Surrounded on all sides by what appeared to be a hostile tribe of beastfolk bandits, Levi couldn’t help but feel distinctly bemused, his eyebrows raising slightly. A wide range of potential responses ran through his head, most of them lethal in some capacity or another. His magic thrummed beneath his skin, ready to be released, but he stayed his hand for the moment.

  What could this Lenida tribe possibly have done to be afflicted by such abysmally rotten luck? Well, other than being bandits, of course. Of all the traveling adventurers out there, they just had to pick to attack Levi, Qorbin, and Liliya?

  Hmm. That was becoming a bit of a mouthful. Levi would have to discuss creating a proper party name after this; he didn’t know if there was some official naming standard or tradition in this world, but even a placeholder name would do.

  Ah, he was getting distracted. Perhaps he was reacting a little too lightly to the situation, considering how there were currently four different weapons pointed toward various parts of his body at the moment, but…

  The entire attempt was just too amateurish, too impotent. The bandits around him barely registered to his instincts – and unlike with Qorbin, they evidently weren’t using some sort of deliberate presence erasement skill. Levi had no doubt that he could take them all out with two hands tied behind his back. Granted, that wasn’t exactly saying much, since he didn’t need his hands to cast magic, but…

  Briefly, he considered doing precisely just that. His magic began swirling within him, almost in excitement, and around them a faint wind began blowing through the forest clearing. Stella picked up on it, her emerald green eyes flickering around in confusion, but she didn’t seem to realize the danger it signified.

  A Sever and Cleave began forming at the tip of Levi’s fingers.

  However… After the whole thing with Hawke, this was honestly a welcome change of pace. There was no need to rush through things; Levi could take his time with this. The Sever and Cleave disappeared as his magic calmed.

  “Well?” Stella demanded. “What are you smiling for? Do you understand what situation you’re in? Or do we have to start lopping off limbs before you start listening?”

  “Right, my apologies,” Levi said politely before raising his voice and calling across the clearing, “Qorbin! Liliya! Please do what she says.”

  “Hmm…” Qorbin withdrew his hip flask from his cloak and took a long sip. Then, he lowered it and shrugged. “Nah, I think we’re good.”

  Levi blinked. Stella blinked. The bandits looked between themselves in confusion, as though they weren’t certain they’d heard him correctly. Liliya, for her part, seemed to have finally recovered from her coughing fit, her expression returning to her customary icy one. She didn’t react at all to Qorbin’s words, instead giving a single dignified nod of agreement.

  “What do you mean?” Levi asked. “Didn’t you hear them? They’re going to cut off my limbs if you don’t.”

  Qorbin sighed. “Sorry, kid. It’s nothing personal, but… we never really liked you anyway.” He turned to Stella and gave a dismissive wave at Levi. “Go ahead, do whatever you want with him.”

  Stella stared at Qorbin. “Excuse me?”

  Qorbin nodded. “You’re excused.”

  Stella bristled. “Enough games! Get down on the ground, both of you!” she yelled. She raised her own sword to Levi’s throat. “I’ll slit his throat, I swear I will!”

  “I am Liliya Volkov of House Volkov,” Liliya said, lowering into a curtsy. She straightened, looking Stella in the eye, her expression dispassionate. “We do not negotiate with terrorists. Go right ahead.”

  Qorbin didn’t even bother saying anything, instead letting out a wide yawn that spoke volumes on its own.

  Stella looked as though she didn’t know how to react. “I’m not bluffing, you know…”

  “Good, because neither am I,” Qorbin said. “I only partied up with him because his family is important, but honestly, the kid’s been a nightmare to deal with so far. Weak, incompetent, runs his mouth, doesn’t know how to show proper respect to his betters…” he tsked to himself. “You’d be doing me a favor, really.”

  “Oi,” Levi said quietly, narrowing his eyes. They both ignored him.

  “I… I see,” Stella said. Then she paused. “His family is important?”

