episode_0029

After hearing both sides of the story, it was impossible to determine the true relationship.

Coincidentally, I would also receive a status badge that would allow me to receive the best treatment within the Holy Kingdom from Alaina.

Upon arriving in Daroin Village, I immediately went to the guard post within the village.

Upon showing my status badge, they treated me with respect and began to courteously welcome me.

One guard threw a wooden chair out the window and offered to become the chair himself.

Although I had heard that I wouldn’t be treated well, I ended up feeling burdened by the VIP treatment.

“I didn’t come here to thank the guard post. Please act as you normally would.”

“Then may I ask why you have come?”

“I would like to hear about the recent activities of the Brothers bandit group that has been causing trouble in the area.”

“Ah…! I wanted to inform you that it is already a very troublesome matter.”

“I heard on my way here, is it because of the new leader of the bandit group?”

“Yes.”

The guard captain’s story matched mostly with what I had heard from the merchants.

The only difference was that the fact that the bandit group’s leader was a twin girl was not a fabricated lie, but the truth.

“I met the twin girls exactly two weeks ago.”

Daroin was a village located closest to the border of the Holy Kingdom, a place where most people from the south passed through.

The twin girls were also wanderers who had come from the south.

The girls, who seemed a bit suspicious, had come to Daroin with the intention of going to the north.

However, they did not have any identification and there was no one who seemed to be their guardian.

Even though they seemed to have a valid reason, they could not be allowed to pass according to the regulations.

“I wanted to let them in. But being a village close to the border, we had to be cautious and follow the rules.”

“That’s true. If someone left a precedent of letting them in, it could cause problems in the future.”

They let the girls in because they seemed to be in a difficult situation.

If such a situation occurred, some merchants would undoubtedly try to smuggle contraband using the girls.

Unfortunately, the decision of the guards to follow the rules was the right one.

“The twins seemed disappointed but eventually gave up and left. I thought it was over, but the next day, they came back with a bribe.”

“How audacious.”

Since they didn’t have identification, they tried to solve the problem with material goods.

They offered bloody coins with their dirty hands, asking to be allowed to pass.

“If it had been ordinary coins, we would have let them in and gone through the process of issuing temporary identification. But since the coins had fresh blood on them, we started to hesitate. We were afraid of letting these girls in and what consequences it might bring.”

I understand the guard’s feelings.

There were countless beings in the world who could deceive appearances.

Although they appeared to be girls, they could be skilled individuals who had reached the pinnacle of transformation, or even a grand sorcerer who had attained the truth.

Among these different races, there were many who appeared to be young but were actually deceiving their age.

There were cases where assuming they were harmless led to a whole village being destroyed.

“Considering the worst-case scenario, I ultimately refused the coins and sent the girls away. And a few days later, the girls returned as the leaders of the bandit group.”

“What? They have fallen into corruption?”

“I was also quite perplexed. I remember being speechless when I saw the girls commanding the bandits during the regular reconnaissance mission. As I feared, the twins had a violent force and seemed to have subdued the bandits with it. It was the right decision not to let them into the village.”

“Regardless of the outcome, the twins started looting because they were not allowed to pass through.”

“Yes, there have been a total of 10 reports of damage in the past week alone. The number of wagons looted is over twenty. We intervened before the damage increased, but…”

“As the control period lengthened, the dissatisfaction of the merchants became more than just a minor issue.”

“You are absolutely right.”

As I fully realized how the situation was unfolding, I nodded my head.

Knowing what needed to be done now, I expressed my gratitude and left the guard post.

I returned to Fabiel’s wife, who was waiting near the entrance of the village, to convey my intentions.

“Let’s go around!”

I cast a spell of confusion.

***

An old tent set up in the mountains.

Men stood side by side in a cramped space.

They were all half-naked, their sweat dripping over their strong muscles, making the surrounding air warm.

In front of these men was a large table with a map, and a small hand pounding on the table.

“Soldiers! I will now explain the major operation conceived by Ecl!”

