Chapter 42

Chapter 42: The Vigilante Corps (1)

“Didn’t I tell you to go wash up? Why are you bringing back a half-dead person instead?”

As Karon laid the woman next to the campfire, Shong approached, frowning.

“She drifted over while I was washing. Should I just put her back in?”

“Hey! Never mind. Move over. Believe it or not, I learned some basic first aid during my time as a rogue.”

When Karon tried to lift the woman again, Shong waved his hands dismissively and sat beside her, examining the arrow stuck in her shoulder.

“Luckily, it didn’t hit anything vital.”

Shong took out bandages, medicine, and other first-aid supplies from his bag. He hadn’t expected to use the items Miguel’s mercenaries had given them so soon.

He carefully removed the woman’s clothing from her shoulder and gingerly pulled out the arrowhead. Then, after sterilizing a needle over the fire, he stitched the wound, applied some ointment, and tightly wrapped the shoulder with bandages.

His movements were smooth and practiced.

The woman groaned in pain, still unconscious.

With a final flourish, Shong removed his own cloak and gently wrapped it around her as she lay on her stomach.

Once he carefully laid her back down, the woman’s breathing became more regular.

“That should do the trick. The cloak should help too, considering all the energy I’ve been absorbing lately.”

“Your cloak has healing powers?” Karon asked, surprised.

Shong responded nonchalantly, as if it was no big deal. “Barely, but it’s better than nothing, right?”

“Well, I have to admit, it’s pretty useful at times like these.”

“I told you, back when I was a rogue—”

“I meant the cloak, not you.”

Karon’s remark cut Shong off, and as Karon sat by the fire to dry himself, Shong grumbled to himself as he unpacked a bag from his horse.

“What do I expect from you? I’m exhausted. I’m going to sleep, so make sure you keep watch.”

Shong knew Karon only ever took short naps, which allowed him to sleep soundly himself.

He pulled a blanket from his bag, curled up next to the fire, and closed his eyes. Normally, he would have slept wrapped in his cloak, which had excellent insulation and was perfect for camping.

Throughout the night, Karon remained vigilant, expanding his senses to detect any signs of more Tripolas soldiers approaching. However, the night passed quietly, surprisingly uneventful.

It seemed the others didn’t know their comrades had been killed.

* * *

Early the next morning.

“Ugh…”

The woman, who had lain motionless through the night, stirred and grimaced in pain as she tried to move. She quickly opened her eyes and attempted to sit up.

“Ahh!”

But the pain was too much, and she couldn’t help but let out a groan, forced to stop moving.

All the pain she hadn’t felt while unconscious came rushing in at once.

She struggled to assess her condition and reached for the cloak around her.

“It’s better if you keep that on.”

A low, emotionless voice spoke.

Startled, the woman looked around. A young man, who looked somewhat bored, was watching her.

There had been no hint of his presence before. It was as if he had become one with the surroundings.

As she glared at him warily, Karon spoke again.

“The ones chasing you are already dead, their bodies floating in the water. I removed the arrow, stitched your wound, and wrapped it in bandages. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t have bothered with all that trouble. So, there’s no need to be so cautious.”

Perhaps it was the calmness in his voice, or maybe it was the content of his words, but the woman let out a small sigh of relief and slowly lowered her gaze.

She carefully checked her condition, surprised to find that, aside from her injured shoulder, her body felt much lighter.

She had been burning with a fever through the night, but her temperature had returned to normal.

It was thanks to Shong’s cloak, though she had no way of knowing that.

She bowed her head toward Karon.

“Thank you for saving me.”

Now that he looked closer, she appeared to be in her early twenties and was quite beautiful. Though, this detail held no significance for Karon.

“There’s no need to thank me. I saved you because I have questions.”

The woman looked at him in confusion.

Did he mean he saved her just to ask questions?

Did he kill the soldiers chasing her, treat her arrow wound, and watch over her through the night just so he could ask her something? Could that even be possible?

And how had he dealt with those soldiers anyway? He didn’t seem especially strong.

Who were these people? What was their true identity?

Her mind was flooded with questions, but no clear answers came to her.

Just then, Karon abruptly asked.

“Why were they chasing you?”

The woman felt she should answer his first question carefully, considering he had saved her life.

“It’s… a hunt.”

“A hunt?”

Karon’s eyebrows twitched slightly. It was a familiar term.

“They round up villagers or slaves suspected of causing trouble or being spies, and once a week, they release them and tell them to run. Then, they hunt them down and kill them. The mountainous terrain here makes it hard to escape, so they usually get caught quickly.”

Her small fists trembled as she struggled to contain her anger.

“And where are they released from?”

“Palen, a mining village halfway up the mountain range. Many civilians live there, and it also houses a large slave camp. Every morning, hundreds of slaves are sent to dozens of mines. The minerals they extract are brought back to Palen. Once a week, the minerals are shipped to the capital or other major cities.”

“How many soldiers are stationed there?”

“Hmm… The knights number around 30, and there are about 200 elite and regular soldiers in total. So, roughly 230.”

“And what about the knights? What kind of men are they?”

Karon already knew about the knights, but he chose not to reveal it.

Karon knew he had to understand the extent of the evil these people were committing in the region.

“They call themselves the Tripolas Knights, and they showed up about half a year ago, claiming to be acting under the Emperor’s orders to root out rebels. That’s why they’re so relentless in tormenting us.”

