When the bandit leader finally reached the clearing, he suddenly stopped.
For a moment, he couldn't move at all.
His eyes widened as he stared at the sight in front of him, his mind struggling to understand what he was seeing.
It was already afternoon. Thin rays of sunlight filtered through the tall trees, spreading across the forest floor. Yet the forest felt strangely quiet, as if even the wind had stopped moving.
No voices.
No movement.
The only sound that could be heard was the slow drip of blood.
Drop by drop, it fell from above, landing softly on the dry leaves scattered across the ground.
The leader slowly lifted his head.
What he saw made his expression freeze.
His men... were ever
Their lifeless bodies hung from the branches of the surrounding trees. Some were tied by their arms, others by their legs, their bodies dangling in the still air.
Dark stains of blood ran down their clothes and dripped toward the ground below.
Every direction he looked, another body hung from a tree.
The clearing had turned into a silent and horrifying display.
For several long seconds, the bandit leader simply stood there, frozen in place, staring at the bodies of his men hanging all around him.
Then suddenly, the bodies began to move.
One after another, the corpses hanging from the trees fell to the ground.
Thud…
Thud…
Thud…
The sound of their bodies hitting the forest floor echoed through the silent clearing.
For a moment, the bandit leader stood there, confused by the sudden movement.
Then a voice echoed through the forest.
Calm. Cold. And filled with quiet anger.
"When you kill someone without mercy… they feel like this."
The voice seemed to come from somewhere among the trees, yet nowhere at the same time.
The leader quickly turned his head, looking around.
The voice continued.
"Now it's your turn."
A brief silence followed before the words came again.
"You will die here… just like the many people you killed. Now it's your turn."
The bandit leader's face twisted with anger as he looked around the clearing.
"Where are you, you piece of shit?" he shouted loudly. "How dare you kill my men!"
His hand tightened around the handle of his sword.
"If you have the courage, come out and fight me!" he roared. "Stop hiding!"
From somewhere among the trees,
Haruto's voice cut through the silence, calm and steady.
"I know your skill."
The leader's eyes narrowed, scanning the shadows for the source.
"You rely on sword techniques… and support magic," Haruto continued. "When you're near your men, your strength grows."
"But now… you're alone."
A faint pause hung in the air.
"You won't gain that power anymore."
The bandit leader let out a harsh, mocking laugh.
"What an idiot," he sneered. "You think those fools gave me power?"
He spat onto the forest floor.
"They were nothing but pawns in my game."
He raised his sword, arrogance radiating from him.
"I have sword skills," he said, his voice sharp. "And with support magic, I can grow stronger than you can imagine."
His gaze flicked slowly between the trees.
"And when I find you…"
His smile darkened.
"I will kill you."
From the shadows, Haruto's voice came again, low and deadly.
"Let's see… how you die here."
A moment later, he slowly stepped out from the tall grass.
The bandit leader immediately turned toward him.
By then, evening had begun to fall. The two of them stood in the middle of the forest, surrounded by tall trees that blocked most of the fading sunlight. The forest was slowly growing darker, and long shadows stretched across the ground.
Haruto tightened his grip on his sword and raised it, preparing to fight.
The leader also grabbed his sword, his eyes locked on Haruto.
Without another word, the two rushed toward each other.
Their swords clashed with a sharp metallic sound.
But it quickly became clear that Haruto was losing. He didn't really know how to fight properly with a sword. His movements were rough and untrained, while the leader moved with far more confidence and experience.
After several exchanges, Haruto stepped back.
The leader immediately moved forward to attack again.
But as he stepped forward, his foot suddenly caught something hidden in the grass.
A thin scrap rope trap tightened around his leg.
His step faltered, and his leg twisted painfully as the rope tightened around his ankle.
The leader growled in anger and tried to move forward again.
But as he stepped with his other foot, another trap snapped shut, tightening around his second leg.
One by one, the hidden traps began to catch him.
Even then, the leader refused to give up.
Grinding his teeth, he forced himself forward, dragging his injured legs as he tried to reach Haruto.
Haruto slowly stepped back, keeping his eyes fixed on him.
Suddenly, the Haruto foot struck a rock hidden in the grass.
He lost his balance and fell forward onto the ground.
Haruto's sword slipped from his hand during the movement and landed a short distance away from him.
Seeing the chance, the leader quickly crawled closer.
With a furious expression, he raised his sword high, ready to strike and kill Haruto.
But at that moment—
A sharp sound cut through the air.
An arrow shot down from above and pierced straight through the leader's chest.
Yet the leader didn't stop.
Another arrow followed.
Then another.
Five arrows in total struck his chest one after another.
His body trembled before he finally collapsed onto the ground.
Above them, Miyuki stood on a thick tree branch, her bow still raised.
The forest grew silent again.
The bandit leader lay motionless on the ground.
He was dead.
Haruto slowly stood up, breathing heavily.
He had known from the beginning that he couldn't win in a direct sword fight. That was why he had prepared the traps before the leader arrived. He had waited until evening, when the forest would grow darker.
Miyuki could sense the surroundings clearly, and Haruto knew exactly where every trap was placed.
His plan had worked.
A moment later, Miyuki jumped down from the tree branch and landed lightly on the ground.
She walked toward him with a small smile.
"Your plan worked," she said happily. "We killed them all."
She looked around the silent forest.
"Now we are safe."