“Edrick… It’s been hours, and the sun is going to set soon... Might you reveal why we are here, please?” Shu had been spending most of his time since that one discussion with Edrick either training, unwinding with Yaling, or running errands for Anoteros. Today, he was doing the last.
It wasn’t like Shu had it in him to refuse a request from Edrick. So when the noble scion came to fetch him, the inner disciple followed without question. At least in the beginning, but by now, he was seriously starting to wonder what the hell the point of this venture was.
They had taken a carriage away from Oie at first. For some reason, they stopped by the side of the road and ventured into a small pathway through some woods. Little roads like those were typically not used by anyone... Only people who had things to be worried about would choose them instead of the main roads.
But that exposed them to some dangers. Especially since Edrick had taken Shu quite far away from Oie, and in the opposite direction of the capital, so there was far less law enforcement in the area. Not to mention that the area was lacking in nearby villages or towns, meaning that this was about the best place to get robbed by bandits.
After arriving, Edrick had quickly managed to catch a deer, which was currently being cooked over a campfire. One of its thighs was already being feasted upon by Edrick, devouring the flesh as though his stomach was bottomless.
Before responding, Anoteros chewed, swallowed, and then licked his fingers like this deer meat was a gourmet meal.
“Do you not remember the time I asked you to gather information on any active bandits somewhat close to Oie?” he answered the question with another question.
“I do. You asked me to inquire about their numbers and how they operated… It wasn’t too complicated since those bandits take an active part in the black market, so my contacts know them well- Is it about them? Is this one of the forests where some of them hide throughout the year?”
Although he had furnished maps to Edrick, Shu had not paid enough attention to the route they had taken to get here. He had also not bothered to memorise said maps in the first place.
“Precisely. You could say that I have some business to take care of, and these low-lives that no one will miss are perfect for it. So I do hope that they show up soon, but they’ll probably wait until we are sleeping, won’t they?”
Smiling, he ate the deer piece he had picked so thoroughly that he was left with a pristine bone in hand.
Deer meat was not bad at all. Wild animals always had a stronger taste compared to cattle and the like. Deers were most mundane animals without anything special about them, so their flesh did not bring much benefit to cultivators unless they needed to get some bulk…
Thinking through such lenses would be quite tiring, however, so Anoteros just ate whatever he wanted. As long as it was edible and tasted good, it had a place in his stomach.
Without any village or settlement nearby, only the bandits were hunting the animals here, so there was plenty of game to be found around.
This was what he was thinking about right now, confident that the bandits would be unable to resist trying to attack two people all by themselves like this.
Shu, in particular, was very unimpressive-looking, so the only apprehension they might have was about Edrick. Standing at two meters and fifteen centimeters in height, with incredibly wide shoulders, he definitely did not seem like the easiest of people to rob- Yet, if the bandits were smart and decided to strike whilst their victims were sleeping, then normally, they should not be afraid of taking action, even with him around.
After all, what good was it to be a giant if getting stabbed in the throat in your sleep would kill you like everyone else? That was probably how they would think.
“Hum… What kind of business could it be, Edrick?” asked Shu. The words used by Anoteros had not exactly been subtle about his intentions, but the inner disciple asked just to be sure.
“You shall see, be ready to pretend to be asleep after I put the campfire out. Unless they can see in the dark, they will wait for some moonlight to make their move. Be careful of the sounds, and act if you feel the need. Alright?”
These were the last words spoken before the fire was put out, and darkness was allowed to rule unimpeded in the area. Edrick had chosen today for a good reason: The moon was out tonight, and the light it provided was enough for someone to see relatively clearly, even with trees obstructing it.
As Anoteros had guessed, hunting and setting a campfire attracted the attention of the bandit duo who lived in these woods all year long. They sustained themselves mostly by hunting and foraging, but both held dreams of becoming great cultivators. Unfortunately, lacking basic talent to join any sect within reach, they turned to thievery, attacking the few carriages and people that passed by to steal money and goods. The latter would be resold for funds that were to be spent on cultivation resources on the black market.
The way they cultivated could be said to be ‘ascetic’, in the sense that they had no actual cultivation techniques. They had to make do with scraps that barely allowed them to circulate their inner energies, or rather, just their inner mana in particular. That was how bad it was for them, they didn’t even have a choice in what energy they circulated.
Despite this, even wretches like them were cultivators. So with the two of them, they were able to stop and steal from carriages unopposed. The regular people passing through the woods had even begun to prepare things to offer to be allowed to pass with their merchandise.
“Are they asleep?” one whispered.
“Looks like it… How do we proceed?” murmured the other.
As far as they could tell, neither was dressed in a way that signified importance. Edrick had indeed gotten Shu to wear something other than his inner disciple’s robes, and he himself was wearing clothes that looked inexpensive.
“The small one looks all scrawny and feeble. Even if he runs, we can catch up to him without problem- Let’s both focus on the big guy. As long as he’s properly restrained, we can take everything we want from them”
“Sounds good”
And just like that, the duo approached the campsite, full of confidence that they had gotten lucky and would get away with some riches for themselves.
Not for a second did they consider that it could be a trap. After all, what sort of madman would bother dealing with two small-time bandits like themselves? They had stolen plenty of times, but never had they killed or maimed anyone, so it seemed unlikely that someone would have a strong enough grudge to set a trap like this.
Unfortunately, tragedy does not require logic to strike- Like lightning, it falls wherever it wants to…