A Bug In Fate

Before Alden could ask another question—

"Shh."

Vish’s quiet voice stopped him.

A rustling sound came from the trees.

An arrow suddenly whistled through the air.

Alden reacted on instinct, twisting his body to the side. The arrow shot past him and struck one of the stone barriers lining the mountain road with a loud clang.

His eyes narrowed.

The road they were travelling on was barely wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side. Dense trees covered the uphill side, while the opposite edge dropped into a steep slope. Large boulders were scattered along both sides of the road, providing countless hiding spots.

Before Alden could search for the attacker, several presences entered his senses.

One.

Three.

Five.

...More.

They were surrounded.

"Boss! We got them!"

A loud voice echoed through the road.

A burly man stepped out from behind a boulder, a large axe resting on his shoulder. A wide grin stretched across his face.

One after another, masked figures emerged from their hiding places.

Two blocked the road ahead.

Three appeared behind Alden.

Several more climbed down from the surrounding rocks, while a few remained hidden among the trees with bows already drawn.

Within seconds, Alden and Vish stood in the middle of a circle of armed men.

"Fool."

A calm voice interrupted the excitement.

"Don’t celebrate yet. They aren’t dead."

A man slowly stepped onto a thick tree branch behind Alden. One hand rested on the hilt of the sword hanging at his waist.

Unlike the others, he gave off a faint pressure that immediately caught Alden’s attention.

He’s stronger than the rest.

"Boss, you’re worrying too much." The axe wielder laughed. "We’ve surrounded them. They can’t escape without our permission."

"Marco."

The leader’s voice remained calm, yet it carried unquestionable authority.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to underestimate your enemies? We’ve survived this long because we stay cautious."

Marco scratched the back of his head with an awkward grin.

"...Fine."

"Hey."

Alden raised a hand.

No one responded.

"Henry, let him be," another voice said.

An old man stepped out from behind Marco. He barely reached the taller man’s shoulder, his thick beard almost touching his chest.

He was a dwarf.

"There are only two of them."

"See?" Marco pointed at the dwarf with a grin. "Even the shorty agrees with me."

The dwarf’s face darkened.

"I’m standing right here, you idiot."

"Hey."

Alden waved again.

"I’ve been trying to get your attention for a while now."

The entire group ignored him.

Alden let out a small sigh before turning towards Vish.

She stood exactly where she had been from the beginning, her calm eyes quietly observing every bandit surrounding them.

"How about you say something?" Alden whispered. "I’m sure they’ll listen to you. Men are men, no matter which world they’re from."

"I don’t want to."

Vish’s answer was as short as ever.

"..."

Alden sighed again.

"I’ll never get used to your cryptic answers."

He turned back towards the bandits.

This time, before he could speak—

"Will you shut up already?"

Marco pointed his axe at him.

"Can’t you see we’re bandits? We’re going to kill you, then take everything you’ve got."

"So you could hear me."

Alden nodded to himself.

"I was beginning to think I had become invisible."

Marco’s eye twitched.

"Boss."

He tightened his grip around the axe.

"This brat is getting on my nerves."

"I’ll kill him myself."

"Hey, hey."

Alden raised both hands.

"There’s no need to jump straight to violence. This is nothing more than a meaningless fight."

Marco let out a cold laugh.

"I don’t care. Right now, I just want to punch that annoying face of yours before I kill you."

He took a step forward, the blade of his axe dragging across the stone road.

"You think talking is going to help you escape—"

"Marco."

Henry’s voice cut him off.

The burly man clicked his tongue but obediently fell silent.

Henry’s gaze settled on Alden.

"You called this a meaningless fight."

"I did."

"Why?"

Marco couldn’t hold himself back.

"Boss, why are you wasting time listening to him? We can kill them and be done with it."

Henry shot him a glance.

Marco immediately lowered his head.

Silence returned.

Alden shrugged.

"As far as I know, bandits rob people for money."

"We do."

