Chapter 426
Chapter 426. The Rampant Villains
――Hey there, it’s Hero Alexander, and we’ve just arrived at the next port town, Bacchos.
“Isn’t the atmosphere super gloomy?”
“Yeah…”
Barely off the ship, Leila and I exchanged glances. It felt as if it were evening despite the early morning hour. That’s how heavy the air around the town was.
“What on earth happened here? Is something bad going on?”
Our old man immediately started asking the people working at the port. Though Arthur and I were skeptical, we naturally gravitated towards him.
“Actually, there’s been some bandit activity, and business is at a standstill…”
“Huh? Bandits?”
We were taken aback by the unexpected word from the port merchant, the old man and us in shock.
Bandits…? Not lake pirates?
“To the north of this town, there are ancient ruins…”
According to the merchant, a particularly fierce group of rogues had taken over the ruins north of Bacchos. Caravans, traveling merchants, and even travelers passing by had been attacked, leading to significant damage…
“What is the lord doing about this?”
The old man asked, which was a perfectly reasonable question.
It’s understandable for bandits to appear, but their hideout has been identified. Bacchos may not be as large as Severai, but it’s not a small town either. They must have decent military strength, so why aren’t they taking action?
“Well—”
The merchant lowered his voice while glancing around cautiously.
“—the lord and the main forces of the lord’s army are busy out of town. It seems the regent suddenly declared a ‘martial arts tournament and military exercises’ and summoned everyone to the capital.”
“A martial arts tournament and drills…”
Hmm, the old man pursed his lips. The regent refers to Duke Oranio, doesn’t it?
――But why is Duke Oranio called the ‘regent’?
Arthur informed me about this during our downtime while on the ship.
“Well, in summary, he’s not very welcomed by the people. The previous Duke, Graham, was well-respected and loved by the citizens, but… last year, he was pressured strongly by the Empire to abdicate. The one who took over was Duke Oranio, Graham’s nephew, but it seems he’s rather infamous…”
After casting a soundproof barrier, Arthur began to speak, indicating he had sensitive information, and it was indeed quite scandalous.
“The Empire pressured him?”
“Yes. I mentioned it before, right? The Hamilton Duchy serves as a bulwark against the Kaizaan Empire for the city-state alliance around Aulitos Lake…”
“Ah, I heard that.”
Each time the Empire showed ambitions for territorial expansion, the city-states rallied together to support the Hamilton Duchy and repel interference… at least, that’s how I remembered it.
“Naturally, the Empire hasn’t given up on annexing or making the Hamilton Duchy a vassal state. Since it’s a nation that became independent from a provincial segment of the Empire, there’s a strong perception that they still belong to the Empire. But it was Duke Graham who consistently thwarted their nefarious attempts.”
He stood firm against a great power while implementing benevolent governance at home. As long as the revered Duke Graham reigned, the future seemed bright for the duchy—so it was thought.
But things took a different turn.
“Duke Graham was not particularly blessed with heirs. He had only one heir, who suspiciously died over a decade ago… They say it was assassination or poisoning. The perpetrator remains unknown.”
Unknown perpetrator, huh…
“The only luck was that the duke had a young grandson—Johannes, the duke’s grandson. Following the natural line, this grandson was supposed to be the successor… but…”
“Did something else happen?”
“…Last year, on his way to study abroad in the Empire, his carriage fell off a cliff… His body was never found, and officially, he’s listed as missing.”
…………That’s quite fishy～～～～.
I mean, poor Duke Graham…
“This incident seems to have taken a toll on the elderly Duke Graham, who collapsed from worry and had to step away from politics for a while…”
And during that gap, the Empire swiftly launched a political offensive.
“Numerous trade restrictions, tax increases, and attempts to sow discord among the merchant guilds closely associated with the Hamilton Duchy—various means were used to shake things up… Later, a somewhat recovered Duke Graham declared his abdication. He appointed his nephew, Duke Oranio, as his successor, and as soon as Oranio took office, all regulations and tax increases from the Empire were lifted…”
“So they made a backroom deal where harassment would cease in exchange for Duke Graham’s abdication?”
Thus, the Empire got rid of the well-respected duke.
“It appears they lifted the regulations under the pretense of celebrating Duke Oranio’s enthronement and establishing goodwill. By the way, Duke Oranio has studied in the Kaizaan Empire. During his time there, he lived a life of luxury and developed a taste for extravagance…”
So not only did they remove a revered ruler, but they also successfully placed a puppet who favors the Empire on the throne! That explains why the duchy is in turmoil and why Duke Oranio is so unpopular.
To the public, the king is Duke Graham.
Duke Oranio is merely a ‘replacement’…
“Since becoming the king, does Duke Oranio still have the same extravagant spending habits?”
“It seems so. He buys expensive jewelry from Empire merchants, holds banquets, and lives a flashy lifestyle.”
“…Instead of sending spies everywhere to root out corrupt officials, he should better himself first.”
