The Tin Knight-Chapter 10: The Tin Knight and The City of Pleasure (4)

To you outside the monitor, the battle with the bandits felt like an exhilarating action game.

Striking, blocking, creating distance, or rolling on the ground to avoid attacks.

There was no particular tension.

For you, who had faced opponents like a greatsword-wielding dog, a monkey that calmly revived even after being beheaded, or a charcoal king who cheated with specs and patterns, these human traffickers were not significant opponents.1

Of course, you couldn’t be completely careless, as the pattern of seemingly weak mobs actually being incredibly strong was surprisingly common.

However, the perspective of “you” actually fighting on the scene was a bit different.

There was an enormous gap between clicking a mouse button a few times beyond the screen and actually swinging a sword.

Your position. The opponent’s position. Surrounding obstacles.

The trajectory of your sword had to constantly adapt to these variables, and a shield wasn’t just a convenient barrier that blocked attacks when raised but required the technique to accurately receive and deflect the opponent’s attacks.

Techniques like stepping inside the opponent’s legs to throw them off balance, or using walls or furniture to deny space for the enemy to swing their weapons, were subtle skills only possible on the scene. Not in the sense of being trivial or minor, but in the sense of being too intricate to execute individually with just a keyboard and mouse.

Moreover, unlike you outside the monitor who habitually tried to avoid or block every enemy attack, you on the scene knew that it was more efficient to fight while taking some minor hits.

The vast combat experience engraved in the body of the “Tin Knight” informed you, like a seasoned guide, about what was acceptable to tank and what wasn’t.

Of course, this didn’t mean you were two people. You were both the player and the player character.

Someone might point out this out as a contradiction, but since it was the truth, there was no better way to put it.

And besides, you were a man of action who relished in the thrill of battle against a multitude of opponents rather than one to fret over something as needless as philosophical issues.

“P-please spa—guhhh!”

The battle soon came to an end.

Rather than killing each of the dozens of enemies one by one, you focused on disabling their capability to fight by cutting off arms or legs. The incapacitated bandits were soon vanquished by your allies trailing behind.

“Die! Die! Because of you, my family...”

The women who were initially full of enthusiasm but shrank back at the moment of truth gradually became more spirited, and even the hesitant men who were at first just cautiously observing eventually actively participated in the battle.

It was clear that the sight of you effortlessly performing a one-man army act against dozens of bandits had ignited their enthusiasm.

Or perhaps, the men’s enthusiasm stemmed from the thought that if they didn’t fight properly now, they’d join the bandits on the floor.

“What the hell? Who are you people?!”

After most of the bandits occupying the tavern had been swept away, the handful of remaining bandits seemed to have fallen into a complete state of panic.

It wasn’t unreasonable for them to feel extreme fear and confusion, given that their comrades, who had been drinking and chatting with them mere moments ago, had all turned into corpses.

Of course, you didn’t need to be considerate of that. If they didn’t like it, they shouldn’t have committed heinous crimes like human trafficking in the first place.

You subdued the remaining bandits by beating them up moderately, then signaled to Ronnie.

At first, she seemed confused by your intentions, but when you showed her a few gestures, she soon nodded in understanding.

“Answer me honestly. Where are the people kidnapped from Friedel domain?”

At Ronnie’s question, the bandit darted his eyes.

“K-kidnapping! What are you talking about? I think you’ve got the wrong gu—“

The bandit’s words were cut short.

A man couldn’t speak with a sword cleaved through his head, after all.

Red blood and gray brain matter spurted out, and all who bore witness, with the exception of yourself, flinched and trembled.

The reactions of the surviving bandits who saw their comrade’s head split in two right next to them were particularly intense.

You pointed your sword at the next bandit.

Ronnie spoke with a slightly hesitant tone, “Where are the people kidnapped from Friedel domain? Or even the location of your boss would be fine. If you know anything, spit it out. Otherwise, well...”

Though her words trailed off, the implication was clear.

To reinforce her words, you moved your sword up and down.

The bandit spoke with a pale face, “W-we don’t know how the goods will be disposed of, that’s decided by the boss! It’s the same for the boss’ location. He hardly gives us any information.”

