Lillian climbed back up the stairs.
Inside the wooden house, the bandits were still eating. Hearing footsteps, they assumed the bald man had returned and didn't bother to look up.
A few seconds later, however, a loud creeeeak echoed through the room. They turned their heads—and bowls and chopsticks clattered to the floor in unison.
"Y-you—"
Standing before them was Lillian, holding a massive bookshelf above his head—one several times larger than his own body.
The sight was absurd beyond belief. They froze, completely stunned.
"Let me add a dish to your meal," Lillian said.
He swung his arms and hurled the bookshelf forward.
"Get out of the way!!"
The bandits screamed and scrambled to dodge, but the bookshelf was both enormous and crushingly heavy. With a thunderous crash, it slammed into the room, flattening several men beneath it. Agonized screams filled the house.
"The signal!"
Outside, the others had been on edge the entire time. With no sound from inside, they had feared the worst. The moment they heard the screams, they rushed in as one and stormed the house.
"Don't move!"
Several rifles were raised and aimed at the remaining bandits. Completely unprepared for a Military Police raid, one of the bandits ignored the guns entirely and lunged at a soldier with a cleaver.
"D-don't! Stay back!"
The soldier was holding a rifle, yet he was so terrified that he couldn't pull the trigger. Just as he was about to be cut down—
Bang.
The bandit's head exploded, and he collapsed to the floor.
Everyone turned to see Annie calmly lowering her smoking gun, already aiming at another target.
"Don't shoot! I surrender!"
Seeing that these young-looking Military Police actually dared to kill, the remaining bandits dropped their weapons and fell to their knees, begging for mercy.
"Wilson, Robert," Lillian ordered, surveying the scene, "go down to the right branch of the underground passage and release the prisoners."
With the bookshelf attack alone, Lillian had crushed five bandits to death—including the long-haired leader. Three or four others were trapped under the debris, unable to move. Annie had shot one dead, and the rest had surrendered.
Not a single person on their side was injured. It was a flawless operation.
As for the prisoners…
Lillian walked over and dislocated the arms of the surrendered bandits one by one. Screams filled the air. The others watched in horrified silence, their fear and respect for Lillian growing with every second.
Annie, meanwhile, stared thoughtfully at the shattered bookshelf. There was no way it had appeared there by chance. A solid hardwood piece that large must've weighed several hundred kilos. She knew Lillian was strong—but this strong?
"Tie them up. Prepare to take them back."
Lillian had disabled the prisoners' arms to prevent any tricks. The others immediately pulled out ropes and began binding them, faces alight with excitement.
Catching so many bandits—even without considering commendations—felt deeply satisfying. Eliminating evil always lifted the spirit.
But then, the two soldiers Lillian had sent downstairs came running back in panic.
"Captain! S-something's wrong!"
"What happened?"
Seeing their expressions, Lillian rushed downstairs himself. When he reached the iron cage, his breath caught.
All the prisoners were dead.
He knelt to examine the wounds. The blood hadn't yet dried.
"This just happened… but that's impossible. None of the bandits came down here…" he muttered.
Then it hit him.
He counted the bodies.
His heart lurched.
One was missing.
A bandit pretending to be a victim…?
Lillian froze for a moment. He had never expected something like this.
In truth, many cunning human-trafficking rings used such tactics—rotating accomplices who posed as victims and blended in with the captives. That way, whether the victims tried to save themselves or outsiders discovered them and attempted a rescue, the traffickers would receive warning immediately and respond in time.
But still…
Lillian had never imagined that traffickers inside the Walls could be this calculating and vicious.
Now it made sense. After he killed the bald man, that hidden accomplice must have acted at once—slaughtering all the captives and escaping through the underground passage. He likely realized the entire gang was about to be wiped out and gave up on warning the others altogether.
Damn it.
Lillian's expression darkened to the extreme. What he thought was a complete victory had never truly existed. Even if none of his subordinates were injured, the victims still… No matter how he looked at it, he bore responsibility.