“Rebels?”

“There are a lot of villages in the Mekler Mountain Range, and quite a few people live here. The able-bodied men have all been forced to work in the mines, paid barely enough to survive. It’s basically forced labor—slavery. The Empire has kept this under wraps, and we had no choice but to form a vigilante corps to protect ourselves.”

“You’re part of the vigilante corps too?”

When Karon asked bluntly, the woman gave a bitter smile and answered, “Yes. I was conducting espionage in Palen, but the Tripolas soldiers caught wind of me. Even without proof, just being suspected is enough to get you hunted. I tried to escape and rejoin my comrades before they noticed, but…”

“By comrades, you mean those aiming arrows at us right now?”

Karon spoke nonchalantly, but the woman’s eyes widened in shock.

Not only had he noticed them, but what shocked her more was how calmly he sat, despite the threat.

“You knew?”

“With them making so much noise, it would’ve been hard not to.”

Karon snorted, and the woman apologized with a guilty expression. “Sorry. I haven’t fully explained things to them yet. I’ll sort it out.”

Just as she finished speaking, members of the vigilante corps revealed themselves from all sides. Around ten of them appeared, dressed in clothing that blended with the foliage, their faces smeared with camouflage paint.

They moved quickly, aiming crossbows and swords at Karon and Shong.

“Hands up.”

Karon raised his hands without resistance.

“Hey! Get up!”

“Huh? What’s going on?”

One of the vigilantes nudged Shong with his foot, waking him. He blinked in confusion at the armed people surrounding him and muttered, “What’s this?”

He couldn’t understand why Karon had done nothing to stop the situation from escalating. Of course, even if he asked, Karon wouldn’t explain.

Resigned, Shong raised his hands. He had grown used to this sort of thing by now.

“Charlotte! Are you alright?”

One of the vigilantes rushed over to check on the woman and helped her stand. She slowly got to her feet and glanced at Karon.

“Spencer, I’m fine. These men saved me and treated my injuries. They aren’t enemies.”

“This isn’t the time for that. The soldiers are still searching the area. We need to move. I’m sorry, but we’ll have to tie your hands until we reach safety. We’ll also be holding on to your weapons.”

The man, Spencer, politely asked for their cooperation as he bound Karon and Shong’s hands behind their backs.

They quickly packed up and hoisted Charlotte onto a horse before leaving the area.

“What are you thinking?” Shong asked Karon.

“We’ll find out soon enough.”

“Great. Fantastic. And you’re just going to let them take your sword like that?”

Shong muttered quietly, but Karon reassured him dismissively, “It’s fine. I’ve taken care of it. Just don’t forget to get your cloak back later.”

“Cheh. This is why people say not to meddle in other people’s business. We try to help, and now we’re losing everything. Let’s not forget why we’re here, Karon. You’re acting strange, you know?”

“There’s a reason.”

“It’s always like this with you.”

Despite their bickering, they followed along with the group. Watching from behind, Spencer was deep in thought.

It was surprising that these two had detected the vigilante approach before anyone else and stayed so calm even with weapons pointed at them. Their identities were a mystery.

“We’ll need to cover your eyes from here on. Please mount the horses.”

Once they left the forest, the vigilantes blindfolded Karon and Shong before helping them onto horses. They crossed streams and passed through several cool, bird-filled woods until everything suddenly became darker.

Judging by the echoes, it seemed they were in a cave. A short while later, the blindfolds were removed as light filled their surroundings again.

“We’ve arrived. Please wait here for a moment.”

As their eyes adjusted to the light, Karon and Shong dismounted and looked around. The vigilante corps’ headquarters was hidden between cliff walls, more lively than expected.

People were busy cooking, sharpening weapons, and practicing swordsmanship. Stone houses were densely packed into the cliffs, with people moving about busily.

“Wow, I can’t believe there’s a place like this in the mountains,” Shong muttered, impressed.

Some of the vigilantes glanced at Karon and Shong, but seeing them with Spencer, they quickly returned to their tasks.

Soon, one of the vigilantes whispered something to Spencer, who then approached Karon and Shong.

“Sorry for the inconvenience. Please follow me.”

Spencer politely led them through the camp. Karon and Shong’s hands were still tied.

He brought them to a large meeting room. In the center of the room, Karon’s black sword and Shong’s cloak were displayed on a table, while armed vigilantes stood guard around the room.

Inside, a heated argument was taking place between the leaders of the vigilante corps.

At the head of the table sat an elderly man with neatly combed white hair, his eyes closed as he listened to the discussion. He appeared to be the leader.

“We can’t let them live! They must be spies!”

“Charlotte said they saved her life by killing the soldiers. Could a spy do something like that?”

“Bah! Charlotte was unconscious at the time. Everything she’s saying is based on his lies! Can’t you see through his trickery? That scrawny guy couldn’t have taken down those soldiers!”

A middle-aged man with a bald head and raised eyebrows pointed accusingly at Karon, clearly displeased with their presence.

Just as the argument was about to escalate again, Karon, still expressionless, spoke up.

“You seem to be mistaken.”

Everyone turned their attention to Karon.

“I wasn’t captured.”

Karon slowly raised his hand toward the black sword on the table. In an instant, the ropes binding his hands slipped off as if they were never tied.

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