It was a frustrating answer.

You turned your gaze to another surviving bandit.

Perhaps interpreting your action, the bandit’s tongue moved at high speed.

“But I know where the second-in-command is! He would know where the boss is and how the slaves will be disposed of! So please!”

This answer was quite usable.

You nodded, then stood up the surviving bandits.

Then, you patted their backs lightly.

“Urgh.”

Perhaps remembering what had happened to him a few hours ago, the man with a large bruise on his face made an expression as if he felt sick.

This was a good thing.

It meant that your intention was clearly conveyed.

Above all, it was easier to repeat instructions for something that had been done before than to give instructions for something completely new.

“Sir Knight. Are you perhaps thinking of having them guide us right away?”

When you nodded, Ronnie’s gaze moved between the darkening sky, the wrecked tavern, or more precisely, the first floor of the inn, and her weary companions.

You could roughly understand what she wanted to say.

Therefore, you fell into contemplation.

Your body had no particular wounds, and the mana you received from Dorothea was still plentiful. You had enough juice in the tank to carry on.

And more importantly, you wanted to fight more.

Your body, accustomed to the clicking of keys and the gliding of a mouse, was finally starting to sync with the swinging of a sword and the deflection of a shield. Ending the battle now felt premature.

However, that desire stemmed from the fact that you knew not of the hardship of pain and fatigue, nor the threat of death.

Forcing the same standards on ordinary people would be far too cruel. You didn’t ignore this fact.

Of course, if you were just thinking about “fighting”, there was no need to move with the group, you could just go and rampage alone, but then there would be no one to interpret(?) your actions.

The same was true for the rescue operation of the “young lady” and other slaves.

“I understand. Let’s hurry.”

What pulled you out of your contemplation was Ronnie’s words.

“After rampaging so spectacularly, news will soon reach the ears of Colombo’s gang, no, the bandit group. If they properly prepare and gather in one place ready to fight, we’ll be at an even greater disadvantage.”

You briefly thought, “Huh? Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to let them regroup so we can wipe them out all at once?” but lacking vocal cords, you couldn’t voice it.

Thanks to this, Ronnie’s perception of you as “a righteous knight who showed no mercy to evildoers but fought selflessly for innocent civilians” was preserved.

Silence was truly a virtue.

“To settle this swiftly before the bandit group can prepare. If that is your will, Sir Knight, I will follow.”

Though you felt as if her interpretation was overly generous, you didn’t particularly deny Ronnie’s words.

After all, she said she would follow, and she seemed full of enthusiasm, so you thought that was enough.

“We’ve come this far, we can’t turn back now!”

“Um... it seems like our job is done, so is it okay if we leave now—no, it’s nothing.”

The women once again burned with fighting spirit, and the men also willingly swore to join this righteous journey.

The remaining bandits, desperate to survive, eagerly guided the strange group that inexplicably grew in number the more they skirmished.

***Fundamentally, there were two types of villains.

Those who were aware of their wickedness, and those who remained oblivious.

Vesparo, the second-in-command of the Colombo bandit group, was the former.

He knew that his actions were wicked, and was fully aware that he deserved to be labeled as a villain by society.

— Hey Ves, lighten up, would ya!? There’s gold and silver, good wine, and stunning beauties here—why the long face?

Unlike the boss, Colombo, who carried himself under the notion that no one was more upright than him under the heavens, Vesparo was always cautious and wary.

He was a bandit.

He was a villain.

His life was one of countless grudges, a life where if he was suddenly stabbed while walking down the street, he would have no choice but to accept it as reaping the karma of his misdeeds.

Therefore, even when his subordinates indulged in alcohol, gambling, and women after a big score, Vesparo kept a gloomy expression, vigilant of his surroundings.

The city of pleasure, Albert.

This city, which willingly welcomed even criminals hated elsewhere as “guests”, was like a paradise for bandits where they could freely spend the money they had plundered, but it was also a dangerous place for the same reason.

The enemy of evil was good.

However, it was undeniable that evil was often time consumed by a greater evil than it was vanquished by good.

While the Colombo bandit group was a notorious villain in the area, in this city, there were plenty whose evil was just as great, if not more so.

