Chapter 121: Beating the bandits
According to the mutton shop owner who had commissioned the quest, the bandits were not only extorting merchants in the name of protection fees but also kidnapping any women traveling with them. They did not hesitate to kill anyone who tried to resist.
Vlad did not take the shop owner’s words at face value. He needed to make sure the bandits were truly irredeemable so that he would not hesitate when he swung his sword.
---
"Aghhhh... ahhhhhaa!!!"
The bandit screamed as Vlad’s blade entered his mouth, piercing through one cheek and bulging out from the other, slicing through the tongue that had dared to spout such filth.
"You bastard!"
The other bandits roared as they charged toward him with their blades raised. At the same time, the two archers stationed on the branches ahead released their arrows.
"And I thought you wanted to talk," Noah muttered, although his face carried a wide, excited smirk.
Tang!
His blade clashed against the three swords swung at Vlad, stopping them all at once.
As for the incoming arrows...
Chloe hurled herself forward, moving like a storm. The wind trailing behind her slowed the arrows until they lost all momentum, dropping harmlessly to the forest floor under the pressure of the violent air currents alone.
In the blink of an eye, she appeared beneath the two archers, her palms extended toward them.
A burst of wind erupted from her hands, slamming into the archers. Their footing gave way instantly, sending them tumbling from the branches.
Before they could hit the ground, Chloe launched herself into the air in a front flip. Her legs rotated gracefully midair while both hands firmly held down her skirt to make sure she did not accidentally expose herself.
Her legs came crashing down onto the falling archers like two axes splitting logs.
Crack!
Blood gushed from their mouths and noses as the impact shattered their skull before both of them slammed heavily onto the ground.
"Your girlfriend is as crazy as you," Noah laughed, clearly impressed while casually holding off the three swordsmen.
Vlad ignored the remark as he pulled his sword free, fresh blood splattering across the dirt. The bandit fell on the ground, squirming in cries and agony.
Vlad was about to help Noah but was immediately shut down before he could even raise his sword.
"Don’t even think about it," Noah ordered. "It’s been a long time since I let out some steam. Don’t ruin my fun."
"Do you have any idea whom you are messing with?" one of the bandits snarled as his sword screeched against Noah’s blade.
A violet aura wrapped around their weapons as they activated Mana Blade, the combined strength of the three swords gradually overpowering Noah.
"We are the Hungry Hounds! You will not leave this forest al... al..."
His words died in his throat as something unbelievable unfolded before his eyes.
A white, frost-like mana spread across Noah’s blade before rapidly crawling onto all three weapons at once, freezing them solid in an instant.
"N-no way... You can’t be a mere bodyguard," the bandit mumbled, taking an instinctive step back as the color drained from his face.
"Wh... who are you?"
Noah answered with his sword.
With a single swing, he completely froze all three weapons while the bandits’ hands were still gripping their hilts.
He calmly sheathed his blade before cracking his knuckles with a grin.
"It’s time for some beating."
Bam!
Bam!
Bam!
For the next several minutes, only Noah’s fists and the bandits’ faces continued their conversation.
Meanwhile, Vlad tied the remaining three bandits to the trunk of a nearby tree with a sturdy rope.
Chloe quietly stepped behind another tree and pulled a pair of trousers on beneath her skirt. Now that the bandits had been dealt with, she no longer needed to pretend to be a merchant’s daughter.
---
"Now then, are you open to a civilized conversation?" Vlad asked the three bandits whom Noah had just given the beating of their lives.
"W-we... w-we would have told you everything even if you hadn’t beaten us," one of them answered.
His face was covered in bruises. One eye had swollen completely shut, several teeth had been knocked out, and dried blood stained his lips.
"Where is your base?" Vlad demanded in a firm tone, his question making all three of them flinch as they knelt before him.
"How dare you not answer!?" Noah growled, glaring down at them with his piercing blue eyes.
"We will tell you! We will tell—"
"Too late!" Noah declared before starting again.
Pow!
Pow!
Pow!
"Where is your base?" Vlad asked once more after Noah finally stepped back. "The one who tells us first will be allowed to live."
"Mwe!" (Me!)
"Bai bill dell dyu!" (I will tell you!)
"Pwease me!" (Please, me!)
The three pleaded simultaneously, their swollen mouths making their words barely sound human anymore.
"I can’t understand a word you’re saying," Vlad sighed in annoyance. "Alright, you will show us the way."
He pointed toward the bandit whose legs appeared to be the least damaged.
"Bes ber!" (Yes, sir!)
They tied the remaining two bandits to the tree as well before following the third one deeper into the forest.
"Move quickly! We don’t have the whole day!" Noah snapped, kicking the bandit in the rear and sending him stumbling forward.
"Bes ber..." the bandit replied, tears welling up in his eyes as he hurried deeper into the woods.
"So brute," Chloe commented from behind Vlad, giving Noah a judging look.
"Like you’re one to talk," he shot back instantly, his tone dripping with mockery. "Who was it that attacked those archers like a gorilla?"
Chloe was about to snap back when his eyes drifted toward her legs.
"Bwahaha! What the hell are you wearing?"
He burst into laughter, pointing at the formal academy trousers visible beneath her skirt.
Each laugh only fueled Chloe’s growing urge to kick him square in the face. Even so, she maintained a perfectly neutral expression.
Noah quickly closed the distance between them and leaned toward her ear.
"No wonder Vlad sees you as a kid since you dress like you’ve lost a bet," he whispered with a mischievous grin.
That was it.
He had successfully poked the one nerve he absolutely should not have.
Chloe’s fists clenched tightly at her sides as veins subtly bulged on the back of her hands. She was just about to throw a punch when Vlad spoke in a firm, serious tone.
"Stop bickering. We are here!"