Price of Management

The veil told me.

“Earl, if you don't mind, could you give us a chance to talk somewhere quieter?" ”

“Sure. I want to hear something, too. ”

He's the bandit leader I was expecting. Somehow I'm interested.

Vale tells all his men to stand down, then guides me alone. It seemed like an act to show me that it wasn't a trap.

The two took a short walk and arrived at a small hut.

“This is my home. ”

I was surprised by what Vale said.

“I don't see a better angle than any other house. ”

“I get frustrated by pretending to be the boss. ”

“Even though he suffers more than anyone else? ”

“We are all a group of refugees who fled their homes to live as common folk. There are a lot of people who live in the same village as me. If I am the only one who does extraordinary things, others will feel jealous and deprived. ”

Vale was wiser than I thought.

There will not be many laymen complaining about why nobles live better than us in this settled age.

However, the privilege of either side can be a great dissatisfaction in this band, which was originally all commoners. This is why the veil is considered.

“Anyway, come on in. ”

I just ran into him in the cabin. Bed and table, three chairs, shelves, one closet. Apparently, I was living alone without my wife.

Vale politely pulled out a chair and recommended it to me. As I sat down, the veil pulled out two water bottles and cups on the shelf and gave me a cup of tea from the water bottle.

“It's nothing special, but try this. ”

“Good.”

The senses shared with Wounded don't even seem to be poisonous.

I drank a cup of tea and asked.

“You knew I was coming. ”

“Yes. I was able to anticipate it from the news that Earl Ligand was making repairs to the North. that a royal army will come to wipe them out, and that Earl Ligand, who is the chief officer of the impenetrable force, will step up. ”

“Your insight is remarkable, but your intelligence is fast? Hiding in these mountains. ”

“We have captured several merchants based in Raedon. They sell their harvested specialties and buy the essentials they need, and they also listen to King Leaden's information as they trade. ”

“Specialties?”

I asked surprised.

Vale replied as if it were natural.

“You don't think all of these people live in bandits, do you? ”

“I'm sure it is. ”

“I grow orchards, I dig herbs, I hunt. We're encouraging coin farming, but we're getting somewhere. You may also be paid a toll on passers-by in the Balad Mountains. Now, this may sound like a lie, but we prohibit plunder and trafficking, and we don't commit murder unless there's a force majeure. ”

“Why? You're bandits. ”

“We are not bandits, Earl. ”

I looked at the veil with a look of what you're talking about. Vale sighs and says.

“Do you remember the Great Plague and Black Blood? ”

“Of course I know.”

I made some money back then, and I'm here now.

“It was a difficult time to live in such despair. There was nothing to eat, but the tax collector kept urging me to pay taxes... … I couldn't live with myself, so I ran away with some friends and family. When I went into the mountains, I wanted to find a way to eat or gather fruit and herbs. ”

“So?”

“I was mistaken. Hunting wasn't easy, and finding fruits and herbs was hard. Families starved to death. I wanted to find a way, but I found a baggage merchant crossing the northern highway. ”

That was the beginning of the Bandits, yes.

Here is the story of the veil.

The Vale people who started being bandits quickly grew in size, intertwining with the times of many people who were wandering around looking for a place to live. Taking in the people who had nowhere else to go, the size of the day grew differently.

At first, I accepted them to increase their numbers for easy thieving. The bigger the Bandits are, the more afraid the merchants across the street are and the more they give away their wealth without resistance.

However, as the scale grew too large, I had to find other ways to eat and live.

There were fewer and fewer merchants crossing the northern highway, and it was too big to live on crime alone. This large group is becoming increasingly problematic as it becomes a means of living.

In fact, since it grew in size, the Vale Bandits have often had to meet punitive forces from nearby territories.

At first, you hid deep in the Vallard Mountains and avoided the subjugation. As I became familiar with the geography of the Balad Mountains, I gradually attempted counter-responsiveness with features. As I gained experience, I became more knowledgeable in strategic tactics and fought better against the punitive force.

“But I was always worried. If we cause more and more problems, we will end up with an insurmountable force that will destroy us. just like Earl Ligand who visited us today. ”

Wow, this is getting interesting.

At first, I wanted to do something about it, but I'm interested in the story of a man named Vale. This ordinary man, who was nothing special, unwittingly became a bandit and became the leader of the crowd, and discovered his talents that he did not know.

“That's why we've put a lot of effort into making sure that we can eat and live without committing crimes. I did everything I could in the orchards, hunting, gathering herbs, farming fireworks…… the Ballads. Even for passers-by on the northern highway, we decided to collect a certain level of toll rather than loot. as if you were getting tolls on land. ”

“Hey, that's funny. He's got a lot of jobs, he's got tolls, he's totally territorial, right? ”

“Ahh… I know. that this doesn't justify our sins. We're an unacceptable group of national laws, and we've taken a lot of innocent merchant property and fought against an army of nearby lords. We are sinners. That's right.”

“Then why are you telling me this? ”

“I wanted you to understand our position. I want you to know that I had a really hard time and had no way of living. ”

“So you want me to be generous? ”

“ ……. ”

The veil has been silent for a while.

The veil suddenly asked me a sudden question.

“It is speculated that the Punitive Force, which is camped at the mouth of the mountains, is the Royal Army of the 5th Army and has approximately 6,000 troops. Am I right? ”

“That's right."

I hesitated, but I was surprised.

From what I know exactly, I must have put a lot of effort into acquiring the information.

“I'm guessing you didn't have a trained archer in our bandits. Is that correct?"

“Yes.”

“I do.”

“What?"

“We smuggled our bows and arrows through the merchants and gave them to 100 of our men. Some were hunters, some were mercenaries, some were captured as allies, and some were trained as archers. ”

“ ……! ”

“The 5th Army couldn't possibly know about this, so they wanted to make it a secret force to bluff and take critical hits if they had to. Of course, I have to be honest with you, Earl Ligand, since you've arrived. ”

It was a veil that clearly shows my intention not to confront me as a superior spirit.

“Do you know why I told you this story? ”

“You want a peaceful ending. ”

“Yes, except for the young men who can fight, they are all innocent people who can live their lives in peace. You can go back to your hometown and live as a loyal citizen. And my men, as I said, are worth using. With that in mind, can you please accept us without killing us? ”