My Reincarnation Skills Are “Playing With Dolls” and “Playing With Clay”, but What Am I Supposed to Do With These? C114

Episode 114: Attack of the thieves

We stopped the wagon on top of that hill, using our map skills to gauge the distance to the opponent. This is the place with the least trees, so even if you were to be attacked by surprise, you would be about 20 meters away from the trees, so if you asked the merchants to stay behind their carriages, you could avoid the arrows from inside the forest. right. 

There's only about half an hour left until sunset. I asked the merchants to really start preparing for the camp. 

However, Osmarf is the only one pitching a tent, and the other two are covered wagons, so there is no preparation for sleeping. Mikula and Hout prepare firewood and a simple stove. It seems that merchants prepare meals together. 

Our contract was to provide our own bed and meals, so Nolte and I set up the tent and prepared our own meals. Of course, we continue to be cautious. While organizing the party, I checked the information that Carmilla and Lucien had searched around the area. 

The thieves stopped about 500 meters from us, and headed back toward their (temporary) hideout with only a single red dot. It looks like he's going to call his friends. There are three red dots left. 

Just to be sure, let's check the possibility that there is someone on the other end who has stealth skills that are better than ours. There are some thieves with stealth skills like that Jinos. 

Have the doll-sized magician Lina chant the "gravity control" she learned at LV14 and "fly away." I will also use alchemy's "force field" to support them. 

Lina, who was several hundred meters up in the sky, searched the area around the area where she saw the red dot from above the forest where there was still light. 

Although it was difficult to see in detail because it was blocked by the trees, it seemed that three people could be seen exactly where the red dot was marked on the map. There are no more. I can't say it's a sure thing, but being in Lina's field of vision will improve the accuracy of my map skills as a party. 

Well, I don't think there are any thieves on the highway who have more advanced skills than Lucien and Carmilla, but it's probably true. 

Collect Lina, make her life-sized, and wait. 

Carmilla and Lucien, who had already demonstrated their stealth, were moving behind the thieves' scouts. 

"I'm pretty sure I heard Lucien's 'spirit ears' discussing plans to attack this place."

It's confirmed as a thief, so there's no need to hesitate. First, I decided to take the initiative and defeat these three. 

At the sound of a distant message, Lucien's arrow pierced one person, and immediately after that, Carmilla's blade slit one person's throat. 

The remaining one became panicked and started running in the opposite direction of the two, towards the carriage where we were. 

The merchants stiffened when they saw a bearded man suddenly run out from the forest, screaming and raising his sword. It's normal to be frightened even if you are told in advance. 

<Thief (LV4)> was displayed. It's not that high. 

Lina and I stood in a protective position with our backs to the wagon and the merchants, and at the same time we were hit directly by the fireballs we shot. Even though they are thieves, they are still reluctant to attack people. Magic is still more durable than swords. I know this is kind of sweet, but... 

"He was definitely a thief."

Habar looks at the fallen man and confirms it. 

“Yes, I can testify that I was indeed attacked by thieves.”

Natasia also agrees. Osmarf searched the body without hesitation, looking for anything that could identify him, but there didn't seem to be anything in particular. 

"The contract was that the thieves' equipment and money would be divided equally between the employer and the escort."

Osmarf asks Haybar and throws the sword into the carriage's bed. 

“For now, is it okay if I carry it?”

"I don't mind, you're an expert when it comes to weapons."

Natasia agreed, and Heybar nodded silently. When I took a quick look at it using my appraisal skill, it simply said <straight sword>. 

“Ah, it looks like your friends cleaned up the other two in the forest, but maybe it would be a good idea to let them carry out the bodies.”

"What? Were there others?"

"Even if you've already cleared that up..."

Osmarf and Natasia are surprised. Haybar was the one who answered the question. 

"No, it's probably too heavy, and I can't take the body with me. Could you please guide Osmarf to that location, confirm his identity, and collect anything of value? Then we'll bury him."

That's good. The main force of thieves should still be approaching. 

