Chapter 65

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“…On the continent where I used to live, the Demon King’s army and the human empire are at war. There’s only been one major battle so far, which took place on the northern plains, and the hero’s party brilliantly defeated the Demon King’s army. Well, according to my brother, the hero’s party’s victory was actually thanks to that elf…”

As they moved through the forest, Finn shared stories about the continent where she originally lived.

Brian and Thomas listened to Finn’s story with sparkling eyes.

“That’s amazing. To think such a continent exists…”

“I’d love to meet the hero’s party someday. And that elf too…”

They reacted in unison.

While Lucy, walking beside them, also found Finn’s story interesting, she was more focused on playing with Hon.

Ever since earlier, Hon had been busily running back and forth around Lucy.

Lucy would throw the rabbit doll she received from Brian, and Hon would run to fetch it.

“If you get the chance, you should visit. It’s a continent very far from here, but you can definitely get there by ship. I plan to return someday too… By the way, how much farther is it to the city? It seems like the sun is starting to set.”

Finn glanced up at the sky.

The sky was dyed with the colors of sunset.

“We should arrive by tomorrow around noon.” Thomas said, looking at the map.

“We’ll have to camp in the forest tonight.”

The group was currently heading to a city called ‘Bellagard’.

They planned to earn money by hunting monsters in Bellagard and then head to Lucy’s final destination, the Black Forest.

However, since the sun was setting, the group began searching for a suitable spot to camp.

Soon, they found a decent location.

A small clearing surrounded by trees.

The trees blocked the wind, and there was a nearby stream with clear water.

“This place looks good.” Brian said, turning to Lucy.

“What do you think, Lucy?”

It seemed the final decision rested with Lucy.

Lucy quietly nodded.

“Good.”

“Right? Then I’ll start preparing dinner.”

Brian and Thomas began preparing the meal.

They gathered firewood, lit a fire, and fetched water from the stream to boil in a pot.

The dinner menu was mushroom stew…

But due to Lucy’s strong opposition, it was changed to potato stew.

Sizzle—

The stew bubbled in the pot, releasing a savory aroma.

Brian and Thomas’s father had been a chef.

Thanks to that, Brian and Thomas had learned to cook from a young age, and their potato stew looked incredibly delicious.

Lucy watched the potato stew boil with an expectant look in her eyes.

Brian stirred the stew with a ladle and said, “Hmm, it’s ready to eat.”

Just then.

Rustle—

A sound came from the darkness of the forest.

“Huh?”

Brian put down the ladle and turned his head.

Soon, people emerged from the bushes.

At least ten… no, more than twenty.

All of them were women, with short hair and a tattoo on one cheek.

A red rose tattoo.

“Oh, that smells amazing.”

“Are you about to have dinner?”

“Oh my, how cute. Look at that little girl.”

Instantly, Brian and Thomas’s faces turned pale.

They immediately recognized who these women were.

Women with short hair and red rose tattoos.

No doubt about it.

They were the Red Rose Bandits.

The Red Rose Bandits were notorious in the area.

If you encountered them, losing your belongings was the least of your worries—you’d also face horrific torture.

They even tattooed a red rose on their victims’ bodies as a way to make them remember the bandits for life.

Before tattooing, they subjected their victims to brutal violence, and those who tried to escape or resist had their limbs severed.

In the village where Brian and Thomas lived, there was a victim of the Red Rose Bandits who was no longer in their right mind.

They suffered from severe trauma and couldn’t live a normal life.

“…”

Brian slowly reached for his sword. Fighting the Red Rose Bandits with his skills alone would likely be impossible.

Their skills were said to be exceptional.

That’s how they’d survived bounty hunters and knight orders chasing them all this time.

But he couldn’t just do nothing.

If he wanted to resist even a little…

“Do you want to lose your wrist?”

A cold voice whispered into Brian’s ear.

Brian flinched and froze.

The leader of the Red Rose Bandits was glaring at him.

“There’s nothing you can do anyway. If you want to leave with your wrists intact, it’s best to stay quiet.”

“…”

Brian glanced at Thomas. Thomas had also stopped mid-motion while reaching for his bow.

As Brian and Thomas remained still, the leader’s attention turned to Lucy.

“What’s with this doll-like kid? I’ve never seen such an adorable child in my life.”

The leader approached Lucy, bent down, and brought her face close to Lucy’s.

“Hi, kid. Is the wolf in your arms your friend?”

“…”

Lucy stared at the leader with an expressionless face.

At that moment, Finn, who was sitting on Lucy’s shoulder, spoke up.

“What are you? A bandit?”

“!”

The leader flinched in surprise.

