Chapter 84: Weight of Life
“Huh?”
“Tch… So you’ve already put up a [Barrier]…”
On the spur of the moment, I put up both of my arms to cover myself but even after a few moments had passed, I still didn’t feel any pain. Blinking my eyes, I brought my hands down. The flames seemed to have hit my [Barrier] and had soundlessly disappeared without a trace.
I’m so glad I had put a [Barrier] beforehand!
After all, I still couldn’t add any colour on my [Barrier] so our opponent didn’t know I already put a [Barrier] up. Turned out, having a colourless [Barrier] had its own merit!
“Ren-chan! Are you okay?!”
Chris-san asked. He had been running after me after he realized one of the bandits had shot an offensive magic toward my direction.
“Even though I had shot it with the intention of killing you… Your [Barrier] looks pretty solid… I guess it’s impossible for me to kill you now. See ya, boy!”
“【Roots】!”
“Ugh!!”
“What are you doing? You’re trying to run away as if nothing happened? You think I will let you go?”
Thinking the odds were against him with Chris-san’s arrival, the man was about to turn his heel and ran away but I immediately captured him with [Roots]. When I cast [Roots], I had imagined a binding root wrapped around his ankle. The man’s ankles were suddenly snapped tight together as if an invisible string were being tied around it. He lost his balance and fell flat on his face.
“Ugh… Release me!”
“There’s no way I’d do it just because you told me to…”
He grumbled while his face with a posture that resembled a push-up while his face still planted on the ground. Of course, I had no reason to release the spell from him. The staff he had been holding on fell on his side. He desperately tried to reach for it to no avail.
“Ren-chan, you’re not hurt, are you?!”
“Yes, the [Barrier] protected me.”
“Ah… I’m so glad…”
Chris-san had been running to the coachman’s seat. He held me tight and checked for any sign of injury, trying to ascertain my well-being. Chris-san was still holding his twin swords on both of his hands, he must have been really scared.
I’m really glad I had put [Barrier] beforehand….
Chris-san let out a sigh of relief. He was so thankful, as if someone had taken a weight off his shoulder.
“…. Ren-chan, wait for me here, alright?”
Chris-san let me go and went to the bandit, who was still struggling on the ground. He cut the staff that the man had been desperately trying to reach in half.
“Are you the guy that can use paralyzing magic? Seems like you can’t use any of your offensive magic without your staff?~ A small fry like you dare try to hurt Ren-chan?”
“AAAAHHH!! What are you doing?!”
The bandit let out a shrill scream when he saw his staff was broken in half. His response was to be expected though since for a wizard, their staff was as important as their life. If it was just simple magic, he should’ve been able to cast it without his staff but this bandit… Seemed like he was not skilled enough to do that…
You can still replace your staff with a magic sword but those three were able to use either of their sword or offensive magic to pulverize their enemy though…
“I’m going to gag this guy just in case but, Ren-chan, can you put him to sleep?”
“Yes! 【Sleep】”
“Great. I guess our guy on the other side is more or less finished too?”
“Ah….”
Chris-san ripped the clothes of the bandit who was still lying flat on the ground. He stuffed the bandit’s mouth with the ripped clothes in order to prevent the bandit from casting any magic. I put the guy to sleep just like Chris-san had asked me to, then he pointed to the area he had been before. When I looked at the direction his finger was pointing at, I saw that most of the bandits had been defeated even though their number far surpassed us.
“Did we win…?”
“Yup, seems so~ Why don’t you go over there to heal them? Looks like some of the guy in the guard team are injured~”
“Yes!”
Chris-san sheathed his swords back to the scabbards on his waist before he led me by hand as we ran to everyone’s place.
“Everyone! Are you guys alright?!”
“Oi, Ren. I’m fine but those guys over there look a little worse for wear. Think you can fix them up for me?”
“Sure!”
Sig-san, who was sitting on the ground with his greatsword on his side, said to me while pointing at the injured person. There were many bandits laying here and there. Most of them appeared to be dead but even the one who was still alive was already dying and their limbs were bent. From the looks of it, there was basically no danger walking through them but Chris-san was still leading me with his hand.
