Bandits (1)

Orcs are hard to spot.

No, for the average person, there’s a higher chance they’ll never see one in their entire life.

That’s because orcs rarely leave their territory.

And so, people don’t know. They don’t know that orcs have their own lines they won’t cross, and in some ways, they hold even firmer principles than humans.

People can’t make objective judgments because they’re afraid of their threatening appearance.

If they were human, they might have been exemplars of excellent knights.

Of course, that would never happen since their culture and way of life are different.

What’s ‘good’ and natural to us might be ‘evil’ and questionable to them.

“So, didn’t you say the carriage wheel was broken and needed repairs? I said I would fix it.”

“No, no. Actually, it’s not the wheel, it’s… the horseshoes! It’s time to change the horseshoes…”

“Then we should go to the blacksmith. Shall I go get them?”

“No, that’s not it, actually… um, the ho-horse needs rest.”

“Didn’t you say it had already rested? That’s why you gathered people today, saying we’d depart, right?”

“When did I ever say that, haha.”

“Hmm…”

Listening carefully, he’s neither threatening nor intimidating. On the contrary, he’s offering to help solve the problem.

By this point, one should understand, but unfortunately, there was an unbridgeable gap between the two.

Namely, they couldn’t read each other’s expressions.

The coachman trying to avoid the scary orc any way he can, and the orc who appears nothing but frightening despite acting as kindly as possible.

It’s a sad situation.

Well, since the coachman is in cahoots with bandits, he might be deliberately trying to shake him off while pretending not to understand.

He does look strong, after all.

With that build and those muscles, he could probably kill a bear barehanded without even using mana.

“It seems there’s a misunderstanding between you two.”

It’s about time to sort this out.

When I appear, the coachman’s expression brightens like a traveler who’s spotted a light in the darkness.

Well, I can understand why the coachman sees me as a savior.

Though he doesn’t know who I am, at least he thinks he’s found someone to share this predicament with.

The orc, on the other hand…

“Is there a problem?”

“Animals with white fur often have something special about them.”

He’s talking about my hair color.

Well, it is an eye-catching color.

“The same goes for golden eyes. It’s a trait often seen in predators. Not someone to be taken lightly.”

“…And?”

Wariness? No, curiosity?

Perhaps it could be called competitive spirit.

Honestly, I’m not sure about my current capabilities either.

However, I’d prefer not to fight here if possible.

Now that I have my body in its prime, holy power, and the life experience of an inquisitor, I’m not sure how far I can go.

But it’s not about winning or losing. The problem is that I might end up on the coachman’s list of threatening figures.

“Hmm.”

The orc slightly raises the corner of his mouth as he looks at me. Along with it comes a pressure that feels like it could cut through flesh.

“No, it’s nothing.”

But the orc backs down.

He must know I stepped in to resolve the situation, so he’s showing courtesy in return for his curiosity.

“From what I’ve heard, there seems to be a misunderstanding between you both. May I intervene? Ah, I’m this sort of person.”

I draw a cross with holy power. Being able to use holy power alone can earn trust.

After all, holy power isn’t something you can use just by believing in gods.

“So you’re a priest!”

“Priest? What’s that?”

“Well, in orc culture, you could think of it as a ‘shaman’.”

As benign as possible, appearing weak, just like a mere priest.

Disguising oneself as an unremarkable opponent like that.

“And our orc brother here is…”

“Titan. And drop the formalities. I won’t use them either.”

What an impressive figure we have here.

But, well. If that’s how he wants it, I’ll keep it casual too.

Just going along with that ridiculous logic will make it easier to persuade him.

Orcs like straightforward people.

“Well then, whatever. Anyway, Titan, you’re trying to help with purely good intentions, right? Though I’m sure you also want to ride the carriage.”

“That’s right. I’m very benevolent.”

Titan nods.

I’m not sure where that bottomless self-confidence comes from, but he’s probably not a bad guy.

“Meanwhile, brother, you lack trust in Titan the orc and feel threatened, so you’re making excuses to keep him from boarding the carriage, right?”

“No, that…”

The coachman sweats nervously while keeping an eye on Titan.

He’s worried whether it’s safe to agree.

“I swear nothing will happen if you admit it, right here.”

Whoosh!

I close my eyes and release holy power for the worried coachman.

What I received in exchange for holy power is the ember of Vesta, goddess of the hearth and home.

After letting that ember fade away, I slowly open my eyes.

“How about that?”

The coachman nods with a stiff expression. I’ve sworn on a god’s name. Would I tell an obvious lie after going this far?

“Then let’s first straighten out the misunderstanding between you two.”

The coachman’s thinking was shallow.

If he wanted to drive Titan away, he didn’t need such petty excuses. The objective indicators from the situation alone would have been enough.

“First, Titan cannot ride the carriage. Setting aside his enormous build, there’s the matter of his luggage…”

Titan isn’t empty-handed.

He’s carrying weapons that seem unbelievable even with his build.

A hammer that looks heavier than several people at a glance, a spear that looks like it was pulled straight from a pillar.

Both are heavy weapons made entirely of metal, including the handles.

It exceeds the weight limit to take not just Titan but his weapons too.

“So even without excuses, Titan shouldn’t ride the carriage.”

The carriage already has trade goods loaded as cover.

Offering free rides was pitched as having extra space besides the trade goods, so this is natural.

Finally realizing this, the coachman’s expression noticeably brightens.

Blinded by fear, he couldn’t even think of such simple logic.

“And Titan. Um, just a moment…”

I climb onto the carriage and search through the luggage.

Seeing some fresh produce including fruits, they were indeed planning to depart today.

Yet they postponed it for 3 days? No doubt they’re human traffickers.

“Brother, may I take two vegetables?”

