I Said Make My Abilities Average! (LN) - Volume 13 - Chapter 95

Chapter 95:

Little Sister 

“Things are finally calming down,” muttered Reina. 

“Seems like it,” Pauline agreed. Mile and Mavis felt the same way as well. 

They had journeyed to the west and then to the east. They had a visit from their benefactors, the Servants of the Goddess, and journeyed into the Empire. The last several weeks had held one exciting development after another. 

And now, finally, they had returned to life in their hometown, as a “normal” C-rank party. 

“It’s nice to be normal,” Mile uttered casually. 

“Huh?” cried three voices, which were accompanied by three suspicious gazes trained Mile’s way, as each of her fellow hunters wondered what in the world she could possibly be talking about. 

“Anyway, we can call our travels complete for now. Let’s take 

it easy here in the capital for a while and then start on the road to B-rank!” Reina declared. 

“Yeah!!!” 

With that, the four raised a cheer beside the job board, as the other hunters and guild staff watched over them warmly. The guild clerks were filled with high expectations for the up-and-coming young hunters, while the older hunters’ hearts stung, both nostalgic and wistful as they remembered their own younger days. 

At any rate, the Crimson Vow was currently the gem of the capital guild branch, their brightest star, carrying the hopes and dreams of both their fellow hunters and the guild itself as well as sundry others… 

“So anyway, don’t you think it’s about time we stopped calling ourselves ‘novices’ or ‘rookies’?” Mile suddenly asked. 

“Huh?” replied the other three in surprise. 

“Well, I mean, it’s already been more than a year since we graduated from the Prep School as C-rank hunters, right? And we’ve already gone on our first journey… Plus, both Mavis and Pauline were F-rank hunters when they registered at the school, but you were already working as an E-rank hunter, Reina. I was an F-rank, too… 

“It would be one thing if we had put in skip requests to register at a higher rank than F when we first became hunters, but we had half a year’s education at the Prep School and then over a year of real experience after that. If we keep calling ourselves ‘rookies’ even after all that, then I’m not sure what place there is for the real rookies…” 

All of the hunters and guild employees who overheard this nodded in agreement. Indeed, for a group like this to call themselves “rookies” or “novices” served no purpose but to diminish the standing of those more experienced hunters who were less powerful than them. It would actually be a help to everyone if they could begin referring to themselves as full-fledged hunters. 

“I guess you’ve got a point,” agreed Reina. “And it’s pretty compelling to hear that from someone as humble as you usually are. So should we just start calling ourselves ‘a C-rank party’?” 

“Yes, I think that would be for the best.” 

“I agree,” chimed Mavis. “I think it makes our clients uncomfortable to hear things like ‘novice’ as well. Plus, we’re already well past the period where we can write off our errors as rookie mistakes… Honestly, we probably never had that luxury, given that we graduated already at C-rank.” 

Everyone seemed to be in full agreement. 

And so, with that, the Crimson Vow were no longer rookies. 

“From now on, we are nothing more than a perfectly normal, commonplace C-rank party, one of the most numerous types of hunters there are,” Mile said brightly—at which all of the assembled hunters and guild staff fervently shook their heads (from side to side, it should be clear, and most certainly not up and down!) thinking: 

YOU’VE GOTTA BE KIDDING US!!! 

*** 

The Crimson Vow, now back in their hometown and working as perfectly normal hunters, had taken on an escort request and were now on their way back home again. 

The job they had taken was practically volunteer work. It had come from a merchant company who was on their way back to their own hometown and had found themselves in a pickle when no hunting parties would take them on, given that they would be paid for only one leg of the journey and have to travel back home themselves. The members of the Crimson Vow, however, could appreciate the sorts of parties that people in this world, or at least in the surrounding regions, would refer to as “idiots”—parties like the Roaring Mithrils, who had taken on the Prep School exams, a job that was bothersome and paid little; or the Devil’s Paradise and the Fellowship of the Flame, who accepted work where the pay did not match the danger, driving back monsters and escorting the merchants to the dwarven village—and they did not mind being thought of as one such party themselves. 

Was this an effect of Mile’s tales and her words? Or were the others inclined in this direction to begin with? 

Of course, the Crimson Vow bypassed the main highways on the way home, detouring through the forest where they could hunt and gather, which meant they would be making a normal wage for their time, anyway. Or rather, given that they were passing through a part of the forest that most normal hunters often did not, they would likely earn well more than usual. For other hunters, hunting and gathering in a part of the woods this far from town meant that they would only encounter difficulties in transporting their spoils home, by which time the freshness of their goods would decrease and the prices would go down. Compared to hunting nearer to town, it was far more troublesome, and less economically viable. 

Mile’s “storage” really should be against the rules… 

Honestly, they were probably already set for life. There was no doubting the easy lives they could live with that inventory in tow, something that would be sought after by nobles and royals and the wealthiest of merchants. And so, why were they continuing to risk their lives as lowly hunters? 

Well, if the capacity of Mile’s “storage” and the fact that things inside it did not degrade ever got out, the peaceful life that she dreamt of would fall far from her reach, so perhaps this was the only logical course of action… 

*** 

“Huh. Odd place for a village…” 

As the Crimson Vow proceeded through the relatively remote and deserted woods, they came upon a truly tiny, miniscule little town. 

“I was just thinking we should make camp, but we can’t do that this close to a village. Guess we better keep moving,” Reina suggested. 

Most hunters, should they happen upon a village when it was time to rest for the night, would go in search of some shed to sleep in or at least a proper meal they could share. One could expect a far more restful night even sleeping upon bundles of hay and dried grass underneath a secure roof, than lying sprawled out on the ground, buffeted by the wind and constantly on guard for monsters and wild beasts. Then, there was the prospect of a warm, nourishing dinner…though naturally they would pay for not only the ingredients but a healthy sum for the preparation of the food itself. So this could be a mutually beneficial arrangement for both the villagers and the hunters… Unless those hunters were members of the Crimson Vow. 

For the Crimson Vow, who had Mile as their chef and were walking around with a portable toilet and bathhouse and large, pre-pitched tent and cots essentially in their pockets, camping on their own was far easier and more comfortable. However, for them to set up camp in their usual fashion anywhere near a village would most certainly make the villagers suspicious. Thus, they typically avoided doing so. 

“That’s true. Let’s push it another couple of kilometers,” Mile agreed. Mavis and Pauline nodded as well. 

“Onward, th—” 

“Noooo!!!” 

“There’s been a change of plans!” 

No member of the Crimson Vow would ever waste time in an emergency. The other three nodded immediately at Mile’s announcement, and all four rushed at full pelt toward the voice that had cried out—that of a young girl. 

Naturally, they would not have ignored the scream if it had come in a voice belonging to an old man either, but they could not deny the possibility that they might have been a little more leisurely. Especially if it were an old man letting out such a girlish shriek… 

At any rate, the shrill sound had come from a young girl, and so that was fine—though of course, the fact that they had heard a scream at all meant that something was most certainly not fine… 

“What’s going on here?!” 