I let Nolte lead me to Carmilla and the others, and Lina and I remained to guard the carriage, but it was only then that I noticed that we were attracting attention. Was this the first time you showed Lina clearly? 

"This person, Lina, is my familiar, or rather, I think of her as something like a summoned fairy. She doesn't usually show up, but she's a force to be reckoned with just like a normal adventurer, so there's nothing suspicious about her."

"I'm not a suspicious person" is a suspicious line, to begin with... 

"You're an alchemist, right? You use mysterious magic..."

Still, it seems like he misunderstood it as a type of alchemy, so I'm glad. Haybar seemed to want to say something. 

"That's amazing."

The female slave Mikula is honestly impressed. 

"···cute"

Is Hout, who muttered under his breath, a lolicon? No, wouldn't it be strange for a 16-year-old to be attracted to JC? 

(Sorry, that's a natural reaction.)

Lina, don't get carried away. 

That's right, the body needed to be buried. 

Using my map skill, I confirmed that the main bandit force was not approaching yet, and I decided to leave Lina behind and carry the bandit's body to Carmilla and the others with Hout. To be honest, it's tough to touch a human corpse, but as an adventurer, he can't show that kind of behavior in front of the boy. Just do it calmly. 

I decided to bury it along with the two bodies that Osmarf had already confirmed. Lucien is already digging a hole with earth magic. The body is then thrown there and reburied in a way that looks as natural as possible. 

“Did you find anything that identified you?”

"No, nothing. I only recovered the weapon."

One was a straight sword like the one before. The other was a short sword. 

"Shiro, I think it's time to go back."

"Hm, that's right."

Several red dots that appeared to be the main band of thieves were approaching about 1 km away. 

"Master, I understand that there are many people trying to hide, Carmilla."

As expected, there are multiple people with stealth skills. 

When I realized that, the red dots on my map skill increased. But there are three faint points. 

There were four things that were clearly visible from the beginning. In other words, there are 3 people with stealth skills and 4 others. 

"Seven people who appear to be the main group of thieves are heading this way."

I told Osmarf and Hout as I hurried to the wagon. Since I conveyed it to Lina through telepathy, it must have been conveyed to Haybar and the others as well. 

“Seven people!”

"Even though it's still close to the royal capital, the security situation is still deteriorating. Is everything okay?"

Osmarf is an arms dealer, so he seems to have some knowledge of battle. In fact, if you look at his skills, he also has sword skills (LV2) and short sword skills (LV2). 

"Well, I'll manage."

I don't have absolute confidence, but it's bad for the guards to show signs of anxiety. 

The merchants have already moved three horse-drawn carriages and lined them up in a U-shape, creating a kind of defensive line. Merchants gather behind it, each holding a short sword or dagger in their hands. As expected, merchants who form caravans and go abroad seem to be quite used to the situation. 

"Hout, this."

Old Habar hands a dagger to his grandson. 

"It's just for your own protection, leave the fighting to the professionals."

 that's OK. 

The red point of light is heading into the forest where Carmilla and the others defeated the scouts. I guess we were supposed to meet up and exchange information first. 

If you can't find your friends there, you'll probably be looking for them for a while. However, the bodies were buried so that they could not be easily found. If this were the case, a cautious leader would sense the danger and leave, but if the group was determined not to let go of the prey, they would probably come towards them. They must have thought that there were only three wagons and fewer escorts than them... 

It was almost sunset and it was getting dark. If you are moving through the forest, you probably won't be able to find it. We briefly discuss strategies, including the merchants. 

Have them light a bonfire in the middle of the U-shape. Does it look like he's letting his guard down and thinking that the thieves have been taken care of so let's have dinner? Or are they still unaware of the fate of their friends? 

Eventually, the sounds of arrows flying from the forest could be heard, hitting the covered wagon. 

“Wow!”

A deliberate yell goes up. 

I have the magician Lina set up a "magic shield" and Nolte and I go out in front of the carriage barricade. Then, he releases alchemical "fire" towards the direction of the voice. 

