Royal Mob Takes It All

chalk it up to the fact that this is my job too.”

Click, click, click.
Nina looked up at the same time as she completed her Rubik’s Cube imitation.

“I think the bandits were last seen in the town of Phobos.
That’s where we’re heading too, right?”

“Well, in the direction, yes.
But we’re not going to stop at the town.”

“What? Why not?”

“Because there are no more bandits there.
They are deep in the forest to the west, in what is known as the ‘Devil’s Forest’.”

Nina looks at me with wide eyes.

“The Devil’s Forest… as I recall, it’s a place full of monsters so strong that humans can’t enter! The bandits are using such a place as their hideout?”

“Yes.
Many of them are former mercenaries and have a lot of combat experience, so they know how to fight monsters.
They probably chose places that are safe for them and dangerous for the rest of us as their hideouts.”

“It looks like you have a high level mission.
I can see why the king would throw a request to you.
It’s a bit much for ordinary guards.”

“That’s true.”

As I recall, the bandit gang’s zako level is between 12 and 15.
The medium boss level is 20, and the big boss level is 25 or so.
Considering that the average level of the Royal Castle Guards is around 15, the damage when the mid-bosses and above appear would be significant.

“Well, me and Nina can afford it.”

“Well, it doesn’t look like there’s anyone who could beat you or anything…”

“Why do you say that like you’re so dumbfounded?”

“I can just imagine you blowing away a band of bandits all by yourself.
Do you need me?”

Well, if you ask me if I can do it alone or not, I can.

“Even if I could, I need Nina.
That’s why I asked you to follow me like this.”

“…Hmph, hmph! You don’t have to be so concerned about it.”

“I’m just telling you the truth.”

“Hmm… O-okay.”

Nina’s lips are pouting and she looks like she’s sulking, but she’s not too upset about it.
Yeah, it seems I’ve got her in a good mood.
I’m starting to treat girls a little better, I think.

And I’m not lying about needing Nina.
It’s not just the bandits we’re going to meet on our way.
We’re going to meet an elven heroine, too.

In the game, the elf’s heroine is forced to work with the village’s young children, who are taken hostage by the bandits.
The hero and his party are supposed to defeat the bandits and bring the elf into their party… but this time that role has fallen to me.
I’m sure that having a girl called Niña with me will be more reassuring than dealing with the elf heroine and me alone as a man.

“I’m relying on you, Nina.”

“Well, I’ll do my best.”

With a click, Nina starts fiddling with the Rubik’s Cube-like object again.

“…By the way, that toy you’ve been playing with since a while ago, what is it?”

“Huh? What’s this? It seems to be some kind of old wooden puzzle.
An old man in the slums gave it to me when I was little, and I still play with it whenever I’m not busy.”

“Hmm…”

I borrowed a bit from Nina.
…Hmm? What’s this? There are no patterns on any of the sides.
And it’s not even a 3×3 cube like a Rubik’s Cube.
There were only lines formed by irregularly shaped pieces of wood and wood put together.
I didn’t even know where to move it.

“Well… what do I have to align these?”

“Align… what?”

“No, puzzles like this, aren’t they supposed to have the same colours and patterns and things like that? I don’t know what to aim for and where to move the pieces.”

“What do you want me to aim for… other than to open this box?”

“Open it? Is this a box?”

“Yes.
The old man said it was an old-fashioned treasure chest, but I don’t know if he was lying or not.”

“Heh… but you’ve been tinkering with it since you were a kid, so you seem to be used to having it all together, don’t you? Does Nina know the whole procedure for opening this box by heart?”

“Eh? The solution to this box puzzle changes every time you repeat opening and closing it, so memorising it is useless.
And it’s no fun at all.”

Oh, Nina, you seem pretty smart.
At least much more so than me.

We spend a day in the carriage, making new discoveries.
We arrived at the entrance to the Devil’s Forest.