Chapter 31
Usually, bandits tend to be hot-tempered or completely illiterate, with many of them rising to positions of power purely through brute force.
However, Go Tae-hong was not just powerful but also had a keen and sharp intuition, which kept him from acting impulsively.
That was why Wonho had decided to follow him as his elder brother.
“Well then, please do as you see fit, chief. I will follow whatever choice you make.”
“Don’t just sit there. Let’s put our heads together. You’re supposed to be the strategist of our band, aren’t you?”
“I’ve already done all I can. The final decision is yours, chief. Please, do as you wish.”
“Hmm…”
Go Tae-hong squeezed his head and started thinking deeply again.
“Chief! The Six Thieves have returned!”
At that moment, a subordinate rushed in, panting.
“They can come back whenever they want, but what’s all this commotion about?”
“Well… they brought someone with them.”
“Someone?”
“Yes! They brought a young girl along, and the situation feels strange.”
Wonho and Go Tae-hong exchanged a look and hurried outside.
“Have they lost their minds? Who brings outsiders here?”
“Maybe they’re not outsiders but captured someone?”
“They’re not tied up or anything, and they’re walking in with such arrogance. They really think highly of themselves.”
“Can’t you see their eyes are bloodshot?”
The remaining bandits still in the hideout muttered as they watched the strange figure, a man in black clothes, entering with a girl.
“…Chief, those guys are injured.”
“I know.”
Wonho’s quiet warning made Go Tae-hong frown.
The man in black, completely ignoring the many stares directed at him, stopped in front of Go Tae-hong.
“Are you the head of this rabble?”
Go Tae-hong’s eyebrows twitched. His gaze shifted toward the group of foolish subordinates standing awkwardly behind the man in black.
The leader of the Six Thieves, upon making eye contact with Go Tae-hong, trembled and quickly lowered his head.
“Who the hell are you to start speaking so casually to me? You’ve made a mess of your underlings, and now you come crawling to my turf? You must be confident in your skills, huh?”
“I don’t know about my skills, but I found it laughable that these third-rate guys are calling themselves the Six Thieves. Who came up with the nickname? Looking at them, I think ‘Six Trash’ would be a more fitting name.”
“Hmm… You’re not wrong.”
“Chief…”
“Why? Didn’t we already say they should be called ‘Six Trash’ when they gave themselves that name?”
Go Tae-hong’s words made Wonho touch his forehead, while the Six Thieves flushed with embarrassment.
Then, a sound of suppressed laughter came from somewhere. The girl, held in the arms of the man in black, was the source.
Though the situation was strange, the girl’s presence was now undeniable. With things going the way they were, there was no reason to remain passive.
“Jang-geol!”
Go Tae-hong’s voice rang out, shaking the mountain itself.
“Not only were you humiliated, but now you’ve brought some weird bastard into my territory! You dare betray Bashu? Have you forgotten the rules?”
Finally, the Six Thieves, their faces pale, looked up at Go Tae-hong.
“P-Please! We’re sorry, Chief!”
“Please, forgive us! We’ve made a mistake!”
“Shut up! I will never forgive this! If any of you try to run, I’ll tear you apart and feed you to the Red Beast!”
Under Go Tae-hong’s furious orders, the Six Thieves were left dumbfounded, some of them even sitting down in despair.
Then, Go Tae-hong grabbed the great sword from near the door.
“Whatever the reason you came, it was your choice. But without my permission, you can’t leave here. The Iron Staff Lord will take your head.”
The bandits surrounded the man in black, blocking all exits.
“Yeah, I guess even trash can have a decent head.”
The man in black raised the corners of his lips slightly, then handed the girl to Jang-geol, the leader of the Six Thieves, who was trembling nearby.
“If you touch a single hair on her head or harm her in any way, you’ll regret it.”
The man in black warned the bandits and glanced back at the girl.
“Uncle…”
“Stay here, I’ll be finished soon. Don’t worry.”
“…Actually, I’m hungry.”
A loud rumbling sound came from the little girl, completely out of place in such a tense situation.
“Once everything’s over, we’ll eat some bear meat. You’ve never tried it, right?”
“More meat? I want rice.”
“If you’re going to complain, you can cook it yourself.”
“No, wait, thinking about it, bear meat sounds good. Hurry up and win, then come back.”
The rapid change in the little girl’s attitude made the man in black chuckle. He placed the hood of his cloak on the girl’s head, making her struggle for a moment before she finally pushed it back.
As she blinked, she watched the battle unfold.
Go Tae-hong, the so-called “Iron Staff Lord,” swung his great sword, making a fierce whistling sound with every move.
If the girl had been struck by that sword, she would have been torn apart.
“Waaah!”
“Chief! Kill him!”
“How dare he enter here!”
The surrounding bandits cheered and shouted, treating the scene like some kind of spectacle.
The girl, however, seemed unaffected by the noise around her. She observed the situation as Go Tae-hong seemed to dominate the fight with his massive sword.
For a moment, it looked like Go Tae-hong was overpowering the man in black with his terrifying sword strikes.
But the man in black was quick, dodging the attacks, moving with impressive agility, and avoiding any direct hits.
‘Uncle hasn’t even swung his sword yet.’
Eun Sowol realized that despite the fierce battle, the man in black hadn’t been touched. In fact, he was evading each blow with precise movements, as if the sword was mere inches away from him each time.
“I’m hungry. I hope this finishes quickly.”
Eun Sowol, completely uninterested in the battle, moved toward the Six Thieves who were sitting, trembling in fear.
“Do you guys know how to prepare bear meat?”
“P-Prepare meat?”
“Yes. Or have you tried bear meat before? Does it smell bad? I don’t like venison because it has that smell.”
“Uh… Some parts smell a bit, but most of it is fine.”
Jang-geol, looking confused, answered.
“Good… Then hurry up and get ready.”
“What… ready for what?”
“To prepare the bear meat. Uncle will ask you to prepare it for him, right?”
“…Do you not think your uncle will lose this fight?”
“No.”
“Why? He can’t even land a blow right now.”
“It’s not that he can’t, it’s that he’s choosing not to.”
Jang-geol, now utterly baffled, watched as the little girl moved around as if it were her own house.
