Bandits (5)

"You, a B-rank adventurer, want to hide my identity? Like, what can you do?" Gil asked, skepticism evident in his expression.

"Errr..." Elise hesitated, momentarily forgetting she was using her adventurer identity as a cover.

"Right, I have some backing," she replied, attempting to provide a reasonable explanation.

"Who? Someone from the church?" Gil pressed for clarity.

"No, but I have a connection with the royal family," Elise reluctantly admitted, uncomfortable with the potential exposure of her true identity.

Gil, however, dismissed this revelation and mockingly retorted, "A connection of what? A lowly servant who worked at the royal palace also has a connection with the royal family, but that doesn't mean the royal family will help them if they are in peril. Be more specific, won't you?"

Sweat beads formed on her forehead as she felt the pressure of Gil's retort. She sighed, realizing she had no choice but to reveal her identity in the end.

"Oh, well, fine. I am..."

However, just as she was about to disclose her identity, there was a knock on the door. "Hello, excuse me," someone said from outside.

Gil and Elise turned their heads toward the voice and then looked at each other, silently debating who should answer the door. Elise's gaze seemed to imply she preferred not to greet the unknown visitor. With a sour expression, Gil went to open the door.

A middle-aged man stood there, holding a food basket. "Uhmm, I just wanted to give you guys this," he said, offering the food basket. "Everyone wants to give you some food since it's been a long time since we've had a guest staying in our village."

Gil accepted the food basket from the middle-aged man and politely thanked him.

"You're welcome. Then I'll be going first. Enjoy your stay," the man said, leaving and waving at Gil.

Gil re-entered the house, carrying the food basket. Elise, curious about its contents, asked, "What is that?"

Gil, uncertain about what was inside, opened the basket and pulled out two sandwiches—a bun filled with meat, vegetables, and cheese. He took one and offered the other to Elise.

Elise accepted the sandwich given by Gil but eyed it skeptically.

"You remember that I said people here seemed to be hiding something from us. Are you sure you want to eat this?" she asked, looking doubtful.

Gil didn't pay much attention to Elise's concerns and took a bite of the sandwich anyway. "Don't care. I'm hungry as heck," he mumbled while munching.

They were running low on food supplies and had planned to restock in the village before leaving the next day, so free food was a welcome surprise. However, Elise remained reluctant, suspicious of the villagers upon their return.

Gil, on the other hand, was unbothered by Elise's skepticism and proceeded to enjoy his meal, finishing it quickly and even licking his fingers to savor every bit. Meanwhile, Elise's sandwich remained untouched in her hand.

"See... Nothing happened. It's just your imagination," he said, debunking Elise's worries.

However, something happened to Gil. His eyes suddenly became heavy, and he began to nod off. Without realizing it, he lost consciousness and slowly collapsed to the ground.

Looking at Gil who had fallen and lost consciousness, she realized, "A sleeping drug, hmm." It was clear what had been slipped into the sandwich after seeing Gil's reaction.

"Well, what should I do now?" she mused to herself while holding the tainted sandwich.

"The typical response would be to apprehend the culprit, but it's unlikely the villager acted alone. Someone must be pulling the strings," she reasoned.

Then, she recalled that there had been a bandit problem in this region before they arrived. "Bandits, huh..." She knew of similar issues where adventurers were captured by bandits while on quests.

"To think that the villagers are colluding with these bandits. How could the lord of this region allow such a thing to happen?"

After piecing together the situation, Elise looked back at the unconscious Gil with a sly smile.

"Well, it wouldn't be any fun if I just took care of those bandits. So, it's your turn, Gil. Consider it payment for enduring your rant. Be my hero and save me and this village, won't you?" she said, enjoying her own devious plan, and then finished the sandwich.

It didn't take a long time for Elise also lose her conscious. 

Not long afterward, Elise also succumbed to the effects of the sleeping drug.

After a couple of hours, a forceful knock echoed from the front door of the house where Gil and Elise resided. A group of around ten people had gathered, including the middle-aged villager, the elder, and a disheveled man in tattered attire.

Among them was the bandit boss, a brawny man with a bald head, who also had previously captured Anderson. He glanced at Elise and let out a whistle, appraising her sexy appearance.

"That a huge rack she had," he remarked, pervertly looking at Elise. "Well done, Elder. You've earned yourself a good year."

The village elder bit his lip, struggling to suppress his anger, knowing he had to endure for the sake of his village's survival.

"Just remember, the young man is a noble's son. Don't end up selling him into slavery," he warned.

"I'm well aware, no need to tell me," the bandit boss replied. He then approached Elise, picked her up, and slung her over his shoulder.

"Take care of the noble brat, boys," he commanded.

Following his orders, the other bandits picked up Gil, and they left the house.

After some hours after their capture, Gil woke up from his slumber, gradually regaining consciousness. To his dismay, he realized he wasn't in the house where they had stayed before. Instead, he found himself confined within an underground prison.