◈ 190. [Side Story] Bandit King (2)
So we were brought to the den of bandit king Quilan and his men.
“Yah-ho!”
“It’s a party!”
… I’m really having a good time, as Kuylan said.
In the middle of the mountain, wild animal meat is being grilled with a large campfire.
He said that he succeeded in hunting reindeer and wild boar and is grilling a large barbecue.
In some pirate cartoon, ‘It’s a party-!’ The bandits are also playing with excitement around the campfire as if they were playing while playing.
we?
Caught, we are watching the campfire while being huddled together.
The body and forearms were wrapped and tied with rope, but they were usable from the elbow down, and the grilled meat was placed in front of us.
We chewed on our own meat, watching the bandits sing and dance.
The leader knight muttered with a face that had given up.
“It is delicious.”
“okay?”
“Rather than Elysee’s cooking.”
“I guess so… .”
I looked around as I chewed the meat, which had a sour smell but had a wild flavor.
wild vegetables… … to say A village would be a more suitable place.
I wonder if this number of people are living together in such a steep mountain.
Among the 100 or so villagers, those who seemed capable of fighting were about 30 who attacked us earlier, and the rest were skin-to-bone… … They are just poor looking people.
In any case, they are refugees.
thud!
At that time, Quylan came and sat down in front of me. In his hand is a large wine bottle.
“Are there any inconveniences, guests?”
Quylan, who drank from the bottle, raised both his lips and smiled.
Apparently, he looks quite young, but his behavior and manner of speaking made him feel like an old man, perhaps because he was a bandit boss.
I shook the piece of wild boar bone in my hand.
“Thank you for treating us hostages to meat.”
“Hahahaha! It was nothing! Anyway, you robbed all of your belongings and you’re going to get a ransom, but I’ll give you as much meat as you want!”
uh? I heard and saw it. This is a business where we lose money.
In addition to words, Quylan had his men refill the meat on the plate in front of us.
I munched comfortably without hesitation. Looking at me like that, Quylan smiled cheerfully.
“How can you be so calm in this situation! You are very bold. It seems that all the rumors I have heard about the 3rd Prince were false.”
“You don’t know people until you meet them in person, right?”
“Hahahaha! That is very true!”
I grinned at Quylan, who laughed as he hit his knee.
“Because I didn’t even know you were this kind of person until I met you in person. Quylan.”
Quylan widened his eyes.
“Did I give you my name?”
“I am the lord of Crossroads. There’s no way you don’t know the bandit king Quylan in the south.”
In fact, I only know it because I played the game.
“Bandit King Quylan. He has gained notoriety in the southern part of the continent for the past 10 years as a vicious bandit who relentlessly only targets and loots the people of the empire.”
“… .”
“But the only opponents of the robbery are the people of the empire, and the war refugees from other countries are rather helping?”
I looked at the skin-to-bone villagers.
There were people living like this near Crossroads.
“It’s just a bandit that needs to be subdued from the point of view of the empire. For the refugees living in hiding, a bandit helping them… … that is you Quylan.”
“… .”
At my words, Quylan laughed dejectedly, as if it were absurd.
“Rogue? Are you saying I’m a bandit?”
“Have you been doing what you would call it?”
“I don’t have enough time to do such a lousy job. It’s just that I’m taking care of myself in a refugee settlement while I’m wandering around looking for someone worthy of robbing.”
Quylan inspected the poorly built refugee colony, licking his lips.
“We provide them with their daily bread and money, and these poor people give us shelter and shelter. After going around for about ten years like this, it’s just that we’ve managed to form a symbiotic relationship.”
“… .”
“Because the empire destroyed not one or two countries. There are so many refugee settlements in remote areas where the laws of this empire cannot reach.”
I clicked my tongue.
“If you are a citizen of a country that the empire has subjugated, there must be a way to legally become a citizen of the empire, right?”
“You wouldn’t really believe that the road would work in a remote area like this, would you, Your Highness?”
Quylan put a sneer on his lips.
“Those who can’t live under the imperial territories are the worst.”
“… .”
“The country I originally lived in was destroyed by fire, and within the empire I was discriminated against and persecuted… … Hell no matter where you go. With nowhere else to go, they are pushed to the edge of a cliff like this.”
Quylan, who gulped down his drink, licked his lips and laughed.
“This time, since I robbed a big player like you, I should take all the people here and move, but… Will it be worth that much? I have very high expectations for your ransom, Your Highness Prince Wu.”
“It’s my ransom… .”
“I’ll send someone to Crossroads in a few days. After negotiating and receiving the money, I will release it right away. Just hold on here until then. Since you are a precious person, I will do my best to accommodate you.”
I laughed bitterly.
“I hope I don’t call you too expensive, Quylan.”
I don’t know exactly what my ransom will be… … .
… The more expensive my co-workers think of me, the harder it will be for you to afford it.
***
The night went on.
The campfire went out, the food disappeared, the villagers who were excited about eating for the first time in a long time, the bandits who were delighted with the large number of cases, and the imperial soldiers who had been taken hostage all fell asleep.
“… .”
Looking down at the darkened village, Quylan continued to drink.
In his mind, the face of Ash, whom he had been talking with a while ago, flickered.
‘Did I touch the big game too much?’
From the moment he met Ash’s gaze, Quylan’s spine was quivering with tension.
Even if it was just a group of bandits, it was Quylan who ruled as the leader and avoided the pursuit of the Imperial army for 10 years.
He thought he had a bad brain, but he prided himself on having an excellent sense.
