After finishing their preparations for the battle, Noein and his group took turns resting, and by the time the sky had brightened, everyone was awake.
“Noein-sama, give these men a few encouraging words,” Yuri said.
Nodding at Yuri’s request, Noein stood on the platform in front of the wooden palisade and looked down at his retainers and the townspeople.
The expressions on their faces varied from resolute to anxious as they looked up at Noein.
“…Everyone, I want you to look behind you,” Noein said first.
Though they looked puzzled, the townspeople turned around as instructed. Behind them were the houses of the town of Noeina.
“Our homes are here. This is our land,” Noein continued.
Upon hearing his words, the townspeople turned back and looked up at Noein again.
“Many of you didn’t have a place to belong once. Some of you may have lost everything and felt hopeless. But that’s not the case anymore. This is our home now, and we have something precious to protect, people we must protect.”
He paused and took a deep breath.
“…So let’s fight here. Let’s protect this place and continue living here. For that, let’s survive today!”
“Uoooh!”
The retainers and townspeople responded with raised voices to Noein’s words, and the anxiety had vanished from their eyes.
…
“…There’s definitely a path here. It seems the rumors about a settlement being established further ahead were true,” Gosling muttered as he stood at the front of the bandit gang near the entrance to the Bezel Forest.
“I heard that the population of Arlkvist’s town is fewer than 200 people. That’s the same number as us, but theirs likely includes women and children,” said his gaunt second-in-command, a former mercenary, who was standing beside him.
“Hah, they call it a ‘town’ despite being nothing more than a tiny village. Nobles really love to puff themselves up,” Gosling snorted in disdain.
“Shall we proceed?”
“Yeah, let’s charge in and crush them. We’ll grab the jewels and gold, then get out of this country.”
Though they were a band of 200 strong, Gosling knew they couldn’t rampage forever. Eventually, they’d be hunted down by a noble’s army or the kingdom’s forces.
He planned to plunder the riches supposedly hoarded by Arlkvist, divide the spoils, and disband the gang.
With enough gold, they could scatter and flee. If they could reach a foreign land, they might even get a fresh start. That was Gosling’s plan.
“Let’s go, men! Follow me!”
“Ooh!”
With the shouts of his men behind him, Gosling spurred his horse forward.
…
Not long after entering the forest, Gosling rearranged their formation.
The road ahead was well-maintained and offered good visibility, but the dense forest on both sides provided plenty of hiding spots. If they stayed on the road, they’d be easy targets.
Though he doubted Arlkvist had noticed their approach, and he didn’t think the enemy would come out to meet them, Gosling was cautious. He ordered his cavalry, including himself, to dismount and advance carefully.
“How much longer until we reach the village?”
“Who knows. But it shouldn’t be too far. They wouldn’t set their first settlement too deep into such a dangerous forest.”
The road wound slightly left and right, making it impossible to see the end.
If this winding road was designed to prevent surprise attacks, Gosling thought, then perhaps the lord was smarter than he seemed. He tensed up slightly.
At that moment.
A loud crash echoed, and Gosling instinctively ducked and looked back.
“What the hell is that!?”
His second-in-command, who had also ducked and turned around, shouted in disbelief.
Gosling felt the same.
“No way…”
Charging out from the forest into the side of their formation was a wood golem. But its movements were unusual.
Golems were typically slow and useless, known only for their size and being used as shields or baggage carriers. That was common knowledge among fighters.
But this golem was different. It moved with the speed and agility of a seasoned warrior.
Moreover, its arms were tied with swords and axes, and every time it swung, the weapons sliced through the bandits’ flesh and smashed their heads.
Some tried to strike the golem with their swords, but their attacks were easily deflected, and they were knocked away by its weapon-laden arms, left in a mangled heap.
Made of tough Semilwood, the golem was nearly impervious to ordinary weapons.
As Gosling’s men began to panic, he bellowed at them.
“Stay calm, you idiots! Don’t try to fight it head-on! Set it on fire! That’ll bring it down!”
Several members of the band could use low-level fire magic, and some had magic tools. If it was made of wood, setting it on fire would be its end.
Just as his words began to restore calm, another shout rang out.
“Gyaah! There’s another one coming from this side!”
“A second one! What the hell is going on!?”
Another golem, just like the first, charged in from a closer position.
Gosling’s attempts to restore order were futile, and once again, his men fell into chaos.
