A magician is here! When I shouted that, it was already too late.

Gai-san seemed to be pulled by something, and suddenly he lost his balance and fell forward. Due to him falling, I was thrown off, and landed on a tree branch. I was caught like a circus performer landing on a trapeze, and spun around with a whirl, before I started clawing back up on the tree.

I was like Tarzan. Good thing I lived in the mountains for some time.

Staring down, I saw that Gai-san, Kuwamaru-aniki and Rudel-san had all fallen to their knees and collapsed. There was ice from the ground connected all the way to their knees.

When Kuwamaru-aniki noticed that I was alright because I managed to climb to the safety of the tree, he took out his G.o.d-killing dagger from his pockets and threw it to me.
Throwing it in order to pa.s.s it to me is fine but that was too fast! If it was anybody else, it would not have been caught!
As such thoughts occupied my head, I held on to the dagger that I had somehow caught onto safely and took a look at my leather waist-pouch to confirm that my DIY red pepper bomb was still intact. Great, it did not tear.

One of the secret tools when used in a wild boar hunt. Red pepper, j.a.panese pepper and ashes were grounded into fine powder and then placed inside a small cylinder that was made by heating clay. The cylinder is then covered with a lid.
When thrown at wild boars, the powder would scatter and disperse, causing the wild boars to be unable to perceive with their eyes and smell with their noses. When they try to escape, all they would do is to crash into trees and die like that. It was a deadly hunting weapon.
Even on humans, it can be effective. Thanks to Kuwamaru-aniki sacred sacrifice, it’s effectiveness had been demonstrated.

“If I see the mage, I would throw this at him!” As I thought, I looked around but the surrounding trees were in the way, and vision was poor. Walking from tree-to-tree, I moved towards where boss and the rest were.

“This is…...Ryuki isn’t it! What is the meaning of this!”
The shout came from the red haired spirit user.
“That is what I want to ask of you instead, Father! I had noticed that you had been acting all strange the past few days, why are you having a secret meeting with these evil-looking people!?”
Immediately, a young man’s voice emerged from some distance away from where boss and the rest were.
Eh, from that far out, he was still able to use magic? Isn’t this range too wide? Mages are really scary.
Speaking of which, he said Ryuki? If my memory serves me right, that was the mage who visited Garigari village! He was handsome so I remembered him. A pretty youth with light blonde long hair.
In addition, the red hair spirit user was indeed the spirit user from back then. If I was correct, his name was Seki-san.
He did call him father, so these two were actually father and son……

While thinking, I continued advancing through the trees to get into a range where I could fling the pepper bombs. It seems that he has no idea that I had climb onto the tree and that I going to help them. It was because I was quite far away.

“Oi! Don’t judge a person simply by his face, you little!”
Boss’s savage-like voice could be heard.

However, boss, aren’t bandits bad people? Ah, but we had been pretty obedient lately so I guess that is fine? Just barely across that line of being bad I guess.

“From that fiendish face of his, he has similar characteristics to Alexander, the ideologist. Even if he is able to trick Bashu-sama and Father, he won’t be able to trick me. I will hear what you all have to say after I have captured him!”
“Ryuki! Calm down! It’s all good so release your ice magic.”
“No, Father and Bashu-sama must have been cheated. You all must be trying to overlook this guy!”
“......Looks like words can’t reach you.”
That being said, Seki-san the spirit user tried to chant his magic, but at that time, from the shadows of the trees, a knight-like person appeared and wedged a cloth into his mouth to seal his voice.

And then, another knight, while saying sorry Seki-sama, used his hand to restrain Seki-san from his back.
“Wha! What is the meaning of this!”
As he shouted, more knight-like people appeared to restrain Bashu-san in a similar fashion. “Sorry, we are under instructions from Ryuki-sama.” They seem to have said and then brought their arms to their back and restrained them.

“Please be quiet. Bashu-sama and Father. I will capture them. I will hear what you have to say later.” After saying that, he gave a signal to the knights. The knight-like people tied boss and the rest with rope. The rubbing of metals created jarring “Gasha, Gasha” noises.

