Dealing With The Sand Bandits

“So then, first of all, could you tell me the situation?”

“Yes. That said, it hasn’t changed much from what I reported earlier. Early this morning, a suspicious figure appeared near the town. From there, after Simurg-san investigated, it seems that figure has gathered others and is heading this way.”

“Their appearance and magical aura are far from refined… most likely starving mercenaries or common bandits.”

“I see…”

When I asked how they had even noticed someone approaching, it turned out Simurg-san had taken care of that as well.

All hail the Divine Beast.

As thanks, I decided to offer him some freshly picked chestnuts.

Chestnuts were small individually, but they could be harvested in large quantities.

They didn’t have the intense sweetness of apples, but instead a refined flavor.

That gentle taste you could eat endlessly had been extremely popular with the villagers too.

“Munch munch… the sand bandits won’t be here for a while yet. It would be wise to decide on a course of action before then.”

“Munch munch… so basically, if I rush in and cut them all down, problem solved, right?”

“No, I don’t think it’s that simple.”

Before I realized it, Nadja was munching on chestnuts she must have gathered somewhere, smiling innocently while saying something unbelievably brutal.

But killing them all wasn’t enough.

There might be a leader behind them, or perhaps connections to other bandit groups.

I once heard that if you humiliated a mafia group, they would go on a rampage regardless of profit or loss.

If we had to defeat them, it would be best to first uncover the hierarchy and mastermind.

But unfortunately, Nadja was utterly unsuited for anything that required roundabout methods like that.

And I had no knowledge of torture or interrogation myself… was there any way around this?

As I was thinking, a shining panel of light appeared before me.

Since the aptitude guide was saying it, I decided to just follow along without overthinking.

I quickly planted a persimmon tree, which I hadn’t planted yet, and then used up spare points by planting more World Trees.

Almost immediately, my level rose.

Alright, new trees and a skill!

But… unlocking Sanctuary functions?

With Simurg-san here, wasn’t this already a Sanctuary?

“Unlocking Sanctuary functions, is it…”

Not really understanding, I asked Simurg-san first.

After thinking for a moment, he nodded.

“Most likely, unlocking Sanctuary functions means that as Woody’s World Trees grew in sanctity, their restrictions were lifted.”

“Could you explain it more simply! I don’t understand a word of this!”

At Nadja’s words, I silently agreed.

But outwardly, I kept a look of perfect understanding.

Maintaining a composed demeanor was the secret to being a popular man.

“In short, the World Trees can now draw in more mana, expanding their capabilities. Naturally, this means functions that were impossible before—aptitude bestowal and purification functions, for example—have now been unlocked.”

“Aptitude bestowal, huh… oh right, it did say that would eventually become possible. After the oasis and fruit party, I completely forgot about it. Munch munch.”

Aira nodded, cheeks puffed as she munched on World Tree fruit.

Did the women in our group all just have a habit of talking while eating?

Since everyone else was eating, I grabbed a peach and took a bite too.

Crunch crunch… yep, delicious.

—Wait, this wasn’t the time to savor fruit!

The bandits were on their way!

“No problem. For this case, I’ll lend a hand. I can’t intervene directly, but if I and Lady Nadja work together, extracting information afterwards will be simple enough.”

Ugh, my apologies, Simurg-san.

I knew it wasn’t good to rely too much on the Divine Beast, but…

“What did I say? I already decided to remain here as a Divine Beast of this Sanctuary. Like Woody, I must protect the peace of those living here.”

“Then why not fight alongside me? I’d like to see the power of a Divine Beast firsthand.”

“Unfortunately, that I cannot do. There are circumstances… I am forbidden from interfering too directly with mortals of this world. Advice, indirect aid, generating a Sanctuary—those are barely within limits. I believe.”

Simurg-san frowned.

It seemed there were rules even in the world of Divine Beasts.

For now, he couldn’t just slay evil creatures like in a fairy tale.

“I cannot provide direct military aid. In future battles, do not expect me as a fighting force. Unless fortune itself aligns, I cannot intervene directly.”

“Of course. This is our problem to solve. You’ve already helped us so much, I couldn’t ask for more.”

“Hooh… hearing you say that lifts a weight off my shoulders.”

Simurg-san wasn’t going to always help us.

If he got bored of World Tree fruit, he might leave someday.

I had to be strong enough to protect the villagers even if that happened.

So this time, Nadja would capture the bandits alive, and Simurg-san would extract information from them afterwards.

With those two, there was no way it could fail.

Until they returned, I would think over how best to deal with sand bandits if they came again.