69 Episode 69 "Mirba, Im Answering" (1/2)

After Shoma and the others return to Hazama Village...

Night.

”...... Is that where the castle is?

The men who had been riding suddenly slowed down.

They carried bloody weapons on their hips and sacks of gold and food on the back of their horses.

The men are a band of thieves who operate on the border between the Kitor territory and the frontier.

Their name is the 'Bloodline Whirlwind Gang'.

They had just raided a nearby village.

They could not stay long because of the resistance. They could barely take money and food.

Since the fall of the Rikaku Order, the villages around here have been resisting the bandits. Even though they were all small villages.

And what did the villagers mean when they said, ”If you do something bad, the High King will come! What do they mean by that?

Are they really believing in the return of the legendary Dragon Emperor?

Anyway... I don't care what the common people are thinking.

The head of the bandits looked at the castle in front of the rocky mountain.

It was a small castle.

I've been around here many times, but I've never seen it before.

And there was no sign of people.

Even at this hour, if it was inhabited, there should be lights or smoke.

The sound of talking, horses whinnying, livestock. It is unusual that there is no sound at all.

Go and see one. If there's really no one there, go to .......

Want to make it our base? Heads.

Oh. Some idiot lord wants to give us an empty castle.

The men of the bandit group laughed as they followed him.

On the side of the rocky mountain is a small castle with only a watchtower in the center.

There is no one in the watchtower.

There is only a round figurine. Not even a soldier in sight.

Probably built in a panic by some idiot lord to protect the Rikaku cult. Now that the cult is dead, it's no longer needed. This is close to the town where the subhumans live. Even the noble Kittle family wouldn't want to live in a place like this.

While they were talking, the one who had gone on a reconnaissance mission returned.

The head...!　I've been trying to get closer, but there's not a single soldier on the walls!

”I see.

The bandit's head nodded thoughtfully.

The head of the bandit nodded thoughtfully.

There are now more than fifty of them. It's hard enough to keep them fed.

The bandits are easily defeated by soldiers. As a countermeasure, we are changing our base one after another. But there's a limit to that, too. Living on the move is stressful for you as the head of the band and for your friends.

It's better to have a strong base, isn't it?

The bandit leader chuckled.

If the castle was truly uninhabited, or even sparsely populated, it would not be difficult to take it over.

Climbing over the walls and breaking into the town was a specialty of the bandits.

All of them are armed with clawed ropes.

There are no soldiers guarding the walls. That's good. All of you approach at once, throw the ropes and climb the walls. Once we get over the wall, we're in control.

You can set fire to it, confuse it, and then take the money and run away.

If the castle is really uninhabited, you can just take it ...... and make it your base.

If this is the castle of the Great Patriarch Kittle, there is no way you can announce that the bandits have taken the castle.

If they ask you to surrender the castle, you can negotiate with them and get money from them.

If they attack you with open arms, just run away. If you've taken over the castle of the Kitor Territory, you're sure to get a reputation as a bandit group. Either way, it's not bad.

”Good. We'll take that castle. Everyone, get off your horses!　We'll approach on foot, kill our footsteps, and climb over the walls. If anyone's there, we'll take the treasure and leave. That's it!

「「「「 ohhhhh! 」」」」

The bandits scream.

They rob empty castles, or attack carefree, sleepy soldiers in their castles. It's a bloody job.

The bandits dismounted from their horses, weapons and claw ropes in hand.

They approached the castle at a fast pace.

There was no soldier in sight on the castle walls. In fact, there was not even a bonfire burning.

It's hard to believe, but ...... it must really be uninhabited.

”...... interesting.

murmured the head thief.

This is why you can't stop being a thief. Finding an abandoned castle ...... is such a blessing.

”Okay. If there are a lot of enemy soldiers, run away immediately.

”...... Yes, sir. Head.

...... If there are only a few soldiers, kill them all. If there are people, set their houses on fire. Then they'll be so panicked they won't even know we're in. Then we can just walk out the gates with impunity as the people flee.

”Yes, sir!

If no one's home, we'll just take it. It's the owner's fault for being absent. I'll show them that this Blood Whirlwind is stronger than most soldiers. Let's go!

”Yes!

The bandits are running at once.

They're aiming for the city walls. Throw the claw rope and run up the wall.

The wall is getting closer and closer.

These are the best bandits in the world. If they're serious, they won't make a sound.

The castle is only a few dozen steps away.

There's still no sign of the enemy.

”...... Are you afraid of us, by any chance?

The bandit's head muttered quietly.

The head of the bandit murmured quietly, ”This little castle is no better than a village. If they knew we were coming, they'd be scared to open the gates.

Geez.

As if the head of the bandits had heard his words, the front wall moved.

A narrow gap appeared in the wall, and then...

JAKKIN!

A sharp log poked out from there.

「「「「......? 」」」」

The bandits stopped in a panic.

I don't know if it was my imagination, but ...... the walls seemed to move.

No, it wasn't my imagination. The walls had indeed moved.

The front wall moved like a piece of marquetry, leaving a small gap. There was a pointed log sticking out of it. It was as if someone was holding a log behind it.

”...... Oh, hey. What is this? Who's there?

”Hey.

”...... Olokana.

”Hey.