I sighed in exasperation. Well, it seems he’s trying to avoid self-restraint by pushing it onto others…
“Y-yeah… right…”
Arthur agreed with a complicated expression—
“——It’s truly unfortunate! How much loss has been caused by the regent’s whims…! And bandits! There were hardly any rogues during Duke Graham’s reign, but now, because of that fool becoming king…! If there’s time for a martial arts tournament, they should be focusing more on eliminating bandits and lake pirates! No, even before that, they should ensure no one goes hungry—”
The sobbing merchant was getting heated as he spoke, but whoa, wait a second, even if he’s a puppet, publicly insulting the king like that is a big deal!
Especially right in front of someone related to the king!!
“……”
Look at the old man’s severe expression, and Kirk and Shuken have their faces twisted in annoyance! Arthur is glancing at the old man nervously, as if to say, “This is bad, this is bad.”
“…I understand the situation.”
In a low voice, the old man began to speak. I could see him deliberately relaxing his shoulders from behind.
“Now, regarding the bandit issue… Is it true that their numbers are so large that the remaining defenses in this town cannot handle them?”
“…No. I’ve heard they number around 30.”
Eh? 30?
…That’s definitely not a small number for a bandit group, but they aren’t regular soldiers. Surely, even with the remaining forces in this town, we should be able to handle them…?
“If the guard brigade is deployed, it shouldn’t be impossible to drive them out…?”
The old man seemed to share the same sentiment and tilted his head. Could the guard brigade really not defeat 30 bandits?
“The initial thought was indeed that… A unit of the guards led by the magistrate was sent to deal with them.”
The merchant’s expression was solemn.
“—But not a single one has returned.”
Silence fell over the place.
…Total annihilation? A properly trained guard brigade? No way.
“It seemed rather strange, prompting speculation that they may have fallen into some devious trap and been captured. So a new hunting party was formed, consisting of the local guards along with volunteers and bodyguards from various merchant guilds.”
So they gathered the town’s forces to confront them.
But… if the situation is still unresolved, it means…
“…In the end, there were great losses. Only half made it back…”
“Against just 30 of them…?”
“Yes. Most of the bandits were just desperate rogues. However, there was one who stood out as a monster… the leader of the bandits—”
The merchant shivered in fear.
“—was a Sword Saint.”
………….
For a moment, I thought, here we go again, but given the scale of the damage, it might really be no ‘fake sword saint’ this time.
“Is this a ‘real’ Sword Saint…?”
At my question, the merchant nodded with a pained expression.
“…At the very least, he possesses the ability to step in with a speed unimaginable and behead five people in a single swing.”
………….
From what I hear, he surely sounds like a Sword Saint. I don’t want to believe it, but…
“Wait. What about the Holy Church? Are there no heroes or priests in this town?”
Arthur raised his voice.
Indeed. Where is the hero?
“Unfortunately, this town only has a rather elderly… a dying old priest and a freshly qualified novice. Until a few months ago, a hero was here, but due to unfavorable conditions against the Demon Lord Army, they went to the front lines…”
And they haven’t returned since, he said, letting out a sigh.
…If the bandit leader is truly a Sword Saint.
It’s certain that the guard brigade cannot handle him. The hero capable of countering him with magic and sword is absent. The only priest is a senior citizen on the brink of death. The main forces of the lord’s army likely had one or two magic users, but they’re currently absent—
A Sword Saint is a beacon of hope for humanity.
An embodiment of martial mastery and reason.
A trump card that can allow a weaker magic user to overcome a stronger one.
And yet—
“Bandits, huh?”
Don’t mess with me.
To squander such power, such a weapon, just to indulge in random evil against innocent civilians?
I can’t forgive that…!
“…………”
Leila squirmed uncomfortably, probably because she was hearing Barbara’s voice from the dagger at her waist.
That, so-called bandit Sword Saint.
I’d like to throw him onto the front lines, but the fact that he’s committing crimes here already indicates that his moral compass is completely broken.
There’s no room for rehabilitation.
And a villainous Sword Saint is easily more troublesome than poorly-trained magic beasts.
――I have no choice but to kill him.
“I’ll go.”
“I’ll go.”
“Leave it to us.”
Then the voices of Arthur, the old man, and I overlapped, and we looked at each other.
…Wow, everyone seems super motivated.
Honestly, I’d prefer to do it on my own…
†††
Under the starry sky.
A man stood still.
Looking up, he could faintly see.
Landscapes emerging.
――Humans were gathered, seemingly in a discussion.
At the center stood a handsome hero, with a rugged sword hanging from his waist.
Beside him, a slender girl with pale features stood—
“Leila…!”
With gritted teeth, the Night Elf man exclaimed.
“Don’t mess with me…!”
BAM! He struck his fist against the starry sky.
What appeared in the sky was, in fact, a spherical boundary that could be touched at reach.
The infinitely expanding dark world was a prison for his soul.
“Let me out!! Hero Alexander!!”
As he banged on the invisible barrier, he screamed.
“Get me out of here!! You traitor!!!”
†††
At the hero’s neck, as plans to exterminate the bandits were discussed.
A pendant swayed gently.
――The screams would never reach anyone.
