Special Side Story (3)
We were simply on our way to the villa to enjoy some peaceful time alone, only to run into bandits. I wasn’t sure if we were the unlucky ones for meeting them, or if they were the unlucky ones for meeting us.
“Get them!”
“He must be a knight with some skill!”
I gently brushed down the horse’s mane.
After everything we’ve been through, what was one group of bandits?
There were a bit too many of them, though.
“Alois, will this take long?”
“If you ask me that, then I must do my best to shorten it.”
He steadied his body, spun lightly on his heel, and brushed aside the one charging at him with his scabbard before springing up gracefully.
“Ah, what a shame. Lately, I keep forgetting what I actually do. I wasn’t originally someone who used a sword, you know.”
“Isn’t this better than handling demons?”
“Can’t compare that.”
“If it’s demons, don’t worry. As long as I’m here, you’ll never be hurt by one.”
“How reassuring. Then I must do my best too.”
I tugged gently on the reins, and the horse backed away from the commotion.
It was a pure white horse and I didn’t want it stained with blood.
“What can you do alone!”
“You think you can take all of us?”
The bandits must have realized the gap in skill. They froze in place, speaking as if trying to convince themselves that their numbers could overwhelm Alois.
“So many openings, a disorganized mess, no coordination…there’s no reason I can’t win.”
Alois removed his gloves, now stained with blood.
The stained gloves hit the ground with a thud. Then, in an instant, it was over.
Just as he said, there was no way any one of them could defeat Alois, who had trained in royal swordsmanship since childhood.
I did notice a few underhanded tricks from the bandits, but nothing unexpected.
‘Is it because of all the subjugations he’s been doing that he calls ‘peaceful expansions’? His skill seems sharper somehow.’
Alois wasn’t the type to normally fight on the front lines, yet he dispatched them with impressive ease.
He didn’t kill them; just rendered them unable to move.
“How many are left now?”
I better give him back the robe once he’s done with this. That way, he could take off his bloodstained shirt and use the robe instead.
Just as I was thinking that, one of the bandits Alois had knocked aside earlier began crawling towards me.
“Oh my.”
Then he grabbed my foot.
His rough hand grabbed my ankle and pulled.
Thud—.
I hit the ground directly.
“…”
Alois seemed too busy fighting to notice this yet.
“Are you taking me hostage?”
I asked carefully. The man wiped the blood from his eyes and smirked.
“I’ll take you hostage, capture that man, and show you hell.”
His eyes darted around.
“It’ll be a pity to sell you off, so we’ll treat you real nice.”
“Oh? And how nice would that be?”
“You won’t even be able to think straight.”
“That sounds exciting?”
I smiled faintly, and the man paused for a moment. Reaching out, I brushed back his hair, and saw his eyes waver.
I guess my reaction wasn’t what he was hoping for.
“You still get what reality this is?!”
“You said you’re going to show me hell so why are we talking about reality now?”
He snatched up a dagger from the ground and aimed the sharp blade at my throat.
But just before it touched me, I gripped his face hard.
“W-what are you…!”
Light burst out.
So dazzling it could blind someone.
At his loud scream, those fighting nearby froze mid-motion and turned their heads toward me.
Dozens of eyes latched onto me like barnacles.
“Ugh… grrgh…!”
I didn’t loosen my grip. At first he struggled wildly, but soon, he could no longer muster strength. His body only twitched weakly now, and his hands flailed feebly.
“Well, that was dangerous.”
I caught the blade that slipped from his hand.
It was a short dagger, and its tip was so dull it looked useless.
“You would like to show me hell, yes?”
This was a power meant to be used against demons, so it didn’t have much effect on humans… but recently, I discovered it could be useful in situations like this so I was glad I could try it out now.
“But what ever shall I do?”
His flailing hand caught on my robe.
And with that nudge, the loosely draped indigo robe slipped off, revealing the pure white priest robe underneath.
“I don’t think I’ll ever have a reason to go to hell.”
I lifted my head, looked at the trembling men, and smiled pleasantly.
“Alright, anyone else want to try?”
***
I dusted off my clothes.
Well, to be precise, Alois dusted them off, not me.
He took a handkerchief from his inner pocket, wiped my soiled hands, and straightened my wrinkled clothes. Then, he briefly looked me over from head to toe.
“P-Please spare us…”
If it hadn’t been for the scattered cries from behind us, he probably would’ve kept holding on to me for a little longer.
