Kays Translations

Chapter 222: The Blade from the Blind Spot

The men left their horses at a nearby village and set out for the scene of the attack before dawn.

After about four hours of travel, they reached the forest along the highway, and the scene was immediately apparent. The broken carriage and the corpses, ravaged by animals, were left untouched.

The bodies of the couple and their child, as well as the bodies of the adventurers who tried to protect them until the end, were left exposed to the elements.

Josel muttered "I'm sorry" under his breath and offered a prayer.

What had they done to deserve this? To be suddenly and unfairly robbed of everything and then left exposed like this?

...They must avenge them and give them a proper burial.

Waiting for the end of the prayer, Gerhardt said, "Let's go," and entered the forest.

Gerhardt's steps were firm. It was somewhat difficult for Josel to understand, but it seemed that Gerhardt could see the footprints of the bandits as clearly as a single road.

It wasn't even noon yet, but the forest was strangely dim, as if they had wandered into the realm of nightmares. They were reminded once again that they had entered the enemy's territory.

"There’s about ten of them." 

Gerhardt said, examining footprints and marks on tree trunks.

"Master, do you really know that?" 

"Don't rely too much on it. It's just a rough estimate." 

"Knowing their approximate number is reassuring. It would be troublesome if they were like the kidnappers of the princess we had before." 

"Yeah, that was awful..."

It was an incident where thirty returning heroes, dissatisfied with their treatment, kidnapped the third princess. Although Ricardo, the owner of the magic sword, managed to attract most of the enemies, it would have been impossible to break through conventionally. It was a fierce battle against formidable enemies. They never wanted to experience it again.

"Um, what's the story about kidnapping the princess?" 

Samurai Mask asked in a relaxed tone, and Josel looked at him with a mix of anger and amazement.

"Why, why! Why don't you know about that when you were in the knight order!?"

"Well, you see, after finishing the treatment on my face, I lived in the mountains for a while..."

"We went to subdue the returning soldiers who rebelled. If you could have been of any help, we would have taken you!" 

"But they were completely wiped out, weren't they?"

"That would have been for the best!"

Gerhardt watched their exchange with a smile, or perhaps irresponsibly, but then suddenly stopped in his tracks, his expression tightening. Josel and Samurai Mask also became alert, placing their hands on their weapons.

A man jumped out from between the trees and thrust his sword straight at Gerhardt in silence. If it had been an ordinary opponent, he would have been stabbed in the throat. Moreover, judging from the man's skilled movements, he had probably done this many times before.

Gerhardt completely read the man's movements. With a slight movement of his feet, he avoided the enemy's aim, and drew the shining silver from his waist.

The flash of the mighty sword, "Ittetsu," sliced the man's torso in half. The lower half of the man remained standing where he was, while the upper half tumbled forward with momentum.

Before they could admire the spectacular yet brutal move, the bandits attacked Josel and Samurai Mask separately.

As Josel defended against the bandit's downward slash, the bandit leaped back into the forest. Samurai Mask engaged in several exchanges with the bandit before stepping back and boldly shouting,

"Come on, you villains! Let's honor the name of Samurai Mask in hell!"

They were in the midst of a battle to the death. It was absurd for someone wearing a ridiculous mask to make a theatrical declaration, but there was no denying it. He had the skills to defend against ambushes and fight back, and his shining sword was quite something.

The leader of the bandits lurking in the rear clicked his tongue softly. Somehow, he felt like he had lost control of the situation, even if only slightly.

For Samurai Mask, this heroic move was not meaningless. He originally belonged to the rogue knight order, and for them, subduing the bandits meant surrounding weaker opponents and intimidating them with overwhelming force. It was terrifying to face bandits accustomed to killing in the poorly visible forest. He even wanted to run away if possible.

He was Samurai Mask, a hero, and shouting that gave him encouragement. The mask and the sword gave him strength, and he felt the courage to face them head-on.

"Mumei, it’s time for execution!"

Samurai Mask took a big step forward and swung down his beloved sword, "Mumei," with determination. It was the sword given to him by the person who rescued him from the darkness with no way out, telling him to start anew from scratch.

Their abilities were not vastly different. It was just the difference in determination.

The bandit's arm was severed directly in front of him. Seeing the blood spurting from the severed limb, the bandit's face contorted in fear. He had no hands to stop the bleeding.

Samurai Mask mercilessly kicked the bandit who screamed out in a manner similar to a cry of agony.

"Actors who have finished their roles should get off the stage quickly! Next!"

The momentum of the punitive force grew stronger. However, the trajectory was altered by a single incoming arrow.

Samurai Mask, about to step forward in search of the enemy, stopped his feet, feeling as if he were being watched from somewhere.

The sound of a wind-cutting, Samurai Mask quickly dodged. The arrow passed in front of his eyes and deeply embedded itself in a tree. If he hadn't heard that there was a master archer, he would have been skewered by now.

Although he narrowly escaped death, his posture was disrupted. A new bandit then attacked.

Gerhardt intervened to block the attack. He attempted to counterattack, but once again, he was obstructed by an arrow. Gerhardt turned around and deflected the high-speed arrow with his sword. "Giiin," sparks scattered in the forest. In that opening, the bandits disappeared into the forest again.

Using arrows in the poorly visible forest for hit-and-run tactics seemed to be their basic strategy.

"Caught in their trap, how troublesome..."

Gerhardt muttered bitterly. Even the strongest swordsman in the barony would be helpless if he couldn't see the enemy.

Josel, glaring in the direction the arrow came from, said.

"I'll stop the archer. Master, please defeat the bandits!"

Without waiting for a response, Josel gripped his Night Killer and leaped out.

"Wait, Josel-san!?" 

Samurai Mask tried to stop him, but Gerhardt quietly shook his head and said.

"Let him go, this is his fight."

It was harsh, but indeed, there was a bond between master and disciple there. Samurai Mask nodded and readjusted Mumei's grip. The only way to respond to Josel's determination was to reduce the number of bandits while the arrows were stopped.

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