The flames on the bodies of the Level 19 and Level 24 thieves had flickered out, leaving them writhing in pain, crying, while still trying their best to stand.
But neither Roxanne nor I allowed them that chance. My Durandal sliced cleanly through the neck of the Level 24 thief, while Roxanne's rapier punched holes through the throat of the other. For a moment, it almost looked like they had knelt before us—just to be executed.
"Haaa… Haaa…"
Ahead, I spotted Setsuna, chest heaving, two corpses lying beside her. Judging from the mangled state of their chests, they must have been the Level 6 and Level 8 thieves. Her sword had torn into them again and again, leaving roasted, brutalized flesh in its wake. It might be because of her inexperience, her lack of strength, or simply her rage spilling out.
"Ugh, Master… let's leave this place," Roxanne said, pinching her nose, her shield resting against the ground. "The stench is unbearable."
Now that she mentioned it, I realized she was right. The smell was revolting—roasted human flesh mixed with the copper tang of blood. The sight of charred, mangled corpses bathed in the bonfire's glow twisted my stomach so much I felt like I might vomit up Erina's wonderful dinner at any moment.
Was this what they meant by coming down from the battle high? It reminded me of those times when lust clouded my brain and I did something reckless with the girls—only to have that wave of post-nut clarity hit me the moment it was over. The clarity after battle felt eerily similar.
The difference was, in combat, that high sharpened me—shut out distractions, drowned the nausea, and let me focus only on the enemy in front of me. Maybe it was the effect of Overwhelming, maybe my Monk skill Tranquil State, or maybe this was just what every warrior experienced. Either way, now that the fight was over, the weight of blood and smoke came crashing down on me.
"Yeah, let's head to the barn," I said, casting Appraisal one last time over the area to make sure that we didn't miss anything.
Roxanne nodded, sliding her rapier back into her waistbelt. She lifted her shield and pinched her nose as she walked ahead, eager to leave the stench behind. Setsuna trailed after us, still trying to steady her breathing.
"Are you hurt anywhere, Setsuna? Don't hesitate to use your health potions if you are," Roxanne murmured, slowing her steps to match hers.
"No, Roxanne-san… Setsuna didn't get hurt at all," she replied, brushing sweat from her brow.
"You did well, taking care of them so quickly," I said with a smile as I glanced back.
"Thank you, Master," she answered, bowing her head slightly.
"Remu and Miria already informed me—the barn doesn't have any more bandits. Only people. They should be your fellow villagers," I told her as we came near it.
"…Really?" Setsuna's eyes lit up, and before I could say anything more, she broke into a sprint, hurrying through the open barn doors.
I removed points from Durandal, grabbed the lantern hanging by the entrance, and stepped inside.
"You are here, Master," Remu said as she and Miria walked up to me.
I nodded at them and activated Appraisal. Instantly, countless windows filled my vision—it seemed like dozens of villagers were packed inside.
The stench inside hit me like a wall. The barn reeked like a sewer, thick with rot, filth, and human misery. Even with the lantern raised high, the darkness smothered everything, but I followed the sound of muffled sobs until I reached where Setsuna had stopped.
The barn was wide and open. Setsuna had mentioned her father kept two horses here, but I couldn't find them with Appraisal.
I brought the lantern forward, and the light fell on a group of middle-aged women huddled together on the ground. Their clothes were torn and filthy, their faces gaunt and hollow, and from their dirt-matted blue wolf ears, it was clear—they were Setsuna's people.
Tears streamed down Setsuna's face as she took in the sight before her.
"Master, they were quite frightened of us, so we didn't go further in," Remu whispered, stepping up beside me.
"Keep your weapons away for now. Let Setsuna talk to them first," I instructed the girls.
"(Setsuna… is that really you?)"
[Ulva
Villager · Level 22]
From deeper inside the barn, a middle-aged wolfkin woman stepped forward, speaking in the Burner tongue.
"(Granny?)" Setsuna's eyes went wide. She stumbled forward and threw her arms around the woman.
"(Oh no… did those bastards drag you back here? But why—you were supposed to…)" Ulva's voice trembled as she clung to her.
"(Granny, I—I killed him! I avenged Father! I killed the Bandit Leader with my own hands!)" Setsuna cried, her words breaking between sobs and a smile of triumph.
"(What? How is that possible?)" Ulva pulled back, stunned.
"It's all because of Setsuna's Master, Granny," Setsuna said, ending the embrace and turning to me. Her voice wavered, her tears catching the light of the lantern. "Master saved us all. He helped me kill every last bandit in the village!"
"Master…?" Ulva's gaze snapped to me, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Hello," I said simply, stepping forward with the others at my side.
For the next few moments, Setsuna poured out the story to the woman she called Granny. Though apparently she was not her real grandmother, everyone in the village just called Ulva by that name. Even the other villagers started gathering around listening to Setsuna's words.
There was a lot of crying and thanking afterward, but we somehow managed to bring everyone out of the barn and into the open air near the two bonfires. Only when they saw the bandits' corpses with their own eyes did the villagers truly believe that everything Setsuna had said was real.
Most of those inside had been middle-aged women. If I hadn't checked their ages with Appraisal, I would have assumed they were all in their thirties, but demi-humans really did age slowly. Even so, none of them looked anywhere near as beautiful as Setsuna.
Among them were some old men and a few children, bound at the wrists and ankles with rough rope, whom we quickly freed. There were no adult men left—apparently all of them had died in the fight against the bandits.
The barn that we had left itself was in a terrible state. The bandits had been giving them only the bare minimum of food and water, forcing them to relieve themselves inside. That was why the stench inside was unbearable, and even their bodies showed signs of neglect and malnourishment.
Clearly, the bandits hadn't wanted to waste resources on them—they were only keeping them alive long enough to sell them to the slave merchant.
While Roxanne helped the women draw fresh water from the well, I instructed Miria and Remu to cut off the left hands of the bandits and thieves and bring them to me. Half an hour after death, an intelligence card should appear from their hands. If it had already popped out, they were to bring only the card. This way, I could claim their bounties.
Meanwhile, Setsuna had gone back to her old house with Granny and a few others to retrieve the two unconscious women. According to Granny, those two had volunteered themselves to the bandit leader so that he wouldn't lay hands on anyone else in the village. Setsuna might also have gone to vent her anger on the bandit leader's corpse. I didn't really mind—it was her grief to process.
From what I could see, the villagers seemed tightly knit, united by suffering. Maybe it was simply this shared adversity that had bound them together.
I also took some time to relay everything that was happening to Sherry back at home.
'Master, now that the bandits are taken care of, I really think you should inform the Knight's Guild about this incident,' Sherry said seriously. 'Setsuna's village has no adult males or fighting power left. If there are still bandits left nearby—or if another group attacks—they won't be able to defend themselves. Master can't stay there to protect them forever, so going to the Knight's Guild is the only choice.'
Hmm. I hadn't wanted to involve the Knight's Guild from the start—not just because of the Slave Merchant's warning to Setsuna, but also for practical reasons.
From the state of the corpses alone, someone could probably deduce my party composition and strength. Still, I had already wiped out a group of bandits before, so taking down this many with my whole party wouldn't seem too far-fetched. If anything, it would just make others overestimate my strength… and that wasn't a bad thing.
'Yes, you're right. I should inform the Knight's Guild—for the sake of Setsuna's village,' I agreed with Sherry's point of view.
Soon Miria and Remu returned with their hands. Meanwhile I was helping the villagers move the corpses aside and gather ingredients, pots, and pans so they could prepare a meal over the bonfire. I thought about bringing food from the mansion, but with so many people here, it wouldn't have made much difference anyway.
Afterward, I informed Granny—who had naturally taken on a leadership role among the villagers—that I would go inform the Knights about their situation. She was the only one besides Setsuna who could speak Brahim.
"I sincerely thank you, Michio-sama, for saving us all," the Granny said, bowing low. "I-It might be presumptuous, but could you please find the kindness in your heart to release Set—"
"No, Granny! How can you say that!" Setsuna suddenly cut in from the side, her voice firm. "Setsuna has already decided to follow Master for life. Everything of Setsuna belongs to him!" she declared, patting her chest with earnest conviction.
"But my child, you haven't done anything with him yet, right? There's still a chance for you to live a normal life. If this is about money, we'll somehow manage to raise enough to buy you back," Granny said, her eyes wet with emotion.
"No, Granny—you're making Setsuna angry!" Setsuna growled, her tone sharp. "Don't try to take Setsuna away from Master!"
"Alright, alright, I'll stop," Granny said quickly, bowing her head again. "Forgive me, Michio-sama. Please forget I said anything, I just didn't want a bright girl like her to sacrifice herself for us old bones."
"Granny, you don't need to worry. Master is the best possible Master in the whole world. It's Setsuna's fortune to have someone like him," Roxanne said warmly, stepping up to support Setsuna.
I could only smile wryly as Roxanne began praising me, easily convincing Granny to give her blessings to be with me.
Still, I can't deny that when I watched Setsuna's emotional exchanges with her people, the thought had crossed my mind: Unlike the other girls, she hadn't entered slavery of her own will. So letting her go free to live with her fellow villagers, might be the right thing to do here.
But that was just a fleeting thought. The selfish part of me refused to give up such a beautiful girl who had just joined my harem. The very idea of losing Setsuna made my chest tighten—I would never willingly hand her over. She was mine!
If Setsuna herself had begged to stay behind, perhaps my resolve would have wavered. But seeing no such intention from her, I just pushed the matter aside.
Next, I waited for all the intelligence cards to appear from the severed hands before dropping Miria and Remu back home. I asked Setsuna and Roxanne to remain in the village until I informed the Knight's Guild of the situation.
According to Sherry, the Guild office would definitely be closed right now—but leaving the villagers undefended for the night wasn't an option.
And then there was the Slave Merchant. He was undeniably tied to all of this, yet he still hadn't paid for his crimes—aside from the money I had taken from his place. At least I still had the old adventurer tied up. He might serve as a useful piece of evidence for the Knight's Guild to punish the Slave Merchant properly.
I opened a Warp beside the tree where the unconscious old man lay, hoping that even at this late hour the Vale City Knight's Guild would be willing to listen. With the personal connections I had there, I was confident it would work out somehow.
***
[Razor has redeemed an Extra Chapter this week]
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