If Bandits are in a Field, Are They Field Bandits?

Clatter, clatter-.

In a vast plain that seemed endless, filled with wheat swaying in the wind, a line of carriages was moving.

The carriages bore the crest and flags of the Goddess Church, and naturally belonged to the Goddess Church.

Their destination was the empire’s Western Region, specifically the Rudelia Dukedom, which was currently suffering from a plague.

“The world is truly in turmoil. It is shocking to think a plague would suddenly break out.”

“Indeed. I pray this situation calms down quickly.”

The Clerics voiced their concerns.

The fact that they genuinely worried about the world showed how truly they were Clerics.

If everyone in the world were like them, even simple fights wouldn’t happen, let alone wars.

However, reality was far from such an ideal.

Suddenly, suspicious men leaped out from the wheat field and surrounded the carriages.

The men had their faces covered with masks and carried bladed weapons like swords and spears.

This was not a common occurrence. Messing with the Goddess Church, the main religion of the empire, could easily lead to severe consequences.

Regardless, the situation had already unfolded. The Paladins immediately stepped out of the carriages to respond.

There were just over twenty of the suspicious men, while the number of Paladins was less than half of that.

The Paladins had the upper hand in individual skill, but they were vastly outnumbered.

Given the situation, the Clerics were also swept up in the confusion.

“How about we just do as they want for now?”

“If we lose our carriages and horses, we won’t be able to reach the Western Region. Even if we do, it will be after many people have already died.”

“Then what on earth should we…”

In the end, all the Clerics, excluding the Paladins, could do was offer their prayers.

But had those prayers reached the heavens?

Someone appeared.

It was a man wearing a dark navy robe embroidered with snowflake patterns, holding a wooden staff embedded with a red jewel.

Seeing him appear so suddenly, as if he had fallen right out of the sky, the Clerics thought that he was someone sent by God to save them.

Of course, that was far from the truth.

Franz looked at the suspicious men lined up before him and thought:

“What on earth are these guys?”

Based on their appearance, they were definitely bandits.

Bandits in the mountains are called mountain bandits, so shouldn’t these guys in the field be called field bandits?

But that felt a bit long, so he decided to call them Deuljeok.

It was when Franz had settled on the name in his mind.

The one who seemed to be the boss of the Deuljeok, covering one eye with an eyepatch, pointed his sword and said:

“I don’t know who you are, but you’d better not resist. You wouldn’t be the first to die after antagonizing our Wolf of the Wheat Field.”

So they even had a name like Wolf of the Wheat Field.

The fact that they had such a plausible name despite being mere Deuljeok felt a bit absurd.

Anyway, where were they getting the confidence to say such things?

If they didn’t know who he was, shouldn’t they be more careful?

Well, that was probably why they were stuck being Deuljeok.

Franz found the answer in the guy’s following words - the source of their confidence.

“Our Wolf of the Wheat Field has a whopping 5th Circle Mage. You look like a mage yourself, so you should know. You know just how amazing a 5th Circle Mage is.”

A 5th Circle Mage…

Objectively speaking, it was impressive. It was the final destination a mage without talent could reach.

Furthermore, to be at the 5th circle without even belonging to the Magic Tower was truly an incredible level.

How could he be so sure they weren’t affiliated with the Magic Tower?

Not only was there no one in the Magic Tower stupid enough to join hands with bandits, but even if they were affiliated, they wouldn’t be for much longer.

Regardless, the guy had picked the wrong person to boast to.

Franz said:

“So where is this 5th Circle Mage of yours?”

“You’re just choosing to do things you’ll regret. But fine. If it’s your last wish in life, there’s no reason I can’t grant it.”

The guy said that in a relaxed tone, then called out the mage’s name.

The name was 'Ballanga', and seeing as he had no memory of it, it seemed certain the guy wasn’t from the Magic Tower.

It was truly a relief. Holding a trial to expel someone from the Magic Tower was quite a hassle, after all.

For a very brief moment after that, silence flowed through the vast wheat field.

Bewilderment began to spread across the face of the Deuljeok boss who had called for his proud 5th Circle Mage.