If it was the old me, I’d probably throw up, looking at the sight of people falling all over the place like this but… I guess I’ve become numb to it? Things like how painful it looked or anything like that, didn’t cross my mind. I guess this mindset of mine was the result of looking at countless monster corpses back in Calhea?
“Ah… The injury on your hand looks like it hurts… 【Heal】…How is it?”
“Ooh… You really helped me! I can’t believe I can feel better this quickly ….”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
The first man I healed was bleeding profusely from his left arm. He was sitting while leaning against the rock. Maybe he was slashed with a sword? Since he had a single line scar on his arm. I hovered my hand on top of his injury, barely touching it as I cast [Heal]. I think it was easier to heal the wound by putting my hand closer to it after all.
The wound was closing in the span of seconds. I think you wouldn’t even realize there used to be a huge gash in that area after you wiped the blood away.
“Ah! What about the guy who had collapsed before?!”
While I was healing the other member, I remembered about the guy who I had used [Heal] on before the wizard attacked me. I immediately went to look for him. I think he should’ve survived but…
I relentlessly looked around and saw someone a little further away from me, with blood all over his clothes talking with Mel-san.
“Oh, that might be him. I’m glad… He seems to be alright…”
He had a confused expression on his face as he talked. He must be wondering how he was saved.
“Hey! Is everyone alive?! … Looks like you guys are fine! I’m going to check on Madam and the others! I know you guys must be tired but please take care of this place for me!”
Mel-san shouted as he surveyed the area before he ran toward the carriages.
“Ah! Mel-san! I’ve used [Lock] on Francesca-san’s carriage! Because I was afraid Francesca-san would be brash and jump out while we were still fighting… I’ve authorized Mel-san though so you will be able to unlock the door without any problem!”
“I see… Sorry about that… I’m really glad you guys are here with us.”
I was standing between Mel-san and the carriage so he had to go through me. I took that as a chance to tell him about the [Lock] I’ve cast on Francesca-san’s door. He immediately stopped on his track and bowed his head toward me and Chris-san.
“No need to worry about that~ This is our job too after all~ Let’s talk about the subjugation reward for the bandit later on, okay?~”
“Yes! I got it!”
Chris-san chuckled as he waved his hand lightly at Mel-san’s words. Mel-san then raised his head and continued to run straight to the carriages. I was curious about the subjugation reward for the bandits too. Before we departed, I heard the country hadn’t issued a formal request yet so the two cities were going to pay for the reward, right? Ah… Also… We did plan on taking the subjugation quest when we returned to Pedrell but since we hadn’t taken it yet, the paperwork we had to go through must be difficult…
“Ren-kun, thank you for your hard work. Ren-kun, you’re not hurt, are you?”
“Ah, yes! I was attacked by offensive magic but I was saved because of the [Barrier] I had put on. Thankfully I’m alright but I need to be more careful next time…”
Fer-san asked while petting my head. Really, things would have taken a turn for the worse if I hadn’t put a [Barrier]…
When we were doing monster subjugation, the three of them were always by my side but this time and also in the future, there would be situations where I needed to be separated from them. I had to keep my eyes wide open and be more aware of my surroundings…
“That’s true… If the beast summoning goes well, we will have one less thing to worry about… Ah, I will go over there to help them.”
“Ah then, I’ll be coming with you~”
Summoning, huh… I hope there will be at least one beast that answered my call…
Fer-san and Chris-san went on to help the other guards collecting the bandit’s corpse and put them together in a pile not far away from the highway. We only needed a few bandits for interrogation so they didn’t hesitate in beating the rest of the bandits up. The only ones who were still alive were the guy I had tied with [Roots] at the beginning of battle and the wizard… And maybe two more people I guess?
As for the bandits who were on the verge of dying…They were already dead now…
The guild cards already recorded the history of us defeating them but just to be safe, we also cut both of the bandit’s ears and put it in the magic bag as a proof of subjugation. As I watched them burning the rest of the corpse off, I felt like the weight of life in this world was so much trivial compared to Japan.
