“Carriage Ambush” ~From Emi's Perspective~

Snacking on bugs is fine, and so is hunting monsters to eat, but, y'know.

Every once in a while, you want real food with a little work put into it, right?

It's been about a month since I set out from Master's house.

Having finally made it down a mountain whose name I don't even know, yours truly, Emi-chan, was pushing through the brush of the forest with exactly that on my mind, you see.

Then, from somewhere far off, the angry shouts of men.

My enhanced super hearing picked them up.

Ooh, what's this, what's this, I thought.

Driven 30% by missing people and 70% by pure rubbernecking, I headed for the shouting, you see.

And there they were: 10 thieves surrounding a carriage, and some pretty ladies being threatened by them.

<Haaaaaaaah! Th, this is! An Isekai Reincarnation Broadcast staple event! The ‘Carriage Ambush’!!>

Uh, Omake-sama, why are you suddenly so excited? What's an Isekai Reincarnation Broadcast staple event?

<An Isekai Reincarnation Broadcast staple event is the kind of event that protagonists reincarnated into another world tend to get caught up in! And of those, the ‘Carriage Ambush’ is a situation that comes up all the time early in a story!>

......Huh, is that so.

<And the people riding in the carriage that gets attacked are often people of some standing. In other words, it's an event for the protagonist to make the acquaintance of someone important! I never dreamed I'd see a live ‘Carriage Ambush’ with my own eyes!>

......I see.

So any minute now, a protagonist...... some reincarnator like Torch-kun is going to come along and save that carriage, you mean?

<In some cases.>

Eh, it's not?

<No, Emi, how many reincarnators with a blessing do you think there are in this whole wide world? Hardly any, you know? There's no way a protagonist would just conveniently happen by and save the carriage, is there? Statistically speaking.>

Wait, but you just said this was an Isekai Reincarnation Broadcast staple event......

<It means carriages getting attacked by thieves or monsters is so common that it's become a staple event. Only a few percent of the carriages that get attacked are ever saved by a protagonist. It's the harsh law of nature.>

I mean, it's not like we're talking about the survival rate of salmon!

Carriages aren't wild animals, so ‘the law of nature’ is a weird way to put it!

Also, Omake-sama.

That pink-haired kid over there is about to get a hand axe swung down on her by some old thief guy, though......

<Yes.>

If we just leave her alone......

<She'll die.>

HEY, WAAAAAAIT!!?

Without thinking, I 【Stone Throw】 a pebble I had tucked in my pocket (already 【Solidification】-ed. High power) and knock the hand axe away.

Then I 【Stone Throw】 the confused old thief guy again and take him out in one hit.

The guys going after the other two women, I take out the same way while I'm at it.

<Oh, you're saving them?>

I mean, of course I'm saving them!?

What's with that surprised reaction!?

<Not surprised, exactly. It's just that it puts an extra burden on you, Emi, so I thought leaving them be might be fine.>

A, as always, Omake-sama's pretty cold-hearted about stuff like that, huh!?

Come to think of it, she once flatly stated, “The life or death of any creature other than you, Emi, is a trivial matter.”

<I'd say you're the cold-hearted one, Emi. It's a bit late to ask now, but is this really okay? They may be thieves, but they're people. Don't you feel any reluctance about killing?>

If killing some thieves means an innocent-looking kid gets to live, that's better, right?

I mean, what's the difference between the thieves over there and the bugs or monsters I've killed until now?

Maybe just whether they can talk or not?

What's there to be squeamish about now?

Bugs, monsters, humans, a life is just the same, a life, right?

I have enough sense not to go on a rampage just because someone harasses me, for example.

But here, it's already become a matter of life and death.

Not me specifically, but if you hesitate to kill, you get killed.

In that case, you have no choice but to kill, right?

Well, that's the sort of conversation Omake-sama and I were having in my head.

Meanwhile, beyond the bushes, the thieves holding the country road were like,

“Wait, wait, wait!? What is this!?”

“What's happening!? What the hell is going on!?”

“C, come out, you mage bastard! Hiding and sneaking around! You coward!!”

So, yeah, they're panicking big time.

......I'm not a mage, though.

And as for calling me a coward, look who's talking, after surrounding a carriage with a whole crowd.

Very well, if you insist, I'll kindly come out.

I already know the thieves' capabilities from their reaction to the 【Stone Throw】 earlier.

Looking at them individually, they're probably weaker than a Grim Wolf.