  “Yeah, don’t you know who he is? That’s Levi Ironwood.”

  Stella’s eyes widened with recognition as she whirled around to Levi. “The son of Marquis Ironwood?” She looked at them with a new light. “You guys are Institute adventurers?”

  It was somewhat surprising that she didn’t seem to recognize the name Volkov but did recognize the name Ironwood. Levi supposed it was because Marquis Volkov was in charge of the northern border territories whereas Marquis Ironwood was in charge of the southern border territories, where they were right now.

  Qorbin made a face. “She is,” he said, nodding at Liliya. “I’m not. Please don’t lump me in with that crowd.”

  Huh. Levi didn’t know that Qorbin hadn’t attended the Institute of Ascension. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised; even within Luxanne there were multiple adventuring schools, much less across the entirety of Luminarche. Perhaps that explained why Qorbin had the attitude he did. He wondered where Qorbin had attended, then.

  Stella looked like she was just told she’d hit the jackpot. Which, in a sense, she had. Her brows furrowed for a moment as she evaluated this new influx of information. Then, she nodded as though making up her mind.

  “Okay,” she muttered in a low voice intended only for her men to hear. Naturally, that meant Levi and Qorbin both could hear it clear as day. Levi was pretty sure Liliya could read her lips as well. “Change of plans. The kid’s too valuable to kill off – we can ransom him back, fetch a nice fund. I’ll guard him with Jensen and Davis. The rest of you go capture the other two adventurers; they must be worth a great deal as well.”

  Her men nodded, two of them withdrawing their weapons from Levi’s body, leaving only two behind. They assumed their positions, fanning out to cover a wider area.

  “So how about it?” Qorbin said, pretending to not have heard. “You can have the kid. Just let us walk away.”

  Stella hummed. “We already have the kid, is the thing. You can’t exactly give us something you don’t have.” She smiled. “And another thing? You’ll find that I’m quite greedy. I want you two as well.”

  With that, she clicked her fingers, and her men charged at Qorbin and Liliya.

  Levi smiled in anticipation, his magic swirling to life as he prepared to counterattack in unison with Qorbin and Liliya–

  Before he blinked, his smile dropping abruptly, as Qorbin grabbed Liliya’s arm, turned around, and sprinted away. The bandits chased after them in hot pursuit, but Qorbin dropped several pellets onto the ground that exploded in massive clouds of smoke, delaying them as the bandits coughed and rubbed their eyes in irritation; there seemed to be some spice infused into the smoke.

  Levi stared after them. Huh. Why was Qorbin running away–?

  Oh.

  A normal person might’ve felt betrayed by this new turn of events, but Levi was able to read between the lines. Clearly, Qorbin trusted Levi enough to glean his intent from his actions.

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  It was simple. Qorbin had mentioned Levi’s family so that the bandits would be incentivised to take him hostage and ransom him off. As a result, they’d take him back to their camp, where the rest of the tribe was located. This way, since Stella would take Levi right to the heart of the tribe, Qorbin wouldn’t have to waste any time or energy interrogating the bandits.

  Levi couldn’t help but silently snort in amusement at just how lazy Qorbin was being. Well, if it worked, it worked. The only question that remained was…

  Why was Levi the only hostage here? Why couldn’t Qorbin and Liliya have gotten captured with him as well?

  So much for solidarity…

  “They actually ran away,” Stella murmured, sounding almost impressed. “Wow. What did ya do to them to make them leave you behind like this? I don’t think they even hesitated.”

  Levi sighed. “It’s not my fault.”

  “Sure it isn’t. Well, I’m sure my men will be able to hunt them down eventually. For now, let’s get you back to camp.”

  Luck had finally smiled upon them.

  Stella could barely restrain the wild smile on her face as they marched their newest victim and future source of fortune through the forest back to the Lenida tribe. His arms were bound behind his back by enchanted metal cuffs – the runic inscriptions upon them were strong enough to restrict up to even an mithril-tier adventurer. Anyone of a higher level would be unaffected, of course, but Stella doubted Ironwood was even iridium-tier yet.

