Common Sense of a Warrior

This chapter was a bit longer than expected…though it"s mostly Melly going chop chop chop chop chop!

"Enaline isn"t here……"

Through Mellice-sama"s great efforts, the bandits were eliminated as we quickly made a loop around the village.

However, we could not find Enaline.

Worried that she was one of the people killed by the bandits, I fearfully descended from my horse and looked around.

Amongst the fallen were those clinging to their collapsed family members, crying. 

Even while I held the desire to turn my ears away from the sound of their wailing, I continued to look around in case any of the fallen required medical treatment.

"……huh, you……you already returned? Even if it"s just you, it"s great that you"ve returned safely……"

As I did that, the unfamiliar voice of a villager called out to me.

"Eh……"

"Eh? You know, earlier you said you"d go after the villagers that were kidnapped by the bandits and entered that village, right? That"s why……"

"Eh, ahh……that"s right. I came back temporarily to call my comrades over to help out."

At this time, I chose to pretend to be Enaline.

Because I didn"t want to cause any more worry for this villager whose complexion was pale and who had tears clinging to the corners of his eyes, I promptly lied.

I soon left that spot and went to report the circ.u.mstances of the matter to Mellice-sama.

In order to chase after Enaline.

"……I understand the situation. Which direction did the bandits go in?"

"I-It"s that forest…….!"

"…….we will immediately commence our pursuit."

"It"s far too dangerous! Even though we don"t know the scale of the bandits……!"

"It will take far too much time to go report what happened to the nearby military station. And…….while I can"t say anything until we confirm the location by sight, if we"re inside a building then we"ll be able to manage."

"However……"

"You"re being too verbose……..nonetheless, what Anna is saying is quite right, so stay here, Anna."

"……no. If Mellice-sama insists on going, then please bring me along with you!"

"This is an order."

"However……!"

For a moment, Mellice-sama and I glared at each other.

A cold and heavy atmosphere descended on the spot.

……eventually, the one that broke was Mellice-sama.

"Chit-chatting here is a waste of time…….Anna, at the very least you should protect yourself. Let"s go."

Mellice-sama broke off running as she commanded me.

After that, she again ran ahead of the Guard Corps and I, making us follow after her.

No one said anything.

Only the sounds of the dry gra.s.s rustling and the neighs of horses entered everyone"s ears.

Underneath the moonlight, horses with riders on them ran on an animal trail.

Suddenly, Mellice-sama stopped her horse.

"……here. The footprints of the horses that came from the village cut off here."

As she murmured, Mellice-sama dismounted from the horse and stared fixedly at the building.

Inside the forest, a single building that wasn"t that far removed from the village existed here, isolated.

The sound of laughter could be heard from inside it.

Suddenly I sensed a presence that was similarly investigating the building……it was Enaline.

"Enaline!"

"Eh, Anna……eh?"

A relieved expression appeared momentarily on her face upon seeing me, before her mouth opened with surprised when she saw the appearance of Mellice-sama behind me.

"Enaline, it"s good that you"re safe."

"Why is Mellice-sama here?"

"We"ll leave the explanations for later…….each of you will make a pair with a member of the Guard Corps. One will infiltrate through the backdoor with Enaline, with your top priority being to rescue the abducted women. Do not hesitate to cut down any enemies that you meet en route."

"Y-Yes."

She probably had many questions……..but the intimidating air from Mellice-sama only allowed Enaline to nod back in reponse.

"The other will come with Enaline and I to make a frontal attack."

"Y-Yes."

"……does everyone remember the screams of the villagers from earlier?"

The moment the sense of tension reached its peak, Mellice-sama murmured quietly.

At that question, everyone other than Mellice-sama nodded even while confused.

"Right now at this moment, the captured people are trembling with fear, and are seeking help. Even now at this moment, there are those at the village praying for their return. And they are clinging tearfully to those who will no longer return…….we can not allow those bandits to take anything else from them."

The cold air and bloodl.u.s.t that was emitting from Mellice-sama caused everyone – including myself – to tremble.

"……live, and do what must be done."

" " "Yes!" " "

After that, one of the members of the Guard Corps and Niina split up with us, heading towards the back entrance.

"……could I ask a question?"

"What?"

Though I cowered from Mellice-sama"s sharp gaze, I encouraged myself and opened my mouth.

"Why do you react so excessively to the word "bandit"?"

It probably wasn"t something I should be asking at this time, in this sort of place.

However, I just had to know.

Since encountering the bandits at the town, the pressure that she released had only become more pointed.

In particular, when she was glaring at this building, she had momentarily given off a look of detest. It was a look that was terribly cold and dreadful.

Hearing my question, Mellice-sama"s eyes widened briefly in surprise.

"……because my mother was killed."

However, in the next instant, the small girl grumbled back quietly.

"Eh……"

This time, her unexpected words caused my eyes to widen.

A sheltered Ojou-sama overflowing with happiness.

That was my impression of her.

…….however, if that was the case, then what in the world was that freezing sharp killing intent, and that fearfully certain swordsmanship?

If, according to that answer, her mother was murdered by bandits…….then just how have I been viewing her up until now?

That question whirled inside of me.

"I"ll accept your questions after, so leave the talk for later…….let"s go."

However, Mellice-sama"s words forced me to return to reality from my swirling thoughts.

During that time, Mellice-sama approached the building without a sound.

And then with a speed faster than my eyes could catch, she killed the two people standing on lookout at the entrance.

The instant the two were about to crumble down, the member of the Guard Corps rushed over to the entrance and caught them, rolling them down silently.

And then, Mellice-sama gently opened the entrance.

She crushed the enemies encountered in the hallway, one after the other, and advanced forward.

