Chapter 81: You really shouldn’t have done that.

Chapter 81: Chapter 81: You really shouldn’t have done that.

Chapter 81: You really shouldn’t have done that.

Their clothes were worn, their faces rough, and their expressions were filled with greed.

Bandits.

One of them stepped forward.

"Get off while we’re still asking nicely, gramps."

The old man’s hands trembled around the reins.

"P-Please..." He plead.

"I said get down, unless you’re tired of living." The bandit pointed his blade toward him.

The old man swallowed nervously.

"I don’t have anything valuable. Please, just let me pass."

The bandit frowned.

"Do I look like I care?" He grabbed the old man by the collar and pulled him down from the driver’s seat.

"Ah!"

The old man hit the ground heavily.

"Please! I beg you!"

The bandit grabbed him again, pulling him close.

"Relax, old man." He grinned.

"We’re not going to hurt you."

The old man’s eyes remained filled with fear.

"Just cooperate and everything will be fine." Said the bandit.

He then turned toward the others.

"Start unloading the wagon." The other bandits immediately moved.

"Yes!"

"Let’s see what we’ve got."

"Looks like we got lucky today."

The old man could only watch helplessly as his belongings were being taken right in front of him.

The grain he had spent weeks gathering was being carried away one sack at a time.

His face became pale.

"Please..."

Nobody listened.

One of the bandits climbed onto the wagon and began looking through the back.

His eyes immediately lit up.

"Boss is going to love this." He laughed.

"Look at all this grain!"

Another bandit looked inside.

"That’s quite a haul." The others laughed.

The old man’s expression became more and more desperate.

That grain wasn’t simply cargo.

It was the result of months of work.

It was what he planned to sell so that he and his family could survive for the next few months.

Now it was all being taken away.

The bandit holding him laughed as another sack was carried away.

"Don’t leave anything behind!" He shouted.

"Check everything!"

"Yes!"

The bandits continued looting, Sack after sack disappeared from the wagon.

The old man could only watch.

Eventually, the wagon was almost completely empty.

The bandits searched through the remaining crates, taking anything they thought might have value.

One of them even took a small wooden box the old man had kept hidden beneath the grain.

"Please!"

The old man’s voice cracked.

"That belongs to my wife!"

The bandit looked at the box before tossing it toward one of his companions.

"Then she won’t be seeing it again." The others laughed.

The old man’s expression became devastated.

Only when there was nothing left, did the bandit holding him finally seemed satisfied.

He looked toward the wagon.

"Looks like we’re done."

Another bandit nodded.

"Yeah, we got everything." He said.

The leader of the group laughed.

"Not bad."

He looked at the old man.

"Thanks for your services, old man."

The old man’s eyes widened.

Before he could react, the bandit kicked him.

BAM!

The old man rolled across the dirt and landed beside his wagon.

"Ugh..." He groaned in pain.

The bandits laughed as they began walking away.

"Let’s go."

"We got enough for today."

"Boss is going to be happy." The group talked amongst themselves as they disappeared into the forest.

The old man remained where he was.

For several seconds, he didn’t move.

His hands trembled.

His eyes slowly moved toward the empty wagon.

The sight seemed to break whatever little strength he had left.

He lowered his head.

Tears began falling from his eyes.

"Why..." His voice trembled.

"What am I to do now..." They had worked so hard.

All those long days and sleepless nights, only for it to be taken away within minutes.

He looked completely defeated.

Meanwhile, the bandits continued deeper into the forest.

They walked for quite some time before eventually arriving at their hideout.

A large cave hidden behind several trees and thick bushes.

From the outside, it was difficult to notice.

The entrance itself was partially covered by vines, making it appear like nothing more than another part of the forest.

The bandits entered.

The inside was considerably larger than expected.

Crates and sacks were scattered throughout the cave.

There were weapons stacked against the walls.

Boxes filled with clothes.

Food.

Coins.

And all sorts of other belongings they’d taken from travelers over the past few months.

The bandits dropped their latest haul onto the ground.

"Now that’s what I call a good day!" One of them laughed.

"Look at all this grain!" One said.

Another slapped the bandit who had held the old man on the back.

"Nice work."

"You really brought us a good haul this time."

The bandit grinned proudly.

"I told you I’d find something worthwhile."

Another man laughed.

"The boss is definitely going to reward you for this."

"Maybe she’ll finally let you join the main group."

The bandit laughed loudly.

"About time!"

His laughter echoed through the cave.

"With a haul like this, there’s no way she can—" He suddenly stopped.

His eyes widened mid sentence.

The words he so wanted to say now felt lodged in his throat.

With the little strength he had, he looked down at his chest, only to see that a blade had pierced right through it.

The sound of metal cutting through flesh filled the cave.

The bandit’s mouth opened, yet no sound came out.

The other bandits froze.

Nobody understood what had happened.

The man who had been laughing only moments ago suddenly coughed up blood.

"Wh..." His body trembled.

The sword was slowly pulled from his chest, then his body fell forward with a heavy thud.

Silence then filled the cave.

The other bandits stared at the corpse, Their faces slowly became pale.

"What..." One of them took a step backward.

"Who..." Another suddenly noticed something standing behind the corpse.

All eyes focused on the figure before them, completely covered in armor.

His face hidden beneath a dark helmet. Not a single part of his identity could be seen.

The sword in his hand dripped with blood.