Episode 57: Night Raid
“Well, you can’t expect to get useful information just by listening a little.”
“It’s just a tavern after all.”
Even with so much I wanted to know, the information you can get from drunkards is limited.
Giving up on listening so soon, I went to bed early that day to prepare for the next day.
To go to the Adventurer’s Guild.
There are many people because there are many good requests. Well, I’m just going to check the trend of requests, so I won’t accept any.
“Escorts, Monster material collection, wow, there’s even a Bounty Head Thief. And there are quite a few of them.”
“Hoho? That is a grave situation.”
Barbatos’s eyes gleam ominously.
Moreover, the Bounty Head posters are quite old. It seems they’ve been left unchecked for quite a while.
This territory or country might not be very stable. The occurrence of Thieves means that there are many people with unstable incomes and lives, and leaving that unattended is not normal.
Adventurers and farmers turning to thievery also happened in Brostwill, but it was dealt with by Knights Order members and soldiers. Thieves are criminals, after all.
Such things cannot be left unattended, so they are dealt with promptly. Of course, it’s a serious crime.
Dealing with it is the job of the King and Lords, the rulers. It’s part of maintaining law and order.
In contrast, here, they are trying to leave the Thieves to the Adventurers, and that information is being disseminated.
If those responsible for maintaining law and order cannot handle the situation, it’s a sign of the ruler’s inadequacy. If such beings are left unattended for too long, they will only increase.
“Hmm, I was just looking for someone to talk to, so isn’t this just right?”
“No, it’ll be hard to find them, right?”
We’re in unfamiliar territory to begin with, and you want to find Thieves in such a place?
“This one even has their hideout written down.”
“Seriously!?”
They know that much and they’re still leaving them alone!?
“Hey, don’t you know? You should avoid that one.”
“Oh, are they famous?”
“…You really don’t know, do you? It means, don’t get involved unless you want your child to be enslaved.”
“Enslaved?”
“If they don’t have parents, they’ll be left to wander the streets, right?”
“Ah, I see.”
Barbatos seems to look like a father.
“So, is this one strong?”
“He used to lead the mercenary group ‘Lion Fang’. He himself was a former Rank 3 Adventurer. He had a dispute with the Lord of the Roblock territory in the southeast over compensation, and at that time, he kidnapped the Lord’s son as a hostage and eventually killed him. Then the entire mercenary group switched to being a Thief gang, 40 war professionals became Thieves.”
“Hmm. So, instead of just killing this one, we have to take out the entire Thief gang protecting him.”
“That’s right. And only he has a high bounty on his head, so no one’s targeting him.”
“That’s not worth it…”
The bounty amount is at the level where you can earn it by defeating several B-rank or higher Monsters.
“It’s better to not even get close. Where is this Mount Irta?”
“Huh? Ah, kid. That’s wise. Irta is…”
There’s no hiding that I’m unfamiliar with the area, so I honestly ask.
I see, that’s a great idea, Barbatos.
“So, we’re going to raid the Thief gang’s hideout. According to the confirmed numbers, there are about 40 people. There are two lookouts above the gate, and the gate is always closed. We’ll capture the enemy leader and his close aides alive. Other than that, make sure to take their lives.”
““““ Yes, sir! ””””
I’m taking Barbatos and Beatrice, as well as the Onmitsu and Warrior Brigade from the Village.
The main force is the Warrior Brigade led by Beatrice. The Onmitsu will move to secure the enemy leader.
“We’ll Spatial Jump near the enemy’s hideout. Ore and Barbatos will take out the lookouts, so from there, it’s a race against time! Also, capturing them alive is just a goal. Don’t hesitate if your life or your comrades are in danger!”
““““ Yes, sir! ””””
Among us, only Barbatos and Beatrice have killed people before. I’ve only killed people in my previous life, but the Village members have never killed anyone, so that’s a concern.
They say they’ve taken down Monsters that resemble people or imitate human forms, so they’ll be fine, but we’ll see.
I have aerial Drone photos of the fortress from above, and I’ve also taken photos from the front, so I’ve made a plan.
We have weapons, and the recovery team is stronger than me. If we can clear the mental hurdle, we should be able to win.
