Breakfast was cold pumpkin pie.
The pie had been perfect, but it hardened as it cooled and was tough to chew.
Grace and Galla comforted Krische as she ate in low spirits.
Gorka and Gallen were absent, as was the usual bustle of the village.
――The bandits had been driven away.
But only driven away. They were not exterminated, nor was their leader killed.
Which means a second night attack could be expected and the village was on high alert.
Krische had to tearfully give up on her daily bath at the river and settle for wiping herself down with a bucket of water. She then headed to the village square with the bucket to draw more water for drinking.
She would usually draw water from the river on her way to bathe, but with the river out of bounds, the closest well was in the square.
The men were gathered in the village square.
It seems like they are discussing the village’s defense.
The peddler and his four guards were present, but the assistant was nowhere to be seen.
Catching sight of Krische, the peddler stepped away from the serious conversation and approached her with a smile.
“It’s good to see you safe.”
“……good morning. Are you leaving today?”
“Haha, you’ve gotta be joking. There’s no way we can leave with bandits around……you live closer to the forest?”
Krische did not answer.
Krische was insensitive to malice, but even she knew that this man was with the bandits.
Krische would love to torture and kill him for ruining her pumpkin soup, but there are other people around.
Even if she could lure him away, he had allies in the forest.
She had felt gazes from the woods many times, so there was a high chance she would be interrupted and it would be troublesome if they made a racket.
Even if killing them was easy, it would take some time to kill multiple people and if she openly committed murder, her reputation would be affected.
Krische reluctantly gave up on that and opened her mouth to reply.
“Even though Krische made pumpkin soup and pie with the pumpkin, Krische did not get to eat them thanks to that.”
(T/N: phrasing is vague, also can mean ‘thanks to you’)
“Even though bandits came, that’s your concern? You’re quite a brave ojou-san.”
The peddler laughed cheerfully as he handed Krische a small pouch.
“That must’ve been a shame……have this instead.”
Inside was the candy from yesterday.
Krische had said that with the faint hope that he would give her something in return and her plan had succeeded.
Having covered some of her losses, Krische was celebrating internally.
“Really?”
Grace had taught her to refrain once when receiving something from others.
When Krische showed refrain while still intending to receive it, the peddler laughed and nodded.
“Yeah, of course.”
Krische weighed the gain of the candy against the lost pumpkin, but the loss of the pumpkin was slightly greater.
The soup and pie were her masterpieces.
Ruining them was a heavy crime――but this candy is also not bad.
I’ll kill you painlessly then, changing her mind, Krische looked around.
Gorka and Gallen were at the center of the discussion along with Zaal, so it did not look like Krische could go talk to them.
“……but still, there’re so little men? I’ve heard that it’ll take some time for the salt miners to come back…… I guess we’ll have to get by tonight ourselves.”
“Peddler-san will be fighting too?”
“I can only defend myself……but my four guards over there are more reliable. You can rest assured, they’re quite competent.”
The four guards were also a major party in the discussion.
Aside from the former solders, the men in the village were simple hunters and artisans.
It seemed like those mercenaries were relied upon for their battle experience.
So that’s how it all ties up.
“Your assistant, does not seem to be present……did he, er.”
“Aaah……he ran off in the confusion last night. I just hope he somehow survived.”
That assistant is the messenger. He probably went to explain to the others the structure and layout of the village.
The guards take part in the planning and influence the village’s defense.
From what Krishce could see, they acted well, the villagers completely believed them.
The villagers seemed to trust the four experienced men that had conveniently showed up.
They’ll want to steal everything and be gone before the miners are back. So tonight will be the real attack, Krische thought absentmindedly.
So even if she made pumpkin soup again tonight, there is a chance it will be wasted again.
――Even though Krische really wants to eat pumpkin.
Dissatisfaction and unhappiness broiled in her heart.
“Ah, sorry. You were on an errand? Lend that to me, I’ll help you draw water.”
Watching the man take the bucket and turn the pulley on the well, Krische thought about what to do.
There was also the chance of a day raid, so Krische could not use her precious remaining pumpkin.
Krische reluctantly decided to keep the pumpkin for later and make the usual salted meat and potato soup. She carefully placed the pumpkin on a shelf.
Gallen and Gorka had come back for lunch. She ate bread with the soup and listened to them talk.
Seventeen people had been killed. Two girls have been abducted.
In contrast, they had only killed three bandits.