He had called the name, but there was no answer, so it was only natural.

Seeing him like that, Franz let out a chuckle - Pfft - and gave him the answer.

Franz’s finger pointed somewhere.

There was someone running away in the direction his finger pointed, without even looking back.

That someone was, of course…

“There is the Ballanga you were looking for. He’s running away right over there.”

Actually, that guy had started running quite a while ago.

To be exact, he fled the moment Franz arrived and they made eye contact.

Whether he was the Wolf of the Wheat Field or the Mongrel of the Wheat Field, as long as he was a mage, there was no way he wouldn’t know of the Magic Tower master’s existence, so it was a natural reaction.

“H-how come?!”

“Ask him yourself.”

Franz said that and snapped his fingers.

Snap-.

With a crisp sound, the mage was teleported right in front of Franz.

“W-what is this…?”

The guy looked around in confusion while slumped on the ground.

Then, eventually, he ended up making eye contact with Franz.

“H-Heeeeeek-!”

The guy let out a shriek as if he had seen a ghost. At the same time, he dragged his butt along the ground, crawling backward.

He hadn’t even done anything yet, had he?

Well, he would soon enough.

The Deuljeok boss, who had been watching the mage’s behavior, spoke.

“Ballanga! What on earth are you…”

“I don’t know a bandit like you! More importantly, hurry up and bow your head before the great Magic Tower master!”

“M-Magic Tower lord?”

“Yes! This person is the very one who subjugated the Demon Lord and reached the pinnacle of Mages, the Ma…”

Franz used Silence Magic before the guy could finish his sentence.

He understood what the guy was trying to do, at least.

Seeing that there was obviously no chance of winning, he was trying to cut ties and save himself.

But Franz wasn’t one to tolerate that.

Two-faced humans were the type of people Franz hated the most. It was almost better to just stick to being evil from start to finish.

Had he finally grasped the situation? The Deuljeok boss spoke with a face full of fear.

“Are you really the Magic Tower lord?”

He hadn’t particularly wanted to reveal his identity. Drawing unnecessary attention would just be a hassle.

But since his identity was already out, there was no reason to hide it.

Snap-.

As Franz snapped his fingers, the bladed weapons held by the twenty-odd Deuljeok floated into the air.

Following that, the blades gathered toward Franz, then changed direction to aim right back at him.

The sharp blades gleamed menacingly.

“Yes, I am the Magic Tower lord. If you want to keep going, go ahead. But I’ll be sure to hold you fully responsible.”

If it were in the past, he might have just killed them cleanly, just like he had killed those Cultists that day.

The fact that they had taken people’s lives was the same for both Cultists and bandits.

But he couldn’t bring himself to do it, remembering the stern scolding someone had given him that day.

After binding the guys and tossing them aside, the Clerics poured out of the carriages.

“The Goddess took pity on us and sent the saint.”

“Thank you, thank you so much.”

“The saint is truly an apostle of the Goddess.”

Franz was simply at a loss regarding the Clerics' reactions.

Honestly, defeating bandits was something he could do effortlessly with just a flick of his finger.

Considering their lives had been on the line, he could somewhat understand how they felt, but…

As expected, he just wasn’t used to these kinds of reactions, making it difficult for him.

Eventually, only after their excitement had calmed down to some extent was Franz able to share his thoughts.

“I understand you are heading west. If you board the carriages, I will transport you there immediately.”

Perhaps because it was the word of the saint, a figure of authority in the Goddess Church, the Clerics quickly climbed into the carriages, scurrying like mice into their holes.

Snap! As Franz snapped his fingers, the carriages vanished. To be exact, they had been moved to the city where Yusti-ah was.

Franz also wanted nothing more than to go with them. After all, he had just told Yusti-ah he would be right back.

But he had no choice, as there was still work left to do.

“Since I need to put these guys in prison first.”

Franz snapped his fingers once more, and immediately vanished along with the bound Deuljeok.

Meanwhile, Yusti-ah, who was waiting for him…

“What about Franz, no, the saint?”

“Well, the truth is, we ran into bandits on the way…”

“Ah…”

She was seething at the fact that she had been tricked by him yet again.