OLOTV 23

Chapter 23

“Stop.”

A husky woman’s voice rang out. At that voice, not only I, but also the thief about to bring the rock down on Keris, and all the other thieves, froze simultaneously.

The woman who appeared to be the leader of the thieves slowly pushed through the crowd and approached Keris. The thieves just stared at her with dumbfounded expressions, as if they didn’t understand what was happening.

In the meantime, I hurriedly retreated to my hiding spot. The sense of crisis in such a tense situation had made me act without thinking. Fortunately, with all the commotion, it seemed no one had noticed my presence.

The thief leader standing before Keris had the appearance of a seasoned warrior, judging by her looks alone. Just based on appearance, it seemed Keris might lose.

“I heard someone call you ‘Lord’ just now. Are you the lord of this territory?”

“I am.”

Keris answered with an expressionless face. At his response, the thieves buzzed with murmurs. The leader looked at Keris and let out a disbelieving laugh.

“To think the lord of this region would appear in person. But what do you plan to do, showing up alone before us without any guards?”

The woman displayed a confident attitude. However, she was probably feeling a sense of crisis internally. Because they had been discovered by none other than Lord Keris, it was only a matter of time before they were captured.

‘But as that woman said, Keris is alone. If things go wrong, he could be overpowered before he can call for help…’

That worry crossed my mind too, but there was nothing I could do immediately. It had been dark for a while, and I couldn’t see the paths in the forest at all. It seemed more likely I’d get lost in the woods before I could bring anyone back.

Keris responded to the leader’s words in a flat, monotonous tone.

“As the lord of this territory, I will punish you.”

The leader laughed again.

“You have no guards, no one. How do you plan to capture all of us by yourself?”

As much as I didn’t want to agree, the leader was right. No matter how exceptional Keris’s combat skills were, capturing this many people alone was…

“Do you think I cannot capture you?”

Keris said, flicking the blood off his blade.

His demeanor was so threatening that I started to think he might actually be able to do it alone. Perhaps the thief leader had the same thought, as she warily drew her sword while watching Keris.

The farm owner couple watched the leader and Keris alternately from behind Keris with anxious faces. It was a tense moment, a spark away from igniting a fight. Then, a small figure caught my eye. It was in the bushes opposite my position, precisely the bushes behind the thief leader.

It was too far to make out clearly. Had an animal from the forest jumped out? But that thought was short-lived. The moment I identified the figure in the distance, I was so shocked my hands trembled.

The figure was a small child. The child was walking closer and closer to where Keris and the leader were confronting each other. As it got nearer, I could recognize who the child was. It was the young child we had met earlier.

The child, as if seeing so many people for the first time, tilted its head curiously, approached, and then stopped. The child’s gaze fixed on the farm owner couple, who were bound and bleeding, and didn’t move.

“Mom… Dad!”

The child immediately ran towards its parents. But that action only worsened the situation.

At the child’s cry, both the leader and Keris turned to look. It was a situation where Keris couldn’t do anything even if he wanted to. The child was running from the opposite side of Keris, precisely from where the leader was.

The moment the leader spotted the child, she smiled. Before anyone could react, the leader snatched the child up with one hand. Seeing their child captured, the couple screamed.

“No!”

“Please, let him go! You can take everything from our farm, just please, spare the child…!”

But the thief leader pressed a knife against the child’s throat and said.

“It’s too late for that. Since it’s come to this, I need to make sure I get my due. Hey. Give us money and food right now and let us go quietly. Otherwise, consider this child’s life forfeit.”

As if to prove it wasn’t an empty threat, the leader made a long cut on the child’s neck. Keris just stared at the leader without a word. It seemed even Keris couldn’t figure out what to do in this situation. If this continued and the woman got agitated, the child might die.

“Drop your weapon first!”

At those words, Keris dropped his weapon. I quickly scanned my surroundings. If I hid using the farm buildings and the darkness, I might be able to get close to the child. Holding my breath, I moved slowly. The only thought in my mind was that I had to save the child somehow.

Taking a long detour, I finally managed to reach a position behind the child and the leader. I made eye contact with the child, who was sniffling in the leader’s grasp. The child opened its mouth as if to say something. I brought a finger to my lips, signaling it to be quiet. Fortunately, the child understood immediately and closed its mouth.

“When you say money and food, you mean what I, the lord, possess?”

“Of course. Someone of your status must have more substantial resources than these commoners.”

“……”

For a moment, my eyes met Keris’s as he was talking with the leader. Keris didn’t show it, but he seemed momentarily startled, because his actions paused briefly when he saw me. However, without revealing anything, he looked back at the leader and said.

“But to bring the Layton family’s resources, I must go to the mansion. Moreover, if I order a large amount of resources moved without explanation, it will inevitably raise suspicion.”

“Are you, a lord, unable to control the mouths of your own territory’s people?”

“Do you think I can silence everyone? It will reach the ears of the imperial palace officials soon, and if that happens, you will be executed. It’s better than needlessly increasing the number of prisoners who just consume food.”

At Keris’s words, the other thieves began to stir. It seemed that even while threatening people, they didn’t want to die. I realized Keris was fabricating plausible statements as a threat, not meaning them sincerely.

But the thief leader seemed to believe Keris’s words were genuine.

“So what does the noble lord want?”

“I don’t want to make this a bigger issue. I’m satisfied with you accepting this as financial compensation. And I’ll ensure you aren’t pursued if you flee this territory.”

As he said this, Keris unpinned a brooch from his clothes and held it up. It was a large brooch with a gem that looked very valuable at first glance. Seeing the thieves all look at it and murmur in admiration confirmed it was certainly worth a considerable amount.

The leader looked at the brooch Keris offered and replied.

“Fine. I accept. Hey, you, come here and hold this child.”

At the leader’s command, one of the nearby thieves took hold of the child. I gulped. It was a perfect opportunity to save the child. But I only had one chance, so I needed a surefire method. That’s when my eyes fell on an old iron pitchfork lying in a corner. With no other usable weapon available, I picked up the pitchfork. Carefully, ensuring my presence went unnoticed, I approached the thief holding the child.

Hitting someone with the sharp end of the pitchfork seemed too brutal, so I aimed the blunt end at the thief’s head and brought it down with all my strength. The thief collapsed without even screaming. However, the loud thwack of the blow to the thief’s head caused the leader and the other thieves to turn around.

“You! Who are you? When did you get here?!”

I immediately scooped up the child and sprinted towards where Keris was. The leader started chasing me. Seeing the child freed, Keris slashed the leader’s cheek with the hand holding the brooch. And the fight resumed.

Perhaps because there was no longer a hostage, Keris showed no hesitation. Moreover, while Keris was clearly highly trained, the thieves looked amateurish even to my untrained eye. This worked to Keris’s advantage.

After subduing the numerous thieves, Keris hurried over to me and the child.

“Keris.”

“Are you alright?”

I nodded in response to his question. Hearing my answer, Keris immediately bent down and spoke to the child.