The Female Knight of Doom - TFKOD 35: Young Bandit

Alice felt a chill in Cecilion’s voice that she had never felt before, and she shuddered.

The God of Light is revered by the world as the embodiment of goodness, but they are ignorant that his cruelty and terror are no less than those of the terrifying God of Death, who is subordinate to the God of Darkness.

Cecilion appeared to feel remorse after seeing her response.

He picked her up gently and laid her down on the bed, “This is merely something I’m saying to help you feel better. Put it out of your mind and go to sleep.”

His embrace was no different from that of a regular person, but it felt very odd because it appeared to be floating in midair.

Alice was forced to stop thinking about unpleasant things as a result, and she soon dozed off under his comfort. This time, she didn’t sleep for very long, maybe because she had already slept for a long time before.

It was only the break of day when she awoke. After tidying up her belongings, she left the room.

She had the innkeeper prepare some food for her to eat on the way because breakfast was always served early at the inn. She hurriedly ate some boiled potatoes and bacon before leaving right away.

After bringing the horse out of the stable for her, the stable boy at the inn yawned and assured her that the animal had been fed well in the last few days and would be energetic while traveling.

After leading the horse out of Bowen, Alice mounted at the city gate and rode off in a southerly direction.

After a few months of raising this horse, she has a better understanding of its temperament.

This horse is undoubtedly not a bad one, but his temperament is a little odd. He often requires someone to entice him with treats if he becomes a little tired because he will not move.

It actually ran pretty well this time, maybe because it hadn’t been able to properly stretch its legs for a few days. But she was too busy with her valuable chainmail. She would always stop her horse and glance at the physical characteristics of other pedestrians she saw on the road.

After this occurred a few times, the horse became a little miffed and started to act slackly, slowing down and occasionally feigning confusion and wandering off to the side of the road to graze on some grass.

It would be all right if the road were just a regular open field, but regrettably, a portion south of Bowen City leads into a pitch-black forest, and you have to go through the forest to reach the village.

The walk through this forest takes at least half a day, despite its small size.

Alice will have to camp in the forest if she can’t find somewhere to stay and leave before nightfall. She had never been here before and had no idea whether the forest was home to any wild animals.

Indeed, it was a little risky to camp here by herself.

This uncooperative horse was having a fit.

She decided it would be better to take a quick break rather than keep stopping and starting because the sun was already high in the sky.

A clear patch of ground lay just ahead by the stream. Dismounting, she opened her food pouch to prepare a meal and allowed the horse to drink water on its own.

Like in the morning, the innkeeper packed her bag with boiled potatoes, cheese, jerky, and bread. Such food is nothing to be upset about when you’re out and about.

After opening the kettle, she stuffed cheese between the bread, sprinkled salt on the potatoes, and took a large gulp.

The flask contains Bowen’s ice wine, which is cool and sweet and has an amazing flavor.

Alice sat by the stream, eating and drinking while enjoying the sun’s warmth.

She heard hoofs in the distance at this precise moment. The sound was coming from this direction, as though someone had purposefully chosen to have lunch here because they knew it was a good spot.

She shoved the final two pieces of bread into her mouth, got up gingerly, and turned to face the source of the noise.

Before long, she noticed a dashing young man approaching on a horse.

The boy had a somewhat grimy face and appeared to be two years younger than her, but he was still very attractive. In addition to riding a white horse without a saddle, he had his hair plaited into tiny braids.

As spring approached, Alice continued to wear the fur coat she had purchased in Bowen, while the boy, who appeared to be completely unaffected by the cold, wore only a lightweight jacket.

He looks like a forest prince, a minstrel would undoubtedly exclaim if he happened to walk by and saw such a man.

But he was a bandit, and she knew that at a glance.

These days, bandits frequently prey on passing tourists and businesspeople while hiding in the forests outside the city.

The robbed people can only think of themselves as unfortunate, and the city’s soldiers don’t give a damn about these things.

The lord will only get rid of the bandits by sending the city’s soldiers or hiring a small company of mercenaries when their presence seriously impedes trade routes.

