"Are you really going to exterminate the bandits?"
In the middle of the night, while running through the forest near the border of the territory. Shion has asked me this question for the hundredth time since we left the castle.
I would have preferred that she stop, but given that it was out of concern for my safety, I couldn't ignore it.
As a result, I responded in the same manner.
"Yeah, I'm going to exterminate them."
Although the chances are slim, if the bandits keep looking for the thugs, they might one day discover the truth. If that happens, there's a chance that Caron's light magic will be exposed. I want to avoid that at all costs.
It's quicker to wipe out every last bud of insecurity. If they are a bad person, that's enough reason to exterminate them.
In addition, it's also a confirmation of my own strength.
The last fight against the thugs made me think about a lot of things. The problem was not only the fragility of close combat but also the inability to gauge the strength of the opponents. I have tried to resolve those issues as much as possible during the past week. The sacrifices of the test subjects will not be in vain.
Depending on the level and scale of the bandits, I may not be able to handle them on my own, but I have brought Shion as insurance in that case. She seems to be about level 35, so she should be able to handle the bandits. In fact, she has never worried about herself, although she worries about me.
Oh, the reason why I know Shion's level is because of the effect of my newly developed spell. It's to scan the target's Mana and mind and calculate its level by comparing it with the game knowledge. The name of the spell is exactly as it sounds: [Appraisal].
At this point, I can only examine the surface of the mind, so I can only approximate the level of the target, but if the target is below my level, I can appraise it through my detection spell. I was able to make a powerful weapon myself.
About three hours of running with full body strengthening. After traveling the distance in a carriage for two days, we arrived at the bandit's hideout. The enemy's dwelling seemed to be a cave in the forest.
Incidentally, Shion followed suit even though she was out of breath. In addition to the difference in their bare physical abilities, she was accelerated by wind magic, which enabled her to accompany me.
"Haa…Haa…You're going too fast, Zechs-sama…"
"Aren't you catching up properly?"
"That's because I'm using wind magic [Acceleration] multiple times. To be honest, this speed with [Body Strengthening] alone is abnormal."
"Well, Thank you."
Shion praised me without hesitation, but I honestly couldn't be happier.
What I am looking for is to be the unrivaled "Strongest." I am not satisfied with being on par with attribute magicians. Considering the current speed ratio, I need at least eight times the speed. That's why I need to work harder.
"The bandits are…two guards, five in the room just inside the doorway, ten sleeping in the room behind that, and three at the far end."
Shion, who seems to have used a wind magic spell [Detection], tells me information about the enemy.
She's always making a lot of mistakes, but this kind of quick action is indeed impressive for an assassin from the royal palace.
Just to be sure, I also used my detection spell. The results were generally the same as Shion's report, with the exception of the three in the back, who were at an average level of 18. However, there was one person with extremely low Mana. They were one of the people stationed at the far end of the room.
Normally, I would say they are weak, but that's not right. If they were really weak, I would have been able to assess their level through the detection spell.
I wondered about it, so I immediately asked her.
"There's one person with a very small presence, but there's something strange about them."
"I'm sure you know that Zex-sama's detection is to measure the target's Mana, right? If so, they must have the skill to conceal their Mana. In most cases, such a person is powerful."
"I see."
I didn't know if there was such a spell, but that would be helpful for me.
It was lucky that I was able to meet this kind of person with Shion by my side. Without her knowledge, I might have gone into it without knowing anything.
However, if there is such a thing that conceals someone's Mana, my detection spell needs to be improved. If it's possible to suppress the presence of a bandit to this extent, there's a high probability that a more powerful bandit would be able to completely eliminate its presence. I'll look for ways to improve it when I get back home.
With this in mind, I immediately set out.
"I'll go first. Shion, you follow up in case of emergency."
"I understand."
Shion runs behind me. I only allowed her to lend a hand if I'm in a pinch. This time, it's just for my on-the-job training.
I wrap my entire body in Mana and use [Disguise] to mimic the darkness of night. I haven't completely mastered [Disguise] yet, but in the middle of the night when visibility is poor, it's no problem.
