3rd's POV
On the way to the other gate ...
"What do you think about-" (Princess)
"About the plan that Unknown just said?" (Elf)
"Slightly missed. This is about Fem. What do you think about him who is under house arrest at this time? Will that work? " (Princess)
"No." (Elf)
"Even his mother who looks like a Demon Lord still fails to discipline him, let alone us." Elf continued.
"That's exactly how I feel." (Princess)
"Uh … Wait, wait. Doesn't the current situation make Fem more vulnerable than us?" (Princess)
“More vulnerable, you mean … he more at risk of getting harassed by them? By the rest of Ega's party members? There's a point too." (Elf)
"Right?" (Princess)
“…” (Elf)
“…” (Princess)
"Let's pray for Fem." (Elf)
***
Not long after, the two of them found a husband and wife who just opening their roadside stalls, selling several kinds of take-out food such as hot meat pies, geese, sheep's feet, etc.
The smell of the food they sold reactivated the two's hunger.
"Mmm~ … Want to fill our stomach first?" Invite Elf.
"Sounds good." (Princess)
In a very busy environment like in town or cities, many workers or adventurers want to have breakfast, but they usually don't have time to prepare their own food at home because of their work and they end up looking for food outside.
So street vendors who sell take-out food like this can be found on the side of the road in every corner of the town, especially near the exit gate.
They are very popular, especially amongst the urban poor who would have lacked kitchen facilities in which to prepare their own food.
Many sellers set up simple stalls or even just use the table and they put their sales there and not long after that, many people will arrive, buying their stuff because they don't have to bother ordering and then wait for the order to be finished.
Some people also shamelessly put their stuff near some inns which they think that inn has a lot of adventurers who stay there because the food vendors knew that the inn workers couldn't prepare food faster than them, and also because adventurers often go to work in the morning to carry out their missions early so that they don't tire quickly, since in the morning, the temperature is still cool and not too hot as happened during the day.
And the people who usually eat take-out food only want to fill their stomachs so they have fuel to be able to work until noon. They don't really care about taste (but, don't also think that the take-out food has no taste at all), the important thing is that the food is ready to eat, and their stomach can be filled immediately and they can be ready to go to work.
But you also have to be careful with street vendors like them because there are some of them who often have a bad reputation, often being in trouble with town or city authorities reprimanding them for selling infected meat or reheated food.
But take-out food always has a place in their hearts and is in great demand, so many people do business like this because the price offered by this food is also very affordable.
For example, hot meat pies sold by a husband and wife who were visited by Princess and Elf.
They sell their pies for 4 to 8 iron coins, from those that don't contain meat (sweet pies) to those that filled with meat and vegetables in the pie (savory pies), and the filling varies according to the price charged, size, and also determined by each seller.
Almost all types of meat exist.
Except for meat from animals such as quail, hares, etc. that lived in grassland and woodland surrounding the town or serfdom nearby, as they were deemed to be the property of the lord, and punishments were handed out to those who ignored the laws.
"I just hope Fem doesn't cause any more trouble." Said Elf while enjoying his pie.
"So do I." (Princess)
Unknown’s POV
After Beastkin and I finished taking care of our business at the Adventure Guild. We regrouped with Princess and Elf again at the place that we agreed to at the town gate to the north and we immediately continued our mission.
The initial plan is, we wanted to find about where the ambush position would be used by bandits to attack the traveler first.
“Today we're going to kill humans, huh? We never even killed goblins. ” (Princess)
“…” (Unknown & Beastkin)
"On missions, we were only told to do scouting." (Elf)
“But still, behind that word, they expect Ega's Party to get rid them at once. That noble takes advantage of the character of a person who doesn't want to take pains and doesn't want to work twice." (Princess)
“…” (Unknown)
“…” (Elf)
“Well, I'm just worried that we'll suddenly drop mentally when fighting them. We are dealing with fellow humans and therefore, from the start, I suggested we should do it to the goblins first to accustom ourselves to be able to kill humans by killing human-like monsters. ” (Princess)
"Goblin's body size is small like a child, you want to get used to it so you can kill kids?" (Elf)
"Alright. Orcs or ogres, then." (Princess)
"Those monsters are rarely seen in this area. They are also very tough and their bodies are huge, you want to get us killed?" (Elf)
"..." (Princess)
"If mental disorders later strike us when we attack the bandits and make us unable to melee combat with them, we can just throw stones at them and you have to keep shooting, Elf." (Unknown)
"Alright." (Elf)
“And Beastkin, you too.” (Unknown)
" *Nod.” (Beastkin)
“The point is we only need to take the first step, the rest depends on each of us.” (Unknown)
After we got out of the gate, we went straight into the forest and we keep walking in there and avoided walking on the main road.
We would not do something stupid like walking the main road blatantly because it would lure the bandits out of their hiding and attack us.
So we walked in the forest near the main road so that it wouldn't be easily seen by them.
The bandits here, unlike what we often encountered in light novels, anime, or manga, who sometimes they just sit somewhere, waiting for you to pass by and then ambush you in the middle of the road stupidly using only swords and other sharp weapons, grinning and laughing.
In this world, the bandits here are very uncivilized and brutal.
There are many who are no longer bullsh*ting and immediately try to kill you by attacking with arrows from unexpected directions all of a sudden until you become like a place to put needles or become like porcupines.
They only care about your precious items and your money, not your life.
Not at all.
And this is exacerbated by the uniqueness of the location of this piece of land where there are many areas that they can make their hiding places, such as forests, etc. Meanwhile, the authorities in charge of clearing those outlaws are only enough to protect the town.
Even in town, they are lacking in numbers to maintain public order.
Well, it has become common whenever you go.
On modern Earth, the situation is also more or less like that.
They only won on the weaponry side. Not numbers.
If they won by numbers. That’s a tyrant.
3rd’s POV
The four of them walked in the forest very carefully and stealthily so as not to lure snakes, bears, and other wild animals who living in the forest or bandits who might be in the forest as well, lying quietly, to ambush someone.
They were so very careful in moving, even a young couple who happened to be doing that ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) in the forest, in one of the trees, in broad daylight like this, with their doggy style position which not far from them, not even aware of their presence.
And they themselves are also not aware of what that couple doing.
However ...
Wooshhh!
One of them noticed that couple's performance.
“…!!?”
The three of them were startled because Elf fired his slingshot so suddenly!
As their eyes followed the trajectory to where the pebbles that Elf had just fired went to, the three of them just now realize the presence of that pair doing near them …
“…!!!!?” (Unknown)
"…!!!!!?" (Beastkin)
“….!!!!!!?” (Princess)
… and complete with some twist and turn they feared that something had gone wrong.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”
....... gone horribly wrong.
They hurriedly ducked in the bush in front of them for cover.
To Be Continued
Hahaha