Chapter 234: Night Raid on the Bandit Stronghold
Looking out into the night sky, one could see the stars twinkling, and the central bright light came from the elliptical moon. In the darkness, the three horses opened their eyes wide, taking in the light, watching the muddy path beneath their feet, and walking upwards.
The moonlight was bright tonight, and even the people on horseback could clearly see everything nearby.
However, there was a downside: Souji, riding behind, could clearly see every movement of the horse's rear end in front of her.
It is well known that animals like horses defecate while moving. As animals that spend most of their time eating, they are practically eating and eliminating, running and eliminating.
While riding a horse is glamorous, there are certain things one must put up with. Even at the best stables, the odor persists.
Beneath the flicking horse tail, one clump after another of horse manure dropped.
"Ptooey, horse poop is so gross~!" Souji frowned and said with distaste.
The mare carrying Souji couldn't understand why the female human on her back was making such a fuss just because another horse was using the toilet. Did she want to see it that badly? The mare simply quickened its pace, closing the distance.
The moving mare skillfully avoided the manure on the ground, but its back jolted, causing Souji to hurriedly hold onto the horse's neck, daring not to look around anymore.
"Eh? What did I do wrong? Why are you suddenly so agitated?" Souji cried out pitifully.
The mare snorted and seemed to ask curiously: 'Not watching? That round, large, muscular butt?'
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After a while, the sound of flowing water could be heard. The mountain night was very quiet, but upon reaching this spot, it was as lively as daytime. The small lake by the waterfall reflected the moonlight, illuminating the surroundings.
The rapid currents slammed against the giant rocks below, making a loud rushing sound. The waterfall, about four or five meters high, seemed to be absorbing the moon's energy, like a glowing yellow dragon tumbling.
The water droplets floating in the air were like natural air conditioning gifted by nature, bringing a cool breeze.
Shirou and the girls dismounted, letting the horses, which had worked hard for over an hour, stop for a drink. Shirou fed them some sweet carrots, which the horses liked. Souji and the black-haired, red-eyed girl also found a flat stone to sit on and take a short rest.
The two playful girls took off their shoes, rolled up their trousers, and carelessly dipped their pale legs into the water.
"Ah~! It's cold!"
"Don't splash me! Take that! Haha!"
"Ah~! Hahaha!"
The two girls simply raised their feet, splashing the lake water and playfully wrestling.
"The temperature difference at night in the mountains is huge, of course it's cool. We're not here for a sightseeing trip," Shirou said irritably.
As Shirou spoke, he took down a bundle. He had brought two bundles on this trip: one strapped to his waist was the weapon bag he brought from the small town. The other he now took down was a gray-blue cloth bundle he got from Hajime.
He untied the bundle, and inside were several golden-colored rice balls wrapped in large, clean leaves. These were made from the second pot of steamed rice, set aside especially when it was ready. The rest had been completely eaten.
Because the ingredients were plentiful and there was no greasy meat, the taste was still quite good even when cooled. Since they were going into battle, Shirou's belief was that they absolutely could not let the soldiers go hungry.
Shirou carried the bundle, walked over, and offered the rice balls to the two girls, saying, "Here, eat. Recharge your energy; we still have a long way to go."
"Ah! Rice balls! Thank you, Shirou! You are so thoughtful! It's a blessing to travel with you," Souji, who was already hungry, took a rice ball and praised him happily.
"Mhm, mhm, Shirou's cooking is truly excellent. Even as a rice ball, it's flawless," the black-haired, red-eyed girl, acting as a gourmet, commented as she tasted it.
Shirou also found a spot to sit, took out the white paper on which he had recorded the route, and said using the moonlight, "Going up from the left will take us to the next mountain, which is only half the distance to the bandit's location."
"I see. Once we get there, how should we fight?" Souji asked, pulling her katana out of its sheath, where it flashed with sharp, cold light.
"Why bother making it complicated? Once we get there, we'll just charge in and start killing!" the black-haired, red-eyed girl said carelessly.
"We will move after midnight, when the bandits are at their sleepiest. First, take out the patrolling guards, then set fire to the houses, and kill them as they come out," Shirou said, considering seriously.
"Oh, I understand! If the bad Nobu and her subordinates show up, leave them to me!" Souji said confidently.
"This time, the goal is to wear them down. If we encounter danger—no, as soon as you feel something is wrong, we retreat," Shirou stated.
"Understood," Souji agreed seriously, then flashed a pleading smile and extended both hands: "So~ another one, Shirou~ rice ball!"
