Chapter 149.1

Chapter 149.1 \n<h1>Chapter 149 End of the Vacation ④ </h1>\n\n　My blood was freezing. My life was slipping away. At the coldness that he rarely felt even in the Country of the Mist, Arnold forced his spirit to rise and glared at the man in front of him.

　Did he say…… Barrel!?

　I remember hearing that name. Ruda and the others talked about them, they are the group mentioned in 《Infinite Variety (Senpen Banka)》 nomination request.

　Barrel Bandit Group. They are the group of bandits that had been making a lot of trouble inside Gladys territory lately.

　However, the men surrounding 《Fallen Mist》 were clearly not in the category of simple bandits.

　In Arnold and his companions’ homeland, bandits were criminals who attack the weak, like travelers who don’t care for their life or merchants who traveled outside without escorts.　Most of those bandits were much weaker than Treasure Hunters, and groups of bandits who were considered to be the strongest were much weaker than low ranked Hunter.

　However, the Barrel members in front of me were different.　Their scale was different. Their skills were different. Their strength was different. They had the organizational power to send a large number of young and old trained men and women. Even though it was just a scratch, they were able to land a strike on Arnold and they were even cautious enough to coat the blade with poison.　Their target was Suru, a city with a size quite considerable rather than a small rural village. It was certainly not a city with high defense capabilities, but it was still not a city that could be attacked on an impulse.

　Hay, who also didn’t expect this, looked around with a grim expression.

“Haaah… Haaah…… Impo… Ssible. Are, Zebrudia’s, bandits, that, powerful?” (Arnold)

　When I heard that the nomination request made to a Level 8 was to take down some group of bandits, I assumed that it was some kind of trap, but after seeing how they were in reality, I could now understand why it was a request to a Level 8.\n

　Even though he was supposed to be highly resistant to poison, the poison was eroding Arnold’s entire body. His heart ached all the time and with every second passing, he lost strength.　It was a very strong poison. It was fortunate that he didn’t die instantly due to it.

　The man exhaled from his nose dismissively at Arnold who had lost his breath and his voice.

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“Aaaaah? We’re… Barrel’s powerful, understand! Don’t lump us together with the bandits in the area. We’re… Invincible! We have perfect plans, perfect control, and the strongest Leader, we’ll never lose! And if we can destroy the one renowned in the Imperial Capital,《Infinite Variety (Senpen Banka)》, then we’ll rise even more!!” (Barrel bandit assassin)

　His words were way too haughty for a petty thief to utter.　However, there was no anxiety in the man’s expression. Like an absolute powerful being, he was confident of his victory.

“Tsk…… Do you, really think, you can win!?” (Arnold)

“Barrel, won’t move unless we’re sure that, we’ll win! …… Oï, guys, what are you doing!? Didn’t Oyaji1 tell you to not kill the citizens as much as possible, we should use them as hostages if necessary! Just restraint them, you can do whatever you want after we killed 《Infinite Variety (Senpen Banka)》! In any case, the people guarding this city don’t matter much!” (Barrel bandit assassin)

　The man yelled at the back, towards the guard security room near the gate.

　Hostages. It is an effective tactic in some cases.　Treasure Hunters are basically towards the side of justice. Against someone who is widely known in the Imperial Capital like 《Infinite Variety (Senpen Banka)》, the effect will be enormous. Even if he could repel their attack but have ignored the hostages, then he wouldn’t be able to escape the slander.　Against that man who is always easy going and aloof ―― I doubt he will ever waver with just this.\n　Hay gave me a look. There were no particular signs, but I understood what he meant.

　Right now, we have no choice but to run away. 

　There are too many enemies, and if all of them had poisonous weapons, we would be in trouble. We should retreat for now, reassess our situation, and reorganize ourselves.

 

　The reason the enemies didn’t jump at me right away was probably because time was on their side. The man who attacked with the poisoned knife was arrogant, but he had understood Arnold’s capabilities quite well. He would make sure that Arnold was no longer able to stand, before seriously shrinking the circle surrounding us.

　He was underestimating me. I strongly bite my lips and put strength on my hand grasping the handle.　My fingers… My arms trembled. It was as if my body was no longer my own.

　However ―― I could still move them. I could still swing my sword. It is because I could swing my sword right here, right now that I am a Level 7.　Arnold roared in a rough voice and raised the great sword he had been using to support his body.

“Uh… Oh… Oooooooooooooooooooooooooh!” (Arnold)

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“What!?” (Barrel bandit assassin)

\n　They were not just a group of bandits. My anger against 《Infinite Variety (Senpen Banka)》 hasn’t subsided yet, but I won’t misjudge the situation.

　The enemy of my enemy is my…… Enemy.

“Aye. I knew Arnold-san would say that.” (Hay)

　Hay smiled as usual and began to walk at a brisk pace, easily carrying Arnold’s huge body on his back.