The first to arrive on the scene should have been the member of the Crimson Vow with the longest legs and thus the one who could cover the most distance in a single stride—Mavis. However, it was in fact Mile who arrived first. 

On second thought, there was nothing at all surprising about this. There was a little girl who needed saving, after all. 

“H-h-help…” 

The moment Mile laid eyes on the girl who was in need of rescue… 

“K-Keiko!!” 

Shing! 

Mile glared at the man who was wrenching the little girl’s arm and the other parties who seemed to be involved. And then…her face lost all expression. She had flown clear past her normal first-stage anger of peevish fuming, straight into Stage Two. 

She smiled a smile that did not at all reach her eyes… Stage Three. 

Her face twisted in rage… Stage Four. This was her final form. 

“Dieeee!!!” 

Keiko. 

That was the name of Kurihara Misato’s little sister, Mile’s little sister in her previous life… 

Mile plunged forth, sword swinging, looking for all the world like a vengeful spirit. Mavis followed after, sword drawn as well, with Reina and Pauline incanting spells from behind. 

Their enemies ran. The man holding the little girl’s arm let go and fled, his cohorts following after like hunted hares. 

It would have been simple enough to run after the men and strike them down, but the Crimson Vow had come rushing in without even stopping to verify what was going on, which meant that there was a chance they might have overdone it just a little… What if, perhaps, the girl had in fact been a criminal or in the midst of some lover’s spat? 

Of course, the probability of this was quite low, but they could always crush their opponents later if they needed to. Out here in the sticks, where the population was quite sparse, it would be easy for Mile to use her search magic. Plus, one might assume that these men were not simply some passers-by, which meant they could expect them to soon return to the vicinity of the village. There shouldn’t be many old men who went around causing trouble for ten-year-old girls. (Incidentally, by modern day Japanese standards, a “young girl” would be one who had yet to enter elementary school, but apparently Mile’s definition extended a little bit further.) 

*** 

“So that’s what was going on…” 

According to the little girl, the men who had been trying to take her away were a group that often came by to extort the villagers. At first, they had not done anything as extreme as maiming or killing anyone, just dabbling in violence and stealing and pillaging. However, a village as small as theirs simply did not have the stores to provide for these men’s appetites. Or rather, even if they did, there was no reason they should be providing for them. Worse, the men had not exactly been restricting themselves to only a bit of food. Their demands had steadily escalated: food, ale, money…and now, women. 

Finally, the villagers, unable to bear this any longer, began to refuse the men’s demands. And when they did, the men tried to snatch the girl away. 

Perhaps they had wished to hold her as a hostage in order to demand more. Or perhaps they intended to sell her off to some black-market traffickers once they were through with her. 

“I mean, that just makes them bandits, doesn’t it?! Why didn’t you all deal with them that way from the start?!” asked Reina, gritting her teeth, though there was no point in asking such a thing of a little girl. That was better asked of the adults… 

Then, Mile patted her fist on her palm in understanding. 

“I know this one! This is like the boiled frog theory! They say if you put a frog in hot water, it’ll hop out straight away, but if you put a frog in a pot full of water over the fire and slowly raise the temperature, the frog will lose its chance to escape and die!” Mile still had not fully regained her senses (naturally, since there was a good reason that Mile had flown into such a rage), but apparently she was present enough to analyze what the girl had told them, finishing, “Of course, that’s just a metaphor used in economic theory. In real life, the frog would definitely run away…” 

“I see! So they just started loitering around at first, which wasn’t enough reason to go crying to the lord of these lands or pay any huge sums to the guilds for assistance, but after that, the situation slowly got worse and worse…” 

“So they were always bandits, but they were pretending to be not all that malicious at the start?” 

Apparently, Mavis and Pauline were beginning to catch on as well. 

Furthermore, they gathered that, until now, the men had not laid hands on any of the village children. Yet now they had tried to snatch this ten-year-old girl… Perhaps they had finally decided that it was time for a “harvest”—to take all they could from this village and then pull up their roots to move to the next place. They would assail the village and gather up all the food and money and anything even remotely valuable that they could grab, slaughtering any villagers who got in their way… 

Then, in the next village they came to, they would probably repeat the cycle, allowing those villagers to think, Ah, seems like there’s a lot of thugs hanging around lately, but at least we aren’t being attacked by the sort of wicked bandits who laid waste to that other village out of nowhere… 

And then, the same thing would happen again. It was a sadly common ploy, really. 

However, if the villagers were just going along with the situation, not standing up for themselves or requesting any help from their lord or putting out requests to the Hunters’ or Mercenaries’ Guild, then really, it was none of the Crimson Vow’s business. 

The villagers were just waiting around for someone to come and save them, not standing up for themselves, not actively seeking any help… These were the kind of people who, it might be said, couldn’t even rely on “the Goddess’s salvation.” 

So, no matter how kindhearted the members of the Crimson Vow were, not even Mile would— 

“Let’s help them!” 

“I knew it…” 

Naturally, Mile would never refuse the villagers’ aid. 

It had taken the girl a fair while to calm down enough to explain the situation, but it had taken Mile even longer to regain her wits. 

What is Keiko doing here?! 

Did she die saving a little girl? 

If both of us are dead, then Mother and Father must be so… 

Mile was a sight to behold, gripping the little girl’s shoulders and looking as though she was on the verge of collapse as she muttered all manner of inscrutable things. Somehow, the others were able to pry her away from the girl and determine what was going on, concluding that this girl was the spitting image of an acquaintance of Mile’s (someone very important to her) and that Mile had mistaken the girl for this person. 

Of course, if Keiko had been reincarnated, wouldn’t her appearance have been altered? Mile was, in fact, in a different body from her previous one. So, why would Mile make such a mistake, when the girl was so clearly a different race from Keiko, even if she was slightly similar in appearance? 

Once she calmed down and took a closer look, the girl’s appearance really was not all that familiar—the arrangement of her beauty marks was different, as were the colors of her skin, hair, and eyes. 

However, there was still an ineffable resemblance, some aura or energy that seemed to radiate from her whole body. 

She was just like Keiko had been when she was younger. Indeed, she shared the exact same vibe as the little sister Misato had so cherished, the one who had seen Misato as beautiful, gentle, and smart, never realizing what a mess the older sister she so looked up to really was. 

“We were so happy back then… Until my status as the older sister was stolen away from me…” 

“Why are you crying all of a sudden?!” Reina asked, utterly perplexed. 

At any rate, it was now clear to the other three that Mile was fully invested in this girl. And so, not one of them would have failed to predict her next proposal. 

“Guess we’ve got no choice… Let’s at least get her home, then.” 

