NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 6: Bandits Are So Dangerous
【Here comes a new side quest!】
【My host, here’s your opportunity to save the beauties and farm some affection points! The frail ladies have encountered terrifying bandits, and their loyal servants and soldiers have fallen one after another. They urgently need a brave youth to save them from this accursed hell they have found themselves in.】
【What are you waiting for, my host? Defeat the bandits and save the beauties!】
System 12345 merrily said.
【My host, your combat abilities are probably still lacking as it has only been days since you transmigrated here, but you can always escape with the ladies. Even if you can’t subdue the bandits like a hero, a life-and-death escape with the beauties is also a good option.】
【Who knows? You might just meet with the rain or something, forcing you and the beauties to bare yourselves to one another, both emotionally and physically…】
【By then, you’ll be able to… Hehe!】
Sensing a sharp glare on her back, Sereya groggily raised her head.
How many days have it been since I was captured? I don’t even remember. All I know is that there’s no one more savage than the Khitans in this world.
This young Khitan Baturu and his subordinates don’t even think of us as slaves or livestock; they outright ignore us, not providing us with any food or water!
And they are always traveling, either chopping down people or looking for people to chop down. It’s as if our lives mean nothing to them at all.
If not for the Khitans alighting from their horses to rest every now and then, she would have wondered if they were even humans.
Each time the Khitans stopped, they would try their best to capture some rats or worms. It helped that her loyal aides had hidden some rations on them. If not for that, she and her little sister would have already died on the road by now.
Even so, Sereya still ended in a terribly emaciated state.
Still, someone recognized her.
A sinister cackle reminiscent of a crow singing elegies on a tree branch echoed.
“Hohoho, isn’t this our Miss Sereya and Miss Serena?” Madam Marti burst into gleeful laughter. “Who could have thought you would ever land in such a plight?”
Madam Marti’s subordinates also laughed in derision. Their eyes were filled with hatred.
“You are…” the dazed Sereya hesitantly asked.
“I’m nowhere as esteemed as you two ladies.”
Madam Marti removed the cloth concealing her face. Where her nose should have been was replaced by a big hole.
“I am merely a pitiful worm who had my fief taken away and my husband and son killed. I was captured and barely escaped with my life.”
“…” Sereya lowered her head.
It was not that she was ashamed. She had just tortured far too many people along the coast of the Ink Sea that she had no idea who the person before her was.
“You know each other?” Shu Yichao noticed that Madam Marti and Sereya had started chatting. He feared that these prisoners would die in his hands very soon, so his head spun into action.
“Cousins? Friends? No, that’s not important. Since you know her, why don’t you buy her over? It’ll cost around this much.” Shu Yichao gestured with his finger.
“Esteemed Khitan Baturu, are you serious about this?”
After some gesturing, Madam Marti got what Shu Yichao was getting at and was shocked. Sereya and Serena were the daughters of the Ottomain’s Ink Sea Chief Inspector. It was beyond her comprehension why Shu Yichao would sell such precious spoils of war.
“Of course. I pride myself on my honesty as a seller!” Overjoyed to see that there was hope for a deal, Shu Yichao thumped his chest to reassure his valued customer.
Moments later, Sereya, Serena, and the other hostages were sold as a bundle deal.
Shu Yichao was glad to have gotten rid of the burden.
“Charge! Our goal—Sochia, the capital of Ink Sea!”
“Hmph!” Knowing her fate was sealed after falling into the hands of her enemies, Sereya put on a tough attitude and scoffed, “Don’t celebrate too early. My father will destroy you with his army once he knows about this. You shall know how sharp our Ottomain’s blades are!”
She spoke with a severe voice to intimidate the others.
“How scary.” Madam Marti took out a dagger and lightly cut Sereya’s face. “You say that, but the Khitans are planning to head to your father’s city. I don’t think he’s in a position to save you.”
“A mere seventy Khitans,” Sereya obstinately retorted.
“Elsewhere?”
“…” Sereya fell silent.
“Men!” Madam Marti roared.
Her subordinates drew their swords and closed in with murderous intent. They couldn’t wait for Madam Marti to order them to dice these people into meat paste.
“No rush.” Madam Marti gestured for them to lower their weapons. “There are many people who want them dead. Let’s use this as an opportunity to gather everyone—the grasslands, the valley dwellers, the villagers…”
“Why?” Her subordinates were confused.
“Tell them the Khitans are heading to Sochia,” Madam Marti looked at her subordinates as if they were log-headed fools. “There’s no better chance than this if they want revenge.”
She had no doubt many people would respond to their rally.
The Ottomains had raked up a huge blood debt in Romie over the years, reaping not just wealth but the lives of their victims too. They had enemies everywhere.
Had they maintained an infallible image, the oppressed would have lain low out of fear of their military prowess. But now that a tear had appeared in their cloak of supremacy, it was inevitable that the masses would rise up against them.
The Khitans had led the charge, assaulting Ottomain soldiers and even capturing the Ink Sea Chief Inspector’s daughter. Yet, the Ink Sea Chief Inspector chose to hole himself up in his city.
Such an action was as good as telling the world that he was scared of the Khitans. The consequence of that was obvious.
【My host, why are you running away?】
【Haa, I get that the bandits are scary, and I might have run away if I was in your position too, but the least you can do is to flee with those twins! How can you conquer them if you don’t go through tough times together?】
【Ahh? You’re getting further and further away from them.】
【Wait, my host, are you really that cowardly?】
System 12345 uttered with a pained heart.
【It’s not that I want to lecture you, but, my host, if you want to conquer femme fatales, you must at least be able to endure what ordinary men can’t. Fleeing like that will make you look terrible in front of Sereya and Serena. You’ll be severely penalized, do you know that?】
【Eh? The direction you’re heading to… Is that the capital of Ink Sea, Sochia?】
【I guess you haven’t lost your marbles yet. At least you know where to seek help.】
【Remember your manners when you meet father-in-law. It’ll help if you farm some brownie points with him. That way, you might—Wait, my host, aren’t you entering the city? Why are you running circles around it instead?】
System 12345 was confused.
【You need to quickly explain the situation to the Ink Sea Chief Inspector. What if something happens to Sereya and Serena in the meantime?】