Chapter 162

“So you’re saying they use these to communicate?”

We were at the slit-eyed man’s house.

Of course, as unwelcomed guests.

The owner was tied up securely, looking around nervously.

His body was trembling with fear.

He had been beaten just enough to stay alive, so it was only natural for him to be in this state.

“So this is how bandits…communicate…”

Annette looked at the pigeons in the cage with wide, surprised eyes.

A reaction befitting a sheltered noble lady.

This experience would undoubtedly broaden her perspective on the world.

“It’s only natural, considering the distance, my lady.”

Dan said with a smile.

As he said, the only way to send messages in those remote and treacherous mountains, was through flying creatures.

The only difference is what kind of creature.

In the case of these guys, it was carrier pigeons.

“I think we’ve heard all the information we need, what now?”

Godwin asked.

The “Black Skeleton” mountain bandits were holed up in their hideout.

Godwin was itching to attack as soon as he heard that.

But of course, we can’t go with such a reckless plan.

Not as long as I, the brilliant strategist, the mastermind acknowledged by the Empress herself, was around.

“Of course, we have to use this.”

I said with a confident air, tapping my head with my finger.

Godwin looked at me with a “Yeah, you’re so smart” look and asked,

“So what are you suggesting?”

“False information.”

I said, emphasizing each word.

And then…

“Oh.”

Dan let out a sound of admiration, as if he had an idea.

“I see…”

Camian also muttered, seemingly grasping my objective.

On the other hand, Godwin, Annette, Allen, and Dolph still had confused expressions.

……Are all you guys hardcore straight-shooters?

I decided to explain it to them kindly.

“First, we’re going to use this guy to lure those bandits out with false information.”

“Ah, I see. You’re saying lure them out and beat them up, right?”

Godwin nodded vigorously.

“…Would it really be that simple?”

“Huh? What? Isn’t that it?”

……Looks like I’ll only be asking Godwin for brawn.

“Once they’re lured out, we go in.”

“In?”

“Yes. Where do you think bandits would be most at ease and let their guard down?”

“Their hideout?”

He finally got it right.

“Exactly. What do you think will happen if we ambush them there while they’re relaxed?”

“Hmm.”

“Ah.”

“A-As expected, Team Leader!”

“I’ll follow the Master wherever he leads!”

Godwin finally grasped my plan, and the others also had their eyes lit up in understanding.

“Then let’s get started.”

I turned my gaze to the slit-eyed man.

To force him to manipulate information.

“Uh, uh…Tha-That’s…”

Realizing this was far from simply handing over information, the slit-eyed man made a last attempt at defiance.

The solution? Simple.

“Let’s resume the beating.”

Thwack, thwack, thwack!

“Uhhh!”

And the beating resumed.

* * *

“Tsk, damn it. He fed us rotten information, huh?”

Hudel, the leader of the Black Skeleton, grumbled with a sour expression.

He had been waiting for half a day.

But the prey didn’t show up?

The answer was clear.

The whole plan was scrapped.

Things like this happened sometimes.

The target might suddenly change their itinerary , or he supplied them with completely wrong information in the first place.

Whatever the reason, one thing was for sure.

It pissed him off whenever they had to make a futile trip.

“Hey.”

”Yes, Boss! ”

“Tell Hans to get his act together and bring me some decent intel. Tell him I’ll skin him alive if he screws up again.”

”Yes, Boss! ”

“Now.”

“Yes, Boss!”

The subordinate immediately wrote down Hudel’s message in red ink and released a carrier pigeon.

Flap, flap!

Watching the pigeon fly away, Hudel shouted.

“We’re going back!”

* * *

Hudel was confident that he knew every inch of the terrain around.

The hideout, the mountain fortress, that he had personally picked, was located halfway up Mount Philia.

A mountain fortress isn’t necessarily better just because it’s high and treacherous.

