(EP-283.2) King #2

283 – Bandit King #2

The night was eerily dark, with not even the moon in the sky.

Gazing out at the massive river, which spanned hundreds of meters across, made it feel as though the entire world was being swallowed in blackness. The image alone sent chills down my spine…

As Stella pointed out, this darkness worked in the bandits’ favor. Like a shroud, it would conceal their crimes.

But there was no reason for me to stand idly by and do nothing.

I was curious about the Crown of Dominion, and I was also concerned about what they’d do to Tefer.

Above all, the thought of the imps being captured made it impossible for me to sit still.

And personally, I really hated bandits!

They were a thorn in the side of the Angmar Kingdom, a source of constant stress for Queen Aira, and they added to my workload. Just thinking about the stress they caused made me want to scream…

“Do you know where they are or have a map?”

Stella, who had been watching me, let out a small sigh.

“Theo-kun, I thought you were more of a cautious type. But it seems you have a surprisingly strong sense of justice. Though, I suppose it’s only natural for a student of Ark. You’re quite the hero.”

“Well, it’s not like I can say much, considering I asked for your help with Opal’s matter…” Stella trailed off. Narmi, who had been listening beside her, spread her arms wide and added.

“Theo even helped with our family matters as if they were his own! Thanks to him, we were able to take down that nasty Professor Balan! I’m sure he’ll handle this situation just as brilliantly! I’ll help too!”

Narmi rubbed her palms together, mumbling, “This would be a good opportunity to test my new witchcraft and necromancy…” Though her words were a bit unsettling, I appreciated the offer of help.

Watching this, Stella said, “I owe Theo-kun a debt, so maybe I should pitch in a little too.” With her expressing interest in joining, I felt confident that we wouldn’t lose to the bandits, even if unexpected challenges arose.

“Please send a carrier pigeon to the palace if we don’t contact you by morning.”

After giving a small request to the members of the White Mage Tower, we finally set off.

Finding their base was surprisingly easy.

They said if we followed this large river upstream, we’d find a huge waterfall, and inside it was the bandits’ hideout.

It was surprising how boldly these bandits operate.

Though such a fact immediately made it clear just how problematic and uncontrollable they were.

“Riding a carriage would attract too much attention. How about we ride the horses as close as we can, then dismount and sneak in?” Stella suggested.

Narmi also brightly agreed, “Good idea!”

The problem was that I was not good at riding horses, so I had no choice but to sit behind Stella – who was excellent at it – and held onto her waist.

“Hold on tight so you don’t fall. And be careful not to bite your tongue while talking.”

“Okay!”

“Hyah! Puhihihing!”

With that, the black horses galloped through the darkness.

As I watched the scene of us bouncing up and down while cloaked in robes, I couldn’t help but feel like we were up to something shady.

After galloping for some time, we finally stopped when we reached a spot where the loud sound of water could be heard. We then tied the reins to a nearby tree.

Shhhwaaahhh-.

“The waterfall is nearby…!”

Just as Narmi exclaimed softly, I could also hear the refreshing sound of water in my ears. It meant that the bandits’ hideout would be close by.

At that moment, Stella grabbed both Narmi and me, cautioning us.

“Shh, there’s someone watching over there. One… no, two.”

Though I couldn’t see them, it seemed Stella had sensed their presence with her keen instincts.

“I’ll take care of them.”

Seuk.

She took some darts from the pouch at her waist and swiftly threw them into the darkness. With the sound of wind cutting through the air, something heavy fell to the ground.

Thud.

“I hit them with the venom of a sleeping clam, so they won’t wake up for a few hours. Let’s hurry.”

A sudden thought made me pause.

“Wait, is it really okay to just hit them like that without even checking who they are?”

… What if they were just regular people?

But Stella’s attitude was firm.

“If they’re wandering near the bandits’ hideout at this time of night, they’re definitely bandits.”

Sure enough, the ones Stella had taken down were bandits, evident from the snake tattoos on their arms—a mark of these scoundrels.

“If these guys are found, it could cause problems. Let’s hide them in the nearby bushes. Theo-kun, give me a hand.”

“That’s a good idea.”

After we hid their unconscious bodies well within the bushes, we finally arrived in front of the waterfall.

Swaaaahhh.

How magnificent…

Such an enormous waterfall—it almost felt surreal.

Was there really a cave behind this?

As I hesitated for a moment, wondering how we could break through that water pressure to enter the cave, Stella began feeling along the wall beside the cave.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m sure there’s a mechanism around here somewhere. Ah, found it.”

Click.

As Stella touched a stone embedded in the wall, we heard the sound of a mechanism turning. Soon, the seemingly solid rock wall beside us began to slide open.

“This should lead us inside. In lairs, there’s usually a hidden switch like this.”

‘I see.’

To be honest, my impression of Stella had been that she was a bit of a bluff and a klutz. But lately, I’d noticed she actually had quite a bit of knowledge and experience.

Thus, I gave her an extra 5 points in my mind, and followed her into the bandits’ hideout.

Edited by: faker