“Quiet.”
With that one word, he silenced them all.
Meanwhile, I was turned this way and that in Alois’s hands as he checked me for any other marks or wounds.
“I’m fine. I’m not hurt.”
“…I’m sorry. I didn’t think one of them would crawl over to you.”
“There were too many. Missing one or two was inevitable. So let’s stop here for now… and think about what to do with them first.”
I pointed to the neatly tied-up group of bandits.
Alois’s eyes followed my finger.
“Handing them over to the soldiers in town feels like a waste of time, but letting them go means they’ll surely cause trouble again.”
Alois pressed his temple with a sigh and looked over the bandits with a cold gaze. Thankfully, we were on the same wavelength.
“This road is used often by merchant caravans. They probably camp here to prey on them.”
I stepped closer to the bandits forced to their knees. Alois followed behind.
“It’s not often you see bandits in person…this is fascinating.”
Maybe they mistook the curiosity in my voice for sympathy, or maybe it’s because I was dressed as a priest. Either way, the eyes of the bandits lit with hope.
“W-we’re sorry! We only did this because we had no way to survive! We didn’t mean any real harm!”
“Please spare us! If you do, we promise we’ll live honest lives!”
Alois scoffed.
He knelt on one knee and grabbed the chin of the one who looked like the leader.
“Anyone who’s taken a step into town knows there are places that help the poor. Yet you dare say you had no way to survive? Think of a better excuse.”
Realizing they had no hope with Alois, all of them turned to me instead, desperately pleading.
“Miss Priest, we’re truly sorry.”
“If you’ll allow it, we’ll atone at the temple.”
“I-If the Lord would accept us, we too will live devoutly!”
It seemed they took Alois and I to be some high-ranking priest and her knight escort.
They figured if they swayed me, Alois would follow.
I looped an arm around Alois’s neck and murmured,
“Look, they’re saying all that. What should we do?”
“I have no opinions. Whatever you desire…it will be done.”
Oh, really? Then I had no reason to refuse.
I lightly tapped the ground with my toe and turned to face the bandits.
“Do you want to live?”
“Yes! We’ll live honestly, really!”
Hearing that, I lowered myself to their eye level.
I tucked a falling hair strand behind my ear and gave a gentle smile.
“Then tell me. Where are the other bandits besides you?”
***
I once heard a rumor.
That as long as you traced back the lines of vagrants and bandits, eventually they’d all connect to a single guild.
“W-we don’t really know any details.”
“That’s fine. Just guide us.”
Good. This was a perfect opportunity to pull them out from the roots.
I tapped the backs of the bandits who were now leading the way and matched steps with Alois.
He wore a subtle expression, glancing back and forth between them and me.
Catching that, I spoke softly.
“Sorry for deciding things on my own.”
He was quiet for a while, then let out something close to a sigh.
“To be honest, I’m not thrilled about our time alone being interrupted…”
His warm gaze settled on me.
“But doing this kind of thing reminds me of before we got married… it’s a strange feeling.”
The way his hand wrapped around my waist was tender.
Truthfully, I also regretted speaking up since I had wanted some peaceful time alone with Alois too…
“But it’s okay. Maybe things like this are what makes our time together even sweeter.”
“Alois, you always have a way with words.”
“That’s just the truth. And besides… since this is happening in my country, it’s better to take care of it properly.”
With the decision made, it was time to move forward.
Seeing us whispering so intimately, the bandits’ faces turned even paler but that was none of my concern.
As long as they didn’t act out and just guided us, who cared if they thought I, a priest, was abandoning God and eloping with a knight.
‘What an amusing misunderstanding.’
To be thought of as having an illicit affair, even though he was already my companion.
When I looked up at Alois, he kissed me just below my eye.
And up to that point, I truly thought uprooting the underworld’s roots would be simple.
“We’ll sell you as slaves!”
“How dare you try to use us? You didn’t think two people alone could win, did you?”
“We’ll make you beg for mercy in regret!”
That is, until we reached a dark, shadowy back alley and were suddenly kicked into an iron cage in the middle of being guided by the bandits.
“Haa…”
“What a nuisance.”
This was going to be quite the vacation.
Translator’s Corner:
*Only two more chapters left!
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 32 - September 30, 2025
- Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 138 - September 30, 2025
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 31 - September 27, 2025