In this village of roughly three hundred, half the men that could fight were off mining. That left sixty at most that could fight, including the women and children that were brave enough.
At least twenty bandits had been sighted in the raid last night.
Based on eyewitnesses, they didn’t take much and ran away in a panic when their comrades were killed.
Zaal considered it to be a probing raid and had said that there should be around forty bandits.
The peddler’s guards had said that it would be bad to split up and be taken down separately, to which Zaal had nodded and the others had agreed.
As a result, they decided to gather the women and children in a warehouse at the center of the village and the men would form a defensive perimeter around that.
The hunters honed their archery daily and are skilled.
If hunters joined the army, they would be immediately welcomed as archers. It was common to hear of hunters becoming an archery instructor less than a month after joining the army. So with the proper mental preparation, the hunters with their bows should be enough to deal with the bandits.
It made sense to fight a defensive battle where their skills could be utilised.
But that is probably the bandits’ plan, thought Krische.
They gathered the women, who could be sold off, in the warehouse. This way the bandits could collect them all at once and ensured none slipped away.
The four men and the peddler would join the bandits at the best timing to create confusion among the villagers.
The bandits would definitely have the advantage against a confused group of amateurs.
Satisfied with her meal, Krische took a sip of warm water and sighed.
Once they were done talking, Krische looked Gorka in the eye and spoke.
“Tou-sama.”
“What’s wrong, Krische?”
“Krische thinks the peddler-san and his guards cannot be trusted.”
Everyone froze.
Gallen and Gorka seemed to be thinking while Galla and Grace stared at Krische in surprise.
“Krische-chan, did they do something to you……?”
“No. Just that……”
Krische told them about the pumpkins.
She had not care about it before, but now it was even more suspicious.
Krische told them about how they might have killed the usual peddlers and pretended to be peddlers to infiltrate the village.
Even if Krische, a child, shared this at the meeting, her opinion would not be taken into consideration.
Krische did not believe the men liked her enough to just believe her and there was also the chance of the discussion becoming chaotic.
Having considered that, Krische decided to only tell the two who were more likely to listen to her.
When Krische was done speaking, Gorka’s eyes were serious.
“Krische. Are you sure you saw the same things?”
“Yes. Unless by some coincidence they had the exact same pumpkins. But it is weird for bad people to also coincidentally show up at the same time.”
“……I, see.”
Gallen and Gorka looked at each other.
Things were working out too well.
Gallen had felt suspicious and told a few that he trusted, including Gorka, of his suspicions.
The weight behind Krische’s story strengthened their suspicions.
“We had also felt that things were going too well. Thank you Krische.”
“……it is nothing. What do we do?”
“Tell those that can be trusted and monitor the peddler. Either way, it’s a good idea to gather you all in one place……it’ll be fine, we’ll protect you no matter what. Trust us.”
“Okay, Ojii-sama”
Krische nodded, then looked at the pumpkin on the shelf.
As she imagined its taste, it was as if she could see the pumpkin shining.
She wished things would end quickly so that she could eat the pie and soup she had missed out on yesterday.
That was the only thought in Krische’s mind.
“Yesterday, Krische did not get to drink the pumpkin soup. The pie also grew cold……when everything is over, can I make them again?”
“Aah, of course. I guess we can’t die then, Gorka.”
“Yeah…..Galla, can I leave Krische and Grace to you?”
“Of course, I’ll take care of ’em”
Saying that, she patted Krische.
“Will you invite Oba-san too?”
“Yes, Krische also wants to hear Oba-san’s impressions. Can Krische borrow the oven again?”
“Of course……why’re you crying, Grace.”
“I, I’m, sorry…..it’s just.”
Grace wiped at her eyes, then embraced Krische.
She was warm and soft. Hugging Grace always felt nice.
“……when it’s over……let’s all, eat together.”
“Yes, Kaa-sama.”
Gorka joined in, embracing Krische and Grace together.
Mugyu, squashed between them, Krische moaned, making Gorka laugh.
“Relax. We’ll definitely protect you.”
He declared that with confidence.
Being gathered in the warehouse was not as boring as expected.
There were only women and children.
And Krische’s popularity among them meant she was far from bored, in fact she was very busy.
“Here, please share among yourselves.”
Krische was cutting the fruits in the warehouse and distributing it to the children.
There was a lot of food in the warehouse.
Meat was stored in a different place, but crops and long-lasting fruits were stored here.
