My motives had been selfish, sure. By killing Hugo and his group, I wanted to gain the Hero job, just like the original MC. But even without that, I know I would have helped those villagers when they were attacked by bandits.
So I hadn't really done anything wrong—the tragedy with Setsuna's village could only be called bad luck.
'Master, are you alright?' Roxanne's voice came through the party link, her tone laced with concern as she moved closer.
None of the girls knew who Hugo was—not even Roxanne. I hadn't bought her yet when I claimed his bounty, so to them, this conversation must have seemed like nothing more than drunken thieves rambling.
'Yeah. Let's leave,' I said quietly, making Durandal vanish and opening a Warp back to the outskirts.
Once outside, my gaze inevitably drifted towards Setsuna. She stood with her eyes fixed on the village, and a sharp sting of guilt ran through me. Realizing that my own actions—done with good intentions—might have indirectly caused her father's death, gnawed at me.
Also I remember that in the original story, in order to raise money for Roxanne, Michio went after Hugo's thief associates. While staying in the Vale City, he cut them down in the dead of night. That would surely go on to weaken their numbers even further.
I hadn't done that. I already had the money for Roxanne thanks to my System, so I had left Vale City while spending just a single night there.
Would things have been different if I had followed the canon route? If I had killed just a few more of them, reducing their numbers even more, before leaving the city… would Setsuna's village have been spared?
I couldn't know.
And I know it sounds cruel to think this way,… but if they hadn't attacked her village, I probably never would have met Setsuna at all. She wouldn't have become my slave.
Still, it wasn't exactly my fault — in fact if I hadn't overheard that conversation I wouldn't have known this band was tied to Hugo at all. Now that I do, I should at least come clean to Setsuna. Not right now, not while we are in the middle of saving her village, but when this is over she deserves to know the truth.
I shook my head to clear it and forced myself back to the mission. Worrying about what-ifs wouldn't change anything. This knowledge only made it more personal for me. All I could do now was make it right for Setsuna — starting by killing every one of the scum who destroyed her life.
I took a breath and focused. 'We've taken down fifteen so far,' I told the girls. 'The first house had three, and the next three each had four.' I paused. 'How many more are left?'
'The two bonfire groups — seven people total,' Remu replied, eyes on the village. 'Then there are two guards at the barn and one at the big house.'
'The big house probably has at least one more inside — their leader,' Roxanne added. 'We don't know if there are any more of them inside the barn, though.'
'I hope there aren't any,' I said, letting out a sigh. 'So in total we've got at least eleven more to take care of.' I felt better— knowing more than half their force was already gone.
'Yeah, but it won't be easy,' Remu warned. 'They're out in the open. If we hit one, the others will definitely notice.'
'Setsuna doesn't mind charging straight at them, Master!' Setsuna said, gripping her sword hard.
'If it's a head-on fight, I'll take the front,' Roxanne volunteered immediately.
'For Fish-desu!' Even Miria joined in clearly sensing a chance to ask for fish.
'Wait, let's not be hasty. I still have one last trick up my sleeve,' I said, opening my Item Box and pulling out a mask.
'Ah, Master wants to change into the Slave Merchant again?' Roxanne asked knowingly.
'Yes,' I confirmed, slipping it on. The disguise had worked flawlessly last time, giving me incredible results. No harm in trying the same strategy again.
I removed my helmet and gloves to complete the look, then quickly explained the details of my plan to the girls. I laid out two possible approaches and told them we would decide which to use depending on how things played out.
They urged me to be careful. I nodded, retrieved a lantern from the explorer's bag, and started towards the village. The others stayed hidden but ready. They could still see me and thanks to the party link, they could also hear my instructions in real time.
Keeping my expression calm, I approached the group. They had stopped singing, blades drawn and wary. With the lantern in hand, I was quite easy to spot even in the darkness.
"Who's there?" the level 5 bandit barked, stepping ahead of the others and pointing his sword toward me.
"It's just me," I replied in a deeper voice, pulling back my hood and lifting the lantern to illuminate my face.
"Ah, it's you—the Slave Merchant." He lowered his weapon, and the others relaxed, going back to their drinking as I walked closer.
"You're so fucking late," he spat. "My brother's been waiting for you all day. I hope you brought the damn money to calm him down."
I almost smiled. These fools loved to run their mouths, always spilling useful information. That one line told me plenty—this man wasn't the leader. His brother was, which lined up with Roxanne's guess that the boss might be holed up in the main house.
In fact, if Setsuna had night vision, she could have verified whether this man was the leader or not. But it didn't matter— the man had already pointed out that he wasn't.
"I have the money," I said with a nod, continuing forward.