A location like the top of a sheer cliff, resembling an impregnable fortress, is advantageous for defense, but once they’re isolated, there’s no escape route, and it’s game over.

Therefore, a mountain fortress must have multiple entry and exit points.

And yet, it should be treacherous enough to be easily defendable.

Lastly, it shouldn’t be easily visible.

There aren’t many places that meet all three conditions.

Hudel’s choice, halfway up Mount Philia, perfectly fulfilled those conditions.

‘Hehe, no one can touch my kingdom.’

Kingdom…

That’s right, he was the king of this mountain range.

He plundered as he pleased, killed as he pleased.

He enjoyed all the luxury and pleasure he could with the spoils he had accumulated.

What else could this be called, if not a king’s life?

Even if a real king’s extermination squad came, it wouldn’t matter.

He would just hide like a mouse until they gave up and returned.

That’s how he had always done it.

This was the reason for his overwhelming confidence that no one could touch his kingdom.

His stronghold on Mount Philia came into view.

As usual, Hudel walked at the front of the group with confidence.

His subordinates also marched with confident steps.

Yes, this is how a king and his army…Huh?!

Whoosh!

Hudel’s eyes widened in surprise as he saw a black object falling from above.

His subordinates froze with bewildered expressions.

Frozen by something they could never have imagined.

Then…

Whoosh!

The black object unfolded.

Hudel and his men came to their senses.

“Th-That’s?!”

“A-A metal net?!”

“D-Dodge, you bastards!”

Hudel shouted at the top of his lungs, but it was too late.

The huge metal net fell upon the bandits, entangling them.

Countless metal hooks attached to the edge of the net dug into the ground like roots.

Thud! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

“Ugh?!”

“Wh-What’s this!”

“D-Damn it!”

Hudel and the bandits realized immediately.

It was the same metal net they used to easily capture their prey.

Once it trapped its target, it restricted their movement, easily disabling even heavily guarded merchant groups.

Of course, they had brought that metal net this time too.

It meant that…

This was the spare net they kept at the stronghold.

But that wasn’t what mattered right now.

“Get the hooks out! Now! ”

Hudel shouted desperately.

This net was made of sturdy metal, it couldn’t be cut through.

The only way to escape was to pull out the embedded hooks and lift it up.

His men understood, and frantically tried to remove the hooks embedded in the ground.

But at that moment…

An ominous, chilling sensation struck them all at the same time.

The bandits involuntarily looked up.

Their eyes widened, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.

“ Uh, uhhhhhhh?!”

“N-Noooooo!”

“N-No, no, no, no, pleaseeeeee!”

A giant rock.

No, can you even call *that* a rock?

It was a boulder.

A boulder the size of a house.

It was the boulder they had prepared for a rockslide attack.

And now, that boulder was about to turn them into a bloody mess.

“Uwaaaaaack! ”

Hudel, the leader, could only scream in fear.

Absolute terror of death.

He instinctively ducked his head, covering it with his arms.

Then…

Booooooooooom!

A deafening, horrifying boom echoed.

Not even the screams of agony were audible.

Instant death.

Everyone understood.

That they were turned into a bloody mess, not even a recognizable shape remaining.

“Hi-Hiiiiick!”

Hudel, who had proclaimed himself the King of the Mountains, trembled violently, his mind half gone, as he let out a broken groan.

His pants were wet.

He had lost control of his bladder in fear, right before the boulder crushed his men.

The other surviving bandits were also whimpering, eyes glazed over, shaking in terror, their pants soaked.

“Hahahaha! That was quite satisfying.”

Someone burst into laughter.

It was Godwin.

“You have to aim properly, you know? The Boss almost became a bloody pancake.”

Max chided him.

“So? What’s the big deal if he died?”

“We have to bring him alive to get the full reward.”

A public execution, as an example, would serve as a demonstration of the country’s power, so naturally, a live captive was worth far more than a dead body.

“Huh, really? You’re so picky. I’ll be careful next time.”

