Chapter 23: Damn Robin Hood wannabes!

“Alright, here we go.”

With a resolute look, Karls raised his shield toward Thomson.

Just as he had admitted earlier, Karls had never properly learned the art of shieldsmanship.

‘I know that, too.’

But this guy possessed the overwhelming strength of a Knight who had reached the 6-star realm.

Now, he was pouring all that power into his shield.

This skill only needed to land a single, solid hit.

‘Go! Karls!’

I’ve chosen you!

[Defensive Technique: Roll by Striking]

Bang!

With a heavy shockwave, Thomson’s body was sent flying through the air.

“Uwaaahhh!”

He shot straight ahead, just like those reincarnators who get hit by a truck.

Flailing his limbs, he crashed right into the gangsters.

“Uwaaaagh!”

“What, what the—? What’s happening?”

The gangsters toppled over like bowling pins struck by a ball, screaming as they fell backward.

Of course, it looked like the “bowling ball” was in a lot of pain, too.

“Owww! I’m dying here! Ugh!”

…….

I felt a bit sorry, realizing it hit harder than I expected.

It wasn’t like this in the original story.

Even the one who sent Thomson flying was scratching his temple in embarrassment.

“Ahem, did I hit him too hard?”

“Were you honestly aiming to kill him or what?”

“Well, he didn’t die, so it’s fine, isn’t it?”

“Next time, just hit with enough force to break something.”

“Understood.”

Anyway, the gangsters who had taken the unexpected blow started getting up, grinding their teeth at us.

“You little punk, you’ve got some nerve!”

“I’ll slice you all up!”

They glared at Karls with menacing energy.

“Hey, Thomson! Whose side are you even on, huh?”

“Damn it! We’ll talk later, you hear me?”

“S-sorry, bros…….”

Thomson was trembling like a gazelle caught by hyenas.

Well, it made sense, being stuck between gangsters with much higher rank.

I quietly chuckled at the sight.

That line about grabbing the chance to change his back-alley life.

‘Did he really understand what I meant?’

Regardless, I started walking toward the gangsters.

There were six or seven of them.

Their weapons were just daggers and crossbows.

‘Not bad. If they had longswords, it would’ve been a bit dangerous.’

Why are longswords dangerous?

Well, obviously, because they’re long.

We’re all about to be tangled up together, and if a long blade is swinging around in there, that’s obviously dangerous, right?

Shuuuuu…

“Hmm?”

At the odd sound effect, the gangsters hesitated.

[The magic’s effect has begun.]

[Due to over-injected mana, the effect is amplified by 815%!]

[Time remaining: 1 minute 55 seconds]

The Root Defense Spell cast by Tirbaen was now in full effect.

Under the power of this heavily reinforced magic, everyone was bound together as one.

The gangsters were dragged toward each other as if pulled by magnets, sticking together.

Of course, they’d be shocked.

“Wh-what, what is this?!”

“Boss! What’s happening to us?”

“Some weird force is—!”

Clueless about what was happening, the gangsters all struggled desperately.

Terrified, they whined and wriggled, trying to break free.

But, true to its name, this was the Root Defense Spell.

“Karls, what do you think ‘roots’ means?”

“If it’s the roots of a tree… you can’t really see them because they’re all tangled up, but they’re all connected as one, right? Is that it?”

“Exactly, that’s what I’m saying.”

Roots connected underground can’t just be pulled out one by one.

They’re all interlocked, forming a single body.

That’s what ‘roots’ are.

So no matter how much the gangsters struggled, they couldn’t break the magical bonds entwining them.

The more they fought, the tighter the formation became, binding them even more firmly.

Maximizing defense by using this was the essence of the Root Defense Spell.

But right now, with Tirbaen having forcefully injected extra mana, the bond was excessively strong.

They were stuck so tightly together, they couldn’t even wiggle.

“What the—! What is this?!”

“Hey! Don’t move, you idiots!”

“Why not?!”

“It gets stronger! Stop squirming!”

The tangled gangsters bickered among themselves.

‘Looks like some of them are starting to get it.’

But unless there was a proper mage to dispel this magic, they couldn’t resist.

I gave Karls an order.

“Now, roll them.”

“Understood.”

“It’ll be tough at first, but once you start rolling down the corridor and bump into the others, you’ll pick up speed.”

“So I just need to keep rolling until it gains momentum?”

Karls braced himself, raising his shield.

But just then—

“Let me handle it this time.”

Irgal stepped in, blocking Karls.

He wanted to try it himself?

“……Well, go ahead.”

Fine by me—less work for Karls.

Irgal strode forward, pulled something from his coat, and ripped it open.

I recognized the item.

‘A small Magic Storage Scroll?’

As the name suggests, it’s a tool that stores a small-scale spell, letting you use it instantly when needed.

I didn’t know what spell effect he triggered with it.

But one thing was clear…

‘So, he’s not really a mage type.’

Those small scrolls are pretty much useless for someone who’s properly learned magic skills, so it was a reasonable guess.

As I watched carefully, Irgal let out a long breath.

Then, he kicked off the ground and charged forward.

“……!”

My eyes widened at the sight.

‘What the—? He’s crazy fast!’

Irgal’s display of skill was more impressive than I’d expected.

He sprang forward like a coiled spring, so fast his legs were a blur.

Just in terms of speed, he could probably rival Marquis Reith at 9-star level.

The moment he shot forward like a bullet and thrust out his shield of balance—

[Defensive Technique: Roll by Striking]

Bang!

