192 – A Properly Failed Robbery
I cast my Black Magic on all my targets simultaneously, but if I had to order them in terms of priority…
I would go for those holding bows first. Those with the Hunter Aptitude cannot be underestimated, even if they are bandits. Even if they never attended the School, they improve their skills by hunting.
They learn the skills to aim at and hit their targets.
This is why I cast Darkness on them.
Their vision, which is ever so important for aiming, is dyed a pitch black.
「Wh I can't see!!」「What's going on?!」「Wh-who turned off the lights?!」
One after another, those whose vision went dark start panicking and dropping their bows and arrows. There were also a few who fired in the wrong direction. A few of them were able to shoot at the investigation team, but the number has been reduced to an easily manageable amount.
There are many Adventurers and skilled Demi-Humans here.
Next are the Wizards. As with the bowmen, their weapon is their long-range attacks.
There aren't that many Wizards here so it was pretty easy.
For them, I cast Blank Space.
What is necessary for magic is Magical Energy and imagining the spell.
If there was a blank space shoved in your mind where you can't even think, you shouldn't be able to imagine, either.
Which, of course, means that you cannot form the magic spell.
There were two people who made the most of the time I created.
The Reaper Knight Furcus and the Knight Lord Arthur.
They ran to the left and right respectively, unhindered at all by the rocky roads.
「Did…did something flash by…?」「Was it Wind Magic?!」「Hey, hurry up with the magic alre-…eh?」
「Barely a challenge.」
When one of the bandits looked back, those that were supposed to be firing arrows and those who were supposed to be casting magic were all…taken out.
Under normal circumstances, that is already an unbelievable thing, but seeing that the perpetrator is a single spear-wielding girl, his surprise is understandable.
On the other side of where Furcus ran through, the same thing happened.
「…Is this Lem's Black Magic? Incredible.」
By the time Arthur muttered that, all the people in charge of long-range attacks were taken out.
Not a single one of the long-range attackers who tried to pincer us from both sides was left.
Arthur tied the handle and scabbard of the sword with string and used it as a club to avoid killing the enemy.
Also, he was just as fast as Furcus. He also achieved the same result at almost the same time.
Both battles were far from serious, but it was clear that both of them were excellent warriors.
All that remains are those with melee weapons.
Of them, they were divided into two categories.
The ones that were inclined to run away, and the ones that were inclined to launch a suicide attack.
I cast Confusion on the former, and Speed Down on the latter.
Those who were thinking of escaping ran in wrong directions, crashed into trees, or started punching their comrades.
Those that tried to attack started to run down the slope, but due to the Speed Down, they lost their balance and tumbled down.
Once that happened, it became very difficult to beat us anymore.
Affecting this many people and casting different spells at the same time sacrifices effect duration, but I don't think that matters here.
I believe this should be enough.
Milla used her blood whip to strike the bandits in the head or their…delicate areas, causing them to faint from the former or…faint in agony from the latter.
The Adventurers looked at the state of the enemy and calmly knocked them down, adjusting their strength so as not to kill them.
「…I suppose my assistance is not required.」
Said Maggie, Merlin chuckled.
「I'm quite a fan of your whole costume change thing.」
「Oh my, is that so? Is it the costumes you are interested in? Or perhaps the part where I change?」
「Both.」
「Fufu, oh Lady Merlin. So naughty.」
「Oh dear, are you willing to forgive my sexual harassment?」
「Only because it's you, Lady Merlin.」
「I really might do something when you say such things.」
「Again with your jokes, I see.」
While she's talking, Merlin has been elegantly swinging her staff.
Each time she did so, a bandit was incapacitated.
For example, a water ball would cover a bandit's head until he suffocated. She fired Wind Blades to slash at their hands, causing them to drop their weapons, or slash at their feet, causing them to fall down. Causing the earth to form an arm and grab onto them, or moving tree roots to entangle them. Some were frozen, some were shocked by lightning strikes, and others received tiny explosion magic all over their body.
Fire elemental magic wasn't used to avoid burning the tree roots.
「What do you think? Isn't it beautiful?」
Merlin is able to use various elemental magics at a high level.
And she looked like she was having a blast doing it.
She is nicknamed the Wizard of Foresight because she seems to cast magic as if predicting the future.
