To escape the barrage of questions from Vera and Ginny, I showed them the slingshot and explained that it was a simple toy with a very basic structure, not magic or a special weapon, in an attempt to make them lose interest. However, just like Reina, they latched onto the idea that such a simple thing could have such power.
And just like Reina, once they realized they couldn't use it, they quickly lost interest.
The experience with Reina came in handy. Mile really was a quick learner.
Actually, it's taboo for hunters to pry into each other's past or abilities, and the persistent questioning by Karam, Vera, and Ginny was clearly a violation of the rules. If Mile had wanted to, she could have demanded a formal apology from the "Dragon Breath" party.
If the person being questioned had been an adult male, he probably would have done so, but since the three of them wouldn't have approached an adult male in the first place. To put it nicely, they were being treated as comrades and being asked to do unreasonable things, and to put it bluntly, they were being looked down upon as little girls.
Ideally, the leaders of both parties, Bart and Mavis, should have intervened, but Bart himself was curious and, like the others, had underestimated the "Red Oath."
As for Mavis, she couldn't possibly confront a veteran C-rank hunter, and besides, she knew that the slingshot was something Mile had prepared to mislead them, so she left it to Mile to handle the situation. In reality, to avoid being looked down upon, that wasn't the right approach, but for a newcomer, it was quite a high hurdle.
If Mile had taken a more domineering or threatening attitude, the "Red Oath" members would have intervened, but Karam, who had such an attitude, was quickly stopped by Vera, and Vera and Ginny's behavior was more like "girls playfully roughhousing," making it difficult to intervene. Vera and Ginny were a bit too mature to be called "girls," but...
After all that, Mile was finally freed from Vera and Ginny and got to the orc meat.
"Alright, let's eat!"
"Hey, can I borrow that for a moment?"
Bart came over.
Seeing the look of despair on Mile's face, Bart said with a slightly apologetic tone,
"No, you can keep eating. I saw Vera explain how to use it, so I should be fine. ...I think."
Mile, who was tired of it, silently handed over the slingshot.
*Pshun!*
Surprisingly, Bart was able to pull the slingshot a bit stronger than Mile's hand-shot mode and blew a branch off a tree.
Thinking about it, it wasn't that strange. Slingshots on Earth can be used for hunting by ordinary people. If the nanotube used as a rubber band is strong, it can produce a decent amount of power without being fully stretched. It was just that the people who had tried it so far were all weak women.
But come to think of it, Vera is an archer and should have a decent amount of arm strength, so she should have been able to pull it to some extent.
...It seems Bart was a bit exceptional. As expected of a B-rank hunter.
Bart seemed to find it interesting and started picking up pebbles.
Mile ignored him, focused on her meal, and tried to quickly return to the tent, but...
"Mi-ile-chan, please~!"
"Alright, alright..."
It was a request from the female members of "Dragon Breath" for a warm shower.
The next morning.
When Mile woke up, she smelled something good.
After getting ready, Mile went to the campfire and saw Bart cooking meat.
Behind him were a bird, a horn rabbit, and a fox.
(Wow...)
It seemed he had gone hunting as soon as it got light.
Bart, a swordsman, must have found the experience of hunting small animals from a distance very enjoyable, as he was in a good mood.
"Amazing, this thing! It's so easy to catch prey! With this, we don't need—"
(Ah, no! Don't say that!)
But despite Mile's wishes, Bart said it with a smile.
"Bows or attack magic are unnecessary!"
(Aaaah, it's over...)
*Pon!*
Bart, who had been tapped on the shoulder, turned around to see the furious faces of "Dragon Breath" archer Vera and mage Ginny.
"Ah..."
Bart was dragged away by the two and later came to Mile to return the slingshot.
"...Here."
His face was swollen for some reason.
Today is the third day since leaving the capital. If nothing happens, they should arrive in Amros by tomorrow evening.
They are far enough from the capital, but still have some distance to go to Amros. If they are to be attacked by bandits, today is likely to be the peak day. The "Red Oath" party, thinking this, sat on the driver's seat as they did yesterday.
The location of the attack is chosen by the bandits. Naturally, they will choose a place advantageous to them, considering the terrain and the fatigue level of the caravan.
(Probably around evening. When they are most tired and feeling relieved that they can rest soon...
Will it come during the journey or while camping...)
Just as Mile was thinking this, it came at noon.
The reaction from the exploration magic indicated seven humans ahead.
(Fewer than expected? A diversion, with the main force elsewhere?)
However, that was something for the commander, Bart, to consider. Mile lifted the tarp and reported to Bart, who was in the cargo area.
"Seven people, three hundred meters ahead. They are stopped."
"How do you know that!"
Bart, while pointing out the obvious, had a somewhat exasperated look.
"Stop for a moment, regroup, then advance, keeping an eye on the rear, and confirm the group ahead. If they are bandits, eliminate them.
If it comes to a fight, the 'Flame Wolves' will remain hidden in the carriage and stand by. They will guard the merchants if the enemy approaches and be prepared for a separate force."
The merchants had said they didn't need protection, but they couldn't just accept that. They had to protect the clients unless it was an unavoidable situation.