But the bandits have a large and knowledgeable network of informants in the city.

They frequently disperse and hide in the thick forest before the army arrives, making a full escape. They are used to living in the forest, are familiar with the terrain, and know where to camp, where to capture wild animals, and where to collect wild vegetables. It is not an issue to hide for two or three months.

The soldiers are free to carry on as they like once they get back to the city.

Alice had never come across a bandit while out and about, not because the places she visited were particularly safe, but primarily because she always wore mercenary clothing and carried a sword.

Despite her slight build, no one dared to challenge her, particularly after she began using her greatsword instead of a rapier.

They all made the decision to avoid her as much as possible, whether they were mercenaries, thieves, or regular merchants.

This time, however, she emerged as a typical tourist.

She would undoubtedly run into bandits on the way back, but she was probably fortunate not to have run into any on the way here.

For mercenaries, these kinds of circumstances are not unusual. The mercenaries will typically engage in negotiations with them to avoid a conflict, provided that they do not launch an attack right away.

After all, bandits are not much better off than mercenaries. For less well-known bandits, the reward is typically just a few silver coins.

There will be no real gain if the two sides fight; it will be a lose-lose situation.

This young bandit was not someone Alice intended to fight. She had no advantage when fighting here, and she didn’t have her greatsword.

If she could use her reputation to force the other party to give up, that would be ideal.

It had seemed like a good idea to her, but as the boy approached, she noticed that there appeared to be something shiny concealed inside his coat.

Clearly exclusive to Enchanted Armor, the unique blue light was her chainmail!

Only then did she look more closely at the boy’s features, which, indeed, matched the innkeeper’s description. He wore one earring and a few freckles.

She had only failed to recognize him as the thief who had taken her chainmail because he had braided his loose brown hair.

This issue won’t be resolved so quickly, Alice’s afraid.

By simply stating her name, it was impossible to expect the other person to remove the chainmail they were wearing.

The boy, however, did not appear to be prepared to attack right away, and insisted on speaking first.

He approached Alice and grinned, “Miss, are you by yourself? You must have a lot of nice things because you have such a lovely fur coat. Can you give me some?”

This boy would have appeared to be a small-time thug attempting to pick up girls all over the city if he hadn’t been carrying two knives.

Alice’s eyebrow went up, “You stole my chainmail and you still want something from me?”

After hearing her say this, the boy glanced down at his chainmail and reached out to tug it, “Huh? Miss was the original owner of this? How could the adorable miss have carried such a thing?”

“Are you familiar with the Mercenary Union? I’m not just a guest; I’m a member.”

“I am aware that Master Rachel is the leader of the Mercenary Union. Even Lord Rachel, though, has never dispatched troops to exterminate me. We don’t bother one another, and we’re not under the Mercenary Union’s authority. You had better not resist, in my opinion, little sister. To be honest, remove the nice things from your luggage. Don’t worry, I won’t take your horse, and I’ll leave you the money so you can go home. To warn other drivers not to rob you, I’ll even write you a note. I’m a decent boy, and I’ll never allow my adorable younger sister to run out of money so she can return home.”

He tried to look cute by winking.

There were some of the boys Alice had seen in the Red Light District that he reminded her of. It wouldn’t seem out of place if the little guy was making a living off his appearance, but she had no idea how he had turned into a bandit.

“I can’t give you the items in my luggage because they are very important to me. In addition, I’m a strong mercenary. Are you going to laugh at me if I tell you the truth?”

“Miss, you’re kidding. The mercenaries are all men! Yes, I did hear that Alice the Greatsword, a female Special Grade Mercenary, was recently promoted by the royal capital. Could you be that person?”

“It’s me.”

He was momentarily taken aback by her quick agreement, which he had not anticipated.

He gave her a few close looks before he burst out laughing once more.

“A young lady wielding a greatsword is Alice the Greatsword, right? It’s not enough that you have red hair to fool me. In other words, Alice the Greatsword cannot pass through here without paying a toll, even if she does. Don’t fight, young lady; simply turn in your bags. You hold a pretty box, don’t you? What’s within? Remove it and show it to me.”