Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Even If We Make a Lot of Money, Bandits Are Still Bandits
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"Huff... huff..."
"B-Boss, how about we take a short break?"
"Hm?"
At my men's pleas, I stopped in my tracks.
"We just rested a bit ago, and you want to rest again?"
I let out a sigh as I spoke.
"We rested already, you bastards. Why are you whining?"
"It's not whining, we're really exhausted..."
"I'm not tired."
"That's because... you're the boss..."
Bangsam pointed at my empty back with a look of injustice.
"You're walking empty-handed all comfy! The four of us are lugging all this heavy stuff!"
It wasn't a lie.
All the precious treasures we'd looted from the Shansu Liu Clan were being carried by my men, while I was hands-free.
But even if it seemed unfair, I stood tall.
Because I...
"I'm the boss, aren't I? You ever seen a leader carrying luggage?"
I'm the boss of our bandit crew, after all.
"Fuckin' hell."
When I said it so casually, Bangsam got pissed and dropped his load, cursing at the air.
Then he turned not to me, but to Vice Boss Dongryong.
"Vice Boss! How long are we gonna keep putting up with this green kid boss?"
For the record, I'm 22 in our bandit crew, fourth out of five in age.
Bangsam's 26, four years older than me, and Dongryong's 28, six years older.
"Vice Boss, why don't you use that rank challenge thing or whatever?"
Our bandit crew has a rank challenge system. Exactly as it sounds—if you beat someone ranked above you, you take their spot.
Number one is me, the boss; two is Vice Boss Dongryong; three is Bangsam; four is Bongchun; and five is our cute little maknae.
So Bangsam was telling Dongryong to fight me and win.
"Vice Boss, you've got the seniority—it's time you took over as boss, right?"
Bangsam, full of pent-up frustration, urged Dongryong with a desperate tone.
But Dongryong's response was...
"Bangsam, if you wanna die, die alone—why drag me into it?"
It was cold—ice-cold, even.
As expected of our bandit crew's reliable Vice Boss Dongryong.
Having spent the most time with me, he knew my personality inside out.
I approached Bangsam, who had suddenly gone silent at Dongryong's sharp refusal, and slung an arm over his shoulder.
"Bangsam."
"B-Boss."
"You hate me that much?"
"N-No, that's not it—all that was just my joking around. I-I'll pick up the luggage right now. Please forgive me..."
Realizing he'd fucked up, sweat poured down Bangsam's neck.
I shook my head at him and continued.
"No, Bangsam. I actually think highly of your actions."
"Y-Yes?"
"What's most important for a bandit? Guts, guts. And you showed that gutsy spirit perfectly."
"Ah, haha. Really? I didn't do anything special."
Pleased by my words, the corner of Bangsam's mouth twitched up, even as he stayed wary.
But...
"With that in mind, I'm giving you a chance to challenge me directly, skipping right over Dongryong."
"......"
Bangsam's smile vanished in an instant.
"S-Sorry, Boss! I must've lost my mind! Just give me one chance..."
"I refuse your refusal. Space here's too tight—let's head over to that open spot."
Ignoring his begging, I grabbed him by the scruff and dragged him aside.
For the record, my motto is 'Punish all insubordination harshly.'
As I hauled Bangsam off, I gave the other men a kind smile.
"Rest up while we're gone."
"Yes, Boss."
Bangsam desperately pleaded with his comrades in a voice like he was about to cry...
"Vice Boss! Bongchun! Maknae! Save me just once! Please!!!"
"......"
But they turned away, ignoring his cries.
"Come on, Bangsam, let's go."
"Nooooooo!!"
After that, only Bangsam's wretched screams echoed around.
**
We took that short break, then trekked on for a while longer.
"Boss."
"What's up, Dongryong?"
Dongryong glanced around before speaking to me.
"How about we rest here and have lunch?"
"Hm, sure, sounds good. I'm starving anyway."
The moment I approved, my men dropped their heavy loads and got lunch ready.
Not that lunch was anything special.
Just gnawing on the jerky we'd grabbed when fleeing Shansu lands.
Crunch crunch.
And don't think of modern sweet jerky—this era's stuff is harder and way saltier.
Past the age for whining about sides, I still tossed my leftovers to Bongchun, the eater, with a grumble.
"Hah, fuck. Sick of this damn jerky."
"Nothing decent to eat on the move. Once we settle, we can cook rice and hunt game."
"Yeah... Ah, I could go for some wild boar and a cool shot of liquor..."
