Level Eater

The mayor of the town of Lyadas was known to be a jolly, overweight man when Tatsuro first met him. However, it's certain that with his influence, he could easily arrange the escape of the individual whose head is currently lying low before them. Tatsuro also recalls hearing him mention when he would be leaving while conversing with the guild leader.

So, it seemed possible to time it right, with Tatsuro and the others taking care of a large group of bee-like magical creatures called Depris, and then directing the bandits toward them while they were fatigued. Tatsuro estimated that this plan had about a 60% chance of being true.

However, the son of Lord Lyadas – based on information Tatsuro overheard from a little old man when he was buying the staff he currently possesses – was described as a foolish son who abused his parent's authority. Would this foolish son actually take actions that undermine his parent's power? That was the most significant question.

"I've heard that Lord Lyadas' son has been misusing his parent's power to do as he pleases. I find it hard to believe that someone like that would go as far as plotting to take over the Lyadas territory, even if it means crossing a dangerous bridge." (Tatsuro)

"A profligate son living off his parent's reputation. I can understand the skepticism if that's the only information available. After all, if his parent were to fall from grace, he'd lose his meal ticket. But right now, that profligate son is about to have his meal ticket pulled away from him." (Bandit Leader)

"So, you're saying his parent has finally had enough?" (Tatsuro)

"In a nutshell, yes. Originally…" (Bandit Leader)

And with that, the man in crimson armor began to explain the details of the situation. According to him, the current Lord Brendan had initially intended to pass on the family headship to his son, Bertram. However, it seems that recently, he changed his mind and announced his intention to pass it on to his third daughter, Laurence.

The reason behind this is that Brendan, the current Lord, had doted on his youngest son, who was the long-awaited male heir. He spoiled him excessively, which resulted in the squandering of the family's wealth. While Brendan initially accepted this as his own failing, it was recently discovered that his son had been embezzling public funds without authorization.

If this were to come to light, it would tarnish the reputation of the Lyadas-Bruitt family, who have ruled this land for centuries and would undoubtedly lead to condemnation from the people. This is where the third daughter, Laurence, came into play.

As the third daughter, she was originally only considered for a good marriage. However, she was exceptionally clever and resourceful, leveraging her status as the Lord's daughter. She actively engaged in activities such as establishing orphanages, expanding schools, and improving infrastructure, earning widespread support from the people as a dedicated female politician.

On the other hand, Bertram's foolish behavior was well-known throughout the domain, and his incompetence was widely recognized. Given the choice between him and Laurence, who had the people's best interests at heart, the next Lord should be Laurence was what everyone in Lyadas thought, though they did not say it openly.

So, Lord Brendan tried to cover up the embezzlement, sent his son away to a remote location, and made the courageous decision to establish a system where anyone, regardless of their background, could rise to the top, hoping to leave a legacy that would redeem his name as a wise Lord. This way, he aimed to pave the way for the first female Lord, Laurence, and secure the Lyadas-Bruitt legacy.

Furthermore, the town mayor was also under suspicion of involvement in the embezzlement. Several points that were impossible without collusion had been discovered, and the rumors were slowly spreading among the people. No matter how hard the Lord tried to conceal the embezzlement, there were always those with loose lips.

These rumors were having a significant impact on the upcoming mayoral election scheduled in six months, with some saying that the current mayor's re-election was impossible. In response, Laurence nominated a fairy-tribe woman named Marikka Shurjaniemi as the next mayoral candidate.

Female voters were entirely swayed towards her, and many male citizens who had previously supported the current mayor were also switching their allegiance. It seemed like the next mayoral election was practically decided.

This brings us to the current takeover plan.

First, among the four towns, Tofas is the smallest and least noticeable, making it less likely for the Lord to keep a close eye on it. So, it serves as a foothold for slowly taking over the underground. In fact, Tofas has already fallen, and the mayor, who refused to cooperate, was killed. A substitute has been put in place, and it appears that it also serves as a base for the bandits.