Godwin readily nodded.

It was only right not to cause trouble for his companions.

“Glad you understand. Now shall we start collecting the garbage?”

Max grinned and started walking.

* * *

“D-Did you really…do all this…?”

An official who had come from the Adrian Kingdom, a small nation that had placed bounties on Hudel and the Black Skeleton gang, couldn’t believe his eyes.

They had failed to take down the notorious bandits, yet seven individuals had eradicated them all. It was only natural for him to have such a reaction.

“That’s correct.”

“S-Seven people…?”

“Really.”

Thwack!

I kicked Hudel, who was bound tightly, with my foot.

“Hi-Hiiiick! ”

Hudel, his face mangled, let out a fear-stricken groan.

He had been beaten to a pulp, so it was hardly a surprising reaction.

“Take him away.”

“Uh, uh…O-Of course.”

“By the way…”

“ What is it?”

“This guy claimed to be the king.”

I let out a scornful laugh and kicked Hudel again.

Blam!

“Hiiiiick! N-No, sir! I’m trash! Trash! Trash! Trash!”

Hudel bashed his head on the ground, blood trickling down his forehead, desperately calling himself trash.

A perfectly trained dog.

Thank you, first-rate instructor, for providing such an exemplary education.

I choked back a laugh as I looked at Godwin, standing there solemnly.

“A king…?”

“More like trash now.”

I told the bewildered official and then continued.

“Anyway, we’ve delivered the trash, hand over the bounty.”

“Ah, of course! On behalf of His Majesty, I offer my sincerest thanks.”

The official offered me a heavy bag of coins.

It was a matter of the country’s credibility, so there was no need to count it.

I simply took the bag and put it in my pocket.

“Then we’ll be on our way.”

“W-Wait! Shouldn’t I at least know the names of the heroes who eradicated these heinous bandits?”

“It’s not the right time to reveal our identities.”

The extermination campaign was just beginning.

Our identities would be revealed eventually, but I had no intention of revealing our information from the start.

“What does that…?”

“There’s a reason. You’ll find out soon enough.”

And so, we went on to our next destination.

* * *

“…How many bandits have we taken down so far?”

Camian muttered, his eyes weary.

“Hmm…I believe it was…eleven? Or was it twelve?”

Annette answered, her face also filled with fatigue.

One thing was certain, we had taken down more bandits than we could count.

“That many, huh…”

Camian shook his head, looking exhausted.

“…Honestly, it’s amazing that we’re still alive.”

Annette said, as if she couldn’t believe it yet.

Camian agreed with her.

At first, exterminating the bandits was easier than expected.

But it gradually became more difficult, and our last encounter was a near-death experience.

We were taking a break because of the wound I received back then.

My side still throbbed from the deep cut.

If Annette hadn’t treated me immediately with her healing song, I might have bled out.

“Phew…we would be dead if Senior wasn’t with us.”

Annette sighed deeply.

“…Yes…”

Camian nodded.

Max was almost inhuman.

It was incredible how he could find a bandit informant wherever he went, as if by magic.

He was starting to think Max could read minds.

Anyway, Max used those informants to lure the bandits into various traps.

Dealing a huge blow to them right from the start.

The reason it was becoming increasingly difficult was that we were facing stronger and larger bandit groups.

“But…he said this is the last one…”

Annette seemed relieved.

“That makes it even more ominous.”

“D-Don’t say that, Camian. Negative thinking is bad.”

“Okay, okay.”

Camian forced a smile.

And thought…

‘So the last one, huh…’

This grueling extermination campaign…if he could go back, he wouldn’t have hesitated to refuse.

But despite the hardships, the rewards had been plentiful.

He had become undeniably stronger.

And he earned a substantial sum of bounty money.

After finishing this, he could go back to his family home, prouder than he had ever been.

‘No, not the time to be thinking about that yet.’

Camian composed himself.

For the final extermination.