Once inside, Krische was immediately thinking about how she could eat the fruits.
They would probably let her eat if she asked.
But Krische’s sense of aesthetics got in the way and did not allow her to do so.
As she was thinking about how to eat them, the children started complaining about being shut in――that gave Krische the inspiration for a justification to eat the fruit.
Krische presented her suggestion and gained the agreement of the women, thus it was decided to give the children the fruits, which were relatively easy to restock.
So many fruits for her to choose from.
Although Krische quickly grew hungry, her stomach was not that large.
Concerned that she would be too full to eat them all, Krische thought some more. And the result of another flash of inspiration was to take the initiative to slice and distribute the fruits.
“Stop, no snatching. Line up. No fruits for bad children that break the rules.”
Yes, this is the natural flow of events, thought Krische as she quickly began peeling, slicing and distributing fruit.
The plan was to sneakily eat part of the fruits she cut, but there was something she did not account for.
The flock of hungry children.
Her peeling could not keep up with their rate of consumption.
“Nee-chan, I’ve only gotten one.”
“Gida you already ate two! Krische Onee-chan, next is my turn!”
“Er, er……please wait a moment.”
The children held no prejudice against Krische, she was just a beautiful onee-san they looked up to. (T/N: older sider) So naturally, they preferred to receive the fruits from her.
Krische peeled as fast as she could but her plan had failed, no fruits entered her mouth.
Krische’s stomach had been expecting fruit and protested its hunger.
“Fufu, you’re so popular. Here, Krische-chan, aahn.”
“Ah……ehehe.”
The surrounding women smiled wryly and fed Krische the fruit that they had sliced.
Because of Galla and Grace, it was well-known that Krische was surprisingly gluttonous.
Krische’s ‘perfect excuses’ were useless on them. They laughed softly among themselves as they fed Krische.
Unaware of that and her own desires provided for, Krische was in a good mood. She happily worked as a peeling machine.
Seeing Krische act as normal, the dark expressions on the women’s faces became smiles and they started to gossip.
Though Krische did not realise it, she was their pillar of support and the topics centered around her.
“Krische-chan, is there anyone you like? Anyone at all?”
They occasionally asked her things like this and Krische patiently answered.
Krische had much to gain from maintaining their goodwill.
It was also because their expectation was palpable and she had no choice but to answer.
“Like……”
Tilting her head, Krische thought about it.
What does ‘like’ mean? This was quite a difficult problem for Krische.
Krische’s thinking is built upon an almost business-like feeling, focused on gains and losses.
People who create gains are more ‘likable’ than those who cause losses.
People ‘like’ those who are willing to work for other’s gains. Conversely, people ‘dislike’ those who only receive those gains without working.
That is Krische’s perception of ‘like’ and ‘dislike’. With Krische’s view on things, this type of question was too vague for her to understand.
“Err, I like you all.”
“Ah, that’s not what I meant……guys, I’m talking about guys.”
“Guys……ah, Krische likes Tou-sama and Ojii-sama a lot.”
The woman that asked gave up, putting a hand to her head as the surroundings exploded in laughter.
Grace embraced Krische, looking slightly embarassed.
“Stop it, please don’t tease her. Krische is still too young for that kind of thing……”
“Weren’t you stuck Gorka like glue at Krische’s age?”
“N, no teasing me either!”
Was that answer satisfactory? Krische tilted her head, watching the women laugh, then returned to peeling fruit.
Inserting a slice of fruit into Krische’s mouth, Galla laughed cheerfully.
“What type of person will Krische’s husband be? I just might beat him up if it’s some asshole that tries to monopolise Krische-chan.”
Laughter arose again. Krische ignored it, chewing on the apple fed to her.
The sweet and sour taste spread through her mouth, creating a moment of bliss for Krische.
Krische passed the time like this, waiting for the bandits to come――and the attack finally came a while after sunset.
A sliver of moon hung in the night sky. Bonfires had been set up all over the village.
The bandits could use those to set fire to the houses, but they needed to be able to see to use their bows.
Even among expert archers, not many can take down targets moving around in the dark.
Zaal took command of the center.
Gorka and Gallen were leaders of their respective archer squads, camped out on roofs.
As the warning bell rang, Gorka glanced towards the warehouse where Krische and Grace hid and shut his eyes for a moment, clenching his fist.
Then he looked to his side.
“Zalba, ready?”
“Of course.”
