Volume 9 Chapter 29 The Second Target
After merging with the water, I got scolded by Ice.
"What are you doing, getting soaked in this cold weather and catching a cold...?!"
"...Yes, sorry."
But right now, we're in a rush to get to the next target. We can't afford to go back home and warm up slowly.
So, I got on the prepared carriage while Ice wiped my entire body with a towel.
"Hehe, Master, you're getting wiped down by Ice-sama like a kid♡."
"Uh, Ice? If you have a towel, I can wipe myself."
"...Wade-kun. Did you say something...?"
"Ah, no, nothing. Sorry. I didn't say anything."
I felt like I was completely being babied, and it was a bit embarrassing.
Anyway, while we moved, I got wiped down and changed into the clothes I had prepared beforehand.
By the way, the towel and clothes were prepared for when we got bloodstained. It's unavoidable because they get dirty.
The carriage creaked and swayed. Ice was still a bit dissatisfied, wiping my head strongly with the towel. I checked the map while looking at the information about the next target.
"Where's the next one?"
"The noble merchant who keeps witches, Sitri, yeah... ."
"Does 'noble' mean devil?"
"Ugh~, a witch keeper..."
I saw Rollo sticking out her tongue in disgust and tilted my head.
"What's a witch keeper?"
"It's exactly what it says, someone who keeps witches~. Witches are humans, right? Humans who made a contract with the devil~. Except for cases like master, humans are inferior beings to demons, after all~."
Rollo said with a shrug.
"It's like proof of being an extreme sadist~. They don't ensl*ve demons, but instead, they enjoy tormenting humans who would die if killed, without actually killing them~."
"...I see."
It seems like a suitable opponent for us to attack. The act itself doesn't change, but if the opponent is trash, we can attack without hesitation.
As I thought about this, the coachman stopped and said, "We've arrived." We got off together, and a grand mansion came into view.
"Well..."
We watched as the coachman drove the horse-drawn carriage away, and we pumped our fists in excitement, saying "Let's do this!" and "This time, we'll get the treasure!"
As we heard the loud rumbling noise coming from inside the mansion, our eyes widened in surprise.
"...Is that the previous guest?"
"What do we do...? If there's competition, we could avoid them, but..."
"Let's take a look. If the thieves lose, it'll be a bigger gain for the Guild than expected."
"...No way~, Rollo's share~, not again...?"
We decided to proceed with caution, and Rollo grew anxious.
In any case, we wouldn't know anything if we didn't enter. We exchanged glances and decided to charge in.
"Let's go!"
With the signal, we rushed into the courtyard. There were broken stone statues scattered around. We saw them slightly moving, and it seemed like they were the mansion's guard dogs, or maybe Gargoyles.
In the end, we weren't attacked in the courtyard, and we made it to the entrance. The door was already half-open, with signs of burning.
We opened it and entered. Inside, we found women dressed in revealing outfits, their bodies twitching as they lay on the ground.
Twitching...twitching?
"Rollo, are these witches?"
"Hmm~? Ah, yeah~. Look, they have the witch's mark on their backs."
Rollo flipped one of them over and pointed to the area around their shoulder blade. There was a ominous mark etched into their skin.
"This is the witch's mark..."
"Witches use sorcery by borrowing the power of devils~. They make a contract and receive power in exchange for this mark, right~?"
"A contract, huh?"
"Yeah, that's right~. A contract with a powerful demon, especially a devil, where the witch is bound to serve the devil~, and the devil controls the witch~."
Rollo explained that this contract is more reliable than a demon capturing another demon and making them a sl*ve. And that's why witches make contracts with devils.
"Indeed, it's more casual when demons ensl*ve each other."
"If they can escape, there's no problem~, but with a witch's contract, both parties gain something, so it's a proper contract~."
"Hmm, I see."
This might not be relevant to me right now, but it could be useful someday. I'll keep it in the back of my mind.
Then, we heard the rumbling noise again. "Upstairs!" we exclaimed, and rushed up the stairs.
From there, we went deeper into the corridor and reached the door at the very end. The heavy door was firmly shut.
"Next~, we'll get the treasure Next, we'll get the treasure~!"
Rollo was getting all pumped up, and we opened the door.
Who was there...?
"...Sandra? Mudi and Renril too."
"Ah, Wade. And Ice and Rollo are here too."
The ones there were our comrades, wearing hoods.
A handsome guy with leopard-like hair, dressed like a noble, was being held by Sandra, his chest grasped. Next to him were Mudi, standing still, and Renril, who had collapsed.
Mudi, wearing a hood and completely transformed into a villain, approached us.
"Hey, stupid disciple. How's your battle result? Huh?"
"I fought against a Domain Control user."
"You're the one who's supposed to give information about strong enemies after hearing about the battle result. How much did you earn?"
"Ice gathered the info, so ask Ice."
"You're really greedy, aren't you? Hey, stupid disciple's wife, what's your battle result?"
