Chapter 26
After finishing breakfast, Yuurai heads alone to the Castle Town. Gilka is still based in the Southern District, and twenty bandits are lined up along the main street. Two rows of ten. All of them are men, restrained with ropes.
"What the hell, this brat?"
"A Monster?"
"If it's a Monster, I can't even feel any decent magical energy. Must be a weakling."
"This one's the boss of this town? No way in hell."
The bandits mutter with suspicious looks on their faces.
Yuurai shrugs and sighs.
(Maybe hiding my magical energy too much with Concealment isn't a good idea? Since I look like a young girl, I lack authority.)
"You bastards, shut up! This person is Yuurai-sama, who runs the town of Grimoire! She's the strongest Monster you'll never beat even if you spent your whole life trying! You got a death wish!?"
Gilka shuts them up in one blow.
(......That kind of commanding presence like a gang leader—I wish I had that too. But I'm not actually running the place, you know? I just settled here on my own and want to make it as comfortable as possible.)
"......Well, I get that being yelled at out of nowhere only breeds resentment. Anyway, this is who I am."
Yuurai cancels the Concealment spell. Her overflowing magical energy gushes out, and the expressions on the bandits' faces change.
"W-What is this pressure......"
"It's like looking at a dragon......"
"This one's... seriously bad news......"
"Why didn't I notice until now......"
All of them are sweating from their foreheads.
(......Not everyone in this world has high magical sensitivity. In fact, most people are dull to it. Even so, they can still sense my magical energy, huh.)
As the bandits tremble in fear, Yuurai continues.
"Now you understand who I am, right? Since you've been captured, you'll work under my orders. But it's just town cleaning and maintenance. I'm not going to say 'die for me' or anything. So relax."
Even after learning they'll be stuck with chores, the bandits don't complain. They can barely breathe.
"......Gilka, do you think we need more education?"
"Let's see...... It seems fine as is, but just in case, I'd like you to give them a light hit. The fear they're feeling now is only temporary, so I think it's better to etch it in deeper."
"You're ruthless...... I don't really get those subtle things, so let's go with that."
The bandits, not understanding what's being discussed, look puzzled.
Feeling a little sorry for them, Yuurai decides to go ahead with the education.
"......From now on, you'll work for me. If you do anything against my will, I'll punish you. Get ready for that. And now, I'll let you taste a bit of that punishment."
(Output control is hard, but...... Mental Corruption, at the weakest level.)
When Yuurai activates the spell, the bandits twist their faces in terror and scream.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Stop iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"
"Don't come neaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!"
"My aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarm!"
"My eyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyes!"
She's trying to keep it weak, but because of her massive magical energy, it still ends up being quite destructive.
After about thirty seconds, she cancels the spell.
The bandits are drenched in sweat, gasping for air.
"......So, work hard from now on, okay? If you betray me...... I'll show you there are things in this world scarier than death."
Yuurai smiles sweetly. The bandits nod frantically with stiff faces.