When the fireball flew into the forest, the figures of two or three men appeared brightly for a moment. 

<Thief LV4> <Thief LV2> <Merchant LV6>

Is there a merchant? ? 

I'm not confident because it was only for a moment, but I feel like I couldn't see the hidden skill. 

An arrow is shot from there again. One flew to a good place, but it was deflected by the magic shield. Since the shield is transparent, the opponent may not be able to tell why the arrow fell. 

Then, the red dot behind us suddenly approaches. Yes, as expected. 

Nolte and I turned around, leaving Lina behind, and ran back to the back of the carriage. 

Carmilla and Lucien's blades flashed from the sides of the thieves, who suddenly appeared without a sound and rushed towards the merchants. 

In an instant, the two thieves collapsed, and the remaining two stopped moving. Nolte and I rush in there from the front. Both are two to one. 

<Thief LV15> <Thief LV12>

The level is high. They have stealth skills. 

However, they were taken in advance by a surprise attack that exceeded their own, and they were unable to stop us with two people from the front and side. 

In less than 10 seconds, the remaining two people also fell to the ground. 

At the same time, a bright flame rises behind them. 

Realizing that the arrow was being repelled by something invisible, Lina unleashed a whirlpool of flame that Lina had prepared at the people on the other side who jumped out of the forest thinking they could make it three on one. 

We'll take it and return it right away. 

One person is falling, but the remaining two are heading towards Lina. When I released the fireworks, Lucien's bow sounded almost at the same time. Thus the battle ended. 

Most of the seven thieves on both sides were dead, but there were only two who were seriously injured but still alive. 

They were a LV7 thief and a LV6 merchant. 

“There are merchants too.”

``Yeah, you can put it upstream of a merchant, but sometimes there are cases where people become friends with thieves or gangs of thieves lie about their identity and register as merchants.''

Osmarf and Heybar answered my questions. 

``It's a shame that thieves usually don't have access to proper towns, so they often recruit merchants to sell what they've stolen.''

Is that so? The merchant man also had a card from a nearby town's merchant guild. 

After the two were treated with Lucien's "Great Healing" to the point that they would not die, they tied their hands behind their backs and tied each of them to another large tree. 

According to the testimony, the boss was a LV15 thief named Dusk, who targeted and attacked the small number of merchant caravans passing through this area. It is said that Dusk is on a bounty, so Osmarf cuts off one of his arms, which has his distinctive tattoo, and takes it to the next town. It's a little impossible for me. 

And if they hand over the two captured thieves to the guards in the next town, they will be given a reward for capturing the thieves, and tomorrow they will be hooked up to a carriage and taken away. 

It's going to be a little slower than before because I'm making him walk, but it should be about 10km until the next town... Osmarf was carefully checking that the rope tied to the large tree was not loose. 

Then, we took turns preparing for the late dinner while keeping our guard up under the light of the cantera, and satisfied our hunger with stew made with dried meat and flour dumplings, and fruit. The merchants' dinner looks more luxurious, and I wonder if this is what makes the difference in the travel experience...I'll think about it a little more tomorrow. 

Centering around three carts lined up in a U-shape, we set up a large tent for the girls on one side and a small tent for myself on the other side. I feel lonely, but I took out the watchdog Wan and the golem Taro from my clay skill storage, set them up in front of my tent, and ordered them, ``If something happens around you, wake me up right away, and protect us and the merchants.'' Ta. 

The merchants were once again taken aback by the humanoid and dogoid beings that suddenly appeared, but just like Lina, they disguised it by saying something like "It's alchemy..." It's a good thing that industry rules say that it's forbidden to pry into an adventurer's abilities. 

Not only the girls, but Lina, who doesn't need sleep, is on duty. However, Lucien and Carmilla seem to have the confidence that something will happen immediately, which I'm jealous of. So, as soon as I sense something on that side, I'll have them wake me up as well. 

And just like that, the first day of my escort trip, which suddenly involved a lot of things, ended.