The Villain Is Destined to Die: But as the Creator, I know All Endings-Chapter 221: Day - 1: Teaching the Bandits How to Loot!

FReewwww!!

The horse reared up and came to an abrupt halt.

Leon disabled his skill and climbed down from the seat.

He scanned the area. Using the night-vision feature of his glasses along with his [Mana Sense] skill, he checked the surroundings for any potential threats.

It was past 3 AM now.

"Did you find anything?" Ethan asked as he climbed down as well.

Leon, still focused, turned to him. "I’m not sensing any demons."

"That’s good," Ethan said, finally relaxing his shoulders.

That relief lasted exactly one second.

"But I am sensing five humans behind us," Leon continued calmly. "They’re about two hundred metres away."

"..."

Ethan opened his mouth to say something, but Cyan spoke first.

"Oh, great," Cyan said dryly, squinting into the darkness. "Thanks for warning us this soon. Really helpful." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

He clicked his tongue. "It’s pitch black. I can’t see a damn thing ahead."

"Are they guards?" Ethan asked Leon.

"I don’t think so," Leon replied.

"Hm?" Cyan looked between them. "If not guards, then who are they? Adventurers? But what would they be doing here so late at night?"

Adventurers were usually found near public dungeons or areas with frequent sightings of lesser demons. But in Rubyhill, that was rare.

The lesser demons here were below average and rarely attacked. Maybe because this place was too far from demon lands.

"It’s probably bandits," Leon said.

Rubyhill Forest was located near the trade route connecting the Merlin and Liora Kingdoms, making it a perfect hiding place for them after they looted.

Even though guards and knights regularly dealt with such groups, new bandits always seemed to pop up sooner or later.

’They look like they recently looted someone...’

Leon zoomed in on the area and observed their movements.

"Four crimson cores and one unawakened..." he muttered to himself.

Then he noticed something beside the group.

Something lay on the ground near them. Its mana reading was so faint that it was hard for Leon to even make sense of what it was.

"What’s that?"

Ethan followed Leon’s gaze and focused on the same spot. His eyes faintly shimmered before his expression stiffened.

"Dead bodies," Ethan said. "Two of them."

Leon blinked. "That makes sense now..."

They must have killed them after finishing the looting. No wonder the mana signatures were so difficult to pick up.

Several hours must have already passed since their deaths.

"Shouldn’t we keep moving? We are so deep in the forest." Cyan said, understanding the situation.

They were illegally trespassing near the border themselves. The smart move would be to mind their own business and avoid unnecessary trouble.

"Do you see anything else besides the corpses?" Leon asked.

"There are several crates," Ethan replied. "And a broken carriage."

Cyan didn’t know how Ethan could see all of that from this distance. And he also had no intention of asking how.

"That must be the goods they looted," Leon said.

Ethan noticed it then. The slight curve of Leon’s lips.

He was smirking.

Cyan didn’t catch it until Leon spoke.

"Let’s take a closer look," Leon said calmly. He removed his hood, letting his white hair sway. "It’d be rude not to return the favor... and even ruder to leave valuables to them."

"Excuse me?" Cyan’s mouth hung open as he saw Leon moving in that direction. "H–Hey...!"

Ethan stopped him. "It’s fine. They’re just crimson cores."

"Even you?" Cyan looked into his eyes. From what he could tell, Ethan didn’t look worried.

He looked curious.

Cyan didn’t argue further. With the majority against him, he realized just how messed up he was, traveling with these two crazy freaks.

"You want any help?" Ethan asked, walking a few steps behind Leon.

"Nah. I want to try something," Leon said casually. "You two should just stay put."

"Alright," Ethan replied.

Cyan tied the horse to the nearest tree and hurried back to Ethan’s side.

He lowered his voice. "Are we seriously leaving him alone? Even if they’re lower rank than us, they still outnumber him."

Ethan remained relaxed.

"Just watch. This’ll make your trust in him a bit stronger."

"...What?"

Leon could hear them chatting behind him.

Ethan’s system was different from Leon’s. It was more like a superior version.

Using it, Ethan could not only see the ranks of others, but also the skills they possessed. But that didn’t mean he could see everything. It was restricted to skills below A+ rank.

Even so, it was impressive.

In a fight, Ethan would always have the upper hand. And he had probably seen Leon’s unique skill as well.

That was why he was this confident. Why he was sure Leon could handle all of them easily, if he wished.

He just wanted to see it happen. Or more precisely, he wanted Cyan to witness it happen.

As Leon drew closer, crude voices drifted through the trees.

"Hahaha... today’s a lucky day," said the man with broad shoulders, his half-sleeved metal chain jacket clinking to his body as he leaned back.

"Didn’t think we’d get this rich on the first day of work."

"Madam Tart, I’m so glad I followed you," he added, grinning as he looked toward the woman sitting at the other side.

She had brown hair, brown eyes, and an unpleasant, sharp-featured face. She sat casually atop a crate, her legs spread, and she was eating messily from a stolen pack.

"Mhm." Tart raised an eyebrow. "I told you this place was easy."

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and sneered.

"The guards here are idiots. And even if you get caught, just throw them some money. If the pouch is heavy enough, they’ll suck the soul out of your dick without asking questions."

"Bahahaha!"

Laughter erupted beneath the night sky.

"True, true!" another bandit laughed. "This kingdom’s doomed. Gods, I just love it."

From Leon’s vantage point, it was obvious.

Tart was the leader, and the others were nothing but obedient dogs.

’All of them are four star crimson cores except for the unawakened one...’ Leon thought. ’Well... I expected at least the leader to be above them.’

He exhaled quietly.

"A four-star crimson core is still trash."

"What are you planning to do?" Cyan whispered.

Leon glanced back once.

"Nothing fancy."

Ethan nearly chuckled.

Cyan’s eyes flicked to Leon’s revolver. "That thing’ll make noise. Use a sword instead."

He extended his own blade to him.

But Leon didn’t take it.

"There’s no need to stain the blade."

By saying that, he stepped outside the bush.

"Hm?" One of the bandits noticed him approaching.

"Who are you?"

Leon walked out openly with a polite smile on his face. "Looks like you’re having fun."

The other heads turned.

All of them instantly took out their sharp weapons.

Tart narrowed her eyes, scanning him from head to toe.

"How’d you get here?" she demanded.

To them, he looked like a lost merchant.

Then her lips curled as it landed on Leon’s body.

"...Heh. I was craving a young body anyway."

She licked her lips slowly. "Capture him alive."

"As you wish madam."

When all of them stood up, and looked in Leon’s direction, he stopped walking.

He removed his glasses, and—-

[Command of Grace]

His eyes glowed faintly red.

When they get in the skill’s range, all of their movements abruptly halt.

All four bandits charging towards him stood still like broken puppets.

Leon smiled. A wide, satisfied grin.

"Now then..." He tilted his head.

"Slit your own throats. And don’t scream please."

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[A/N: 100 Powerstone in 24 hours to get 2 extra Chapters!]