Collecting a Debt

11.4514 seconds later.

The battle ended with no question as to the outcome.

More than a dozen bandits lay sprawled on the ground in various positions, groaning without even the strength to get up. The bandit in the ragged hat had gone down especially quickly and assumed a textbook position, his hands clasped over his head. He moved with a proficiency that was almost heartbreaking, as though he had practiced it countless times before.

Ruby marched over to the bald boss lying on the ground and began lightly kicking his backside with her little leather boot, one kick at a time.

"That's for robbing people! That's for robbing people! You bad man..." Her little face was flushed with anger and the brief exertion. Her kicks were less a punishment than a childish outlet for her frustration.

Lowell stepped forward, gently caught Ruby by the back of her collar, and lifted her away like a disobedient kitten.

"All right, all right," he said, his voice lazy and tinged with helplessness. "Stop rewarding him. Leave him to me."

Ruby's feet left the ground as he lifted her, and her short little legs kicked twice in the air. When she heard the word "rewarding," an invisible question mark seemed to appear over her head, and her face filled with confusion. She clearly couldn't understand the logic.

But when she saw Lowell's calm gaze, she obediently said, "Okay." After he set her down, she dutifully retreated to Frieren's side, though she still stood on tiptoe to watch with curiosity.

Lowell crouched and patted the bald boss's shiny forehead, producing a crisp smack. The boss trembled in fright and tried hard to raise his head, but an invisible force held him down. All he could see was a pair of clean boots in front of him.

"Hey, buddy," Lowell said amiably, with even a hint of the familiarity of old acquaintances meeting again. "The weather's hot, but you can't stay lying on the ground forever. It's not very dignified. Speaking of which, long time no see. Isn't it about time you paid back those two gold coins you owe me?"

The bald boss was dumbfounded. He struggled to turn his face to the side, trying to get a good look at the speaker. "G-gold coins? What gold coins? Big brother, no, sir... have you mistaken me for someone else? I... I don't think I've met you before..."

"Oh?" Lowell raised an eyebrow and picked up the rusty cleaver that had fallen nearby. He gently bent it with his fingers where the hilt met the blade. With a crack, the blade of the seemingly sturdy cleaver snapped off as easily as a biscuit.

Holding the half-length of rusty blade, Lowell gently patted the bald boss's greasy neck with the cold piece of iron.

"Think carefully." His tone remained even. "Last time, at The Boar and the Whistle, you had too much to drink and said you wanted to invest in my Rapid Hair-Growth Potion project. You wanted a two-gold-coin stake, but you didn't have the money on you, so you said you'd owe me and pay me later. Did you forget?"

The icy touch and the quiet pressure in the other man's words, as if to say, "Just try saying you forgot again," brought the bald boss a sudden flash of understanding. Cold sweat poured down his face.

"Oh, oh, oh! Right! Yes, yes, yes! Listen to the rubbish coming out of my mouth!" He nodded frantically, not daring to move even though the blade dug painfully into his neck. "I remember now! I remember it all! That did happen! My memory's just terrible! I... I came here specially to pay you back, didn't I? C-could you move that thing away a little? Boys! Quick! Pool your money!"

Lowell obligingly moved the blade away. The bald boss and the underlings sprawled on the ground hurriedly fumbled through their belongings. The bandit in the ragged hat was the first to bring over five silver coins and a few copper coins, moving briskly. The others also contributed their purses. After the dozen or so men had spent some time pooling their money, the clinking pile consisted mostly of copper coins, with only a handful of silver. Altogether, it was worth just over thirty silver coins.

Lowell weighed the pitiful amount of metal in his hand, a perfectly measured hint of disdain appearing on his face. "Tsk, that's all? It's not even enough to cover the interest, buddy. You bandits are far too unprofessional." He sighed, as though sympathizing with their business skills. "With returns like these, you'd be better off hauling cargo at the docks."

The bald bandit's face fell. "S-sir... business hasn't been good lately. There aren't many fat sheep on the road... no, I mean, the traveling merchants have all been taking detours..."

"All right," Lowell said with a sigh, as though reluctantly accepting the result. "Even a mosquito's leg has meat on it."

He casually pocketed the coins, then snapped his fingers.

The next moment, the already shabby leather armor, bracers, belts, and every other piece of equipment on all the bandits, including the bald boss, came undone as if by invisible hands. They all fell away at once and floated in midair. In the blink of an eye, the bandits were left in nothing but their underpants, shivering in the afternoon breeze.

"Wah!" Ruby cried out, her little face turning scarlet as she clapped both hands over her eyes. After a while, though, she couldn't resist parting her fingers. Her green eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of a mischievous, triumphant smile as she whispered to Frieren, "Lady Frieren, they're... so pale..."

"Tsk." Frieren frowned slightly and turned her head, seemingly finding the sight unpleasant to look at. Still, she commented in a flat voice, "They lack exercise. Their muscles are flabby." The corners of her mouth, however, curved upward almost imperceptibly.

Heiter burst into booming laughter and slapped his thigh. "Hahaha! Brother Lowell, that's quite a novel way to 'collect a debt'! Now they're really stripped bare!"

Eisen remained silent. He merely looked at the bandits, left in their underpants and disheveled in the wind, then quietly turned his gaze away.

Himmel maintained his graceful smile and coughed lightly. "Mr. Lowell, although... well... I'm afraid they won't be able to walk back to town by themselves like that," he reminded him kindly.

As though he hadn't heard his companions' reactions, Lowell controlled the floating pile of leather armor and said to the bald bandit, "All right, this junk should sell for something. I'll count it toward the interest, and as a little punishment for you. Find another line of work. There's no future in this one. As for clothes... go find your companions or go back to your hideout and get dressed. You're not from town, I assume."

He paid no further attention to the bandits shivering in the wind in their underpants and turned toward Frieren and Ruby. The floating pile of junk followed him like a flock of obedient ghosts.

"Let's go. We've wasted a little time."

Ruby lowered her hands too. Her face was still flushed, but curiosity overcame her embarrassment. She edged closer to Lowell and whispered, "Mr. Lowell, what... what did you mean by 'rewarding' just now? And did you really know that bald man?"

Lowell glanced down at her. "Adults are very dirty."

Ruby puffed out her cheeks, seemingly quite dissatisfied with the answer.

The party set off again, leaving the shivering, "pale" group behind. The "spoils" floated beside Lowell. Frieren's steps seemed a little lighter than before, and her gaze occasionally flicked toward Lowell's pocket, as though she were estimating how many desserts the money could buy.

Sunlight spilled across the road. Closer than the royal capital was the promise of a cool, sweet sundae in the next town. Ruby had already begun counting on her fingers, working out whether she could save the money for her share of pudding, and seriously considering whether she should learn to be a little more "cunning" in the future.