AEIRSMLAG Chapter 032

“Ugh. It seems the chicken we had for lunch was spoiled. Ugh!”

Lena barely managed to speak before bending over again. I gently rubbed her back.

It appeared that the lunchboxes we picked up from the village to eat on the move were the problem.

“That might be it. You’re the only one who ate the sandwich with chicken instead of ham.”

Perhaps that’s why the rest of the group was fine.

Lena, who had chosen chicken to avoid an allergy, was now struggling with food poisoning. After panting for a while, she lifted her pale face and looked at me. Her eyes, brimming with tears, were red.

“Miss, please leave me behind. What if I cause a delay in the schedule?”

“How could I leave you behind in this mountain? Don’t say such things.”

“Miss!”

Moved by my words, Lena covered her mouth.

“I’ll stay by your side forever, Miss… Ugh!”

Lena, in the middle of a melodramatic scene, suddenly puffed out her cheeks and bent over again, unable to finish her sentence.

What followed was a scene that looked like it needed to be censored.

Realizing there was nothing more I could do to help, I gave a bitter smile and called for Sir Adein, the head of our guards.

“Sir, let’s take a short break. Lena might collapse at this rate.”

“Understood.”

Sir Adein, equally flustered, gave a wry smile. He nodded to me before stepping away to relay orders to the others.

“We’ll depart once you feel a bit better, lie down in the carriage and rest.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine. The Leon territory is right ahead, so we can take it slow. Besides, it’s nice to get some fresh air now that we’ve stopped.”

“You really are an angel, Miss… Ugh!”

In the end, Lena, who had been panting as if trying to expel her stomach, collapsed and was helped into the carriage by Airi.

I felt sorry for Lena, who had been so excited about this long journey.

Given that it was food poisoning, it would be best if she took some medicine, but we didn’t have the right herbs in the supplies we brought.

‘Ah! If we’re close to the Leon territory, we should be able to find that herb.’

I recently had the chance to learn about an herb with detoxifying properties.

Although I had studied plants for the purpose of running the flower shop, I had also been flipping through books looking for a useful antidote for Ludwin when I came across a few plants that caught my eye.

At the very least, it would help her hold on until we reached the Leon territory and could call for a doctor.

As I strayed from the path and entered the shin-high bushes, Ludwin, who had been sitting quietly nearby, immediately followed me.

“Lu, you can stay there. I’ll just check if the herb I’m looking for is nearby and be right back.”

Even though Ludwin clearly understood my words, he brushed through the bushes and came right up to me as if it didn’t matter.

“Oh, here it is.”

It was easy to identify because it looked unique, like a chubby baby’s hand.

Revamcho. A plant with mild detoxifying effects, commonly used by people in the east.

“Miss, are you all right?”

Sir Adein, who had spotted me from a distance, called out.

“Yes, I’m just picking this herb. I’ll be out in a moment.”

“If you need anything, we can…”

Just then…

Ludwin suddenly pushed me.

“Huh? Lu?”

Whoosh—Thud!

I stumbled and lightly fell on my bottom, and at that moment, a long arrow whizzed past and embedded itself in the ground right in front of me.

“…An arrow?”

Grrrr.

Ludwin growled low, his gaze fixed on the dense bushes.

“Miss!”

Sir Adein rushed over, drawing his sword and standing guard in front of me, scanning the surroundings.

Then, from all directions, we heard rustling. It wasn’t just one or two people. After a while, the sounds continued until finally, figures began to emerge.

They were bandits.

“Oh, there really is one!”

“A silver-haired noblewoman, huh? Heh heh.”

It was then that I remembered the Barony of Verodian was known for bandit activity.

This is bad.

‘Damn.’

There were roughly twelve or thirteen bandits.

My father had wisely insisted on me bringing three knights for protection, but the bandits outnumbered us.

“Hey! Hand over that silver-haired woman, and we’ll let you go with your lives.”

The bandits sneered and mocked us.

‘Silver hair? Could they be after me?’

Sir Adein must have heard it too, as he moved closer to me.

“Miss, get to the carriage. I’ll cover you.”

I nodded, and with Ludwin, I quickly made my way toward the carriage. Sir Adein followed closely, guarding me.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Thud!

Arrows aimed at me flew past, but I gritted my teeth and didn’t stop. Each time an arrow thudded into the ground, my shoulders involuntarily tensed.

Lena and Airi, noticing the attack, peeked out from the carriage.

“Miss!”

“Are you all right?”

“Both of you, get back inside! Sir Hans, cover the carriage! Sir Dalden, assist Sir Adein!”

“Yes!”

Despite the sudden situation, everyone followed my orders promptly.

Fortunately, I managed to reach the carriage safely through the dense undergrowth.

“Lu!”

I grabbed the door handle, ready to close it, and called for him. But Ludwin didn’t seem interested in getting into the carriage.

Grrrr.

Instead, he looked ready to fight.

“What a foolhardy woman.”

