Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Short Story Collection, Vol. 3 by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Yen On
Published: 2025-05-20T00:00:00+00:00

From experience, anytime Chuden started a request like that, it was never “just a bit troublesome.”

3

“Have you heard? There have been frequent attacks on merchant caravans near the outskirts of Banan lately.”

In the chairman’s office, Chuden broached the subject.

Ricardo had a wary look on his face when he replied, “Yeah, sure.”

Reports of the uptick in caravan attacks had indeed reached Ricardo’s ample ears.

“But it’s only hearsay for now,” Ricardo continued. “Word around town says it’s more than what the usual merchant bodyguards can handle. And for one thing, all the victims have been outside merchants…so it ain’t really our problem.”

“True, it isn’t,” Chuden admitted. “However, these outside merchants are valuable customers. In a sense, their goods are meant to be ours. If they lose their wares and stop coming to Banan, they won’t be the only victims anymore.”

“Okay… So, I guess you want me to do something about these thieves or bandits or whatever.”

Ricardo had quite the colorful past, but he wasn’t fond of being burdened with grand expectations.

If a bandit gang was operating on this scale, it had to be at least fifty strong, maybe even more. Only a fool would try to take them on alone.

“If we’re up against a big group, there ain’t nothin’ I can do, no matter how strong I am. You really think I can tackle this by my lonesome?”

“Oh, you needn’t worry about that.”

Chuden flashed a knowing smile—the kind only a swindler could wear. “The city council has already recognized this as a major issue… Starting with our company, the commerce league is putting together funds to hire mercenaries. You’ll be their leader, Ricardo. Your job is to locate the bandits and eliminate them. That’s the gist of it.”

“…That ain’t gonna be a walk in the park, either. Just sayin’’”

For all his complaints, Ricardo already knew deep down that there was no escaping this.

Ever since Kararagi’s founding, merchants had been the most powerful figures in city governance. The majority of city council members were influential traders, and Chuden was one of them. If he was bringing this to Ricardo now, that meant the decision had already been made. The only thing left was for Ricardo to accept it.

“So you want a dogman like me to lead a ragtag team of mutts? What the hell were you thinkin’?”

“The talented are always given roles that allow them to best utilize their skills. That’s just natural law.”

With a smirk, Chuden spread out a map on his desk. It detailed the outskirts of Banan, with several trade routes circled in red.

“These are the surrounding trade routes and the locations of the caravan attacks. No survivors. Their cargo and even their ligers were stolen—far too thorough for your average bandits.”

“With this many attacks so close by, their base has gotta be around these parts.”

Ricardo studied the map, then marked two locations near the attack sites—a forest and a rocky ridge. If these were run-of-the-mill bandits, they’d be holed up somewhere easy to defend, and these two spots fit the bill.

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