Welcome to Hell! - Chapter 281: Side Story— Behind the Scenes of Bandit Subjugation

“H-Help…”

“This is…impossible…”

The fight between the boy and the bandits was so one-sided that it could hardly be called a battle. The boy moved deftly while wielding his great sword with ease as he swiftly cut down one bandit after another. The heavy, thick blade cut bodies in half with a single stroke, leaving no corpse intact. The air was thick with the stench of blood.

The boy who was responsible for creating such carnage did not bat one eye in front of the sea of blood in front of him. It was as if this level of brutality was normal for him. What was particularly unsettling was that not a drop of blood stained the boy. Despite the copious amounts of blood spraying from the cleaved bodies, none seemed to reach him.

Constantly vigilant, the boy scanned his surroundings to ensure no one was left moving. Then, after a flick of his great sword through the air to clean off the blood, he exhaled shortly as if he had just finished his work.

“That’s that. All that’s left is to tie up these fellows and take them back, then the mission is complete.”

“Eeeh! Eeeeek!”

The leader who grew stunned as his men were swiftly defeated snapped back to reality—or perhaps he snapped out of it—when the boy’s gaze turned towards him. In a panic, he attempted to flee while screaming.

The brash and somewhat charismatic leader who had stood before the boy’s arrival was nowhere to be found. Now, consumed by a fear he hadn’t felt in a long time, he became the very embodiment of the weaklings he would likely crush without a second thought.

But the boy wasn’t one to let his prey escape easily. Closing the gap in a single breath, he seized the leader by the neck and slammed him to the ground. Pinning him face down with a knee on his back to immobilize him, the boy then bound his wrists behind him with a coarse rope.

“That takes care of this one. Now for the other…”

When the boy restrained the leader of the bandits, the small man wielding a dagger approached from behind. His movements were agile and silent. He was certainly the most skilled one of them.

Yet, the boy was no ordinary opponent. Even though he wasn’t making any footsteps, the boy noticed the small man approaching from behind, dove down to avoid the blade, and rammed his elbow into the small man’s stomach.

“Ugh… Damn it…!”

“Really, that took me by surprise. Those moves don’t seem like they belong to a mere bandit. Did you get some serious training in the army or something?”

The boy’s guess was not far off the mark. Indeed, the small man had been raised within an organization of a certain country. However, what he was wrong about was that although this organization was under the direct control of the state, it was not of the army but a behind-the-scenes organization that did all the dirty work.

The organization’s duties included espionage for gathering intelligence and assassination to eliminate those deemed a threat to the state. These dangerous tasks often treated agents as disposable tools, with failure resulting in death.

From a young age, members were trained to accept this harsh reality. Yet, fortunately or unfortunately, the small man managed to retain his sanity. So he devised a plan, faked his death, escaped, and gained his freedom. This was the reason behind his exceptional skills.

“It’s none of your business. Release our leader!”

“Your confidence isn’t just in your dagger skills, I see. That smell… poison, huh?”

Taking a low stance and keeping his center of gravity low, the small man pointed his dagger at the boy. The blade was coated with a mixture of powerful poisons, a single scratch of which could result in immediate death. With the night setting in and the clouds obscuring the sky, it would have been difficult to discern the poisoned blade.

Yet, the boy instantly detected it through his sense of smell. The small man was surprised more than frustrated by being found out. After all, the poison he used was supposed to be both tasteless and odorless.

“It’s a mix of many things, but… there’s a nostalgic scent. Let’s see, ah yes… that’s it! The Hades Scorpion! You’re using Hades Scorpion poison too, aren’t you?”

Indeed, as the boy stated, the concoction of poisons included the poison of the Hades Scorpion. Not only was he able to detect the odorless, tasteless poison by smell, but he could also distinguish the specific substances used in the mix. It was unbelievable, even if his senses were enhanced by his fighting spirit.

However, this revelation did not cause the little man to surrender. Despite being a villain, he could not abandon his leader, who valued him as a right-hand man, never treated him as disposable, and always gave him proper recognition.

“So what if you know the types of poison? Doesn’t change the fact that a mere scratch will kill you!”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

There was no sign of tension in the boy’s nonchalant response, which indicated his confidence in subduing the small man without so much as a graze from the poisoned blade. The small man, whose goal was to save himself and escape with his leader, could only grit his teeth in frustration.

How could he turn the tables in this situation? The small man tried desperately to think of a way, but the boy was not kind enough to give him time.

“What!? It’s hot!? Ah!?”

In that desperate moment, the small man’s dagger suddenly began to glow red-hot, and the blade began to melt. The heat was transferred to the hilt as well, and the unprepared small man could not withstand the melting temperature of the metal, so he had no choice but to let go of the dagger.

