https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-143-Rod-When-Are-We-Going-Out-Next-Time-/12810377/
Chapter 142: What Are You Thinking?
Chapter 142: What Are You Thinking?
The bandits, armed with swords and knives, were taken down by Alzack's barrage of magical bullets before they could even get close.
That gun of his might look like a simple pistol, but with his powerful bullet magic, it functioned more like a machine gun.
By the time the bandits with bows and firearms aimed at him, Alzack had already taken cover behind the Stone Beetle.
Arrows bounced off the Stone Beetle's rocky shell, and ordinary bullets couldn't do much damage either.
Before they could fire a second round, Bisca had already picked off the bandits' gunmen from a distance.
"Great job, Bisca!" Alzack praised, even though she couldn't hear him.
He then darted out, taking down the melee bandits who had tried to sneak closer.
The Stone Beetle followed Alzack's commands, moving and stopping as directed.
It also had to be mindful of Rod's basic instructions—drag Alzack away if he got hurt.
"It's a Mage!"
"There's a sniper on the hill!"
"How can someone shoot from that distance? Are you kidding me?"
"Too strong!"
"What's that moving rock? Is it a monster?"
The bandits had never faced such formidable opponents before. The sentries and gatekeepers had no idea how they had been taken out.
They thought they had the numbers to overwhelm the enemy, but a dozen of their men fell in the first exchange.
Thinking they had established a suppressive fire, their gunmen were already downed by a sniper hiding somewhere.
They thought they could rush in and cut the enemy down, but another dozen of their men fell in the second exchange.
At least two powerful Mages and that unknown stone monster...
The bandits were ready to run.
A burly man with a staff emerged from the central wooden hut, kicking down a bandit who tried to retreat.
"Useless! They're just Mages, attack!" The bandit leader raised his staff. "I'll deal with the monster, you kill that guy!"
"Boss, be careful! They have..."
Bang! The bandit leader fell to the ground, his staff clattering away.
The small bandit, stunned, finished his sentence: "...a sniper."
...
The bandits had surrendered, and Rod, checking the escape route behind the camp, found no one.
When he entered the camp, Alzack was holding his gun, watching the bandits tie up their own companions.
"Did you resolve this so quickly?"
Rod's voice made the bandits shudder. Another terrifying Mage? There were three of them?
Their movements became even more frantic. We're just a bunch of small-time bandits, why do we deserve such powerful Mages to come after us?
And they even had a sniper and a pincer attack.
"I'll confess! We have a ten-man squad down the mountain on a raid!"
"Right, right! The ambush position is at..."
Alzack said, "We've already taken care of them. Is there anyone else?"
The bandits looked defeated and a bit resentful—being picked off one by one!
Do they think we're a regular army?!
After a while, Bisca arrived, and the bandits had already finished tying themselves up.
Rod was checking each rope to ensure they hadn't tried any tricks.
The bandits looked pale. In this situation, who would dare to try anything? You're being too cautious.
Bisca, seeing the almost gray-faced bandits, asked, "What's wrong with them?"
"Completely lost their will to fight," Alzack hesitated, then added, "That... that sniper shot was pretty impressive."
"Ah, t-thank you," Bisca blushed at Alzack's praise, even though she didn't usually get such compliments. "Your high-speed rapid fire was amazing."
Alzack flustered, "No... it's just that I practice a lot."
Two rather shy individuals, after being complimented by each other, found themselves at a loss for words and unsure where to look.
Rod inwardly sighed, admiring how someone skilled could give such high-level compliments. After witnessing such incredible marksmanship, he could only manage a simple “awesome.”
But it didn’t matter; he knew how to praise Bisca’s transformation magic and combat techniques.
Rod clapped his hands. “Alright, while it’s still early, let’s get those who can walk down the mountain. We should aim to get back to town before dark.”
During the fight, Alzack and Bisca mostly used non-lethal magic, aside from the initial explosion that blew open the door. The magic shots, while painful, mostly caused paralysis or immediate unconsciousness, so none of the bandits died. Some, however, were unlucky and ended up with more serious injuries due to their erratic movements.
Many of the injured bandits were left here, to be picked up later by the town’s security force.
To be safe, Rod asked Alzack to give each of them a dose of tranquilizer.
The bandits who hadn’t been hit were terrified, thinking they were about to be executed. They hurriedly begged for mercy and spilled various “secrets.”
There wasn’t much valuable information, but the most important piece was that the hideout still had some unspent wealth and food.
However, none of Rod’s group took anything.
Official guild mages typically adhere to certain rules, and they don’t touch any money or goods beyond their reward. Stolen items from bandit dens are usually handed over to the client, with goods returned to their rightful owners and food and money used to compensate the villages that were robbed.
Similar rules apply to treasure-hunting missions. After confirming the reward, any found treasures have no relation to the mages unless stated otherwise in the mission contract.
Fairy Tail mages, despite their many quirks, are even more strict about these rules.
On the way down the mountain, Rod took the time to dismantle the various traps, ensuring the security team wouldn’t get caught and leave a bad review.
By the time they handed over the captives, the sun had set. The security team decided to retrieve the remaining bandits the next day.
However, since the bandit leader was already in custody, the reward could be paid out immediately, and the mission was marked as completed.
The three of them successfully collected their reward, along with a heap of thanks and compliments, before bidding farewell to the client and heading back to the inn for rest.
After a long day, Rod took a shower first. When he came out, Alzack was sitting on the bed, cleaning his gun.
“Your turn.”
“Alright.” Alzack put down his gun and said earnestly, “Thank you again, Rod. Really.”
“Are you thanking me for completing the mission together, or for inviting Bisca to our team?”
At the mention of Bisca, Alzack blushed. “B-both.”
“Oh~~~” Rod intentionally drew out the sound, watching Alzack’s attempt to escape. He laughed, “Hey, don’t you want to share a room with Bisca tonight?”
“No, no! Don’t say that! We just teamed up for the first time; we couldn’t possibly be at that stage already!”
Alzack’s brain almost crashed, but he managed to think of a counter. “When you and Mirajane went to the capital, did you share a room?”
Rod calmly replied, “Yeah, we did.”
“What???” Alzack’s face turned bright red, “You… you already… already…”
“We stayed in a suite with separate rooms,” Rod teased, “What were you thinking? Were you imagining something with Bisca…?”
“Nothing at all!”
(End of Chapter)
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