Chapter 14: Saint (4)

“Boss! We searched the whole area, but there was nothing!”

“No sentries, no traps or pitfalls, not even a single fence!”

Listening to his subordinates’ report, the Bandit Boss wore a sly, wicked grin.

“Ha ha ha! So the rumors were true. To think there was a village hiding in these border woods.”

And not far from here, there was even a hut piled high with Salt and Pepper like mountains.

It was strange that such a prosperous village had not a single trap or fence to ward off intruders.

As if the people here lived in paradise, with not a care in the world.

In other words, to the bandits, it was a delicious target.

“Alright, let’s go! Take everything—even the last grain of wheat!”

At the Bandit Boss’s command, the bandits began to move, one by one.

At that moment.

「So you all aren’t guests either, are you?」

“.Wha? Wh-who’s there?!”

Suddenly, a voice boomed from the sky like thunder.

It wasn’t just the Bandit Boss whose face went rigid.

…….

“Gulp.“

In the suffocating silence, only the sound of nervous swallowing echoed from time to time.

And then it happened.

Whoooosh!

A fierce gale came crashing down on the bandits without warning.

The whirlwind, as strong as a typhoon, blew out all the torches the bandits were holding.

“Wh-what the heck?!”

“I can’t see anything!”

“Ow! Who stepped on my foot?!”

“T-the wind’s too strong, I can’t move!”

As the light died out, the forest was instantly swallowed by darkness.

Not even a hand could be seen in front of one’s face.

And on top of that, the wind was so strong, it was impossible to advance.

Such an inexplicable event caused the bandits to grow increasingly uneasy.

Some of the more cowardly ones even started shuffling backward in fear.

Just then.

“ALL HANDS, STOP!”

The Bandit Boss’s thunderous roar immediately crushed the chaotic mood.

“If any of you lose your nerve and try to run now, you’ll answer to me—with your lives!”

The bandits fell silent, and the Boss continued to speak.

“This has got to be the work of a mage! And if they wanted us dead with magic, they’ve had plenty of chances!”

“H-heek! Then let’s just run for it, Boss!”

The panicked bandit only shut up after a smack to the back of the head.

“Listen up! Even so, all that mage has done is stop us with wind. That means—that’s the strongest spell they’ve got!”

“Oh, so they’re not such a dangerous mage after all?”

Only then did the bandits sneer and ready their weapons again.

“Charge again! We just need to take care of the mage! Then everything in this treasure land will be ours!”

“WAAAAAAH~!”

“Tsk, look at these fools.”

The bandits scattered and charged forward like a swarm of ants.

I stared down at the Mini Fan in my hand.

The fan was set to low wind.

“Maybe I should’ve set it to strong wind? I kept it gentle so I wouldn’t kill anyone, but….”

Muttering to myself, I checked the Quest window again.

[Quest]

Sanctuary’s Uninvited Guest

・Repel the Bandit Group invading the Sanctuary.

• [A Special Condition exists.]
  Experience +25, Divine Power +2P

This time, there was a ‘Special Condition’ I hadn’t seen before.

[System]

• Some Quests have Special Conditions.
• If you fulfill the Special Condition, you can get greater or special rewards.
  ※ Surely no one would just ignore the Special Condition, right? Hey, what have you got to lose?

‘…Still as annoyingly helpful as ever.’

I slowly clicked the Special Condition for the Quest.

[Sanctuary’s Uninvited Guest – Special Condition]

• No-Kill Principle: Do not kill a single bandit.
  ・Quest reward x 2

The Special Condition was simple.

Drive out the bandits without killing them.

And if I succeeded, the Quest rewards—Experience and Divine Power—would be doubled.

Honestly, driving off these bandits was easier than breathing.

I could just uproot a big tree and swing it around to send them all flying.

…But killing people just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

So, I decided to go with the No-Kill route and clear the Quest accordingly.

The plan to scare them off with the Mini Fan had ended in complete failure.

Not that I’d expected them to flee so easily.

“All right, time for Plan B!”

I pulled out the Sprayer I’d prepared ahead of time—my so-called ‘Spritz Spritz.’

Sssht! Sssht~! Sssht~!

Spray after spray, droplets from the sprayer scattered mercilessly.

As water rained down from the sky out of nowhere, the bandits panicked and shielded their faces.

But none of them fell or got hurt from the droplets.

