The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon-Chapter 211: 9:1 (6)

I turned back for no reason. There was nothing but sand and the horizon. My Detection field picked up nothing, but I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following us. I hadn't seen or heard anything. The tracking device had already been removed. It was probably just a vague gut feeling. Honestly, my instincts had never been especially reliable.

Still, I looked back again. Nothing. There weren't even any places to hide in the open desert. I had to have been imagining it.

The merchants walking nearby struck up a casual conversation. "Where are you coming from?"

"Aman," I answered.

"You don't seem like a local. Must've been a long journey." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Rubia cut off their deeper probing with a vague answer. "Something like that."

Rubia was still a fugitive after all. There was no telling how far her uncle's bounty extended, and revealing she was from Erast could only bring trouble.

However, the merchants didn't give up. "First time in the desert?"

"Yes."

"Knew it. You came on horses instead of camels with no real prep or gear. Hahaha..."

What's that supposed to mean? It's not like we were crossing the entire western desert. We were just passing through. So what if we have horses?

They were getting rude, but I held my tongue. They had approached us kindly and offered help.

"There's no crest on your armor. May we ask what house you serve?"

"Nothing notable," I sharply replied.

"I see..."

The merchants exchanged glances, then grinned. "Regardless, you're lucky to have met us. We'll guide you along the fastest path to the sacred site."

"The fastest path?" I asked.

"That's right. The way we're going now is the quickest route."

The curly-bearded man picked a piece of jerky hanging from his camel and offered it to me, along with a waterskin. "Want some?"

I waved him off. He might find it suspicious that I didn't even drink water, but hopefully, he'd chalk it up to simple caution.

I glanced ahead from the rear of the group. There were no mirages—nothing but endless sand. It was hard to believe this had ever been, as Isaac claimed, the most developed place on the continent. Even Rubia hadn't heard of such a story. It had to be fabricated or unimaginably ancient.

We followed the merchants for about an hour when I sensed a presence. Someone on horseback was riding straight toward us from behind. I could hear the sound of hooves kicking up sand, and a hood flapping in the wind. I focused on my Detection skill.

The presence appeared at the very edge of my field, still too far for a normal human to notice, but they were closing in fast. The closer they got, the more certain I became. To feel someone's identity at this distance, they had to be very familiar.

Rena was following us, alone.

I kept my composure and continued riding as if I hadn't noticed. I didn't know why she was following us, but if it was just Rena, I could handle it. Telling Isaac might only complicate things. He'd probably suggest laying traps or casting bizarre spells.

Truthfully, part of me wanted to see her again. I didn't want to stop her from coming.

Why is she alone? Where are Naneow and Sharunian? Rena isn't usually this impulsive.

"Ah."

Rubia's small sigh snapped me out of my thoughts.

She pointed up at the sky. "It's so clear."

"..."

Now that we were deep into the desert, the landscape had changed. There was no lake or oasis. Yet, the sky had become vividly, impossibly blue.

Though she looked exhausted from the heat, Rubia's eyes sparkled. "It's so clear. I don't know if this sounds strange... but it feels like there's nothing at all between the sky, the clouds, and the ground."

Rubia was right. It was my first time in a desert, and I'd never seen clarity like this. Neither the south nor the center had skies this pure.

One of the merchants scoffed. "Tch. Don't fall too in love with the clarity. If it stayed like this all year, the place would be uninhabitable."

What nonsense now?

Rubia nodded thoughtfully. "It's because of the air, right? I read it in a meteorology book. Right now, it's too beautiful to think about stuff like that."

Then I picked up on another group of humans approaching from beyond the dunes. Coincidentally or not, they numbered exactly twenty, just like the merchant caravan.

Naturally, I assumed they were similar in nature. However, as they approached, it became obvious they weren't ordinary traders. Their camels carried no goods. Instead, they held bows, spears, and blades, aimed directly at us. They wore white turbans around their faces, red tunics over them, and white pants beneath. They weren't here with goodwill, that much was clear.

A massive man at the front raised his hand to block the path. "Hold up!"

He swung a wide blade, using the flat to part the wall of dust that had blown toward Rubia. It kicked up a strong wind, splitting the sand like curtains. Since we were in the rear, we weren't the focus. The man's clenched fist was about the size of Rubia's face. He spun the massive sword effortlessly with one hand, lowering his turban with the other.

"Pay the toll!" one of the men shouted.

Isaac curtly labeled them. "Desert bandits."

"Is this... the dangerous intel the auction house was trying to sell me?"

"Heh. Who knows."

If it was, then Isaac had been right. We were smart not to pay for it. It was not worth thirty-six seirons.

The leader looked decently strong, comparable to Benson Pretcher or the guard leader in Yublam. If I flicked him, his head would probably fly off his shoulders.

Still, would Daliac's information broker really mark this as a danger? Twenty armed bandits, sure, but maybe they'd just exaggerated to drive up the price.

"Bandits in the desert... do they actually make money doing this?"

