Chapter 110

Chapter 110

The Nymph Cultist and Pluto’s Underground Maze

Previously morale-deficient bandits were easily suppressed in the blink of an eye.

Truthfully, the individual skills of these bandits weren’t all that great to begin with.

If they had been truly skilled warriors, they wouldn’t be resorting to thievery but would hold a much more respectable job.

From what I’ve heard, the guild registration fee of 20 silver coins pushes many rejects into such criminal paths.

20 silver coins.

Though 20 silver coins may seem like a lot, it is an amount that anyone who’s not a slave and is willing to try can easily gather within a year.

These kids who avoid such efforts, scheming underhanded plots to exploit others, are bound not be strong.

Of course, I do not know what the named individuals wanted by the kingdom would be like. In any case, these ones here turned out to be a rather unimpressive bunch compared to their initial bold appearance.

Diling—

“Jod lv. 7

Status: Night Blindness》Straw Inflammation》Hard Palms》”

In reality, the leader of the bandit gang, Dual Swords Jod, is only level 7.

The rest who remained alive also had their pulses checked, showing about level 3 to 4, with the highest being level 5. They were at best run-of-the-mill Iron Tier adventurers.

Apart from the initial pair who were killed by having their necks pierced by ice spikes, the remaining eight were captured alive and bound together.

Guaak, Gwaaaak.

“Si, please tie me gently. I have a condition where I get hurt if I’m tied up too tightly!”

“Well, then let’s see if you can create a poem ending with ‘kku.’ Depending on your response, I might tie you gently.”

“Tu… tukku!”

“Go hit a gong! Brat! That’s what you were told to do, eh, you little b*stard.”

I delivered a mighty blow with the club towards the head of the bandit who was complaining loudly about being tied gently.

“Gueeeek!”

With that scream, the muffled grumbles from all around quickly faded away.

“Alright, it’s finally quiet around here. There sure are a lot of bastards talking.”

At any rate, having eight bandits kneeling in one place was quite intimidating. Even if they are low-level, a group together becomes strong.

No matter how great a hero may be, they will d*e if they get cut or surrounded and beaten by many people.

Because of this, I am deep in thought over how to deal with this group of bandits.

“They’re despicable and ignorant bastards. All of them should be executed!”

The mage Belmina gritted her teeth, insisting that all the bound bandits must be killed. She was clearly furious after one of them announced earlier that he intended to bring her to a cave and use her as an ice-making slave. Even if not for that, the mage Belmina was ruthless towards bandits.

The initial pair whose necks were pierced was killed by this girl. She showed no hesitation in taking lives. Is it because the ice mage is as cold as ice?

“Mr. Didier, what are your thoughts?”

“If we’re to behead them, it’s best to do it swiftly. Even I get restless dreams after hearing the screams of those dying, so.”

Swoosh.

And there was Didier wielding his large double-bladed axe. If he were to strike with such a heavy weapon, even the spine would slice through like thin tofu.

“The right to cut heads belongs exclusively to the party leader. Here, take this axe. It might be difficult with your stick, so I’ll lend it to you as an exception.”

Apparently, Didier also shares the same view with Belmina regarding executing these bandits.

In a world where human rights and respect for life sound like the jokes of a lunatic, the lives of law-breaking bandits aren’t any more significant than the mosquitoes that s*ck human bl**d.

Still, in my position as a modern person, I found myself questioning whether it would be all too easy for me to take their lives.

“Luna, what do you think?”

“Me? I…,”

Luna’s emerald eyes swept over the bandits. There was a flicker of emotion in her gaze, but it was difficult for even me to read exactly what she was feeling.

“I’ll leave it to Hassan’s discretion.”

“Hmm.”

It seems the final decision falls to me.

Swoosh.

I took the double-bladed axe from Didier and swung it onto my shoulder. The trembling bodies of the tied-up bandits convulsed even more violently at the sight. They must have sensed their impending doom.

I then addressed them.

“You have committed crimes. The crime of robbery. Secondly, the crime of violence. Thirdly…I don’t know what exactly, but I imagine you’ve broken countless laws.”

“…”

The silence from the bandits.

Everyone fell quiet, waiting to hear what would come out of my lips.

“However, I shall forgive you all.”

“Is…is that really true?”

“But this axe here advises me not to forgive you.”

Hence, it’s half and half.

Making them neither dead nor alive should work.

From the bandits, we obtained seven longswords and about 5 silver coins. The rest of the items were miscellaneous junk so we just discarded them on the field.