They're nothing for the me of today to be afraid of.

......Half a year ago, though, I'd never in a million years have picked a fight with them.

Master, thank you so much for the training.

Pushing through the bushes, I slowly step out in front of the thieves.

The thieves, as well as the pretty ladies who had been attacked, looked very surprised to see me.

Yep, going by looks alone, I'm a super-duper adorable beautiful girl, after all!

If a girl like that suddenly appears from the forest, of course they'd be surprised!

But, you see. But still.

I was just as surprised.

Because.

Because, because.

Those two with eyepatches standing over there.

And that bushy-bearded big man.

Aren't they, you know?

<They are undoubtedly the thieves who took over the base in Naso Forest.>

......Alright, let's kill them. Let's tear them limb from limb.

“Hey! What are you lot standing around for! Don't get spooked by some brat! Surround her and kill her!!”

On Bushy Beard's orders, the thieves come charging at me, murderous intent piled extra-high and all.

......First, I take one down with 【Stone Throw】.

The next two, I take down with 【Infinite Pebbles】.

The last one got close, so I slash him down with 【Mantis】.

And, that's it.

The rest is just you, Bushy Beard! Prepare yourself!!

......Wait, huh?

<He's gone, Bushy Beard. He escaped.>

Aaaaaaaaaa!

Dammit! So the ones who attacked were all just pawns!

I'm pissed! Pissed, pissed!

<Do you want to chase him?>

............

No, I'll pass.

I can't just leave these ladies I went through the trouble of saving.

It wouldn't be funny if they got attacked by monsters the moment I looked away.

Bushy Beard and his pals, I'll just have to give up on for now.

Let's just hope they drop dead somewhere and stop causing unfortunate incidents.

“............Haah.”

One sigh, and I switch gears.

I look at the pretty lady.

It seems she's not injured.

That's good, but she seems to have completely lost the strength in her legs and can't stand up.

Well, she was attacked by thieves, so that's how it goes. Poor thing.

<Emi, I have a proposal for you.>

Hm? What is it, Omake-sama?

<You splendidly rescued these women from the thieves' evil clutches. I don't think that's something you should just let go as unpaid work.>

Ho ho.

<In other words, I don't think anyone could blame you for angling for a little reward. From the looks of it, they're from a fairly well-off family.>

I see, I see!

You're right!

I've put these people in my debt with this incident!

I'd be crazy not to get a reward or two out of this!

I trot over to the pretty lady.

A reward.

The reward I want most right now.

That is!

“......I'm, hungry.”

Delicious food!

“......Eh?”

The pretty lady looks bewildered.

“I, saved you. Reward, please. Food, I want to eat.”

I use all the communication skills I have to convey my request to the pretty lady.

““............””

For some reason, silence falls.

Wh, what? Was my pronunciation weird or something?

After all, it's been a while since I've spoken, so there's a possibility I've become really bad at talking.

“I, saved you. Reward, please. Food, I want to eat.”

I try saying it one more time.

Upon hearing those words, the pretty lady finally reacted slightly, and her mouth began to move as if to say something.

But then.

“WAAAAAH! SO COOOOL! THANK YOU FOR SAVING US NANOOOOO!!”

The lady's words got cut off by a pink-haired girl who came flying in from the side and latched onto me.

“Thank you nano! Thank you nano! Me, and Mother, and the servants! Thank you for saving everyone nanooo!!”

Still hugging me, the pink-haired girl thanks me right in my ear.

At full volume.

H, hey, so loud! You're way too loud!!

Also, wait, Mother?

Eh, is this pretty lady her mom!?

“My name is Sara Salar! I'm the Salar baronial house's only daughter nano! Hey, what's your name!?”

“......Emi.”

“Emi, huh! Nice to meet you, Emi! To thank you for saving us, I'll ask Father to make you a feast! You'd better look forward to it!!”

Sara-chan has taken my hand and is spinning around and around happily.

The pretty lady, now Sara-chan's mom, the plain-faced maid, and an old guy who was probably the coachman and had managed to groan his way back to his feet all stared at the scene, mouths hanging open.

This was my meeting with the hyper baron's daughter, young Miss Sara Salar.

It might seem like Emi has gotten a bit too strong, but really, it's more that the thieves are weak.

People who are actually skilled wouldn't be criminals; they'd be adventurers or something and make a proper living.

Unless they have serious personality issues.