The boy quickly closed the gap, took advantage of the critical opening, and delivered a blow to the small man’s jaw. The impact rattled his brain, leaving him unable to stand, and he collapsed to his knees.

“Admirable loyalty, but you’re just bandits in the end. You’ll serve as merits for me.”

“Damn it! You brat!?”

The boy then used another rope he had prepared to tie up the small man and to avoid any noise, he gagged him. However, despite the boy’s surprising strength that belied his appearance, carrying two people back by himself proved difficult. He grabbed the rope and dragged the two toward a specific location.

“Is it over?”

“Yeah. It was a piece of cake.”

At the destination the boy was headed for, a single carriage stood. A slender man sat in the coachman’s seat and his features were obscured by a hooded cloak. The presence of a straight sword at his waist meant that he was more than just a coachman.

“I’d warn you not to let your guard down, but… our enemies are merely bandits skilled at fleeing. If Tigar heard you struggled with them, he’d fly into a rage.”

“Right, Mr. Zald I’ll take these guys to the cargo bed then.”

With that, the boy jumped onto the cargo bed along with the two bound bandits, and the carriage slowly started moving.

◆◇◆◇◆◇

The capital of Stalhern earldom, right in the heart of the Stalhern noble family’s territory, was buzzing with activity. Even though the entire Kingdom of Harlasia, under the king’s leadership maintained a semblance of comfort compared to other nations even in times of war, the prosperity of each territory still depended heavily on the abilities of the local lord. This was proof of the effective management of the head of the earldom, Lieselotte Herzfeldt.

Two people were talking in a room of a private house in the capital. One was a man in his early thirties, of medium build with a gentle demeanor, and the other was a teenager in his early teens, a bit chubby but with arms covered in muscles like armor. Had there been any onlookers, the disparity between the two would have been strikingly obvious.

“…And that’s the whole story.”

“My, my. That’s quite impressive indeed.”

And if anyone had been present, they would have been surprised to see that it was the young man who was clearly acting in an arrogant manner. Without hesitation, the young man popped the offered candy into his mouth as if it were a matter of course, and drained the fragrant, high-quality tea without a hint of savoring it, as if it was his right to do so.

The man did not rebuke the young man’s presumptuous attitude, and his face was always adorned with a smile. Whether that smile was a genuine expression of amusement or a mask to hide his true feelings, the young man didn’t even try to tell.

“Leo may be nothing more than a muscle-brained swordsman, but he would have been a natural enemy to guys like this.”

“Indeed. The terror of a demon’s senses is something I’ve keenly felt, young master Bolts.”

The one who spoke to the man was Bolts, who had remained in the kingdom to serve Lieselotte. After parting ways with Antares and the others, Bolts traveled to Lieselotte’s domain with Leo, Zard, and Sophie, where each of them had been assigned their respective duties.

For Leo, it was keeping the peace in the area. It could be said that this was the perfect role to utilize the fighting skills of Leo, who was one of the most talented of the demons. Not limited to dealing with bandits, Leo roamed the territory on behalf of Lieselotte and arrested criminals, and subdued dangerous creatures.

On the other hand, Bolts, who came from a business background, often found himself doing desk work such as accounting. This wasn’t only because of Lieselotte’s instructions, but also because of Bolt’s own preference. Lieselotte, who appreciated anyone with a high administrative ability, was more than willing to accommodate this.

However, there was an underlying reason Bolts refrained from involving himself in rougher tasks. He would never admit it, but he was well aware of his lack of aptitude for combat. It was obvious that he was inferior to Leo, and he didn’t want his ego to be hurt by the comparison.

Regardless of Bolt’s personal feelings, Leo’s reputation in the Stalhern earldom was on the rise, and a short period of time was enough to raise his status. Lieselotte’s promotion played a role, but more so Leo’s fighting skills and his character.

Even as a newcomer representing Lieselotte, it wouldn’t have been pleasant to be looked down upon. But Leo didn’t just show his strength; he actively engaged with the local people. At first, he was not only shunned, but even scolded, but gradually his efforts were recognized because of his strong will to reduce prejudice against demons.

“This will make for detailed documentation. What do you think?”

“…Yes, yes. It’s quite persuasive.”

Bolts handed the man the documents he had pulled from his pocket. These were copies of detailed reports on the bandit subjugation. Reading these reports would reveal just how extraordinary Leo’s contributions as a fighter were and it went far beyond what the rumors told.

It wasn’t just his sheer fighting strength that was noteworthy. His ability to navigate the darkness with ease, thanks to his night vision, and his amazing sense of smell, which can detect poisons, were highlighted. The reports also listed several other aspects in which demons outperformed other races, backed by actual data.

Why the man was collecting this information and what he intended to use it for were questions Bolts didn’t know the answers to, nor did he intend to inquire. After all, his only concern was regaining the status and wealth he once had as a merchant’s son.