Chapter 179 – Base Suppression

“…Say that again.”

The man who appeared to be the leader grimaced at the report from the men who had fled back.

The bandit base hidden in the forest appeared to have been created by digging into the ground and then hardening it. The construction was slightly better than a natural cave, likely serving as a temporary place to prepare for town raids before moving out.

Though it probably utilized techniques similar to Magic Construction, it wasn’t particularly sophisticated. At best, it provided shelter from the elements and the bare minimum for survival.

“S-so, you see, this mage brat came falling from the sky!”

“Probably from a Dragon Palanquin, I saw it!”

“And there were beastfolk and a Lamia—and a ridiculously strong maid too.”

“…There was even a Dullahan…”

As his men spoke over each other, the leader wore a skeptical expression and pressed for confirmation.

“So you’re telling me they completely turned the situation around that easily?”

“Y-yes. That mage brat, well… he grew a lion and a goat from his body…”

All the men nodded in unison as if they had rehearsed it.

“…I have no idea what you’re talking about. Fine, get out of here.”

The leader shook his head. As his subordinates left, he turned to the man beside him.

“What do you think, Lionel?”

“…It doesn’t seem like they’re joking around.”

The man asked for his opinion—Lionel—looked somewhat perplexed.

Both the leader and Lionel appeared to be magicians. Perhaps one specialized in Magic Construction like ballistas and base building, while the other handled necromancy?

From that, one could infer one magician had deep knowledge of Earth and Wood Magic, while the other mastered Dark Magic. Though there wasn’t enough information yet to determine who was who.

“Well, regardless of how credible their story is, the fact remains that they lost. In that case… we should evacuate this place quickly.”

“After going through all the trouble of grave robbing, and this is what we get…”

The grave robbing was probably to create living dead or Skeletons.

Lionel’s expression darkened, but the leader remained firm.

“We’ve stumbled at the first step. Didn’t they say the enemy came from a Dragon Palanquin? If they use Wyverns to call for reinforcements from nearby, escaping will become impossible.”

“…They said they took a detour to escape.”

“How effective will that be against such mysterious magicians? And besides. They’ve probably captured our comrades as prisoners. It’s only a matter of time before this place is discovered.”

That sealed it. Lionel let out a weary sigh.

“…I suppose there’s no choice.”

“Exactly. We have no choice but to report our failure.”

“Are we taking them with us? They don’t know anything about us anyway. We could just leave them—”

“No.”

The leader immediately cut off Lionel’s words.

“We need to maintain our cover. Even in defeat, we have to act the part. We’ll disguise ourselves as a merchant caravan and attempt to escape.”

“If you say so…”

As Lionel made a face like he’d bitten into something sour, the leader laughed.

“Don’t worry, even if they catch the leader of some washed-up mercenary-turned-bandit group, they won’t bother with interrogation.”

“I envy how easily you can brush things off, Donovan.”

So… something smells fishy here. Does this mean there’s someone behind these guys too? It wouldn’t be unheard of for a noble’s retainer to form a bandit group for privateering purposes.

In any case, there are two magicians leading some kind of mercenary or bandit group with someone’s intentions in mind. And their subordinates don’t know about it… I see.

Either way, there’s little point in letting them swim free now.

I’d love to ambush them with Caduceus right away, but if they’re equipped with Magic Tools to defend against Surprise Attacks like Rosemary was, it might fail. It would be better to keep Caduceus hidden until the last possible moment for tracking purposes if they escape.

“…I’ve gathered enough necessary information. We’re going in.”

I relay the information obtained through Five Senses Link to everyone. We should be cautious with the two magicians. And since we’ll be fighting in a confined space, we won’t benefit much from flight… but we’re used to such places from Labyrinth exploration.

“There are two lookouts.”

“I’ll handle them.”

Ashley moves. With Seraphina’s ability silencing the sound of her pushing through the bushes, she easily closes within range and unleashes a Water Magic Sleep Cloud from her hands.

It takes only a moment for them to be engulfed by the Sleep Cloud. The lookouts seemed to cry out, but no sound was made. They collapse on the spot. Simultaneously, Sticky Thread flies from Sheila’s Arachne Band, restraining both lookouts.

The hideout entrance is disguised with bushes. At a glance, it’s hard to notice, but since I’m watching from inside with Caduceus, it’s not a problem.

While there are opaque areas like interior rooms, I know the location of the leader’s position.

When Marlene lights the Lantern, a phantom identical to one of the lookouts appears. We’ll have this lead the way.

First, we eliminate escape routes. After sealing the entrance with Earth Magic to prevent anyone from leaving, we begin the seizure. We advance down the torch-lit passage toward the back.

“Hey. You, your post is—”

The first person we encounter is alone. Grace’s hand extends as if piercing through the phantom’s chest. She grabs him by the collar and slams him to the floor.

The bandit, stunned by the impact that knocked the wind out of him, is put to Sleep by Ashley and restrained with Sticky Thread. The entire sequence is completely silent. We handle each encounter as they come, flowing through them smoothly.

