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114 Repelling
Bandits... But...
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Translator : PolterGlast
When I left Kerniff, I
said goodbye to the Duke.
When I entered the
royal capital, I said goodbye to the Princess.
Since I'm a famous
person, it would be troublesome if I didn't leave a record of my entering and
exiting cities.
And today, I'm
departing for Triange.
Anneliese and I are in
the same carriage.
I invited Marhaleta-san
to join us, but she's with Itsukushima-san in a different carriage because she
gets nervous when she's with me.
Gandarvan and the
other knights, including those from the first generation who were freed and
became knights, are on horses. The first-generation members who were freed and
became soldiers are traveling in carts. No one is on foot. Speed is the
priority.
Of the 22
first-generation slaves who were freed after reaching Level 40, five became
knights and 17 became soldiers.
Among the knights are
explorers and transporters.
I've always said that
being capable isn't just about fighting. That's why explorers and transporters
can also become knights. Conversely, those with only brute force can't become
knights.
If you want to boast
about your strength, you need to have leadership skills.
That said, most of the
first-generation members who have reached Level 40 have changed to higher-tier
jobs.
If they can
demonstrate their abilities to the fullest, they'll be able to become knights.
Even those who haven't
reached Level 40 yet are mostly in their late 30s, so it won't take much
longer.
We left the royal
capital and proceeded along the bumpy road.
"My butt
hurts..."
I had forgotten how
uncomfortable carriage rides are.
"Riding a horse
also makes my inner thighs hurt, but it's still better."
"Sir Gandarvan
said that your inner thighs hurt because you're using unnecessary force."
"I'm still not
used to riding horses. I'll get there eventually."
Anneliese giggled. I
don't think that's something to laugh at.
On the third day after
leaving the capital, we encountered bandits.
"I'll just—"
"You must
not."
I was about to jump
out of the carriage but was stopped by Anneliese.
"It's best to
leave these things to Sir Gandarvan."
"But..."
"You don’t trust
your retainers, Toi-sama?"
"It's not like that..."
In the end, the
bandits were annihilated in less than ten minutes.
Of course. All the
soldiers are Level 40 or higher. The bandits had no chance.
"A total of 56
bandits. 49 were killed, and 7 were captured."
Oh, seven of them are
still alive. Gandarvan is soft. I thought he would kill them all.
"..."
Are you serious?
All seven of the
captured bandits are children. They're not even 15 yet.
So that's why
Gandarvan and the others didn't kill them.
"My lord. Shall
we kill them?"
At Gandarvan's words,
the children shrieked in fear.
If I were to order it
now, it would be as if I had killed them myself...
"Wait, Gandarvan.
Edward, check their criminal records."
"Yes. Leave it to
me."
This Edward Samdahl is
one of the appraisers who went into a frenzy appraising the items we brought
back from the 10th floor of the royal capital dungeon. His father is that
workaholic appraiser.
Afterward, he was so
insistent on working for me that I accepted him on the condition that he sign a
magical confidentiality contract.
His father and older
brother cried tears of blood in frustration, but I couldn't possibly accept the
two of them. I have no idea what the Princess would say about that.
Edward chanted
fluently and pulled out the seven's record cards.
"Alright...
First, those four will become 5th-grade slaves. Their sentence is six
months."
Even though they were
bandits, those four haven't done much. They only became bandits by repeatedly
petty thieving to survive, and this was their first time attacking a merchant
caravan or noble.
Considering their
background, I'm reluctant to make them slaves. But doing this properly will
also be for their own good.
If you genuinely
reflect on your actions, I'll hire you. So do your best.
"Those two will
be 4th-grade slaves. Their sentence is one year and three months."
These two have
attacked merchant caravans several times as bandits. Still, they haven't
injured or killed anyone. Their actions were limited to carrying off stolen
goods.
Like the first four,
these two fell into this life because they were struggling to eat. There's room
for extenuating circumstances. If they work hard, I might free them early or
even hire them.
"That one over
there will be a 1st-grade slave. Their sentence is indefinite."
This one person is no
good. He has already killed 15 people. Despite being 14 years old, he has also
committed rape, and his job has changed from Bandit to Murderer.
No matter how lenient
I am, there's no room for extenuating circumstances. He'll either be executed
here or be a slave for life. He's so rotten that I can't imagine a future where
he's freed from slavery.
"Why am I a
1st-grade slave!?"
To be precise, a
1st-grade controlled slave.
"Do you remember
how many people you've killed?"
"...I haven't
killed anyone!"
"I see. That's
enough of this one. Behead him."
"Why!?"
"You have no
intention of repenting, do you? You can be freed from slavery if you repent,
but I have no intention of asking that of you."
"No! I don't want
to die! Please forgive me!"
Gandarvan, with a
demonic expression, approached the crying boy.
"Oh, um... please
spare this child's life..."
Marhaleta-san stepped
forward to shield the boy.
"Mother. That
child has killed too many people."
"But, there might
have been unavoidable circumstances, right?"
My mother-in-law
desperately defended him.
He might have started
as a bandit due to unavoidable circumstances, but he started to enjoy killing
people. He probably doesn't feel any guilt now. I think the possibility of him
repenting is close to zero.
"I don't want to
see a child like this die. Please, I beg you."
Marhaleta-san pleaded
with me tearfully. Perhaps she was thinking of her two sons who passed away
from the epidemic...
I don't know what it
feels like to lose a child, but I believe I can understand that it's a tragic
thing.
"Alright. I'll
call off the execution. However, he will be a 1st-grade slave with an
indefinite sentence. Is that clear?"
"Thank you! And I
apologize for being so forward, Toi-sama."
"Mother. Please
don't do this again."
"I understand, Anneliese."
Thanks to my
mother-in-law's intervention, the boy was spared the death penalty, but he'll
have to face his victims for the rest of his life.
He might have stones thrown
at him by their bereaved families, but he'll have to accept that.
We decided to take the
bandit children with us to Triange.
We could have sold
them to a slave merchant in a town along the way, but since Marhaleta-san said
she'd look after them, we decided to observe them for a while.
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