A Flat-Chest Believer Reincarnated in a World Where Women with Small Breasts Aren't Treated as Women ~ I Ended Up with a Flat-Chested Harem. - Chapter 33

Early the next morning, Rita and I stood in front of the town gate with the hunters who had agreed to help us. It was still dark, just before sunrise.

The town chief wore a worried expression as he stood in front of me.

“Lord Folca, are you sure about this? You’ve already done so much for us by handling the plague. To take on the bandits as well…”

“It’s fine. There’s a chance the bandits might be carrying Green Fever as well. Dealing with them helps with the plague prevention too.”

It was half an excuse, half true. There was indeed a non-zero possibility that the bandits could contribute to spreading the disease again if not dealt with.

“New cases might appear today. If they do, give them the water I purified this morning immediately.”

“Yes, I will follow your instructions.”

Earlier that morning, I had created a barrel of water imbued with purification magic. Drinking it during the early stages of infection would cure them almost immediately.

“Now, we’ll be off. Keep in mind that I can only help for today. If we can’t find the bandits by nightfall, you’ll need to wait for Count Rendolf’s forces or handle it yourselves.”

“Understood. Please take care.”

I turned away from the town chief, who bowed deeply, mounted my horse, and rode out of the town.

“To the hunters, please jog at a steady pace. We want to be as fast as possible.”

Rita instructed our group.

Our eight companions—hunters and woodcutters familiar with the mountains—weren’t used to riding horses, so they would be traveling on foot.

“No problem, we can manage that.”

One of the hunters replied with a smile.

We set off at a light jogging pace. As the sky gradually brightened and turned into a beautiful sunrise, we finally reached the mountain where the bandits were said to be hiding. The hunters seemed only a little out of breath—no major issues.

“Now, we’ll begin the search for the bandits. Regardless of where they’re hiding, they’ll need access to water. We’ll check water sources and look for any signs of them. Once Lord Folca locates them, it should be easy to handle the rest.”

Rita took charge of the operation while I stood there, pretending to be important. She had received extensive training in reconnaissance and handling traps, making her something of a rogue or thief-type character in an RPG. This was her area of expertise; I had no role to play in the search itself.

“Yes, understood!”

“No problem!”

“We’ll get it done!”

The hunters responded with enthusiasm. They seemed highly motivated.

“Lord Folca, we’ll start by searching the area around the stream on the west side of the mountain. It’s the most accessible water source.”

With a hunter leading the way, we entered the mountain.

After walking for a while, we reached a small stream. It was narrow enough to jump across, with clear water flowing steadily. It seemed like a good place to draw water. If the bandits were using this stream, there might be footprints left behind.

The hunters spread out along the stream, carefully examining the ground as they moved upstream.

I also kept an eye out for footprints as I walked.

We continued our search, steadily moving upward. However, by the time we reached the spring where the stream originated, we hadn’t found anything.

“No traces, huh.”

“Yes. Let’s take a short break and then move to the next spot.”

It was still a bit early for lunch, but we had access to fresh spring water. We ate some bread from our provisions, drank from our waterskins, and refilled them from the spring. The water was clear, though I cast purification magic on it just to be safe.

“Next, as planned, we’ll head toward the pond on the east side. Lead the way.”

The hunter nodded and said, “Got it,” and we resumed our journey. While still keeping an eye out for tracks, we picked up the pace as we headed for the pond. After about two hours of walking, we arrived. The water here wasn’t as clear as the spring, but it looked drinkable after boiling.

We searched the area around the pond carefully. After a while, someone called out, “Footprints here!”

Rita inspected the tracks.

“Yes, these are footprints. Let’s follow them.”

We quietly followed the footprints, with Rita leading the way. Eventually, we arrived at a cave.

It looked like a natural cave at first glance, but there was a trench dug around the entrance to keep out rainwater.

“There’s no village or settlement around here. This has got to be the bandits’ hideout.”

The woodcutter among the helpers said.

It was finally my turn to act.

“Alright, I’ll take it from here. Rita, I’ll go in first. Follow behind me.”

Even though it seemed certain that these were the bandits, I wanted to confirm before making any moves. First, we would infiltrate.

I cast a silencing spell derived from wind magic, ‘Sound,’ limiting its effect to Rita’s and my footsteps. Now, only our steps would be muted. I also cast a defensive spell to be thorough, ensuring we were prepared as we entered the cave.

A faint breeze flowed from deeper inside the cave, indicating there was likely a ventilation shaft or some other opening. I could also hear faint voices from inside, though not clearly enough to make out what they were saying. Still, it was enough to confirm that people were present.

We crept forward slowly. Then, I heard a voice say, “I’m going out to take a leak.” Footsteps approached the cave entrance. It seemed they went outside to relieve themselves.