“Are there two puppet sorcerers controlling these golems? What the hell is happening…?”
The underlings were in a state of panic, and it didn’t seem like they’d calm down anytime soon. Meanwhile, the damage was escalating at a terrifying pace.
“Boss! What should we do?”
“…The ones controlling them must be nearby. Find the puppeteer using puppet magic and kill them! They’re definitely hiding in the forest!”
At Gosling’s command, his lieutenants and the elite troops from his mercenary days scattered. They shouted orders, sending the rest of the bandits into the forest.
Gosling himself entered the forest, carefully surveying his surroundings. He didn’t just rely on his sight; he used all five senses to detect any trace of the enemy.
The enemy was likely positioned on higher ground with a clear view of the area.
“…There they are!”
Eventually, he spotted a figure on the right flank of the bandit formation, on a slightly elevated patch of ground. The figure appeared to be a young man, perhaps still a child or freshly into adulthood. He was gesturing toward the golems, clearly controlling them—this had to be the puppet master.
Gosling wasted no time and hurled his sword at the magician. It flew straight toward him, but before it could strike, a woman with a round shield stepped in to block it. Simultaneously, a man—likely the magician’s bodyguard—darted forward and knocked Gosling’s sword away with his own.
Almost at the same moment, a man standing near the magician threw a spear at Gosling. It was a sharp throw, but Gosling narrowly dodged it and pointed angrily at them, shouting.
“After them! Catch them! Kill them!”
The bandits obeyed Gosling’s command and surged toward the puppet master.
…
“Huh?”
“Lord Noein!”
“Watch out!”
Noein let out a silly sound, unable to react in time to the flying sword. Mathilda raised her shield and blocked the attack, while Pence stepped forward and struck down the enemy’s sword with his own.
Without missing a beat, Radley threw a spear at the enemy, but they dodged just in time.
“Tch, I thought taking down the leader would throw them into chaos,” Radley muttered.
“Amazing, Radley! And Mathilda, Pence, you both reacted so quickly to that surprise attack!” Noein praised them.
“This is no time for compliments. We’ve been spotted—we need to fall back to the gate!” Pence urged.
Noein looked in the direction Pence was pointing. The bandits, following their leader’s orders, were charging toward them.
“Got it!” Noein hastily commanded his golems to retreat and began running himself, with Mathilda pulling him along. Pence and Radley covered their rear, and the golems followed close behind.
“Yuri! We’re retreating to the capital, Noeina!” Noein yelled into the “Far Talk” communication device.
“Understood. We’ll prepare to meet them head-on,” Yuri replied.
Noein ran as fast as he could—but that wasn’t saying much. His pace was too slow.
“Lord Noein! You need to run faster!” Radley shouted.
“At this rate, they’re going to catch up!” Pence added urgently.
“I—I know, but…!” Noein panted, struggling to keep up.
The situation had worsened because the bandit leader had spotted them far earlier than they had anticipated.
“My apologies, Lord Noein,” Mathilda said as she threw away her shield, lifted Noein onto her back, and started running.
Thanks to Mathilda’s incredible speed—far surpassing that of an ordinary person—they managed to put some distance between themselves and the pursuing bandits.
Before long, they emerged from the forest and into the farmland surrounding the capital of Noeina.
Mathilda, with Noein on her back, sprinted along the narrow paths between the fields, with Pence, Radley, and the two golems trailing behind.
Behind them, the bandits also exited the forest, their voices filled with anger, likely enraged by the heavy losses they had already suffered.
“Y-Yuri! Get ready!” Noein shouted into the “Far Talk” device again.
“I see them. We’re ready… wait, you’re not even running yourself!” Yuri replied incredulously.
“M-my legs… they’re too slow…” Noein admitted.
Despite the lighthearted exchange, Mathilda’s swift pace allowed them to safely reach the gates of the capital.
Gosling, leading the charge, continued to pursue them relentlessly. As he ran, he barked orders, telling his men not to fear the golems, as they would be no match once they set fire to them. Hearing this, the bandits calmed down, regaining their composure.
About three-quarters of Gosling’s bandit force was still intact, and he felt confident they could succeed.
But then—
“Gyaah!”
“Wha—what’s happening!?”
Suddenly, a volley of arrows flew down from the wooden palisades surrounding the village, piercing through the bandits.
