Chapter 77

Leaving Ilza and the other two girls behind, Erika arrived with Kisa at a ridge where trees grew thickly.

When Erika said they had arrived, Kisa, who found herself in a place with nothing but grass and trees, looked puzzled. Trying to figure out what could possibly be there, Kisa raised her head to look around.

"Don't raise your head without permission! We'll be spotted!"

Kisa was immediately reprimanded in a hushed voice by Erika and hurriedly lowered her head. Erika then clicked her tongue and said,

"Look over there. Got it? Don't shake the bushes."

Kisa followed Erika's slender finger, which seemed as if it would break at the slightest touch.

Then, on the slope of the opposite ridge, separated by a small valley, Kisa saw something white. However, from Kisa's vantage point, it was too far to see clearly what it was.

"What's that?"

"Can't you see?"

Kisa pouted slightly at Erika's attitude, which seemed to imply that it should be obvious.

"Don't count on my eyes; I'm a modern human."

Kisa was probably muttering to himself, but Erika, whose elf ears could hear even the whisper of the wind, heard everything.

However, not understanding the meaning of "modern human," Erika was at a loss for how to react.

While Erika was still confused, Kisa, muttering complaints about not wanting to use something in front of people he didn't know well, opened a bag hanging from his waist and took out something wrapped in several layers of soft cloth.

"Hope it didn't break."

As Kisa said this, he began to unwrap the cloth.

Erika, curious about what Kisa would take out, peered at his hands. The moment she saw what was inside the unwrapped cloth, she let out a small gasp of surprise.

Wrapped in the cloth were two crystals, one large and one small. Both were flat, but the larger one was slightly bulged in the center, while the smaller one was slightly concave. However, both were completely free of any cloudiness or distortion, and even Erika, who was not an expert in gems, could tell they were quite valuable.

Next, Kisa took out a thick piece of leather from the bag and, with practiced hands, rolled it into a tube. He then fitted the larger crystal into one end of the tube and the smaller one into the other, securing them with a string attached to the leather.

"What is that...?"

"Hmm. A kind of charm, maybe?"

Kisa then began to look through the tube from the end with the smaller crystal.

Is he going to evaluate the crystals at a time like this?

Erika frowned at Kisa's odd behavior, which seemed out of place.

However, Kisa seemed completely oblivious to her irritation.

"...That's a tent."

As Kisa said, it was a tent made of sun-bleached fabric.

The tent was set up on a relatively flat area amidst a steep slope covered with dense trees. The fact that the tent was there suggested that people were living there, but the tall weeds growing around it suggested that it had been recently built.

Furthermore, around the tent, there were several makeshift shelters made by tying the corners of a large piece of fabric to the ends of four poles stuck in the ground. Under these shelters, men who looked like roughnecks were sitting or lying on furs and cloths spread on the ground, in various postures.

There were probably a little over ten of them.

"Are those bandits...?"

Erika nodded, though she was annoyed by Kisa's attitude, which seemed to be evaluating the crystals even as he asked.

"Three of my sisters are being held there."

Kisa echoed, "Sisters?"

"They're not related by blood, but they're more important to me than real sisters."

As if to emphasize this, a woman's scream came from the bandits' camp.

Erika's face drained of color at the sound.

The scream was probably from the elf woman being held captive. Kisa searched the camp for the elf woman but couldn't find her. This meant that she and the others were probably being held in the central tent, the only one in the camp. If that was the case, it was likely that the people in the tent were the leaders of the bandits. If the leader of such roughnecks was with a beautiful elf woman in the tent, it was easy to guess what was happening.

Seeing Erika's face, which looked as if she was about to rush towards the camp, Kisa, worried about her, grabbed her hand to stop her.

Erika, who had turned pale, shuddered. But when she realized it was Kisa holding her hand, her cheeks turned red with anger, and she roughly shook off his arm.

Though she was still angry, she seemed calmer than before. Erika rubbed her hand, which had been grabbed, as if it were contaminated, and gestured for Kisa to move away from the camp.

When they reached a place far enough from the bandits' camp, Erika spoke.