On the roof was Gorka’s most trusted friend, Zalba, and another covering their rear.
“Gado! How about you?”
“Who do you think you’re talking to, Gorka. Do you really think I’d mess up?”
“Nope. I’m well aware of your skill. Take care of our backs.”
“Aah.”
Gado got in position. He was a thug with bad drinking habits, but he was skilled.
“If things go well, I’ll treat you to a beer next time.”
“Hah. That’s a rare offer from you. How bout letting me fondle Grace’s breasts instead, depending on how things go?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It doesn’t sound like a joke coming from you.”
Gorka continued with a dry smile.
“I don’t think there’s that many of them, but if they come around to your side, give us a call.”
“Aah. Worry about yourself. The bell’s already ringing.”
“I know.”
Gorka answered as he focused ahead.
They had less archers than Gallen’s squad, but they had the skill to make up for it.
There were more men on the ground armed with swords on this side, their fighting strength was evenly distributed.
No problem, Gorka thought as he raised his bow.
As expected, there were more than forty bandits, but Gorka continued giving instructions to those on other roofs.
Including his own contributions, they had already taken down around ten bandits.
Everyone stationed here were expert hunters.
They usually dealt with fleeing animals, so once they got past their reluctance to aim at humans――the reluctance to kill, shooting humans was not that difficult.
Fortunately, they did not have to experience the sensation of piercing through flesh. They were also doing this protect the village and their families, by focusing on those feelings, they could suppress their qualms.
Thinking of those that had to face the bandits with a sword, they could not hesitate because of fear.
Their acquaintances and friends were risking their lives on the ground.
It was because of this village community that a group of amateurs could act in concert.
As Gorka continued shouting, tension caused his mouth to dry and his words to catch in his throat.
Under the stress of shooting at humans instead of animals, Gorka maintained good overall command.
That was when Zalba called to him.
“……Gorka, it’s weird.”
The mercenaries and peddler had split into groups of two and three.
The group of three with the peddler was in charge of a section in this area southeast of the warehouse.
Although there are many casualties from other sections, they were the only group that did not experience much combat.
Although they exchanged blows, the bandits would run away.
“They’re definitely guilty……let’s go.”
The situation was favourable, but the tables would turn if those men turned traitor.
While he agreed with Zalba, Gorka was still hesitant.
They could shoot at bandits.
But if they were not――
Gorka’s hesitation lasted an instant.
Recalled what Krische had said, he resolved himself.
“……got it. Zalba, you take the mercenary on the left.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll aim for the fake peddler. If they’re with the bandits, he’s probably the leader.”
“Roger”
“Don’t miss”
“Aah, this is easier than shooting dee――u,gu!?”
“……!?”
Gorka turned toward’s Zalba’s strangled voice.
There was a sword sticking out of Zalba’s chest.
What hap――, before Gorka could finish the thought, something cold entered his chest.
“Ga, do……wh, y……?”
“Oh? You can still talk? Hehe……”
Gado had slammed into Gorka, piercing him with a short sword.
“They offered me a deal. Well, I’ve been growing sick of life in this miserable village……so it was great timing.”
“Ga, do……”
“Relax, I don’t need the beer, but I’ll take good care of your Grace. There isn’t such a tempting woman even in the town……even the creepy brat is a rare beauty in appearance alone, she’ll sell for a lot.”
“――ah!?”
With a strangled sound, Gorka swung his fist in hatred. But Gado twisted the blade as if butchering an animal, ending Gorka’s life.
Then Gado used a stone to signal the peddler――the leader of the bandits.
“……that’s weird.”
After a while, Gallen caught sight of the chaos at the southeast side that Gorka guarded.
Did Gorka mess up? But that was hard to believe.
Gallen had a good understanding of Gorka’s abilities.
Otherwise he would not have let Gorka wed his precious daughter.
Gorka is the man that Gallen had entrusted his daughter to.
Even with that Gorka there, something unusual had occurred.
Or perhaps something had happened that even Gorka could not deal with.
Gallen’s instincts from the battlefield reacted.
Gallen suddenly twisted around towards the presence behind him.
Gallen’s fist slammed into the gut of the traitor in a practiced motion before the man could do anything with his sword.
Gallen had narrowly avoided death many times, climbing to the rank of centurion.
His body may be old but he has not forgotten the tension of the battlefield.
The man collapsed with a croak.
So that’s it, Gallen bit his lip.
――Which means they’re definitely guilty.
