848 Bear, attacked twice - Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

"What... is this?" The men sprawled on the ground stared at the earth coiled around their legs. They tugged and tried to free themselves, but it was in vain. My magic isn't something so easily broken. "Just to confirm, why did you attack us?" "We're bandits. It's only natural to steal things." Yet these bandits seemed particularly feeble. When you hear "bandit," you imagine a big, rough-looking guy, possibly with a sinister gaze, licking a knife. But the men before us seemed weak. Maybe they figured they could overpower just two young girls. "So, you were masquerading as bandits intending to deal with us, right?" Mane wore a satisfied expression. Indeed, otherwise, it made no sense to attack with Kumayuru and Kumakyu around. "If you kill me, there would be no one to judge the apothecary's wrongdoings, right?" Dead men tell no tales, after all. Mane's plan was to return to the royal capital to investigate the ingredients of the medicine and give orders to investigate the apothecary. However, if she couldn't make it back, nothing would come of it. "Sadly for you, I have a very reliable bodyguard." Mane glanced at me. It was a little embarrassing but also nice to hear her say that. "We won't kill anyone. We're just after your belongings and money." "Indeed, if the medicine is taken, the evidence will disappear too." Maybe they were just trying to retrieve the evidence. "Well, either way, you attacked us, so it doesn't change much." Mane approached one of the men lying on the ground. "If you confess everything, there might be some leniency. How about you try being honest?" "What are you talking about, young miss?" "Feigning ignorance won't work. You were ordered to attack me, weren't you?" "...?" The men's reactions were slow. "Tell us the name of the man who ordered you." "The reason we attacked you two is simply because you passed through here." Mane and I exchanged glances. The men insisted they knew nothing. They wouldn't spill about Corvo. Time for a little persuasion. "Kumayuru, Kumakyu, do you want some delicious meat?" At my words, Kumayuru and Kumakyu approached the men on the ground. "Doesn't this one look like he’s rather well-fed?" I eyed a man nearby. "Kuuu~n." Kumayuru turned its eyes on the man. "Stop, don't come closer!" The man tried to flee, but being bound, all he could do was squirm like a worm. "Shall we start by sampling an arm?" "Ku~u" In front of the men, Kumayuru and Kumakyu drooled. "Really, I don't understand what you young missies are saying." Despite the fear of being eaten by Kumayuru and Kumakyu, who’ve loosened many tongues before, they resisted admirably. But there's more than just one here. "Kumayuru, Kumakyu, would you prefer different meat?" At my words, Kumayuru and Kumakyu looked at another bandit. They began to taste by licking the bandit. Each time, the bandit's face tensed, but no one talked. Instead, they all said, "We don't know," or "We did it for the money." "Maybe their families are being held hostage. Or perhaps they're being blackmailed." "Yuna, you're sharp." It's a classic maneuver where nobles exploit someone's weakness to enforce their orders. That's why they can't say anything or defy orders. "We'll help you, so tell us the truth. The longer you keep silent, the graver your crimes will get." Mane kindly pressed them for answers. "We truly don't know. We were just desperate for money." Such loyalty is astounding. Could Corvo be genuinely a good person? I haven't actually met Corvo. But Lydia and the others wouldn’t lie, and it was Corvo's medicine that caused those red blotches on Est. Hmm, I can't figure it out. "Mane, what do we do?" "This is unexpected. I didn't think they'd be this tight-lipped. Maybe we should resort to using a truth serum. But, using it would leave them as vegetables." At Mane’s musings, the bandits began to tremble. "If we adjust the dosage… But, given their loyalty, their mental strength is likely high, so we’d need to use a lot. But then, they’d be rendered vegetables..." "Do you actually have truth serum on you?" "Of course, I do." Why on earth would she carry such a thing? "Would anyone like to try it?" Mane asked the bandits, but every single one shook their heads. Nobody wants to end up an empty shell. "It's a hassle to administer here, so let's load them onto the carriage and return to the town first." It’s a bother, but the town is closer than the capital. "Please forgive us. This was the first time we attacked anyone." "Yes, truly." It's a line you'd hear from shoplifters or thieves when they're caught, hoping