failed to keep up with the speed of the wagons, their necks would be squeezed, and…
“Huh? But it’s normal to name a new technique after its inventor… With this amazing innovation, your name is sure to go down in history!” Mile replied.
“I didn’t invent them! These are ancient methods of transporting convicts—you just didn’t know about them before!” Pauline screamed.
“Oh, really?” asked Mavis.
“I’d actually assumed those were something you invented too, Pauline…” said Reina.
“Right? That’s what I thought. Like, who else could come up with such brilliantly ruthless methods?” Mile agreed, sounding vindicated.
“Both of you shut up!!” Pauline screeched, as though she was truly about to snap.
Meanwhile, the merchants and drivers quietly made their preparations to set out, pretending as though they had heard nothing at all…
***
“Transform!”
Mile shouted something incomprehensible as she leapt over the stone marker indicating the national border.
Now and then, the members of the Crimson Vow would disembark from the wagons and walk alongside them. It was important that they not grow stiff, unable to move swiftly at a crucial moment. Of course, the merchants did not follow suit.
Mercantile wagons such as these, laden with goods, were not particularly fast, certainly no faster than a group of C-rank hunters. In fact, in patches where the road was rough or muddied from the rain, walking was actually far more expedient. Plus, if the wheels or axels were damaged from the impact of bumps or resistance from the mud, a walking pace would far outstrip the wagons.
At any rate, Mile, who was walking outside of the wagon along with her companions, had clearly been hoping to commemorate the moment of crossing from one country into another.
Naturally, the rest of the party completely ignored her, but Mile was fired up.
“We’ve already earned some money for turning in those bandits, so our job is truly underway!”
The others smiled wryly. They had turned the bandits in with the town guard just before the border, although they had gotten some peculiar looks, owing to the fact that their captives did not appear to be full-time bandits.
If these people were in fact farmers, it would be a bit of an ordeal for any small village to lose so many able-bodied workers all at once. In the worst case, it might even prevent them from paying their next round of taxes, forcing them to sell themselves or their own children. Under such circumstances, a village might fall to ruin. This was less than desirable for the local lord.
Still, bandits had to be punished, and the hunters who captured them had to be paid. If these were full-time bandits, who had come in from some other territory, they would have welcomed this capture with open arms. The town could easily make back the money they needed to compensate the hunters with the profits from selling the offenders into criminal indenture. But here, this would likely not be the case.
Fortunately, this was no business of the Crimson Vow or their employers. The members of the Crimson Vow had conducted themselves perfectly as guards, and prevented countless other travelers and merchants from being attacked in the future, so it was only right that they should be awarded with payment. No lord or government official would have any reason to complain about this.
That said, the low-ranking guards who had brought the Crimson Vow some tea and snacks as they awaited their payment explained a few things to them. And as the girls sipped their tea, Mile, Mavis, and Pauline began to look a little bit troubled. Capable men truly were a different breed, the three thought, impressed.
As for Reina? Reina was of the mind that all bandits should be slaughtered and had no sympathy for any of them, regardless of their full-time job status.
Here is what the guards explained…
There had been a number of bandit attacks reported between this town and the next town over, back in the direction from which the Crimson Vow had traveled. However, not once had these bandits caused any injuries. Indeed, these seemed to be fairly kindhearted bandits, taking only cargo, money, wagons, and horses, never attempting to whisk anyone off into slavery… (Of course, the phrase “kindhearted bandit” was a bit of an oxymoron, but here it actually seemed to fit!)
During the preliminary investigations, the bandits had already confessed that they were from a nearby village. Of course, with or without a confession, any full-time bandit would be sentenced to life of criminal indenture—so it was obvious what choice they would make.
Furthermore, there were some extenuating circumstances at play. Not only had they never laid a hand on any of their victims, but also it seemed they had done so out of concern for the village as a whole. Regardless, the lord of this place had apparently confessed that it was an indication of his own failure that his villagers had been driven to such lengths.
Pauline objected to this. “He’s just pretending to be a good person! If the village was destroyed, he would get less tax revenue, the other lords would laugh at him, and it would bring him under the scrutiny of the king!” Regardless, the others thought, if this lord was willing to go so far as to take the blame in order to help out these peasants, then perhaps he wasn’t so bad after all.
Their payment still turned out to be a fairly hefty sum, including the reward, the commission for indenture, the price of their silence, and a few other add-ons. Therefore, it took quite a while for the full payment to come through, which gave them plenty of time to learn about how the bandits would be handled.
First off, the offenders themselves, and all of the leaders of the village who had approved of their actions, would receive a lashing. Henceforth, all of the surrounding villages would be instructed to keep a close eye on them. Furthermore, a new rule of compulsory labor would be imposed on the village. Yet, they would also be provided with enough food to live until the next harvest.
Was this truly a punishment? Or a relief fund?
Either way, despite having committed a crime, the people of this impoverished village near the border would be able to atone for their sins and live another day. Truly, their capture had only happened as a result of their bad luck at having attacked the Crimson Vow rather than some other party. Clearly, their lord was a kind and sagacious personage…
Of course, if they were ever to make such a mistake again, there was no guaranteeing a repeat of this kind of mercy.
At any rate, the Crimson Vow had happened to earn themselves a bit of money and now made their way into enemy territories. (Technically, war had not been declared, but danger was certainly present.) With both the reward and contribution points they would receive for a special assignment well done, they were now one step closer to their ambitions. At this thought, the members of the party were beaming.
“Let’s get going!”
“All right!!”
Mile took off, and the other three members of her party—and the wagon caravan—followed her into the Albarn Empire.
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