Chapter 84: Weight of Life
“Huh?”
“Tch… So you’ve already put up a [Barrier]…”
On the spur of the moment, I put up both of my arms to cover myself but even after a few moments had passed, I still didn’t feel any pain. Blinking my eyes, I brought my hands down. The flames seemed to have hit my [Barrier] and had soundlessly disappeared without a trace.
I’m so glad I had put a [Barrier] beforehand!
After all, I still couldn’t add any colour on my [Barrier] so our opponent didn’t know I already put a [Barrier] up. Turned out, having a colourless [Barrier] had its own merit!
“Ren-chan! Are you okay?!”
Chris-san asked. He had been running after me after he realized one of the bandits had shot an offensive magic toward my direction.
“Even though I had shot it with the intention of killing you… Your [Barrier] looks pretty solid… I guess it’s impossible for me to kill you now. See ya, boy!”
“【Roots】!”
“Ugh!!”
“What are you doing? You’re trying to run away as if nothing happened? You think I will let you go?”
Thinking the odds were against him with Chris-san’s arrival, the man was about to turn his heel and ran away but I immediately captured him with [Roots]. When I cast [Roots], I had imagined a binding root wrapped around his ankle. The man’s ankles were suddenly snapped tight together as if an invisible string were being tied around it. He lost his balance and fell flat on his face.
“Ugh… Release me!”
“There’s no way I’d do it just because you told me to…”
He grumbled while his face with a posture that resembled a push-up while his face still planted on the ground. Of course, I had no reason to release the spell from him. The staff he had been holding on fell on his side. He desperately tried to reach for it to no avail.
“Ren-chan, you’re not hurt, are you?!”
“Yes, the [Barrier] protected me.”
“Ah… I’m so glad…”
Chris-san had been running to the coachman’s seat. He held me tight and checked for any sign of injury, trying to ascertain my well-being. Chris-san was still holding his twin swords on both of his hands, he must have been really scared.
I’m really glad I had put [Barrier] beforehand….
Chris-san let out a sigh of relief. He was so thankful, as if someone had taken a weight off his shoulder.
“…. Ren-chan, wait for me here, alright?”
Chris-san let me go and went to the bandit, who was still struggling on the ground. He cut the staff that the man had been desperately trying to reach in half.
“Are you the guy that can use paralyzing magic? Seems like you can’t use any of your offensive magic without your staff?~ A small fry like you dare try to hurt Ren-chan?”
“AAAAHHH!! What are you doing?!”
The bandit let out a shrill scream when he saw his staff was broken in half. His response was to be expected though since for a wizard, their staff was as important as their life. If it was just simple magic, he should’ve been able to cast it without his staff but this bandit… Seemed like he was not skilled enough to do that…
You can still replace your staff with a magic sword but those three were able to use either of their sword or offensive magic to pulverize their enemy though…
“I’m going to gag this guy just in case but, Ren-chan, can you put him to sleep?”
“Yes! 【Sleep】”
“Great. I guess our guy on the other side is more or less finished too?”
“Ah….”
Chris-san ripped the clothes of the bandit who was still lying flat on the ground. He stuffed the bandit’s mouth with the ripped clothes in order to prevent the bandit from casting any magic. I put the guy to sleep just like Chris-san had asked me to, then he pointed to the area he had been before. When I looked at the direction his finger was pointing at, I saw that most of the bandits had been defeated even though their number far surpassed us.
“Did we win…?”
“Yup, seems so~ Why don’t you go over there to heal them? Looks like some of the guy in the guard team are injured~”
“Yes!”
Chris-san sheathed his swords back to the scabbards on his waist before he led me by hand as we ran to everyone’s place.
“Everyone! Are you guys alright?!”
“Oi, Ren. I’m fine but those guys over there look a little worse for wear. Think you can fix them up for me?”
“Sure!”
Sig-san, who was sitting on the ground with his greatsword on his side, said to me while pointing at the injured person. There were many bandits laying here and there. Most of them appeared to be dead but even the one who was still alive was already dying and their limbs were bent. From the looks of it, there was basically no danger walking through them but Chris-san was still leading me with his hand.
