Chapter 32: Exiles


TL: Scaramochi


***


"Master. Quickly, quickly."


Tiana was in high spirits.


Even though she had eaten late last night, cleaned up afterwards, and woke up early to make lunch boxes for two meals, she showed no signs of fatigue.


She looked very different from me, who was weakened by the mental anguish of the interrogation and lack of sleep.


I put the cart I had pulled out of the shed in the backyard down on the street. After checking all the doors and windows, we set out.


I was fully equipped, and Gina was carrying a walking stick with an ancient inscription carved on it.


Comba was waiting for us at the gate leading out of town.


"Hello Miss and Sister. I am Comba, brother's apprentice. Please make me an acquaintance. Ah, you know me, don't you? Brother, I'll take over pulling the cart for you."


I was just starting to feel the rattles and wheels were not turning well, so I gladly took over. Well, that made things easier.


We follow the trail around mount Doras. The trees were in full color at the higher elevations. I usually don't come to this side of the mountain because it is not the direction where the dungeon is located.


I had been living alone so far, so I had to make do with the dead branches that were lying around. I use a considerable amount of firewood for cooking and heating water. It was the first time for us to go into the mountains to collect it.


We arrive at a reasonable place sooner than expected.


For efficiency, we decided to split into two groups: me and Comba to gather firewood, and Tiana and Gina to pick mushrooms.


After eating a packed breakfast, we took out a long piece of string from the shed. I tied one end in a loop around Tiana's waist and the other around Gina's wrist.


"Uh, Master?"


"It's not a good idea to get lost. I'm going to make sure that you can't get more than a certain distance away from Gina."


Tiana gave me a pitiful look and pleaded with me to remove it, but I didn't listen.


"She is look like a dog......."


She looked exactly like a puppy as she droned on like that.


Still, when Gina took me to start looking for her, I was absorbed in picking mushrooms.


Comba took out his battle-axe and deftly cleared away the branches.


At first, I tried to help him with the hatchet, but from then on, I concentrated on picking up fallen branches and cutting them into appropriate lengths. Branches as thick as an adult's leg would fall with a few blows from the Comba. By midday, the cart was full of firewood.


The remaining firewood was then bundled together with ropes and assembled to be carried on one's back.


"That's quite a feat."


"Yes. I'm used to it. By the way, brother. Can I ask you something?"


"What?"


"Brother got on well with Sister, right?　So, is that girl over there your daughter?"


"Huh?　Not at all. Gina is simply renting a room and Tiana is my employer."


Comba wipes the sweat from his forehead.


"Heh, I see. But I'm jealous that you're under the same roof with two beauty."


"I told you it's not like that. Besides, Gina isn't beautiful."


"She's intelligent and cold, but I can't get over the fact that she has a body like that. Oh, I'm not going to run off behind my brother's back, so don't worry......."


"Harris!"


At that moment, Gina's urgent voice rang out.


When I saw her back, I believe she was headed that way, but the reflection in the trees made it hard to tell her exact direction.


I must have been a little too far away.


"Brother. This way."


Comba starts to run. Can I trust him?


"Harris!"


The tense voice is heard again. It's definitely the direction Comba is heading. I start running after him. I soon overtake Comba.


I run up the slope, kicking up dead leaves.


Through the trees, I could see Gina holding a stick in front of Tiana as if she was covering for her.


About seven or eight dirty-looking people were standing around the two against a large rock. In their hands were machetes and sticks with knives strapped to the ends. They must have been exiles who had abandoned their homeland for some reason or another.


They had nothing to lose, so they were a troublesome lot. They would hide in the mountains and only reveal themselves to opponents they could defeat, and then strip them of their clothes.


In the case of the women, that wasn't enough.


We don't know for sure, but once every few years, someone goes into the mountains and doesn't come back. With the recent decrease in the number of guards and their patrols, they must have started to roost around here.


I saw a man bleeding from the chest on the ground as I ran up to him, which means one of them did it.


I had no idea that there was such a large group of people ....... Two or three people would have been enough for Gina to handle, but nine was too many. With this many people to contend with, it's not surprising that they would have been assembled by now.


"Die!"


Anger overflows from my mouth.


Running toward one of the men, I throw a hatchet at him. It pierced the unfortunate fellow in the chest. At the same time, I pulled knives from both shoulders and threw them. A silvery glint ran through the air and was sucked into the throats of the two men. Pulling out the shortsword, I ran through the gap where the three had fallen, dispelling the other's weapon.


I didn't see it before, but I noticed a big dumb-looking white dog there. It is clearly bigger than Tiana. I wonder what it eats to get so big. It had a dumb face, but it was baring it's fangs. It wasn't very powerful, but it was a wall against Tiana and Gina because of it's large size.


I turned around in front of them and faced the surviving exiles. I thought they would run away after their friends died, but instead their vengeance seems to have flared up. They look at me with hatred as they move to surround me. It seems that until a few minutes ago, they were just having fun and wasn't taking it seriously.


As expected, it was tough to deal with five people at the same time.


I caught a machete attack with my shortsword, and when I tried to cut back, a handmade spear was thrust out from the side. I ducked and dodged, but a knife came flying at me. I was too late, so I caught it with my armor. I felt a stinging pain, but it was not a fatal wound. As I tried to step back, I stepped on something soft and immediately felt a sharp object pierce my boot.


I turn around to see a dog biting my leg. The men giggled and re-holstered their weapons at me.


I was pinned down by the dog, unable to move. It would be extremely difficult to knock down five weapons in this condition.


I could see Comba's body beyond the men, but it didn't look like he was going to make it in time.



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