The enemies were unable to make any proper response, and they collapsed one by one.

During that time, the member of the Guard Corps and I could only watch over her in mute amazement.

In no time at all, there was n.o.body left in the hallway.

Contrasting with the silence that dropped upon the hallway, cheerful laughter could be heard from beyond the door at the end of the hall.

……I"m sure that n.o.body would have imagined that the scene outside of that room had become like this.

When Mellice-sama opened the door, before the enemy could even raise any questions at her existence, she cut down the enemy closest to her.

In an instant, that room which had been filled with laughter only moments earlier, had fallen as silent as death like the hallway.

Before their brains could even comprehend the situation, the enemies were felled by Mellice-sama one after the other.

They only realized the reality of the situation that their own comrades were collapsing after one third of the people in the room had fallen.

……what is that? What in the world is happening?

Their faces had cramped with such fear that it felt like I could hear their hearts saying such things.

"T-There"s only one of them! Everyone, attack!"

And then, still in the throes of fear, he screamed while swinging his blade towards Mellice-sama.

At that signal, the enemies in the room sliced at Mellice-sama in succession.

As expected, she"d be at a disadvantage if it"s one versus many……with things having reached this stage, the member of the Guard Corps and I who had been watching over the course of events absentmindedly, started to move for the first time.

However, she betrayed that prediction, as she felled enemies easily again and again.

"Hih, uu, uwahhh! S-Save me!"

One of them screamed, and Mellice suddenly stopped.

Taking that moment as a good opportunity, all of them came attacking.

"…….have you guys ever granted the wish of someone to be saved before?"

However, as she asked that, she magnificently avoided the attacks that were coming from every imaginable direction.

"To ask for mercy is a foolish move….…all you can do is keep on begging for mercy in h.e.l.l."

In the next instant, and even denser killing intent overflowed from her.

Cold sweat dripped from everyone in the room, as if to oppose the thick killing intent that coiled about us.

"……no matter what sort of backgrounds you have, you guys chose. You made that choice. To wield the sword. To steal with the sword. That being the case, you should be ready to perish by the sword……isn"t that right?"

Though cold, it was a lovely voice, like the sound of a bell.

However, there was a sense of fierceness that her words gave off that overwhelmed the contrast her voice gave.

At her question, one person, and then another, turned their backs to her and ran away.

"You"re in the way!"

They turned towards the Guard Corps and I who were standing in the entrance and raised their swords.

We intercepted that attack.

On the other side, those who couldn"t run away once again began to attack her all together.

Rather than say that they were challenging her in battle, it seemed that she who became the very image of fear to them was something they wanted to keep away from themselves……and perhaps it was because they wanted to fulfill such a desire that they took such actions.

Even while we confronted the enemy, the Guard Corps member and I had our attention naturally drawn towards her.

Towards that same beautiful and sharp swordsmanship that we saw at the village.

And, that fearfully cold killing intent.

That was all we had been able to recognize up until now.

Perhaps because her fighting style was so shocking, those aspects of it drew all of our attention.

However, above all else……when we were coming here, as she had continued to run forward in the front, the fact that we were only able to see her back was big. 

Seeing her appearance as she freely moved about in the room, I finally realized it.

That in contrast to her frightening fighting style, the expression on her face……made it seem like she was about to cry, not knowing what to do with her resentment and grief.

It was to the point where it felt like I could hear her screaming……I don"t want to lose anything anymore, I won"t let anything be taken away.

It felt as though she was making such a prayer.

Her cold and frightening killing intent was like an armour meant to conceal that sadness of hers.

…….after that in no time at all, Mellice-sama had felled everyone that had been in the room.

Even though it should have been a disadvantageous situation in which it was one person against many, such a fact did not impede Mellice-sama at all.

As proof, she did not show any signs of joy nor relief, and immediately turned back towards the Guard Corps member and I in order to exit the room.

"……Anna! Watch out!"

Suddenly, Mellice-sama shouted.

When I turned my eyes to the side, one of the people that should have been prostrate on the ground was brandishing his blade overhead.

…….he was the enemy that I dealt with.

"…….eh?"

My head could not keep up with the situation, and for a moment I remained in a daze.

Even though I knew that even the slightest gap could mean the difference between life and death.

The sword swung down.

It reflected terribly slowly in my eyes.

However, that sword never reached me.

That was because Mellice-sama came with a frightening speed and used her sword to receive the blow in my stead.

As she received the blade, she gradually corrected her posture and kicked the attacking man, taking a distance from him.

And then, she cut him down.

"……are you alright? You"re not injured?"

My brain finally started to work again upon hearing Mellice-sama"s question.

"Y-Yes…….I deeply apologize!"

"…….it can"t be helped. This is your first time in actual combat, right? …….rather, I apologize for making you overdo it."

As she said that, she once again started to walk out of the room. And then, she indifferently opened doors one by one, checking for any remnants.

Like that, Mellice-sama continued to battle until all members of the bandit group were annihilated.

"With this, it"s done."

……muttering thus, Mellice-sama opened the last room.

Inside the room were the abducted villagers, as well as Enaline and the member of the Guard Corps.

The bandits that had been on watch were already fallen on the ground.

"Mel……!"

In order to interrupt Enaline"s words, Mellice-sama placed her index finger on her lips while shaking her head.

Enaline sensed her intention and nodded in understanding, shutting her mouth.

At first the captured women reacted doubtfully when Mellice-sama and her group initially arrived, but after Mellice-sama explained that the threat of the bandits was gone and that they"d be able to return to the village, they cried with joy.

And then, taking the women with them, Mellice-sama and us left the bandits" stronghold.