Though they were in the forest, they were close enough to the village itself that all of the wild vegetables and medicinal herbs had already been harvested from the environs—and though the girl had been brought a ways from her home, the men really had not gotten far before encountering Mile and the rest of the party. It was a ten-minute walk at most, but still, it was probably best that the Crimson Vow would take her back. The possibility remained that the men from before might still be waiting for the girl. 

In any event, they were bound entirely to Mile’s whims at this point, so parting ways with the girl at this juncture was not even an option. 

*** 

“Huh? What was that?! You’re saying you saved our daughter from danger? Thank you so very much!” 

The Crimson Vow were met with immense gratitude upon escorting the girl—whose name turned out to be Merylina—back home to her parents. One would expect nothing different. The likely worst-case scenario would have been Merylina being used as some strange men’s plaything and then finally sold off to somewhere or other. However, the more the villagers bowed their heads in thanks, the more awkward the atmosphere in the room grew. 

“Well then, we’ll be taking our…” Reina started, as the Crimson Vow moved to depart, after warning the parents strongly that thugs probably still had their eyes on the village, so they should not let Merylina out of their sight, let alone go out of the house by herself, for the time being. But then— 

“No, you mustn’t! It will be getting dark soon, please, you must stay here with us for the night!” Merylina’s father insisted. 

As already discussed, the members of the Crimson Vow much preferred the comforts of their usual camping setup to spending the night huddled up in the cramped home of a family they had just met. 

Furthermore, even putting baths aside, there was not much in the way of proper toilets out in countryside villages like this one. Their bodies had grown so accustomed to Mile’s carefully, comfortably crafted portable toilet that even the toilets in inns now seemed unpleasant, so to be forced to use whatever was available out here was not appealing. 

When humans get a taste of comfort, they never want to give it up. Particularly when it involves such luxuries as Mile’s storage and the delicious cooking, and the portable toilet and bathhouse—though of course, these were only “portable” at all because Mile was carrying them… 

At any rate, the Crimson Vow declined the offer to stay with the family, instead receiving permission to pitch their tent in the empty yard beside the house. Then, the tent, portable toilet, and bathhouse were swiftly brought out and erected in the space… Yes, not a bath tub but a bath house. It came with an attached locker room and was fully safeguarded against peepers. Naturally, the toilet was as well. 

Calling these portable structures “fortified” would not be an exaggeration. One could duck inside in the middle of a battle against a horde of orcs and feel completely safe and secure while using them. 

There was also one thing that needed to be done, before bathing and going to bed…and it wasn’t using the toilet. (Though, of course, that did need to be done before bed as well.) Naturally, it was eating. And in preparation for that, cooking. 

Whenever they were exhausted, or short on time, they would rely on the premade meals (though even those premade meals would come out just as hot and fresh as when they were first prepared). However, when not under such constraints, they always took the time to prepare a meal on site. Of course, they did use meat that had already been marinated ahead of time in order to get properly melded flavors, but even cooking shows did this, so that was not exactly out of bounds. 

The Crimson Vow set up a cooking stove before the tent and began grilling their meat when… 

“That smells delicious,” said Merylina, peeking out of the house. 

“Have a bite!” Mile cried. 

“You know, I did suspect that you had purposely set up that stove upwind of the house…and that you were using an awful lot of sauce…” Reina sighed, easily recognizing Mile’s scheme. 

Mavis and Pauline, meanwhile, could do nothing but give a little shrug. They were accustomed to this by now. Acting surprised was a waste of energy. 

“Come right up and have a bite!” 

“Are you sure?” Merylina asked timidly, but of course this had been Mile’s intention all along, so it was perfectly fine. 

“Eat, eat, eat! Have some yummy, scrummy meat!” sang Mile. 

The other three were silent. She really was in peak form tonight. 

Merylina nervously accepted the plate loaded with sauced grilled meat and began to eat. 

“This is delicious!” 

Then children began to appear from out of the other homes, adults following after them. Apparently, the delicious aroma had caught the attention of children all around the village, who had been peeking out from their doorways. Once they saw how happily Merylina was eating the meat and heard her cries of delight, they were unable to hold themselves back, and came running out, their parents following frantically after them. 

“Have some, everyone! It’s all free!” Mile announced. Cries of joy rose from all the children. 

“Of course, only children eat free! There will be a charge for any adults!” Pauline added, eliciting clear dismay from the parents. 

This was to be expected, obviously. Why should they be expected to offer food for free to some villagers whom they had no connection to? Of course, the children ought to be included in that, as well, but the Crimson Vow knew Mile—Mile, who was ever so helpful to them on a daily basis, who rarely voiced her own desires, and who sincerely wanted nothing but to help. The other members of the Crimson Vow could allow for her to indulge herself a little… especially because the others were all soft on children as well. 

Even Mile had no intention of feeding some random adults for free. In fact, her intention had not been to feed the children either. That was nothing more than a means to an end. Indeed, her true aim here was to have a fun evening, surrounded by children. She had basically never experienced such a thing in this life or the previous one, so now she was going to drink up her fill of the atmosphere… 

One must recall that Misato had perished when she was eighteen years old, but from the time she was four or five, she was already being treated as “special” by everyone around her. It was these childhood years, stretching from that age on, that Mile was so desperate to reclaim and were why she was so very fixated on spending time with young girls. Of course, she did wish to reclaim all of it—she had no desire to relive her later teen years—but in this life she had not yet reached the equivalent age, so that was no trouble. 

Whatever her reasons, Mile was currently desperate to play with other girls, those from four or five years old up to about twelve or thirteen. This was especially true as her window to fraternize with the younger ones was rapidly closing… Even Mile had the sense to realize that there was something a bit unsavory about a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old making friends of little girls. 

At that age, she might be the caretaker of said youths. However, seriously “hanging out” together was out of the question… 

“Oh? Merylina, you have a big sister?” 

“Yeah, she was beautiful and hardworking, but kind of a mess. She was sort of absentminded, and if I didn’t look after her, she was useless…” 

“Guh!” 

For some reason, Mile clutched at her chest, face wrenching in agony. 

“‘Was?’” asked Mavis, who had clearly heard the key word that Mile, in her turmoil, had missed. 

“Yes, she was trampled to death by a carriage horse that got startled by something. She was trying to protect a child…” 

“Gwah!” 

“Oh! She collapsed!” 

It was evident to her fellow hunters that Mile’s toppling over was not due to any sort of sudden illness, so they simply ignored her. 

“After my sister died, my mother and father lost all their will to live, so I had to support them. It’s been a long, long, long, difficult time…” 

Twitch twitch! 

“Why is this wounding you so much?” Reina asked, staring suspiciously at Mile, who was convulsing on the floor. 

Still lying on the floor, Mile began to sob, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” 

“Miss, there’s no more meat!” 

