Chapter 71
Claude had noticed the presence of people moving to surround the merchant caravan using Presence Detection.
He raised his voice from the head of the column.
“It seems we’re under attack. Everyone, please stop.”
The carriage convoy halted, and tension ran through the few guards.
“I will deal with them, so please focus on buying time.”
In the worst-case scenario, as long as no one died, he could use Healing Magic, so things would work out one way or another.
The bandits, having confirmed that the caravan had stopped, began to appear one after another.
In total, there were about thirty of them.
“Heh heh. Traveling the highway without even guards is like askin’ to be attacked, ain’t it?”
“Oi, oi! Behave yourselves and hand over the cargo!”
“I take it you are bandits, correct?”
“What’s this, a kid? Riding a fancy horse and wearin’ fine clothes. Capturing you and demandin’ a ransom doesn’t sound half bad.”
Claude was constantly tracking the positions of all the bandits with Presence Detection.
Not wanting to kill anyone, he decided to try an original spell he had conceived from his research into Ancient Magic. He solidified the image and performed a multi-cast.
“Lightning Bolt.”
The moment Claude chanted the spell’s name, electricity coursed through the bandits, causing them to convulse.
The guards didn’t understand what had happened.
Before they knew it, the bandits were all spasming.
“I made them convulse with my magic. There shouldn’t be any fatalities, so please cooperate in capturing them.”
The guards, calmed by Claude’s voice, though few in number, were skilled at subduing and quickly tied the bandits up one after another, securing them to the carriages.
They wasted some time waiting for the convulsions to subside and for the bandits to be able to walk, but as night fell, they reached their destination town.
The town gates were closed, but Claude was able to get them through safely by presenting his baronial certificate.
The bandits were handed over to the town guard as criminal slaves, and a small reward was paid out.
The rest of the journey proceeded smoothly without any further incidents, and they arrived at the Royal Capital.
The merchant caravan passed through the main street and arrived at the royal palace.
This time, because the quantity of goods was large, the person in charge of managing military supplies, Hughes-san, came to inspect the quality.
“There are no problems with the quality. However, we cannot pay the price for the Mithril weapons.”
“Can’t something be done?”
“Let’s consult the Prime Minister.”
The two of them had come to the office of Richman, the Prime Minister.
They were told by the guard soldiers that bringing weapons inside would be problematic, but they insisted it was necessary and entered the room as they were.
“Excuse us. First, I apologize for bringing in weapons.”
“Don’t worry about it. It must have been necessary. So, was there some kind of problem?”
“It’s about the weapons Lord Claude brought. As things stand, we cannot pay for them. Can’t something be done?”
“I cannot approve it on my own authority. Understood, I shall call the relevant parties.”