At that moment, a large man, likely the leader, approached, swinging a massive axe over his shoulder.

Behind him, the bandits snickered as they surrounded the carriage, each wielding a crude weapon.

“Looks like there are more women inside that carriage. Boss?”

“Except for that silver-haired one, we can do whatever we want with the rest. We could make a good profit if we sell them to the slavers.”

We were surrounded on all sides in an instant.

I bit my lip.

‘These guys are human traffickers. I must not let them capture me.’

I fiddled with the ring on my finger, ready to use the attack magic tool if necessary.

Just then, one of the bandits shouted.

“Hey, isn’t that a wolf?”

“No way, is that woman really keeping a wolf?”

They had finally noticed Ludwin and hesitated. They seemed intimidated by Ludwin’s massive size and the menacing growl he was emitting.

Seizing the moment, I leaned close to Sir Adein, who was standing beside Ludwin.

“Sir Adein.”

“Yes, Miss?”

“I’ll use wind magic to clear a path forward. Please drive them away from the carriage as much as possible.”

He seemed surprised that I planned to use magic, but seeing no other option, he nodded.

“…Understood.”

Sir Adein immediately relayed our plan to the other knights in a way only they could understand.

“Hans! Dalden! We’re going with training course number 3!”

“Yes, Captain!”

“Understood!”

Sir Adein seemed to have his sights set on the large man who appeared to be the leader, as he stepped forward.

“Lu, if you’re up for it, could you help Sir Adein?”

Ludwin had promised to protect me, but that was primarily against the beastmen. I wasn’t sure if it was okay to ask for his help in this kind of normal(?) raid.

But Ludwin dashed forward without hesitation, as if to say there was no need for concern.

Woof!

He charged at the bandits, biting at their legs, sides, and arms without mercy.

In an instant, the area was filled with the bandits’ screams.

Ludwin moved swiftly, taking down one bandit after another. The knights quickly subdued the bandits that Ludwin had already brought down.

I watched him in awe, momentarily stunned by his fierce and agile movements.

‘Ah!’

Just then, I spotted one of the bandits in the distance drawing a bow. It was the same one who shot at me earlier.

Almost reflexively, I pointed the magic tool ring at him. But before I could activate it, Ludwin, moving faster than the magic tool, lunged at the archer.

“Aaah!”

Ludwin was so quick that the bandit’s scream almost overlapped with the moment he was attacked.

About ten minutes later.

None of the thirteen bandits were left standing.

Ludwin’s performance was far more impressive than expected, so we didn’t even need to flee or use the magic tool.

It was an unexpected triumph.

I stepped down from the carriage.

“Is anyone hurt?”

“Thanks to Lu’s help, we suffered far fewer injuries than expected.”

Sir Adein had a graze on his thigh from an arrow, Sir Hans had his palm nicked, and Sir Dalden had a small cut on his forearm.

The one who performed the best, Ludwin, was without a single scratch. Instead, he stood on top of the fallen bandit leader, wagging his tail as if he had just had a great time.

“No way… Our supposedly invincible bandit gang… completely wiped out by a single dog?”

The bandits who were still conscious murmured in disbelief.

Ludwin snorted and stepped over the fallen bandits as he made his way back to me.

With each elegant step he took, the groans of the bandits underfoot echoed in a chorus of pain.

“Argh!”

“Ow!”

“Gah!”

Woof!

Ludwin approached me, carefully inspecting me as if to make sure I wasn’t hurt.

“I’m fine, Lu. Thank you.”

I poured all my gratitude into the way I petted his head. Ludwin’s tail wagged so vigorously that it seemed to make a whooshing sound.

“Well done, Lu.”

Sir Adein reached out to pat his head just as I did, but Ludwin pulled back before he could touch him.

When he bared his large fangs, Sir Adein flinched and immediately withdrew his hand with a sheepish laugh.

“Lu is amazing.”

“With this kind of performance, we’re sure to win first place in the hunting competition!”

Airi and Lena, recalling his earlier feats, fussed over him.

At that moment, Sir Hans, who was rubbing his scraped palm, asked.

“Miss, what should we do with these men?”

“Hmm. We don’t have any ropes, and we can’t summon the guards right away, so we’ll have to leave them here.”

At my words, the bandits, who had been half-pretending to be dead, looked visibly relieved.

Sir Adein clicked his tongue in disappointment.

“It’s a shame we can’t ensure they’re properly punished. They dared to threaten your safety, Miss. Cutting off their limbs wouldn’t be enough…”

“Wait, Sir Adein, calm down.”

I patted his arm as his expression grew darker.

“I didn’t say I’d let them all go.”

I smiled and raised a finger.

“Lu, could you catch that one?”

I pointed to a small bandit who had been preparing to flee from the start of the fight.

Woof!

Ludwin shot off like lightning and bit the bandit’s rear end before he could take more than a few steps.

“Eek!”

The bandit’s scream echoed through the mountains like that of a strangled duck.