If it was the old me, I’d probably throw up, looking at the sight of people falling all over the place like this but… I guess I’ve become numb to it? Things like how painful it looked or anything like that, didn’t cross my mind. I guess this mindset of mine was the result of looking at countless monster corpses back in Calhea?
“Ah… The injury on your hand looks like it hurts… 【Heal】…How is it?”
“Ooh… You really helped me! I can’t believe I can feel better this quickly ….”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
The first man I healed was bleeding profusely from his left arm. He was sitting while leaning against the rock. Maybe he was slashed with a sword? Since he had a single line scar on his arm. I hovered my hand on top of his injury, barely touching it as I cast [Heal]. I think it was easier to heal the wound by putting my hand closer to it after all.
The wound was closing in the span of seconds. I think you wouldn’t even realize there used to be a huge gash in that area after you wiped the blood away.
“Ah! What about the guy who had collapsed before?!”
While I was healing the other member, I remembered about the guy who I had used [Heal] on before the wizard attacked me. I immediately went to look for him. I think he should’ve survived but…
I relentlessly looked around and saw someone a little further away from me, with blood all over his clothes talking with Mel-san.
“Oh, that might be him. I’m glad… He seems to be alright…”
He had a confused expression on his face as he talked. He must be wondering how he was saved.
“Hey! Is everyone alive?! … Looks like you guys are fine! I’m going to check on Madam and the others! I know you guys must be tired but please take care of this place for me!”
Mel-san shouted as he surveyed the area before he ran toward the carriages.
“Ah! Mel-san! I’ve used [Lock] on Francesca-san’s carriage! Because I was afraid Francesca-san would be brash and jump out while we were still fighting… I’ve authorized Mel-san though so you will be able to unlock the door without any problem!”
“I see… Sorry about that… I’m really glad you guys are here with us.”
I was standing between Mel-san and the carriage so he had to go through me. I took that as a chance to tell him about the [Lock] I’ve cast on Francesca-san’s door. He immediately stopped on his track and bowed his head toward me and Chris-san.
“No need to worry about that~ This is our job too after all~ Let’s talk about the subjugation reward for the bandit later on, okay?~”
“Yes! I got it!”
Chris-san chuckled as he waved his hand lightly at Mel-san’s words. Mel-san then raised his head and continued to run straight to the carriages. I was curious about the subjugation reward for the bandits too. Before we departed, I heard the country hadn’t issued a formal request yet so the two cities were going to pay for the reward, right? Ah… Also… We did plan on taking the subjugation quest when we returned to Pedrell but since we hadn’t taken it yet, the paperwork we had to go through must be difficult…
“Ren-kun, thank you for your hard work. Ren-kun, you’re not hurt, are you?”
“Ah, yes! I was attacked by offensive magic but I was saved because of the [Barrier] I had put on. Thankfully I’m alright but I need to be more careful next time…”
Fer-san asked while petting my head. Really, things would have taken a turn for the worse if I hadn’t put a [Barrier]…
When we were doing monster subjugation, the three of them were always by my side but this time and also in the future, there would be situations where I needed to be separated from them. I had to keep my eyes wide open and be more aware of my surroundings…
“That’s true… If the beast summoning goes well, we will have one less thing to worry about… Ah, I will go over there to help them.”
“Ah then, I’ll be coming with you~”
Summoning, huh… I hope there will be at least one beast that answered my call…
Fer-san and Chris-san went on to help the other guards collecting the bandit’s corpse and put them together in a pile not far away from the highway. We only needed a few bandits for interrogation so they didn’t hesitate in beating the rest of the bandits up. The only ones who were still alive were the guy I had tied with [Roots] at the beginning of battle and the wizard… And maybe two more people I guess?
As for the bandits who were on the verge of dying…They were already dead now…
The guild cards already recorded the history of us defeating them but just to be safe, we also cut both of the bandit’s ears and put it in the magic bag as a proof of subjugation. As I watched them burning the rest of the corpse off, I felt like the weight of life in this world was so much trivial compared to Japan.