It didn’t smell good. It wasn’t too bad.
“Chit.”
I thought I asked for the number of cases after a long time, but it turned out that the other person was a prince… … .
But what can I do?
The prince’s party had already been touched, and his own situation was even worse. We needed money and supplies that could be readily available.
‘Anyway, this is the southernmost point of the continent. It’s a change in the middle of a change.’
Whether the opponent is the prince or whatever, there is something to know. Anyway, this is the end of the world where neither the imperial family nor the goddess pays attention.
Stop plundering and taking hostages as usual and claiming money. And if you run away cleanly, everything will be solved.
If you only extort money and return the prince safely, the imperial army will not risk its life in pursuit.
Trying to think so, Quylan lay down and went to sleep like the rest of his men.
It’s more than a day’s drive to Crossroads, and the village is far from the abduction site. It will be difficult to find this place.
Even if the rescue team comes in, there should be plenty of time. You can spend the night in peace.
‘I’ve always been lucky… … It’ll be fine this time too.’
Thinking so, Quylan slowly fell asleep.
That was a mistake.
***
“… .”
A building in the corner of the village.
I’m lazy, but I was assigned a bed and sat on it, lost in thought.
I thought about escaping by taking advantage of the cheerful atmosphere, but the bandits standing guard looked fierce. As a direct subordinate of the bandit king, the military discipline was tightly held.
It would be impossible to run away tied up like this, let’s wait for the rescue team to come… … .
With that thought in mind, I lay down comfortably and tried to sleep, but Puck
! Fuck!
A dull sound was heard outside.
“huh?”
I looked out of the building, wondering what was going on, and my eyes met Evangeline, who was carefully setting the two bandits she had just beaten down on the floor.
“… .”
“… .”
It was a reunion for the first time in a month, and when we ran into each other in a place like this, both Evangeline and I instantly hardened.
Right after that, tears welled up in Evangeline’s green eyes.
“Senior Nii Iim~!”
Wow!
And then he hugs her right away. I was freaked out.
“Whoa!”
“Owww. I’m a senior.”
“Ooh ooh? Are you crying?”
No, I like the tearful reunion too! What I really want to cry right now is me and my party! You were kidnapped!
“Ueeeeeeeeeeen.”
“That’s right. Evangeline. Nice to see you after a long time.”
I tried to soothe Evangeline, who was running out of tears.
Was it so much of a concern that I was kidnapped? To be honest, it might make you feel a little better, right?
However, the focus was slightly different.
“I’m a black senior. help.”
Evangeline muttered, wiping away tears. what? I broke out in a cold sweat.
“Huh huh? Aren’t you helping me?”
was i kidnapped? Look, are you still tied up like this?
“While senior was away, Uncle Lucas, Jouju unnie, Damian oppa and everything… .”
sniff! said Evangeline, who swallowed mucus.
“Everything is gone!”
“… ?”
does it taste
Trustworthy co-workers? entire?
“Everyone became more and more strange because the seniors weren’t there, and now it’s very… Damn… … It has become… … .”
“Yes… ?”
“Now you will see. Everyone came to save you.”
Evangeline, who had calmed down after crying a bit, caught her breath and released the chains that bound me.
I asked as I came out of the building with Evangeline.
“But how did you come so soon? It hasn’t even been half a day since I sent a request for help.”
“Since the senior said he was coming, we were all coming out to meet him. We were also camping, but Elise came to ask for help… … .”
That’s how it happened.
“By the way, how did you find this village? It must have been difficult to search because it was quite far from the abduction site.”
“that is… .”
Evangeline let out a sigh.
“You will find out soon.”
“… ?”
Anyway, after getting out of the building, Evangeline and I moved to rescue the rest of the kidnapped party.
Junior, who arrived first, was releasing the soldiers from their chains.
“ah.”
Junior looked back at me with a bright complexion.
“It’s been a while, Your Highness the Prince!”
“uh… okay. It’s been a while… … .”
I pointed to the things that hung around Junior’s body.
“That again… What?”
Junior was wearing a lunchbox full of food and cups full of drinks. Even now, I am munching spinach in my mouth.
“I was suffering from hemoptysis, but I came up with a solution.”
Then, he picked up the tomato juice bottle that was hanging from his waist and sucked on it.
“If you vomit a lot of blood, shouldn’t you just make that much?”
“… .”
“So I decided to eat foods that are good for anemia for 24 hours. If this is the case, blood will be produced more than vomiting, so the status quo is maintained with a plus or minus. After all, I’m smart… … .”
no what… … That doesn’t sound very wrong, but… … is not it? Am I right? is not it?
At that time, Evangeline, who was looking at Junior like that, shook her head slightly.
“Jooju unni’s ttolaihwa is on the cute side.”
“ah… That’s cute… … ?”
“The other two are really bad… oh!”
At that moment, the bandit guard who spotted us was about to blow his horn. But before we can react,
wheeik- puck!
An arrow flew in and shattered the horn.
“Hey?!
The moment the horn was broken, shockwaves spread in all directions, knocking out the fallen guard.
Only one person is capable of such ultra-precise sniping.
I was glad to see the direction the arrow came from. Damian! my trigger!
“Keuk… .”
And there,
something covered with a dark aura… … For some reason, I could see Damien’s ghastly laugh. Hey… … ?
Damian murmured as he held a strange poop form while holding a crossbow in one hand and a horse gun Black Queen in the other.
“These eyes… Darkness looks good… … .”
No, why did he suddenly fall ill?!
What the hell is this!
