Mile and the others were captivated by Mavis's furious expression, which they had never seen before.
No, it was because it looked so cool...
"You really gave me a scare... And made me doubt my own family...
I won't forgive you. I'll cut you all down!"
"No, Mavis!"
Reina stopped Mavis, who had drawn her sword.
"Your share is up to two! We'll endure with just one each!"
"...Alright."
Mavis, who was trying to vent her anger at the men for making her doubt her family, even for a moment.
Reina, Mile, and their target, Pauline, were all intent on killing them.
"Hmph, what's a fresh graduate from a training school getting all high and mighty about? I've been a C-rank hunter for twenty..."
Squeak!
"Eh...?"
The leader of the bandits, who had been about to speak, was stunned as his sword was knocked out of his hand by Mavis's sword strike, which cut off his long-winded speech.
"Pick it up."
"Eh?"
"I'll wait, so pick up your sword quickly."
"Damn!"
The leader, his face twisted with humiliation, quickly picked up his sword and took a few steps back.
"You're mocking me! You'll regret wasting this golden opportunity!
Hey, you guys, take them down!"
The leader, inciting his companions, faced Mavis again. Another one of them also faced Mavis with his sword drawn. The other three were each facing Mile, Reina, and Pauline.
Mile was thought to be a swordsman because he had a sword, but he was just a child, around 10 to 11 years old. The other two were mages, and if they used magic, it would be dangerous, but at this distance, they could easily be taken down before the spells were cast. Mavis was a strong opponent, but she was still a novice with little experience, and two veterans should be able to handle her. That's what the men thought.
Swish!
Two sword strikes were launched at Mavis simultaneously, but for Mavis, who had trained in fighting multiple enemies with simultaneous attacks from Mile and Byle, the slight time difference was easy to read. She deflected the slightly faster leader's sword and then knocked away the other one's sword with a linked motion. She could have pursued the two, who had lost their balance, but she didn't move.
"Wh-What..."
The two, who had thought their simultaneous, fatal attack would work, were shocked, but there was nothing surprising about it.
The leader's boast, "I've been a C-rank hunter for over twenty years," meant that he had not even reached B-rank after more than twenty years and still had to do illegal jobs to make ends meet, and even then, he could only afford shabby equipment. It was nothing to be proud of. In contrast, the graduates of the Hunter Training School were those who had been recognized for their exceptional talent and had undergone six months of rigorous training. They were quite different from ordinary new C-rank hunters who had just been promoted from D-rank. And the members of the "Red Oath" were, well, a bit, no, quite special.
Mavis said coldly.
"...Come on."
The remaining three bandits panicked.
If the mages started casting spells, they would immediately knock down the child swordsman in front of them and attack, knocking him down with the flat of their swords. If the child was too scared to do anything, they would take their time after the leader and the other one had taken care of the swordsman. It was an easy job.
But to their surprise, the leader and the other one were struggling against Mavis, two against one.
Thinking to attack from behind and then neutralize the child swordsman and the mages before aiding the leader and the other one, they were taken aback when the voice came from the girls, who were supposed to be their prey.
"Well, let's get started on our side..."
"They seem to be ex-hunters from other towns. They don't seem to know about us."
"Facing each of us individually isn't very interesting. How about each of us taking one-third of them?"
"Oh, that's a good idea."
Reina agreed with Pauline's suggestion.
"Alright, let's do it that way!"
Swish!
Mile's sword was swung lightly, and with a clank, the three bandits' armor fell to the ground.
"Eh...?"
The three men, unable to understand what had happened, were stunned.
Mile had cut only their armor to make it easier for fire magic to take effect and because he thought it would be harder for Reina and Pauline to attack unarmed men. ...Actually, such consideration was completely unnecessary for the two of them.
While the bandits were in a panic, Reina and Pauline began their incantations.
"...Ignite!"
Reina used the most basic of life-convenience magic, "Ignite," in a slightly stronger form, three times.
"AAAHHHHH!"
The heads of the three men burst into flames like torches.
After staring at the burning men with a blank expression for a few seconds, Pauline cast her spell.
"...Water Ball Ultra Hot!"
Three water balls appeared above Pauline's head. They were made of red water.
"Shoot!"
The red water balls shot out forcefully and hit the burning heads of the men, extinguishing the flames.
Mile, thinking Pauline was being kind, remembered a conversation they had about water magic attacks. The red attack, "Ultra Hot," had been suggested.
Hot, in this case, didn't mean hot in temperature.
It meant "spicy" hot. And it was Ultra.
In the eyes, nose, mouth, and on the burns. A living hell where the throat burned and the eyes couldn't be opened.
Their fighting ability was completely lost.
And upon reflection, the meaning of Mile cutting off their armor was completely irrelevant.
The leader and the other man were desperately trying to block Mavis's sword.
They understood the general situation from the screams of their comrades, which sounded like they were coming from hell, but there was nothing they could do.
Clank, clank
And this was the umpteenth time they had their swords knocked out of their hands.
"...Pick it up."
Mavis told them expressionlessly.
They were at their limit.
She could kill them at any time, but she kept knocking their swords out of their hands and making them pick them up.
Their spirits were about to break, but they still had hope.
Their comrades would neutralize the mages and come to their aid, or they would take the mages hostage. That would turn the tide. If they could just hold out and buy time until then.
But that possibility was gone.
It should have been obvious. If there was a chance the mages could be captured, this swordsman wouldn't be toying with them so leisurely.
Their comrades were absolutely safe. That's why this swordsman could toy with them so confidently, like a cat playing with a mouse. And now, it seemed she was getting bored and was about to finish them off.
Even if they managed to land a blow and turn the tide, the mages, who were at a safe distance, would instantly kill their three comrades. Besides, they didn't think they could even land a blow.
Despair. There could hardly be a more fitting word for this situation.
"Please, have mercy..."
The two finally lost the will to pick up their swords and collapsed on the spot.
"We didn't know... We were told it would be easy because it was a party of just women, newly C-rank, in their mid-teens... We were tricked!"
The leader complained, but the information wasn't wrong. It just lacked some important details.
"Oh, trying to get away unscathed? Isn't that a bit too much to ask?"
The leader and the other man were startled by the voice from behind.
"Shouldn't you suffer the same fate as your comrades? It wouldn't be fair otherwise."
Reina pointed to their three comrades, who were no longer able to scream, only making faint, wheezing sounds, their heads burned and hairless.
"Ah..."
The two men's faces contorted.
"I'll talk! I'll tell you anything!"
"Even if you say you'll tell us anything, didn't you already tell us everything earlier? That you were hired by the Beckett Trading Company's president to bring me back home. Is there any other information we need?"
"Ah..."
The leader was speechless at Pauline's words.
He had been foolish.
Did they plan to play with them and then kill them, or did they think that if they maimed them so they couldn't continue as hunters and then released them, they would be safe since they didn't live in the capital and their names weren't known? If they took Pauline away from the capital, there would be no risk of their true identities being revealed.
Either way, blabbing about their employer and their objective was the mark of a third-rate criminal.
It made sense why they had been stuck at the bottom of the C-rank for over twenty years.
"Pauline, go back to the guild and explain the situation. Request a carriage for transport. If you say you were attacked by C-rank hunters, the guild should cover the expenses. It would be easier for the targeted party to explain."
"Y-Yes, I understand."
After Pauline left for the capital, Reina tied up the bandits and said to Mavis and Mile.
"Let's start the discussion. About the raid on Pauline's family home..."
"Of course. I thought it would be something like that since you sent Pauline to report. Right, Mile?"