Stepping outside always meant running into bandits.
That was the law Nanoda had set for herself in this world.
She'd already found it strange that the first day of their journey had gone so peacefully.
Now Nanoda's Law had proven itself right.
"My luck's terrible."
Back when she used to sneak out behind her sister's back, Übel had run into this kind of highway robbery before, but she'd always been sharp enough to dodge or slip away.
Maybe it was because they'd been chatting, but she'd let her guard down. Now, surrounded by blades on every side, she didn't dare act rashly. She kept sneaking glances at Nanoda, waiting for her Grand-Master's instructions.
By rough count there were at least twenty of them — even with her Severance Magic, she couldn't take out that many in a single instant.
"Now that's some good luck. Lately it's been nothing but merchant caravans passing through — a real pain to rob. Didn't expect to land a big catch today. A woman and a girl — bit small, both of them, but not bad, not bad. Very useful."
At the front of the group stood a hunchbacked thug with hair on only half his head, licking the blade in his hand with his tongue — apparently the leader of this band of bandits.
Nanoda, carrying a massive backpack that rose half a head above her own, said nothing.
"Hey, you there. If you don't want to die, drop your things nice and quiet, and pull back that hood covering your face so everyone can get a good look! Heh heh heh, figure's a bit flat, but if the face isn't bad, this old man wouldn't mind keeping you for himself!"
The bandit leader swung his blade, and the encirclement tightened a little more.
The stench of unwashed sweat and the bandits' creepy laughter assaulted Übel's senses.
She wanted to cut every last one of them down.
Übel wasn't the least bit afraid. If anything, she had to fight to keep a fierce grin off her face. She gripped the ironwood staff tightly in her hands, like a young beast sharpening its claws.
"Please wait a moment. I am the Grand Bishop of the Church of the New God. The New God watches over every one of His faithful — I ask you gentlemen for a little courtesy."
Courtesy first, force later.
As she spoke, Nanoda pulled her Scripture from within her robes — the badge of rank unique to the Church of the New God — and at the same time removed her hood to reveal her true face. Thanks to the hairband Yuna had given her, the broken horn stump was hidden from view, and combined with what she now held, she looked every bit the part of a lovely young nun.
"What? The Church of the New God? A Grand Bishop? ...Hah, seems like the real deal."
As a bandit who'd been in the trade a long time, he had his own rules for survival — knowing what could be robbed and what couldn't. Otherwise he wouldn't have lived this long, let alone built up a crew to run his little "business."
The bandit leader hesitated. The Church of the New God wasn't something to mess with — those heresy-judging knights were all lunatics.
But now that Nanoda had removed her hood and shown her face, a bold idea surged up in the bandit leader's mind.
"Miss, you're exactly my type. And I'm quite interested in the Church of the New God myself — how about coming back with me for some... in-depth exchange?"
"I'm sorry, but we still have a road to travel. If we're late, Bishop Schwenk will punish us."
Nanoda coldly refused, dropping a name to back herself up while she was at it.
"Eh~ Am I not your type?"
Übel asked, half-joking and thoroughly out of place.
"Ha? A little brat like you?"
The bandit leader cackled like he'd just heard the funniest joke, and his men joined in, laughing at Übel too.
"I'll cut you down."
Übel, a little irritated now, was about to make a move when Nanoda held her back.
"Unfortunately, as an upright servant of the Church, I don't pay toll fees. Now, may we pass?"
"No! Absolutely not! In the interest of good relations with the Church of the New God, I've decided to take its Grand Bishop as my wife and enjoy the Church's blessings..."
The bandit leader stuck out his tongue like a lecher. So what if she could fight? Even a combat-capable nun, saddled with a kid like this, couldn't possibly escape while surrounded.
"Is that so? Unfortunately, I've run into a great many bandit gangs, and so far only two of them have survived the encounter. I was going to try making you the third — but it seems you're not too keen on that?"
Nanoda moved.
Faster than Übel's Mana Perception could track, faster than anyone present could follow with their eyes — impossibly fast.
The bandit leader heard a sound right beside his ear, and just as he opened his mouth to speak, his eyes went wide and a shrill scream tore from his throat.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
He couldn't get a single word out, only wail after wail. Blood sprayed everywhere, and inside his gaping mouth, every tooth was stained crimson.
The pain brought him slowly down to his knees, and the sword in his hand clattered to the ground.
In his line of sight, the bandit leader saw only a small, red lump lying on the ground. He tried desperately to clamp his hands over his spurting mouth, but the pain wouldn't even let him close his jaw.
"Oh god! His tongue!"
Someone in the crowd shouted it out, and the whole band of bandits fell into chaos.
Everyone except Nanoda had only one thought running through their heads: what had just happened?
The bandit leader, who'd been talking just fine a moment ago — had his tongue just been cut off?!
This time Nanoda hadn't used her Paradox Magic of Motion and Stillness. Instead, right in front of the terrified crowd, she channeled Severance Magic through her broken horn and brought it down in a single stroke.
"Guhhhhhhhhhhh!"
The kneeling bandit leader collapsed instantly, one arm falling away beside him. The smooth cross-section looked like a juicy steak pierced by a fork and knife, crimson spraying out without pause.
"Grand-Master, that was so cool!"
Watching Nanoda's display, stars had already begun sparkling in Übel's eyes.
An invisible slash — this was Severance Magic. A single swing of the weapon, and every enemy caught in it was sliced open in an instant.
"Run! Run for it!"
The bandits were now looking at Nanoda the way one looks at a monster. Seeing their leader — the backbone of the group — defeated in an instant, that arm-severing blow made their own arms ache in sympathy.
"Lady Nanoda! I want in too!"
"No."
Nanoda's voice cut her off, as she watched the bandits scattering and looked over at Übel.
She'd originally planned to finish off all these tactless bandits, but considering that Übel was a potentially troubled child, exposing her to that much stimulation didn't seem like a good idea.
Bad people were still people, after all, not magic beasts. Killing in front of a child — Nanoda worried it might corrupt Übel completely.
The Paradox Magic of Motion and Stillness activated once more.
This time, Nanoda only cut off one arm from each bandit.
In almost the blink of an eye, the bandits toppled over like a row of dominoes, severed arms scattered everywhere — the whole scene looked like a market stall lined with pig's trotters.
Übel was still a child. This kind of bloody, ugly work could wait until she'd grown up.
"Let's go, Übel."
"Mm!"
Sneaking a glance at the bandits sprawled all around, amid their wailing, Übel felt an odd, inexplicable thrill.
What Nanoda didn't know was that, in the future, a rumor would spread through bandit circles: never mess with the lunatics of the Church of the New God — because their leader had a taste for chopping off enemies' arms.
____
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