I was running through the woods.

Take me with you.

　And Aeris comes running from behind.

'Aeris. Why?

Hmm?　Because we were all supposed to sleep in pairs, but Ray wasn't there. I was surprised to find him running through the woods when I looked for him because of his presence.

　And while running, he tells me why. It was supposed to be that way. But where we're heading now is a bandit's hideout. I can't take him to a dangerous place where we don't know what's out there.

''Well that's enough. I know what Ray is thinking, and it's nice to be nice, but we're not just women to be protected. We can protect ourselves too.

　And then she pats me on the back while she runs. 'Totally, you sister.

'All right. Then help me.

　When I say that, Aeris smiles and nods at me. Then, seeing that we're done talking, Light shows up at an angle behind me.

''Ray-sama, it was a good decision to have Aeris-sama follow me.

　And then you start saying things like that. What does that mean?

The bandits' hideout is based in an abandoned village at the foot of a mountain just down the road. It's a village large enough to hold about 300 villagers and there were about 200 bandits there. I didn't see all the rooms either, but in one room, the women were chained up.

　Wright's words made me understand what he had just said. Aeris seemed to understand, too, and she held her hand over her mouth. The bandits who had attacked us during the day alone were all men. One of them is a woman. And if they were chained up, then........

"This is inexcusable!

　Aeris muttered. Magic is swirling in his anger.

'Calm down, Aeris. I know you can't forgive me, but maybe the magic will make the bandits notice you.

　When I say this, Aeris takes a deep breath and tries to calm down. I can't forgive her for that, and neither can I.

'Also, there was a strange magical reaction in the house of the man who I believe to be the head of the bandit.

　Light says. Strange magic?　What's that?

What do you mean?

I've felt this magic before, but it was so long ago that I can't remember it.

　Haha, laughs Light. It's rare to find a light that can do basically anything and is perfect. But a strange magical power? I'll have to be a little careful. And it's been about 10 minutes of running through the forest.

"...please stop. That's the entrance to the village.

　Saying that, I looked towards where the light was pointing and saw that a gate had been built, albeit simple, with two bandit men standing in front of it as guards. Most of the houses in the village are lit, though the light is out, but it's on.
I think the place should be...

So where do we go from here?

'Yes. You could go in head-on, but it's hard to imagine that the woman being held captive is the only one in that room. It's too much trouble to be held hostage. Let's look for other places to enter and find the women who are being held captive. Dark Magic Shadow Curtain.

　And I'll be casting dark magic on me and Aeris. This magic is a spell that creates a kind of black haze around us that makes it difficult to see. It's a good idea to be able to see it from close up, but from a distance, it's nighttime, so you won't be able to tell. Light is not used because you can just disappear.

　It's a very good idea to have a wall around the village, but since it's still an abandoned village, there are holes in the wall here and there. We're going to use our earth magic to chip away at those places little by little and change them to a size that we can enter.

　But why is a bandit gang of this size sitting in this abandoned village? Normally, if a bandit group is found, the nearby lords would gather their troops to take them out, so it's rare for them to grow to this size. Why?

Ray, I think I feel somebody in that house.

　As I'm thinking, Aeris finds me with her presence. I walk around the village for a bit, but the houses near the wall don't seem to be used by anyone.

　Everyone seems to be sitting around the large mansion at the farthest end, with bandits sitting in the houses around it, and the women in the houses outside of it. And when you go into one of those houses, it's there.

'Ugh!　Oh my....

　There were five women lying on the ground. Their ages ranged from early ten years old to late twenties, but they all wore a single cloth-like body, and after getting wet, they had dirt and blood on them, and a collar and a chain tied to their necks from there.

　The inside of the house is filled with various smells, including sweat and urine, and just being inside makes me feel sick. Did these people spend their time in this kind of environment?

　When I look at Aeris, she puts her hand over her mouth and looks like she's about to cry.

'Aeris, are you okay?　If you say no, then you can keep an eye on me outside if you want...

It's all right. Like I said in the beginning, I don't want to be the girl that you just protect. I'll help you with that.

　And Aeris moves forward inside. She's a totally strong person. As we walk in, a woman who seems to be the oldest looks up, as if she's noticed by the sound of our footsteps.

'Who are you?　I thought we were done for the day!

　At the woman's words, a girl nearby hissed!　I shout out. And my body rattles and shakes and tears are shed. .... until it's this bad.

'It's okay, calm down. We're here to help.

　With that, Aeris approaches. At the same time, I release the dark magic I've been casting. Although the women were surprised to see Aeris appear out of the darkness, they were a little relieved to find out that she was a woman just like them.

　I watch the scene from a little distance. It wouldn't do much good for me, a man, to approach them now. It would only frighten me.

'Oh, you're the one who came to help me?'

'Yes, I do. Don't worry, I have my strongest fiancé with me, so I'll be fine.

　Aeris says and looks at me. The women must be noticing my presence for the first time, and they all become a little nervous. Aeris explains and finally they relax, but they are all glancing in my direction.

'It's okay. He's not going to attack us, unlike those savages here.

　Aeris smiles at that. Then he asked me many things about this village. It seems that he arrived in this village about two months ago. I've heard that this village had not been abandoned until then. It seems that the woman who lived in this village originally lived in this village and had been living peacefully until then.

　Then this bandit gang appeared. The men and old men were killed, the men's children were sold into slavery, half of the women were sold and the other half were used as an outlet for s*x.

　It is said that there are about 20 or so women left in this village who were originally here, and about 20 women who were brought in from outside. So there are about 50 women in all. That's a lot more than I expected.

　It's difficult to let all these women escape at once. However, if we let them escape one by one, it is likely to take time and they will be found out. What should we do?

'What do we do, Ray?'

　Aeris seemed to have the same question. 'It's no use.

'I'm going to go on a rampage in the center of the village. I'll go into the center of the village, and that will draw attention to me. In the meantime, Aeris will need your help with the women. Light will be there to protect them. Thank you.

　When I say that, Light nods at me. Aeris reluctantly agrees. I take out the Rowga from the item ring and head outside. Huh, the anger I've been suppressing rises. Brace yourself, okay?