Chapter 230: The Price of Justice

Southwest territory of Spada, the surroundings near the national border adjacent to the neighboring country Fauren, has turned a gently-sloping hilly area.

Nearby the not-paved highway with only wide breadth, which connects the two countries, two tents had been set up in the campground.

Eddie, the Knight candidate who just rose up to Rank 2 the other day, along with his classmate Shena, kept guard while encircling the bonfire.

Eddie had brigh brown hair while Shena had light green pigtail hair, they both didn’t had any appearance worth standing out, their height or physique, as a human, could be said average, at a glance both would seem like a normal Student couple.

However, their relationship is not something that erotic, even the status quo is only because their party is collaborating for accomplishing a quest.

Although, they were en route back to Spada after accomplishing the quest, the danger of fighting the monster has long since gone.

「Fuwaa」

Therefore it can’t be helped that Eddie is relaxed to the point of yawning by opening his mouth.

「Why are yawning, undisciplined」

However looks like Eddie behavior wasn’t favorable to Shena, who wore glasses and looked just like the epitome of too-serious person.

Instead of a glint in eye, the somewhat big round glasses glittered.

「Why’d you care, let me yawn」

「Just because we are going along the highway doesn’t mean monsters won’t appear, we should not let our guard down——」

「Argh, why are you like that prez」

The two quarrel while being illuminated by the bonfire, though strangely there was no dangerous feeling around them, means that something like this was daily routine, even if the members who were sleeping currently were to see it, they would back off saying Even a Dog won’t Barge in a Lover’s Quarrel.

「Geez, can’t ya become more ladylike and refined like Erina-san」

「Again with Erina-san, how about you give up, she is not a person you can ever reach upto」

「L-like ‘ell it matters you!」

Having his weak spot hurt, Eddie ends up giving an overreacted easy to understand reaction.

Seeing him like that, Shenn, with a sigh filled with disgust, continued.

「Stop dreaming, and try to think more realistically, there are other girls, right……」

「Huh? What do you mean by other girls, I’m only devoted to Erina-san, that’s what I resoluted when I first saw her」

「Geez, you’re truly an idiot」

Seeing Shena pouting, Eddie tried to think that what made her that displeased, unfortunately he had no answer.

「How ‘bout ya then, you been in them magic studies since old days, you ain’t got any single man you love, right?」

「H-Huh! I, not really, have any one like that……」

To Shena saying that while turning her face away in a vague manner of speaking, gave Eddie a hint, and he started the pursuit,

「Who is it!」

Or he was about to start, when he sensed the presence of someone appraoching the campground, and shouted to know the intruder’s identity.

Listening more carefully, the sound of footsteps and groan can be heard, looks like the opponent had got no intention of hiding their presence.

A breath later Shena too stood up, and for confirming the identity of that someone on the other side of the darkness of night, she waved her favorite wand.

「ضوء شمعة تضيء ثلاثاء――『Torch』」

After the fast chanting, a single magical torch appeared in mid-air and shone upon the direction the presence was coming from.

「What, a girl?」

The one coming while facing them was, without a doubt,just like Eddie said, a human girl.

Her appearance wasn’t like that of them two, wearing equipments for quests, but she wore thin casual clothing one would find in any rural village.

Albeit the highway reaches villages, but for a girl resembling a village girl, loitering here in this late in night is just too unnatural.

They thought that she might be some sort of Undead, but

「H-help……Help……please……」

The moment they heard that sorrowful yell, Eddi put the sword back in scabbard, whilst Shena put down her wand.

Looking carefully, her clothes seemed to have been violently torn; her feet had no shoes or sandal, completely barefooted. It was easy to understand that she wasn’t in a normal condition.

「O-oi, are you alright!?」

.

Hearing the story from the now-under-protection girl, she seemed to have escaped from bandits.

「Fuck, how dare they do something this cruel」

They understood themselves about how this girl who seemed two or three years than themselves, got into that state.

Most probably, she found a gap among the bandits who would do her, and ran away.

「This ain’t good, for bandits to camp near this place」

「Let’s increase our vigilance, they would surely come looking for this girl」

The male members of Eddie’s party, and female members from Shena’s party were now awake, armed, and ready to go.

With a nervous expression, everyone payed attention to the surroundings.

「U-um, please, help」

To the girl, who was petitioning while crying, Shena smiled gently as to make her relieved and said.

「It’s fine, we would protect you」

「Can’t say any better myself, after all we are the Knights from Spada, we will protect you」

Eddie, who just said such cool-seeming words, retorts came from surroundings「Aren’t you still a Knight Apprentice」

But, though they were Knight Candidates, their spirits were already of a full-fledged Knight, none of them thought of leaving this pitiful girl on her own.

「Hey, look o‘er there, seems like them bandits sniffed our place too」

On the end of the point Eddie pointed towards, a line of lights approached them from straight ahead.

Judging from speed they were, without a doubt, riding horses, there was no way them, who were on foot, can overrun them.

「It’s going to be battle time, everyone, put all you got into it」

4 Boys, 4 Girls, in total 8 Knight candidates swear by the pride of Spada Knights, to successfully overcome this hardship.

Just like when they fought against monsters, after positioning the battle positions of vanguard and rear guard, finally, from the other side of darkness, the bandits appeared.

