Chapter 26: The Laws of Traveling (II)

Bandit No. 1 was taken aback by Louis’s unwavering confidence and asked, “D-does that mean…you have protectors nearby?”

“Nope. Not at all.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“For real?”

“Honestly.”

”…Then why did you ask me about them?”

“Just think about it for a moment.”

Bandit No. 1 stared incredulously at Louis, too flustered to even notice Louis had switched to speaking informally midway through their exchange.

At that moment, Fin whispered from his hidden position on Louis’s collar, “What should we do now?”

“What else…?” Louis chuckled softly as he carefully observed the bandits.

Wow, this is actually happening!

Reading novels, comics, and webtoons were Louis’s only hobbies. In most stories he’d read, travelers would often encounter ambushes by bandits or highwaymen early in their journeys.

Of course, these bandits always met their demise at the hands of the protagonists in those stories, but Louis’s eyes gleamed as he considered this fact.

How can I take advantage of them?

To him, the bandits looked like walking bags of loot. He licked his lips while sizing them up.

Bandit No. 1 shuddered slightly at the sight.

Wh-what is with that kid’s gaze?!

He felt an unfamiliar fear, as if facing off against a predator. However, Bandit No. 2 didn’t seem to sense it and berated his frozen subordinates instead.

“What’re you all doing, bastards?! Why did you stop for some punk? Get moving!”

Realizing their mistake, the bandits resumed advancing toward Louis’s group.

Meanwhile, Louis continued pondering how best to exploit them.

“L-Louis!”

“Loouuuuuis!”

The twins clung to each of Louis’s arms.

Their eyes sparkled with excitement, but Louis looked at them irritably.

“What now?”

“Let’s go play together.”

“Yes! Let’s play!”

“Play?” Louis cocked his head, puzzled.

Despite the clear annoyance on Louis’s face, the twins enthusiastically nodded and continued unperturbed.

“Yes, yes! Let’s have some fun with that uncle over there!”

“It’ll be awesome!”

Louis was even more flabbergasted. While he had been contemplating how to devour these two, they wanted to visit bandit lair for kicks?

Suddenly, Louis paused and reconsidered.

Hmm… Thinking about it, this might not be such a bad idea.

He nodded thoughtfully.

I’m planning to feast on them anyway, so wouldn’t it be better to strike their main camp as well? It shouldn’t take too much extra time.

Having reached his conclusion, Louis raised his hand high and shouted, “Wait!” His voice echoed throughout the mountain range.

The bandits flinched again and stopped in their tracks.

“That damn kid again! Shut him up righ—” Bandit No. 2 was about to yell at his subordinates in exasperation when Louis cut him off.

“I surrender!”

“…Huh?”

“We’ll go quietly with you! Just please don’t hit us!”

“…”

Bandit No. 2 looked incredulous as Louis trembled fearfully. Regardless of how ridiculous he felt, Louis whispered encouragement to one of the twins beside him.

“C’mon, we’re supposed to be having fun here. Keep it together.”

“Oh-ha! Got it!”

“You can count on me!”

The twins’ cheerful expressions quickly shifted.

“Waaaaah! I’m sorry…I’ll do as you say! Please don’t hit me.”

“Daaaad! Daaaaaad!”

Louis was impressed by their acting skills, but his suspicions only deepened.

These little rascals… Their innocent act is definitely fake, isn’t it?

As Louis glared at them suspiciously, the other bandits turned to No. 2, silently asking him what they should do next.

No. 2 bellowed angrily, “Hey, you brats! Hurry up and move!”

“But they’re just kids…”

“What?! Let’s settle this when we get back. What’re you waiting for?! Tie them up right now! You wanna piss me off?!”

The timid bandit flinched but approached Louis and his group to bind the children together.

“Aaargh! That hurts! Not so tight!”

“U-uh… Sorry…,” stammered the bandit at Khan’s complaints.

Louis shook his head disdainfully at their exchange, clearly unimpressed by the bumbling thief.

Bandit No. 1 growled at Bandit No. 2 while watching all this unfold. “What kind of training have you been giving these newbies, huh?”

“I’m s-sorry, sir. I’ll make sure they understand who’s boss once we return!” Bandit No. 2 scratched his head and then turned toward Louis and his friends. “By the way, don’t these kids seem odd?”

“They do.”

“You know what I mean? How dare these punks be so disrespectful… Maybe they’re mentally challenged?”

“How should I know? Grab them and find out where they live. If it’s some insignificant place, sell them to slave traders. They look decent enough, so we can fetch a high price as long as no one finds out their shortcoming.”

“Gotcha! Heh-heh.” As Bandit No. 1 and No. 2 discussed their scheme, the rookie bandits escorted Louis’s group.

Bandit No. 1 shouted after seeing the children dangling from ropes tied around them. “All right, let’s move!”

“Yes, sir!”

With that order, the bandits began heading back to their hideout with the captives in tow. The kids kicked their legs and enjoyed taking in the scenery passing by, like schoolchildren on a field trip.

“Ohhh?” Louis couldn’t help but exclaim upon arriving at their hideout.

This is where these bandits live?