A girl who was smiling cheerfully in front of the brutal men.

With her sunlit hair fluttering, representing her lively personality, she then puffed out her chest.

She then cleared her throat, grabbed an imaginary mustache, and began the briefing.

“First! Load the stolen wagons with gunpowder!”

“Captain? We don’t have any gunpowder…”

“Questions later!”

“Yes…”

“Second, return the wagons filled with gunpowder to the villagers! And third, the person hiding in the wagon will detonate the gunpowder! Finally, we will storm in through the main gate while the village is in chaos! How about that? Isn’t it the best plan?”

The girl sparkled her eyes and asked for the men’s opinions.

As mentioned earlier, it was a flawed plan from the outset as they did not possess gunpowder. But the person who conceived it seemed pleased with it, making it difficult to raise objections.

However, if someone didn’t want to waste time on nonsense, they had to raise their objections.

“Ca-Captain, I have a question.”

“Alright! I grant you the floor!”

“The person detonating the gunpowder inside the wagon, wouldn’t they die at the moment of detonation?”

“Uh… they will endure it with perseverance!”

The girl made an unreasonable demand, raising her thumb without a proper solution.

The men waved their hands vigorously, strongly denying her.

“No, no. It’s not at a level where you can endure it with perseverance.”

“Isn’t it strange? The brother I knew was so abnormal that he didn’t even flinch at an explosion that could blow up an entire village.”

“That’s because the brother the Captain mentioned is abnormally strong.”

“Is that so?”

“And we don’t have any gunpowder.”

“Uh? Can’t we just buy it with the money we looted?”

“If there is a crazy bastard who sells gunpowder to the bandits, then it might be possible.”

“That’s possible!”

The girl was genuinely unaware, shocked by the men’s rebuttals, and hesitated.

Realizing that the realization of the perfect plan was impossible, the girl became disheartened.

Watching the situation from behind, the twin girls sighed deeply and walked forward.

Apart from the color of their hair, the twin girls were almost indistinguishable as one of them tore up the map.

“Everyone, please pay attention. I will now begin briefing on another operation.”

The girl, with her charming silver hair like a full moon, took out a new map from her chest.

Unlike the neat map before it was torn, the map the girl pulled out was somewhat messy.

From unmarked paths on the map to the movements of the guards and their shift times, useful information was packed on it.

The attitude of the bandits, who had just created a light atmosphere, changed drastically in the face of such exceptional preparedness.

It was a response as if welcoming a true leader.

“We are currently facing off against Darrowin Village. We are in the midst of a conflict over demands that neither side is willing to meet.”

Darrowin demanded the return of their plunder, while the bandits demanded a passage through the kingdom.

But naturally, neither side was willing to meet the other’s demands.

As the standoff continued, the girl predicted that the other side would come up with a tough plan.

“Since we don’t know when the enemy will attack, let’s boldly abandon this stronghold and move elsewhere.”

“Where do you plan to go?”

“Not far to the west from here, there is a detour leading south and a village. It’s a hidden route known only to a few merchants, so we’ll make that our stronghold and this time, we’ll attack the village without negotiating.”

“You’re planning to strike before the enemy notices!”

“Exactly. If the kingdom won’t give us a passage, we have no choice but to force our way through.”

The girl’s firm decision to invade the village stirred the emotions of the men.

It reminded them that they were ruthless bandits.

Despite this, they did not hesitate, and all were in awe of the following briefing by the silver-haired girl.

There was nothing to criticize in the plan she presented.

“As soon as the briefing is over, prepare to leave. We will start our migration as soon as everything is ready. Do you understand?”

“Yes!”

Showing their positive intentions by raising their arms, the men, including the silver-haired girl, joined in.

The leader, who had admitted his incompetence, had inserted himself among his subordinates.

“Hurry up and get ready.”

And so, the Brothers Bandits left their long-held sanctuary and headed west.

Ironically, it was the place where Lian had fled to escape the bandits.