Today is finally the day to capture the bandits.

　All of our team had breakfast at the inn. We felt we were able to get to know each other better than yesterday. The innkeeper seems to have misunderstood that we are a close family, and he's always smiling when he brings us food... It's not too embarrassing, but it's not bad.

　Well, this time we are going to leave on our bikes and meet at the dining room yesterday. Midia will ride a small bike and Manya will ride a medium bike with me.

　Anya will be the first time she has ridden a motorcycle. I have secured it with a belt to prevent it from falling off, but is it scary?　He hugs his back tightly and is ticklish and completely silent.

　It's easier to drive when you're stuck on your back and frozen in place than to flail around. But, depending on the situation, I may need to have them shoot at me while I'm driving... Are you okay?


Arrive at the dining room after leaving the inn.

'Good morning, Ryota-san. I was surprised by the strange ride and clothes.

　It's forest camouflage, so it's rare that I'm not surprised; I've heard from Manya that two-wheeled self-driving cars are rarely excavated either, and that they're usually converted into high-value four-wheelers.

　It got a lot of attention from the city and I can tell it's floating around on its own. In case you're wondering, midias are common outdoor clothing. I'm jealous of the camouflage if you do grass and tree manipulation in the area.

'This is a two-wheeled self-driving car we brought from the east. It's cheaper than a self-propelled vehicle, and it can also run on rough and narrow roads, so I think it's perfect for exterminators. The patterns on their clothes are also less conspicuous in the field.

　Lately, I've decided to push through the troublesome stuff with eastern culture. It's easier than coming up with an excuse for every single thing!

''I envy the East because it has so much of the legacy of the old civilization... If we could trade, I'd love to have that ivy too!　Work hard and earn your money, big brother, okay?

　Thena is pissed off that she should buy herself a stone. It's a rare pattern for this sibling. But Palio-kun's argument is logical and I can tell it's his sister's education.

Palio-kun. I'm sure you're aware of the bandits today, but in order to be certain, we'd like to scout them out first. The exterminator is also good at scouting, and since it's a two-wheeled self-driving vehicle, I want to take advantage of its speed.

　Will I be able to convince him?　I'm sorry, I know, but with Palio-kun, I'm sure I'll be cut off from the bandits.

'But isn't it dangerous?　It helps to know what's going on ahead of time, but...

The Exterminator does everything he can to gather information. That's how we found out that the bandit family is living in the forest. So we're going to go ahead and get them to surrender. We haven't had any deaths yet, and being former refugees, we want to capture them without causing any casualties.

'We're in favor of capturing them as well, and I think it's a good idea to keep their families in check. Surely the bandits are not much more than ex-hunters and ex-lumberjacks, and the merchant ambush would be elsewhere. The signal for an emergency rendezvous should be a smoke ball, right?　I'll run to the smoke and see if I can spot it.

　He agreed with me surprisingly easily. Palio-kun's priority is the safety of his friends, but he also wants to capture them without killing them as much as possible.


Since we've received their approval, we'll head for the advance reconnaissance.

　Window flowers lead us to a place a short distance away from the bandit's village. From here we get off the bike and approach on foot. We arrived at a position where we could see directly into the village, so we looked through the binoculars. What we saw was a more authentic village than we expected. There are even houses and fields, though they are poorly built.

　But it is poorly guarded. There are only two guards, the rest are women and children and an old man. But I won't let my guard down, I'm sorry, but I'll let the smoke engulf me.

[Midea. Will the smoke screen ball work as planned?　If it's too hard for you, I'll help you, okay?
I got a Zippo that I borrowed. It's not hard to get a steady fire, okay?

　Midea took out a huge wooden spoon that looked like a ladle. It's probably a throwing aid like a lacrosse stick. Then Midea checked the target location and quickly hid in the hollow.

　When we got into position, Midea lit a smokeball and started throwing it. Even though we just saw her earlier, her throwing was accurate and well spaced. The entire village is enveloped in smoke in the blink of an eye.

I'll protect your back. Just do as you please.

　I'm going to go in ahead of you together with Anya. And a pat on the back. The old man is more fragile than a half-dwarf, so go easy on him, okay?

Thank you, you can rest easy knowing we have the hostages.

　Dyeing smoke takes effect, and the refugees begin to get confused, mistaking it for a fire. I send a hand sign to Manya and Midia to go in, put on my gas mask, and begin the assault.

　We rely on the thermal camera first and shoot three points at one of the guards. It's working, but they say it's too powerful than they expected. He falls down and vomits in pain.

　Manya's also subdued the other one with a cork buckshot. That one is blowing bubbles and passed out.......................not dead, right?

　Now the next hostage, the bandit's family can't move properly due to tears and coughs, and their vision is poor due to smoke.

''Lord, it would be safer to neutralize them by striking them with me while they are still in their scabbards. This scabbard is also specially made, so there is no need to worry about it breaking. Please trace my image for the strikes, and that will prevent fractures.

　It's certainly safer and easier to adjust than cork bullets. If you use body strengthening, you won't get battered, and if you only use fatigue reduction, there's less magic consumption. I'm going to bring it back to the Yukikaze immediately.

　Midea also participated in the suppression. She's holding back, but her kicking skills are still excellent as always.

　Manya decides that even a back shot is too powerful. After switching to slug rounds, she has a Saiga-12 hanging around her waist in a sling. Eventually, a P229 pistol cork bullet is used to assist in subduing it. But the basic idea is to be on guard to see if the bandits come back.

　This way, Midea and I can focus on the capture process without worrying about it. Anya can also be quickly converted to Saiga. Thanks to this, we can easily subdue them and capture the bandit's family members with the bundle of bonds that were provided.

　The ties are strong and light, but not bulky, making them more convenient than handcuffs. If you cross your arms behind your back and restrain your wrists, they cannot be removed first. However, some old people find it difficult to cross their arms behind their backs. In this case, you can roll him to the ground and tie his wrists and ankles together in pairs.

　The first step is successful.

　The smoke was about to run out, but they managed to do it in time.