Chapter 70

"Tyranny?"

"Well, isn't that a common story? So common it barely needs explaining," the man replied.

As he spoke, the bandits quietly rose from their seats. When Yuder made no move to stop them, they scurried behind the man, seeking refuge in his shadow.

"Boss, how did the mission go?"

"I can't make heads or tails of what's going on. Knights showing up, fires breaking out, and now these folks... Something dark is brewing."

Knights and fire. Yuder's brow furrowed at the mention of those words, which piqued his curiosity.

"What do you mean by 'knights' and 'fire'?"

"You lot came from the capital, didn't you? Looking for someone?"

The bandit leader countered with a question of his own. Yuder, noticing a strange energy flickering in the man's right eye, hesitated but nodded.

"That's correct. Judging by your words, it sounds like you know something?"

"'Know' is a strong word." The leader shrugged. "But I did see a man dressed like you pass through a nearby village a few days back."

"Devran," Gakane muttered under his breath.

"We didn't catch his name. But three days ago, a sudden fire broke out in that village. By the time it was finally contained, half the village was gone—along with the lord's castle."

"Fire?" Yuder's thoughts immediately jumped to Devran, whose abilities were fire-related. A creeping sense of foreboding settled in his gut. The bandit leader seemed to sense this, a sly smile forming on his lips.

"They arrested the man at the scene as the prime suspect. He's sitting in prison now. I went to see the damage myself, and heard stories related to him. Everyone is buzzing that his execution is imminent."

"Devran... could he really have…? What should we do" Jimmy stammered, unsure of what to do, turned to Yuder. What he thought was a simple reconnaissance mission had escalated into a full-blown crisis.

Yuder, keeping his shock in check better than Gakane and Jimmy, forced his racing mind to settle. Based on what the bandit leader said, it seemed likely that Devran was indeed involved. But nothing was certain until they saw for themselves.

Still, something about the bandit leader's overly cooperative demeanor nagged at him.

"What about the knights you mentioned earlier?"

"Oh, that? Nothing major. Yesterday, a bunch of knights in shiny armor passed through. My brothers, thinking they'd collect a toll, nearly had heart attacks when they saw who it was. Turns out they weren't here because of the fire—they're just on some knightly training exercise. They headed toward the mountains near the village that burned."

The bandit leader shrugged again, as if it were no big deal.

It wasn't unusual for knight orders to train in remote areas, and it seemed that part of one had arrived.

"Well, that's all I know. Anything else you'd like to ask?"

His gaze lingered on Yuder's face, something unsettling about the way his eyes gleamed. Yuder's instincts screamed that something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"You and your henchmen plan to remain half-baked bandits forever?"

"Half-baked bandits? Is that what you think?" The man retorted with an exaggerated tone, letting out a low chuckle.

"I was actually planning to leave this place soon. I can't stay in the empire anymore—not with my criminal record. There's no other option."

"You make it sound like you had no choice,"

"Because I really didn't."

A chilling smile crept onto the leader's face, his expression unsettling the observer. The left side of his face remained stiff and contorted, while the right side, cruel yet strikingly beautiful, formed a strange, disturbing contrast.

"None of my brothers believe they've committed any crime serious enough to warrant being exiled. Do you really think picking a pocket on the road deserves death?"

"What nonsense."

Gakane's sharp interjection drew the leader's soft gaze toward him, a disarmingly gentle look in his right eye.

"All of my brothers here were ostracized, falsely accused, and driven away—just for awakening our abilities. Sure, we had to leave our homes and ended up like this, but we have our own code, our own conscience. Unlike those who turned their backs on us."

His voice was low, almost soothing, yet carried an unsettling undercurrent. Yuder began to wonder about the man's true power.

'He wouldn't tell me even if I asked.'

"Were you one of those driven out?"

"Me? Ha. Maybe I was. Maybe I wasn't."

"Do you think we'll just let you walk away?" Gakane cut in, his voice hard.

The leader tilted his head, unfazed. "What else can you do?"

Gakane's brow twitched, clearly taken aback by the leader's casual retort. "What?"

"I've told you everything you need to know. If you don't find the man you're looking for soon, he'll be executed. And yet, you have the time to chase down small-time thieves like us? There's a priority in everything, brother. If you come after us first, we'll fight back with everything we have. You can't catch two rabbits at once."

"Why am I your brother?"

"If we share the same power, aren't we all brothers—or sisters?"

'This guy is nuts.' Yuder could practically see the thought flash through Gakane's eyes as they turned toward him.

'...Cunning. He's figured out our purpose in no time and is manipulating the situation to his advantage.'

Worse still, the leader wasn't entirely wrong, and that realization only heightened Yuder's wariness.

He glanced briefly at the leader's face before exhaling. If he used all his power now, he could capture these bandits. But without knowing where their hideout was, it wouldn't end here.

For now, as they claimed, they were small-time thieves—and they weren't openly hostile.

"Are you angry? Or surprised?" The leader laughed, catching the slight shift in Yuder's expression. "It's nice to finally see some change in that icy face of yours."

"I was just thinking,"

"Thinking?"

"How many days do you think it would take to resolve this matter, return, and round you all up?"

"…"

Yuder's voice was soft, but the meaning behind his words was as sharp as a honed blade. The bandits, who had been lurking behind their leader, flinched and jumped back when Yuder's gaze met theirs. Instinctively, they knew he wasn't bluffing.

"…Ha,ha... Look at that. We've got a formidable brother among us today,"

"I have no brother like you."

'That's it, Yuder! Way to go!' Gakane thought, silently cheering as a satisfied grin spread across his face.

"If there's a departure, there must be a return, right? We never harm the innocent. At my request, my brethren do not lay hands on those who share our powers. We're the outcasts, the ones who lost everything over the past two years. All we can do now is run and survive. And yet, you still want to arrest us?"

The leader's voice, smooth and persuasive like a velvet serpent, seemed to stir hidden guilt. Jimmy's expression wavered, his face contorting as if on the verge of tears.

But who could guarantee the truth in the leader's words? With such a cunning tongue, it was impossible to discern what was fact and what was fiction.

Yuder had seen too many manipulative speeches in his life to be swayed so easily.

Stepping forward, Yuder blocked Jimmy's view, his voice cold and firm.

"If I were you, I'd spend less time on word games and more time running. Don't mistake where your priorities lie. Mine might change at any moment."

The leader's eyes widened slightly at Yuder's fierce retort before he burst into laughter.

"Ha, ha, ha."

"L-Leader, let's go," 

"Why do you keep provoking him? He's not ordinary."

"You go first," the leader commanded quietly. His voice, following the laughter, was eerily calm, yet laced with an unsettling warmth.

"Huh?"

"I've got a few more things to say to these people."

"W-What do you mean? We can't leave without you! How could we...?"

"I'll catch up later. Go back and tell Ersi to leave first. I'll be right behind you."

"Leader...!"

The bandits exchanged confused glances, but after a brief hesitation, they nodded. Their unquestioning obedience showed just how much they trusted their leader.

"We'll wait for you! Make sure you come back, leader!"

As the bandits called out their farewells and disappeared into the shadows, the leader waved them off casually. Then, turning back to Yuder, he appeared completely at ease, even though he now stood alone.

"Thank you for sparing my men,"

"There's no point in catching the tail when you can go straight for the head," Yuder replied coolly.

The leader smirked at that, his left eye gleaming strangely in the darkness.

"So, what is it you want to say to us?"