「Good evening, when I thought just what adventurer it might be, hehe, turns out to be young lads and lasses, are you Spada’s students, hm?」

The person who appeared head first was a person equipped same as us, but had a vulgar feeling seeping out of him, the one which adventurers don’t reek of.

Continuing after the man, as if to oppose Eddie’s party which was in formation, the bandits dismounted from the horse and stood in a line.

As for numbers bandits were on the more side, albeit they weren’t able to confirm their exact numbers due to darkness, they felt that the difference in their war potential based on numbers wasn’t fatal.

Eddie and others were still 2nd Year students, but have worked hard in everyday training, not like the mish-mashed bandits who haven’t even learned a martial skill to full satisfaction.

Conversely on the bandits side, they are showing conceited expressions as if thinking they would never be defeated by some children.

The turbulent air flows among the two parties, but neither take out the sword from the scabbard, a momentous deadlock state was born.

「Hey listen, don’t get that worked up, we are just searching for someone」

Looks like they made the man standing head first as the negotiations representative, and weren’t going to assault immediately.

「We saw no one ‘ere」

As the leader of boys’ party, Eddie spoke as the representative.

The girl under protection is hiding in the tent, there’s no way she could be spotted from the outside.

If they could get over this situation by feigning ignorance, it would be for the best, but,

「Heey bruh, this place is just fucking too spacious meadows, given that the only place to hide can be inside that tent, can’t ya let us check it?」

The reason they weren’t able to let the girl get away before the bandits came was because this place is a spacious meadow with nothing that can hide.

「I refuse」

「Even we aren’t you brats’ errand boys, so let us confirm the thing that needs to be confirmed, or it ain’t going to be good」

The baldie, while scratching his head and showing a smile saying he had seen through everything, said those words.

「Ain’t I telling you that I refuse, fucking get lost」

*s-i-g-h*, while heaving an exaggerated sigh the man continued his words.

「Heeey, bruh, are you mistaking us for bandits or something, aren’t you?」

「……What the fuck?」

「We are the so-called slave dealers, and chasing after our escaped commodity is our REALLY important job, so we are currently doing our work」

The services of slaves, though is under some agreements depending on the country in Pandora, but is not fundamentally banned.

Even in Spada the Slave market, publicly exists.

「If you’re deliberately hiding her, then you will become the bandits. We are legally doing our slave trading, having our commodity pillaged, we won’t keep quiet. But, if you are to give us back obediently, then everything’s over, both of us would sleep peacefully tonight」

The eight boys and girls trembled.

If whatever the man said is truth, then they would be accused guilty for assisting the escapement of the slave.

「Slave, huh, I see, but I ain’t gonna blindly accept whatever you say」

「Hey hey, that is——」

「And more than anything, the violence against slaves is banned, so you will be accused for inflicting violence on her!」

Shena spoke sharply, continuing after Eddie.

Slaves are approved of in Spada, though, it’s not like their human rights are all revoked, they are not to be subjected to absolute dominance, the thing which appeared in the unpleasant past history.

In city states that approved of slavery, starting from Spada, in relation to the treatment of slaves, the responsibility of the owner is decided by the law.

Though the girl might have dropped herself to a slave, the sexual abuse to her is not allowed.

In the very least, to own a slave publicly adhering to laws like this is needed.

「Tch, you damn fucking brats, tryn’ to be smart」

The man cursed as if spitting out, but, the Knight candidates have already taken out their swords, drawn out their bows, cocked their wands, and were showing their fighting spirit without backing off even a single step.

「Shut up you damn old fuck, come at us from anywhere」

「Don’t underestimate adults you fucking brats, hey, all of you, get ‘em——That is what I would actually want to say right now, but bruh you and your friends all look quite strong, fighting you is scaring us a liiiitttlllleee, frankly speaking」

「……はぁ？」

「……Huh?」

Just when they thought that those people would come at them in rage, the man showed a frivolous smile and didn’t show even the slightest of hostility.

The men standing behind him, though had weapons in their hands, but had no intention to fight.

「Well, we got bodyguards for times like this, teachs’, leaving ‘em to you!」

As if responding the voice of man, three shadows appeared right in front of Eddie and others.

「Leave it to me, it’s finally my screen time! I will make these brats into wrenched shapes!!」

The tallest shadow was an 2 meters big golem.

Holding a mace and tower shield, which correspond to its great body, in the hands, the single eye on its head glittered red ominously.

「What, aren’t they truly just brats」

The next big shadow, though smaller than golem but bigger than a normal human, was a giant with shaved head.

Wearing simple leather armor with a somewhat large battle axe in hands, but from the man’s bulged muscles one can’t help but feel the power hidden in them.

「……Fumu」

The last one was, standing besides the two big ones, seemingly small, but in truth was almost the same height as of Eddie or a little shorter.

The blond man with vacant eyes, had his skin strangely pale, the face and body both seemed haggard, at a glance he seemed like a seriously sick person.

But, wearing a worn-out black coat along with a special sword called『Katana』hanging from the waist, he seemed more like a ghost making one feel eeriness and Goosebumps.

「Hahahahaha, there’s new commodities in such an unexpected place, Teachs’, if possible capture them girls alive!」

Like that, the young Knight Candidates with future prospects, would get to know the price of doing justice without power, with their bodies.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: