Chapter 12 Execution Request Against The Bandit Gang
――1 Golarna gold coin, 12 Sidney silver coins, 7 Bros copper coins.
One day,
At the tavern run by me and Maia, the (Silver Apple Inn), coins were laid out in amounts representing bounties.
The old men who visited the tavern arranged the coins.
It was a signal for a new job.
"Please, come this way to the room."
Guiding the old men to the back, I entered the room with Maia.
Now, who would we be dealing with this time?
"Please, Executor-sama, help our village!"
As soon as I sat down, one of the old men spoke up.
The others seemed equally anxious, leaning forward eagerly.
"I understand the urgency, but first, please calm down and tell me the situation."
"Ah... Sorry. I got carried away..."
I shook my head, signaling that it's okay, and asked for an explanation.
"I'm the village head of Ranul Village, and my name is Tonito. Actually, a bandit gang has settled in our village since the other day."
"I see, a bandit gang?"
"Yes... At first, they just demanded food and such from the village. For our village, which doesn't have much stored, that was a blow..."
"And the demands escalated?"
In response to my question, Tonito, the village head, nodded solemnly.
The village is probably small in scale.
Looking around, Tonito and the other elderly people wore quite worn-out clothes, indicating the poor economic situation of Ranul Village.
"After food, they demanded money. As you can imagine, our village isn't wealthy. Even so, we could tolerate it until then."
"..."
"But their demands didn't stop there. Today, they demanded that we hand over the villagers by sundown. They figure they can make some extra cash by selling them off as sl*ves. If we refuse, they'll start killing villagers one by one as a warning..."
"...I see, I understood the situation."
Within the powerful band of bandits, some are aiming to establish a base in the village.
The reason is simple.
It's more efficient than spending effort on theft. If they can subjugate the villagers, they can reap the benefits.
Those benefits mainly include four things:
food and shelter, money, and "people."
Such people demand these things for the purpose of fulfilling their own desires, without caring about the dignity of others.
――Seriously, these bastards who create such unreasonable demands never cease to exist...
We've been carrying out operations, especially with Lilyna and Marie's cases, but it seems there are still many more we need to eradicate.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
Even without looking, I can tell Maia beside me is also feeling furious.
Suddenly, I glanced at the coins that Tonito, the village head, had just handed over.
Each coin was worn down, likely representing all the money they had left.
I felt a determination not to lose their dignity as humans despite being trampled by the bandit gang.
"Please, Executor-sama... Please save our village from this plight."
"May I ask one thing? What is the Lord of Ranul Village doing?"
I asked Tonito, the village head, about something that had been on my mind.
Normally, unless it's a very remote village, there should be a lord who governs the land.
The lord's basic duty is to defend the villages under their jurisdiction in times of crisis, but...
"Of course, I've reported the situation to the lord. However, it seems there's no intention to send relief to the village..."
"Any ideas why?"
"Well, lately there have been poor harvests. It's probably because we couldn't pay the rent for the land properly."
"I see. Understood."
I almost understood, but then I started to have some doubts.
Maia seemed to sense it too, as she closed her eyes and seemed to be deep in thought.
But I can think about that later.
First, we need to eliminate the threat in front of us.
"Understood. Let's head to Ranul Village quickly."
"Okay, then...!"
"Of course. I will take on this matter."
As I said that, the village head Tonito and the other elderly people bowed their heads as if pleading.
I responded to their gesture and put on the executioner's black robe to remove the cancer that had infested Ranul Village.
* * *
"N-no...! Let go, let go of me...!"
In Ranul Village before sunset, a man from the band of bandits was gripping the arm of a resisting village girl.
"Come on, sweetheart. Come over here. I'll take good care of you, okay?"
"No, stop...!"
The man from the band of bandits paid no attention to the girl's screams.
The man, instead, seemed to be aroused by the resistance of the village girl, and he had a lewd grin on his face, licking his lips.
"Hyahahaha! Nice, nice. I like that kind of attitude. Let me hear you scream in a nice voice."
"Hey, don't hurt the girl. Her value will drop when we sell her to the sl*ve traders."
"It's not like one more won't hurt. Besides, I haven't had a woman in days. I can't hold back."
"Geez, fine. Hurry up before the boss finds us."
The man took the response from his companion as affirmation and led the village girl into the shadows.
As he roughly reached for the girl's clothes, a small stone hit the man's back.
"Hey! Don't lay a hand on my sister!"
"Huh?"
The brother's attempt to stop the misconduct towards his sister only aggravated the man.
Drawing a dagger from his waist, the man first moved towards the interfering brother.
"Stop it! He's my brother――"
"Shut up, you brat!"
"Grr...!"
The village girl was kicked and tumbled.
The man, after watching this, laughed heartily and then proceeded towards his little brother.
"Well, guess I'll have to cut off that wicked arm of yours, huh?"
"N-no――"
Ignoring the girl's plea, the man swung his sword down.
Even as he committed this cruel act, a sadistic smile was plastered on his face.
――Slish
Fresh blood danced from his arm, deepening the man's smile.
But――
"Huh?"
The little brother standing before him was unharmed.
Come to think of it, the man recalled that something black seemed to have crossed in the middle of swinging his sword.
And then...
"AHHHH! MY, MY ARMMMMMMM!"
Feeling the intense pain belatedly, the man screamed and collapsed on the spot.
It wasn't his brother who was blown away, but the man's own arm.
"――Even though you're a villain, you said one good thing."
At the sudden voice, the man raised his head.
"You have to cut off that wicked arm."
There stood a boy dressed in black robes, holding a pitch-black scythe.
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