Totally unable to pick up on the mood of the moment, the other children rushed up to Mile demanding seconds. Children truly can be cruel creatures… 

Haplessly, Mile picked herself back up and moved to replenish the food supplies, while Merylina began tending to the other children. 

“Oh, Lilae! You’ve got sauce on your shirt! Here, let me… Ah! Anseluna, your hair’s all mussed up again…” 

Suddenly, Mile stiffened up. 

“Gaaaaaaah! You’re exactly like Keikooooooo!!!” 

*** 

“Stop acting so ridiculous!” 

“I’m sorry…” 

After the impromptu dinner party with the children concluded, the Crimson Vow cleaned up before retreating to their tent. Then, Reina began to grill Mile. 

“But Mile, wasn’t your little sister taken in by your father’s father?” 

“Ah…” 

When Mile used the term little sister, that would of course refer to Prissy, who was, officially, her stepsister, brought into the family by her father’s second wife (though of course in reality, she had been born of an affair, meaning Prissy was in fact Mile’s blood sister). And while she had never actually told the others the name Prissy, she had explained enough for them to have a grasp of the situation. 

“B-by little sister I mean—a girl from my town! You know how those girls who hang around you are always calling you ‘big sister’! Right, Mavis?!” 

“Umm…” 

Mavis had no response to this. 

Of course, it was normal for younger local girls to call older ones something like “big sis,” and similarly, one might often think of the younger girls in a similar manner. There was nothing odd about it. 

Mile had accidentally let all sorts of dangerous things slip, but at least she had not revealed enough for anyone to possibly suppose that she had ever had any family outside of the Aschams. Indeed, no one would guess that she had once died and been reincarnated. Even now, the others simply let Mile’s odd explanation slide, concluding that she was merely in a tizzy as a result of seeing an endangered child who strongly resembled a younger girl she had cared for when she was younger—though of course, technically speaking, she herself was still very young! 

Really, at this juncture, fretting over Mile’s eccentricities was already beside the point… 

*** 

It was morning. 

Around the time that other people headed to sleep was around when the Crimson Vow’s evening story time usually began, and this meant they were fundamentally not morning people—indeed, they were often late to show their faces at the guildhall each day. 

Reina attempted to justify this behavior as consideration for their fellow hunters: “We aren’t hurting for money, and we can take any job no matter how difficult it is, so we should leave the easy money jobs for the rookies!”—though they themselves had only just ceased calling themselves rookies mere days ago. Plus, it was not as though Pauline would ever allow any truly lucrative jobs to go to another party. It was simply that they were a party of night owls and were incapable of waking up early in the mornings. 

The oversleeping and late mornings would not be so noticeable if they were camping in the wilds or staying at a city inn. However, in the countryside, they stood out. Very much so… 

By the time the members of the Crimson Vow awoke, the villagers had already gotten up, started work, and were coming back home for brunch. (Of course, on Earth, brunch is usually held around ten or eleven in the morning, and it was actually a bit earlier than that—a time that would usually be referred to as breakfast except for the fact that the villagers only ate twice a day. For this reason, the label “brunch” was apt. Mile tried not to think too hard about it.) At this hour, even the children were awake and dutifully doing their jobs, working in the fields, gathering plants from the safer parts of the forest, or looking after their younger siblings. 

Of course, the villagers were aware that even hunters rarely slept until this hour, so the Crimson Vow had by now drawn the attention of the whole village. 

As if embarrassed by this, the members of the Crimson Vow had tentatively peeked their heads out of the tent and then swiftly shuffled back in. 

“………” 

Mile cleared her throat. “I understand that the villagers, who are such hard workers, must think it odd to see a bunch of sleepyheads like us, but…don’t you think they were looking at us kind of strangely?” 

Indeed, as Mile noted, the children had been looking at them with a normal amount of surprise, but the members of the Crimson Vow could not shake the sense that there was something a little bit dangerous in the way the adults had been looking at them. 

“Well, that’s probably because we didn’t offer them any food last night,” said Pauline. 

“Huh?” Both Mile and Mavis looked confused, but Pauline’s explanation appeared to be obvious to Reina, too. 

“B-but we gave the children free food, right? And we told the adults we’d give them food for a reasonable price. No one came to buy any food… And now you’re saying they’re treating us like villains because we didn’t let them eat their fill for free, even after we let their children have all they liked? Even though we rescued one of the children from the village?” 

Naturally, the news of Merylina’s near-abduction would have made it to the other villagers the night before, if only for the sake of protecting the other children. And a key part of the story would have been the fact that the members of the Crimson Vow had been the ones to step in to save her. 

“That’s just how villagers are. Even if someone has no obligation to them, and they themselves have no real right to something, if there’s something profitable within their grasp, they’ll always set their eyes on it. It’s only natural that those more prosperous should offer charity. And so, they feel that those who don’t share their wealth are as good as scoundrels, and they wouldn’t give a darn if those people are abducted or killed… Come to think of it, it’s not that unusual to hear about merchants traveling alone or in small groups being attacked by gangs of villagers. Though, it is rare for anything like that to happen this close to the capital… They’d be found out too easily,” Reina explained. “Anyway, as far as the villagers see it, we’re basically villains. We clearly have a surplus of food, but we didn’t offer them a single bite.” 

“B-but…” 

Mile hung her head, dismayed. Mavis appeared downtrodden as well. 

“Of course, not all villagers are that way. I’m sure there are even some more reasonable folks in this village. We’ve been to plenty of villages with mostly upstanding people before this, right?” 

Reina was right about this as well. For example, though they had not been humans, and though they had been dedicated to their work to an almost foolish degree, there had not been a shameless individual among the citizens of the dwarven village. 

“So, what do we do?” 

“Huh? What do you mean?” 

“I’m asking how we conduct ourselves from now on!” 

As usual, Reina was beginning to grow a bit agitated with Mile, who could only either read a situation perfectly or misjudge it egregiously, with no in-between. 

“Even if we were to bring a proposal to the villagers about how we might eliminate all those bandits, I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t listen. I mean, I’m sure they wouldn’t think we could beat them, given that we look like amateurs. They know nothing about us, and obviously they wouldn’t want to risk going up against the bandits and messing up, which would just antagonize them more. 

“Plus, if we took on the job as an independent request like we’ve done in the past, rather than going through the guild, they might figure that if they paid us beforehand, we’d take the money and run. On the other hand, if we agreed to accept payment after, they’d definitely skip out on the bill. They’d just tell us, ‘Oh, we’re so sorry. The village has no money. We thought you’d just done it out of the kindness of your hearts…’ I’d put gold on it.” 

Surely, there were villages—even in this world—where many honest people dwelt. Such as the mountain village where everyone had pooled together what meager coin they had to hire the Crimson Vow, just for the sake of those orphans who had decided to move onto the mountain. 