"The night I found you... "

Erika and the others had tried to cross a river in the rain to avoid being seen by their pursuers. They had chosen a place that was as inconspicuous and easy to cross as possible, but crossing a river swollen by rain was a matter of life and death. They had been swept away by the strong current many times, but they had managed to cross the river by relying on the rope tied around their waists.

By the time they had all safely crossed the river, they were so exhausted that no one could speak.

"That's why we didn't notice them approaching us."

Their senses had been dulled by fatigue, and the sound of the rain had drowned out the sound of the bandits sneaking up on them. By the time Erika and the others realized the bandits were there, they were already surrounded.

"The first sister to notice told us to 'run' and deliberately went towards the bandits with another sister."

Erika's voice was trembling as she recalled the scene.

"We ran with the last sister. But when we saw a bandit in front of us, the sister tackled him and told us to run... "

Erika's voice caught in her throat.

Though her words were incoherent, Kisa understood the gist of it.

Probably, the two women had acted as decoys, and the third woman had fought the bandits with all her might to help Erika and the others escape. Erika must not have wanted to leave her sisters behind, but she had done so to save the young Ilza and the others.

Unable to bear the sight of Erika, who was silently shaking, Kisa tried to change the subject.

"I had heard that bandits were active in this area, but I didn't know they had a hideout here."

"Do you know them?"

"Yeah. I've heard rumors that bandits have been appearing around here recently."

It's not uncommon for such people to appear near the border.

The government cannot easily send patrols to avoid provoking the neighboring country, so the area tends to become lawless. The bandits also know that if they cross the border, they are out of reach of the law, so they can easily escape into the neighboring country if something happens, making it difficult to capture them.

The bandits probably only have tents as their hideout because they move their base frequently.

"They're targeting escaped slaves who have heard of Bornis."

Erika clicked her tongue and punched the side of a nearby tree.

To get to the city of Bornis from the country of Holmea, one usually crosses a river using a bridge on the southern plain. However, the plain is well visible, and there is a Holmea military fort nearby, so it is a dangerous route for escaped slaves who need to avoid being seen. Therefore, the escaped slaves naturally choose the northern mountain route, where the river is narrower and easier to cross, even without a bridge, and where there are forests to hide in.

The bandits must have set up a trap in this area, anticipating this.

They had flown right into the spider's web.

Unable to bear the sight of Erika, who was trembling with regret, Kisa quickly continued.

"But it's okay! Let's hurry to the city of Bornis. Now that we know where their hideout is, we can take them all down!"

Kisa puffed out his chest confidently and pounded it.

"Leave it to me. I have some connections in the city."

Erika gave a sad smile at Kisa, who didn't look like a reliable man but was trying to encourage himself.

"If only we could do that..."

Kisa, who didn't understand what Erika meant, was puzzled, but he understood the meaning of her smile with her next words.

"When we went back to where we were attacked, there were pieces of the sisters' clothes and a message for us—"

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"—to come to their place within three days. If we don't, they'll kill the captives."

Erika bit her lip, remembering that a map indicating the location of the hideout was even carved into a nearby tree trunk.

"That's a lie."

Kisa stated.

To the bandits, the escaped elf slaves were valuable.

If they were human or dwarf slaves, they could get a reward or a bounty by taking their heads back to their former masters. But with elf slaves, it was more profitable to keep them alive, whether to get a reward or to sell them elsewhere.

"I know that!"

Erika spat out her frustration.

"But! Even so, can I abandon the sisters who escaped with us and run away?!"

The silence that followed her outburst was painful.

"...I'm sorry."

After a slow count of ten, Kisa finally managed to say a simple apology. However, Erika seemed to have regained some of her composure.

"I'm sorry. I said too much."

Erika, as if restraining herself, pressed her lips together before continuing.

"But even if I know it's a lie, I can't abandon them. I can't bear the thought that one of the sisters might be hurt by the bandits out of spite if we run away."

It wasn't just out of gratitude for the sacrifice they made to save her.

They had supported each other through nightmare-like days as fellow slaves.

If she had been alone, she would have gone mad or taken her own life long ago. The fact that she had someone in the same situation as her had been a small comfort. The joy of a gentle touch on her shoulder when she was crying over the terrible sensations that seeped into her body was indescribable.