The way she casts her spells with impeccable timing is what gave her that nickname.
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We're just eradicating bandits, she shouldn't need such a variety of magic. Just sticking to one element would have been more than enough for this lot.
I looked at her without realizing it, and she winked at me.
「Consider this thanks for giving me a good show.」
I could say the same to her.
All that's left is the lone leader.
Those who blocked our path, both front and back, were all knocked down.
Everyone has already begun restraining the incapacitated bandits.
「Now then…」
The leader's cronies have already fallen.
Slowly retreating, the remaining leader glares at Ex.
「D-dammit! This is impossible! There were two hundred of us!! They were different from you trash! They were combat type Jobs who trained up…! T-to lose to a bunch of pretend Adventurers…」
「We modern-day Adventurers are accepted by the masses by not killing. It is only by enacting Dungeon Clears with Avatars that it can be established as amusement. So I understand where you're coming from. We can't kill you. No matter how good of an Adventurer, that is our weakness.」
It isn't as if they had no chance of victory.
Fighting in a Dungeon is completely different from fighting in real life.
Think about it. When fighting in real life against a terrible opponent, you might kill him accidentally.
One's mental state has a large effect on one's movements.
Nobody can fight in a perfect state.
A moment of hesitation can turn fatal.
Even if they're the 2nd ranked party, they'd still show weakness when trying not to kill their opponent, or at least that is the conclusion the bandits would arrive at.
「To be honest, I had my apprehensions. Just a few. But it looks like it wasn't necessary. Because thanks to my excellent colleagues, everyone earned the luxury to adjust their attacks.」
「He's talking about you, Lem.」
「I believe he's including you as well, Merlin.」
We stood vigilant on the sidelines while watching the battle reach its end.
No additional help was necessary.
「Dammit…! You monsters! Looking down on us from your ivory towers…! Acting all high and mighty just 'cause you were talented and blessed by the Spirits and called a Hero! Not everyone has it easy like you bastards!」
Both those with talent and those without have their own worries.
But if I told him that, he probably won't accept it.
「Certainly, there is inequality in the world. You lot were most likely exposed to certain injustices and found yourself stooping to banditry. However, this does not give you the right to do harm unto others.」
「Oh, get off your high horse…!」
「In life, there are no highs and lows. Only right and wrong. That might change depending on the era and the region, but they are there. And right now, you are living life doing wrong things. You must atone.」
The bandit leader was frantically searching for a way out, but then he runs towards Ex, perhaps finally realizing that there is no way out.
「You piss me off, old man!」
Ex's right arm was wrapped in a black mist.
That was his shadow. A shadow given form.
The Spirit that he formed a contract with gave him the Spirit Magic to manipulate shadows.
Ex clenches his fist and the mist changes into the shape of a wolf's head.
「 As I said earlier, this is gonna sting a little.」
「Die!」
The bandit leader swung his sword downwards.
Ex extends his right fist.
The shadow bites and shatters the sword, driving into the leader's face.
The leader screamed unintelligibly and was blown away.
He was blown a comically far distance away until he finally lands on a faraway tree.
「…Oops.」
「Pfft…! Ahaha! He was going on and on about adjusting strengths, yet he goes and fails himself! Ahaha! Did you see that Lem? Maggie? That's our leader, the Jet-Black Hero! As you can see, he's a clumsy man.」
Like she was struck in the funny bone, Merlin guffaws.
「…Uhm, shouldn't we bring along some White Sorcerers and look for him?」
「I-it is just as you say, Sir Lem. I'm sure Sir Ex made the proper adjustments, so if we hurry, we might reach him in time to treat his injuries.」
This is a man who was the leader of this many bandits. He should be appropriately sturdy and skilled.
I pray that the tree softened his landing.
「Fufu, ahaha…ha~, you two are so earnest. Fine, I'll go.」
「…Sorry, Merlin.」
「Honestly. Well, I suppose it was impossible to expect an elephant to step on an ant without killing it.」
Even at the best of times, a Hero is abnormal. What they consider as going easy is different from what normal folks consider it as.
「But…I'm not an elephant, and he's not an ant.」
「Oh for goodness sake, it was a metaphor.」
Laughing all the way, Merlin flies up and goes to search for the bandit leader.
…Well since she's in a good mood, I'm sure it'll be fine.
Chapter end
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