"C-Captain…"
The others had come down as well. Seeing Lillian's expression, none of them dared to speak.
"One escaped," Lillian said unwillingly.
Pursuing was impossible. They were unfamiliar with the underground tunnels, and charging in blindly could invite even greater danger.
"For now, take everyone back."
The dead could not be brought back to life. Regret was useless now.
If he had known, he should have treated the captives the same way he did the surrendered bandits—dislocating their arms as a precaution. In such a short time, it wouldn't have been easy to tell who among them was a traitor.
The earlier joy among the group faded somewhat, but they were still glad overall. No matter what… a dangerous criminal gang had been eliminated.
"Captain! We found a large amount of money and jewels on the second floor!"
"Bring everything down."
Several large chests were carried downstairs. When they were opened, the sight of coins and gemstones piled inside made it hard for anyone to look away. This wealth was enough to support tens of thousands of people—yet it had all been squandered by bandits.
Heaven's way reduces excess to make up for lack.
Man's way takes from the lacking to offer to those with surplus.
As the others felt tempted but dared not speak, Lillian finally said, "We'll keep one chest."
Instantly, everyone turned to look at him.
"You're all smart people. If we hand all of this over, the portion that actually reaches the victims will be negligible. So we'll hold back one chest as compensation. Any objections?"
"Of course not!"
"We absolutely should keep some—otherwise it'll just get swallowed up!"
"Why not keep two chests!?"
"Uh…"
The group erupted into chatter, clearly in favor of keeping some of the loot, both publicly and privately. Someone even suggested turning in only one chest and keeping the rest—but that idea was immediately shot down.
After all, the higher-ups weren't fools. They surely had some idea of how large this bandit group was. Lillian even harbored a darker suspicion: large bandit groups might be deliberately allowed to exist, quietly paying protection. When things got out of hand or someone above decided it was time, the group would be eliminated—and all their accumulated wealth swallowed in one bite.
Like harvesting crops.
Bandits harvested the people, then nobles or the military harvested the bandits. In the end, it was always the common folk who suffered.
---
Lillian, Annie, and Marlo walked together along the road.
"Tomorrow's our rest day, right?" Lillian said. After a moment's thought, he looked at Annie. "I'm going to the Survey Corps headquarters. Want to come with me?"
Annie shook her head first, then asked, "Why?"
"No particular reason. Quite a few people I get along with ended up there—I want to check on them. It's been over a week already."
"Is a week really that long?"
"In a year, no. In a month, yes," Lillian replied. "They're going on an expedition outside the Walls next month. The death rate is high."
Marlo cut in, "Then shouldn't you go too, Annie? If they die, you'll never see them again."
Annie said nothing, her refined features as cold and unreadable as ever.
"Alright, I'll go by myself then," Lillian said.
By then, the three had reached their destination—the home of the person who had provided the crucial clue.
He knocked. The door opened quickly. When the little girl saw Lillian, a smile appeared on her face.
"I—I saw it!" she said, speaking excitedly. "You caught the bad people… it was in the newspaper."
"Mm." Lillian noticed that the woman who had been on the bed was gone. She had likely been buried. Now, the house held only the girl.
A twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl… what could she really do on her own?
Marlo took out a cloth bundle and handed it to her. "This money will be enough for you to live until adulthood."
The girl held the heavy pouch, her expression blank and uncertain.
Lillian watched her and thought: A man is innocent, yet guilty for possessing treasure. Leaving this much money with a child might only bring her harm. After they left, nearby thugs might…
In the end, what was the point of this?
Suddenly, Lillian changed his mind. To the surprise of the other two, he placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and looked directly into her eyes.
"The training corps will be recruiting again this year," he said. "Do you want to become a soldier?"
The girl trembled. The pouch slipped from her hands, coins scattering across the floor with a clatter.