Bucket List (3)

"Ugh..."

Sasha's eyelids slowly fluttered open.

His head was still pounding, the after-effect of getting a sudden chop off his neck. As his sight returned back into focus, he found out that he was no longer in the forest.

The place he was in at the moment was grimly dark, with only faint beams of light shining through a few cracks on the wall. The floor beneath him was cold and hard. From the softer, organic feel when he touched it, he could roughly tell that it was made of woods.

He tried to move his hands, only to feel something rough, most likely ropes, cutting into his skin and keeping his arms behind his back. The same treatment was done to his legs, while a sheet of cloth was tied around his mouth.

A muffled sound came from his right side. When he turned around, he could see the boy from before, Norman, struggling with his own bonds.

In fact, as he swept his gaze around, he could see shadows the size of human child sprawled all over the dark room. They were mostly silent, although a faint sobs could be heard from time to time.

Sasha narrowed his eyes. Things really had proceeded just like before.

The kidnapping incident. It was this particular event that had acquainted him with Norman.

A group of bandits specializing in kidnapping peasant children to be sold as slaves had stealthily passed by the village. They hadn't planned to take anyone, but a little girl's bad luck had landed her in their grasp when she was out playing in the forest. The group decided to add her in their growing number of merchandise, and then flee the area as soon as possible.

That girl turned out to be Norman's neighbor.

The boy had been searching for her the entire morning. When he noticed some strangers carrying her away, he recklessly jumped out to save her, ignoring his own safety. The rest had played out just like what Sasha had witnessed.

Actually, Sasha didn't know about Norman in his first life. Back then, all that he knew came from reports and hearsay.

It was stated that a kidnapping incident had occurred near the village. The ruler of the domain, his father, had managed to apprehend the bandits and saved the children, especially the little girl. However, it had taken days from the actual incident. As for Norman... all they'd heard from the rescued children was that a child had been killed after rebelling against the bandits.

That was how this little bud of talent had gotten snuffed out before he could fully bloom into a splendid warrior.

Truly a pity.

In his first rebirth, Sasha was determined to resolve this kidnapping incident. To be recognized as the rightful heir by his father, he couldn't just rely on the result of his training. He had to pile up considerable achievements. Armed with his knowledge from past life, he was confident that he could take down a bandit or two.

Sadly, he'd overestimated his own abilities. While he had been through rigorous training as a soldier of the Alliance, all that he'd retained after rebirth were techniques. His actual body was still that of a normal six-years-old child.

He'd managed to take down the tall man and the two brutes since they were underestimating him. However, he didn't expect that they would have reinforcement. Their boss had showed up out of nowhere along with the rest of the group, and then took quick work of him.

In the end, it was still the same. He got knocked unconscious, trussed up, and then got thrown into this dark room with the rest of the kidnapped children.

And the person who had helped him the most during that dangerous time, was none other than Norman.

"Hmmh!"

While he was reminiscing about the past, Norman had called out to him with a groan. He seemed to be surprised that Sasha had woken up so quickly, but then his eyes began to sparkle with delight. He couldn't get free from the ropes by himself, but if someone else could help him, perhaps it would be another story!

Norman waved his bound hand toward Sasha, trying to convey his plan. They would move closer to each other, and then try to untie the ropes around their wrists. As long as one of them succeeded, the rest would be a piece of cake.

However, Sasha didn't answer his call. He merely stared at the boy with a bored expression.

When he noticed that Sasha had no intention to help him, Norman was beyond frustrated. He was about to scoot closer anyway when suddenly, Sasha showed his hands, which were no longer bound. The ropes dangling on his wrist seemed to have been cut by a sharp object.

Norman blinked rapidly, still unable to process the situation.

"Sshh."

After taking care of the rest of his bonds, Sasha put a finger on his mouth, telling the boy to stay silent. He only started untying him when Norman finally nodded.

"H-how did you...?"

That was the first thing that he wanted to know. To that question, Sasha merely pointed at the corner where he had been sitting at. There was a slight glint coming from that place.

"There's a nail sticking out over there," Sasha replied flatly.

Norman was rendered speechless.

Actually, Sasha had went along with Norman's plan during his first rebirth. However, they had spent almost two hours struggling with the knots to the point of utter exhaustion. It was only by chance that Sasha had gotten pricked by the nail, allowing him to pinpoint its location and used it to cut the rope.

He didn't want to futilely spend another two hours bathing in sweat, so he just went to the correct solution right from the start.

"Fil!"

Norman rushed toward the other end of the dark room. The girl he was trying to save was laid there, still unconscious. Perhaps the force that was used to knock her out was too much for a kid that young.

It was at this moment that the other kids noticed that Norman and Sasha had gotten free. They began to sit up, asking for help with muffled groans.

"Quiet."

Sasha's voice was high-pitched, still too childish, and yet there was a firmness in his tone that made the kids listened, even the older ones.

It was as if the one talking to them was an elder.

With the kids calmed down, he glanced to the side.

