Villagers, Samurai, and Bandits

"There are only three of us, no need to rush. This is a scout from the bandits, let's go check it out first." Shirou nodded to his companions.

The samurai, along with Aichi and two woodcutters, arrived at a house near the village entrance. They asked the villagers inside to quiet down, then went to the window and peered out through the cracks in the wooden door and wall.

Before long, three figures were seen walking towards them. They were dressed in animal skins and had weapons hanging from their waists. They were scouts sent by the bandit gang to gather information in the village.

When the three of them got closer and saw the drastically changed village, they all stopped in their tracks. After a while, they tiptoed towards the village.

"Hahaha, they seem to be terrified by the wooden wall we built," said Tawara Toda with a laugh.

However, when the bandits reached the door and peered inside, they saw black smoke emanating from the head on the animal skin clothing, and a black horn growing from its forehead.

"Ghost... ghost!!!" the woodcutter screamed in fright and fell to the ground.

"Is he a demonic form?" Shirou asked in surprise.

Looking at the three bandits outside, Tawara Toda said, "No, it's just a downgraded version. The real demon is far more terrifying than this."

"Could it be that every one of those bandits on the mountain is a degraded version of a demon? If they can use some kind of Magecraft, we're in a very passive position right now," Soji said.

Shirou observed the bandits over there and said, "No, at most their bodies have been enhanced by magic. Since we can't use magic either, I'm sure it's the same over there."

"It's nothing, we'll know once we try," said Tawara Toda with a nonchalant smile.

"That's true. Since they're here, we can't just let them go back like this. We need to report on the situation here." Shirou nodded and drew his katana.

At this moment, the bandits outside, hearing the noise, also withdrew their heads and turned back the way they came.

"Well, since he's a demon, I'll take care of him. As things stand, he's much easier to kill than the swallow." Kojiro said, standing up with his Ōdachi in hand.

"Alright, but leave one alive. I'll go with you," Shirou said.

"Master, I wish you great success in your martial arts!" Yukino said, standing up.

"Hmm, she doesn't seem particularly strong, don't worry." Shirou patted the girl's head and said.

So the two used a ladder to climb over the village's high wall and jump outside. Because they patrolled every day, they were already very familiar with the area, so they climbed directly up the hillside path covered with wildflowers and grass. From there, they could reach the forest several minutes faster than the bandits.

When they arrived at the woods behind the mountain, they indeed saw three horses tied to a tree with ropes, wagging their tails and grazing.

"Mr. Kojiro, you kill the first two, and I'll take care of the last one."

Kojiro nodded, and the two of them stood on either side, hiding in a blind spot under the big tree, sitting down, holding their breath, and waiting for the three bandits to come over.

Before long, rustling sounds came from behind the big tree, and sure enough, the three bandits came running up from the main road.

"Let's get out of here! We've been discovered."

"Yes, and we must hurry back to report to the chief! This information is enough for us to report back. But let's make it clear, if anyone asks, just say we circled the village and found it was surrounded by defenses before we went back."

"That's right, let's do it that way! That village definitely has very professional samurai. The main gate is already heavily guarded, and the other places will definitely be difficult to breach."

"Oh, um, I understand."

As the three bandits approached the tree and just as they lifted one foot, Kojiro swung his sword, slashing the first bandit's throat and then striking the second bandit in the chest.

Kojiro's swordsmanship was so exquisite that even a demon whose body had been enhanced could not be his match if his sword could cut into the skin.

The last bandit looked shocked, but before he could even shout, Shirou grabbed him by the collar and threw him to the ground.

"Waaaaah!!" Black smoke billowed from the bandit's demonic horns, and his entire body erupted with the strength of a Hercules, about to throw Shirou off his body.

At that moment, Shirou raised his fist, which was wrapped in a strip of cloth, and smashed it directly at the demonic horn on the bandit's forehead.

One punch, two punches... three punches landed, and the demonic horn emanating black smoke from the bandit's head broke off, causing him to faint.

"It seems he's only slightly stronger than an ordinary person, far weaker than a swallow," Kojiro said with a hint of regret.

"No, no, these degraded demon bandits are actually stronger than ordinary people. You think that way because the swallows you encountered are too strange," Shirou said.

"Yes, this level is no problem for the seven of us. As long as we follow the rules, the village has four, no, five people who should be able to hold them off. These bandits are just stronger beasts."

"Well, judging from the current situation, we're confident we can handle these bandits in the upcoming battles." Shirou said, loosening the strip of cloth wrapped around his hands to reveal brass knuckles made of fine steel.

Shirou used the strips of cloth he had taken to tie the bandit's hands together, and together with Kojiro, they carried him back to the village.

"Master, welcome back." Yukino greeted her.

"They came back alive, huh? That's quite a feat," said Tawara Toda.

"This was all thanks to Kojiro; I was just responsible for catching them," Shirou replied.