Rubia didn't seem nervous. Maybe she trusted me, but something felt... off. The merchants traveling with us didn't seem concerned either.

The curly-bearded leader stepped forward. "Sir Roben of the Desert Vipers. We've prepared the toll."

"Hmph..."

The two of them exchanged a small pouch like it were routine.

I expected a full robbery, not this. "Toll?"

"You can't just fight everyone if you want to keep robbing long-term," Rubia explained.

"Even if you win, you'll get bounties on your head. It's safer to take a toll and let people go. Everyone benefits."

"You look thrilled, seeing something straight out of your adventure books, huh?"

"It's not wrong, is it? Look, they're going to let us—"

Roben, the Desert Viper, opened the pouch and grimaced. "Come on, Yeoman. Are you trying to short me? We've got two more people passing through, and you paid less than half the usual rate?"

The caravan leader smiled slyly. "Those two aren't with us."

"Still, it's twenty people total—"

"I led them here, didn't I? I kept them from wandering off. The guy in armor is whatever, but the girl... she's in good shape. Just look at her. Honestly, even three days in a tent with her would make you a profit."

"Hm. She's too pretty to waste in just three days."

"Well, you lot don't treat women gently anyway. I'm giving you a huge deal here. Hell, I'm tempted myself."

The caravan master spread his arms wide toward the blue desert sky. Rubia looked at me in confusion, clearly not understanding what she'd just heard. The filth of their words made me want to cover her ears.

Overhead, Isaac flapped with glee, cackling madly.

The Desert Viper licked his lips and made up his mind. "No loose ends, right?"

"They're not even from Aman. Who's gonna care if they turn up dead?"

The merchants began to slowly distance themselves. In their place, the turbaned bandits stepped forward.

"What exactly... are they trying to do?" I asked.

"Heh. Just humans being humans. What else would they be doing?" Isaac replied.

"So this was the plan all along. They brought us here to offer us up."

"Still, don't you feel a little insulted? Sold off for pocket change like that? Just part of a caravan's toll. Hurts the pride a bit, doesn't it? Fight! Fight! Who will win~!"

I had no idea why Isaac sounded so excited.

"Hello there, pretty thing," one of the men said to Rubia.

"Ugh. What a cliché line!" Isaac shouted.

The bandit leader spun his sword with a dramatic flair as he approached. Isaac clicked his beak above us mid-flight. His chipper attitude was starting to annoy me.

I reached into my pouch and pulled out a few silver coins, holding them up toward the bandit leader. "Interested in taking a toll instead? I'll pay handsomely."

All twenty of the bandits surrounding us burst into laughter. "Kahahahahaha!"

Some aimed their bows, while others pointed long spears.

Roben the Viper grinned. "Why would we take a toll from people who can't make trouble afterward? We just take everything and bury the rest in the sand."

"..."

I glanced around in disbelief. The merchants had pulled back and now formed a second ring around us, completing the trap.

Some had even drawn their swords. We weren't just victims anymore; we were entertainment. Even if we somehow escaped the bandits, getting through the merchants would be next to impossible.

"Why are they doing this?"

"They're tying up loose ends. Can't have survivors spreading the word about this."

She'd read so many books, and yet... Rubia always grew blind when it came to herself.

Is it fear? Does she have a habit of undervaluing herself? Or does she have some deep-seated faith in humanity?

I still remembered the way she'd looked at me when we first met. She had innocently asked why bandits would chase after someone with nothing to take. Her stats may have grown a little, but her core hadn't changed.

The bandit chief pointed his thick blade at her and grinned. "Heh heh heh... I'll be adding you to my slave registry."

Seriously, is Rubia cursed or something? First, the Necron cult. Then the Yublam guards. Now... this filth.

I casually lifted my greatsword and asked the chief, "Do you pull this trick often?"

Maybe it was the way I handled the massive weapon with just one hand, but the mood shifted ever so slightly.

The snickering quieted for a moment.

Roben took a step back and answered with a smirk. "You've got some strength in you to swing a sword like that. How about joining us?"

"Join you?"

"Yeah. Help us out. I see you've been playing loyal knight for the lady, but come on. You've been starving, right?"

"..."

"Heh. Don't try to pretend. You've been riding behind that body all day. No way you haven't been thinking about it. I'll give you first dibs. How's that? It's her or the grave, pal. You can die out here as a frozen corpse in the sand, or live the dream you've been secretly fantasizing about. Easy choice, right?"

The bandit's booming voice echoed across the desert. By now, over ten arrowheads were pointed directly at me.

Whip!

Suddenly, a kukri knife spun through the air and severed the bandit chief's wrist clean off. Blood sprayed into the sky like a fountain.

Clop clop!

Rena charged toward us at full speed. She must've been using Stealth because none of the bandits had noticed her approach.

Whip!

Another boomerang flew and sliced off his other wrist. She closed the distance in a blur, stopping ten meters away.

Lowering her hood slightly, she coldly hissed, "Now that's what you call a bleeding discount. Want me to throw in more?"