Mimiris, on the other hand, seems to be in a compromised state, with the mayor's daughter kidnapped, effectively making the town subservient. Obsul, which is a bit farther away, hasn't been targeted yet. The plan is to ignore it for now and invade after taking over Lyadas. The foolish son will become the Lord in name only, leaving the administration of the territory to the current mayor, with the man in crimson armor governing Lyadas. Each town will hire the bandits as guards and allow them a certain degree of freedom.

After hearing this, the group breathed a sigh of relief knowing that Obsul was still peaceful, and Zendo and Leela remained safe. However, if they believed this man's story, it meant that Obsul might face turmoil in the near future.

Despite having worked to resolve the dragon crisis, this situation could render their efforts meaningless. Tatsuro questioned the reliability of the information.

"While that story could be true, it could also be a lie. Do you have any evidence?" (Tatsuro)

"You're quite skeptical for your age, and I respect that. But, evidence… Salman, do we have anything?" (Bandit Leader)

"Me? Um, um, um, yes… it's me, right? I mean, there's no one else here."

As the mage Salman spoke, he briefly glanced at the headless corpse. He then tried to come up with something useful to prove himself to the man. Suddenly, there was a red glint in the eyes of mage Salman.

"Oh, um, these… the Vermilion Armor, the Annihilating Flame Mantle, and, um, the Flaming Axe of destruction. These could be evidence, right?" he asked

"Yeah, that's right. Well done. These items are, without a doubt, passed down through the generations of the Lyadas-Bruitt family as heirlooms." The bandit leader confirmed

"What do you mean?" (Tatsuro)

"Well, this armor, mantle, and especially this axe are said to be treasured heirlooms of the Lyadas-Bruitt family. This time, we're up against a troublesome mage who specializes in fire magic. Bertram gave me these items, saying that his ancestor used them to defeat a fire dragon that once roamed the Lyadas territory. I don't know if it's true, but the performance of this equipment is unmatched, and it seems to nullify flames entirely for the wearer. Plus, this reddish-brown armor lying here belonged to a knight who followed in those days. It, too, has an incredibly high resistance to fire." The bandit leader claimed

"So, you mean these are items that only the Lord or someone close to them could have?" (Tatsuro)

"That's right. Look, the Bruitt family crest is engraved on this axe, this mantle, this armor, and this set of armor. I've been showing you the crest, but you probably can't distinguish it, since you two don't know the crest. However, I've seen a similar pattern in the town of Lyadas several times." (Bandit Leader)

"So, if we turn these items in along with you to the Lord, the plan will be over, right?" (Tatsuro)

"That's correct. But think about it. If you team up with me and the two of you, this plan is as good as done. If you help us, I'll ensure that you can have one entire town to yourselves. Isn't that a good deal?" (Bandit Leader)

"What do you think, Ai?" (Tatsuro)

"Yeah, we don't need a town like that." (Ai)

Even without doing something like that, the two of them could act freely and have fun. They saw a town as nothing more than a burden. So, their answer was already clear.

""We decline. No way!"" They chorused.

"…I see. That's a shame. Well, then, I'll make you experience some pain, and I'll ask you again." (Bandit Leader)

"No matter how many times you ask, our answer won't change." (Tatsuro)

"And, we won't experience any pain either." (Ai)

"Shall we put that to the test then?" (Bandit Leader)

With that, the bandit leader raised his axe. He shouted angrily at his subordinates who were still trapped in the flames behind him.

"How long do you plan to stay there? If you don't come out, I'll kill you! It's not like you'll die from touching it. Charge in!" (Bandit Leader)

"That's crazy!"

Indeed, it wouldn't kill them, but it would be quite painful, and they would suffer burns. Tatsuro had imagined it that way when he used the magic, but if he did it, the flames would continue to cling to them in agony until he removed them. Knowing this, it was madness to force them to charge in.