Mile nodded at Bart's instructions and jumped onto the tarp. She then sent a prearranged hand signal to the rear carriage. It wasn't a word-for-word relay of Bart's instructions, but a simple signal for one of several prearranged response patterns.
After sending the signal and the carriages stopped, Mile moved to the fourth carriage in the rear to change clothes.
If there wasn't time, she would have asked the men to look away and changed on the spot, or put on simple armor over her uniform, or fought in her uniform. But since there was time, there was no need to change in front of the men. Even Mile wasn't that service-oriented.
When Mile went to the fourth carriage, Reina, who had been in the third carriage, was already there and changing. Pauline was originally in the fourth carriage, and Mavis, who didn't need to change, was waiting on the driver's seat of the second carriage.
"Here we go..."
While changing, Mile's words were met with silence from Reina and Pauline.
After changing, Reina, Pauline, and Mile headed to the lead carriage. Mavis joined them on the way. When they returned to the lead carriage, the "Dragon Breath" members had all gotten out and were waiting.
From here, the guards would walk, but the "Flame Wolves" in the rear would remain hidden in the carriage as a hidden ball. One of the "Dragon Breath" members had relayed the plan to the "Flame Wolves" while Mile and the others were changing.
"Alright, let's go!"
"Wait a moment!"
Mavis interrupted Bart's departure command.
"Can we handle this?"
"What?"
"It seems there are only seven bandits ahead. I want to gain some experience in combat. I would like you to intervene if we are at a disadvantage or if reinforcements appear...
I think if we go first, they will be more relaxed. Then, perhaps the remaining bandits will show themselves..."
"...Alright, give it a try. But if it gets dangerous, I'll intervene.
And if reinforcements appear, we might not be able to help. Got it?"
After thinking for a moment, Bart agreed to Mavis's request.
"Understood. Sorry for the trouble.
Let's go!"
The three nodded silently at Mavis's command. This was something they had all discussed and decided beforehand.
This would be the "Red Oath's" first combat.
The six carriages moved more slowly than usual.
At the front were four young girls walking on foot.
The five "Dragon Breath" members were hidden in the first and second carriages, ready to jump out at Bart's signal.
As they moved forward, the road was blocked by a fallen log. The carriages couldn't pass, the road was narrow, and it would be difficult to turn the carriages around in this location. As the caravan stopped, the bandits appeared.
"Alright, you guys... Huh?"
The bandits froze at the sight of the "Red Oath" at the front.
"Are you hunters? Some rich kid's student...
Damn, what is the lookout looking at..."
It seemed they had been watching the road from somewhere and choosing their targets.
Normally, the presence of guards would be advertised to deter bandits, and guards would not be hidden. The bandit seemed to think the lookout had simply made a mistake.
"Whatever. You're probably just D-rank beginners, and there's no way you can handle this many. It's in your best interest to surrender.
Don't worry, if you hand over your weapons and armor, we'll make a good profit from the merchants, and we won't do anything else."
The leader said this, but his lecherous face made it hard to believe.
"Like you'd just take our weapons and leave us alone! You'd capture us, use us for your pleasure, and then sell us into slavery, right!"
The leader gave a thin smile at Reina's glare.
"Heh, if that's the case, we'll just capture you by force. The result will be the same anyway."
At the leader's signal, the bandits surrounded Mile and the others.
Mavis and Mile drew their swords, and Reina and Pauline began to chant spells.
"Not a chance!"
To prevent the casting of spells, the bandits attacked Reina and Pauline. Two of the bandits were restraining Mavis and Mile to prevent them from helping.
Naturally, they should have been more wary of the unknown power of the spells than the swords of mere girls. And the spells of underage girls, which take time to cast, would not be very powerful, and could be easily subdued before they were cast by a quick attack.
"Idiots, letting the rear mages come to the front... *Gasp*!"
*Yelp*!
Pauline's staff pierced a bandit's stomach, and Reina's staff lifted another bandit's jaw.
"What!"
By the time the leader took a few steps back in surprise, the two bandits restraining Mavis and Mile were already on the ground, and only three, including the leader, were still standing.
"...... Water Bomb!"
Pauline, who had continued to chant her spell despite the bandits' attacks, cast her magic.
It was a rather ominous-sounding spell, but it was a spell that "smashed water with explosive force," not a nuclear fusion. The name was given by Mile.
It was also the name Mile had in mind if she ever recreated the spherical bomb with a fuse, like the ones used in the Middle Ages on Earth. The "Medieval History Bomb."
Pauline's "Water Bomb" blew two bandits away, slamming them into a tree and the ground, leaving only the leader. Reina cast a spell at the leader.
"...... Scorching Heat!"
"Stop it, please~!"
Mile and Pauline shouted, and Mavis tackled Reina to cover her mouth.
It was that spell.
The spell used by the mage during the graduation exam, the one that burned the opponent to the bone without any control.
The leader, sensing the situation, collapsed on the spot.
"...This doesn't seem right.
There don't seem to be any separate forces, and these don't seem to be the bandits we're looking for. They're probably just ordinary bandits."