I left the disposal of the seven longswords to the dwarf Didier for later, and the money they had on them, a total of 5 silver coins, was split among the five of us at 1 silver coin each.

Didier, while loading the seven longswords into the storage of the carriage-like cart, made a statement.

“There is no greater act that accumulates karma than killing a person. So, the right to k*ll people is given to the party leader as compensation for handling various annoying tasks.”

“Is that so.”

“But choosing to pass on that right is peculiar. From what the Samaritan warrior in you sees, they weren’t even worth killing-. What was it? The bandits were quite clumsy.”

“…”

Instead of responding, my thoughts returned to the events that just occurred. The humans frozen rapidly by Belmina’s abilities.

We pushed them into the deep pit dug by the golem.

If they melt, as expected, Luna’s summoned guards will throw them into jail after that.

Though Didier criticized it, claiming it as wastage of karma, there was honestly no benefit in killing the bandits for me.

My karma, or mission stacking, increases not by killing people but by providing massages that remove strange diseases and curses, as well as unusual status effects.

And cutting off eight heads instantly would surely make my sleep restless.

“…Hail chaos.”

Diling—

“Name: Hassan lv. 17

Strength: 7

Agility: 4

Health: 6

Mission: 42 182

Grace: Blessing of Chaos》Radiant Hands》Cloak of Night》”

In any case, before freezing them, I quickly pressed their palms, increasing the mission count quite significantly. From my perspective, that’s all the gain I needed.

As I was feeling rather satisfied in my own way, Didier added a few more words after closing the cart’s storage.

“To be honest, I fail to see what that life spared by the bandits can achieve other than wasting time and food in prison. Frankly speaking, you’re hopeless as a warrior.”

“Hmm, I see.”

To such harsh remarks, I simply accepted them as they were. After all, I never claimed to be a great warrior.

It’s just that others impose their own biased preconceptions and either elevate or criticize based on appearances without my input.

“However, as a human being, you’re likeable. Those who unhesitatingly chop off heads may make for good comrades but are not always suitable as friends.”

“So, am I friends with Mr. Didier now?”

“Since the moment we began sharing the same carriage with one another, aren’t we all already friends? Anyway, the luggage is all loaded. We should be able to depart now.”

Leaving behind the half-buried eight ice lumps, we set off again.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we lost about half a day. I instructed the coachman to urge the horses to move a little faster.

Chalshh.

With a small crack of the whip, the two horses began trotting, and soon, the evening began to fall, filling the plains of Kallan with blooming flowers.

Dduling. Ddrung.

In the noisy carriage, filled only with Didier’s snoring.

Everyone seemed exhausted from the fight with the bandits. Each person was leaning against one another, eyes closed, dozing off.

I, too, decided to take advantage of this quiet time to restore my stamina. Just as I became accustomed to this silence…

The ice mage Belmina quietly spoke, polishing her small wand with a handkerchief.

“Did you call it a binding shadow curse?”

This made Luna’s shoulders tremble slightly as she looked outside the window.

“But why?”

“Though my instant freezing magic didn’t quite measure up, it seems to have had a decent effect at restraining the actions of the individuals.”

“That… it’s a high-level sorcery that only medical sorcerers can use. We got pretty lucky with its success.”

“Medical sorcerers. This Ideope sorcery turns out to be quite useful unexpectedly.”

“Yes, your magic was also pretty strong. Piercing through two targets’ necks in an instant…”

“Of course.”

That ended the conversation once again between the women briefly. Would this be a warm image of mutual recognition of each other’s strength?

If we continue in such a harmonious atmosphere, it probably wouldn’t be bad for the upcoming exploration of the maze.

As evening fell, we stopped the carriage to rest the weary horses and decided to camp. The campsite was an abandoned shrine we had used during the previous cultist extermination operation.

At that time, the place was filled with eerie fog and swampy lands, resembling a terrifying horror movie set. But now, the swaying flowers and reeds, dappled under the moonlight, presented a fairly charming and beautiful sight.

“This is Keres goddess’s shrine, left abandoned for quite a long time, I see. Tsk. Seeing it like this pains me as a Keres worshiper. Party leader, shall we tidy up the surroundings a bit?”

“Alright then. Anyway, we need to prepare the ground before camping.”

With everyone’s agreement, the work to create the campsite began.

I cleared away the scattered stones and leveled the earth. Meanwhile, the dwarf warrior Didier scrubbed the statue covered in bird droppings with a rag.

Fushshuk. Fushshuk.

Cough. Kekeo! Kek. Kek. Gasping.

