Chapter 4: You reap what you sow

The bandit leader shuddered when he heard what Don said. He saw Don as the Devil reincarnated. This youngster just killed his comrades like it was as simple as chopping up vegetables.

What sort of maniac or person could do that?

If the gods could hear his thoughts, they would have probably smitten him because he was just going to kill Arwen moments ago.

On the other hand, the elves seemed to lighten up quite a bit. Arwen's senses slowly came back to him, and Amaryll watched the scene without even batting an eyelid.

The bandit leader cast away all his doubts and shortcomings as he readied himself to battle with Don, "I don't know what powers you hold to kill my Lisa and others easily, but I'm not them. I'll kill you and avenge them with your blood."

As he said his piece, the bandit leader took his daggers out from his armor and started to inject magic within them. The daggers shone with a light green color; as if sunlight was reflecting on a jade stone.

"Take out your sword, brat," the bandit leader threatened. "I don't want to kill you with a single attack."

"No need," Don calmly said. "You're just a bigger ant."

Hearing this, the bandit leader almost coughed up blood from all of the anger. He was the leader of a ferocious bandit group, and he had killed countless other beings. He had never felt so humiliated like this before. A young man who seemed to not even be half of his age comparing him to an ant?

How ridiculous was that?!

But even then, he felt as if this brat had the capability to back his words.

"Come on then," Don beckoned. "You wouldn't want to make your friends wait for you in hell."

"Ahhhhhhh bastardddd!!!!!"

The bandit leader couldn't hold his anger any longer. He was going to kill this man or be killed. This was his fate.

The bandit leader swung his daggers at Don like a madman. There was no finesse or technique, just fury and anger that led his moves. Unlike Arwen, who was weak in close-quarters combat, Don was an expert. He simply avoided the bandit leader's attacks. This made the bandit leader even more furious. He was a peak-level master mage who was just a little bit under a great master level. However, just as he was toying with Arwen earlier, Don was now toying with the bandit leader.

"Hmm... How does it feel to be toyed with huh?" Don asked as he evaded the bandit leader's attacks.

"Bastard! Stop running and fight me head-on, if you dare!" the bandit leader screamed.

"I'll just take this as your final wish."

At his own words, Don stopped evading and raised his right hand as if he was going to strangle the leader's neck. The leader was confused. What was his opponent going to do? But soon, he finally got the answer to his question as the air around him thickened. The ground beneath him suddenly came to life, the soil turning into hands as they firmly grabbed at his legs.

"Wha-what sorcery is this?! Why can't I see the magic fluctuations around you!?" the bandit leader shouted as he struggled to free himself from the ground.

Magic fluctuations happen whenever mage cast or used magic. No matter the level, a mage is no exception for magical fluctuations The stronger the magi or the spell, the stronger the fluctuations that happen around them. A mage could determine other magis' power and level with magical fluctuations, but the bandit leader could not see a single particle around Don. In fact, he was not wrong. This was one of the many secrets Don held. The robed figure didn't mind the bandit leader's words as he started to clench his fists. The bandit leader was forced to his knees, and the daggers in his hands fell to the ground.

"Are you feeling powerless? Not like when you beat innocent people, huh?" Don scoffed. "Now, I will give you two choices. Either you answer my questions and I'll kill you instantly without causing pain, or you don't answer and I'll torture you slowly till you die. So which one do you prefer?"

Suddenly, the bandit leader began laughing like a maniac, "No matter what I do, you'll kill me anyway. So why do I want to answer your questions? Torture me as much as you want. I ain't giving you shite."

"Petty... I didn't want to use this so soon..."

Don flicked his hands, a spider-shaped bug appearing in his palm. It looked like a mixed breed between spider and cockroach and seeing it wriggle made the bandit shudder in fear. Don brought the bug near the face of the bandit, making the bandit scream and struggle to no avail. The bug jumped onto his face and crawled into his body through his nose. The bandit's mind went blank for a moment before he started to scream in agony.

"Take it out!! Take it out!! I can't-"

He couldn't even finish his sentence as he fell to the ground.

Don did something with his hands, and the bug crawled out of the bandit's body through his left ear.

"Who ordered you to capture the elves? How did you manage to reach this tribe so far deep into the woods without being noticed?"

The bandit was still in pain, but he knew that death was far better than experiencing that kind of pain again.

"Mi-Mi-Minister Brian ordered and gave us this mission!"

"Why?"

"Because most of the slave traders are his shops and he..." the bandit swallowed. "He has a weakness for elven women. As for how we got here without being noticed, it's because we had the precise location of the tribe from one of the elves we captured a while ago. We had the support of the mysterious mage. He was the one who teleported us near the tribe."

"Mysterious mage? How did you meet him and what did he look like?"

"We met him in the manor of Minister Brian. I didn't see his face. He wore a hood and black mask along with a fully black robe."

"You don't want to keep things from me," Don threatened.

The bandit's eyes went wide. He knew he was still hiding the fact that there was an eagle embroidered on the mage's black robe.

"T-There there was an eagle embroidered on his robe near his chest. Now let me go. I answered your questions, didn't I?" the bandit leader pleaded.

Don looked at the bandit before turning towards Arwen and kicking the daggers toward him. Arwen knew what Don's intentions were, and grabbed the weapon as he picked himself back up after a struggle. The bandit also got the gist of the situation.

"He is not mine to kill. He is yours," Don said to Arwen. The elf sstared at Don for a few moments before finally deciding it was his turn to return the favor.

He showed his decision of agreement with a slight nod and limped towards the bandit.

"No no! Don't kill me! Have mercy, please!"

Arwen placed the dagger on the bandit's neck. He hesitated for a moment. Arwen knew he had to do this. If the situation were reversed, the bandit leader would not show mercy. Don also noticed the elf's hesitation, but did or said nothing. Surprisingly, Amaryll was the one that broke the silence, "Kill him Arwen! He's not worth your mercy!"

This was the final push Arwen needed as he slit the bandit leader's throat.