Chapter 14: There is Always a Choice

After Sol left the bandits, Brock gathered them all and retreated back to their base. Their base was located deep within the forest inside an abandoned mine. The mine itself was very small, initially believed to have gold but instead had a similar-looking ore called pyrite, better known as fool's gold. The mine was then quickly abandoned and later discovered by bandits, making it their home.

Inside, a stench of alcohol lingered in the air as five men lounged around a makeshift table, drinking.

Upon seeing Brock, one of the men waved him over.

"Hey Boss! Got anything good today?"

Brock, still in deep thought over Sol's words, didn't respond to their question. Isaac spoke up instead.

"Man, we got messed up today. We found this guy who we thought was an easy mark, but he completely whooped our butts. Luckily, he was an idiot and let us go, ain't that right, boss?"

Still unresponsive, the bandits grew a bit worried, and Isaac nudged his shoulder.

"Boss, are you good?"

"Uhh, yeah. I'm gonna go lie down in my room; it's been a long day."

Brock then left the men and headed towards his room, lying on his bed. From his bed, he looked around his room and saw the state it was in. Originally the storage room of the mine, it was rather spacious and sparsely decorated with wooden furniture. The only two things of note in this room were the desk with letters sent between other bandit groups and black market merchants and a rather big chest full of "spoils of war."

'What's the point of all this money if I can only use it in the black market? They upcharge the prices and only sell me things like weapons and crappy furniture. What's the point? At first, I became a bandit because I had nowhere to go, but is that true now?'

The amount of money he had was more than enough to sustain a whole family for an entire year, but here it was rotting away. Wondering if this was all his life would amount to, he started to wish for something better. It might be too late to be an adventurer, but that wasn't the only option.

'I can leave, go to another city, or even leave the kingdom. The Holy Kingdom of Delvania is a bit away, but it's doable. I can start from scratch.'

With newfound determination, Brock decided to break the news to his men.

"Boss, you're leaving? Why?"

"That kid gave me a lot to think about, and I realized he was right. I may not have chosen to become a bandit, but that doesn't mean I have to stay as one. I don't want to be hunted by the law every day, nor do I want to die stealing gold."

The bandits, hearing his declaration, were speechless. They didn't know what to say, whether to encourage or dissuade him from leaving.

After a moment of silence, one of the men asked a question.

"Where will you go?"

"Delvania. While I can't become an adventurer, as I have probably been blacklisted, I can apply as a guard with my skills or something else. I am not totally sure yet. What I am sure of is that it will be on my terms."

Seeing the resolute expression, they knew they couldn't persuade him to stay, and his words even affected some of them as well. Some of them, though, believed Brock was making a mistake. They believed that what they had going on right now was a pretty sweet deal. No responsibilities, a lot of money, booze, and some even liked playing with their captives.

Brock, having led these men for years, knew what each of them was thinking. He then decided to give them all two options.

"Boys, I'm old, but I still want to live however many years I have left how I want to. You all, on the other hand, are still young, you have your entire life ahead of you; why waste it here? If you wish to come with me to Delvania, feel free to join me; let's turn over a new leaf."

The bandits were stunned at his proposal, to just up and leave the kingdom. It was a big decision. After 30 minutes, half of the bandits decided to join Brock; the other half decided to stay. Of those who chose to stay, Isaac was included. He didn't believe he was fit for society with a talent like [Quick Hands], which he only believed was good for daggers and stealing.

With that, the bandit group officially disbanded, with half leaving the next day hoping for a better future while the other half simply joined another bandit group, continuing the vicious cycle.

…

While a certain bandit group was making a big decision, Sol arrived at Kerman city, surrounded by a 10-meter high stone wall.

'Woah, this completely overshadows the wall back in Initium. That one was only 3 meters.'

Upon getting closer to the city, he saw the gate with a small line of only 5 groups entering. Queuing up as well, the line moved quickly and was eventually facing a guard. The guard appeared very bored but proceeded with his job.

"Identification?"

Sol then showed his adventurer's card, silently hoping they didn't figure out it's a fake.

"Alright, 5 copper."

"Huh, there's a fee?"

"What did you think? All visitors need to pay to enter the city."

Opening his backpack to find his money, Sol sighed in relief to find out he had enough and paid the guard. The guard confirmed the money and responded monotonously.

"Pass on in."

After encountering a man who clearly didn't enjoy his job, Sol entered Kerman city and looked around. He saw a big cobblestone road wide enough to fit two carriages that stretched all the way into the heart of the city. On the sides, there were buildings of all kinds, and from the distance, he saw two incredibly tall towers which he believed were mage towers.

'Finally, I made it.'