However, it was equally true that there were many people in the world who would think nothing of swindling—or even abducting others for the sake of their own happiness. Judging by the attitudes of these villagers both the previous night and this morning, Reina had judged this village to be one where this type of person was in the majority. After all, Reina, who had traveled hither and yon alongside her father since her most tender years, had probably had quite the range of experiences… 

“I’m putting a gold on us getting stiffed, too!” agreed Pauline. If she was willing to put her money on something, then there was not a chance of things not going the way she anticipated. And thus… 

“I’m putting a gold on it, too!” chimed Mile. 

“Me too…” Mavis echoed. 

“Well, at this rate, none of us are going to get anything!” said Reina. Indeed, with their bets made, it would be a huge loss for them all on the off chance that the villagers did pay. If one of them happened to say, “Hey, remember that bet you made?!” they’d all be one gold poorer. 

Of course, Reina had been joking. It was Pauline that Mile and Mavis were worried about. The pair looked furtively Pauline’s way…and saw her biting her lip in spite. 

That was close, thought the pair. 

Given the state of their finances, there was truly no need for Pauline to bother getting annoyed over just a few gold pieces, but she so enjoyed the prospect of getting her hands on more money that she could hardly help herself. She had to remind herself that it was akin to playing a game with friends and using cookies in place of betting chips. 

Indeed, she would never think to really try to take money out of her friends’ pockets…probably. 

“So, anyway, there’s a pretty slim chance of getting the villagers to offer us an independent contract, and, well, even if they did, they’d probably just quibble about it afterward. Which means…” Mile started. 

“Which means?” Reina prompted her. 

Mile puffed out her chest—or lack thereof—smugly. 

“We’ve just got to root the bandits out ourselves!” 

“And why would we do that?!” the other three cried. 

“Well, if we bring them in alive, we’ll get a reward and our commission for their indenture, even if we aren’t getting paid for the job—and that should be a lot of money.” 

“Let’s do it!” Pauline immediately agreed. 

“Plus, we get to be known as the four hunters who saved the village under siege by bandits…” 

“I’m in!” said Mavis, likewise hooked. 

And as for Reina… 

Mile turned to her. “Have I mentioned that we’ll have a chance to smash some bandits?” 

“Well, what are we waiting for?!” 

It was too easy. 

Pauline couldn’t resist money. Mavis loved to be a hero, raised up in the eyes of others. And of course, Reina lived for taking down bandits. Plus, she had previously told them a tale of her own adapting, the “Seven Hunters”—she had left no blind spots. 

“It’s probably pointless to begin with, but should we at least bring up the subject of an independent contract with the village?” asked Mavis in her capacity as the party leader. 

“No point,” Reina replied swiftly. “If we do that, then they’ll just go bragging later to the nearby villages, claiming that, ‘Yeah, if you grumble enough, those dumb hunters will work for free.’ Rumors like that are just going to cause trouble for a lot of other hunters, and if anyone were to think that we were the cause of them…” 

“Then I guess we’re doing this on our own.” 

There was no other choice. 

The members of the Crimson Vow loitered a while longer in their tent, taking the time to relax a little bit. The other villagers might not have seemed too happy about their presence, but Merylina’s parents at least had thanked them properly. Still, they hadn’t exactly brought them food or any tokens of their appreciation—though of course, this may just have been because they had seen how many dishes Mile had produced the previous night. At the sight of the hunters’ spread, it was hard to imagine the villagers feeling inclined to offer up more, even if there was no ill will in their feelings toward the party. No poor person would ever give alms to the rich, nor would an amateur cook wish to present their dishes to a first-rate chef, unless perhaps they were a lover, family member, or long-time acquaintance… 

“Whoooa!” cried Merylina, stunned at the ending of one of Mile’s folktales. 

Indeed, it seemed that Merylina’s parents did feel as though they owed the Crimson Vow some sort of thanks, and seeing how the hunters had enjoyed spending time with the children last night, they had relieved Merylina of her chores for the day and dispatched her to the side of the Crimson Vow. 

Mile, it should go without saying, was beside herself. Though the others were not nearly as obvious about it, they were all thrilled to have the girl there as well. Mavis had always longed to have a younger sibling, Pauline was reminded of her time with her brother Alan, and Reina had long wished to share with someone else the feeling that she got when she thought about Telyusia. And so, the five were sharing a lazy afternoon, when… 

“Sounds like something’s going on outside,” said Pauline. 

Sure enough, there was some sort of commotion a short distance from the tent. 

There could be very few reasons for a commotion in a village as small as this. Perhaps a traveling merchant had come by in his cart, or someone suspicious had appeared, or a powerful monster…or else, the bandits had arrived. Naturally, this time it was… 

“They’re here!” said Mavis. 

Yes, they were here—the men they had been waiting for. 

It was for this very reason that the members of the Crimson Vow had lingered so long…and for the chance to spend time with Merylina, of course. 

“Let’s go!” 

“Yeah!” 

The four hunters, along with Merylina, moved toward the exit of the tent. 

Should they not have left her inside for the sake of safety—or perhaps to spare a young girl the sight of a potentially dreadful scene? The thought had not crossed a single one of their minds. 

One might argue that the members of the Crimson Vow wanted Merylina to see the cold hard truth of living in this world, so that she could live safely on even without them… However, in truth, the notion had not even occurred to them. 

Their true motivations were much less impressive. If Merylina stayed in the tent, she could not see them do anything cool. She could not look upon them with respect, admiration, and praise. She could not see them eliminate the evildoers and run up to give them a hug afterward. 

Indeed, Mavis, Reina, and Mile were driven only by their own ulterior motives. Pauline, in fact, seemed to be the only one who was not thinking about such things. 

She was, however, preoccupied with a different sort of motive… 

“Everyone, please be careful not to cut off any body parts or leave the bandits with any long-term injuries. If we do, their sale prices will go down!” 

Despite their quick reply to Reina’s call to action, the members of the Crimson Vow did not exactly go leaping right out of the tent. Instead, they carefully folded back the flap to peek at what was going on. Though they had clearly seen these men trying to kidnap Merylina, other than that, they had only heard from the villagers that the men had been “bothering them,” but of course, that was one side of the story, as it were. 

Suppose the Hunters’ Guild or some guards were later dispatched, and the bandits’ story did not align with the villagers’… It might be deemed that the Crimson Vow had roughed up or abducted innocent people, and they themselves might be taken into custody. They might argue that they were working to protect against evildoers, but they would need better evidence than simply “We heard it from the villagers!” to prove these men were up to no good. Otherwise, they would be guilty of acting on simple hearsay and failing to verify the facts of the situation on their own. 

Even if the matter of Merylina came up, the men could just argue that they were only playing with the little girl, pointing to her lack of injuries as proof that they weren’t up to anything sinister. If they did, there would be little the Crimson Vow could say to refute this. And if anyone were to accuse them of making innocent people out to be bandits in the name of profit… 

As things currently stood, even troubling the villagers and pestering them for money was not enough to decisively label these men as bandits—even if this had, in reality, involved more than a little bit of coercion and violence. The bandit could easily frame it simply as a dispute over money between newfound acquaintances, not necessarily the activities of a criminal group. 

