Now, the carriage surrounded by the bandits was no longer just one, but two.
It was thanks to Morro's swift order, given as soon as he saw the approaching carriage, which, like the one they were dealing with, had no guards or knights around it.
Evidently, the bandits seemed to be somewhat trained, as at the sound of Morro's command, they quickly sprung into action, splitting into groups to surround the incoming, more luxurious carriage.
However, once they surrounded it, the bandits paused, suddenly stunned.
Like beasts with their eyes gleaming, they stared intently at the driver's seat of the luxurious carriage.
Why?
It was simply because the person in the driver's seat, handling the reins, was, surprisingly, an unbelievably beautiful girl.
"Wh-What...?"
Seemingly unaware of what was happening—or rather, seemingly unable to process it—the girl looked at the bandits surrounding her and her carriage without any way to protest and just hesitantly asked.
Looking small and delicate, with a curvaceous body that belied her age, the girl's appearance was exquisite, as though sculpted by the finest hands, like a porcelain doll.
Besides being beautiful, she was also unbelievably cute, thanks to the slight sheen of her pale gray hair that reached her knees and the pitiful look in her gray eyes that made one feel an instinctive urge to protect her.
In her arms, she clutched a dazzling golden sword, which was clearly of significant value, but the bandits had forgotten about it entirely as their eyes were now fixed only on this girl, who was so beautiful and so perfect in every way, with lust gleaming in their eyes.
"H-How could this happen...?"
Gerald, who had just called out for help, wasn't filled with awe at the sight but with sheer terror.
It wasn't that he didn't find the girl beautiful, but quite the opposite.
He found her so beautiful that even he couldn't help but be in awe, but that was precisely why he was so terrified. Anyone with common sense should understand that when facing a group of ruthless bandits, the more beautiful a woman was, the more miserable her fate would be at this moment.
Not to mention, he had hoped someone would come to save both him and his young lady, but what arrived was actually a fragile-looking girl.
Didn't this just make things worse?
"RUUUNNN—!!!"
Gerald shouted with all his might without thinking.
*BANG!*
Shortly after shouting at the girl, Gerald was kicked again.
Morro withdrew his foot, not even glancing at Gerald, and like the other bandits, his eyes seemed to focus solely on the delicate and beautiful girl in the driver's seat.
With a lascivious grin, Morro approached the girl.
'Heh, today's really my lucky day. First, I ran into a rare big fish, and now another one just drops right at my doorstep. I ain't ever believed in gods, but man, I gotta give them some credit for this one.'
With such a thought, Morro laughed heartily, his eyes shamelessly scanning the girl's body.
"Get down, little sis! And tell everyone in the carriage to get down too!"
Morro's words prompted raucous laughter from the bandits around them.
"Get down!"
"Get down!"
"Get down!"
All the bandits shouted in unison, clearly eager for what was to come.
A rough, vulgar, despicable, and lecherous atmosphere spread throughout the road, making it feel as though they were about to witness some evil ritual, as if a judgment was approaching and hell itself was about to open up.
Overwhelmed by the scene and atmosphere, the girl clutched her golden sword and looked completely lost.
Until—
"We should head down, Lizbeth."
A faint voice came from inside the carriage.
Even though the voice wasn't loud—in fact, it could be described as very soft—even such a soft voice was incredibly powerful, overpowering the crude and vile shouts all around, silencing the evil atmosphere that had taken over the scene.
Upon hearing the voice, the girl, Lizbeth, finally seemed to find her footing and calmly responded.
"Got it, Master."
Saying this, Lizbeth jumped down from the driver's seat and stood ready beside the carriage.
In the next moment, the carriage door slowly opened, allowing a young man to step out.
'Oh?'
Morro's attention was immediately drawn to the young man as he squinted, observing him.
'Another dumb noble, huh?'
It wasn't surprising that Morro thought this way since, although the young man's clothes weren't excessively fancy, they were much cleaner and neater than what commoners usually wore.
Not only did he wear a mysterious-looking green jewel pendant around his neck, a pricey ring on his hand, and a thin blackish-red fingerless glove on one of his hands, but there was also an amulet with embroidered dragon wings hanging from his waist—every detail of his outfit screamed of his distinguished status.
'Are those... magic items?'
As a professional bandit, Morro had a decent eye for treasure.
Even though he wasn't an expert, his skills were far above those of an average person with no experience, so he strongly suspected that the young man's accessories were all expensive magic items.
Because of this, Morro became cautious.
Carrying magic items meant that the young man might very well have the power to resist them.