‘Of course not. Who dies just from getting sprayed with a little water?’

However.

「Pffft! Ptooey! Wh-what is this stuff?!」

「Agh, my eyes! They’re burning!」

「It’s spicy! I can’t breathe…!」

「Cough! Cough! Ah-choo!」

The bandits all stopped dead, hacking and coughing as if they were dying.

Some even dropped to their knees in agony.

Tears and snot poured from their faces in utter chaos.

…Why, you ask?

“It’s not just water I sprayed, after all.”

I grinned, giving the sprayer a little shake.

It was my special CBRN Water, loaded up with plenty of Red Pepper Powder, Wasabi, and Pepper.

The bandits’ faces twisted in pain as every hole on their faces started leaking.

Like I said before, it doesn’t kill.

It just feels like dying.

The bandits couldn’t open their eyes or even move a step.

I spoke again in a stern voice.

“This is your last chance. Leave now, and I’ll spare your lives. I’m warning you. If you don’t get lost now… you’ll regret it.”

But the Bandit Boss leapt to his feet with a furious roar.

「Mage! You think you can stop us with some petty poison attack like this?! CHARGE!」

「Y-yeah! Follow the Boss!」

「It hurts, but it’s not like we’ll die!」

「Yeah, I’m getting used to the sting already!」

「Let’s gooooo!」

As the Boss charged ahead, the rest followed behind him.

“They’re tougher than I thought… But I wouldn’t recommend running.”

Sure enough.

Slip—CRASH!

Slip—Crash-thud!

Slip—Crash-thud-thump!

One after another, the charging bandits slipped and faceplanted onto the ground.

Those following behind fared no better, slipping and falling as they ran.

“…The effect’s solid.”

The ground they were running on had been thoroughly coated in Sesame Oil and Cooking Oil.

Thanks to that, the bandits kept slipping every time they tried to get up.

「Ack! What’s this now?!」

「Damn, it’s slippery and smells nutty!」

「Oil? When did they grease the ground…?!」

「Ugh, I must’ve landed wrong. My tailbone…!」

Between the Mini Fan, CBRN Sprayer, and an oil-slicked field, the bandits were utterly defeated.

Anyone could see they were completely exhausted.

“Now, for the finishing blow!”

I grinned and pressed the play button on my Smartphone.

The screen read:

[Erlkönig – Schubert (Erlkönig – Schubert).mp3]

One of composer Schubert’s signature pieces, a haunting and tense classical song.

The somber and mournful voice of the vocalist began to pour out from the phone speaker.

—Wer reitet so spät durch Nacht und Wind?
Who rides so late through night and wind?

-Es ist der Vater mit seinem Kind.
It is the father with his child.

—Er hat den Knaben wohl in dem Arm.
The father holds his son in his arms.

-Er faßt ihn sicher, er hält ihn warm.
He holds him safe, he keeps him warm.

Schubert’s Erlkönig began to echo through the dark forest.

The grand, majestic melody soon gave rise to an eerie, chilling atmosphere.

Before I knew it, the bandits’ faces had gone pale, as if they’d seen a ghost.

-Du liebes Kind, komm, geh mit mir!
Dear child, come, go with me!

-Gar schöne Spiele spiel ich mit dir.
I’ll play lovely games with you.

—Manch bunte Blumen sind an dem Strand,
On the shore, many colorful flowers bloom,

—Meine Mutter hat manch gülden Gewand.
My mother has many golden robes.

As the song rose to its climax, the melody became suffocatingly intense.

At last, the bandits couldn’t take it anymore and started to scream and run.

「I-it’s the Erlkönig! Run!」

「The Erlkönig’s curse is upon us! If you get caught, you’ll become a monster!」

「Ahh, it’ll eat us! Chew us up, bones and all!」

「Hurry, we’ve got to get out of here!」

They scrambled and slipped across the oily ground in their frantic escape.

And at the front of the pack, running faster than anyone else, was—

「Kyaaaaaah! It’s the Erlkönig!」

The Bandit Boss, who until now had radiated nothing but charisma.

I casually reached out and grabbed the fleeing Boss by the collar.

「S-spare me! No! Hey, guys! Help me~!」

「T-the Boss has been captured! What do we do?!」

「Leave him! Just run! Get out of here!」

「…I’ll remember you! Boss!」

The rest of the bandits fled in utter terror.

