The carriage left the city, left the outskirts, and eventually headed towards a forest path.

Even that would have been enough, but the carriage even started climbing a mountain that didn't need to be crossed on the way to the Imperial Palace.

'...This seems a bit excessive.'

After climbing for a while, I saw a cliff stretching out to the right, where a single misstep could send you plummeting down, and the left side was completely blocked by the dense trees and stone walls of the mountain.

If this carriage had been a supply carriage during wartime, they would never have chosen this kind of path.

"Wow! Look over there, Sir Knight! From here, you can see the whole view of the city and the forest at a glance!"

Ameline was excited, looking in the direction of the cliff. The way she addressed me had changed to 'Sir Knight' at some point.

It seems Ameline is completely unaware of the danger of a single carriage passing through this path. Especially in a place like this, outside the city center, just as the sun begins to set.

"Miss, it's dangerous to lean out too much."

"But look! It's so beautiful!"

While I moderately played along with Ameline, I spread my senses. It was to prepare for any unexpected attacks.

...But there was no need for that.

'...They're waiting openly.'

The carriage stopped abruptly. Since this carriage has a completely enclosed passenger compartment, I can't see the situation ahead from here.

Instead, the coachman's tense tone informs me of the situation.

"...Men with weapons are blocking the way."

Ameline's eyes widen at that. To my eyes, it was a look of curiosity rather than fear.

Of course, if Ameline possessed acting skills like Selena's, this judgment would be completely wrong, but there would be no reason for her to act like that in the first place.

"Hey!!"

And a loud shout from outside the carriage.

"Where are you going alone in such a fancy carriage!"

It was a very stereotypical provocation, but I wholeheartedly agreed with the content itself.

"Who's inside! Just hand over what we want and we'll let you go!"

And then came the sound of giggling laughter.

It was a textbook-like progression, almost like a script.

"Wh, what should we do?"

Ameline spoke in a frightened voice. But in her eyes, there was still curiosity and a somewhat excited look.

'Are those guys part of the 'amusement' too?'

"I'll go out and see."

I finished my thought and opened the carriage door. When I stepped out and checked the front, there were indeed several people dressed like bandits standing in front of the carriage.

'...No, something's strange.'

Their giggling laughter, their arrogant faces that seemed to look down on me, their swaggering postures.

But amidst all that, I could sense an unusual aura from them.

It didn't take long to realize. These guys aren't ordinary bandits. Their carefree expressions are also an act.

"...What do you want?"

"Didn't you hear me? Just leave everything in the carriage and we'll let you go."

"Unfortunately, this carriage is carrying nothing."

"Really? Then why don't you take off all your clothes and go?"

Buahahaha! The bandits burst into laughter at the words of the man who seemed to be the leader.

...Even while laughing so heartily, they didn't show any openings.

'If I were the knight I dealt with today...'

He would have been dead in less than 10 seconds against these guys. Even I'm breaking out in a cold sweat facing such formidable opponents. I honestly don't have the confidence to subdue them all without killing them.

'They're too dangerous for a mere amusement.'

Even while thinking that, I put on a confident smile.

"How ridiculous. You think you can stop me with your numbers? Consider yourselves unlucky to have met me today."

The image I'm portraying now is that of a naive, newly appointed knight who thinks he's stronger than he actually is. I think I did a pretty good job acting.

"Hahaha! That's funny! You think you can handle all of us alone?"

The bandit leader approached me with a swaggering gait.

And then, in an instant,

Tat!

He closed the distance between us in a flash and swung his curved sword down from above.

'...!'

His movement to close the distance so quickly, and the aura flowing from the blade as he swung it down.

He had already far surpassed the category of a bandit.

Clang!

I blocked his sword with Obsidian. But he wasn't surprised and instead retrieved his sword to attack again from a different direction.

He wasn't surprised by Obsidian. He definitely knows who I am.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The laughter of all the bandits, who had been roaring with laughter, had disappeared.

No, they weren't laughing in the first place. There was no emotion in their laughter.

Step-

The bandit leader seemed to have judged that he couldn't break through like this and created some distance.

"Hey, we've been found out. This guy saw through our act."

I scratched my head.

Frondier's appearance isn't that distinctive. If anything, it's his handsome face and jet-black hair, but that combination isn't uncommon on the continent.

Even though the scene of me defeating the devil was briefly shown throughout the Empire, it was just a fleeting moment. Unless someone deliberately tried to remember my face, it would be difficult to recognize me at a glance.

In other words, these guys already received information about me. Or rather, they must have received information about this escort mission.

'...There must have been a request to act like bandits threatening Ameline. Whether these guys were the ones who received that request, or whether the information leaked from somewhere, I don't know yet.'

Just by looking at Ameline's face, which showed curiosity and excitement even after the bandits appeared, it's clear that their appearance was a situation anticipated by the Ellis family.

However, even if the situation is similar, these guys have no intention of stopping at 'acting'.

"Who are you guys, and what's your purpose? I knew you were pretending to be bandits, but you seem different from what the Ellis family expected."

"Yeah. Sorry about that. Whether you take off your clothes or not, we have no intention of letting this carriage pass."

Aura flows from the bandits' postures. That alone already puts them beyond the category of bandits. Moreover, their stances are unusual.

"You will die here. And so will the young lady inside."

"...I see. So you know who's inside."

I sighed.

It seems some strange noise has interfered with the young lady's amusement.

"You guys aren't part of the young lady's 'amusement' package, are you? You were just pretending to be."

I slowly activated my aura. Obsidian responded by flaring up and enveloping me.

"In other words..."

These guys became even more wary of my appearance. Every single one of them revealed their aura, and their killing intent was also extraordinary.

However, from my perspective, that's still not enough.

"You're things I can kill without any problem."