Even if the young man wasn't carrying any weapons, didn't appear to be a swordsman or a magician, and seemed to have almost no presence at all, Morro knew that as long as those magic items were the kind that could be used in battle, the young man could still pose a threat.
Looking closer, the sword the girl beside the young man was holding was clearly no ordinary weapon either.
Such a pair of youngsters gave off a strange vibe everywhere.
"You! Take off all that stuff on you!"
Morro shouted at the young man who had just stepped out of the carriage.
Needless to say, Morro, deciding to be cautious, clearly wanted to take out the threat first.
Meanwhile, the surrounding bandits, under Morro's shout, began to regain some of their senses and reluctantly tore their gaze away from Lizbeth—they either raised their weapons or pulled up their bows, aiming at the young man.
"Master."
Seeing this, Lizbeth didn't hesitate for a second and stood in front of the young man, but he placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
"Are you guys bandits?"
Glancing around at the group of rough men before looking at Morro, the young man asked calmly.
"Are you the leader?"
"What's it to you? Got a problem?" Morro asked with a grin.
At this, the young man shook his head, his movements light and casual, his attitude completely composed.
"Nah, we just got here not long ago, so we wanted to ask a few things."
"Judging by your look, you've been around for a while?"
"Running into a local bandit like you right after coming in... Guess this place really is as chaotic as the rumors say."
Hearing the young man's calm words, Morro became irritated.
"Do you know what kinda situation you're in right now, you punk?!"
Morro raised his machete, glaring at the young man with a sharp glare.
"I ain't here to play tour guide for some dumb young master like you, so be a good boy and hand over all your stuff! Yeah, those accessories on you too, and that sword from the pretty young lady over there!"
"If you just do what I say and let me squeeze a nice ransom outta your family, maybe I'll let you live!"
As Morro spoke, he couldn't help but glance at Lizbeth again, especially at her body.
At the same time, the surrounding bandits exchanged glances, unable to stop themselves from letting out some crude laughter.
It was obvious from their behavior that the two of them might be able to survive, but when it came to the treatment they would receive beyond that, especially for Lizbeth, it pretty much went without saying.
Either way, there was no chance Lizbeth would leave unscathed—even if Morro and his men didn't say it outright, the implication was clear.
Meanwhile, the young man, upon hearing Morro's words, immediately fell silent, his eyes growing colder.
"You pu—"
Seeing this, Morro was about to snap, but before he could, the young man's words interrupted him.
"Looks like talking too much to trash like you is pretty pointless."
Speaking in a cold and emotionless voice, the young man calmly shook his head.
"Oh well, we'll just find another guy to ask. It's not like there aren't any around."
While the bandits hadn't yet realized the meaning behind the young man's words, Lizbeth understood immediately.
"Master, I..."
Lizbeth seemed ready to act, but the young man simply shook his head.
"It's fine. It'll be over soon anyway."
As soon as the young man spoke these words, a chill suddenly swept over the entire group of bandits.
"ATTACK!"
Morro's pupils contracted sharply as he shouted.
"DON'T HOLD BACK! ALL OF YOU, ATTACK TOGETHER!"
At this command, the bandits quickly sprang into action—some rushed forward, weapons in hand, roaring with fury, while others readied their bows and arrows, aiming at the young man.
However, facing this unprovoked violence, surrounded by a group of bandits all preparing to strike him, the young man just stood in place with indifference, his expression as calm as a still pond.
"Mass Hold Species."
In the next second, the young man chanted a magic spell indifferently.
""!!!""
In that instant, all the bandits rushing toward the young man and those readying their arrows froze in place.
It was as if invisible ropes had bound their bodies, every one of them stuck where they stood without exception, their eyes wide, faces showing fear, unable to move a muscle.
"What..."
Gerald, struggling to get up, froze upon seeing the scene.
"You're a magician?!"
Morro, the only one who hadn't been affected by the young man's magic, finally showed a change in his expression.
At Morro's shout, however, the young man didn't answer and only gazed at him indifferently, causing the same chill he had felt before to resurface.
"Bastard!"
Seeing his men all bound by the young man's unknown magic in one go, Morro didn't hesitate for a second to turn and flee.
"Lightning."
Unfortunately for Morro, as the young man's indifferent chant echoed again, a blinding lightning bolt shot out in an instant, chasing after him.
*Pu-chi!*
In the next second, the lightning pierced through Morro's body, entering his back and emerging from his chest.
"Egh... AAARGGGHHHHH—!!!!"
Morro was confused for a second before letting out a terrible scream and collapsing on the spot, soon turning into a lifeless corpse.