Chapter 1120: Fran"s Wrath
The volunteer soldiers weren’t satisfied just complaining, and their unruly behavior knew no end. Those a.s.signed to night watch simply ignored their duty and went to sleep. A few even started chugging alcohol and rummaging through the supplies we were transporting without permission.
None of them had any respect for Fran. Up until now, she overlooked their actions due to the lack of serious damages.
However, the unauthorized usage of food supplies crossed a line, triggering Fran’s wrath. After all, one of the reasons she took the request was to ensure those on the battlefield would not fight on an empty stomach.
「You three. Come here.」
Fran called out the men sitting around the campfire. Though her voice was on the quiet side, it was still audible.
Yet all of them completely ignored her, a sign of how little respect they had.
「Oi.」
「Huh? What the――Gah!」
「W-What are you――Bwah!」
「Bwoh!」
After taking one look at their punchable faces, Fran gave up on talking.
All emotion disappeared from her face as she punched the men and sent them flying. It didn’t end there. She went on to beat them to a pulp. They barely managed to hold onto consciousness.
The other soldiers watched the beatdown with an amused smile, which gradually turned into expressions of fear as the sound of broken limbs echoed through the night.
Fran’s fury was not yet satisfied. She constantly swapped targets between the three men, allowing none of them a chance to escape. By my count, each of them had received at least 30 blows.
By the time the punishment was over, the poor adventurers were weeping, vomiting stomach juices and blood, with broken bones all over their bodies.
It may seem excessive, but she needed to make an example of them in front of the other volunteers. That must be what Fran was thinking.
（Oops, I went too far.）
『Huh, Fran?!』
Or I guess she simply forgot when to stop in her frustration! Well, at least you look much more relieved now. I bet you don’t even feel sorry!
『Uhh, heal them up first!』
「Nn.」
After almost killing them in error, Fran healed the supply thieves with magic. Upon confirming that they were fully healed, Fran spoke out again.
「…Everyone. Line up in front.」
It seems seeing Fran beat the c.r.a.p out of three people gave the volunteer soldiers quite a shock.
They had yet to witness Fran’s interrogation style, but they saw her healing such terrible wounds in an instant. Everyone realized her punishment had the potential to be much worse.
Most of the volunteers did as they were told and began lining up. However, there are always those who complain regardless of how inappropriate the situation is.
「W-Who the h.e.l.l do you think――Gyah!」
A large man, over two meters tall, tried to question Fran before he was knocked 10 meters away, leaving a dent in the man’s metallic armor.
After witnessing Fran beating down a huge man with a single punch, they understood the overwhelming difference in strength. Moreover, Fran immediately invoked a healing spell and told him to line up again, in a tone that prevented him from refusing.
This time, the man stood up and straightened his back immediately without any complaints. His body was trembling pitifully, probably due to his fear and the still lingering pain.
Not wanting to suffer the same fate, the other volunteers hurried to line up in front of the Fran.
「…」
「…」
Fran stared silently at the pale-faced volunteers.
（Master, what should we do with these guys?）
『Eh? You lined them up without any plan for what you were doing next?』
（Nn. I just wanted to make them line up.）
Apparently, she had made the order in anger, but had no clue what to do after.
Fran remained silent for a while, which probably looked to them like she was silently boiling in anger. Everyone stood trembling as they held their breaths.
Well, I guess we can keep them like this for a while.
『Have you thought about what you want from them?』
（I want to make them stop acting selfishly.）
『If that’s all you wanted, I think they’ll listen now that you’ve made an example of those three.』
（But if we take them to the battlefield like this, they become useless again. They’ll do whatever they want and cause trouble for everyone.）
『Y-Yeah, that’s true.』
（I don’t want to bring any troublemakers.）
I can’t believe Fran is thinking that far ahead! In the past, she would’ve been happy just beating up a few people to make them listen. But now, she’s not simply taking her anger out on others. She’s actually thinking about the consequences!
I’m really impressed!
『So you’re saying you want to ensure these guys work hard and listen to others. Not just for the moment, but in the future as well.』
（Nn. Is it possible?）
『Hmm…』
I’m sure they’ll listen to Fran now that they understand her strength, but they’ll simply return to their crimes when she’s out of the picture…
Can we try a mock battle and break them that way? No, that’s no different than simply beating them up. Besides, it’ll take way too long…
We need a method that will straighten out these a.s.sholes, and one it has to be something we can perform while on the move.
（Master?）
『Uhh, let’s see… We only have a short period of time to break… I mean train these guys, right? We might run into time issues since there’s so many troublemakers.』
（Break…）
『N-No, that was just me misspeaking! Train! I meant to say train!』
（I see.）
Fran nodded her head lightly before becoming lost in thought. Eh? You’re not really going to break them, are you?