She hadn’t noticed Finn on Lucy’s shoulder because she was too focused on Lucy.

“Oh my, a fairy…?”

A smile spread across the leader’s lips.

A cute girl and a fairy.

Selling both would fetch a hefty sum.

Of course, she’d pamper them a lot before that.

“Hey, men.”

The leader spoke to Brian and Thomas.

“I’ll let you two go. Drop your weapons and get out of my sight right now.”

Brian hesitated.

If he and Thomas left, Lucy wouldn’t be safe.

Of course, Lucy was a powerful witch and wouldn’t be easily defeated, but there was no guarantee she could win against the Red Rose Bandits.

After all, there were over twenty of them.

The wise decision would be to drop their weapons and run.

That way, at least they could avoid having their limbs severed or a red rose tattoo carved into their bodies.

“…”

Brian looked at Thomas with a determined expression.

Thomas was trembling, but his face was just as resolute as Brian’s.

Their thoughts were aligned.

“No.”

Brian said this and drew his sword.

Beside him, Thomas also aimed his bow.

“Pfft.”

The leader’s lips curled into a smile.

The battle ended in an instant.

Brian swung his sword with force, but the leader lightly grabbed his wrist and twisted it.

The sword fell to the ground.

“Ugh!”

Thomas tried to shoot his bow, but a bandit who had appeared behind him snatched it away and stomped on it, breaking it.

The brothers were forced to their knees with daggers pressed against their necks.

They had been easily subdued without being able to do anything.

“You pests.”

The leader twirled her dagger as she spoke.

“You just kicked away your chance to escape. Well, since it’s come to this, cutting off your wrists won’t be enough.”

At her words, the other bandits cheered.

“Boss, cut that part off! Let’s make them like that knight from before!”

“Hehe, that was really fun back then.”

“Anyway, those guys probably don’t even need that part. Just look at them.”

“Useless things should be removed.”

As they spoke, Brian and Thomas’s faces turned pale.

Then, Lucy slowly stood up.

“Oh, the little one’s up.”

“Does she need to use the bathroom?”

“Bring her over. It’ll be fun to cut these guys up in front of her.”

“Haha, yeah.”

One of the bandits strode toward Lucy.

Lucy ignored her and spoke softly to Brian and Thomas.

“Don’t do that next time.”

“…?”

Brian tilted his head in confusion.

What did she mean by “don’t do that next time”?

Lucy spoke again.

“I’ll handle these kinds of people from now on.”

A dark magic circle glowed around Lucy.

“There’s no need for you to take such risks.”

Whoosh—!

Something rose from the magic circle.

Three massive shadows.

Amon, Darcan, and Crevius.

Lucy conveyed her will to them.

[Kill them all.]

“Keke, these heads look delicious.”

“I shall obey my master’s command!”

“If it’s my lady’s request…”

Amon kicked off the ground with a thud.

Darcan drew his greatsword.

Crevius began chanting a spell.

“W-what are these things…?”

The leader of the Red Rose Bandits wore a bewildered expression.

“Undead…?”

But her confusion didn’t last long.

A scream echoed from behind.

“Kyaaak!”

Before anyone realized it, Amon had grabbed one of the bandits and was noisily chewing on their head.

“W-what are you doing! Fight back now!”

The leader shouted, and the Red Rose Bandits drew their swords with vigor.

Swoosh!

But at that moment, Darcan’s greatsword swung forward, and three bandits’ heads flew off simultaneously.

Then, five more bandits turned into black ash and scattered under Crevius’s dark magic.

“…”

The leader immediately lost her will to fight.

She had survived countless bounty hunters and relentless pursuits by knight orders, but against monsters like these, there was no chance of winning.

“Kyaaak!”

“S-save me…!”

Amid the desperate screams, the leader quickly made a decision.

To run away.

Thud!

Without hesitation, she turned and fled into the forest.

Her movements were swift, and as the leader of the bandits, her escape skills were exceptional.

“Haa… haa…”

After running a considerable distance in an instant, the leader stopped to catch her breath.

Her chest heaved violently, and sweat dripped from her forehead.

“That was close… What were those undead things…?”

Just then.

She felt a chill run down her spine.

A presence in front of her.

“…”

She slowly raised her head and saw a horse.

A massive horse made entirely of bones.

Blue flames burned fiercely in its eye sockets.

And sitting atop the horse was a girl.

The girl raised her hand slowly, her face expressionless.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Sorry for being late… (ㅠ.ㅠ)

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Tried to get infamy instead of laying low and staying incognito to ensure easier crime…

Yeah, these women got what they deserved for being noob. 

(Hello author!)