"Eh, ah, yes... Uh..."
I pushed Mudi aside and approached Sandra. Sandra was punching the handsome guy... former handsome guy with an electrified fist.
"Is this the noble merchant who was talking about treating a witch as a sl*ve?"
"That's right. He got angry when I sent a witch to attack him, so I beat him up."
"M, m, m, already... forgive me..."
"His face is swollen, and you can't even speak properly. How was it, Sandra? Was it tough?"
"He was weak. He was just a one-trick pony with high-level charm sorcery. After I countered it with Sahasrara Chakra, it was just a weakling. The witch was around silver to gold rank in strength."
"Whoa, so it's one of those cases where numbers matter, huh?"
"By the way, Renril did pretty well."
"...M-masters are, r, really strong, aren't they...? I, I, can't do it anymore..."
Gak, and Renril fell silent. He weren't hurt, and he'd recover if we left him alone.
Still, if Sandra says they did his best, then he probably did. I'll remember that.
Then, Sandra asked us...
"Wade fought against a Domain Controller? How was it?"
"Domain Control is amazing. I got sunk into a lake filled with sorcery and had to take down a giant deer, and then an ancient dragon appeared. That thing was ridiculously strong, almost as strong as a platinum-ranked opponent. What a jackpot!"
"Wade seems to be having fun, so I'm happy too."
Sandra smiled at my story, but then quickly returned to her usual expressionless face and asked, "What's next?"
"Well, since Sandra has already taken control of this area, we don't need to do anything special..."
"That's true. Let's talk about what's next."
"Ah, are we going to team up and go together, or split into 2 groups and move separately, that kind of thing?"
"That's right. What do we do?"
"It depends on the situation of our next target..."
As I tilted my head, Renril, Rollo's brother, raised his voice, "So, ah, cough, in that case, I have some information." By the way, he coughed because Rollo was sitting on his back.
"Earlier, the Demon King's army was saying, 'The merchant is being targeted! Where is it safe?' They might be setting up an ambush at our next target."
"...Huh, they're already here?"
This is happening fast. I think they're working together with the merchant guild more closely than I thought.
But that's only until tonight. Tonight, that connection will be broken.
I called out to everyone.
"We're stopping the consecutive robbery operation here! According to plan, we'll move on to taking down the towers that protect the Demon King's castle!"
At my declaration, Mudi laughed and said, "Oh, sounds good to me," Ice nodded enthusiastically, and Sandra said, "Got it, let's do it."
On the other hand, the demon siblings looked surprised. Renril was about to collapse, saying, "T-today is already...," while Rollo rushed over to me.
"M-master~? What about Rollo's share~? If I don't get any treasure here, it's like I didn't accomplish anything~..."
"Rollo."
"W-what~?"
"You're just not strong enough."
"."
Rollo, who had lost her words, burst into tears a beat late.
"You're so mean, Master~! Even Brother said we shouldn't attack the Tower and should go for the next target instead~!"
Rollo clung to his brother Renril, but Renril had already become a lifeless corpse. The world is impermanent. Rollo couldn't help but think that it was pitiful.
There's no helping it, so I looked around to see if there was anything good nearby. Then, I found a small ring mixed in with the rubble.
It's small, but it has a gemstone on it. This should do.
"Rollo."
"What's this~?! You're so mean, Master!"
"It's a consolation prize. Take it."
"Huh?"
The ring I flicked with my finger landed perfectly in Rollo's palm.
"...Master, is this~...?"
"You've been through a lot, so it's only natural. It's a small gift. And besides, from now on, the battles will get even fiercer, so take this and head back to the inn."
Starting with me, the 4 of us, excluding the demon siblings, began preparing for the real deal ahead.
"Uh, th-thank you~..."
"Well, Rollo, try to get stronger and don't get discouraged. Renril seemed to have done well, didn't he? You can learn from your brother, and it won't be a waste."
Rollo's cheeks turned slightly red as she gazed intently at the ring. She seemed satisfied, and I looked away from her to glance at the other 3.
"Ice, Sandra, Mudi. We'll take care of the Tower attack. Is that okay?"
"Yeah..." "Got it." "Alright. It's time for a fun, brutal massacre!"
Ice gathered the battle results from the ice soldiers, Sandra electrocuted the noble's entire body, and Mudi snapped his fingers loudly.
"We'll launch a quick attack and take down two of them first. Then, we'll call in the demons and occupy the area. The Demon King's army will likely send in their strongest reinforcements later, so we'll take them out from a distance and crush their spirits."
"The Demon King's army is weak because they're under the protection of the wealthy merchant, right...?"
"That's right, Wade is clever."
"Ah, what was I thinking just now? That's what I mean. By the way, stupid disciple, what's with the long-distance thing?"
"We'll talk about that later. Anyway, from now on, it's a battle against time. Let's go!"
We started walking. Today's commotion was about to begin, and our real strategy was finally starting.
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