「Noooo! Don’t leave me alone~!」

“Be quiet. Stay still if you don’t actually want to die.”

「…Mmph!」

The Bandit Boss clamped his oil-slicked hands over his mouth, trembling.

“I know your name, where you’re from, and even where you live now.”

Of course, I didn’t know. I didn’t care, either.

But it was enough to scare the wits out of this terrified bandit.

His face turned ashen, and he began to shake.

“So don’t you ever come near the Sanctuary again. You’ve been warned. There won’t be a second time.”

「Y-yes, sir! I’ll never come near again! Please, just spare my life…!」

“And if any other bandits come here, you’ll die as an accomplice.”

「H-hiek! Understood! I’ll stop anyone from coming here, no matter what!」

As soon as I set him down, the Bandit Boss ran for his life, slipping and falling repeatedly on his oil-soaked shoes.

Ding!

[Quest]
Sanctuary’s Uninvited Guest

• Repel the Bandit Group invading the Sanctuary……. [Completed (V)]
• [A Special Condition exists.] …… [Completed (V)]

[System]
・Quest Complete!

• Special Condition achieved!
• Reward is doubled!

Experience +50, Divine Power +4P

Thanks to the Special Condition, my rewards had doubled.

‘Nice haul. It really pays to meet the Special Conditions.’

Having finished my “work,” I stretched lightly.

Then, I suddenly noticed a blinking letter icon at the top of my vision.

“Yaaawn… Huh?”

It was the icon for Messages (Prayers) sent by believers.

I must have missed it while focusing on the bandits.

[You have a total of 5 Messages.]

All of them were from Jeanne d’Arc.

“Ah, right. I promised to cook for her!”

When I returned to the village, a festival was already in full swing.

Men and women danced, and every table was loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Around them, young people enjoyed the fire, and perfectly grilled meat was piled high.

‘Okay, looks like nothing happened to the village.’

At that moment.

「God! You’re back!」

It was Jeanne d’Arc’s voice.

She let out a small sigh of relief, as if a weight had lifted from her shoulders.

「I was so worried… I thought maybe you had left for somewhere far away…」

Jeanne d’Arc gently wiped away a tear at the corner of her eye.

She may be the Saint who manages the Sanctuary, but at heart, she’s just someone’s daughter—a young girl, like anyone else.

Just a little braver, and a little wiser than others.

If I disappeared, she would have to lead the Sanctuary on her own.

Being alone—there’s no pain like it.

I know just how lonely, empty, and frightening it can be.

I looked at Jeanne and spoke softly.

“I won’t ever leave you alone.”

「…Thank you, God. Forgive me for showing such a pitiful side of myself.」

Jeanne quickly wiped her eyes and returned to her usual bright expression.

Trying to lighten the mood, I spoke cheerfully.

“I saw some cockroaches coming into the forest, so I went out and chased them away.”

「…Did you say cockroaches?」

Jeanne’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“Are you afraid of cockroaches?”

「
Well… I, um, am not very good with insects. Oh, but of course, cockroaches are also some of Your wonderful creations. Probably…」

Jeanne d’Arc smiled awkwardly and avoided my gaze.

Looks like she’s pretty afraid of cockroaches.

The great Jeanne d’Arc, scared of bugs—who would’ve thought?

‘She’s got a girlish side to her after all.’

I smiled and said,

“But you don’t need to worry anymore. I’ve made sure they’ll never come near this place again.”

「Whew, hearing you say that makes me feel a lot safer, God.」

“The cockroaches who got driven out will tell their friends about the awful things that happened to them.”

「…Awful things?」

I grinned at Jeanne, who tilted her head in confusion.

Then, I gazed quietly in the direction the bandits had run off.

A few days later.

As expected, rumors about the Sanctuary in the forest spread like wildfire.

‘A wind barrier is set up. You can’t take a single step forward.’

‘Poisonous rain falls. You can’t breathe, and you cough and cry without end.’

‘The Erlkönig lives in the forest. His chilling, razor-sharp voice still rings in my ears.’

But the most widespread rumor was a different one.

That’s because a menacing-looking man had gone around Rivera, spreading it everywhere in a trembling voice.

If you enter the Sanctuary with evil intent, divine punishment will befall you. Never set foot inside!

‘P-please…!’