This is very bad, this is really really bad, this is very bad.
As I realised how nasty the circ.u.mstances have gotten, I made some Haiku in my mind to calm myself.

Ryuki-san has entered my range of the pepper bombs though. By throwing this at him, I would be able to seal his incantations! Yay--! Though I feel this can be so easily resolved though.
First of all, since I have to get rid of the magic that is binding boss and the rest’s feet, smashing Ryuki’s throat is out of question. Furthermore, I have to get the knights to retreat or else …….

Alright, I shall proceed with the hostage plan.

I climbed from tree to tree, getting to a spot directly above archenemy Ryuki, held on to the G.o.d-killing dagger from Kuwamaru-aniki and dropped. I was aiming to drop on his shoulder.

A lovely “Toh-soon” sound was made as I straddled on his shoulder. The sudden weight on his shoulder affected his balance out and he fell forward.

Hey, from the looks of it, doesn’t that make me heavy! How rude!

In order not to get flung out, I gripped onto him. Ryuki pushed his hand onto the ground and was about to adjust his position when I placed the dagger on his throat.

“If you value your life, free boss and the rest.”
“You are…...”
“Don’t say anything unnecessary! I’m ordering you to undo the ropes on boss!”

However, even without Ryuki commanding the knights, they had already realised the tables have turned and obediently removed the restraints on boss and the rest.
Ohh, a good decision by the knights. It is because mages are their G.o.ds. Very well.

“Ah, those two are ok.”
That is what he said to the knights that were restraining Bashu-san and Seki-san. Those two are bad though, it would have been better for them to still be tied up. I still cannot trust them yet.
After releasing boss, I had the knights stand back and line themselves with their hands up.

“Cancel the freezing magic.”
Even though the knights had removed the ropes on boss and the rest, the ice was still there and they were still unable to move. I tried my best to sound as scary as possible while ordering Ryuki. Nevertheless, my cute voice did not command that kind of authority with it. There is no helping with my cuteness.

“Fufufu,” Ryuki seemingly laughed in a ridiculing manner and accepted my request at same time.
“Asaborake Ujinokawagiri Taedaeni Arawarewataru Sezenoajirogi.” That was definitely the incantation to cancel magic. It was the same incantation that Irene-san and Alan said when they were canceling their magic.

Yet, the shackles of ice did not disappear at all!

Besides being shocked myself, Ryuki the mage was shocked too. However, Ryuki was looking at the dagger I was holding instead of what I was looking at.

Ah--so that was what happened.

“It is because this is a G.o.d-killing dagger. You can make it disappear with magic. Stop with your little tricks, remove your magic now,” that was why he was able to smirk earlier.
In the face of the G.o.d-killing dagger, Ryuki turned slightly pale.

Really, just release your magic already! Even for me, I don’t like pointing weapons at others!

“Don’t think that just because I am a child, I wouldn’t stab you! I use this everyday just so that you know!”
Yes, mainly on wild boars. I am always using it on my arch-enemy wild boars. I kid you not.

And then, Ryuki appeared to have made up his mind and chanted another incantation.
Hearing the start of the incantation, I quickly jumped off Ryuki’s back while grabbing his hair and greeted his face with a kick from my knee.

“Hey! Stop trying to be funny! That’s not the incantation to dispel magic!” I shouted at the Ryuki who was now bleeding from his nose and who became greatly frightened.

The one that should be surprised is me! Why is it you!?
He grimaced and looked at me with a face that says, “Even my old man wouldn’t beat me like this!” 
Even for me, this is my first time kicking someone with my knees! I was really astonished! That was because I knew that I had to quickly stop the magic from activating, so my legs moved on reflex! My knees are still shaking in pain too! I think I should demand medical fees too!

“You……can understand the incantations!?”
Rather than understanding, it was more like your incantation was obviously different from the previous one, how did it not occur to you that I would be able to discern that difference.

“I’m telling you, undo your magic now. There won’t be a next time.”
Throwing away all traces of an adorable young girl, with a threatening low pitch voice, I pointed the dagger at him.

With that, Ryuki finally gave in and chanted the dispelling incantation. The ice trapping boss and the rest disappeared.