Noble Reincarnation: Born Blessed, So I'll Obtain Ultimate Power

As we were walking down the street, a gang of rough-looking men suddenly surrounded us from both front and back.

About fifty men from each side, making a total of around one hundred.

All of them were armed and had the kind of faces that only people familiar with rough business possess.

“Master...”

“Don’t worry.”

I placed my hand on Shirley’s head, who had just given a decent performance (....), silently signaling her to stay as she was.

I jumped down from the carriage and shouted in a loud voice.

“I am Milles Truth. As you can see, I am a merchant. Do you have any business with me?”

At that, a young man stepped forward from among the fifty men in front.

He looked just as rough and well-built as the others, but his eyes gave off a distinct sense of calm.

“I know you’re a merchant. We just wanted to collect a little toll.”

“A toll, you say?”

“Yes. If you’re a merchant, you should understand that, right?”

The man said that with a smile.

“And what if I don’t pay?”

“You’re not saying you can’t pay, right?”

He continued to smile as he spoke.

I was sure he had heard about my behavior at the inn yesterday.

“You’d better pay honestly. That way, you won’t have to deal with any rough treatment.”

“Sorry, but I have no intention of paying.”

The man’s smile suddenly vanished.

His subordinates started murmuring among themselves.

It seemed they hadn’t imagined a mere merchant would outright reject their demands like this.

“Well then, it can’t be helped. You’ll learn a painful lesson. Hey!”

When the man gestured with his chin, three of his men appeared from behind, cracking their knuckles and necks.

“Looking closer, you’ve got a pretty face.”

“I hate rich boys like this.”

“If you’re going to cry, better do it early.”

They shouted such things to each other as they lunged at me.

All three drew their worn-out longswords and slashed at me.

I wrapped Bahamut’s flames around my fists and swung carelessly.

The longswords that were blocked melted halfway down in an instant.

The ground scorched red-hot with sizzling molten iron.

The men were completely bewildered by what was happening.

Without hesitation, I punched all three of them away.

They flew backward, engulfed in a spectacular blaze (....).

“Amazing, Master!”

Shirley cheered from atop the carriage as instructed (.....).

“...It seems they really want to learn a painful lesson.”

The young leader said, and the bandits charged at me simultaneously.

I wrapped Bahamut’s flames around both hands to meet their attack.

I melted their weapons, engulfed them in flames, and sent them flying.

One after another, the enemies were knocked down, writhing on the ground.

All of them were heading straight for me.

I wondered if they wouldn’t try to flank me — but then,

“Don’t move! This woman’s life is on the line!”

Suddenly, a threat froze both me and the bandits in place.

I slowly turned around, and one of the bandits had jumped onto the carriage.

He held Shirley hostage from behind, restraining her and pressing the blade of his sword to her throat.

“...”

I remained silent.

“Head, now’s our chance!”

Seeing me frozen, the man spoke to the young leader.

The leader silently drew his sword and walked past me—

“Eh—gah!”

Without hesitation, he slashed his own subordinate down.

“W-why...?”

The man who fell off the carriage looked at his boss in disbelief.

“Shame on you for taking a woman hostage!”

“Ugh...”

The young man spat out those words and then turned toward Shirley.

“It’s alright now... huh?”

Then, he himself was shocked.

The sword pressed to Shirley’s neck was stuck fast.

The blade that the hostage-taker had pressed against her throat was literally stuck there.

“As expected of Master. No matter what happens, I don’t feel like you’ll get hurt at all.”

Shirley looked at me with eyes full of admiration.

That cheer earlier was something I had planned with Shirley beforehand, getting her to draw attention.

Whether or not the bandits looked at her, Shirley would raise her voice to attract attention.