Episode 282.1

Episode 282.1

(EP-282.1) King #1

282 – Bandit King #1

As I sat in the carriage, lost in thought, someone suddenly poked me in the side.

“Theo, what are you thinking about?”

It was Narmi. It seemed that Narmi and Mirna had indeed switched places. I shrugged my shoulders casually.

“Nothing much. I was just wondering if we’d reach Big River before evening. I heard it should appear if we follow this river.”

“I see! I thought you were thinking about that Tefer you heard about earlier. The missing archmage girl.”

The missing archmage girl.

It was certainly an intriguing story, but I figured that the White Mage Tower would already be handling the situation, so there was no need for me to intervene.

They mentioned that the White Mage Tower was in Big River, where we’re headed. Once in the city, it’s enough to simply check in and hear a report about the situation.

“But do you really think that Tefer was taken down by bandits? A Rank 5 Archmage would be practically invincible to bandits, wouldn’t they?”

At Narmi’s curious question, I glanced out at the river stretching alongside us, deep in thought.

Rank 5 mages were few in number, with less than 20 in the world.

Naturally, the individual strength of each of them would be strong enough to be counted in the double digits if limited to mages.

In contrast, bandits were weak compared to mages.

They’re weak, vile people, which was why they resort to banditry.

Normally, even if a large group of bandits gathered, it would be difficult for them to stand a chance against a genius archmage of the 5th rank...

As I was deep in thought, Stella added a comment.

“Fighting isn’t something you can quantify with numbers or calculations. Especially when it comes to survival, there are countless variables. With those variables, even an archmage can lose to bandits.”

“And what kind of variables are those?”

Narmi’s bold question seemed to catch Stella off guard for a moment. She crossed her arms with her eyes closed, and after a brief pause, responded lightly.

“It took us nine hours, but if we go by elf time, it’s like we arrived in less than an hour, right?”

At my question, Stella’s pointed ears twitched slightly through her hair.

“Alright, alright. I admit I was wrong, so please stop. That whole elf-age thing is just an elf joke, nothing more.”

“I was joking too.”

Hihi.

Teasing elves was quite entertaining. It’s fun.

Maybe the nymph genes deep within me instinctively find amusement in bothering and teasing elves.

Anyway, when we passed through the gates of Big River, a rather large city in the north, we were met by a group of guards who blocked our carriage.

“Are you Sir Theo Gospel, Lady Draco, and your companion, Stella Von Bellhawk?”

Just as anyone would feel a bit uneasy if the police suddenly pulled them over even if they’ve done nothing wrong, it’s natural to feel a bit nervous when guards start checking your identity.

“I am Theo Gospel. What’s the matter?”

My calm yet confident response prompted the guard captain to bow his head respectfully after checking our identification.

“We’ve been expecting you. An escort will arrive shortly, so please wait a moment.”

We disembarked from the carriage and sat in the guards’ office. Although I didn’t know what was going on, at least it didn’t seem like they intend us any harm.

* * *

After waiting for about five minutes, a man with a splendid white beard entered the guardroom.

Dressed in a well-tailored suit with a stylish monocle and leaning on a curved cane, he looked every bit the distinguished old gentleman.

When he bowed to us, Stella, who had been sitting in her chair looking bored, suddenly widened her eyes.

“Aren’t you Dolches?”

“For the Fairy Princess to remember this body, it is an immense honor.”

Dolches?

As I racked my brain, trying to recall where I’d heard that name before, Narmi leaned in to whisper to me.