Chapter 23: My patience’s about to run out!

When I came to, I found myself within a jail cell.

Huh? What happened? Wasn’t I chasing down the refugees that escaped us?

“Ah!”

And then I remembered. I discovered a village in this wasteland, snuck into it, and then reported to my senior that this place was easy money what with it being mostly women and children.

…right after reporting that though, my body became frozen and unable to move…

<<Oi, Baal! Can you hear me, damn it!? Baal!>>

<<…? Ah, sir…>>

<<Tsk, if you can hear me, answer sooner.>>

<<S-Sorry>>

When I noticed Satin was contacting me telepathically, I hurriedly answered and apologized as well.

<<We’re on our way to the village you mentioned.>>

<<Really?>>

<<Yeah. More importantly, are you sure this is easy money?>>

<<Of course!>>

I answered so, but I immediately panicked.

Despite being a village of only women and children, I was effortlessly captured and jailed. There was this chance that this might not be an ordinary village as I initially thought.

I considered telling Satin my current situation, but decided not to. For if I did, the boss would have been so enraged he would kick me out of the group right there and then. Moreover, they might not come at all to help me get out.

And so, I decided to stick to my lie.

<<I mean, come on, it’s a village of only women and children! Plus, some of them should fetch us a high bid!>>

I was technically not lying. Not wholly.

The blue-haired girl I saw before passing out ought to have a nice price attached to her.

Just when I was thinking that, the girl in question appeared on the other side of the iron bars of my cell.

“So, you’ve woken up.”

◇　◇　◇

“So, you’ve woken up.”

Selen said so to the man she captured.

He looked like he was in the latter half of his twenties. He was slim and seemed lithe, making him really look like a bandit.

Hidden on his person was a knife. Of course, we had confiscated this.

For the moment, he was being detained in the jailhouse I built.

As an added precaution, we also shackled him to the wall.

“So, who are you?”

“…”

“You’re a bandit, aren’t you?”

“…”

To Selen’s questions, the man only answered with silence.

“Why are you alone? Where are your associates? How many people are in your group?”

“…”

His allies could possibly be on their way to our village. We wanted to get as much information as we could from him so that we could prepare accordingly, but as things were…

“Ehehe, why don’t you leave things to me now?”

“G-granny?”

With an enigmatic laugh, the oldest person in the village walked in.

Yes, it was the old lady whose Suitable Occupation was to be a torturer.

“Oi, you, be sure to answer my questions, alright?”

“…”

“Can you hear me?”

“…”

“I’m asking if you can hear me, you fucking brat!”

All of a sudden, the old lady shouted really loud. At the same time, a kick from her made contact with the man’s nether region.

“!?”

As much as the shackles allowed, the man fell down in utter pain.

“Ehehehe, hurts, doesn’t it? But we’ve only just begun. I don’t mind tenderly crushing your balls some more.”

“Hii….”

Granny said so and then laughed maniacally.

Granny… you’re so scary…

“Enough… I’m so sorry, so please, enough…”

“Then hurry up and spill! My patience’s about to run out!”

Granny yelled so while tightening her grip on the man’s balls.

“Alright, I’ll talk, I’ll talk! Stop, I’ll talk!”

His face pale white, the man told us everything.

Like we suspected, this man was part of a group of bandits. He was pursuing the group of refugees who escaped from them. It was his fault that the refugees escaped, so as punishment, he was made to retrieve them all by himself.

I had hoped that by imprisoning the man here, our village’s location wouldn’t be known to the other bandits for at least a while. However, because the bandits had someone with the Gift called [Telepathy], the man managed to share such information. In other words, the group of bandits would be here soon.

“Hmph, [Telepathy], huh. Even though they’re bandits, they have such an impressive Gift.”

After saying so, Granny snorted and then spat on the ground.

We didn’t know how many exactly, but according to the man, their group easily had more than 60 members. 60 violent people adept at pillaging.

Right now, we had no other choice than to confront such people.