first-time offense grants leniency. "I have a wife and children at home." Another classic line, hoping to draw sympathy for forgiveness. Many men in this world have families. It's no excuse for committing crimes. "If you want forgiveness, speak the truth. If you do, there might be leniency as a whistleblower." "I’m telling you, no one ordered us to do this." Do they really owe Corvo that much? Perhaps? Or are they being blackmailed? "Alright, get in the carriage." As Mane was trying to load the men onto the carriage, Kumayuru and Kumakyu looked toward the road heading into town and whimpered, "Kuuu~n." Something's coming? "What did they say?" Having experienced this numerous times, Mane asked, understanding what was happening. "They say someone is approaching us at an incredible speed." My detection skill picked up five people moving fast from the direction of the town. "Looks like they're on horseback." "This is a bit troublesome if they see us." The men were tied up and being loaded into the carriage. Witnessing this might make it hard to tell who the villains are. "What do we do?" "Well, if they suspect us, we’ll just explain." We couldn’t do much more under the circumstances. As we decided that, horses came into view, charging our way. "They seem to be in quite a rush." Could it be an emergency? They were drawing closer, five in total. "There they are." The riders halted before us. "A girl in a bear costume and a young girl. Seems we’ve found the right ones." "Looks like we caught up." "We were on the verge of facing a reprimand." "That’s because you guys, who drank and overslept, are to blame." "Hey, you were sleeping when we woke up, weren't you, leader?" "It doesn’t matter. If not you guys, who was supposed to wake me?" "Unbelievable." Laughter erupted. "Good thing we made it in time." "Yeah." The men turned their eyes on Mane and me. "Hey, Mane. Could it be...?" "It seems so." Mane turned around to look at the men who had attacked us. "I'm sorry. It looks like there's been a misunderstanding," she said, bowing her head slightly. "Hey, brats. Hand over the medicine you swiped from Corvo's shop yesterday." Oh, they said the name. It's clear now. These guys are the real deal. The ones behind us were impostors. Though calling a bunch of bandits impostors feels a bit odd, these are the ones we were waiting for. "I paid good money for those, you know." "Then, make your choice. Hand over the medicine and walk home, or we'll teach you a painful lesson before you do." "You honestly think you can get away with this?" "It's under orders from Lord Corvo, so it's all fine." "We also heard you've got cash on you." "Yes, I do," Mane said, showing them the small pouch of coins intentionally. "Hand that over too!" The men lunged at us. I moved in front of Mane, delivering a Kuma Punch, Bear Punch, Kuma Punch, and yet another Bear Punch. Four men were knocked back. The last one, seeing his comrades get thrown, hurriedly drew his sword. "Stay back!" "If I stay back, we can't retrieve the medicine and money." It felt like we were the ones attacking. You were the ones who struck first. Anyway, I hit the last one with a Kuma Punch, sending him flying too. Lately, all I seem to do is punch boring things. I used earth magic to bind the men lying on the ground. "So, you guys following Corvo's orders attacked us, right?" "I don’t know." But you just mentioned Corvo's name. This is tiresome. "Kumayuru, Kumakyu." "Ku~u." Understanding the situation, Kumayuru and Kumakyu drooled as they approached the men. "There are five of them, so feel free to pick the tastiest one." "I taste terrible. If you're gonna eat, pick one of the other four..." The man who seemed to be the leader looked at the four others. "Unlike me, a skinny guy, this well-built one here..." The skinny man pointed at a fatter one. "I'm too fatty and taste bad. This muscular guy would be better..." The fat man pointed at the muscular one. "My muscles are tough. Better to pick someone more ordinary..." The muscular man nodded toward the ordinary-looking man. "Hey, the young miss said the best meat was right here. I’m just average. So perhaps..." The ordinary man looked at the man who seemed to be their leader. The others weren't just watching; the skinny man, the fat man, and the muscular man were all eyeing him too. "That's true." "The leader is the best choice." "He eats well, so his meat must be tastier." The four had abandoned their leader. "Cut that out! In that case, make it Lord Corvo!" "Certainly." All four nodded at their leader's exclamation. It was almost comedic. Mane and I couldn't help but watch, utterly exasperated.