Volume 1 Chapter 7 Hideout Exploration And Cleanup
After tying up the surrendered bandits, Al and the others rescued 2 men who were locked in a cage made in the church's warehouse. One was around 50 years old, and the other was about 20, both were men with short, dark brown hair, and their faces looked quite similar. They might be father and son.
It seemed they had only been given a little water, and they were extremely thin. By the time they were rescued, they were so weak that they could hardly stand.
"Thank you very much. We were saved."
After drinking some fresh water and taking a breath, the two repeatedly thanked Al and the others. They said they were a father-son duo running an inn and a diner in the border city of Lester. The father introduced himself as Russ, and the son as Tally. About a week ago, while they were on their way back to Lester with ingredients for their diner from the Milton city, they were attacked and kidnapped near the same area where Naresh and the others were ambushed. They didn't know the reason, but it seemed that the attackers might have wanted to take them hostage for ransom because they were merchants.
"Our shop isn't very big, and we really can't afford to pay a ransom. We would have surely been killed in a few days. It was truly lucky that you helped us."
Seeing their desperate expressions, Barbara stood up, looking somewhat uninterested.
"Al, can you take care of these two? I'm going to do some investigating."
After Al nodded, she left the church and didn't return for a while. She was probably looking into whether there was something behind the bandits attacking Naresh. By the time Al had managed to make porridge from the emergency food and the two had finished eating it with tears in their eyes, she finally came back.
"How are the two of them doing?"
She called Al to the back door and asked in a low voice. When he replied that they seemed to be okay despite being quite weak, she nodded lightly, looking relieved.
"I'm sorry, but could you stay here and keep watch for the night? I'm going to hurry to the dock and bring back the guard team. After all, we can't move with the captured bandit and the sick person. I plan to return with a carriage or something by around noon tomorrow."
If it was just moving, she could probably do it faster at night since she could see well in the dark, but Barbara had connections with the guard team. In the end, it would definitely be quicker that way. Thinking that, Al replied that it was no problem at all.
"Probably, there aren't many barbarians or magic beasts around here. But, there's a slight chance that surviving bandits might come, so be careful. The two that were captured might be familiar faces from Lester, so I don't think it's a trap. Also, do you need this?"
Saying that, she offered him a scroll made of parchment. It was probably a Spellbook. Seeing it, Al's eyes widened in surprise.
"Can I take a look?"
"Of course. It belonged to one of the dead bandits. It might originally belong to the bandit leader you defeated. Generally, items taken from defeated bandits belong to the ones who defeated them, unless they are special items owned by nobles."
After defeating a bandit, the items seized usually become the property of the one who defeated them, except for special cases involving nobles. While there is a chance they could be misused, if that were the case, no one would want to help in defeating bandits. They hadn't decided how to split things between them, but it seemed Barbara would consider him to some extent. Al carefully accepted the parchment scroll and stared at the title written on it.
"This is a Spellbook that I haven't learned yet. But is it really that good?"
Barbara looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"The reason is just like I said earlier. Is it owned by some crazy noble?"
"No... that's not it..."
The "crazy noble" she mentioned refers to spells like teleportation, meteor spells, and golem-related spells. These spells are believed to have effects that could change the way wars are fought.
These spells involve elements like time, space, and summoning, and they are very difficult to learn. They are generally called 4th-tier spells, and they were monopolized by royal families or nobles as their special privileges. Occasionally, when a Spellbook is found in ruins, it causes a huge commotion.
Of course, the Spellbook in front of him was not one of those kinds. However, it was one of the spells called forbidden magic. Forbidden magic is not classified by difficulty levels but is generally banned because it is often used for criminal activities, and these spells are not sold by the magician guild. A typical example of this is the unlocking spell.
This spell can literally unlock any locked key. That said, treasures found in ruins are said to be kept in locked treasure chests, so this spell is popular among some magicians as a kind of status symbol, and its existence is well-known among adventurers.
"Hehe, is that reaction maybe the Open Lock spell? That's great, isn't it? I'm not going to say anything about it, so don't worry. You want to go to the ruins in the future, right? It's better to have that. Just take it."
"Y-yes, that's right. Then, I won't hold back."
Barbara looked at Al and seemed to guess that this was a forbidden spell since it was held by a bandit. That was indeed correct. However, it wasn't an Open Lock spellbook; it was a Conceal spellbook. This spell temporarily makes the target invisible and is used to hide forbidden items when passing through checkpoints, making it much harder to obtain than the Open Lock spellbook. Al chose not to correct Barbara's misunderstanding and just stroked the surface.
"Did you want it that much? That smile is a bit creepy. Well, it's fine. I'm counting on you to keep watch."
After saying that, Barbara glanced at the two people who looked relieved, then said, "See you," and went out again.
* * *
A little before noon, Al, who was on watch in the church bell tower, saw what looked like a unit of about 12 guards coming with 2 wagons. Barbara was at the front. She quickly used a rope to climb down and called out to the parent and child, who were looking a bit more energetic.
"The guard unit is here. Just like we promised. Mr. Russ, Mr. Tally, that's great."
"Ah, Mr. Al, thank you so much. Please come to my shop. I'll make sure to show my gratitude. I'll introduce you to my family too."
The father, Russ, kept bowing his head and saying that over and over. Next to him, his son Tally nodded in agreement. Soon, Barbara and the guard team approached and entered the village. They were lined up in a trained formation. Al came out of the decaying church to greet everyone. Barbara ran up to him with one of the guards.
"Ms. Barbara, everything went as planned. There were no attacks. We have 5 of them tied up."
"That's great. A familiar face showed up at the town with a ferry landing. We were able to leave as soon as it got light. Ives, this is Al. Al, this is Ives, the unit leader of the guard team."
Al and Ives shook hands. The man called Ives was about the same height as Barbara, with a strong, muscular build, and silver hair. His deep blue eyes gave off a strong-willed impression.
"Al, good job. I heard from Barbara. I hear you use some pretty handy magic. We definitely need your help with the guard team. There will probably be a reward for taking down the Blood-Soaked Bandits and rescuing Russ and Tally. Also, anything we confiscated that hasn't been reported stolen belongs to you and Barbara. You can pick it up at the guard station by the ferry. I've also received word from Merchant Guild Master Levy about taking down the leader of the Blood-Soaked Bandits. Good for you. You could be rich overnight. Just be careful not to get robbed. So, where are the two victims and the bandits?"
Barbara and Al started explaining the bandits' hideout to the guards. The injured innkeepers, Russ and Tally, along with the items seized from the bandits, were loaded onto a cart. The surrendered bandits were said to be dragged along while still tied up after helping to bury their dead comrades. Barbara approached Al with a cheerful look and whispered in his ear.
"Al, both Guildmaster Levy and Sir Naresh were in good spirits. There's no rush, but once we get to Lester, you should check in with the merchant guild. I'm sure you'll get a nice reward. It seems your belongings are stored at the outpost. Should we move with the guards to the outpost? I can't wait to see how much we get. We're drinking together tonight, right? Tell me more about your spells."
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