"Ah, such a bunch of paupers."
Tris sighed as he searched the bodies and hideout of the bandits.
None of them carried more than a few gold coins. The most valuable things were merely the weapons and gear they wore.
Even the leader was in the same state.
Tris had thought that, for convenience in transporting and storing loot after raids, they should at least have one or two spatial rings. Yet after thoroughly searching the leader's body, he found not a single one.
Ransacking the hideout to see if they had stored any treasures, Tris found only common items like food, wine, animal hides, and magic crystals.
Looking at the so‑called "treasures" before him, Tris could not help but sigh.
He felt that every time these bandits succeeded in a raid, they quickly sold off anything of value, then squandered the money on indulgence.
That explained why their lair held no valuables, and why they carried so little gold or fine equipment.
Of course, each of them might have hidden personal savings elsewhere. But normally, if one had money, they would convert it as soon as possible into equipment to strengthen themselves and ensure safety.
Thus, even if such savings existed, they would not amount to much, hardly worth the effort of searching.
From the start, Tris had no intention of keeping them alive to interrogate for hidden stashes. That was too troublesome and not worth the effort.
Gathering all the loot, Tris stored it in his own empty spatial rings.
A person should know how to be content with what they gain. After all, the haul was not entirely worthless.
At least the magic crystals were quite valuable; if not sold, they could be kept for many uses.
Weapons, wine, and hides could also be collected and sold, though disposing of them would take some effort.
Wine and hides could be sold immediately, but weapons and gear required more care. Fortunately, Tris already had experience in fencing stolen goods.
The only problem was the food. Tris hesitated, since it was not easy to sell like the other items.
Even if sold, it would fetch little, hardly worth the trouble.
Naturally, he had no desire or intention to eat the "leftovers" the bandits had kept.
Yet leaving it all to rot felt wasteful, and Tris disliked wasting provisions.
After some thought, he decided to take everything back and use it to help feed the hungry or something like that.
"This is called a whole crowd celebrating the death of a few."
Just as he finished tidying up and prepared to leave, Tris noticed through the 'Feathers' stationed outside that three people in white cloaks were approaching.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Do you really intend to look for people in a place like this?"
The speaker was a girl with white hair, dressed in a matching cloak.
Beside her walked another girl with the same appearance.
The one they addressed was walking ahead of them.
She was younger in appearance, with hair split evenly into black and white halves.
When asked, she replied:
Rose: "Yes. When I passed through this area earlier, I discovered a bandit group here."
The other white‑haired girl asked in surprise:
"A bandit group? Do you intend to use them?"
Rose: "Why not?"
She smiled brightly. The innocent beauty of her smile contrasted sharply with the uneasy subject of their discussion.
First white‑haired girl: "What do you call this? Using cheap labor?"
Rose: "In fact, it's free."
Second white‑haired girl: "Surely you've also considered easing worries for the later stage, haven't you?"
Rose did not answer, tacitly confirming the guess.
After walking a while longer, Rose spoke:
"This should be the place."
But then she suddenly stopped, standing still and peering intently in one direction.
Seeing her unusual behavior, the two girls behind asked:
"My lady?"
"What's happening?"
Rose: "There's a strong stench of human blood. Many must have been killed nearby."
From where they stood, the other two could not detect any blood scent. Yet they trusted her without question.
They both knew Rose's abilities were far beyond theirs.
Rose: "Let's continue. I want to see more clearly what happened."
Hearing this, the two girls silently followed.
They understood Rose was displeased—having come all this way, yet things seemed not to have gone as she had planned.
* * * * * * * * * *
'Do they have any connection to the bandits? Doesn't seem so.'
Tris pondered while seeking a way to leave.
Suddenly, he saw the girl in front lift her head, turning toward where a 'Feathers' puppet perched far away.
Though her eyes were closed, Tris felt she was looking directly at the puppet.
A chill ran through him; unease filled him at her presence.
Observing only from afar through the puppet, Tris could not judge her precisely. Yet instinct told him she was someone to be greatly feared.
The three stopped exactly at the bandits' hideout entrance.
Outside, Tris had carefully filled in the pit from before. He had also used magic to conceal the entrance, making it harder to find.
Yet they had located it swiftly and precisely.
With the main entrance blocked, and since Tris did not want to face those suspicious figures outside, he chose to hide himself and leave through the secret escape route that the bandit leader had never had the chance to use.
As he opened the second exit and stepped out, through the 'Feathers,' Tris saw the girl ahead suddenly turn her head directly toward his position.
'Not good.' Tris thought and immediately sprinted at full speed.
Through the puppet's eyes, he saw the two‑toned‑haired girl vanish from her spot.
Or rather, her movement was so fast it seemed her body disappeared.
Almost instantly, she arrived at the secret exit Tris had just used.
As he fled, controlling the 'Feathers' to follow, the last thing Tris saw was the girl standing still, as if pondering something.