Gallen had not been able to decide if the mercenaries were ally or foe, but he coldly made a decision in that instant.
There was no time for talk. Gallen stabbed the short sword into the back of the man.
He was a resident of the village and Gallen had drunk with him many times.
But Gallen has spent a long time in the hell of the battlefield.
With the ruthlessness he learnt back then, he twisted the short sword, turning the man into a corpse, then adjusted his grip on his bow.
Nocking an arrow, he drew the string back. then released with no hesitation.
As the arrow sunk into the mercenary’s back, he leapt down from the roof, drawing the sword at his waist.
His old body grated with the impact, but he ignored it.
The mercenary collapsed in pain――the other still staring at his ally in confusion.
Targeting the standing man, Gallen narrowed his eyes and closed the distance before the man could recover from his confusion.
Gallen’s violent sword of the battlefield swung into the man’s shoulder.
He easily cut through the bandit’s shoulder, through bone, turning him into a corpse.
Then he stabbed the other collapsed man in the heart, finishing him off.
Gallen’s expression was a mix of burning rage and cold ruthlessness.
The men on the surrounding roofs looked at Gallen in surprise.
“The peddlers are with the bandits!! There are traitors among the villagers! Gorka’s side’s in a mess, you all stay here. I’m going over! Aran, Dick, follow me!”
The two man he called jumped down and followed him.
There shouldn’t be many traitors.
But rather than fighting with uncertain elements, it was better to go with only those he trusted.
Their lacked numbers, but this is the best method.
Nodding to the two of them who understood the situation, Gallen sprinted off.
But a group that pushed through the collapsed southeast defence arrived at the warehouse before Gallen.
The villagers only had some training in the sword.
Aside from those with combat experience, most were simple villagers with some training.
Once they lost command, they collapsed into unruly mob.
“……Gorka’s gone?”
“Yeah. Gorka is dead.”
Zaal received a shock at the news of Gorka’s death. He had command of the center and now had to figure out how to rebuild the defense. He racked his mind, the only part of his old body that had not weakened with age.
――The only choice is to shorten the defensive line.
In order to maintain the morale of villagers who were not used to combat or killing, they needed to group up.
He drew in a deep breath to call for the men to gather,
“So old man, you should give up and go to sleep too.”
But only air leaked out of his mouth.
One of the man that had escaped from the southeast――the peddler revealed his true colours, a malicious smile on his face.
The men around could not understand what had happened for an instant.
A man they had thought was an ally, had stabbed their leader in the side with a knife.
Zaal collapsed to his knees.
The men around were quickly cut down or stabbed to death by the mercenaries and traitors.
The men that had finally escaped from the confusion in the southeast saw the scene and screamed, knowing they had nowhere to run.
With no leader, the men were killed one by one, staining the area with blood.
“Alriiight, that’s it. Their right side is still alive, so be alert.”
“Hehe, boss, is it time for some fun……?”
“The earliest the miners will come back is tomorrow at sundown. Once things settle down, we can have fun tonight……oi, open it.”
The peddler――the bandits’ boss gave the order to the men with hammers.
Even if the inside was barricaded, it was just a matter of time.
It was just a normal warehouse.
The door may be built sturdy but it was just a warehouse door.
Each time the hammer was swung, a new hole was made in the door――accompanied by screams of the women and children.
With one final swing, the door finally crumbled and a few women burst out.
They panicked and tried to flee, but were all caught and killed to set an example. Some were stabbed with a sword while others had their skull crushed with a hammer.
――Screams rang through the night.
“Obey us, we won’t kill you if you listen to us, okay? But if you defy us――”
“Hii, Gyaaaa…….!?”
The leader sliced off a finger of a captured woman with his sword.
The others left in the warehouse covered their ears, clenching their eyes shut.
“You’ll be punished and killed for your defiance.”
The man’s lips curled into an animalistic smile.
“Come out slowly. No strange movements.”
A few children could not endure the terror and tried to run, only to be killed.
They were ruthless.
Women or children, anyone that disobeyed orders were killed mercilessly.
They had no choice.
The people left in the warehouse moved out into the square, gathering around the well, their arms around each other.
Finding a particular girl among them, the leader called out to her with a grin.
“Oooh, there’s she is. Jou-chan, come ‘ere.”
Despite the tragedy around her, the silver-haired girl was expressionless.
Her eyes simply observed her surroundings as she slowly turned towards the man.
