〈 Episode 54〉Wild West 18

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There must be some of Million's minions among the bandits.

'Otherwise, they wouldn't be targeting the West so intensively.

Bandits have been attacking the Sirtus estate for quite some time now, and it's not unusual to find them wherever you go. But.

"It's organized.

If you've lived in Harlem, and you know the unique collectivity among them, you can feel it. A bond that's not just between bandits.

"You said the bandits seemed to disperse, didn't you?"

"That's right. The longer I watched them, the more they looked like trained soldiers...not like they were fleeing for their lives."

That's a pretty big deal, then. I talk to a veteran soldier who's been hunting bandits for years and do the math.

"If they escape, they'll join another bandit group.

The average bandit... any band of criminals, really, is more wary of other bandits than they are of guards. It's not unusual for them to split up and join another bandit group after they've escaped, but all the accompanying noise is essential.

"Shouldn't there be other bandit groups, large and small?

Normally, the discrimination of other bandit groups would be accomplished, and the bandits' numbers would be scattered as if it were nature's midnight ritual, and they should be reduced in size by crossing swords with each other.

'Though it may be that the nature of Hammel versus the forest, where there are many orcs and goblins, causes the humans to band together.'

If anything, the bandits' size is an environment that cannot be sustained without outside support.

"We think they're going to shrink, too, and we've been sitting on the sidelines. Now that you mention it, I notice something odd."

The soldier strokes his beard, then nods.

"The captain's identity is a mystery?"

"It is. I haven't paid much attention to bandit leaders, as they tend to change quickly after a raid."

"Was that the case when you questioned the captured men?"

"None that I knew of in particular. Ah."

He nods, as if remembering something.

"Why?"

"Sometimes, if caught, they commit suicide, fearing torture and death afterward... Come to think of it, I've known some to slit their own throats with a dagger when there's no way to escape. The peculiar thing is..."

"Go on, tell me more."

"I see. The peculiarity is that they cut down other bandits like them, and then died. At the time, I thought it was just... some sort of bandit disagreement, but now that you mention it, I have my doubts."

There is an organization that manages the bandits, and in the middle of it all, there are the blackguards. They kill those who have even the slightest evidence against them, and their final task is to kill themselves.

"No wonder they're leaderless.

The anomaly was almost resolved.

"Are they from Harlem, back east?"

Sometimes... I think about the way people used to disappear in the East.

"The Bastards.

And I felt a familiarity in the way they hunted their people. The kind of banditry that chases you down and pushes you to the breaking point, until you give up.

"Human trafficking.

The Bastards' brothers, the ones who dealt with human trafficking and other crimes. The closest thing to that was the bandits who harassed Count Sirtus.

'It's obvious. This is one of the sources of income that has deprived Sirtus of commerce all these years, and yet Deckard has acted as if it had nothing to do with him.

This is why Count Sirtus allowed Deckard to do most things when he was forced to squeeze him for income. After being deprived of commerce and the top for so long, they must have a shaky bankroll.

"Millions.

Behind the scenes, he'd built a network of hermitages that connected the dot-coms and bandits, like the Bastards, and their communications with their superiors, the criminals.

"Like a spider's web.

'Like a spider's web,' he says, going all out to hunt down his target: tapping into Count Sirtus's bankroll... gathering information... and the tops he's captured in Sirtus.

"The tops they gave up on purpose.

Which means they, or the Millions, did it on purpose.

"I see.

His pawns had already surrounded Sirtus. It was a good thing he had taken the hermitages and tops in Count Sirtus's interior as bait, or he would have suffered greatly.

'Those who are favorable to Sirtus, he oppresses with banditry, and those who are related to him... or whose lives he holds in his hands, he circulates to bring in taxes, which he wants.

The Sirtus asserted their right to a share of the profits and revenue from those tops, and they accepted, naturally infiltrating their own distribution networks into the Sirtus. And like a worm to its young, the females have been brought into the fold.

"Then.

We need to exploit the limits of the point organization. The kind of work that Million does, where there's no penalty for getting caught. So.

"Cheat?

You have to cheat Million. Just like last time.

"Will you do it again?

A big bandit raid. Serghen was at the forefront of it. How would the bandits do this if they were under the orders of the Hermits?

'If they're not a crack organization, but a subordinate bandit force that takes orders directly from the Millions, they'll attack.

If it's a point organization, they'll survive and report back. Two directions. And I thought dozens, maybe hundreds of times about what Million would do.

"Sure.

He would have put the women into Sirtus. And with the top and their distribution network cut off, their source of supply.

"Bandits.

The bandits were the only remaining branch of the dot organization. That was where Million would most likely make his mark.

"Let's go!"

Sergen shouted, sword drawn, toward the bandits' position.

"Waaaaaah!!!"

At this distance, it's a one-hit wonder, so he raises his morale and strikes with one blow. It is said that this is how most Serchen killings are done.

"They'll be expecting it.

It was known that the bandits' defense was not too good for serious combat.

'A lariat?

As they moved forward, they saw the many markers and the wooden fences that blocked their way, and wondered why they didn't use them, when they could have made a good, if not great, defense.

"I wonder if they've gotten used to the way you've been doing things.

Then, in the distance, he could see the wooden buildings of the bandits' camp.

"No one in sight?

No sign of human life. As we run, a single odor catches my nose on the wind.

"Oil.

"Sergen!"

Sergen and his soldiers have already entered the camp.

"It's a trap!"

I shouted, launching myself into the air, forcing Serghen to dodge away from the nearby oak barrel.

"Fire!

Arrows of fire light up the sky.

"Pow!

So many booms all at once. Hastily, she lowered her head and crouched as low as she could.

"This, this!"

This is something bandits could never do. They might be able to get the barrels of oil, but no matter how big the bandits were, the distribution of the flaming arrows and the oil would have to be supported by someone else.

"Block the flaming arrows with shields, and deploy a defensive line with an estimate of casualties!"

Hastily, the soldiers lowered their spears and blocked the sky with shields on their backs.

"It's not just oil.

The Millions, and their hordes, were now intent on killing Serghen and me.

"Don't chase them!"

I stopped Serghen as he drew his sword and ran. Her cheeks were red with rage from where she'd rolled over in the dirt.

"Tell me why!"

She was angry, but she was waiting for me to speak.

"It's strange that the flames are coming from one direction."

"What do you mean?"

"Imagine this is a war, not a bandit hunt."

Serghen's expression hardened.

"Is it an enticement?"

"Yes. If the bandits haven't diminished in size so far, and if the survivors of the fallen bandits have easily merged with the others, that means their horde is one."

"If they're one, then why haven't the other bandits joined them in the raids so far?"

"It's all a trap. The Millions have been using the bandits of the dot-organization as a network of information, and have let them go because there's not much to be gained by killing them. However, with the war about to begin, it's likely that they'll go all out because it's in their interest to kill the next generation of Serchennim beforehand!"

"Then..."

"We must not go in with the numbers they have prepared. Once we do, all of their positions will have changed, and their battle styles will have changed from banditry to tactics."

With arrows flying and orc barrels being smashed, if things had gone wrong, Sergen could have been seriously injured or killed.

"Should we have brought more men..."

"No. Even if we had, they would have known all about it."

While the hermitages were reduced in size and number, it would have been impossible to eliminate all of Sirtus' hermits. Their numbers and size would be enough for one hermit to send information.

"What then?"

I nod, looking at the bandit's camp as he sleeps in the flames.

"Mr. Serchen. Can you trust me?"

My face is actually glowing brightly in the flames.

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