She couldn't just let herself and the others be free while her companions were still in captivity.

"I have a request."

Erika said with a faint smile.

"Please take the children to Bornis."

Kisa noticed that Erika had deliberately said "the children" instead of "us."

"You can't be...?!"

"I'm going to the bandits' place."

Erika said without a hint of hesitation.

"But if you do that!"

"I know. —But if no one goes, they might really kill one of the sisters. If at least I go... "

Kisa couldn't blame her for being foolish.

Erika already knew that. Yet, she couldn't abandon her companions and run to Bornis.

"So, I'm asking you—no, I'm asking you. Please, take the children to Bornis at least."

Kisa finally understood why she had helped him.

Given Erika's situation, she probably didn't want to see a human male, let alone save his life. She had helped him to entrust the children to him. From the beginning, she had intended to offer herself to the bandits.

Erika took off the necklace she was wearing around her neck and showed it to Kisa, who was too surprised to speak.

It was a simple necklace, made by threading a string through a piece of crystal with a hole in it.

On closer inspection, the crystal was of poor quality, with impurities. In the center of the crystal, a long, thin mass formed by countless white needle-like crystals was visible. The mass spread out like a fan at both ends, and the upper part of the fan had several green crystal grains scattered on it, resembling algae.

"Doesn't it look like a tree inside the crystal?"

Kisa, upon being asked, looked at the crystal again and nodded in agreement.

The bundle of white needle-like crystals could be seen as the trunk of a tree, the part that spread out below as the roots, and the part that spread out above with green crystals as the branches and leaves.

"I found it when I was playing by the river as a child. It was rare to see a tree inside a crystal. So, when I brought it home, my father made it into a necklace for me."

Erika looked at the crystal with a nostalgic smile, then closed her eyes tightly as if to hold back tears and looked down.

"This is my treasure."

Erika took Kisa's hand and placed the necklace in his palm, making him close his hand around it.

"I have nothing else to offer you now. Please, help the children."

The necklace was a treasure to Erika, but to others, it was just an unusual crystal. Kisa, who had two much more valuable crystals, felt embarrassed and miserable that he could only offer this, and couldn't even look at Kisa's face.

However, Kisa didn't mock her.

He understood the value of the necklace.

Indeed, the necklace was not particularly valuable as a piece of jewelry.

But she had been a slave.

A slave, treated as someone else's property, could not own anything. It might have been discarded or taken away by someone out of curiosity.

Yet, she had managed to protect this necklace.

Kisa felt the small necklace in his hand as if it were heavy.

What should I do? What should I do?

Kisa asked himself.

The situation was dire.

Emotionally, he wanted to help Erika and the others. If his help was needed, he would do his best.

But if he tried to save the captured elf women, he would likely—no, definitely—put not only Erika and the others but also himself in danger. If he failed to rescue the elf women and Erika and the others were captured, it would be a disaster.

Besides, he was an outsider. Erika hadn't asked him to help them; she had asked him to take the children to Bornis. If he did as he was asked, he would be thanked, not blamed.

Kisa's heart began to lean towards the easier option.

Then, Erika spoke again, unable to bear the silence.

"I beg you. I want the children to go to Bornis. The city of Bornis, where all races can coexist—"

"—is our dream."

The effect of her words was dramatic.

Kisa's eyes widened in surprise, then his face turned red, and his body began to tremble. After a while, he slumped his shoulders and let out a deep sigh.

"Damn it! Damn it! If you say that, I can't run away! I'll do it! I'll do it!"

Kisa scratched his head and shouted.

"Not just the children! Everyone! I'll take everyone to Bornis!"

Erika's eyes widened at Kisa's words.

Regarding the telescope Kisa used:

In this world, glass is made by dwarves, but there is no clear crystal glass. Therefore, lenses are not made of glass but of natural crystals. Erika's assumption about the crystals was not a mistake.

The structure and deployment of the telescope were inspired by scenes in the movie "Robin Hood" (1991), where Robin Hood, unfamiliar with telescopes, is surprised by a Moor's telescope.