Perfect. I could capture him and confirm if these were indeed the bandits. I pressed myself against the wall and crouched down, not fully hiding but ready to avoid detection.

I saw the figure of a man coming into view. Wasting no time, I expanded the range of the silencing spell to cover him, then generated water and shaped it into cords, which I wrapped around his body.

The man fell to the ground, immobilized. He tried to yell something, but thanks to the silencing spell, no sound came out.

“He’s saying, ‘You must be from the town! You came to rescue the women! We’re under attack!’”

Rita whispered, reading his lips.

Well, that saved me the trouble of interrogation. He was definitely a bandit. No need to hold back now.

I manipulated the water to choke off the blood flow to his brain, causing him to pass out.

We moved deeper into the cave. As we stepped forward, a weak scream from a woman echoed from deeper inside. I kicked off the ground and ran.

A tattered cloth hung over a section of the cave, blocking the way. The bandits must be beyond this point. I charged forward, ripping the cloth aside. Beyond it was a round chamber with five men inside. There were no women in sight, but another old cloth covered an opening further back, suggesting that the cave continued.

I wasted no time. I manipulated the water to simultaneously choke all five men, stopping the flow of blood to their carotid arteries. Before they could even speak, they fell unconscious. However, as they thrashed about, various objects clattered loudly to the ground.

“What’s going on?!”

Hearing the commotion, three more men emerged from the back, each holding a short sword. They posed no threat.

Before they could utter another word, I choked them unconscious as well, using water manipulation.

I moved toward the back of the cave and pulled aside the second cloth. A foul stench hit me.

The stench wasn’t just the expected smell of s*m*n or sweat; there was something else mixed in.

It was the smell of death.

The cave took a sharp turn just beyond the cloth, and all I could see were the gray walls.

I took a few more steps. After turning the corner, I found a small, square chamber.

Inside were two naked women, huddled together. Their bodies were covered in bruises, and they looked frail and battered.

There were also two corpses of women. One had likely died very recently. The other seemed to have been dead for some time.

It appeared that the bandits had kidnapped more women than just the three from the town.

I couldn’t tell the cause of death for the older body, but the newer one had clearly been strangled—handprints were still visible around her neck. Her body was also covered in injuries, and one of her eyes appeared to have been gouged out.

It was a horrific sight.

I had expected r*p*, but this… this was far worse.

The cave ended here. There were no more bandits.

“Did you come to save us?”

One of the women asked in a trembling voice. She looked younger than me, with a face that still held traces of childhood innocence.

“Yes. I’m going to cast purification and healing on you both.”

I cast both spells on the two women, ensuring that their wounds and any potential infections were taken care of.

“Rita, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

It would be better for them to be in the care of a woman. I left the situation in Rita’s hands and headed back outside.

I called for the hunters, who had been waiting outside, and had them help me drag the unconscious bandits out of the cave. We tied them up with rope. Since it would be problematic if they were infected with Green Fever, I cast purification magic on them as well.

While we were working, the bandits started to regain consciousness. As they woke, they began shouting things like, “Do you know who you’re messing with?!” and “I’ll kill you!” But their voices trembled with fear.

Some of them struggled against their restraints. It would be troublesome if they thrashed about too much. It would be better to incapacitate them. Since I planned to make them walk back to town, I couldn’t disable their legs, but their arms weren’t necessary. I decided to break the bones in their arms.

I wrapped water around their arms and bent the bones in ways they weren’t meant to bend. A loud crack echoed through the air with each snap of bone, followed by deep, guttural screams. To ensure they were thoroughly incapacitated, I bent their arms in multiple places, like folding paper pleats. The cave echoed with sounds of bones breaking and blood-curdling screams.

One by one, I did the same to the other bandits. The mountain echoed with the sounds of their cries and moans.

“What a filthy chorus.”

“Lord, aren’t you going to kill them?”

“They’re definitely going to be executed, but Count Rendolf’s house will need to interrogate them first. We need to find out where they came from.”

Actually, I was thinking about asking Count Rendolf to hand them over to the Gustique family for use as test subjects. Kudell had been asking for living criminals to experiment on. These bandits might be just what she needed.

Once the bandits had finally quieted down, Rita came out of the cave with the two rescued girls. They had put on clothes, though they were torn in several places.

The two girls kept their heads down, refusing to look in our direction. Their emotional scars were likely deep, and they had no future in the town—everyone there knew what had happened to them. It would affect their chances of marriage, especially since most of their families had been killed.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if we could even say that we had saved them.

“Let’s go.”

We tied the bandits together with ropes around their necks and forced them to walk.

It took a bit of time, but we managed to return to the town before nightfall.

