Chapter 110
"I'll handle the bandits. I'd like to ask you all to block their escape routes."
"You're going to do it alone?"
Diana looked somewhat angry.
"Yeah. It's better if I move alone. If there are too many of us, they'll likely be on guard and attack first.
If I succeed in getting information from the bandits, let's raid their hideout and finish the mission."
"……That's absurd.
Do you think we can be convinced with just that kind of explanation?"
"Is the plan too crude?"
"It's not about the plan. It's just hard to believe that you can face the bandits alone and extract the information they have.
Don't hide anything. Tell us everything."
"……."
Stia also opened her mouth.
"Karen knows, right?"
Karen quietly nodded.
"Can't you trust us? I swear on my honor and my sword that I will not leak Decal's secrets."
"M-me too……."
Aba carefully raised his hand as well.
I confirmed the intentions of the three.
As expected, I can't just gloss over this, huh.
"Then, should we drop it?"
I stood up from my seat.
"Let's prepare to go back."
"W-wait! Why does it have to be like that?"
Diana grabbed me, looking anxious.
It'd be a bit much to say everything had become a hassle.
"Isn't it a dangerous mission, just like Stia said? Let's go back and ask them to send candidates of a higher rank than us."
There's nothing for me to lose.
The villagers here are pitiful, sure.
But it's not enough to weigh against the risk of me getting hurt, or my women shedding blood.
If I can't break through with hypnosis, the method I trust most, it's better to give up.
Even if I try hard to persuade them, it doesn't change the fact that we'd eventually be going on a dangerous mission.
Even if I hypnotize them to make them agree with the plan, it would be meaningless.
In my heart, I was always prepared to quit at any time.
That I absolutely had to save the villagers?
I didn't come to Melbrit to do good deeds.
So being a hero isn't for just anyone.
I'm only realizing that anew.
"……Yeah. If Decal has judged it so, it can't be helped.
We can't gamble everyone's lives."
Stia seemed resigned.
But Diana was different.
"I'll go even if I'm alone."
"Didn't you say that rushing in without any countermeasures is a bad move?"
"Kuk…! And you call yourself a hero candidate?"
"I just think this is enough. We report the village's situation, and let higher-ranked candidates take care of the rest."
Diana couldn't find anything to refute and closed her mouth.
Her pride probably wouldn't allow her to go along with what I wanted at this point.
I had come to see if I could easily earn some experience.
It was just when I was thinking I had come for nothing.
"I think we should go with Decal's plan."
The single sentence Aba uttered changed the atmosphere.
It was very unexpected.
"How can I trust the plan of a guy who can't even tell me one secret?"
Diana seemed incredibly disappointed deep down.
"Decal can't reveal his means because it's tied to personal circumstances. Rather than caring about merit, he was even thinking of giving up right away for our safety.
Since Decal thought it was worth trying if we follow his plan, conversely, I think I can trust him……."
"……."
Huh?
So that's how the argument goes?
In the end, it was sophistry, but it was a new perspective that the two women, who had been solely focused on the details of the plan, hadn't known.
Just then, Karen grabbed my sleeve.
"Oppa. Can I say what I want to say?"
Perhaps itching from just watching, Karen's eyes sparkled.
She wants harmony. This girl.
"Alright. Go ahead."
"I think Oppa doesn't want to reveal his affairs because he doesn't want to ruin the naturally formed relationship with those two.
Separate from that, this order…… if we trust and follow Oppa, we will definitely achieve results."
"……."
The situation, where Diana and Stia had been trying to uncover my secret, had somehow shifted to the task of persuading Diana and Stia.
Through the words of Aba Roun, who said he could trust me, and Karen, who understood my situation.
I could tell that both of their hearts were changing as well.
"I can trust someone like you two."
Stia opened her mouth.
"I can do anything to eliminate the Red Soul Stone.
But that's my greed. I was afraid people would get hurt because of that greed. I couldn't lead them recklessly.
I'll entrust my life to the task that Decal has observed calmly and deemed possible."
"You don't need to bet your life.
We should try, and if it doesn't work out, run away immediately.
Don't you think so too, Aba?"
Aba snickered.
"I knew Decal would say that. That's why I said I can trust you."