“The remaining members—they’re gathered in what appears to be a dining hall.”

It’s an open space. The leader Donovan is announcing their evacuation.

Since many are out preparing for town raids, only the minimum necessary personnel remain at the base. Perhaps because they were either in the middle of an operation or about to withdraw, everyone is armed.

But well—since we’re launching a Surprise Attack, it doesn’t matter much.

“Let’s go!”

The moment we burst into the dining hall, I slam a Fireball into the gathered crowd.

Explosion, Burning. Screams erupt.

“Ahhh! It’s that mage brat!”

One of the bandits who spotted me shouts.

“I’ll handle the leader!”

“Understood!”

Our scattered companions charge at the bandits. We know it will turn into a chaotic melee. We’ll manipulate the battle situation to our advantage with the ice fortifications created by Ashley and Lavigne while causing disruption. We won’t give them any time to think or reorganize.

From the start, I know they’re no match for my companions based on their skills. My targets are Donovan and Lionel.

I charge straight in, but bandits reaching for the swords at their waists block the direct path to my targets.

“Out of my way!”

I swing Ouroboros infused with Magical Power in a wide arc, blowing away both the men and the human wall they form.

“Don’t underestimate me!”

Rather than retreating, Donovan seems to have realized he’s being targeted and shifts to counterattack. A Magic Circle unfolds at the tip of his Staff, and he unleashes Dark Magic Fourth Rank: Phantom Eater.

It’s a Magic that releases simple magical lifeforms resembling soul entities with fangs.

He fires multiple shots simultaneously. Quite skilled. I deploy a Shield with my left hand. While blocking the Phantom Eaters’ attacks, I strike them down with Ouroboros.

“Lionel! He’s seriously dangerous! Summon your Golems before he closes in!”

“Right!”

As Lionel responds, multiple Clay Golems appear. Donovan uses Dark Magic, Lionel uses Earth Magic. So their roles are clear now.

But instead of coming at me, Lionel immediately turns to flee after creating the Golems. He seems intent on using Earth Magic to create a hole in the wall for an escape route.

But he’s being naive.

At Lionel’s feet. A hardened spear from Caduceus shoots out from the shadows.

“What!?”

It looked like it would impale Lionel’s leg, but something exploded near his chest, and Caduceus’s Surprise Attack ended in Failure.

As expected. Was he wearing a protective Amulet? Caduceus’s Surprise Attack failed, but Caduceus stands blocking the hole Lionel made in the wall. I point the spear tip at Lionel, narrowing his options.

Essentially, by showing that I’ll attack immediately if he moves, I prevent him from making any moves to escape.

“Mer… Mercury? Since when— No, what is this absurd speed…?”

Ignoring the Golems blocking my path completely, I zigzag through the gaps and strike at his back.

“Lionel!”

As I strike with Ouroboros, Donovan intervenes. A black sphere appears, and I can feel the Magical Power being drained from Ouroboros, diminishing its power. I leap back to create distance.

Dark Magic Fifth Rank: Black Drinker. A Defense Magic that absorbs Magical Power and negates magical attacks.

This reaction speed and Magic selection. Donovan is—quite the seasoned veteran. But Lionel first.

Donovan, a Dark Magic user specializing in necromancy, can’t create troops here without prepared corpses. I’ll crush Lionel first, who can create escape routes and Golems.

I deploy a massive Magic Circle. Donovan and Lionel’s eyes widen at its scale.

“What is… that ridiculous—”

Without answering, I fly toward Donovan. As Donovan prepares to counter, Teleportation Magic activates before his eyes. In an instant, I’ve circled around to Lionel’s back.

“Teleportation… Magic?”

Roughly an Eighth Rank level Magic. Casting Magic consecutively would normally require considerable strain, but this time it’s unnecessary.

Lionel barely manages to deploy a Magic Shield behind him, but it’s futile.

I slam a Palm Strike into the Shield, and Lionel lets out a sound somewhere between agony and shock before collapsing forward.

Capella’s fiery breath intercepts the incoming Phantom Eaters while I slam an Air Bullet into Lionel’s head, completely Silencing him. Simultaneously, I kick the Shield and step toward Donovan. All these actions occur almost simultaneously.

“U, ooooh!?”

He activates Levitation. Leaping back to create distance. But he’s naive. That’s still within my range.

“Guah!?”

Nemea’s fangs, shooting out from my sleeve, sink into Donovan’s leg as he tries to retreat. I swing him around. During this, my eyes meet Grace’s. She’s holding a bandit by the scruff of his neck.

“Grace!”

“Yes!”

Grace swings the man overhead and hurls him like a cannonball.

“Wai—”

Adding centrifugal force, I slam Donovan into the man. Donovan uses his Shield to prevent the collision, but that’s as far as he gets. Because my Knee Strike from charging in from behind impales Donovan’s occiput, sandwiching his face against the Shield. Donovan collapses limply, his eyes completely rolled back.