"Well, well, well," a voice drawled mockingly. "What do we have here?"
The moment the voice faded, a few figures stepped out from the clearing not too far away. Their eyes were filled with amusement and curiosity as they stared at Modret and Axel.
Sensing the danger, Axel immediately tensed. Mustering the little strength he had left, he quickly stood in front of Modret, his face filled with apprehension. "Young master, please stand behind me!"
He gripped his short sword tightly, his small frame radiating a fierce might.
Hearing him, the eyes of the three lit up. Modret felt the urge to roll his eyes. Now they were really in trouble. 'Why do you have to call me young master? Can't you see these are bandits?'
Just as Modret had guessed, the moment they heard Axel call him "young master," the three immediately surrounded them, their bodies brimming with killing intent.
"A royalty, huh? How interesting. Just obediently come with us if you don't want your royal family to be worried,"
One of the bandits—a man with a scrawny horse face—spoke with delight.
Another one, a young man with dark brown hair and a chiseled face, sneered.
"Tsk, we should get a substantial amount if we sell these two brats. This servant kid doesn't look half bad!"
Hearing their words, Axel's eyes widened slightly. It was at that moment he finally realized his mistake. He quickly turned toward Modret with an apologetic look. "Young master, please run. I'll hold them off…"
Before the three men could react, Axel didn't wait. He lunged at them, his small frame looking minuscule compared to their towering figures.
But just as the famous saying goes—don't judge a book by its cover. One moment the three men were sneering at Modret and Axel, even faintly disdaining them, and the next, Axel had cleanly sliced off a bandit's ear.
Blood splattered onto his clothes, and taking advantage of their stunned expressions, he moved with catlike agility. His short sword swiftly landed a blow on the bandit's neck.
A spray of blood burst out, and the man's head tilted to the side. Soon, the bandit fell lifelessly to the ground, dead.
Modret was stunned. "So fast?" He hadn't even realized when Axel struck the killing blow.
"You…" The horse-faced man trembled with rage. "You dare kill one of our members?!"
He growled and lunged at Axel without hesitation. A dagger had appeared in his hand at some point, and he swiftly struck toward the little boy.
Axel, still weary and slightly dizzy, didn't falter. With a stretch of his body, he sidestepped the attack calmly, twisted faintly, and moved his sword once more at lightning speed toward the man's head.
Just then, a sharp voice cut through the air. "How fierce."
The moment the voice faded, a slender male figure walked out from between the branches. Behind him were more than ten men dressed in the same bandit attire. As he spoke, his body radiated an intense pressure.
Having felt this pressure once before from the maid who tried to assassinate him, Modret was stunned. "An awakened…" he sucked in a deep breath.
The words of the awakened seemed to carry their own weight, and as he spoke, Axel—who was about to slice off the second bandit's neck—suddenly fell to the ground, his attack ceasing entirely.
'He's using the pressure of an awakened to seal our movements!' Modret thought bitterly as that oppressive might pressed down on him as well.
Axel gritted his teeth, struggling fiercely as he raised his head to meet the gaze of the bandit leader. His fierce glare looked as though he was ready to lunge at him at any moment.
The slender man was amazed, surprised that Axel could still faintly move under his pressure. "Young boy, what is your name? How would you like to be my second-in-command?"
He stretched his slender hand and lightly caressed Axel's face. But Axel didn't flinch in the slightest, still struggling fiercely under the oppressive weight.
Seeing this, the youth shook his head gradually, then turned to the two bandits from before. "Tie them up and bring them to the tents. Gradually, we'll find their family and sell them back… or perhaps sell them to other nobles."
Hearing those words, Modret felt his throat tighten. Before he could react, he and Axel were quickly tied up, bundled like sacks, and hoisted onto the bandits' shoulders, carried deeper into the forest.
…
After roughly an hour of walking, the bandits brought Modret and Axel to a secluded tent gathering. They dumped them to the side and returned to an atmosphere of festivity.
During this time, Axel had already passed out from exhaustion, leaving Modret silent as he watched the bandits dining. The smell of fresh meat and broth lingered in the air.
His expression was tranquil, his blue-silver hair cascading down his face, making him look particularly eye-catching. But beneath that cascade of silver, a smirk tugged at his lips.
… because, hidden from the gaze of the bandits, a small dagger appeared in Modret's hand. He had concealed it beneath his robes the moment he sensed danger—always prepared for what might come.
'As expected of this chaotic world. It's better to always have a second and third plan in case of anything.'
{They're looking!}
The fairy's voice cut through the air, and Modret immediately paused his movements, stopping just short of cutting the ropes that bound him. After a while, she finally spoke again.
{They've gone back to their meal…}
Modret exhaled slowly, then continued the process. Although the fairy couldn't physically interact with the outside world, he had found multiple ways to make her useful. One was this; another was keeping track of the way back home.
{Truly too meticulous. Did you learn this from playing all those video games?}
The fairy sounded amazed by Modret's cunning. He just grinned, not bothering to reply.
Slowly, time passed, and soon, Modret had completely cut the ropes that bound him. He was finally free. In this kind of situation, the best choice would've been to prioritize his life and run.
But Modret had another plan in mind.
"Let the hunt begin," he whispered, his figure blending into the darkness. The bandits who were dining didn't realize one of their captives had silently slipped away, unnoticed…