“Ah, yes…”

With the coachman’s permission, I look for suitable vegetables. Finding what I need, I place them in Titan’s hand.

“This is the carriage, and this is you.”

What I handed Titan were a tomato and a pumpkin. The tomato represents the carriage and the pumpkin represents Titan.

This should be easy to understand.

“What do you think would happen if someone your size got on the carriage?”

What would happen if you put a pumpkin that size on top of a tomato.

Titan nodded as if he understood without needing to try it.

“Even if it holds for a moment, it would definitely get crushed once we start moving.”

“And Titan. You don’t even need to ride the carriage in the first place, right?”

Before my regression, I never saw Titan. Given that I rode this carriage and could board it three days from now, it means Titan eventually left the village.

But I doubt there’s a carriage in this small village that could carry Titan.

So what happened?

“Right? You’re faster than a horse and have better stamina, so you just need to know the route, don’t you?”

Orcs naturally live by hunting in forests and swamps.

With their stamina, they wouldn’t tire on such open roads, nor are their senses dull enough to fear wild beasts.

At least all the orcs I’ve seen had senses sharp enough to detect attacks even while sleeping.

“You’re too unfamiliar to the others too. How uncomfortable would the kids be with such an imposing figure nearby?”

“…You make a good point.”

“So, have you reached a conclusion about what you should do?”

“I won’t ride the carriage. I’m not someone who likes to oppress the weak.”

That resolves the orc situation.

On the surface, at least.

*     *     *

Right after the problem was resolved.

The coachman gathered the passengers and departed immediately.

He’s in quite a hurry.

The children who boarded the carriage without knowing anything are creating a cheerful atmosphere, chatting among themselves.

Of course, some people approached me too. Natural, since I was the one who resolved the situation.

“Priest! Weren’t you scared of that monster earlier?”

“Haha, I was scared too. How could I not be?”

I respond with what they want to hear.

It’s something I’m used to doing. I was a priest before becoming an inquisitor, after all.

I’ve carefully built up this public image too.

But what concerns me is…

“Priest, is that person alright? They’ve been watching you for a while now.”

“They’re probably just shy. I’ll try approaching them when we take a break.”

It’s Linea Spirin, who’s been quietly watching from a corner seat.

She’s clearly paying attention to me.

Is she sensing something strange because of what happened earlier?

Or is her beastkin intuition detecting something about me?

“Ah…”

At that moment, Linea, who had been looking down, let out a short gasp.

Her face, suddenly lifted, was filled with dismay.

Simultaneously, the carriage stops, and the coachman jumps down from his seat.

“Huh?”

People start getting confused by the sudden situation.

It’s too noisy around for this to be just a rest stop.

Footsteps, the clash of metal implements, shouts and laughter.

These clear sounds make the current situation easily understood.

“Get out, you brats!”

As a gruff voice drives the point home, the carriage’s curtain is pulled back and figures of people gathering around start becoming visible.

About 50 people. Quite a number.

I couldn’t tell before when I was panicked, but now I can see clearly. These aren’t ordinary bandits.

They’re too large a group to be set up in such a narrow path.

Moreover, the larger a group gets, the harder it is to control.

Such organization suggests there’s probably more behind this.

Well, we’ll look into that later, but for now…

“Ah.”

“Didn’t I tell you? I’ll handle this.”

I stop Linea, who has a grim expression.

In her hand was a surgical scalpel. As expected of an aspiring doctor, quite a bold choice of weapon.

No, it’s probably not even meant as a weapon. She must have grabbed it because of the situation.

The hand I grabbed to stop her was trembling. Yes, she was no different from the other kids.

She must have been scared of this situation. Yet the reason she tried to take the lead.

“Noblesse oblige is admirable, but it’s also important to leave tasks to those suited for them.”

“H-How did you…”

The children who were watching Linea’s bewilderment turn to look at me.

Their gazes were filled with desperate hope. Natural, since I’m staying composed even in this situation.

But unfortunately…

“I understand how you all feel, but this isn’t something for me to resolve. Actually, there’s someone more suited for this right now.”

Boom!

At that moment, a massive explosion occurs at the rear of the bandits.

Dirt and rock fragments shoot into the sky along with several bandits before falling back down.

“You introduced yourself as a shaman. And the shamans I know tend to hide meanings in their words.”

Despite the dozens of bandits, everyone’s attention turns to a single person.

The orc, Titan, makes his entrance.

“I don’t need to ride the carriage. As you said, I just need to know the way.”

So he followed behind us.

Though he couldn’t ride the carriage, he knew we knew the route.

“I understood that I, being of a different race than humans, make them feel pressured.”

So he moved where our eyes couldn’t reach.

It’s hard to imagine with that huge build, but orcs basically live by hunting.

And the most important thing in hunting is not being detected.

“And this.”

Titan throws the tomato I gave him earlier at me.

I slightly tilt my head to dodge the tomato, which splats easily against the carriage floor.

“It looked fine outside but was rotten inside.”

The inside of the tomato I used to represent the carriage was rotten.

He noticed that something foul was lurking inside this carriage. He perfectly understood the hidden meaning I conveyed.

Despite his seemingly foolish appearance, he’s quick to grasp situations.

“Tell me, shaman. Between frightened children and adults holding blades, which side is righteous?”

“Righteousness depends on the heart of the beholder, so whichever way your heart leans is righteous.”

“I see, my heart is telling me to grab the throat of you who drew me into such a pathetic scheme, but…”

For a moment, joy and despair cross paths.

The bandits, who were startled by Titan’s imposing entrance, slowly begin to smile, while the children tremble with anxiety.

But people don’t know.

“While crushing every annoying tomato in my way. Haha!”

That that’s his joking expression.

“First, one!”

Splat!

The head of the bandit closest to Titan was crushed like a tomato.