◇◇ ◆ ◇◇

That evening, Rita and I sat in the guest room of the town chief’s house, resting on chairs. The whole ordeal with the bandits had stretched our stay longer than expected, but we were set to leave the next morning.

As it turned out, the woman who had pleaded with me for help had lost her daughter—the girl who had been killed. Her husband and son had also died in the attack, meaning she was now completely alone.

According to the rescued girls, the murdered one had been “punished” for accidentally biting one of the bandits. They had beaten her senseless, and when “her face became unattractive,” they strangled her to death.

The least I could do now was ensure that the bandits met a fitting end.

“Lord Folca, you’re wearing a terrible expression. Sometimes these tragedies happen. There’s nothing you could’ve done.”

“Sorry for making you worry, Rita… But if only I had gone to the town before the village…”

If I had come here on the first day, I might have been able to repel the attack. If I had chosen the left path at that fork in the road, things could have turned out completely different.

If I had brought another magic user as a guard, I could have rescued the girls yesterday, and that one girl might still be alive.

I knew there was nothing I could do about it now, but these thoughts kept creeping into my mind.

I could kill enemies on the battlefield just fine, but this… this was different. The lives I couldn’t save weighed heavily on my chest.

“You’re too kind, Lord Folca…”

Rita stood up and hugged me from behind.

“Please forgive me for being improper, but I know this isn’t something that can be solved with logic.”

She gently took my hand, led me to the bed, and sat down, offering me her lap as a pillow. With my head resting on her thighs, she began to stroke my hair. It was embarrassing, but oddly comforting.

When I was younger, Rita used to do this for me from time to time. I remember the first time she saw me burn my hands during magic combat training—she was so worried that she stroked my head for two hours straight. That was a long time ago.

“Thank you, Rita…”

Sleepiness gradually overcame me, and I closed my eyes.

Slowly, I sank into unconsciousness.

…

…

Scriiiiik, scriiiik.

…I was swinging on a creaky old swing. Beside me, Rita watched over me. I was small, too small to swing properly. I kicked my legs, struggling to make the swing move.

Creak, creak. The rusty chains made sounds as I swung.

At first, it felt completely natural, but then I realized something was wrong.

This was the park where Iwase Tohru—my past self—used to play as a child. Rita shouldn’t be here. And if I was this small, Rita should be a child too.

It must be a dream.

As soon as I realized that, my consciousness began to clear, and the dream world faded away.

I was still lying down, with a warm sensation behind my head. Rita’s hand gently stroked my hair.

She was still giving me a lap pillow. It felt nice, but I realized I couldn’t stay like this for too long—her legs would start to hurt. Even though my mind felt sluggish and heavy, I knew it was time to get up. Just as I prepared to open my eyes—

“I love you,” I heard a soft voice above me.

“Lord Folca… I love you so much…”

It was a quiet, sweet whisper, as if it had slipped out unintentionally. I suddenly felt wide awake, but I knew that was something I wasn’t supposed to hear. I kept my eyes closed, pretending to still be asleep.

…Rita continued to gently stroke my head.

That “I love you” wasn’t in the way someone might love a younger brother… was it? No, her voice didn’t sound like that at all.

“If only I could have you… even if I’m small…”

She muttered something even more shocking.

Rita seemed to come to her senses a moment later, letting out a small gasp as if to say, “What am I saying?”

Naturally, she thought I was sound asleep. There was no way I could let her know I had heard that.

I relaxed my facial muscles completely and kept my breathing slow and steady.

Rita continued to quietly stroke my head. It seemed she hadn’t realized I was awake.

…When she said “have you,” she meant… that, didn’t she? I couldn’t help but picture Rita’s figure from when I once saw her practicing putting on a dress. Blood started rushing to a certain part of my body. Damn it, this is bad.

Wait, but it’s normal for guys to get erections while they’re asleep, right? Maybe I could get away with it as a natural occurrence… No, Rita probably didn’t have that kind of knowledge. I had to suppress it.

Still pretending to sleep, I forced myself to open my mental memory box and conjured up an image of my mother from my past life. Mom, help me.

Her disapproving face popped into my mind, and slowly, the heat in my lower body started to dissipate. Thanks, Mom, as always.

Rita continued to quietly stroke my head, sitting there in silence. I waited for time to pass.

I probably pretended to be asleep for about 20 minutes. When I sensed it was safe, I shifted slightly, as though I was waking up. I opened my eyes slowly, as if I had just come out of deep sleep.

“Rita… thank you.”

I sat up slowly.

“Lord Folca. Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, I’ve calmed down, thanks to you. Are your legs okay?”

In truth, I did feel much more at ease now.

“I’m fine.”

“Good. Now, you should get some sleep too.”

Rita nodded and moved to the other bed.

As I lay down on my own bed and closed my eyes, I thought to myself.

I’ll have to address this with Rita eventually.