  There was a reason why they targeted adventurers within this forest. The Viritilan Forest was a platinum-tier region. Iridium-tier adventurers might come here to blow off steam, but the monsters within wouldn’t provide substantial enough experience to really justify the time. Most adventurers who came here were either platinum-tier or even high gold-tier.

  However, most adventurers who came this far south weren’t Institute adventurers, much less the children of such high-ranking nobility. She’d expected them to be well-off from their clothing alone, but she hadn’t expected to capture the son of Marquis Ironwood, the man in charge of the territory they were currently in – and someone who loathed the Lenida tribe.

  Yeah, fuck it. She gave up on restraining herself, a ferocious smile appearing on her face.

  Marquis Ironwood had been a thorn in the tribe’s side for quite a while. Or rather, it was probably more accurate to say that they had been a thorn in his side for quite a while, considering how they were bandits looting and pillaging the area he presided over. He’d been trying to eradicate them for years now, sending out adventurers and soldiers to locate and hunt them down. Conversely, the Lenida tribe had been successfully evading and warding them off for years now.

  Stella couldn’t wait to see the look on Marquis Ironwood’s face when they showed up with his son in chains. Levi was his heir, wasn’t he? Wait, no, Stella vaguely remembered hearing news about a disinheritance about a year ago. Was that regarding Levi Ironwood?

  Eh, it didn’t matter. He should still fetch a nice price, along with his two party teammates.

  Assuming Stella’s men were able to capture them, that was... She shot a look over her shoulders, frowning slightly. They were taking longer than expected. She didn’t think the old man and the girl would be able to escape her men, but maybe they had some tricks up their sleeves…

  Well. She was fine even if they did manage to escape. Levi Ironwood was the true prize, after all.

  Speaking of…

  Stella frowned. Although Levi was being cooperative with them… he was calm. A little too calm. His body was entirely relaxed, and his demeanor was mild, even pleasant, as though he was taking a relaxing stroll through a beautiful forest instead of being marched through a monster-infested forest by bandits about to ransom him off.

  Whenever they’d taken hostages in the past, typically rich merchants, the hostages had always been fearful and terrified. Well, except for that one merchant who’d initially arrogantly insulted them. He’d changed his tune soon afterward when they’d broken his fingers, one for every insult.

  Levi Ironwood didn’t seem arrogant, though, especially for a noble’s son. Was he just really well-trained? He was an Institute adventurer. Or did he just not fully grasp the seriousness of the situation?

  Perhaps he just wasn’t aware that most hostage situations tended to end with the hostage dead…

  Well, as long as he continued being cooperative, then Stella wasn’t going to complain. After several minutes, they reached the open plains. Stella let out a loud whistle, and before long a group of warhorses returned to them, galloping across the distance at immense speeds.

  When she told Levi to get onto the horse, he finally seemed to realize his situation, a heavy look of reluctance crossing his face. As Stella forced him to get on at swordpoint, she unconsciously relaxed; they were back in familiar territory. His reaction must’ve just been delayed, then.

  Though, oddly, the horse seemed to be even more reluctant to let him on…

  She rode the same horse as him. Ordinarily, she would’ve knocked him out just in case he fought back – the last thing she wanted was for a hostage to struggle, fall off, and get trampled – but since he’d been relatively cooperative so far, she decided against that. Besides, he was an adventurer; his Constitution should allow him to survive a horse’s hoof or four.

  “Where are we headed?” Levi asked as they rode across the plains toward the east. He was sitting in front of her, his hands still bound behind his back and a blindfold tied around his head. She sat behind him, her body almost caging him in, preventing him from escaping as she held the reins.

  “You’ll see.”

