Episode 284.1

Episode 284.1

(EP-284.1) King #3

284 – Bandit King #3

“It’s a typical cave-style hideout. It shouldn’t be too difficult to infiltrate.”

According to Stella, the bandits’ hideout followed a fairly standard design—consisting of narrow passages like an anthill, with flickering torches, voices echoing from beyond the corridors, and numerous traps set on the ceiling and floor.

As I swallowed nervously, Narmi trembled with excitement, “It’s like an adventure. I feel like Tureuki’s Sindbad.”

Click.

At the sound of something activating, Stella stopped in her tracks.

“Narmi-yang, don’t step on that stone. It’s a trap. It’s connected to a string that would ring a bell—then the bandits would come rushing.”

Hearing the explanation, Narmi panicked.

“Ah! I already stepped on it...! What should I do...!?”

Thankfully, Stella remained calm.

“Then don’t lift your foot. It seems to be a pressure-sensitive trap that triggers when the weight is lifted. We were lucky. There should be a release mechanism around here....”

Clatter, click.

“Got it.”

“Unnie, thank you...! You saved me...!”

“Uh, unnie? Well, just be more careful from now on. I’ll go first, so only step where I step, and don’t step where I don’t. That’ll make things easier.”

Sassaak.

Elves were generally light and agile. Perhaps that’s why Stella was able to navigate the area, filled with traps set by the bandits, with such ease, disarming and neutralizing them with light steps.U//ppTodated fr/o/m nô/v/e/lb(i)n.c(o)\/m

━Did you just hear something?

━Probably just a rat. Or maybe those imps we caught earlier—hey, what are you—ugh! What was that in my neck...ugh....

She also silently neutralized the occasional bandits that appeared using her unique throwing skills and blowgun.

Such skills were something neither I, Lady Draco, nor Elga possessed, so I couldn’t help but be impressed. This wasn’t something she’d done just once or twice.

“There’s quite a lot of guards.”

As Stella was stuffing the unconscious bandits into a nearby crate, Narmi, who had been watching, couldn’t hold back and exclaimed softly.

“... Amazing! You’re just like Alibaba Bellhawk—the Bandit King! The one who escaped from the dungeons of Angmar palace!”

Alibaba Von Belhawk.

We could see a group of men gathered around a table, chatting as they played cards.

Among them, a man with a hood and a thick beard seemed to hold a higher rank.

“I’ll take care of this.”

Stella drew four darts from her waist, gripping them in one hand before flicking them into the air.

She drew four darts from her belt, gripping them in one hand before tossing them into the air as if scattering seeds.

Swish— Fwoosh—

In an instant, the four darts found their mark, embedding themselves in the necks of the bandits playing cards. Their heads slumped onto the table as if they had died on the spot.

━What the...? What just happened?

The hooded bandit hadn’t grasped the situation. But he was quickly subdued by Stella, who moved with the speed of a puma, unable to move an inch.

“Geukh-.”

Stella effortlessly pressed her foot against the man’s throat, pinning him to the wall with the elegance of a Taekwondo or Taekkyeon master.

As Narmi clapped her hands, I slowly approached the bandit and twirled my fingers.

─Mero Mero Beam!

It worked.

I could feel the spell taking effect.

“You can release him now.”

At my words, Stella lifted her foot and let go of the bandit. The bearded man collapsed to the ground, clutching his throat and asking.

“Who... who are you... cough... exactly?”

“That’s not important. All you need to do is answer our questions.”

* * *

The bandit’s name was Crox. He wasn’t a high-ranking officer, just a squad leader of sorts below.

“I-It’s not like I’m telling you this because I like you! There’s a bunch of terrifying officers down below anyway...! Even if you go there, it’ll be a waste of time!”

Using the Mero Mero Beam on a man was pretty shitty.

It seems this spell still has room for improvement.

Nonetheless, it proved highly effective in controlling one’s mind, allowing us to extract crucial information about the traps ahead and the location of the imprisoned imps.

“Do you know the names of the imps?”