After she entered the forest, a cow jumped into view. Skewered whole by an iron spear from its head, it was being splendidly roasted.
“Meat…”
She made a gulping sound. Her sense of reason as a Captain of the Royal Guard all but vanished, and Elina nearly rushed to the meat unconsciously.
Around the barbequed cow, there were some men one wouldn't call anything but rogues.
"These guys..."
Elina stared at them from within the darkness. She frowned at the inconsistent equipment, the vulgar language, and above all, the large woman they regarded as their chief.
"Risty... I thought I hadn't seen you around the Earldom for a while, so you were here..."
[This is a good chance. They might play chivalrous bandits all they like and fight corrupt merchants and heinous feudal lords, but they are still outlaws.]
Given that Elina was a noble, one could say they were her enemy.
If she could bring with her the souvenir of having gotten rid of the Bandit of the Wilderness, she'd be able to go back to the Earldom with her chest high.
[If that's how it is, negotiations will be quick. I just have to make my move with the right timing.]
***
As they pretty much guessed, one couldn't roast a cow that easily.
The men were enjoying going through various rumors until the meat got burnt.
"Maybe extending our turf to around this far from the Earl's territory was the way to go, elder sister."
"Oh? What do ya mean?"
Originally, the bandits had their turf around the free city, for the simple reason that in the Earl's territory there were less corrupt merchants, so they could raid less.
After the Bandit of the Wilderness started leading them, a few had remained there as small bandits, but a woman claiming to be an ally of justice had been annihilating them.
"Sounds like some crazy gal, too."
"That's what the guy who survived is sayin', seems to be quite nasty."
"Oooh? How nasty are we talkin' here?"
‘Nasty’ seemed to be the word which had drawn Risty's attention.
"I hear she uses fire."
"Fire, huh? Don't tell me she like, burns people?"
"You bet, according to the guy, says they were burned alive even after surrendering."
"Wow, that does sound nasty."
Risty frowned despite herself. She had never seen any kind of villain who went that far against a surrendered opponent.
"Well, if it's you, elder sister, you'd win against her."
"Yeah, obviously. I let the Musha-Miko win and everythin' the other day, but if I get serious, I'll become Queen immediately."
"You said it, elder sister."
"Yup, you better believe it!"
She gave a thumbs up to her underling, and with a *thump*, she jumped down from the wine cask she was using as a chair.
"Elder sister? Where are you goin'?"
He called out after her, when she entered the forest at an unsteady pace.
"Don't ask! I'll be back soon."
After the irritated answer, the man counted the number of barrels that now lay empty, and that gave him a pretty good idea of why she had had to leave.
"Guess she had to go after drinking this much?"
"You know elder sister, she might even piss booze, there."
*Gyahaha*, they all laughed at the vulgar joke, and kept drinking liquor like it was water.
***
Standing close to that rough, violent way of roasting a cow in open air, with the aroma of mellow gravy wafting, Elina's patience just about reached its limit.
"No good, I can't stand it anymore."
She decided to jump into action the moment she saw Risty leaving.
From a cursory look, the amount of thieves standing around was about ten, most of them drunk, some sleeping like a log.
[Should I try to surreptitiously steal one piece of meat?
No, no matter how hungry I am, my pride won't allow the Captain of the Royal Guard to steal from thieves.
I'll just take it, instead. I'm the legitimate owner of the meat the thieves robbed, so I'll be confiscating it.
Yeah, that will work.]
Her actions now justified, she approached the men with hushed breath.
[If I'm found out, I just have to knock them out.]
Smelling the thick gravy's fragrance, she swallowed up instinctively.
"Hm?"
Maybe the sound she made was too loud, but the man nearest to Elina turned his neck with a suspicious look.
"Eh?"
Her gaze met his.
"You..."
He wasn't able to even articulate a question; Elina moved terribly fast.
She knocked down the man's head with the spear's handle, leaving him unconscious, and quickly jumped over the cow still getting roasted at the bonfire.
"Wooh!"
Drunk on liquor, the thieves raised their voice upon seeing the unexpected intruder.
"What?"
"Who goes!?"
Now under the moonlight, and also lit by the flames roasting the meat, the clothes harking back to a white tiger only stood out all the more.
"Ah, that outfit!"
Any man who once worked in Vance territory would understand what her costume meant, no matter how drunk they were.
"Why are there Royal Guard somewhere like this?"
Hearing them rustle about, Elina majestically landed on top of the cow and thrust out her chest!
"Owowow!"
She jumped up and down due to the heat. All of a sudden, laughter exploded.
Even if it was one cow, it was right above the bonfire; if she made a bad move, given the heat, it wouldn't be weird if Elina got roasted as well.
"Kuh! I messed up."
She cut a piece of meat with the spear, and a splendid jump brought her down.
Seeing her graceful actions, they gave her a generous applause.
"Amazing, babe!"
"I thought she was just a fool, but she got some moves."
Ignoring their voices, Elina bit into the meat stabbed into her spear.
It was still rather raw, but the heavy fragrance and the taste of the moderately warmed meat did satisfy her palate.
She devoured the meat attached to the spear in the blink of an eye, then went on piercing the
roasted cow, cutting the appetizing parts and putting them in her mouth.
"Ah..."
"Hey, you, wait."
The men stood up to try and stop her hearty way of eating. If they left her alone, she'd be eating their share any minute.
*Shah!*
She stretched her iron claws as she checked them all out.
In her eyes, without Risty to lead them, they amounted to nothing but small fry. She didn't need to bother fighting them. That was why she just scowled at them, spear in hand.
