NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8
8. Runaway (2)
Of all things… it had to be the Bandit Trio.
The chance of encountering them in the field was roughly 0.3%.
Running into them now meant I was seriously unlucky.
None of my plans had accounted for these guys.
Kate, too, seemed to sense the danger—her body began to tremble.
“E-Excuse me, sirs. Is something the matter, this late at night?”
“Lady, this here’s our turf. And you’re trying to pass through without paying tolls? That won’t do.”
“My apologies. I’m unfamiliar with the area… How much would the toll be?”
Kate spoke calmly, even offering to pay the toll without hesitation.
The whole reason merchants hired adventurers for escort missions was to avoid situations like this.
I opened my mouth to stop her—
“Kate, this isn’t—”
“Let the adults handle this. This isn’t your problem, little brother.”
She silenced me with a firm voice.
Even called me her little brother.
It didn’t take much to figure out what she was doing.
She’s trying to protect me.
By saying it wasn’t my fight, she was signaling these weren’t enemies I could handle.
So she was quietly trying to negotiate the toll instead.
“…"
“Heh, stay outta this, kid!”
“Yeah, go back to suckin’ your mama’s milk!”
The thugs jeered, but I ignored them.
Kate was my employer, so I followed her lead—for now.
“Let’s see, lady… That cart of yours looks pretty full. Must be worth a pretty penny, eh?”
“Not at all. Mostly local ingredients from the North. Cheap stuff that’s rare in the East, nothing valuable.”
Kate wasn’t lying.
I’d seen the goods myself—just northern specialties. Nothing expensive.
Still, the boss sneered.
“Alright then. Toll’s three gold coins.”
“Th-Three gold…?! That’s impossible!”
Kate’s poker face cracked.
Ten bronze coins could buy you a chicken skewer from a street vendor.
It took 100 bronze for one silver, and 100 silver for one gold.
The stuff in her cart wouldn’t fetch even one gold coin.
In other words, they were demanding more than the cart’s total worth.
“Well, if you don’t have the cash… how about a little fun instead? With a body like yours, I’d pay fifty silvers a round.”
“Hehehe!”
“L-Let’s just take her back to the hideout, boss. I’m getting antsy…”
Their disgusting remarks made my face twist in rage.
To say such filth so openly—
I glared at them, only to see Kate trembling beside me, trying to keep a brave face.
“Heh, look at the kid tryna act tough in front of his sister. Right, boys?”
“Hyahaha!”
“You’ve got three seconds. Pay up, or strip.”
The thugs chuckled, clearly entertained.
Their initial arrow had been impressive, but aside from the boss, the others looked mediocre.
Even in this 15-year-old body, I didn’t feel like I’d lose.
“Three!”
“P-Please, be reasonable! Even if you took everything, we wouldn’t have two golds—!”
The boss began counting loudly.
Kate started trembling even harder.
To see her so afraid… it wasn’t a pleasant sight.
“Two!”
I quickly assessed their positions.
The archer hadn’t drawn his bow.
The swordsman hadn’t even unsheathed his weapon.
The boss had his arms crossed, barking out the countdown.
This was doable.
“One!”
“Look here.”
Fwoosh!
As he shouted “One,” I raised my left hand.
A black sphere erupted from my palm, sucking in the surrounding light.
A basic dark-element spell—Black Orb.
“Ugh!? This bastard—he knows magic?!”
With their vision cut off, I activated my skill.
In the blink of an eye, I vanished into the shadows.
And reappeared behind the clueless archer.
Targeting the ranged threat first was basic strategy.
“B-Boss, behind—guhk!”
Shhk!
He clutched his throat and collapsed.
Thanks to my passive skill, I’d landed a clean first strike. It was overkill, really.
“Wh-What the—”
“Kevin! What happened?!”
Ignoring the bandits’ panic, I turned to the one beside the boss.
With a swift swing of my dagger, I slit his throat.
Blood sprayed like slicing into tofu.
“Guh…!”
The second one dropped.
Dodging his falling body, I turned to the boss—
“You little bastard!!”
Wham! Wham!
He swung his greatsword wildly.
I barely dodged the sweeping blows.
Tch. So much for ending this quickly.
With those wide arcs, I couldn’t close in easily.
I had to wait for him to tire out.
Unfortunately, Black Orb faded before he did.
“You… little shit…”
With his vision restored, the boss ground his teeth at the sight of his dead allies.
His bloodshot eyes and twitching muscles were intimidating.
He was well-trained, and had reach and experience on his side.
This wouldn’t be easy.
“RAAAGH!!”
He lunged, unleashing a barrage of slashes—probably a Multi-Slash skill.
All I had was a dagger.
Trying to parry a greatsword head-on was suicide.
So I just dodged.
Luckily, he wasn’t as fast as me.
His strikes grazed my clothes, but nothing landed.
“Pant… pant… damn… rat…”
His breathing grew ragged. His attacks slowed.
First, he went berserk from hearing his allies die.
Then he poured everything into a reckless charge.
Even a trained fighter would tire out at that pace.
Now it’s my turn.
Dash!
As his swing missed again, I closed the distance.
He tried to raise his blade—
Dagger Throw.
To block the incoming daggers aimed at his groin, he had to shift his weapon’s path.
In that opening—
I drew a fresh dagger and slashed his throat.
The so-called “boss” dropped like the others.
I had single-handedly taken down the Bandit Trio.
“Haah… haah…”
I looked around.
Blood pooled on the road.
Their lifeless eyes stared up at nothing.
It looked like something out of a horror manga.
But honestly? A fitting end for thugs who joked about rape.
“Kate, I killed them all. What should we do with the bodies?”
“…Huh? Wh-What?!”
Kate was still frozen in her negotiation posture.
Her eyes widened like they’d pop out.
It looked so cartoonish I almost laughed.
“W-Wait, Schmitz… you did all that…?”
“They seemed well-known. Should I take their heads for the bounty?”
“Y-Yes! Please do! You can have the full reward!”
She was so shaken, she even started using formal speech.
But hey, she was giving me the bounty. That worked.
“Ugh… the smell.”
Now that the battle heat faded, the stench of blood was overwhelming.
My butler uniform—my only clothes—was filthy with blood and dust, even torn in spots.
First thing I’d do with that bounty: buy clothes. And weapons.
If I’d had even one more dagger, that fight would've been easier.
Maybe some combat-use magic tools, too.
“Uh, Schmitz… I…”
“Call me casually, like before. I won’t hurt you, Kate.”
“Still…”
“Or would you rather keep treating your cute little brother with formal speech, sis?”
“Pfft… Fine. Here, take this pouch. Put their heads in it. Judging by their gear, they’ve done this a lot. There’s definitely a bounty.”
She handed me a large pouch, and I calmly collected their heads.
It didn’t even feel gross—just like picking up coins.
“Still… you’re way more amazing than I thought.”
“They were just weak.”
“Pfft, humble too. Anyway, I’m lucky to have you. Hey, I’m in a good mood—jerky for dinner tonight!”
“Didn’t you buy that to sell…? Wait, I can’t breathe…”
The cart resumed its journey.
Kate, now relaxed, sat beside me on the coach seat and didn’t let go.
As we traveled, we chatted and grew close.
Maybe it was just bad luck early on, but the rest of the trip went smoothly.
We arrived at Heirin without further attacks.
Now then… let’s head to the Temple of Trials.
To find the hidden piece that could cure Eral de Arlot’s illness.