"Ha, good. Go then—he's probably in the house, sleeping with his bitches," the bandit sneered, keeping his sword down and grabbing a wineskin from the ground. He slumped down beside the others, drinking as though I were no threat at all.
I passed them, heading for the house. At that moment, their guard was completely down. If I wanted, I could have struck right then, cutting down two or three of them before they even realized what was happening. That had been one of my fallback plans—if they got suspicious of me, or if this man had turned out to be the boss, I would have attacked the moment I was close enough.
But now that I knew the real boss's location, he became the top priority. His level would almost certainly be the highest, making him the greatest threat.
As I was walking I cast a glance toward the barn. From here, I could see its entrance. The two guards stationed there looked back at me with bored expressions.
The guard at the door of the house knocked once and announced, "The Slave Merchant's here."
A rough voice barked back from inside, "Send him in."
"Go on inside," the door guard muttered, raising his own wineskin for a swig.
I pushed the door open and stepped in, closing it quietly behind me. Lanterns hung on the walls, bathing the simple room in warm light. There were a few tables and chairs scattered about, and I could make out a kitchen area on the far side.
"In here," a gruff voice called out.
I put my lantern on the ground and followed the sound toward the back, where two doors stood half-open. One led to a small bedroom with nothing but a narrow bed—empty at the moment. The other was not.
I stepped inside, and was immediately hit by the heavy stench of sweat and sex. A single candle flickered on a table, casting just enough light to make out the scene before me.
[Bandit Level 10]
[Villager Level 18]
[Villager Level 16]
The bandit was a muscular, middle-aged man with multiple scars across his torso. He looked like a rough bear with his unkempt beard and sharp eyes. He was totally naked, covering only his lower half with a sheet as he sat on the bed.
Behind him, strewn in a pile, were two middle-aged naked women. The blue lupine ears on their heads were proof enough that they were members of the Ice Wolf Tribe—likely Setsuna's fellow villagers.
Their bodies bore various marks, barely visible in the candlelight. Their eyes were closed—hopefully just asleep, and still alive. This bastard bandit boss had clearly taken liberties with them. I couldn't even begin to imagine the horrors these innocent women had endured over the last couple of days.
A furious fire burned in my chest. On this bed could have been my Setsuna herself, violated by this animal. She had only been spared because they must have valued her virginity as a selling point for the Big Auction.
"Mardel! What excuse do you have for arriving so late? Did you sell that bitch successfully at the auction?" the bandit barked, his face twisted in anger.
Instead of answering, I instantly activated Overwhelming and dashed at him. I kicked him in the chest, knocking him back onto the bed.
"Wha—"
I shut his mouth by stuffing a cloth between his teeth, then added points to summon Durandal into my hand.
With my leg pressing down on his chest to pin him, I used the Warrior skill Rush twice—slicing clean through his outstretched arms.
Splat! Splat!
Both hands were severed at the forearms, falling onto the bed as blood spurted violently from the stumps.
I saw the pain and rage in his eyes as he tried to kick me with his legs. But I drove Durandal down into his thighs one by one, the sheet on his legs quickly turning crimson. The Bandit leader's legs and hands were crippled instantly.
I could have killed him—ended his life with one slice of Durandal—but his life was not mine to take.
'I have the boss neutralised. Setsuna, come,' I said, asking only her to join via the party link, as I opened a warp on the wall connecting to the forest.
Setsuna arrived immediately. Her blue eyes met mine, then trailed down to the women; they widened in panic.
"Aunty…" she breathed, covering her mouth with a gasp. Her gaze shifted to the man pinned beneath my leg.
"You—!" Her face contorted with fury as she stepped forward, fists clenched.
'Here. Kill your father's murderer with your own hands, Setsuna!' I said, handing her Durandal, and reminded her to do it quietly—there were still people outside.
She nodded and took the sword, eyes still fixed on the bandit. She climbed onto the bed and gripped the blade with both hands.
The bandit watched, rage and pain in his eyes, still trying to struggle free while waving his stumps and spraying blood everywhere.
"For my father," Setsuna muttered, blue eyes blazing. She brought Durandal down into his chest, ending the bandit's fight. His eyes remained wide with terror.
"You bastard… you cut my father's head off!" she hissed, still not satisfied. She pulled Durandal free and swung at his neck; his head plopped onto the bed as more blood spurted out.
As she tried to swing again, I caught her wrist.
"He's dead, Setsuna. You can take your anger out on his body later. Right now there are more criminals to punish and people to save," I said quietly.
"Master is right." She let her hand fall. For a moment her blue eyes went empty, then the tears came, slow and hot. "Thank you Master… thank you," she whispered, burying her face against my chest.
I exhaled and wrapped my arms around her, holding her as she shook. Her sobs were small and jagged; I stroked her back, trying to give a little warmth to this broken, grieving girl.
***
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