The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

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The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

Episode 38: Chasing Weaklings

A week had passed since defeating King Trent, and one day, Fiera and I found ourselves in a village near the Adonia Barony.

The village wasn’t very large, but I had heard that the residents helped each other out and were self-sufficient with their crops, making it a livable place.

That was until a few days ago.

The reason we came to this village was that bandits had made it their home nearby, and just a few days prior, these bandits had stolen food from the residents, prompting a request for help.

Normally, I wouldn’t take on requests to subdue bandits, but recently I had grown bored fighting only monsters, and I needed some human combat to keep my skills sharp.

I occasionally sparred with Fiera when I had free time, but without any intent to kill, the tension was always lacking a bit.

So, this time, to avoid dulling my combat senses, I decided to take on a request to deal with bandits for good.

“Thank you for accepting our request. I am Zoda, the village chief,” he said.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Eir, an A Rank Adventurer, and this is my party member, Fiera.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Zoda was an elderly man leaning on a staff, and it seemed he hadn’t slept well since the troubles with the bandits, as there were dark circles under his eyes, giving off a general aura of fatigue.

“It’s a humble village, but rather than standing here, let’s go to my house.”

After a short walk, we arrived at Zoda’s house, and we were invited to sit on chairs.

“I’m not sure if this will suit your tastes, but please…”

“Thank you.”

Taking a sip of the tea placed on the table, we immediately began asking about the bandits.

“So, could you tell us more about the bandits?”

“Yes. A few days ago, they suddenly appeared in our village and demanded food. We initially refused, but a young one was nearly killed as a warning, so in the end, they took most of our food supplies.”

The area around the Adonia Barony was known for frequent monster attacks, resulting in little trade from merchants.

Even when merchants did come, prices were significantly higher than in other territories, making it hard for villagers to afford anything.

Consequently, surrounding villages relied on growing their own crops or hunting small game in nearby forests for survival, making it normal to get through winter on their reserves.

However, this time, they lost their reserves to the bandits, and with them now living nearby, the villagers needed help for their future.

“I understand the situation. So, do you know where these bandits are hiding?”

“Yes. There’s a forest a short walk from the village, and deep within it, there’s an abandoned mine; it seems they’ve made that their base.”

After receiving all the information Zoda could provide, we headed into the forest to take on the bandits.

Upon entering, we concealed our presence and ran for a while until we arrived at the abandoned mine Zoda mentioned.

“There’s a lookout.”

Hiding behind a tree, I glanced toward the mine entrance, where two men stood guard.

“I’ll use detection magic to scout inside the mine. Fiera, keep watch around us.”

“Got it.”

I closed my eyes to concentrate and used my detection magic to probe the mine.

“The interior is a bit complex. There are about thirty bandits inside. The back is slightly wider, and there are two strong-looking guys there. They’re probably the bosses.”

After sharing our findings with Fiera, we devised a plan for our approach.

“As I said, the layout is complex, with several paths aside from this one. They must have dug these while mining here.”

“Then, should we split up and block the paths?”

“No, I’ll block them all. Fiera, you stay here and keep watch. There’s a chance they might come rushing out while I’m away, and if they make it to the village, it would defeat the purpose.”

“Understood.”

After sketching out our plan, I left Fiera’s side and proceeded clockwise to where other paths were located.

“Here we go. ‘Earthen Wall.’”

Arriving at the first junction, I checked to make sure no guards were around and used earth magic to create a wall, tapping it lightly to check its sturdiness.

“Seems solid enough. Just to be safe, let’s set some traps too.”

Since the impact might break the wall, I constructed a pitfall and a falling cage above.

I continued to seal off several paths, finding guards only in a couple of places; the others showed no signs of anyone having passed through.

(Were they unable to find this passage?)

It was unclear how much the bandits knew about the mine, but I decided to block all the paths just in case.

Once I finished my preparations, I hurried back to Fiera.

“Fiera. Have there been any changes?”

“No. The lookout looked bored and was yawning.”

“…I see.”

I couldn’t help but think that the bandits here might not be very strong, but since we had taken on this request, we had to see it through.

“I’ve blocked all the paths, so let’s move on.”

“Okay.”

“First, we take care of the lookout. If he’s sleepy, let’s help him sleep. ‘Sleep.’”

Using dark magic to put the guards to sleep, we bound them with the rope we brought, then boldly entered the mine from the front.

“I’ll lead the way; Fiera, keep an eye on our rear.”

“Understood.”

Walking in a line, we paid attention to any traps or ambushes, moving smoothly until we reached what seemed like a break room.

“Fiera. There are five men inside. When I open the door, we strike all at once.”

“Got it.”

“‘Soundproof.’”

Casting wind magic to muffle our sounds, we opened the door and stepped inside.

We split up, quickly dispatching four men, and the final one finally noticed us and readied his weapon.

“W-who are you?!”

“We’re the adventurers who took the request to eliminate you.”

“Adventurers?! …But it looks like there are just two of you! An attack?! …Hah! You won’t stand a chance once the bosses arrive!”

The man smugly rambling on quickly found that none of his buddies were coming to back him up.

“W-why… why is no one coming?”

Realizing something was off, I decided to enlighten him.

“It’s pointless. This room is soundproofed, so no one can hear your shouting.”

“N-no way…”

“Well then, you should just die.”

In an instant, I closed the distance between us and decapitated him with my sword.

“Alright. Let’s go to the next one.”

“Yeah.”

Having utilized the same tactics to eliminate the remaining bandits, we finally arrived at the final chamber where the bandit bosses awaited.

“We’re here!”

No longer hiding, we confidently entered the room.

“What do you want?!”

A large man in the center squinted at us, prompting me to go through the usual self-introduction.

“We’ve come to take you down.”

“Adventurers? What happened to the others?”

“They’re all dead. Just you guys left now.”

In the room were seven men, including the boss, one of whom appeared to be a magician.

“Oh? You’re tougher than I thought. Boys, have some fun with them.”

As the boss commanded, the five men around him lunged at us, but they stood no chance against Fiera and me, swiftly sending them to the afterlife.

“Ugh. Useless bastards. Fine, I’ll handle these two myself.”

He said as he picked up two swords propped against the wall and prepared to face us.

The magician behind him also readied his wand, prepared to cast spells at a moment’s notice.

“Fiera, can I take the boss?”

“Sure, then I’ll handle the magician.”

With that, Fiera closed the distance to the magician in an instant using physical enhancement.

However, the magician seemed competent too, quickly summoning a defensive barrier.

“Alright. Let’s get this started.”

I slowly unsheathed my sword and faced the boss.

“Here we go. ‘Physical Enhancement.’”

The boss charged at me, dual swords at the ready.

(Hm. He’s fast, but that’s about it. He can fight a little, but his hits are too weak.)

After analyzing him, I swung my sword upwards with both hands from below.

“Ugh?!”

The impact knocked him back a step, and I took the opportunity to step in and slash off his left wrist.

“Ahhh!”

Holding his severed wrist, he fell to his knees, glaring at me, breathing heavily.

“My dual sword strikes… don’t work?!”

“You had decent speed, but that’s all there is to it. If you’re going to use dual swords, you need to train your strength more. Being one-handed makes it easy to overpower you.”

Offering my last advice as he faced his end, I beheaded him and he collapsed to the ground.

“Eir, I’m done over here.”

“Good job.”

When I turned to see Fiera, she had also defeated the magician, leaving a hole in his chest, so we took the remaining bandit corpses outside to burn before heading back to the village.

At that time, we brought along the two men guarding the entrance as witnesses to the successful completion of our request, ensuring we accomplished our task without issue.