Chapter 83: The Bandit’s Lair and an Unwanted Guest

Late in the evening, I raced through the nameless mountain, my breath heavy.

I had received intel about a bandit hideout hidden somewhere in these woods, but despite my efforts, I had found nothing of value.

As the night wind shattered the frost-covered leaves, a faint glimmer flickered in the distance, reflecting the moonlight from deep within the dark forest.

Fwoosh—

I pulled on the reins, bringing my mount to a sudden halt.

The Nightmare, sensing something nearby, let out rough, heavy breaths and began stamping the ground anxiously.

White puffs of mist escaped my lips as I exhaled.

Emerging from the eerie night wind, dozens of soldiers in gleaming armor revealed themselves.

This was not the kind of gear ordinary bandits would wear.

Until now, the ones I had encountered were only clad in chainmail or leather armor. They had never exuded such disciplined force.

“What business do you have here?”

I asked cautiously. A response came swiftly as the soldiers surrounding me simultaneously drew their weapons, pointing them at me.

I was just about to unsheath my own sword in response to their hostility when an overwhelming presence emerged from behind them, accompanied by a shadowy figure.

I knew this presence. It was as if a sharpened blade was pressing against my skin.

“It’s been a while, Fairy Swordsman.”

“You’re…”

Stepping forward from the soldiers was none other than the middle-aged knight who had previously approached me at the garrison, wanting to purchase my Nightmare.

He waved his hand casually before turning to inspect the massive carriage his men had brought along.

“I suppose I should introduce myself properly this time. Anders del Kopman. You may call me Kopman if you wish.”

His name suggested nobility, but with my lack of knowledge about noble ranks, I couldn’t tell what title he held.

“So, what brings you here?” I asked.

“The answer is obvious, isn’t it? I came to negotiate a deal.”

“A deal? And you brought all these soldiers along for it?”

At my pointed remark, Kopman gestured toward his men. The soldiers who had been aiming their weapons at me immediately lowered them.

“My apologies. It seems my subordinates were a little discourteous.”

“…”

White mist clouded my vision as I exhaled, but before I could respond, Kopman spoke again, cutting me off.

“Thirty. I’m offering you 300,000 gold. Every coin is packed in this carriage.”

So, he hadn’t given up after all. I had assumed he had moved on since our last encounter, but clearly, that wasn’t the case. He was still after my Nightmare.

“You’re still not giving up?”

“How could I? Such a horse is far too tempting to simply let go.”

I glanced around cautiously before speaking again.

“Is this a threat?”

“A threat? Is that how you see it?”

“Well, from my perspective, it certainly looks that way. You brought soldiers, surrounded me as if waiting in ambush.”

“Hmm. It seems we have a misunderstanding. I came here only to exterminate the bandit group said to be hiding in these mountains.”

I reached for the sword strapped to my back without a word.

Seeing this, Kopman placed a hand on the hilt of his own blade.

“Must we really go down this path?”

“Must you really go down this path?”

There was no need for further discussion.

Kopman was the kind of man who wouldn’t rest until he got what he wanted—my Nightmare.

The moment our intentions aligned, the battle began.

“Clip the fairy’s wings.”

Kopman’s command signaled the attack.

In an instant, soldiers rushed toward me from all sides, their spears and swords cutting through the air with glints of cold light.

I thought I had become fairly well-known by now, but perhaps my youthful appearance was still an issue.

It seemed that my Nightmare’s reputation had outgrown my own skills.

To dodge the incoming attacks, I pressed down on the saddle and used the momentum from my waist and arms to leap into the air.

Since their goal was to capture the Nightmare alive, they focused their attacks on me instead.

Neigh!

Agitated by the onslaught of humans, the Nightmare reared up and kicked a soldier square in the chest with its front hooves, sending him flying.

Killing them would be a problem, but letting them live would be an issue as well.

How should I handle this?

All I wanted was a quiet life as an adventurer, but now I was forced to weigh their lives on a scale.

At that moment, dozens of arrows rained down from a distance, their tips gleaming as they sliced through the wind.

My heightened senses kicked in immediately. As I processed the incoming attack, the air around me began to swirl.

Then, just before the arrows could reach me, their trajectories suddenly veered off course, scattering in all directions.

Gravity soon pulled my airborne body downward, and I landed lightly.

My Nightmare stepped forward protectively, scraping its hooves against the ground while exhaling heavy, ragged breaths.

Dealing with dozens of soldiers wasn’t particularly difficult. What truly concerned me was Kopman.

He hadn’t intervened yet, merely standing with his arms crossed, watching me.

But I could see the tension in his muscles—he was ready to draw his sword at any moment.