To show a relaxed appearance and let down one’s guard in such a place was, in Vesparo’s opinion, as foolish and stupid as having a feast in a wild forest without a single lookout.

...Maybe I should have forcibly gathered them all nearby after all? They should at least be following the order to move in groups of at least ten no matter what happens.

In a room on the second floor of the lodging rented entirely under the bandit group’s name.

Looking down at the night view of the city visible through the window, Vesparo clicked his tongue.

He wanted to gather all the subordinates who would be out enjoying themselves around the city and have them on standby in a semi-war state, but Vesparo knew well that such an order was unrealistic.

The notion that a subordinate would unconditionally obey the orders of a superior merely because they were a part of the same organization was delusional.

Even in the military, where the hierarchy was most rigid and old-fashioned, insubordination was frequent in extreme situations, so it was nonsense to expect firm loyalty and a law-abiding spirit from a mere group of bandits.

To skillfully handle a pack of beasts that knew no gratitude or discipline, one needed the technique of giving them an appropriate amount of “meat”.

If there was a boss like Colombo who had the charisma to wield his subordinates at will without such compensation, it would have been a different story, but he was now on his way to the lord’s castle for a major deal.

It was solely Vesparo’s responsibility to protect the bandit group until the boss returned.

Vesparo prayed to the heavens.

Please, let nothing happen. Let today pass uneventfully.

“S-Second-in-Command! Our guys have been attacked! According to witnesses, they were almost completely wiped out...”

“Damn it.”

The heavens answered Vesparo’s prayer with fiery contempt.

Then again, even if he had been the heavens, if some bandit offered a prayer, he would probably have just ignored it thinking, “Has this bastard gone crazy?”

“Which ones were they?”

“At the Black Boar Inn!”

“With the size of that place, there must have been at least over twenty. And you’re saying they were all taken out. Did you confirm who the enemy was?”

“It was a knight in full armor, accompanied by five women, and four men!”

It was a conversation that would have made the Tin Knight wonder why these bandit bastards had such a systematic reporting system.

It was the result of Vesparo’s constant drilling and training of his subordinates.

After all, even bandits needed to reach this level of competence to plunder a noble’s domain.

Vesparo fell into thought for a moment.

After inferring the identity of the enemy from the composition of the attackers, Vesparo soon gave instructions.

“Call all our guys here right now. And drag a few slaves from the basement, prepare them so they can be used as shields if necessary.”

At Vesparo’s instruction, his subordinate asked back with a confused expression, “Didn’t you say the slaves were meant to be used in the deal with the lord? If we dispose of them arbitrarily...”

“The boss already took the most important goods anyway, the rest are just extras. That’s enough, just do as I say!”

The cautious and meticulous Vesparo always had a habit of assuming the worst-case scenario.

Considering the identity of the “goods” that the Colombo bandit group was currently trying to trade, it wasn’t far-fetched for outside pursuers to come to recover the goods.

A knight in full armor, huh? Could it be someone dispatched from the main family of the Lion Duke’s bloodline? And they said more than half of the attackers were women, one group of the guys who were supposed to join us in the city has gone silent, maybe it’s related to that. There’s also a good chance that those Mark guys sold us out. I need to gather the subordinates as quickly as possible and contact the boss—

CRASH!!

The sound of something falling and breaking from below.

Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.

Gripped by an ominous feeling, Vesparo hurriedly opened the door and hastily went down the stairs.

And he saw...

Slash! Thwack! Bang!

“Guh!”

The broken front door. The wrecked first floor. His subordinates being cut down like straw.

The figure of the knight covered in blood who had caused all this chaos.

The knight’s head turned toward Vesparo.

「──」

The moment the blue flame-like eyes gazed at him, Vesparo realized.

His life lived as a villain.

The calamity that would mark its end had now arrived.

1. ED Note: TL Note: Bosses from different souls game.Greatsword-wielding dog = Sif from Dark SoulsMonkey that revives after being beheaded = Guardian Ape (although I don't know why its called an ape when it has a tail? The translator probably just decided that sounded better) from SekiroCharcoal King = Burnt Ivory King from Dark Souls 2.