Chapter 9. Aylans Kingdom (2) Part-1

It had been 3 months since the Aylans Kingdom declared war on the Holy Kingdom. There was to be at least a 6-month cease-fire, according to the law of the continent. Its purpose was to give citizens a chance to evacuate to another country and hopefully avoid war. A long line of refugees stood out in the border area between Aylans Kingdom and the Holy Kingdom. They were leaving their homeland, abandoning their old lives for fear that the war would consume them.

"It's a trip~! A trip! Dad! Where are we going?"

"We're going to the other country, right? Whoa~!"

Refugees pulled their wagons with exhaustion, but the many children who didn't understand the situation yet smiled innocently. Parents smiled faintly as they looked at their children. Halsem, following the same path the refugees were, rode on a donkey-drawn wagon with a dejected look.

"Aah, it must be nice for the kids, since they don't know how the world works. I envy them!"

Halsem had given up on being a gambler ever since the incident at the Golden Fief. He was now a 'merchant,' a job that took guts, spirit, and eloquence. His reason for doing so was simple.

'I did it because that lad told me to…'

It was a job that the Holy Knight apprentice he met in the Golden Fief told him to try. Thanks to that, he was now making enough money to eat and live.

'He was just a Holy Knight apprentice? No way… does he know how to do things like fortune-telling? No, he's not even a Holy Knight, right?'

Halsem was thankful to him.

Although he was just an ordinary merchant, as special as a drop of water in the ocean, when would he have the chance to hold another job as stable as this? He needed to travel a lot to peddle his wares, but it was profitable. At the very least he was never at risk of losing everything like he'd done so many times as a gambler. He smacked his lips while recalling the huge amount of money he'd won from gambling.

'N-no, no! How long has it been since I stopped gambling that I'm champing at the thought of doing it again?'

Halsem exhaled slowly, his hands trembling. He missed the thrill of gambling more than gambling itself. A huge board of fate, where one could lose everything he had bet all at once, or win big! A single game was exhilarating. The throbbing of his heart was a pleasure that was hard to forget.

"Still, safely working as a merchant is better than risking my life to gamble. It is."

Halsem glanced over his shoulder, looking in the wagon's bed. Jars, bowls, and beautiful craftwork furniture jostled in the back. He used the money he had saved with the aim to open a small and shabby trade shop. The trade shop had no name, and the only employee was himself. Such a simple and humble trade shop. No, being merchant suited him better now.

"…"

Halsem sighed. For a moment, a painful shame at the state of his life overtook him. Surprised at himself, he shook his head.

'… No! I'm satisfied with my life now! I'm really really happy! Are you thinking of doing something where you risk your life again?!'

Halsem shouted in his head and comforted himself.

Just then, as his wagon crested the hill that led to the border of Aylans, dozens of arrows flew in from the forest. The arrows struck many refugees; even those children who had been playing around were hit.

"Euaaaak!"

"Ar, arrow…?!"

"Get down!"

The refugees hurriedly got down and curled up behind whatever cover they could find. Halsem grabbed his head and ducked behind his wagon.

"Euaaak! Damn it! Forget I said this was a safe job! What on earth…! What happened?"

"Nobody move!"

Bandits came from the forest, their appearance answering Halsem's question.

The bandits, dressed in shabby clothes and wielding old rusted axes and poorly made bows, glared at the refugees.

"You move, you die."

Halsem shuddered at what the bandit said.

'They might kill us even if we obey. On top of that, I invested all of my money into this stuff! It would be the end for me if I get robbed!'

Halsem looked at the refugees as his thoughts raced. Like him, they were also carrying all of their belongings. If their stuff was taken too, they would end up losing even their funds to cross the border.

'Damn it! I was thinking of crossing the Aylans Kingdom's border and going to another kingdom…! If it's this dangerous…!'

It might've been something he should've expected. This was the first time that he had been assaulted by bandits so far, so he didn't think of hiring mercenaries. It was a costly mistake, born of cheap and careless thinking.

"Oo! There are women!"

"There are kids too. They'd bring pretty good money if we sell them to the slavers, right?"

"What do we do with the men?"

"Men can be sold as slaves too. But wouldn't killing them be better? It'll be troublesome if they fight back."

The bandits brandished their weapons and scanned the refugees. Then they separated the men, women, and kids.

"…Ooh! Leader! Here! Here!"

One of the bandits pointed at Halsem's wagon.

"Hmm? Ooh! Are you a merchant? But… Your items don't look too good."

'Well excuse me, Your Highness! They're better than what you've got! I invested so much to sell these!'

Halsem cursed in his head while stealthily getting up. He then rubbed his hands together and bowed, looking at the bandits' leader with a servile expression. The bandit was huge, with thin hair and protruding brow, giving him a wicked impression. His looks could make one question if he chose banditry because he looked the part.

"Uhm… These, these items don't really look good. So please be easy on me! Even just, just a half…"

"Ha? How could you tell bandits to be easy on you?"

The bandits' leader sneered. He kicked Halsem, sending him falling face-first onto the ground.

The bandits surrounded him.

"Leader, this bastard is…?"

"A merchant, though? He must be quick with numbers. We can get a bigger sum of money if we sell smart guys as slaves!"

Halsem's face turned pale.

'First, it was a gambler, then a merchant, now a slave? How quickly my fortunes have changed! But why do I have to be a slave?'

Halsem grabbed the bandit leader's legs.

"Wa, wait! I will give you all of it! So please release me! There will be no slave merchant willing to buy a guy like me! S, so have mercy…!"

"Don't be ridiculous. Would you show mercy to us if our positions were switched?"

Halsem felt desperate hearing what the bandits' leader said. He remembered the Holy Knight apprentice and cursed him in his heart.

'Thi, this is because of that monster-like holy knight! That monster…! De, Devil of Lania? This happened because I was involved with that kind of terrifying guy! Damn it!'

Halsem fell into despair.

"Leader! A woman! I see a woman! A really beautiful one too!"

One of the bandits was shouting in excitement. The rest gathered up out of curiosity. Halsem, who was audibly crying, turned towards the side. He could see two people standing together. They looked more like travelers than refugees.