Peacekeeper's Wrath

After a few exchanges with the Princess, I pieced together the whole situation. I had already scouted the area before being thrown into this cell, so I could formulate a better escape plan.

Estimating the bandit's numbers would be a good idea, but it wasn't appropriate right now. According to the Princess, they were numerous, and their leader possessed exceptional abilities. If we wanted to escape safely, we had to avoid a direct confrontation and wait for rescue. But that wasn't an easy task. The situation could worsen if we made a single mistake. Just as I was about to doze off, a bandit with a large scar on his face approached the cell door and made a loud noise.

"Wake up, brats!!! We're going on a vacation. Don't make us wait and get up."

I quickly got up and woke the others. I could hear them yawning with strange noises. The other guy grabbed my shackle and dragged me out of the cell. They put me inside a carriage, like a cage used for slavery. The other two were also put inside. I could hear the loud clatter of horse hooves and the murmurs of the other bandits, some sounding like laughter, anger, and teasing.

The carriage started to move. I could sense the anxious aura from the maid. She was shielding the Princess with her body. Meanwhile, the Princess seemed lost in deep thought. She then focused her gaze on me and muttered.

"This is our chance to escape!" she declared, clenching her right arm.

"Okay, do you have a plan?" I asked.

"It's very dangerous, but we have to try. We don't know what awaits us if we reach our destination," she explained.

"But how? We're surrounded by bandits from every direction?" the maid asked.

"We'll sneak out and take the two horses in front. Areina and I will take the right horse, and you [Cry] will take the other one. I'll try to take down some enemies. We have to buy time without getting captured. We'll head to the south route and meet up at the Fallen Temple on the western side of the forest."

She reached into her pocket, pulled out a piece of map, and threw it to me.

"Please be sure to survive."

Selva stood up and pointed her arm towards the front of the carriage. The wall suddenly cracked, and we jumped out. Selva killed the carriage driver and sat at the back of the horse. The maid followed her, and I took the other horse.

It was indeed a dangerous plan. I had never even tried to ride a horse before, and now I was riding one with men chasing us.

The bandits started to chase us, and they shot me with an arrow. Luckily, I managed to dodge it. I changed my route towards the north side, and the other bandits chased after me.

"Stupid, don't let them get away!"

A fire bolt flew towards my position. I quickly changed direction and made the horse run at full speed. One bandit managed to catch up, and he swung his sword. I turned my gaze towards his weapon and slowly dodged his attack.

He attacked the right leg of the horse, causing it to run in every direction. I had no choice, so I jumped onto the attacker's horse. I quickly grabbed the knife in his pocket and thrust it into his neck. A loud noise came from his mouth, and blood followed. I took his horse and rode at full speed. Suddenly, a long sword thrust into the neck of my horse. The horse lost its balance, and I fell down. I quickly grabbed the long sword, but it was too heavy, so I threw it and grabbed the small knife. I ran into the bushes to conceal myself.

"Quick, find the boy!"

I snuck up behind him and stabbed his neck, then took his horse. I managed to escape and made my way to the waiting area. Although darkness still enveloped the whole area, the light of the 13th moon helped me find my way.

The chirping sounds of silence were like beautiful music. I felt a little sleepy after hearing it. The darkness was so lonely, and the place was illuminated by tiny pieces of light. The wind blew like waves on the seashore, swaying smoothly with a long, sweet sensation that ran around.

An immense light was shining in the Fallen Temple. A horde of bandits welcomed my arrival. Some were carrying weapons, and others were musical instruments. In every section, there were four shining pallets with a bloody color wrapping around them. A dance parade started, and every bandit swayed like a chicken looking for worms to eat.

I tried to turn back, but I was already surrounded by dancing bandits. I glanced in the middle and saw the two familiar faces holding their courage and fighting the strange bandits.

I rode my horse towards the middle, where the battlefield was located. I jumped off the horse and landed in the middle of the hungry dogs. Everyone stopped and looked at me. I turned my gaze towards the bandit leader, who was sitting on the altar, watching the action movie with an apple in his hand. He smirked upon seeing me and grabbed his jawline, mocking me like an ugly being.

The bandit looked at Selva and muttered something. I was confused. The words he was muttering were completely incomprehensible, except for the Princess and the maid. I picked up a piece of rock and threw it at the bandit's head.

"Cry, please take Areina with you. I'll handle this myself." She glanced at me with eyes filled with dedication.

I nodded and grabbed the maid's hand. Areina simply let me hold her smooth hand with an embarrassed expression.

'What does she think right now? Her plan was to escape from the bandits, but it looks like we failed. And what are these things around?'

I quietly analyzed our situation and concluded that we were on the verge of failure. 'But what if they already anticipated our plan and prepared a trap? It looks like we're caught in their invisible hook.'

"Big play will follow, another [talk-no-jutsu] again," I murmured.

*****

A: Do you also hate talk-no-jutsu?