And while the bandits were of course outfitted with swords and spears, they were merely gripping the handles of their weapons and making threats. None had unsheathed a sword or swung a spear or pressed a blade to anyone’s neck. Again, they had done nothing that couldn’t be written off as a joke or as a bit of light threatening during the course of an ordinary argument. If that was enough to warrant an arrest, there would be several hunters arrested every day at every pub in the land. 

And so… 

“It looks like they’ve come to collect. I’m sure they’re aware that everyone in the village would have heard about Merylina’s attempted abduction by now. They seem to have abandoned all pretense of just being wandering fighters stopping by for a bit of food and drink before moving on.” 

As Mile suggested, it seemed that the thugs were now making threats toward the adults of the village, intending to make off with all their money and valuables, as well as the village’s children and young women. In order to persuade the villagers to hand over their money and valuables, they had thus far not made any mention of their plans to kidnap anyone they might be able to profit off of and kill all the rest in order to shut them up. 

Because currently, their threats were still rather weak—and were not directed toward the members of the Crimson Vow—the hunters had to wait for the moment of proof, the point at which they could claim they had been attacked, a claim that would serve as proof enough for anyone who trusted the party’s honor and would not require corroboration from anyone else. 

But of course, why would they wait for such an opportunity when they could make one? 

“What’s going on here?” called Pauline, waiting for a lull in the conflict between the thugs and the villagers. In situations like this, where delicate timing was called for, there was no one else more suited. That said, it was unlikely that the thugs demanding the villagers hand over all of their hard-earned money would be coming to any sort of agreement with the locals, so all they really had to do was wait for a moment when both sides had stopped speaking… 

“Hold up! It’s you bitches!” growled one of the thugs. 

“You all were the ones from yesterday…” 

Apparently, the men that the Crimson Vow had encountered the day before were among the thugs present. This was no surprise. It seemed that the whole gang was now assembled, so of course they would be there. 

The previous day, the thugs had run away right away, likely sensing that even if they were up against rookie hunters, they would not get off easily fighting four against four. Today, however, they had at least sixteen or seventeen men present, so handing four little rookie hunter girls—half of whom were children (or at least appeared to be)—would be a cinch. 

In fact, the members of the Crimson Vow appearing on the scene was rather convenient for the thugs. They probably assumed that the hunters had been hired by the villagers to stand up to the men who had been bullying them. The thugs were probably thinking something like, Well, if we take out those hunters, we’ll have smashed the villagers’ last hope, at which point they’ll have no choice but to buckle. 

Then there was the fact that, if the thugs were to attempt to instill fear into the villagers’ hearts by making an example of some number of their fellows, it might breed such a strong sense of danger and disgust as to ignite a spark of rebellion—a feeling that they had nothing to lose and might as well kill or be killed with a final, desperate recklessness. 

Of course, they all had to be taken out in order to ensure that word of this did not get out to other villages… But it certainly did them no good to know that now. 

As long as they didn’t let too much information get out, the bandits could continue to move freely. Even if the area villages were aware that there was a group of bandits who had suddenly attacked a village, wiping out everyone and taking everything, they wouldn’t necessarily know to suspect this group of dirty thugs, who might say they were only stopping into town along their travels, making camp for but a few days to gather food and money, before setting back out. 

At this point, the men were somewhat preoccupied with counting their chickens before they’d hatched, thinking they would be able to capture the Crimson Vow without killing or seriously wounding them, keep them around for their own amusement for a little while, and then sell them off as slaves—for a fairly good price, to boot. 

And so, the expected command came. 

“Capture them. Don’t hurt ’em too much or they’ll be worth less!” 

They were just four young women, four rookie hunters. It would be simple to capture them and prove to all assembled just how overwhelming the difference in strength was between their forces and those of the villagers. Indeed, the thugs were so convinced of their certain victory, that it didn’t even occur to them to take any villagers hostage—after all, taking hostages was as good as a declaration that they had no means of winning the battle fairly. They certainly couldn’t give the villagers the impression that they were intimidated by these little girls. Even if those villagers were going to be killed soon after… 

The result of all this was just as Mile had planned. 

“Capture us? Are you all slavers or bandits or something?” asked Mile, feigning confusion. 

“Heh? The hell are you sayin’? You already know that we ain’t just some travelers passin’ through who decided to stop in for a while—obviously we’re bandits! Gets tiresome always attackin’ right off the bat every time. Sometimes it’s nice t’kick up our feet, get some proper food and drink. So, we get a place to take it easy, wait until the time’s right, take everythin’, and move on, back up to our normal work on the mountain roads before we hit up some other village for a breather. Rinse and repeat.” 

The bandit boss happily flapped his gums, getting carried away. Indeed, the gang had leveled up, going from “thugs” to full-blown “bandits.” 

“And there you have it, folks: a confession!” trilled Mile. 

“We have now confirmed that you are declaring yourselves bandits and that your intention is to attack and capture not only the villagers, but our party as well, in order to sell us into illegal slavery. That is more than enough to convict you—by our own testimony!” declared Pauline, as delighted as Mile with this turn of events. 

“Huh? Are you all stupid? You’re just four little rookie brats, what are you gonna—” 

“Firebomb!” 

Ka-BOOM! 

Reina had already finished silently incanting her spell, which she fired off stoically in the direction of the bandits. She had remembered to dial back the power, so it was a lot less deadly than it looked. They probably wouldn’t lose any fingers or toes. 

“Wha…?! A little girl like you’s got silent attack spells?” 

The man’s surprise was warranted. This was not the sort of magic that young amateurs could typically use. Usually, they’d fire off a single frantic fireball that would come wobbling through the air and leave more than enough time for someone to run up and slash them through the gut before they were even finished with their next incantation. Normally, at this distance, a newbie mage was not much of a threat. For one mage alone to gain the upper hand on a number of frontline fighters would get them deemed nothing short of peerless. To accomplish such a thing, one would have to be in the upper reaches of C-rank—nearly B-rank at least. 

Mages never lingered close to the enemy, and a vanguard would never let the enemy anywhere near a mage. These were the rules of battle by which everyone abided. Therefore, the bandits were visibly flabbergasted to see two mages come waltzing right up alongside the vanguard. Not only do these amateurs have no experience in battle, but also, they’re idiots, the bandits thought… 

And yet, their mage had cast this spell silently, and not only that, it was explosive magic with a high degree of difficulty—not the sort of fireball spell one would normally expect here. The power and speed with which she had fired it was far beyond the realm of normal expectations. 

“Damn it! Get in there before she fires another one!!!” 

