A Good Joke

The Village Clown's Gambit

-Riel Village-

Subaru and Patrasche were watching the chaos unfolding from the distance.

Merchants were being threatened and beaten. Shops or houses being looted. Villagers were begging for their lives and livelihood. Children crying and women were being taken, alongside smoke coming from several houses that were being put to the torch. The stables were also ruined. Although some villagers seemed to be putting on a fight by grabbing their pitchforks or other instruments. A failed effort from the looks of it.

'I can't see their total number from here and there are way too many houses, shops as well as other sections of the village. One would think they would round up all the villagers for an easier time, but not this bunch.'

He also noted that for bandits, they were rather well-equipped. They were likely backed by a noble or some other shady organization, not that it mattered to him.

'With Cor Leonis, Invisible Providence and Hopeless. I can potentially just charge in and head straight for the inn. But I don't want to attract attention to myself and I don't want to take unnecessary risks since I'm only here to save a few people, not the entire village.'

He led Patrasche towards the surrounding trees and bushes nearby. That way they were hidden while still able to see the village in the distance. His eyes soon picked up on a lone bandit that was in the woods, relieving himself.

He was too far for Hopeless and Invisible Providence to reach, so instead Subaru picked up some stones and pebbles from the ground, remembering that Regulus's authority and offensive capabilities allowed him to affect anything he touched. For example, people like Reinhard by sending him flying towards the moon, or the waters from Priestella or even simple objects like stones with stillness of time before launching them with destructive power. Subaru himself had been the one to name it Stillness of an Object's Time.

With that in mind, Subaru activated Cor Leonis and threw the stones and pebbles in the direction of the lone bandit. 2 seconds go by without anything happening, then the bandit exploded in a shower of gore till there is nothing left of him but blood and some organs on the ground and the surrounding shrubbery. He also noted several trees started falling down.

'Too destructive like I thought. That's one down so far though.'

Wow, Outer me. I know we can sew and knit, but you just added fireworks into the mix! And what a lovely firework it was hahaha, I want to try it!

"No. You'd probably destroy the whole village with this." Subaru admonished Pride, before giving Patrasche a head pat. Knowing he has to go on ahead alone from this point on.

"Patrasche, can you wait for me here?"

She whimpered and brought her face closer to his, her orange eyes telling him that if he goes she goes.

"I want to bring you with me, but I don't want you to get hurt." Subaru tried reasoning as his hands stroked under the side of her neck. She lifted her leg and hit it on the ground as a sign of stubbornness before her nose poked his face.

I don't know about you but I would take Patrasche. C'mon, be honest, what can bandits do to us?

Subaru shook his head at that as it was a fool's gambit.

"I could rush in without a plan, but I have no guarantee that either I or Patrasche won't get hurt. So I'm not going to attack them like that. Also, you might be willing to risk Patrasche but I'm not." Subaru spoke with finality. He looked deeply into his companion's eyes. "Sorry, Patrasche. I promise when I'm back we can ride away together for as long as you want. I'll even get you a better saddle. So just wait here for me and keep out of sight, please."