The two guards were completely unaware of my approach and allowed me to approach. I used a dagger that I had procured for Shion—I could not hold an ordinary sword due to my size—to cleave their necks.
The dagger, imbued with Mana, was more effective than its sharpness and blew off the heads of the two guards.
Still wanting to remain covert, I gently catch the bodies of the two men who have been cut off. I was splattered with their blood because of it, but I decided that it couldn't be helped.
"Phew…"
I let out a small breath as I lower the bodies to the ground, trying not to make a sound.
It was the first time I had ever killed anything, including in a previous life. I killed a person, not just an animal. The shock was greater than I expected. My heart's pulsating, and my mood is elevated as if adrenaline is being secreted.
But contrary to my expectations, it was not sickening. No, the sensation of cutting through flesh was definitely unpleasant, but not the nausea-inducing queasiness. It was a bit of a letdown because I had prepared myself for so many things. The [Calm] spell I had prepared just in case was also useless.
It seems that I'm not the type of person that avoids killing. I'm not sure whether to call it a blessing or a curse, but considering my future, it's probably a good thing. If I had to use Mind Magic to calm myself down every time I killed someone, I would probably break my heart sooner or later.
I took a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart before sprinting toward the cave.
The inside of the cave was cleaner than I had imagined. It was as if something natural had been modified. It was a place with a strange atmosphere, where the natural and the unnatural coexisted.
Within a minute, I arrived at the first room.
It seemed to be a place where the guards waited in shifts, with half of them awake and half asleep.
The lights make it difficult to hide my appearance perfectly, but I still entered with my body covered in Mana.
Naturally, the three of them, who were awake, noticed the intruder. But they were certainly caught off guard, and it took them a while to ready their weapons.
For the first one, I slashed his throat without making them aware of my presence.
The second one noticed me, but I decapitated him without giving him time to change his position.
The third one picked up a weapon but his head rolled on the ground without ever swinging it.
So far, this is what happened within seconds of entering the room. The only sound was their bodies falling to the ground.
The remaining two tried to wake up as they felt signs of a struggle, but I moved faster than that. With a rough thrust of my dagger to their throats, I drown out the light of their lives.
This is going well. From the feel of my detection spell, my attack's still undetected. As expected, it would be impossible to remain stealthy during the next battle with the next ten men, but I should be able to eliminate some of them with assassination attempts.
While raising my eyebrows at the smell of blood that filled the air, I continued onward. If this smell reaches the enemy, my covert action will be in vain.
The next room appeared to be a sleeping area, and everyone was asleep. The lights were dimmed, and the camouflage from [Disguise] could be fully utilized.
I killed those near the entrance first. I stabbed them one by one in the throat and heart, taking their lives.
The attack was noticed on the way, but it no longer mattered. I gave priority to those who were trying to light the fire, and by the time the lights came on, I had whittled them down to two. It was also significant that I was able to get some of them to fight each other without them using magic, perhaps because they were confused by the attack in the dark.
Also, I have no problem moving in the dark. I can act as I do in the daytime because I have sharpened my five senses through [Body Strengthening].
I intentionally took off my [Disguise] in front of the two bandits.
Then, the two enemies looked astonished. Perhaps they were taken aback by the fact that the attacker was just a five-year-old kid
I understand how they feel, but if they are going to expose their vulnerability after so many of their allies have been killed, it's like they are asking me to kill them.
I used [Disguise] again and become translucent.
Normally, there's no point in doing half-hearted camouflage in front of them.
However, the two bandits were confused when they saw who I was. Moreover, I stirred up their agitation with Mind Magic. In such a state, there was no way they could recognize a person who suddenly became translucent. The two who lost sight of me were slain by my hands in the blink of an eye.
The combo between [Disguise] and Mind Magic is more effective than expected. The opponent's current strength was about the same as mine, but I was able to overrun them one-sidedly. It's probably because I don't let the enemy show their true potential. I also covered my weak point, and my poor technical skills, well.
Now then, all that's left are the three people in the back.