Sighing wistfully, I lamented—and Dongryong's eyes lit up, seeing his chance.
"Boss, why not just set up base in these mountains?"
"Here...?"
"Yeah, the terrain's rugged—perfect for hiding. There's a good mountain path right below for ambushing merchants, plus great water and air. Everything checks out."
Dongryong gestured, and the other men chimed in eagerly.
"Right, Boss."
"I like it here too."
"I'll go with whatever you say, Boss."
Seeing them plead like that, the loads must really be heavy. Their blistered feet tugged at my heartstrings a bit...
"Hmm..."
I pondered a moment longer, then asked Dongryong.
"Dongryong, what region is this?"
"We've come a good way down from Shansu... Feels like Hunan by now."
"Hunan, huh..."
My original plan was to head as far south as possible.
Guangxi, Guizhou, or Hainan. Hunan was still a ways off from my target.
As I kept mulling, Dongryong asked impatiently.
"Look, Boss, I don't get it—did they smear honey down south or something?"
"What...?"
"Come on, we made bank this time, life's looking good. No need to drag ass to some backwater. Hunan's decent enough. Mountains are clean and prime."
"Right!"
"Let's just stay here, Boss!"
"......"
Faced with their protests, I debated spilling that war would erupt in a few years, engulfing the world in flames.
But that'd mean admitting this was my second life, and the world was from a novel.
Sane guys wouldn't believe it anyway.
'Hunan counts as southern. Demonic Cult'll push from the north, so this might be safe enough.'
Play it extra safe and cautious, or claim this decent spot for a new stronghold?
I had to decide.
And just as I opened my mouth...
"Hey, you there!"
"Yeah, I've decided. We'll..."
"Hey, you young folks!"
"Settle right here... Huh?"
Someone cut me off, calling out to us.
Startled by the sudden voice, I and my men looked over to see...
"Mind helping us out a bit?"
...A plain-looking middle-aged man who'd appeared out of nowhere, waving at us.
**
"Whew, talk about luck—! We were in a real bind, looking for help around, and here you five strapping young lads are."
"What's the trouble?"
The man was a real talker.
He rattled on like a machine gun, and in the short walk together, I got his whole story.
He was a merchant from Hubei. One wheel of their loaded cart was stuck in a ravine, couldn't budge.
"You boys merchants too? That gear looks pretty exotic."
"Yeah, well... something like that."
"Haha, bunch of sturdy guys. Working hard young—good to see. Back in my day..."
By the time he finished his youth tales, we reached the crowd.
Following him, we found two carts and five or six people. The rear cart's wheel was jammed in the ravine.
"Hey, folks—I brought some young help!"
"Nice one!"
His fellow merchants were all mild-faced middle-aged men like him.
I gave them a quick nod, then...
"Lads, let's help 'em out."
"Yes!"
With my men, we freed the stuck cart.
Even as small-time riffraff, we were martial artists—we got it done quick.
"Ooh!"
"Young blood's got the muscle!"
"Haha, no big deal."
Blushing at the praise, I scratched my head and asked the man.
"But mister, what's in the cart?"
"Oh, both carts are full of booze."
"...Booze? What kind?"
When I asked, he puffed up proudly.
"Top-shelf Duqiang liquor. We supply Sichuan's biggest red-light district. This stuff's so damn good..."
The motormouth went on forever about its taste and kick.
After listening, I nodded.
"Sounds delicious after your pitch, mister. Sell us some?"
He shook his head apologetically at the request.
"These are all spoken for... Can't touch 'em. Sorry about that."
"No sale, huh..."
My face stiffened at the refusal. Missing it, he whispered.
"But hey... Wanna talk somewhere else, away from here?"
"Why?"
"See, Mount Wuak here's crawling with a nasty bandit gang—big numbers too."
"No kidding? Bummer... Was gonna settle here, but prior claim."
"Prior claim...? Wait, settle here?"
Figuring he wasn't getting it, I drew my sword from my belt and stabbed it into the ground.
"......"
"......"
The mood turned frigid the instant they saw—the man and his merchant pals.
I grinned at him.
"What're you waiting for? Bring out the booze. I said I'm buying."
"......Th-That's."
Even seeing my sharp blade, he hemmed and hawed—must be valuable stuff.
"...Really, can't mess with what's in these carts."
"Oh? Fair enough, then."
No choice—I recited the magic spell.
"Wanna sell for cash, or get robbed?"
"......"
The second I did, my men synced up, drawing swords and sabers in unison.
Guess even swimming in cash can't erase bandit DNA.