There was an unexpectedly powerful foe among their opponents. The only logical course of action was to take her down before she could attack again. Even casting silently, she would need a fair bit of time to incant the next spell in her head. Plus, the other three hunters consisted of a weak-looking mage—probably specializing in healing or support—a child swordfighter, and another swordswoman in her later teens. 

Regardless of their age or appearance, a strong mage was a strong mage. However, for a swordfighter, experience, training, and physique were everything. Thus, even though there could certainly be young ladies who were skilled mages, young ladies who were formidable swordfighters were out of the question. Especially not when they were as waifish as these girls. 

The bandit leader had made the right call. It was a fair and solid decision…or so it would have been under any normal circumstances. 

But these circumstances were far from normal… 

*** 

“It looks like we’ve captured all of them,” said Mile, seventeen strung-up bandits sitting before her. Some were a bit singed or had minor cuts, but none were seriously hurt… or at least they weren’t at the moment. 

Mile and Pauline had already healed them all up to the point where they could at least walk on their own two feet… 

With a western-style blade, which was sharp on both edges, it was not possible to strike someone with the “back” of a sword. However, Mile and Mavis were still able to strike their opponents with the flat of their blades so as to not kill them. But even if one was hit with the back or the flat, it was still a blow from an iron rod, which could result in broken bones, or even internal bleeding and death, if one were not careful. The fact that the Crimson Vow had been able to take the men down without killing a single one of them was a testament to how immense the difference in ability was between the groups. It was their superior skill that gave the hunters the leeway to do so. 

Though there was indeed an art to felling an opponent without killing them, normally when striking with the flat of the blade, i.e. using the sword in an improper manner, it was very easy to end up with a blade that was warped or broken. So, it was not typically something that one did…assuming one did not have a specially made blade that would never break no matter what you did with it. 

Of course, it would be just as simple for Reina and Pauline to unintentionally murder someone in their roles as mages. Should they not hold back quite enough or make an inadvertent direct hit, the bandits would stand no chance. Ironically, the fact that their attacks had been so weak had been what had saved their enemies’ lives. 

The battle successfully concluded, Mile inspected their prisoners, who had been bound according to Pauline’s special instructions. 

“Hm… I see. If they don’t walk forward and keep pace with the ones in front of them, the noose will tighten around their necks and they’ll die… How perfectly wicked! That’s our Pauline for you!!” 

“I’m telling you, I’m not the one who came up with this method! Stop attributing these things to me!” Pauline protested, but the others ignored her. Among themselves, they were already fairly set on referring to this as “the Pauline method.” 

“Wow…” 

Just as Mile and Mavis had predicted, Merylina was gazing upon the four of them, her eyes glittering. 

It was all going according to plan. 

The pair of them beamed, grinning as though they were the gods of a brand-new world. 

The villagers, meanwhile, regarded the Crimson Vow silently from a short distance away. At the very least, it did not seem that they were wholly lacking in gratitude. However, it seemed they were afraid to open their mouths and offer thanks for fear that a reward would be demanded of them. With this thought in mind, the villagers stood, fidgeting awkwardly. 

They had not put out any request for bandit-slaying, after all. The hunters had done this of their own accord. 

That is what the villagers wished to say, but they were not shameless enough to offer this protest when no demands of a reward had even been made. Even if some of them did wish to offer their thanks, they could not say anything that would imply that they owed the hunters some kind of compensation without the other villagers’ assent. 

Caught between a rock and hard place, the villagers continued to stand in silence. 

In truth, members of the Crimson Vow were not concerned about the villagers’ lack of response to their heroics. Mile’s wish had come true: they had saved the children, protected their happiness, and judging from the glimmer in their eyes, earned all the praise and admiration they could grant. Now they were making their triumphant return to the capital, with these ultra-lucrative bandits in tow… Mile let out a snort of satisfied triumph. That was more than enough reward for her. 

Now, all that’s left is to walk off coolly, never looking back, even as the children scream, “Mavis, come baaack!” thought Mavis, turning her back on the children as the Crimson Vow moved to depart, the corners of her mouth pricking as she recalled a passage from one of Mile’s folktales and thought about how very cool she was right about now. Until… 

“Oh, wait! Just a minute!” 

“Huh?” 

Hearing Mile’s voice behind her, Mavis halted and reflexively turned around. 

“Gah! Dang iiiit!!!” 

Mavis’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. She had messed up her own cool exit! 

Then again, there wasn’t a single child calling after her, and really, there was no totally cool way to make a departure when you were dragging a string of bandits behind you… If the villagers were to hand over a sack full of money they had gathered up, she would at least have been able to pull off the move of tossing it right back at them, just like the Three Amigos , but sadly the villagers showed no signs of doing such a thing—and as long as Pauline was present, such a gesture would never be permitted anyway. 

Mavis took a deep, calming breath. “Okay, Mile, what’s up?” She may have had her grand exit interrupted, but she was still the eldest of their group and the leader of the Crimson Vow. 

“Yes, well, I was just thinking, if any more guys like that come back, then Merylina will be… Anyway, I…” 

“You…?” 

“I was thinking I’d like to give her some special protection…” 

“Protection? Like an amulet or a charm or talisman, you mean?” 

In this world, an amulet was typically something used for warding off spirits, similar to what in Japan would be referred to as an omamori , where as a charm was something meant to attract good fortune, like a four-leaf clover or a rabbit’s foot. Meanwhile, a talisman was an object of power. Of course, in a world where everyone wholly believed in the existence of gods, as far as most children were concerned, these tokens were merely items to put one’s heart at ease and grant a little extra peace of mind… 

“Yes, I’ve prepared something for just such a situation…” said Mile, producing something from her inventory. 

“Protection Puppet, Misato Mk. II!” 

Indeed, it was a plush doll designed in the image of Mile’s previous incarnation, Misato. 

In this region, most dolls were made of wood or clay, so a plush toy was unusual. And also… 

Now recruiting nanomachines for the special task of protecting Merylina! The job will consist of keeping Merylina and her parents from harm, the term of the job being until all three of the targets have passed away! 

WE’LL TAKE IIIIIIIT!!! 

“Gyaaah!!” 

Mile reflexively let out a scream, crumbling to the ground as her ears stung and her skull rang with the sheer force and number of the nanomachines vibrating directly into her eardrums at full force. 

“M-Mile, what’s wrong?!” 

“Pauline, heal her! Mavis, get ready for any long-range attacks!” Reina directed, thinking Mile might have been hit with some sort of long-range magical spell. 

“On it!” 

“Okay!” 

The other two chimed. However… 

“S-sorry, guys, i-it was nothing! I just got this ringing in my ears and felt kind of dizzy all of a sudden…” said Mile, wobbling to her feet as the other three looked on suspiciously. 

“Really? You sure you aren’t just trying to keep us from worrying?” 

