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Translator: Kazumi
Editor: Silavin
With Kousuke and his group taking on half of the attackers, the rest of the merchant force was dealing with the other half.
Although they were roughly equal in number, it was still not an easy battle.
“Claire! These guys are stronger than I expected!”
“Yes, I know. Just hold on somehow!”
Claire managed to reply to her friends while dealing with one of the attackers.
Even if they were not adept at team fights, not against a large group of bandits like this, Claire and her friends would still be able to manage a one-on-one fight.
Unfortunately, the attackers individually were not that weak. Whether they had received any military training was also not made clear.
Claire was thinking about this while desperately protecting the remaining merchants.
The attackers seemed to be aiming to kill Claire and the others from the very beginning, and they were not paying any attention to the goods.
It was a response that was unlike bandits.
It was not only Claire and the others who were struggling, but the other adventurers as well.
Still, the situation did not last for long.
Kouhi, who had taken care of the leader, soon joined the fray to deal with the remaining attackers.
The adventurers already managed to hold their own, but with the addition of Kouhi, the battle had completely flipped. That alone showed how unparalleled Kouhi was.
Even Claire and the other adventurers had no idea how Kouhi was defeating the attackers.
“…I knew there was a difference in ability, but I did not expect it to be this much.” Claire muttered in admiration, which also showcased as dismay.
Carla, who happened to be approaching next to her, nodded in agreement.
The number of attackers who were attacking them had already been reduced to half, and this was just with one more person helping them. That was the sole difference
It was difficult to see the limit of what Kouhi was capable of.
In fact, soon enough, Claire and the others stopped fighting. It was not that they held no desire to help the other members. They just did not want to get in Kouhi’s way.
Normally, they would go to those being attacked and lend a hand, but that in itself could get in Kouhi’s way.
Besides, the speed at which Kouhi was taking down the attackers was so fast, they knew that the enemy would not be able to hold out for much longer.
Kouhi also seemed to be picking and choosing the best of the attackers to take down, so that the remaining members could still hold out.
“They’re so strong that it’s staggering, but they don’t look like they’re taking it seriously at all.” Carla, who was watching Kouhi’s battle as well as Claire, said.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kouhi was trying to take down the last of the attackers.
A few of the attackers had been taken down by the adventurers, but Kouhi had put a stop to more than half of the attackers who had attacked the other side.
“I’d love to hear what she did to become so strong.”
“I agree. At my level, I don’t even know when she’s invoking magic.”
“Magic…? Magic…? She is using magic!?” Carla cowered as Claire looked at her with wide eyes.
“It started with strengthening my body, and before I attacked with my sword, something happened… I don’t quite understand. But it seems like some kind of magic is being used to slow down the enemy’s actions.”
Carla listed some of the magic Kouhi was using, which Claire had no idea they were being applied.
Even for a magician that could instantly cast a spell, or even without chanting, there would be a short “pause” before someone would be able to cast their next spell.
For a melee fighter like Claire, this pause be the vulnerability for her to target a mage, but Kouhi did not show such weakness.
“…I have no idea how she does it, do you?”
“I don’t know, and it seems like the opponent also has some kind of equipment that nullifies magic, so in a way, this also makes things easier if she could still use magic despite that.”
Saying this, Carla watched Kouhi’s battle with narrowed eyes.
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While the others were dealing with the rest of the assailants, Kouhi defeated the last one she was targeting.
The adventurers were looking at her with admiration.
Regardless if she was aware of such gazes, Kouhi turned her gaze towards the lead carriage without looking at her fallen opponents.
Seeing this, the escorting adventurers once again remembered the existence of the lead carriage.
They were not the only ones being attacked. In fact, the leading carriage should be the main target.
However, the lead carriage, located a short-distance away, was already free from attackers.
They were already neutralized by Mitsuki and Nana.
“…Is everyone safe?” Responding to Kouhi, Kousuke nodded reassuringly.
“Well, I was protecting them with my barrier.”
Kousuke was also being protected by a barrier, which was to ensure that Rein would not get attacked, but he did not bother to explain.
Kouhi just nodded back, having duly guessed what happened from that short statement.
“The leader is lying over there, what should we do?”
“Well, I think we should get everyone together for now.”
It was not a good idea to remain separated.
Some of the attackers have also bled to death.
There was a possibility that the monsters would follow the scent of blood and attack them. Thus, they decided that it was better to leave the place immediately if possible.
“What are we going to do with the attackers?” Kousuke turned to Rein, who was listening to their conversation in a daze, and confirmed.
“Ah, ah. I’d like to hear what they have to say.” Rein said gently, but the point was that he would like to interrogate them and ask them if there was anything he could uncover.
What was the purpose of the raid, that was important to Rein.
“Well then, for now, let’s just tie up those that are still alive. Bind their hands and feet, and leave them here, alone. We don’t have enough room to carry everyone.”
“Understood.”
“Okay.”
At Kousuke’s words, Kouhi and Mitsuki started moving.
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In the end, those who were still alive, except for the commanders whom Kouhi had defeated, were tied up and left there.
It was unclear how long they could last without being attacked by monsters while they were immobile, but at least they would buy some time for the convoy to move on.
After carefully immobilizing the enemy leader and the commanders, they decided to talk to them in another location.
The raid did not go as the attackers had planned, and the convoy was still ahead of schedule. Thus, spending a number of days to interrogate the attackers would not be a problem.
After deciding where to set up camp for the night, Kousuke and the others decided to listen to what the attackers had to say.
Unfortunately, Mitsuki would not be responsible for meals tonight, but someone.
The interrogation of the attackers was to take place in the tent where Rein was sleeping.
However, Kousuke, as well as Rein, did not have any professional knowledge when it came to interrogations. Therefore, it was decided to leave the interrogation to Kouhi and Mitsuki, who could use magic to get information out of them.
At the entrance of the tent, Nana stood guard. She was instructed to not allow anyone to come inside.
Most of their group already knew how strong Nana was, so no one of the adventurers would dare force their way through.
Having thus established a perimeter where Kousuke and his group could start to interrogate the attackers.
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