“Wh, a moonlight lizard…! Sheesh! O-over there!”

Luna, whose tent-setting skills were less than ideal, dashed off at the sight of a strange-looking blue-light lizard hiding in a dark bush.

“Well, there’s nothing she’ll accomplish.”

“Even sitting on a cushioned sofa for long is unbearable. This hard rock will make do.”

On the side, the ice mage Belmina rested on a flat rock. Meanwhile, Paranoi was basking in the newly lit fire.

“The ground is nicely levelled. Let’s put up the tent now.”

After enthusiastically setting up the tent and creating some noise-making obstacles around, we unpacked our luggage and gathered around the campfire, cooking our food.

As the soup in the iron pot boiled with herbs, mushrooms, and chunks of meat, emitting a tantalizing aroma, the dwarf Didier took out something small and squishy from his inner pocket.

“Ahem, hmm. Hmm.”

It seemed like there was something he wanted to say, but he was waiting for someone to ask him, hoping for a prompt.

I decided to humor him and ask.

“What’s that?”

“This? Ah- What’s this? Magic powder. When sprinkled, it’ll make any food taste absolutely amazing. I created it. Would you like to try it once? If not, it’s fine.”

Didier explained quickly, as if waiting for this moment. However, the so-called magic powder seemed suspicious.

So, I pinched out a little bit and placed it on my tongue. It was quite salty but also had an indescribably artificial taste that immediately spread on the tip of my tongue.

If I had to compare it to something, it was like MSG.

Miwon, the flavor enhancer. Who would’ve thought a dwarf in this world would invent a magic powder with such an otherworldly taste?

“It tastes good.”

“Is, is that so? It’s made by grinding up rock salt, crab shells, dry mackerel powder, and more. Extremely good for soups.”

Though I vaguely understood that dwarves often work alone, there are those who are also proficient in cooking, not just forging metal or stones.

Thus, thanks to Didier, we enjoyed a fairly decent hot pot for outdoor fare.

“Not bad for a meal cooked outdoors.”

Even the picky ice mage had eaten two bowls by herself.

After filling our stomachs with warmth and enjoying the warm bonfire, a spring breeze softly began to blow, making us drowsy.

As our minds relaxed, we started fiddling with our equipment while exchanging words here and there.

We talked briefly about why we became adventurers and what we planned to do next.

That small conversation made these awkward companions feel somewhat more like teammates.

“Anyway, after earning about 5 gold more, I will set up a decent restaurant near the south gate. In fact, I already have various recipes prepared.”

The ice mage Belmina quietly commented as Didier proudly declared.

“A restaurant run by dwarves, really? I can’t quite picture that. Perhaps they could run a blacksmith or a carpentry shop.”

“Ha, everyone says that sort of thing indeed. That’s precisely why I think it will be good for business. It’s unique, see?”

“Hmm.”

“Isn’t it well suited? I would argue the same about your magic, young mage.”

“Me?”

“Your ice magic skills are top-notch, after all. You could easily work as a court mage in a small kingdom and be treated appropriately. Why are you rolling around here, in a mercenary group like this?”

Honestly, I too was quite curious about that.

Even if not as powerful as an elf like Elfride who wielded fire magic, my understanding was that Belmina was fairly strong among the mages I’d met.

Belmina’s karma value was around 15, right? But since combat mages generally add around 10 to that, it was practically equivalent to being at level 25.

A level 25 individual was unlikely to find themselves facing off against mere bandits in such a place.

Yet, Belmina only laughed, as if hearing an amusing story.

“The story isn’t exactly an interesting one. Rather, let’s hear this Nymph’s tale. She decided to worship the Goddess of Hearth, Vesta, this time, right? As a way to spend time, why don’t we have a session of geomancy by the hearth?”

“Hearth geomancy?”

At the mention of hearth geomancy, Luna, who had been stroking the blue lizard, rose from her seat.

“Hearth geomancy, I love it! It’s getting boring spending the night, so this is perfectly timed!”

At her enthusiastic response, I couldn’t help but inquire.

“What exactly is hearth geomancy?”

“Oh, it seems our party leader hasn’t had the experience. Well, it’s good timing indeed. We’ve got a mage present, so we can use this opportunity to find the suitable attributes.”

Fitting attributes—this was a concept new to me.

[Afterword]

Today, the survey closed, and with the most votes, I’ve ordered a new illustration of Kampride…

With the Kampride illustration, I also splurged on another illustration with my own money!

All the money I used has accumulated from the coupons and recommendations you’ve given me…

Money I don’t hold back on spending!

Hioong…

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