"You're impossible," Shirou said with a helpless smile, opening the bundle again and walking over to hand it to the girl.
"Hehe." Souji took the rice ball, smiling happily.
"Nobu, do you want another one?" Shirou asked the black-haired girl next to him.
"Hmm... no, give them all to Okita. After all, I'm not in a hurry," the black-haired, red-eyed girl's eyes twinkled, and she said with a smile.
"What? Nobu, you're so generous all of a sudden? I'm really going to eat it, you know! I'll finish all your share!" Souji said in surprise.
"Eat up, eat up," the black-haired, red-eyed girl said, spreading her hands, thinking, 'Anyway, once I conquer Shirou, anything I want to eat, I can just make him cook it. Once we get up the mountain, with my beauty, I'm sure he'll quickly fall for me.'
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Clip-clop, clip-clop, the horses' iron hooves trod the ground, steadily moving forward. After midnight, they finally arrived at the bandit's base.
From horseback, the view was wide open. Shirou used his sharp eyes to spot a few wooden houses built on the mountaintop, with faint lights shining inside. There were several braziers burning at the entrance of the camp.
"The horses stop here," Shirou instructed the two girls, jumping off his horse near the forest by a slope, which was the only thing separating them from the bandit camp.
"Oho, what's the situation, Shirou?" Souji asked.
"Well, let's first try to kill the gatekeepers without being exposed," Shirou said, undoing one of his bundles and preparing to place it on the horse's back.
"Eh? Don't leave it here! What if a monkey steals it! Give it to me!" Souji snatched the bundle containing the remaining rice balls and tied it to herself.
"Suit yourself, but once we go in, there won't be time to eat."
"I know! I'll eat it on the way back after the mission is complete!" Souji said.
"Alright. Wait for me for a moment," Shirou said, taking a longbow from the horse's back. This was a bow he got from the village. He removed the string wrapped around the bow's body, reinstalled it, and lightly pulled the string, which made a good sound.
Shirou put the quiver around his waist and quietly walked up the slope, slowly approaching.
At the entrance of the camp, two bandits were squatting against the wall, holding wooden spears and dozing off. By the light of the fire, one could see their closed eyes.
Shirou notched two arrows and drew the bow, aiming at one of the bandits from tens of meters away.
The bowstring was released, and the arrow became a fleeting shadow, sinking into the night.
The next moment, the bandit guarding the camp gate let out a muffled groan and fell down.
Before the other bandit next to him could react, an arrow pierced his forehead, and the wooden spear he was holding slipped to the ground.
This was the extent of what he could achieve now.
Without magic power, he couldn't project Noble Phantasms, so using Broken Phantasm was impossible.
Even for sword techniques he was intimately familiar with, such as Tsubame Gaeshi (Swallow Reversal), even a weakened version would require finding a mineral that was hard, light, and magnetic, which was almost an impossible task to complete.
As for sword techniques like Hiken - Tsubame Gaeshi (Secret Sword - Swallow Reversal), there was absolutely no possibility of achieving that.
"Let's go, looks like they're taken care of," Shirou said, putting away the longbow and signaling the two girls.
"As expected of Shirou, you're good at everything!" Souji praised him.
"No, now I can only rely on these small tricks," Shirou said with a smile. Although archery and cooking skills were retained, the proficiency in using other weapons was all thanks to Senji Muramasa's versatility.
When the three entered the bandit camp, they found it situated at the highest point of the mountain, backed against a cliff, with a forest and a bamboo grove. The entire perimeter was enclosed by wooden planks driven into the ground as a fence, forming a large camp.
Beside the forest inside the camp, several large wooden houses were built from the inside out. The outermost building was the simplest, just one large room, likely where a group of ordinary bandits slept together.
It was already after midnight, and the bandits inside were probably already asleep.
Shirou raised his hand to signal, then led the two girls, crouching down, quietly approaching the door of the nearest house. He looked inside through a gap in the window.
Inside the house, a brazier stood in the middle, but it was already extinguished. The ground was messy, littered with fallen empty wine jars.
On both sides, over ten wooden plank beds were set up on wooden frames. However, the people lying on them exposed a pile of white, fleshy legs from beneath their quilts. On the left side were women wearing various styles of kimonos. These must be the young women who were kidnapped and brought to the camp. Shirou scanned the corners of the room, but still didn't find the body of a single man.
Recalling that there was no sound when they entered the camp—no chirping of insects or birds in the forest—everything was too quiet.
Shirou's expression changed, and he shouted to the two girls: "This is bad, let's leave quickly!"
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