Chapter 146: The Great Efforts of the Familiars (2/2)
These guys don’t have any team spirit… At this rate, I’ll just end up wasting time.
” ‘Earth Fence’ !” [Ryouma]
“What!?” [Bandit 1]
“Eek!?” [Bandit 2]
“Uu…!” [Bandit 4]
“Tch. What are you trying to do!?” [Bandit 3]
Broad stone fences projected from the ground toward the three bandits arguing. I developed this fence spell based on an attack magic and have sharpened its edges. Those sharp edges stopped right before the bandits’ eyes. When the bandits saw that, they stiffened up and looked cautiously at me.
“You can have your little internal discord later. There’s something I want to ask you. Who’s your leader?” [Ryouma]
“I am!” [The Three Bickering Bandits]
“…Which one?” [Ryouma]
“I am the leader!” [Bandit 1]
“Like hell you are! Who would follow you!?” [Bandit 2]
“Hmph! As if any of you blockheads could be the leader. Don’t make me laugh.” [Bandit 4]
“Umm~, young master? As you know our boss was taken out, so… He he…” [Bandit 3]
The leftmost bandit with the insincere smile spoke. He seemed to be trying to curry favor, but his voice gave me the creeps. Still, he looks like he’s the most willing to talk from their group.
“There’s something I want to ask.” [Ryouma]
“Aan!?” [Bandit 1]
“Don’t think you’ll get off lightly after doing something like this!” [Bandit 2]
“We’ll still forgive you if you let us go now!” [Bandit 4]
“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you anything!” [Bandit 3]
…Only one of them was really obedient.
He’s so obedient it’s making me wonder if he’s planning something.
“What are you saying!?” [Bandit 1]
“Fool! At times like this, you have to negotiate!” [Bandit 2]
“Don’t be naive!” [Bandit 4]
Suddenly, his friends started jeering at him.
“Shaddup!! We’ve already been caught! What’s the point in saying anything now!? It’s too late! Young master! I’ll tell you anything you want, so please just spare my life! I don’t care what happens to the others! Just save my life!” [Bandit 3]
This time he desperately sold off his friends…
“Don’t make me laugh!!” [Other Bandits]
When the bandit said those words, the conflict among the bandits became even worse.
Unable to stand them jeering at each other anymore, I asked Eins to take care of them.
“Kukeh!!!” [Eins]
“!!” [Bandits]
Just one cry was enough to make them go quiet. Now that it’s quiet, we can continue.
“I’ll ask a question, and you’re going to answer. Just so you know, the things binding your limbs are my familiars. Normal cuffs might have keyholes, but those don’t, so unless I give the order, you can’t be unbound.” [Ryouma]
It’s one of the new uses of the metal slimes that I thought of after considering how to go about bandit subjugations. With the slimes clinging to them, even if they do manage to escape, I’ll be able to know their location through the familiar contract. Pursuing them will be easy. Moreover, the slimes have Physical Attack Resist, so they’re quite durable. Even I won’t find it easy to remove them by force.
“Don’t get over your head, brat. I don’t know about familiars and what not, but the fact you’re using something like this shows just how soft you are! You don’t plan to kill us at all, do you? Well!?” [Bandit 1]
“I don’t intend to kill needlessly, but I will kill if necessary.” [Ryouma]
“Ha! It’s plain as day that you don’t intend on killing us!” [Bandit 2]
“The way you are, even a brat won’t be scared of you!” [Bandit 4]
Convinced that there was no danger of being killed, the men started to get cocky.
Where did my Intimidate skill go? Oh, Intimidate skill-sama, please come back~ …What am I thinking?
“I’ll say it again. Let go of us now, and we’ll spare your life.” [Bandit 1]
“…Do you people really not understand your situation?” [Ryouma]
It’s not like they’re hiding their abilities and they don’t look like they have any plans either. The rimel birds are watching the surroundings, but there aren’t any enemies lying in wait. I have no idea why they’re acting so cocky despite their situation.
“In the first place, what are you guys going to do when you get free? Are you going to surrender yourselves to the authorities? Are you going to have a change of heart and work honesty?” [Ryouma]
When I said that, the men all went quiet.
Even if they went and said that they had turned over a new leaf, there was no way to prove it. Even if I let them go here, they’ll just return to being bandits. At the very least, that’s my reasoning for my actions here.
“If I just let you go, you’ll just hurt someone else. …It’s true that I have no plans of killing you needlessly, but I’m not so irresponsible as to let you free just like that.” [Ryouma]
Since I’ve caught them, I have to hand them over to the authorities. With that, there won’t be any more victims. If they resist, then they will be the responsibility of the people who caught them.
“Tch! What’s a brat like you acting all cool for?” [Bandit 1]
“Don’t get cocky, brat. Now that I’ve gotten a better look on you. You have some nice clothes, nice weapons, and nice armor. You can cast monster taming spells and you seem rich. If we stripped you of all your possessions and sold them, they’ll probably fetch a high price.” [Bandit ]2
“So, you’re rich, huh. I hate the rich… They get to eat and play without suffering and they look down on the poor. …Something like this can’t stop—!” [Bandit 4]
As one of the men became hateful, he reached out for his choker.
That’s no good.
“Uu… W-What is this choker…” [Bandit 4]
“H-Hey! What’s going on!?” [Bandit 1]
“It’s, tight…” [Bandit 4]
“Oh, I forgot to mention this, but I ordered my familiar in that choker to keep contact with your skin.” [Ryouma]
It’s a trifling matter to pull it out by force. But if they tried to do that, then the slime that has received my orders to maintain contact with their skin will immediately change shape and bury itself into their body. The moment a gap is made between their skin and their choker, their choker will choke them.
“Also, if the bearer of the choker acts violent, goes too far from me without permission, or attacks me, that choker will choke you. Of course, I can also order it to do so anytime.” [Ryouma]
Slimes may be weak, but even they can kill people if they can apply pressure on the carotid artery. As such, they can act perfectly as your fantasy light novel’s stereotypical ‘Slave Choker’. With this, they’ll basically be strangling themselves.
“We don’t need your explanation!” [Bandit 1]
“Make it stop!” [Bandit 2]
The more the choker tightens itself, the more it hurts.
So in order to escape, they’ll try to loosen their chokers, but that will only serve to make the choker choke them even harder.
The man who got caught in that cycle no longer had the leisure to talk.
But the pressure wasn’t enough to make him faint either.
“What are you just watching there for!?” [Bandit 1]
“He’s going to die, you know!?” [Bandit 2]
Now that it’s gotten to this, they finally understood that their lives were in danger. A color of panic appeared on their faces.
Just yelling whatever they want to say because of their feelings… It kind of reminds me of my boss from my previous life.
“…So what?” [Ryouma]
I asked back coldly.