"No, it's just that the opponents were too weak. I only killed two people; Shirou subdued the last one all by himself," Kojiro said calmly, not taking credit for it.

"How is it? Is this degraded demon very strong? If it were a monster, I wonder if chanting some sutras would be enough to save it?" Houzoin Inshun asked jokingly.

Shirou said, "No, it's not that difficult yet. It's just that it's very strong, but its body is still made of flesh and blood. As long as we're careful, it'll be fine."

After all, among animals, humans possess only average to above-average strength. Even savages living in the jungle can only manage a draw with wolves at best. Compared to ferocious beasts like leopards, tigers, lions, bears, crocodiles, monitor lizards, and gorillas, they are far inferior.

But in fact, the animals that are hunted the most are humans. The strength of humans lies in their ability to create and use tools, and to hone their combat skills.

"See! I told you, even if it's a demon, there are samurai who will help us defeat it!" Aichi said with a laugh to the two woodcutters who remained.

"Yes, yes... that's wonderful." The two woodcutters nodded obsequiously, then laughed as well.

The village was relieved to have hired a powerful and reliable warrior.

Shirou instructed, "Aichi, there are two more corpses in the woods up in the mountain. Go and get someone to deal with them. If we leave them there unattended, they could easily cause disease or attract wild beasts."

"Yes, I'll arrange it right now. You two come with me." Aichi happily agreed, then ran off with the two woodcutters. Although living demons were terrifying, once they were dead, they were just free property. Living in this era, they were already used to corpses.

"Let's carry this prisoner inside and see if we can get anything out of him," Shirou said to his companions.

Chapter 231 Villagers, Samurai, Mountain Bandits

"General, what should we do next?" asked Tawara Toda.

"Yeah, it's too passive to just wait for the bandits to come. Forty degraded demons, no! Now it's thirty-seven. It seems we need to take care of a few more, at least keep the enemy under thirty." Shirou muttered, then looked at the captured prisoners.

The captured bandit, his hands bound, awoke to the sound of the samurai's conversation. He found himself pushed into a house, surrounded by a group of terrifying samurai. He slid his feet along the ground, pushing himself forward until he had nowhere left to retreat, and could only tremble and cower in a corner.

"Speak up. As long as you tell us everything you need to say, we might consider sparing your life as a favor." The black-haired, red-eyed girl stepped forward, holding the matchlock gun she had summoned, squatted down in front of the bandit, stared into his eyes, and said, word by word.

The captive looked at the girl with trembling eyes, seemingly quite frightened.

After hearing the girl's words clearly, he paused for a moment, then finally reacted, nodding rapidly as if he had seen a glimmer of hope, and honestly agreed, "Yes! I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything, please spare my life!"

Shirou asked, "How long does it take to get from here to your mountain stronghold?"

The prisoner said, "If we go from here, we have to go around three mountain peaks, and it will take about three Tokiomi to walk there."

Tawara Toda muttered, "Three Tokiomi? Going there and coming back will take almost half a day. The time is a bit too tight."

"No! There are horses! Three horses ridden by the bandits!" said the black-haired, red-eyed girl.

"Yes, if we ride horses, it will only take less than two Tokiomi to get there," the prisoner replied.

"Eh? A horse...?!" Soji exclaimed, somewhat exasperated, as she had spent most of her time in the central urban area of Kyoto.

In order to defeat the pro-imperial and anti-shogunate faction led by Katsura, Takasugi, Sakamoto, and Gintoki, they formed the Satsuma-Choshu Alliance, led by the Mori's Choshu Domain and the Shimazu's Satsuma Domain.

They were a bunch of local warlords who claimed to be changing the country, but were actually just trying to seize power—a bunch of treacherous bastards with wolfish ambitions.

The swordsmanship she practiced day and night relied on footwork to silently and swiftly rush to the enemy and then carry out an assassination. Even if she didn't use a sword, she would use an RPG rocket launcher. There's no way she could just rush over on horseback.

"Pfft, Soji, you're clearly Saber? You can't even ride a horse? Just like your character's stats suggest, you're just an Assassin." The black-haired, red-eyed girl covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Shut up, nobu! I can ride a horse, though!" Soji replied. As a genius swordswoman active in the mid-19th century, although she wasn't good at riding horses, she still had her class bonus, right?

"What is the specific route?" Shirou took out paper and pen, laid them on a small wooden table, and continued to ask the prisoner.

The captured bandit struggled to recall, saying, "Yes, follow the mountain path up the back of the mountain, keep to the right until you reach a waterfall, then turn left to another mountain peak, and then... there's a small valley there, that's all our... no! That bandit territory, so there aren't many forks in the road, and the stronghold is built on the mountaintop."

"When we get to the waterfall, what are some easily recognizable sights on the left?" Shirou asked.

"Yes, there's a small lake below the waterfall, which branches into two paths. Go to the left," the bandit answered honestly.

Shirou kept asking questions, adding details with a brush, recording the route, and finally stood up after confirming everything with the captured bandits.