I felt a strong camaraderie between men.
Of course, Stia's deep trust was heartening as well.
But thinking of resolving the matter by trading lives here isn't right.
"Stia.
Even if we can't accomplish our goal here, you mustn't throw your life away. Understood?"
"……."
Stia stared blankly at me.
"You're…… the first person to say that to me."
Huh?
…….
Stia covered her reddened cheeks with her hands, at a loss.
Diana, who had been frowning with her arms crossed for a while, finally opened her mouth.
"Are you all fools?
A plan isn't a joke. Whether it's a trustworthy plan or not is something to be determined after he reveals everything he's thinking.
Just because we're close doesn't mean your judgment should be clouded! How foolish."
"Are you opposed, Diana?"
"I'm opposed! Of course!
But you all can do whatever you want. I was planning to do it alone anyway.
Didn't I say 'don't give me orders'?""
"……You did."
"I'm going to move in preparation for when his plan goes wrong. Got it?
Keep your friendship games to yourselves. I'll be the one playing the biggest part anyway."
Yeah, there needs to be someone like this.
Thinking it was so like Diana, I burst out laughing.
"What's so funny!"
When everyone smiled along, Diana turned her head away sharply with her arms crossed as if embarrassed.
"I'm counting on you when the time comes, Diana. I'll be trusting you."
"……."
Diana kept her head turned as if still sulking, then muttered quietly at the end.
"You'll tell us everything when the time comes?"
Karen hugged Diana tightly.
"Diana, you're so cute!"
"Let go. Your chest is touching me. Hwaah. What is this sensation…!"
Diana couldn't pull herself away from the sensation of Karen's chest.
Aba turned his head away as if embarrassed.
"You all must be tired, so let's stop here."
I clapped my hands to signal an end.
Stia stood up and spoke to me.
"Decal…. Thank you."
"Hm? For what?"
"……."
Stia hung her head, then ultimately couldn't say it and went to the women's room.
"Let's gather and talk, just us women, Diana."
"I got it, so don't hug me. It's terrifying……. Really."
"Oppa. Then we'll be off!"
"Yeah. Call me if anything happens."
Karen left, clinging close to Diana.
After the women went to the women's room, only a strange silence remained in the men's room.
My side felt somewhat empty, but it was a comfortable emptiness.
With it just being us men before a great undertaking, my heart calmed down.
"You managed to say quite something there."
"Earlier?"
"Honestly, I thought you'd want to go back."
"I would have thought so too. I'm not a brave person."
I took off my clothes and socks and got into my bed.
"But why did you?"
"I was inspired watching Decal.
There might be people who look down on me for being an adventurer, but seeing you rise from Rabbit rank……."
"……."
Ahh, it was when I was busy racking up points with creampies.
I wonder what Ekate is doing right now.
Does she still have the Eight-Colored Pearl? I opened the menu and turned on the peep window, but Ekaterina's side was dark and I couldn't see anything.
It seemed like some kind of enclosed space.
I'll have to make time later and peep on her when she's bathing.
"I want to stick right behind Big Brother and follow him too……."
"That's a problem."
"Yeah, it's a problem. *Yawn*."
Aba went to his bed and soon stopped moving.
"Good night, Decal."
"Yeah."
I thought I'd go right to sleep, but laughter and chatter from the women's room could be heard for about an hour, so I couldn't fall asleep easily.
Karen seems to be having fun.
I considered calling her with Shell Castle, but decided not to disturb them.
The next day.
We refined the details of the plan and relayed them to the village chief.
The tribute was to be prepared in greater amounts than usual, even if they had to scrape everything together.
We decided to receive their cooperation in revealing the locations of the hidden bandits in detail using the villagers' eyes.
Furthermore, when we executed the operation, they were to go inside their houses, lock the doors, and not come out.
After relaying the message, we scattered and thoroughly examined the interior of the village.
We investigated for as long as time permitted.
Stia in particular was bursting with motivation.
I walked around with Aba and listened to stories about the northern front.
The northern front was an abandoned front.
They said it was the place with the most lost demonic beasts and soldiers who had lost control.
There were villages, but the security and living standards were close to the worst.
