Chapter 218: We Were Supposed to Quietly Whittle Down the Bandits
Chapter 218: We Were Supposed to Quietly Whittle Down the Bandits
I slipped down from the roof to the ground with a soft shuu. Whether word had spread that the bandits had entered the village, every house had extinguished its lights. Were they holding their breath and sensing the presence outside? The village was filled with an air of unnatural silence and tension.From an alley I watched the bandits. The guard came again. Carrying lamps and talking in loud voices as if afraid of the bandits, they walked timidly. It had become like a children’s test of courage. They seemed to be hoping that if they made a racket the bandits would avoid them, that the bandits would notice their conversation and flee. I also wished it would be so, yet these bandits were not that soft.
Against several members of the guard the bandits surrounded them all at once and killed them without letting them raise their voices. Amazing — the expression "skilled hands" fits perfectly.
The bandits began advancing toward the center of the village. That place is our lodging? Besides us there are also wealthy merchants nearby. They passed our lodging and the leaders advanced deeper in.
Using Divine Legs to the full, I leapt from behind onto the man at the rear of the bandits, put a knife to his throat, and slit it sideways. A whistling sound came and the bandit stretched out his hands forward. I covered the pitiful victim’s mouth with the cloth I held. The bandit’s knees buckled and he toppled forward. Leaving him as he was I hid in the alley. I thought we would be noticed, yet the bandits continued advancing as they were.
Again I approached from behind, covered the mouth with cloth, and thrust once into the heart from behind. The tip of the sword came out from the chest. Without a moment’s delay I twisted the sword and pulled it out. Goboh blood came out. I toppled him backward just like that.
From that man’s body a water flask, a bag, a short sword, a bow, and a quiver of arrows came flying out. This fellow had a mana bag!? I caught the quiver in mid-air. There were also arrows that were not straight but had a slight curve, yet one cannot be picky.
When I showed the quiver to Lily she also nodded. It meant it was all right to use them.
"Lily, do you have poison?"
"Yes, with this."
Lily took out a small bottle, removed the lid, and held it out. I touched a bit of poison to the arrowhead and shot with a shuu. It stuck in the area of the waist of the man who had been at the rear of the bandits, and the man collapsed.
"Oi! What happened!?"
The man who had been walking beside him noticed and shouted. I aimed at that fellow and shot an arrow. The arrow stuck in his cheek. The man collapsed just like that.