He was taken aback by how sophisticated it appeared. The bandits had excavated and remodeled caves halfway up the cliffside for some reason, allowing plenty of natural light to stream inside. Moreover, the decorative items scattered throughout were just as ornate as those found in the grand duke’s castle.

“Wow.”

“Whoa!”

The twins’ feet kicked excitedly, their mouths agape with wonder. The bandit carrying them grinned at their adorable reactions.

“Pretty cool, huh?”

“Yes!”

“Heh-heh. It’s all thanks to our chief.”

“The chief? Who’s the chief?”

“Well…”

As he continued to chatter excitedly about them, though…

“Shut up!”

“Eep! S-sorry!” Bandit No. 2 flinched under Bandit No. 1’s glare as it finally dawned on him that he’d made a mistake.

Bandit No. 1 growled, “Watch your mouth. These kids are meant to be sold. If they go around blabbing, I’ll start with your head.”

“I-I’m sorry, boss.”

“Go lock these brats up!”

“Yes, sir!”

The bandits hurried off, frightened by their leader’s threats, carrying Louis and the twins along. With cold eyes, Bandit No. 1 watched them leave before moving elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Louis and his companions arrived at the prison.

Clank.

After untying the captives, the bandits locked the cell door and disappeared, leaving the group staring after them blankly.

Once everyone had left, Louis fidgeted with his collar, and out popped Fin’s head.

“Fin.”

“Yes!” Fin swiftly emerged and hovered in front of Louis.

Louis grinned at him. “Go check if there’s anything worth stealing.”

“Yes, sir!” With a short salute, Fin effortlessly slipped through the bars and scurried along the ceiling.

Watching this, Louis’s smile widened as tiny shadows gathered around him.

“Louis…aren’t we going to explore?”

“I’m bored.” One of the twins whined, unable to stand still any longer.

Louis had no intention of moving until Fin returned, but he opened his inventory and took out some elixirs for them.

“Well, aren’t you hungry? Let’s eat these while we wait for Fin. We can explore once he gets back.”

“Okay!”

“All right!”

Louis handed each child an elixir before chomping on one himself like it was candy.

Money, money, money—gold, gold, gold!

He mentally hummed happily as the elixirs tasted especially refreshing and sweet today.

Inside a spacious room sat a man carving a stone with his hairy face framed by thick fur. His seated height was comparable to that of an adult woman due to his massive frame.

Clang!

With each strike of his hammer, the muscles on his sturdy arm flexed visibly.

Klang! Crk.

His strength allowed him to carve through the rock effortlessly.

Soon, Bandit No. 1 appeared before him and bowed respectfully.

“Chief.”

“You’re back?” The chief put down his chisel and hammer at the sight of his trusted subordinate. He turned to Bandit No. 1. “So, any luck?”

“Not a single coin, sir. With monsters running amok lately, not only merchants but also regular travelers have stopped passing through.”

“That makes sense. Understood. Go get some rest.” The chief nodded, fully aware of the strange surge in monster activity over the past few days.

He gestured for Bandit No. 1 to leave, yet the bandit remained standing there, catching the chief’s attention.

“So?”

“Heh-heh. It’s not like we made nothing at all.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Yes, sir. We captured three kids on the road. They look well-off and quite adorable, so I figured we could either extort their families for ransom or sell them to slave traders for big bucks.”

“Ha-ha-ha! Well done!” The chief roared with laughter at his subordinate’s report before standing up, revealing his enormous height. He towered over six feet tall, making most adult men feel small next to him.

Tak-tak.

The chief dusted off some debris from his clothes and asked gruffly, “Where are the brats?”

“We locked them up.”

“Ah-ha. Let’s go see them. Mustn’t forget to greet our precious little cash cows.”

“I’ll lead the way.” Bandit No. 1 guided the hulking chief as he lumbered along behind.

Snore…

Louis watched the twins sprawled out like they were at home after consuming the elixir of sleep.

“They’re sleeping so soundly…”

The children who had been nagging him to go play mere hours ago now looked no different from angels as they slept peacefully. As Louis gently pinched their cheeks…

Stomp, stomp.

Heavy footsteps approached from beyond the cell and stopped right outside it.

“It’s them, Chief!”

“Oh-ho! What fine goods we have here!”

Bandit No. 1, whom Louis recognized, addressed the burly man accompanying him as chief. Louis raised his head and stared up at him intently.

Oh. He’s quite powerful.

The bandit leader was strong enough to surprise even Louis—a warrior possessing power equivalent to tier three or higher.

The chief didn’t seem like someone who would waste his life as a bandit. Their eyes met, sizing each other up.

“Huh?” Louis cocked his head at the familiar feeling he got from the man.

“What?” The chief shuddered for no apparent reason.

Wh-what’s this?!

He was bewildered by the involuntary tremors running through him. This strange sensation had never occurred to him before in his fifty-plus years of life.

Hmm…

On the other hand, Louis tried analyzing the odd sense of déjà vu he experienced.

After staring at each other for some time…

“Aha!” A realization dawned on Louis, and with that, he boldly called out:

“Hey there, Mr. Big Guy!”

“…” Silence fell due to Louis’s audacity.