They said everyone avoided approaching it.
Going there now
seemed to be a place of exile for soldiers deployed to maintain the minimum safety line.
Even they were people who had committed crimes within the barracks or attempted desertion.
They said it wasn't a place one would go to of one's own free will unless one had committed a heinous crime worthy of the death penalty.
After hearing the story, my impression was that I needed to keep my wits about me.
They didn't distinguish between means and methods.
They might attack calmly mid-conversation, or use poison.
Time passed, and it was the night of the operation.
As demanded, the village chief had prepared three carts loaded with alcohol and food at the village entrance, and six maidens wearing makeup.
"What! Village chief. I like the preparations today?"
One bandit swaggered over.
I hid my body using [Veil of Concealment] for the first time in a while and observed the situation.
"Please, just spare the others' lives..."
"Good. Since you've shown sincerity today, I'll overlook the whipping."
The bandit checked the faces of the kneeling women one by one with their heads bowed, then approached the cart and rummaged through the food with rough hands.
"As long as you haven't pulled any tricks.
If you've put useless trash underneath that just takes up space, you know what happens, right?"
"That's absurd. How could we do such a thing?"
The village chief prostrated himself flat on the ground.
"Oh. It's real?
Good. I like it. Keep doing it like this. Of course, when there's nothing left to bring out, you're all as good as dead anyway."
"......."
Perhaps having noticed the villagers' gazes, the bandit shouted.
"What are you looking at! Get lost!"
The villagers stealthily backed away and distanced themselves.
Soon, the bandit turned around and gestured.
"Everyone come here! There are especially many gifts today."
Then five bandits hiding in the darkness walked over with confident smiles.
Should I go out now?
No, let's wait a little longer.
The bandits embraced the prepared maidens and leered.
"Stay still. We're just having a quick taste."
The women suppressed their disgust and endured.
Soon, even the bandits who had been on rear guard duty ran over.
"Hey, you guys are having all the fun!"
"They're women who'll be made useless by the boss when we get back anyway. What's wrong with having a taste beforehand?"
"If we get caught, we're fucked, idiot."
"Tch……."
I met eyes with Aba, who was hiding in the alley.
Since I had informed Aba of my hiding position in advance, we were able to confirm each other's location.
We had established hand signals to silently inform each other when things were proceeding without issue.
Aba signaled me that it was good to go, then hid back inside the alley.
I dispelled the Veil of Concealment.
"Y-you, what kind of guy are you!"
"That uniform, Melbrit's…!"
"Attention."
Snap.
I snapped my fingers.
The bandits fell into hypnosis with embarrassing ease.
The village maidens, the village chief, and even the bandits were all within range.
I asked the first bandit who had arrived.
"Answer my question.
Are there more comrades besides the people gathered here?"
"None……."
"Eight in total. Correct?"
"Yes……."
"Everyone, disarm."
The bandits threw all their weapons to the ground.
They loosened their belts to drop their swords, and dropped hidden blades from their pockets or bosoms.
"What is the total number of the bandit group?"
"About twenty……."
It seems the actual number is fewer.
"Excluding those here, about ten remain?"
"That's correct."
Ordering them to take their own lives or reducing them to a vegetative state would be cleaner.
But if I handled the matter that way, I would definitely be suspected.
"Who knows your hideout the best?"
"I do."
I'll keep this one as a guide.
"Name?"
"Rophus."
"The seven bandits excluding Rophus, kneel."
The seven who had disarmed knelt down one by one.
A few seemed to be governed by bravado, groaning and resisting.
"Kneel. Do as I say."
However, as soon as I prompted them again, they knelt limply.
From now on, I would plant suggestions.
Naturally, they could neither resist nor escape.
I pointed at the bandits and spoke.
"[You cannot harm anyone.] [In that posture now, you absolutely cannot move.]"
They were alive, but from now on, their fate was no different from stone statues.
Next, I looked at Rophus.
"Rophus. [You are a collaborator of the Hero candidate.]"
"Collaborator…"
"[If necessary, you dedicate your body to protect the candidate.
You sell out the bandits' information without hesitation, and speak the truth at all times.]"
"......."
Good. It's done.
Clap.
I clapped my hands to wake them.