Chapter 112: Further Patrol

"Too bad."

"Just a little more."

"Next time we’ll definitely kill them."

Such brave voices rose from the front of the security team. Even though they had faced the thieves and let them escape without taking any casualties themselves, the adrenaline was flowing, and the team members seemed to feel a sense of accomplishment.

"Lord Robby, I’m sorry. This is pretty much how it usually goes. This is the best we can do with our current strength," Captain Copeland said, scratching his head as he approached.

"It’s fine. If the thieves were really strong, trying to capture them could have resulted in casualties on your side, which would be bad."

"Thank you for saying that."

The captain bowed. As for me, I had absorbed two things and wanted to check what they were, so I was a bit distracted.

The captain turned to Lily.

"Lord Robin is very generous, but... he won’t later say the security team is negligent, will he?"

Lily replied,

"That’s highly unlikely. He is an extremely magnanimous person (Huh? Not generous? ’Magnanimous’ somehow feels like I’m being called an idiot...). Well, to put it simply, he doesn’t hold grudges against people, and as long as their mistakes don’t inconvenience him, he doesn’t mind."

She was completely right, so I had nothing to say. Still, it didn’t feel entirely pleasant.

"I’m so relieved. There are people who say nice things at the time but badmouth you later."

Hearing the captain speak so earnestly made me sympathize, but the world is just like that. Though I doubt he wants to hear that from a 10-year-old.

"Which family’s mansion shot those arrows at the thieves?" I asked the captain.

"This is the residence of Count Rosette — their main estate. I’ve heard their security is very strict. Did the thieves not know that?"

The captain asked me, but I suspected the thieves hadn’t intended to break into the mansion. They probably just climbed onto the Count’s wall to avoid clashing with the security team. So this is Jacqueline’s husband’s main house. The couple is living separately, yet the main estate has extremely tight security, while the wife’s separate residence is so lax that I could sneak in without anyone doing anything. What’s the difference? Is the separate residence practically inviting thieves?

One of the security team members ran off somewhere and returned with people pulling a cart. They loaded the dead thieves onto it and disappeared somewhere. The security team then continued down the noble district road as if nothing had happened.

"Lord Robby, you look happy?"

It was dark and she probably couldn’t see my face clearly, but Lily peered at me and said so.

"No, not really. I’m just surprised and my face is stiff because you and Stevie killed those thieves without hesitation."

"My, that much is normal. Well... normal women don’t kill people so casually, so please don’t misunderstand." ℯ

"Right. Normal maids don’t work as escorts either," Stevie added.

"As I’ve said before, Lord Robby, when the time comes, you must not hesitate to cut people down. If stabbing, aim for the heart. If slashing, aim for the sides of the neck. Since your sword is still blunt, it can only wound them, so you need to target vital areas," Stevie explained confidently.

The middle-aged security team members were visibly creeped out. That’s not something a mid-teen girl should be saying so casually. Lily piled on:

"We really need to have Lord Robby practice cutting people. Starting with delivering the finishing blow. In that sense, joining the security patrol to cut down evildoers might actually be a good idea."

Lily said this with a straight face. Perhaps worried by her words, the captain came over again.

"Lord Robin, we already encountered thieves tonight, so there won’t be any more. We rarely run into them — maybe once a week at most. Today was special."

Captain, don’t you know you’re not supposed to say things like that? The flag has been firmly raised.

The captain’s mindset seemed to have spread to the team members. Their steps became lighter. Earlier they had been nervous, but now they seemed much more relaxed. Having already encountered thieves once, they probably thought there wouldn’t be any more tonight. But the world doesn’t work that way.

Just then, far ahead on the road, there was another group clustered together. Strange. Suspicious. There shouldn’t be anyone on the noble district roads in the middle of the night. The time for carriages going to and from social events had long passed. Right now, the only people who should be out were evildoers. Well... probably the same thieves as before.

The captain and the rest of the security team still hadn’t noticed.

"Lily."

"Yes."

"They’re there, right?"

"Yes, they are."

That was enough confirmation. Telling Stevie might lead to unnecessary comments, and she was busy eating dried sweet potatoes she had taken out of her pocket, so I left her alone.

The group ahead seemed to number only a few. They were clustered together and had clearly noticed us. The fact that they noticed us but didn’t run meant they probably couldn’t escape. Captain, notice them already!

Just as I was about to call out to the captain, light glinted from the group ahead — they had drawn their swords. Someone noticed.

"Captain! Over there!"

A team member pointed. Normally, revealing that you’ve noticed them so obviously would make the other side flee, but they didn’t move.

The captain finally noticed too.

"Prepare arrows. Advance slowly."

The archers nocked arrows, and the security team crept forward cautiously.

Looking closely, there were seven in total. Oh, my vision and night vision seem to have improved. Two people were sitting in the middle of the group, surrounded by others holding swords and facing us. When we were less than 20 meters away, the captain called out:

"Hey! You lot, surrender quietly! Don’t resist unnecessarily! If you surrender, we’ll at least spare your li—"

Before he could finish, five from the group charged toward us. Because the captain had been speaking, we had been waiting for him to finish, creating a moment of carelessness. They took advantage of it. The archers fired in panic, but of course they missed. In this darkness with their poor skill, there was no way they’d hit.

The charging men swung their swords in silence.

"Gyah!"

"Uwah!"

Screams rose from the security team. A severed arm flew through the air. What kind of sword skill does it take to cut off an arm like that?

In an instant, several security team members were cut down. The rest immediately fell into a defensive, retreating posture. This is bad, isn’t it? I’m here, you know? Aren’t you supposed to protect me at all costs? But to them, protecting me probably wasn’t worth risking their lives.

"Stevie!"

"Understood!!"

Lily and Stevie drew their swords and stepped in front of me. Both were using swords shorter than a man’s — not quite daggers, but about two-thirds the length with narrower blades. With swords like that, they’d probably snap if they blocked a man’s blade. I drew my sword as well. Since I was still a child, I used one the same length as theirs. It would be best if we never had to use them, but of course, in situations like this, that never happens.