Beatrice is checking the equipment of the Warrior Brigade one by one. The Warrior Brigade is composed of beastmen of bears, lions, and rabbits. Their main weapon is the assault rifle ‘SGS-08A’ for indoor combat. Some are equipped with SB Lances, while others have ordinary Swords and axes. I’m not forcing it because some say they can’t handle the weight of the weapons. Beatrice is also equipped with a Halberd, although she transforms it into a bangle.
The Onmitsu unit led by Ryuga is equipped with ‘Slug TCC-07’ handguns. Everyone has silencers, and their melee weapons are Kunai.
Beatrice and Ryuga are also discussing with each other. Ore and Barbatos are just listening, but there doesn’t seem to be any problem.
“Then, let’s start the operation!”
““““ Ooh! ””””
We use Spatial Jump to move near the hideout of the group, and then head to the front entrance. It’s nighttime, so we’re not conspicuous, but we still don’t want to be noticed, so we proceed cautiously.
The Onmitsu are also positioned in all directions to match our movements. Their job is to take down anyone who tries to escape.
Ore and Barbatos arrive at a position where we can aim without the lookouts noticing. We each ready our Sniper Rifles, ‘Gourai X’ and ‘Raven Claw 9’.
“3, 2, 1, now.”
It’s a snipe that can take down high-rank Monsters, the two lookouts are blown away while their bodies are wiped out by the excessive attack power.
“Success! Fire!”
“Fire!”
Beatrice’s rocket launcher ‘ES-66’ spits fire. The attack, which causes an explosion with a diameter of 38.2 meters, blows away the door along with the surrounding walls.
“Go!”
““““ Yes, sir! ””””
And the Warrior Brigade equipped with assault rifles rushes into the opened space. They spread out to the left and right as soon as they enter the door, and start firing around.
Gunshots and screams echo around.
“Now, how long will it take?”
“What do you think?”
Due to the training schedule, I was worried about the accuracy of the Sniper Rifles, so Ore, who has high accuracy, and Barbatos, who has even higher accuracy than me, did the sniping. However, the rest is up to the remaining members.
However, I want to provide support in case of an emergency, so I move to the watchtower.
Avoiding the corpses, I look at the group’s hideout from the watchtower, and what spreads there is a wonderful hell.
“The central part is already under control, huh.”
Beatrice, who is carrying a Halberd and guarding the surroundings, seems to have plenty of余裕. Now, the members of the Warrior Brigade seem to be checking if there are any enemies in the gaps between the huts and buildings.
“Beatrice-sama!”
One of the Warrior Brigade members calls out to Beatrice while dragging a man.
“Did you capture the target?”
They’ve already put on handcuffs that seal magic. Following him are two men who seem to be executives.
“No survivors.”
“The disposal of those who attempted to escape has been completed.”
“Any injuries?”
“None!”
“We’re fine too.”
Alright. No problem.
“King-sama, chicken… horse too, were. Want to take home, ます.”
“O-oh. Okay.”
Asahi came here hugging the chicken as if it were important. I’ll give you permission even if you don’t look at me with that face.
These guys were living here. It’s not strange to keep chickens and horses.
Besides that, there are gold coins, silver coins, jewels, and ornaments. Some of the Village members were tilting their heads, but Beatrice was drooling.
“And, hostages? That’s terrible.”
There was a prison in one of the huts, and there was a young man. He wasn’t seriously injured, but he seemed to have been beaten up quite a bit.
“It seems he was beaten up just enough not to be killed. He’s a man, so he might be someone with some kind of position.”
“…We’ll rescue him for now. But we won’t use the Medical Capsule.”
He doesn’t seem to have any fatal injuries, and he doesn’t have any missing limbs. He can be recovered with a normal treatment spray.
“How do you want to deal with them?”
“…Ryuga, you know the questions, right?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Then ask the executives. And the leader here…”
“Glaive, is it.”
“Take his head in front of the executives.”
“Yes, sir!”
After that, I cut off Glaive’s head in front of the two executives. It would have been easier to shoot him with a gun, but it would be strange if there was a hole in his head when I presented it. Barbatos, who uses a Saber, is the one presenting it. Oh, he still had his Guild Card. Let’s take this too, just in case.
I destroy the huts and other things that were there with magic and brute force, and gather them in one place. The corpses of the Thieves are also together. I set them all on fire.
I have Beatrice and the others collect everything that needs to be collected and retreat with Spatial Jump.
Now then, just what kind of position is he in?
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