With another shock, the gangsters were shoved backward.

Cries of pain came from the tangled mass.

“Uwaaagh! We’re going over!”

“B-boss! Waaahhh!”

At first, they were just a sloppy pile of people.

But once they started rolling…

“Hey! Get your foot out of my face!”

“Oww, that’s my precious spot!”

“You idiots! Put your daggers away right now!”

As the mass rolled, they instinctively shifted around, forming a shape perfect for rolling.

Like clay being kneaded and rolled, they naturally turned into a ball.

“Hey, watch the elbow!”

“Boss! Curl up, for heaven’s sake!”

The “clay” might have been noisy, but they instinctively curled up into a ball.

And so, the snowball wobbled as it rolled along.

Irgal sounded incredulous.

“So I just keep rolling this thing? …Like a dung beetle?”

Hey now, you’re making this sound too easy!

“Roll it faster! Don’t you know the Root Defense Spell has a time limit?”

“…So I just have to roll it faster?”

“What else do you want to do, drizzle some sauce on it?”

Irgal fell silent, and I jerked my chin at the grotesque snowball.

“Hurry up and roll it. Let’s get out of here!”

Bang!

With a thunderous crash, the black market’s entrance burst open.

The gangsters, crammed together, poured out through the small iron door.

That was the end of my plan.

The moment we crossed the black market exit, the Root Defense Spell ended right on cue.

[The spell has ended.]

“Uwaaagh!”

“Graah!”

The tangled mass broke apart, and the gangsters scattered everywhere.

Like a balloon popped with a needle, the ball instantly collapsed.

“Ugh…”

“Ugh, I’m dying…”

Groans came from all around, but at a glance, no one was dead.

They’d just suffered broken bones and bruises from bearing each other’s weight.

“Good job rolling, everyone. It must’ve been your first time.”

I slowly walked past the half-collapsed entrance, weaving between the sprawled gangsters.

Just then, a familiar big guy crawled over, shouting.

“You, you…!”

It was the Guard I’d seen when Thomson and I passed through the entrance.

He must’ve gotten caught up with the snowball; one wrist was broken, the back of his head was split open—he was a mess.

“Did you get swept up at the end, Guard? What a shame.”

“Shut up!”

“You started talking to me first, remember?”

“You damn Cooperative Society bastards! You think you’ll get away with this here?!”

…Cooperative Society, out of nowhere?

‘Looks like he’s got the wrong idea.’

Might as well use it.

I signaled Karls with my eyes and spoke up.

“Looks like they’ve figured out who we are. Guess we’ll have to take care of everyone here.”

Of course, Karls just blinked with a dumb look, having no idea what I meant.

“Huh?”

Well, an Elite Knight who doesn’t even know about the Cooperative Society or the Black Society—makes sense.

But the gangsters reacted instantly.

“So you really are from the Cooperative Society!”

“Damn Robin Hood wannabes!”

“How could you do something this brutal?!”

…Unbelievable.

I let them live, even when they tried to keep the gambling pot for themselves!

“Who’s calling who brutal, here?”

Come to think of it, that’s annoying.

Maybe I should’ve just killed them all, even if it was risky?

‘Still, that’s a bit much.’

It just felt too unpleasant.

Even limping, the gangsters gathered around the Guard, ready to fight again.

But then—

“Sir! Please, take me with you!”

Thomson suddenly popped up and ran to our side.

The gangsters shouted after him.

“That traitor!”

“I knew it from the start!”

“You scumbag!”

Gangsters calling another gangster a scumbag—what a joke.

Anyway, maybe because he was at the center of the Root Defense Spell, Thomson was unscathed.

‘So, you’ve made up your mind?’

Fine by me.

[‘Thomson Delbo’ has joined the party.]

I pulled Thomson behind me and gave him a quick order.

“Think of the route to Cold Sun from here.”

“Y-you mean that tavern, sir?”

“Yeah, the tavern you’re all so afraid of.”

We were heading straight to the tavern crawling with City Guard.

That way, we could shake off the Black Society gangsters for good.

“Everyone ready?”

“Y-yes! I’ll take you the shortest way!”

“Disciple, this master has exhausted all his mana, so I have no strength left…”

“Lady Sui, don’t worry. I’ll carry you on my back.”

…….

“In that case, I won’t refuse, Sir Silion.”

What a bunch of jokers.

“Move out!”

With a shout, I spun around and started running.

The gangsters, who had been ready for a final showdown, were caught off guard.

“Huh?”

“Boss, they’re running away!”

“……Those punks. Stop talking and go after them, now!”

In an instant, the back alley turned into a chase scene.

Thomson sprinted ahead to lead the way, with me and the other two following.

Irgal brought up the rear.

Even as I panted for breath, Irgal caught up easily and spoke to me.

“Cold Sun is my usual spot. When you get there, tell the owner my name. He’ll give you a room.”

What was this about?

The same guy who could barely scrape together enough for a shield?

I shot him a look of disbelief as we ran, but Irgal just said something even weirder.

“That was a good show.”

“Yeah, right. Some show.”

“We’ll meet again soon. Next time, let’s have a different kind of conversation.”

With a quiet smile, he slipped away.

Then, as if it were nothing, he vaulted over the alley wall and disappeared.

Watching him, I was certain.

‘He’s definitely using that, isn’t he?’

If I was right, his existence would be a real headache.

But one thing still puzzled me.

‘…That smell.’

What was that, anyway?