"Gauh!"
Faced with the intimidating Elina and her fiery gaze, the men stopped in their tracks.
It was no exaggeration to say that for those in the bandits gang, the secret to a long life was to be able to discern the opponent's skill. And now, the men could see it clear as day: the strength of the girl eating meat before them surpassed their own.
***
After catching the horses, only an empty carriage was there to greet Irma when she came back.
"It seems like our lady... can't wait alone."
The horses never replied, but she caught a whiff of something else. It was the subtle scent of burnt meat.
If she listened carefully, was it the voices of several men she could make out?
"I hope she isn't causing trouble somewhere."
She tethered the horses to the carriage, and began running towards where those voices came from.
***
"Tryin' to hog the meat I went through all the trouble to get? You have guts."
A threatening voice from inside the darkness reached Elina's ears.
Her pupils caught the sight of a large woman with red hair emerging from the woods, the leader of the bandits.
"It's not your meat. It's mine."
The noblewoman swallowed the meat as she stared at her, then snorted disdainfully.
"Ah, elder sister~"
Overwhelmed by the Vance girl, the men looked at Risty in unison, as if they depended on her. One needs only one glance to know who wore the trousers here.
"Shame on you!"
The bandit leader approached her, stumbling.
"Why are you scared of this chick?"
Hearing her, the men sat up straight at once.
"What is our gang's motto?"
The red head's voice spread through the poorly-lit forest.
"Have always some thrillingly happy fun!"
They all sang in chorus all together.
" 'Kay, so, this looks like happiness to you? Is this thrilling?"
She kept mercilessly scolding her men as she leered at Elina, who kept eating meat without a second thought.
No one replied.
"Honestly, you guys are hopeless."
Risty's eyes fell on one man. A huge man, first among her underlings. With a height of 2 meters, weight of 200 kilos, he was Wanabe, also known as the "living meat dumpling," who boasted of his 2m waist.
"Aaalright, Wanabe. Go and try taking that meat away from her."
"Want me to be crushed to death?"
His eyes went wide open.
"Just go. Or else, this goes up your ass."
She just swung her club–*bzzt*.
"I'm going, I'm going!"
With a push on his back from Risty, Wanabe approached the noble girl, still eating.
The next moment, a dull sound was heard, and a black shadow flew in the night sky.
Elina slowly put down her outstretched foot in a fluid motion.
The giant man that inevitably stood out had disappeared in just a second.
"Huh? Where'd that Wanabe go?"
"He flew just now!"
Before Risty's eyes, he hit a tree nearby and collapsed. The tree fell down with a considerable sound.
"Taking down Wanabe with just a kick..."
[What kind of leg strength is that?]
The men trembled before Elina's might, and the gang leader suddenly began laughing.
"Hahahahahaha, this is a good one!"
"Elder sister!"
"I guess this does make it my turn, now."
Risty rocked her body to and fro, in her hand her favorite mace, "Iron Lover."
"Hey, chick!"
Elina didn't answer, devoting herself to chomping down the meat instead.
"Hey!"
She tried to reach for Elina's shoulder... and a silver light tore up the darkness of the night.
"Don't interrupt me!"
The noble girl barked, baring her iron nails.
"That's my line!"
Risty looked down at her, as the nails moved: *click-clack*.
"Taking the meat I wanted to eat, you have balls."
In defiance to the thief's menacing eyes, Elina gave her back a smile.
"You thieves are so slow-witted."
She brought the meat stuck to the spear to her mouth, and after swallowing loudly, she stood in front of Risty.
"This meat isn't yours. It's mine."
She gave no signs of wanting to move even one step back from the bandit.
"That's ok, I'll just beat the heck outta you!"
As soon as she said so, the redhead swung the mace she held at Elina.
The blonde barely registered the surprise attack, and jumped horizontally to reduce the blow she'd receive.
The feedback from the mace told Risty her attack hadn't landed, so she gripped the "Iron Lover" even tighter.
"Heey, pay attention or this will get dangerous."
Shaking her upper body to and fro, she thrust her mace in rapid succession.
"Funya!"
With a cat-like scream, Elina yet again dodged the attacks by a hair-breadth.
"So annoying!"
Still thrusting with the mace, she hurled herself at Elina.
As if her opponent had been expecting it, the Vance girl jumped by using the spear, and in midair kicked down at Risty.
"As if I'll let ya!"
Her mace changed the kick's trajectory by brute force. Yet still, gravity was on the blonde's side, so her kick still went ahead.
"Guh!"
A voice of agony escaped her lips after receiving the heel drop straight-on.
After landing, Elina crouched down and covered her leg; both had taken their fair share of damage.
"Not too bad, should have expected this much from you, Bandit of the Wilderness Risty. You're worth being called the rival of my sister Leina."
"You’re Leina's sister?"
Hearing those words made her cry out unintentionally with a funny voice.
"Right-hand woman of Earl Vance, Captain of the Royal Guard Elina!"
She made a pose with the spear as she introduced herself.
"Remember my name properly, female troll!"
"Wha, female troll? What a thing to say, for a meat eater!"
"Was that supposed to be an insult? That's why you poor people who don't eat meat are no good. You're better off eating bread in silence."
"Ah, I ain't too sure, but that sure sounded like you were mocking me."
"Good job managing to understand that much, I figure I can praise you."
"Keh! That personality and that sharp tongue... you're a noble, aren't you? You cat girl."
" "Cat"? You surely mean "white tiger"!"
***
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