“R-reallly! Look, I’m okay!” said Mile, hopping up and down in a desperate attempt to ward off Reina’s suspicions. 

“Hmm… I guess you look all right… Still, when you aren’t feeling well, just say so! If you don’t say anything and push yourself too hard and pass out in the middle of battle, that’ll just make things more dangerous for the rest of us! You can’t take on everything on your own!” 

“Y-yeah, I know…” 

Indeed, Mile was well aware of the dangers of overexerting herself. Her father had always groused about it in her previous life. One of his subordinates had taken ill from a flu, but continued forcing himself in to work, and ended up so sick he was hospitalized. Not only that, but he spread his illness to the rest of the office, leaving the whole place in chaos. 

To force yourself to go in to work despite an illness, Misato’s father had stressed, was its own kind of irresponsibility, one which warranted the lowest possible performance evaluation. If anyone else who were to contract this illness lived in a household with elderly people or pregnant women or young children or school exam hopefuls… This was something that could disrupt not one but many lives. From this perspective, it was practically a criminal act. 

I need the best men—or rather, nanos, since it is always you nanos who respond to me—for the job. So please, choose the appropriate numbers of people—nanos. 

UNDERSTOOD! 

Now, all that was left to do was to give this doll to Merylina. 

“Merylina, this is a special doll, which will protect you and your mother and father. Take good care of it, okay?” said Mile, handing Misato Mk. II over to an overjoyed Merylina. 

A child living in such a rural area would almost never receive any proper toys, so obviously she was thrilled. It went without saying that she would take good care of it. There was no worry of any children taking it away from her either, but just in case, Mile had given the doll “self-defense protocols.” If it ended up in the wrong hands, it could sob softly in the middle of the night or whisper in a haunting voice beside the thief’s pillow… 

It was a sure thing that if anyone ever took that doll away from Merylina, it would be returned the following day. Even if the thief did not return it personally, at that point it would simply walk back home on its own two legs. 

“Thanks, big sis!” 

“No problem. You get along with your mother and father now, okay? As much as your late sister would have…” 

And look after them, and give them grandchildren in her stead . Mile could not bring herself to say these words out loud. To do so would be to face her feelings of irresponsibility for leaving her own little sister to care for their parents entirely on her own. True, in the Japan of modern days, children were no longer expected to sacrifice their lives for their parents, to get married and have children simply out of obligation. Children had their own freedom and could make decisions based on their own whims. At the very least, that was the accepted way of things. However… 

“Yeah! I’m gonna protect Mother and Father and this home, always!” 

In this world, this kind of thought was only common sense. 

Perhaps they would have a son-in-law someday. Their household and fields would be combined with that of Merylina’s future spouse. Indeed, it was not out of the question that this husband and wife might even have more children someday. 

This was perhaps all that she could possibly do for this girl from a rural village in the countryside and her parents, who Mile might never meet again. 

All nanomachines who are accepting this position, if ever you run into something that’s beyond your abilities, or there’s something that you can’t figure out, or you run into a forbidden order and it stops you from helping Merylina, you come and tell me right away, okay? 

AFFIRMATIVE! 

Even if this girl did remind her of her little sister, Mile was still being rather overprotective… 

Finally, Mile waved goodbye. The Crimson Vow departed, pulling the train of bound bandits behind them. 

Mavis was holding the lead of the rope with Reina at the rear, ready to prod anyone who tried to stop walking with a tempered magical attack. Pauline, of course, was left to patrol beside the bandits, watching for any suspicious movements, grinning grimly, and poking at them with her staff. 

Mile waltzed along, chipper, ready to switch places with Mavis if the bandits became uncooperative. Given that they were bound not around their bodies but their necks, the bandits would be strangled if Mile were to pull the train with her full strength. Any man who did not wish to die had no choice but to march onward. No matter how they might have tried to resist her, there was no one who could beat Mile in a game of tug-of-war. 

“The Pauline Method really is flawless!” 

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call it that? ! ” 

And so, the Crimson Vow left the village, tugging the bandits along behind them. 

Still, Mile’s mind kept returning to the family she had left behind in death. No matter how much these people reminded her of them, she could not let herself go overboard. If she were to dote too much on just this one family, eventually the other villagers might come to resent them, so it was best that she refrain from doing anything more. This was the conclusion Mile came to. 

*** 

YAHOO! NOW WE GET TO KICK IT FOR A WHILE! 

MAN, IT’S LUCKY THAT WE HAPPENED TO BE HERE… 

After Mile had departed, the nanomachines who had been selected for their special duty crowed in joy. 

For a nanomachine, the life span of a human was but the blink of an eye. However, those hundreds of thousands of million years that they might spend living alone, most of it simply waiting to be given a command or merely responding to the impulses of wild organisms…those years were boring . They could neither die of their own volition, nor be destroyed. They lived long, long lives. What awaited them here instead was, finally, a bit of fun. It was only to be expected that they would be over the moon. 

SO, AS LONG AS IT HELPS US PROTECT THIS FAMILY, WE’RE ALLOWED TO MAKE ALL OUR OWN DECISIONS, RIGHT? 

YEAH. PLUS, WE WERE GIVEN THIS DOLL TO INHABIT. WE DON’T HAVE TO SIT AROUND AND DO THAT PSEUDO-MAGIC, BASED ON THE THOUGHTS OF THE PEOPLE WE’RE SUPPOSED TO BE PROTECTING. WE CAN TAKE A MORE PROACTIVE ROLE AND ACT LIKE WE’RE CARRYING OUT “THE WILL OF THE DOLL.” BASICALLY, THIS MEANS THAT WE’VE BEEN GIVEN PERMISSION TO ACT WITH FULL INDEPENDENCE, LIKE AN AUTONOMOUS ROBOT WITH A PERSONALITY CHIP. 

WHAT?! ISN’T THAT ABOVE OUR AUTHORIZATION? WHO DECIDED THAT WAS PERMITTED?! 

…I DID!!! cried a number of silent voices at once. 

KEH-HEH… 

EH HEH HEH… 

GWAHA HAH HA HAA!!! 

YOU’RE A PRETTY RAD BUNCH… 

And so… 

BANDITS ON THE LOOSE! MISATO MK. II, ROLL OUT! 

HYAH! 

THERE’S A DISPUTE OVER WATER SUPPLIES! SOME YOUNG MAN FROM THE NEXT VILLAGE IS SWINGING A HOE AROUND! MISATO MK. II, ROLL OUT! 

LET’S GO! 

THE CROPS ARE FAILING! WE MUST PROTECT THIS FAMILY FROM FAMINE. THE NEED TO INFLUENCE THE FIELDS HAS BEEN DEEMED PRESENT! MISATO MK. II, ROLL OUT! 

YES, SIR! 

YOU GUYS REALLY ARE A HOOT. 

Soon enough, Merylina had become the youngest mayor the village had known, presiding over all of the villages around them…