"Then your target is my belongings, not my life."

Henry remained silent, allowing him to continue.

Alden pointed at the rusty saber hanging from his waist.

"Take a good look at me. Does it seem like I own anything valuable?"

The bandits instinctively looked him over.

His clothes were plain.

His boots were worn.

Even his saber looked as if it had seen better days.

"If you’re interested in this saber, I don’t mind giving it to you."

Marco burst into laughter.

"Boss, he’s poorer than us."

A few of the masked men chuckled as well.

Henry didn’t laugh.

"What if you have a storage ring?"

Alden blinked.

"...A storage ring?"

Henry nodded.

"You could be hiding your valuables."

Alden looked down at the rusty saber before raising it slightly.

"If I owned a storage ring, why would I still be carrying this thing?"

Henry didn’t answer immediately.

"What if you’ve hidden it somewhere on your body?"

Alden stared at him for a few seconds.

Then a strange expression appeared on his face.

"...Do you plan on stripping me?"

The mountain road suddenly fell silent.

Even Marco stopped laughing.

Several bandits unconsciously looked towards Henry.

Vish quietly turned her head and looked at him as well.

Henry’s expression remained unchanged.

Alden shivered dramatically.

"I really hope that’s not your hobby."

Marco snorted, trying to suppress his laughter.

The dwarf rubbed his forehead.

"What an idiot..."

Henry ignored everyone’s reactions.

"Let’s assume you’re telling the truth."

His eyes shifted towards Vish.

"What about her?"

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Everyone’s eyes followed Henry’s gaze.

Vish stood quietly with her hands behind her back, as though the conversation had nothing to do with her.

Alden suddenly had a bad feeling.

He slowly turned towards her.

"...Do you have anything to say?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

"Do whatever you want."

Her calm reply left Alden speechless.

Marco’s grin grew wider.

"I knew it."

He pointed his axe towards Vish.

"She definitely has something valuable. Maybe she’s carrying his belongings too."

His smile became even more sinister.

"And who knows..."

He looked Vish up and down.

"Maybe she’s hiding more than treasure."

Several bandits laughed.

Alden’s expression immediately darkened.

"I’d advise you to stay away from her if you value your lives."

Marco laughed even louder.

"And who’s going to stop us?"

"The boy’s right about one thing," the dwarf suddenly said.

"We’ve already wasted enough time."

He rested a hand on the hammer at his waist.

"We should finish this."

Marco eagerly nodded.

"Exactly!"

He pointed his axe at Alden.

"Boss, let me kill the brat first."

"I’ve wanted to punch his face since he opened his mouth."

Alden looked towards the dwarf.

"By the way..."

The dwarf frowned.

"What?"

"Aren’t dwarves supposed to be blacksmiths?"

"..."

"What are you doing wasting your talent as a third-rate bandit?"

The dwarf’s face turned bright red.

"You little bastard!"

"I’ll forge your corpse into scrap metal!"

Marco barked a laugh.

"I told you he was annoying."

"I’m killing him first!"

Henry finally let out a quiet sigh.

Enough talking.

Henry remained silent for a moment before raising his hand.

"Marco."

"Yes, Boss."

"You’ve wanted to kill him since the beginning."

Marco grinned.

"I have."

Henry pointed at four nearby bandits.

"You four. Go with him."

The four masked men immediately stepped forward.

"Boss?" Marco scratched his head. "Isn’t that a bit much? He’s only one kid."

"You’ve questioned my caution enough today," Henry replied calmly. "I’m not repeating myself."

Marco’s grin faded.

"...Understood."

At Henry’s command, the five bandits spread out and rushed towards Alden from different directions.

Alden rested a hand on the hilt of his rusty saber before glancing at Vish, who hadn’t moved an inch since the ambush began.

She simply watched the approaching bandits with the same calm expression.

Alden blinked.

"...Hey."

Vish looked at him.

"Don’t tell me you’re expecting me to fight them alone."

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