Norman was cradling the girl in his arms. His face was less tense compared to before, perhaps because he had ensure that the girl was unharmed.

"Norman."

"Y-yes?" The boy lifted up his head to see Sasha staring right into his eyes. a slight smile hanging on his face.

"Help me untie them."

"Ah, understood!"

The two began to move around, freeing one kid after another. Norman was on edge, fearing that the bandits would come in and caught them again. Sasha, however, was very casual about it. He walked leisurely as if he had the entire time in the world.

It was actually thanks to seeing that that Norman had managed to calm himself down.

"Thank you for your help. However... we still can't get away that easily."

The oldest kid in the group, an eleven-years-old boy, said to Sasha and Norman. There were thirteen of them, and they were gathered from all over the region. The boy himself had previously mounted an escape attempt, but failed miserably. That was why the other kids were in low spirits.

"Are you guys going to escape as well? I'll tell you what I know-"

Sasha raised his hand, stopping the boy from talking any further.

"There are eight bandits. The tall guy, the two similar-looking brutes, and four men wearing red bandana. The last bandit had a scar on his face, he's their leader. Am I wrong?"

"N-no... you're correct..."

The boy replied weakly. He couldn't understand why this newcomer could describe the bandits with such clarity as if he had seen them himself.

At the side, Norman was rendered even more speechless.

After all, he had only seen the first three. He thought those were all of the bandits. It turned out that there were more!

"Hey, wait a minute, didn't you get knocked out before me? How did you know about that stuff?"

Sasha turned to Norman, and then blinked a few times before replying in a faint whisper.

"...Intuition...?"

Norman: "..."

Fine, he wouldn't grill him about this topic for now. Escaping took precedence.

"There are only kids here, and not a lot can fight. I'm afraid that it's up to us," the eleven-years-old boy said, before shooting a look at Norman. Compared to Sasha, who'd looked frail, Norman was the better choice in a fight.

"Actually, I have a plan."

Sasha raised his hand again. Everyone's gaze went toward him, a hopeful glint flashed in them. This boy had surprised them from start until now. Perhaps, he could make another miracle?

"However. I need everyone's help. Every single one of us here."

"Wait," the eleven-years-old interrupted. "Are you going to make the younger ones fight as well?"

"To be honest, it's impossible if we only relied on the older ones," Sasha shook his head at the boy. "If we go against them head-on, we will lose. I'm sure you also agree?"

The boy fell silent. He knew it based on experience. Against one of the bandits, they might be able to hold their grounds. Against all eight, however, they stood no chance.

"Don't worry. Nobody will get hurt."

The kids were stunned silly. Such big words, yet how could the person saying it have such confidence?

It was because in the first rebirth, he indeed had led these kids to safety, without a single casualties in hand. Since he was merely going along with the scenario, then it would most certainly end up the same way.

If anything, after knowing the exact process and outcome beforehand, the actual showdown would be even less clumsier than before. It was practically impossible to fail.

The kids couldn't help but putting their utmost trust at Sasha, the person who'd promised them such a grand vision of the future.

"Right. I'll tell you the plan now."

Sasha beckoned them to come closer.

"There's only one person guarding this carriage right now. It's the tall guy. If it's just him, we'll be able to overpower him with number alone. So..."

"Eh? This is a carriage?" Norman quipped.

"Ah, yeah, I guess you couldn't tell if you didn't see it from the outside," the eleven-years-old boy explained. This carriage was specially made to isolate the kids from the outside world. By constructing the inside like a small cottage, the kids wouldn't be able to tell where they'd actually been taken to. It helped to prevent strange ideas like escaping back home, since they had no way to retrace their steps.

"..." Norman shot Sasha a questioning glance. "Again, how'd you know about this stuff?!"

Sasha stared back at him, blinking a few more times than before, and then replied.

"...Intuition...?"

Norman: "..."

"Anyway, let me continue..."

After a cough, Sasha resumed the detail of his plan. As they listened, the kids' eyes grew wider and wider.

"Can we... do it?" a girl asked.

"You can. I'm sure of it."

He had witnessed them performing his plan before this. They definitely could do it.

Faced with such optimistic attitude, the girl could only nod shyly. If a stranger could put so much trust in her, surely she could do the same to herself? Thus, she shed away her doubts, concentrating only in fulfilling her part.

The other kids were more or less the same. Their gaze was slowly filling up with confidence.

"Are you sure it's fine to bring Filia with us? Can we hide her somewhere safe first?" Norman asked, slightly anxious. The girl on his back hadn't regained her consciousness yet. Even if she did, he still didn't have the heart to put her in such danger.

"It'll be fine. Just carry her like that. Actually, the heavier you are, the better."

Sasha replied lazily.

Norman frowned, but couldn't find anything good to retort with, so he just stayed silent.

"Alright, everyone ready?"

Sasha gave a cursory glance around. Seeing that everyone had nodded firmly, he waved his hand, signalling the start of the plan.

"Open the door. Let's do this."