Chapter 44: The Magical Tinderbox

"Leaving is fine, but I need to ask you something," Rod said slowly.

He wasn't interested in stealing other people's gold coins, but he was very curious about where they came from.

"Baron Harris has lost a bag of gold coins. I'm looking for the thief who stole them."

"I think you should explain where these coins came from."

Upon hearing this, Eric's expression turned somewhat panicked. Stealing from a noble was a serious crime, and if the amount was large, it could even result in execution by hanging. He definitely didn't want to die.

"Sir Knight, these gold coins were not stolen from anyone else. I got them from a witch."

A witch?

Rod's eyes widened in surprise. This was the second time he had encountered something related to a witch. The first time was in the village of Little Red Riding Hood.

Under the threat of death, Eric confessed the origin of his gold coins.

The story was simple: this young man named Eric was a serf on a knight's estate. Due to a conflict between two lords, the knight was conscripted, and Eric went to war as his squire. However, Eric was a coward and deserted shortly after arriving on the battlefield.

While fleeing, he encountered a witch who lured him into a tree hollow. Beneath the hollow were three treasure chambers.

The first chamber was filled with heaps of copper coins, the second with piles of silver coins, and the third with mountains of gold coins. Each chamber was guarded by a terrifying monster.

The witch tricked him into entering the hollow, and the gold coins he had were the spoils he took from the hollow. Later, he had a dispute with the witch and killed her, then came to this town.

He embellished the story a bit, claiming he had been forced to flee his homeland after losing the war and ended up in this town. He then fought the witch, barely survived, and took the gold coins from the monsters in the tree hollow.

As Eric finished his story, Rod's expression became a bit odd.

Why did this story sound so familiar?

Upon further thought, it was exactly like the fairy tale "The Tinderbox."

If he had any doubts before, he was now almost certain—he really had crossed over into a fairy tale world. However, this fairy tale world wasn't as innocent and romantic as in the stories. In fact, it was quite real.

"Do you think I'm a fool?"

"Fighting a witch? Defeating terrifying beasts? If you really had that kind of ability, show me."

Rod slowly drew the knight's sword from his waist. It was a prop he had just bought at the market to disguise his identity. Now it seemed like it would come in handy.

The sharp blade was placed against Eric's neck, and he trembled all over.

Rod's eyes were cold. A coward who didn't even dare to face battle was now boasting in front of him?

Did this guy think he was Andersen?

If this kind of useless person could defeat a witch and terrifying beasts, then Rod might as well call himself a dragon slayer.

Under Rod's threat, the terrified Eric finally told the truth.

"No, no, I didn't defeat the monsters. It was the witch who used magic to overcome them and obtain the gold coins. I just happened to pass by, found her badly injured and unconscious, and killed her to take the gold."

"As for the tree hollow, it's real, but I didn't dare go inside because of the terrifying monsters guarding it."

Rod's expression was unsurprised. Even if the story had followed the fairy tale's progression, this guy wouldn't be a good person.

In the original tale, the witch offered gold coins as a reward and gave him a magic cloak, allowing him to retrieve a tinderbox from the tree hollow.

But this guy, after leaving the hollow, reneged on the deal and killed the witch. Then, lazy and gluttonous, he wasted all the gold coins he had.

Later, he accidentally discovered the secret of the tinderbox, which allowed him to summon the monsters guarding the hollow. He used them to abduct the princess out of greed for her beauty. When the king found out, he sentenced him to death by hanging, but the man summoned the monsters to kill the king and his ministers, eventually taking over the princess and the kingdom.

In short, he was a greedy, selfish, and lustful scoundrel.

"If I'm not mistaken, you should have a tinderbox on you. Hand it over."

Rod spoke calmly.

This guy was a scoundrel, and Rod wasn't exactly a saint either.

"W-what tinderbox? I don't know what you're talking about."

Eric's face changed at Rod's words, his eyes avoiding contact.

He indeed had a tinderbox, which he had taken from the witch after ambushing her. Although he didn't know the secret behind it, it was clearly something valuable if even a knight was so keen on it.

And why should he hand over something that rightfully belonged to him? After all, he was the one who killed the witch, not this knight.

Seeing the young man still trying to lie, Rod lost his patience.

"Why do you think I'm negotiating with you?"

With a cold expression, he swung the sword casually.

The knight's blade slashed across Eric's throat.

Bargain?

You think you're worthy?

Panicked screams erupted from the crowd.

A group of peasants who had gathered to watch the commotion scattered in terror after witnessing someone being killed.

Rod casually rummaged through the corpse and, as expected, found a tinderbox and a rather thick book.

Looking at Eric, who clutched his neck in disbelief, Rod's face remained expressionless.

He had given the man a chance, but Eric was useless. Without the ability to read the situation, how could he expect to survive?

If not him, then who should die?