  After twenty minutes or so of travel, they reached a ring of enchanted tents set up at the base of a small rocky hill, almost a mountain. Off in the distance, their warhorses grazed freely; they were well-trained enough to not need to be tied to anything. A fire blazed merrily at the center of the camp, illuminating the darkness.

  They’d arrived at the Lenida camp.

  Immediately upon arriving at the Lenida Tribe, Stella had practically paraded Levi through the camp at swordpoint, as if showing off a prized calf. Which, he supposed, wasn’t too far off the point. His blindfold had been cut off, allowing him to take in his surroundings properly, but his hands were still bound behind his back by enchanted metal cuffs.

  As he was marched through the camp and shown off to the various bandits, Levi estimated there were a little over a hundred people in the tribe, all of them beastfolk of some variety. A large number of them had feline ears atop their heads just like Stella, while others had an assortment of different mammalian characteristics.

  Most of them had reacted to Levi with relative disinterest initially, suggesting that not only were hostages common for the camp, but they also believed him to be not worth much. They had changed their tune quickly enough once Stella announced his identity as Levi Ironwood, the son of Marquis Ironwood. Then, their expressions had become much more predatory, almost hungry, as they leered at him. Words spread through the camp like wildfire, and more and more bandits arrived to take a look.

  More interestingly, the camp seemed to be situated right above a leyline node. The ambient mana here was thicker than even in the forest earlier. Which explained how they’d been able to evade authorities for so long. Due to the propensity of monsters to gather around leyline nodes, this area would likely be avoided by most travelers. Furthermore, the ambient mana would mask any magical signatures they emitted, preventing them from being tracked.

  Of course, the downside of this method was that they likely had to fend off any monsters that were drawn to the ambient mana – but Levi wagered these bandits were strong enough to handle that. Stella had informed him earlier that her little hunting group had all been mithril-tier or higher, and Levi didn’t think she’d been bluffing. For them to be able to evade the government and his own father’s forces for so long, they had to be at least marginally competent.

  They certainly didn’t like him very much. Stella finally forced him to the center of the camp, presumably where the most important people were located. An entire massive cow creature roasted over a blazing fire.

  “So this is supposed to be the Ironwood heir?” a heavyset man with two slanted reddish-black horns on his head sneered at him, spitting on the ground at Levi’s feet. Levi’s finger twitched; it was a good thing the man hadn’t tried spitting in his face. There were few things that vexed Levi more than that particular offense. “Are you certain you got the right guy? Look at how scrawny he is. I could snap him in half like a twig.”

  “His own party teammates confirmed it, Roland,” Stella said. “They had no reason to lie. Besides, look at the quality of his clothes. Only a noble would be foolish enough to venture out into the wilderness wearing such expensive and impractical clothing.”

  Levi blinked, looking down at himself. Well, fair enough, he supposed. He was still dressed in the same red vest over a white button down shirt and black slacks. Rewearing the same outfit probably violated some unspoken noble code, but truth be told, he’d kinda gotten attached to the look. Still, wearing such tight formal clothing into battle admittedly wasn’t the greatest idea – but hey, he was strong enough to get away with it. One of the perks of attaining his level of power.

  Roland laughed. “Hah! That’s true enough. You got yourself a valuable catch.”

  Stella smiled. “The ransom will be substantial.”

  “Ransom?” Another bandit spoke up. A wiry woman with sharp, foxlike features, paired with a pair of fox ears atop her head, stared at him menacingly while sharpening her nails – claws? – with a knife. Her sleeveless top exposed the toned muscles of her arms. “Forget the ransom, you know the Marquis will never pay. Let’s just gut him and string him up outside his father’s home city.” She smiled as she strode past Stella, reaching out and stroking Levi’s cheek with sharpened claws. “Send Lord Ironwood a message that even he can’t disregard.”

  The crowd of bandits that had formed around them let out a savage cheer. Not all of them, maybe only half, but it was enough to be slightly concerning.

  Hmm.

  Perhaps Levi would have to take action sooner than expected.

  6 chapters ahead!