Seeing Shirou stand up, the captured bandit nervously said, "Um! I can lead the way! Don't kill me."

"No need, my eyesight is excellent. I'll find it with a little reconnaissance. However, as agreed, we'll find a place to settle you, and you'll be released naturally once this war is over."

The black-haired, red-eyed girl beside him looked at the bandit, met his gaze, and smiled.

"Yes..." the bandit replied in a low voice, not daring to say anything more.

"Alright, tonight should be a clear night with moonlight. Let's set off after nightfall. We'll arrive there around dawn, rest for a bit, and it'll be the perfect time for a night raid. Who wants to come with me?" Shirou asked, looking at the group.

"Master, I'll go with you." Yukino stood up, raised her hand, and said eagerly.

"No! Children, stay here." Shirou said, pressing the girl's head down.

"That's right, kid, you can stay here. Count me in!" The black-haired, red-eyed girl drew her sword and said with a smile.

"Hmm..." Yukino sat down in dissatisfaction.

"Since Nobu is going, then I'll go too!" Soji said, raising his hand.

"Then we'll stay here and wait for good news from you, Shirou," said Tawara Toda.

"May you have great success in your military endeavors," said Houzoin Inshun.

As agreed, Shirou and the others planned to discuss with the village chief how to settle the prisoner in one place and release him after the war ended.

But as soon as I stepped out of the house, I heard the sound of a group of people rushing towards me.

"You damned bandit!"

"Halt! You damned bandit!"

Upon hearing the news, a group of villagers, the men carrying farm tools and bamboo spears used for practice, rushed over, their eyes gleaming with hatred.

Seeing this, the bandit was so frightened that he ran away. Before he could reach the big tree in the center of the village, he was surrounded by villagers who had rushed over from other directions. Terrified, he tried to run further in, but after only a few steps, he tripped over the ropes binding his hands and fell to the ground.

"Hey!! Spare me! Spare me! I'll never be a thief again!" The bandit, lying on the muddy ground, desperately kicked the ground with his feet, but he couldn't get up no matter what. Finally, he buried his head in the ground, kowtowed to the villagers, and begged for mercy.

"Stop! He's a prisoner of war! Now that he's told us everything that happened on the mountain, we can't kill him."

"Step back! He has sworn never to be a bandit again; he is no longer your enemy."

Shirou and the others spread their arms to block the excited farmers. The farmers, who were usually timid and submissive, still squeezed back even when pushed back forcefully.

Even though they were now blocked by the samurai, the villagers' anger did not diminish in the slightest. They still stared at the bandit, wishing they could burn him apart with their eyes.

"Hahaha." The black-haired, red-eyed girl took the matchlock gun, climbed up the big tree in the center of the village, and lay on the branch, laughing loudly.

"Where are the bandits...? Tell me! Where are the bandits...?"

Just then, an old woman, trembling and unsteady on her feet, who looked as if a gust of wind might blow her over, walked over, holding a sickle in her hand.

The village chief, leaning on his cane, walked up to Shirou and said, "Let her do it. Her son and daughter-in-law were killed by these bandits; there's a grudge between them."

Shirou, along with Tawara Toda and the others, silently lowered their hands.

The villagers made way for her, and the old woman walked forward with faltering steps. She raised her sickle, but when she was about to strike, her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground.

Even so, she crawled to pick up the sickle and swung it at the bandit again. The rusty, dull sickle, trembling with her wrinkled, powerless hand, couldn't even pierce the bandit's clothes. But the old woman still struck the bandit again and again.

"Please! Please spare me!" the bandit cried out in alarm.

"Someone go help her!" the village chief exclaimed.

One by one, the men in the village picked up hoes and sticks...

"Waaaaaah!!!"

"Bastards! I told you not to come to the village!"

"You've come here to steal our food!"

The men from the village who had gathered around rushed forward and each of them struck the thief once. After dozens of blows, the thief was already silent.

After that, the villagers, unwilling to leave their enemy's body in the village, transported the thief to a distant location outside the village and buried him. Strangely, after doing this, the villagers' attitude towards Shirou and his companions became closer and more relaxed.

It seems that he has officially prepared himself mentally for the upcoming battle with the bandits.

The hierarchy in the food chain, the disparity in social status, and the gap in wealth inevitably lead to class antagonism.

Even in later generations with universal values of 'fairness, justice, and equality for all', some people will still jokingly compare the relationship between a tenant renting a house and a landlord holding a keychain to that of a farmhand and a landlord in the old days.

When a landlord arranges a place for a farmhand to live, the farmhand is forced to hand over one-sixth or even one-quarter of his monthly income to the landlord.

The joke goes that the reason why the rich buy houses like crazy is to leave the poor with no houses to buy, forcing them to work as their laborers for life.

There will inevitably be conflicts and contradictions between the weak and the strong, the poor and the rich, and these contradictions often escalate into struggles, even wars, over oil, minerals, status...