I frowned as I dodged incoming attacks. I didn’t like the way Kopman was looking at me.

His smug confidence, as if everything was going according to his plan, irritated me.

Then, the Nightmare suddenly reared up, raising its body high.

Its shimmering gemstone-encrusted hooves crashed down onto the ground.

CRACK!

Within a set radius, jagged crystal spikes erupted from the earth with a sharp, shattering sound.

“Urgh…!”

“Guh…!”

The razor-sharp crystals impaled the soldiers.

Those who had rushed in too deep were not only struck in their arms and legs but also had their chests and abdomens pierced, blood spilling from their wounds.

The Nightmare, having successfully attacked and defended at the same time, let out rough breaths and chewed on the blood-stained crystal that had sprouted before it.

Was this how the monsters on Monster Island felt? It was incredibly irritating to have dozens of soldiers swinging their swords at me one after another.

On top of that, Kopman’s sharp aura, as if he was ready to strike at any moment, continued to gnaw at my nerves.

At that moment, a method came to mind—a way to silence everything that had happened today without killing anyone.

I let out a low breath and began to draw in mana.

Bzzzzzt!

As the sound of my heart’s rotation, audible only to me, grew louder, blue electricity gathered in my left hand.

Crackle!

The moment the blue lightning took shape, the soldiers’ and Kopman’s faces twisted in shock.

Kopman hurriedly tried to draw his sword, but the lightning shot out from my hand even faster.

Boom!

The scattered electricity struck the nearest soldier directly. The blue lightning didn’t stop there—it spread out, triggering a chain reaction.

Crackle!

Soldiers caught in the blue lightning began collapsing one by one.

Fifteen men fell just like that.

“A-A mage…?”

Kopman muttered in a pale, trembling voice as he watched the scene unfold.

I subtly hid the red scales sprouting on my left hand behind my back and smiled lightly.

“Kopman. Do you understand what you’re doing right now?”

In this world, mages typically belonged to the Magic Tower.

Independent mages simply did not exist. Magic was an academic field monopolized by the Magic Tower.

So, it was natural for them to assume that I was affiliated with the Tower.

Mages in this world handled all sorts of tasks—monster extermination, participation in wars as mercenaries, even summoning rain for drought-stricken nations.

The Magic Tower’s mages were a force that had an immense impact on the world.

“Do you think you can handle the consequences of this?”

Kopman’s hostility toward me could severely damage the relationship between the Magic Tower and this country. That is, if I were actually a mage from the Tower.

“Y-You… Are you really a mage?”

“Do you want me to show you again?”

I sent another burst of blue lightning scattering behind me. The flashing bolts spread out, threatening the nearby soldiers.

“N-No… That won’t be necessary…”

“Step back. Now.”

Kopman’s expression twisted in frustration. He blinked his despair-filled eyes and ordered his soldiers to retreat.

“A mage… wielding a sword…?”

“Are mages not allowed to use swords?”

“That’s…”

An awkward silence fell between us.

The overbearing and confident Kopman was gone.

All that remained was a middle-aged man hesitating under the gaze of a girl much smaller than him.

“What do you think will happen if the Magic Tower finds out about this?”

Of course, there was no way they would.

I wasn’t a mage from the Tower.

And even if they did find out, the relationship between the Tower and this country wouldn’t be affected.

But Kopman didn’t know that.

And he never would.

“P-Please, anything but that…”

In front of his soldiers, Kopman pleaded with me.

His steadfast belief had crumbled before the might of magic.

“You didn’t see me today.”

“That means…?”

“Why do you think a mage from the Tower would be acting as a swordsman?”

Color slowly returned to Kopman’s face.

He looked at me with a hint of hope.

“T-Then, what happened today…?”

Instead of answering, I narrowed my eyes and let blue lightning crackle in my hand.

Startled, Kopman quickly bowed his head.

“You understand what I mean, right? Get out of my sight. Now.”

Without another word, Kopman called his soldiers.

Dozens of troops hidden in the forest revealed themselves and began retreating in droves.

As he was about to leave with his soldiers, I called out to him.

“Leave that behind.”

I pointed at the cart Kopman had brought with him.

Before the fight, he had mentioned that it was filled with gold coins.

“T-This…”

Kopman’s face turned pale.

Because of his poor decisions, he was about to lose a fortune—three hundred thousand gold.

After a long hesitation, he slumped his shoulders and abandoned the cart before descending the mountain with his soldiers.

I folded my arms and watched them until they completely disappeared from sight.

The moment even the faintest traces of Kopman and his soldiers vanished, Nightmare licked my cheek.