"If you feel sorry for them, you can extinguish it, you know?" (Bandit Leader)

"…I refuse." (Tatsuro)

"I see. Well, that's fine. It means I'll have less work to allocate here. I'm grateful for that." (Bandit Leader)

"You're a terrible person!" (Ai)

"Yeah. That's what they often say to those who have opposed me so far." (Tatsuro)

The man swung his massive axe horizontally in a single motion. Tatsuro couldn't even catch the movement, but Ai reacted quickly, picked up Tatsuro, and jumped upward. Then, the plants directly behind them were torn apart, leaving a one-meter-long gap in the ground.

"It seems you can easily dodge something like this after all!" (Bandit Leader)

"Projectiles are tricky, aren't they?" (Ai)

"Yeah, and the underlings are also making their move." (Bandit Leader)

Upon landing, the man released three strikes with the sharp energy blades of the axe. Ai deflected them with her jewel sword, while Tatsuro brought out Cardina and Jeanne, who were fully charged with magic, to handle the underlings, while he focused on preparing his magic.

"You've used some strange techniques again. And to easily cut through my energy blades! Haha, you two are quite interesting!" (Bandit Leader)

"Hey, my husband is concentrating right now, so could you keep the noise down!" (Ai)

"Ouch!" A random thief shouts in pain

"Oh, a whip this time… Sword and whip, dark and fire, it's like a surprise box." (Bandit Leader)

"Ow! My head!" Another thief screamed in pain

"In comparison, this is rather embarrassing." (Bandit Leader)

While Ai was slicing through the energy blades with her sword in her right hand and attacking with her whip in her left, she was effortlessly dodged by the man. Meanwhile, the underlings fell victim to the combination of Cardina and Jeanne's teamwork and lay defeated on the ground.

Watching this scene, the man in crimson armor sighed and continued to evade Ai's attacks while not forgetting to strike with his axe.

However, Ai managed to handle it all, successfully defending herself until Tatsuro completed his magic.

"Take this…" (Tatsuro)

"What?" (Bandit Leader)

Tatsuro instantly dispelled the flames that were still attacking recklessly, and the next spell he cast was a combination of water and darkness magic. He scattered high-viscosity water over a wide area and entangled the man just like birdlime.

The bandit leader, just like the rest, was covered in sticky water, rendering him immobile, and his eyes widened in astonishment.

"Now you can't move." (Tatsuro)

"You're boasting quite a lot, but you didn't achieve much." (Bandit Leader)

While their fire magic defenses had been impeccable, they hadn't prepared for the water magic that Tatsuro had never used in front of the bandits. They were helplessly stuck to the ground and groaning.

Faced with the situation, Tatsuro and Ai took a step forward to neutralize the man in crimson armor and capture him. But just at that moment…

"Aargh!" (Bandit Leader)

"This can't be real!" (Tatsuro)

"No way!" (Ai)

The bandit leader gathered strength in his legs and stood up, then forcefully drove his axe into the ground beneath him. This action created a massive crater in the ground, and the shockwave of energy created in the process blew away the sticky water. He was free again.

"Fire magic, darkness magic, and even water magic. Plus, the power to summon strange creatures. There seems to be more. Show me more." (Bandit Leader)

"You're on a completely different level compared to the others. You could have secured a decent position without resorting to banditry, couldn't you?" (Tatsuro)

"If I were allowed to kill people that would have been fine… But I have a personality that wants to kill those I don't like on the spot. I can't lead a normal life." (Bandit Leader)

"He's insane…" (Tatsuro)

"Creepy…" (Ai)

"Heh, quite a speech you're giving." (Bandit Leader)

From where he stood alone, he struck the ground with his axe again, blowing away the sticky water and clearing a path.

"So, what's your next move?" (Bandit Leader)

"What will you do, Tatsuro? Are we going to run away?" (Ai)

"I'd like to gather more evidence, but it might be a good time for that… Run?" (Tatsuro)

As the thought of escaping crossed her mind, the man in crimson armor sensed it and released an intimidating aura that would make most people freeze in fear. However, Ai and Tatsuro remained unfazed and, with raised voices, prepared themselves to harm him more. They were willing to hurt others and had started to accept that they needed to be less lenient.

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