The Precious Baby of the Bandit Leader Chapter 67

To be honest, deciding where to go and what to take with me was not difficult.

 

‘Because I had been thinking about it for a long time.’

 

For the past five years, I hadn’t simply been training.

 

I had thoroughly planned out which path to take to leave in case things went wrong.

 

The reason was simple and clear. Right now, the Chief cherished me, and I felt the same, but…

 

It was because I vaguely knew that an end to this relationship might come someday.

 

The problem was.

 

‘I didn’t know I would give them my heart this much, even though I knew.’

 

Even though I clearly knew everything rationally.

 

While living with them… I grew attached, and I came to trust and like them far more than I had expected.

 

…I shouldn’t have done that.

 

“Hic, sniff!”

 

If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have to feel this pain, as if my heart were being ripped out. 

 

Thud—!

 

Getting back on my feet after falling, I quickly wiped my tears away.

 

Was it because I ran frantically with the single thought of escaping quickly?

 

Or was it because of the tears that flowed without stopping?

 

I fell several times while going down the mountain, and had to suffer the hardship of my knees getting scraped and bruised.

 

Still, I couldn’t stop.

 

‘I have to go. If I’m any later, I might not be able to leave this place.’

 

Enduring the pain, I forced myself up. And I ran again.

 

Having finally reached the valley along the stone bridge, I thought to myself.

 

‘Now I have to decide how I’m going to live.’

 

Having crossed the valley, I could catch my breath for a moment. Once past here, I would be quite a distance away from the mountain stronghold.

 

I hid in the bushes and first untied the bundle I had brought tied around my waist.

 

‘The emergency bundle I always kept packed in the corner of the barracks just in case… I’m glad I prepared it.’

 

Inside the bundle were all sorts of things. My cherished rabbit doll, pieces of gold I could sell in an emergency, a small dagger, dried fruits, and various medicinal herbs and other necessities.

 

‘Alright. First, I’ll go down to a civilian village and sell the gold… and look for a place where even a young child can work.’

 

Just as I organized my plan and was about to get up, I flinched.

 

‘Ugh, the wounds I got from falling hurt more than I thought.’

 

Rustle.

 

I pulled up the hem of my skirt. Blood was seeping from a wound scraped by a jagged rock.

 

I turned my gaze to the dried medicinal herbs I had brought.

 

“When you have a wound, you should mash this herb and place it on top.”

 

If the Chief had taught me how to read, and Dupil had taught me how to be a martial artist.

 

The monk would occasionally pass on his knowledge of medicinal herbs to me. Thanks to that, I was able to prepare these herbs in advance.

 

‘…I never expected that he would come to hate me this much.’

 

When I remembered that the monk had spread the matter to the stronghold family after learning the secret of my lineage.

 

A deep sigh escaped me without me realizing it.

 

He must have felt betrayed, but when I thought about the years we had spent together, I couldn’t help feeling disappointed and… upset.

 

‘Whatever. Let’s shake it off.’

 

I shook my head and picked up the herbs to crush them.

 

And at that moment.

 

Rumble— Crash!

 

My eyes went wide, and I looked up at the loud sound of thunder ringing in the sky.

 

‘Oh no, it looks like it’s going to rain.’

 

A long drought had been ongoing, but there were times when heavy rain poured like this exactly once a year.

 

And it seemed that day was today.

 

Tuk, tuk! Tuk–tuk!

 

“Ugh!”

 

Sure enough, as the rainwater immediately started pouring down, I quickly retied the bundle I had spread out and fastened it to my waist.

 

“It’s dangerous when it rains heavily because there can be landslides. When that happens, it’s best to evacuate to a cave.”

 

It had already been five years since I started living in the mountains. I had already learned from Uncle Dupil what to do in times like this!

 

‘If it’s a cave… there should be one nearby, right?’

 

Quickly recalling the geography of this place, I fortunately remembered a place to take shelter.

 

‘I have to hurry.’

 

Holding my slingshot tightly just in case, I began to move toward my chosen destination.

 

Whoosh—! 

 

Splash, splash!

 

As I ran, stepping in rain puddles, the rain falling on my head was gradually becoming thicker.

 

* * *

 

After running continuously for nearly fifteen minutes, I barely managed to reach a nearby cave.

 

“Hoo, ha… hoo, haa!”

 

As soon as I went inside, I shook my wet hair with my hands. Panting heavily, I tried to calm my ragged breathing.

 

“Phew! Thank goodness!”

 

Whoosh—rumble, crash!

 

A rainstorm was raging outside. The trees swayed as if they would be uprooted at any moment,

 

Not only was the soil being washed away, but even large boulders were shaking precariously. 

 

‘I was almost in real big trouble.’

 

Even while coming here, my feet got caught in the muddy ground, and I almost fell several times…

 

I was incredibly lucky to have arrived safely. 

 

Moreover, although the inside of the cave was dim and there were puddles of water here and there, it didn’t look bad for a brief stay before moving on.

 

Thump—!

 

As the tension released, my trembling legs gave out, and I slumped right down.

 

Only then did all the sensations I had forgotten in my rush vividly come back to life.

 

First, I was cold and hungry, but above all…

 

‘It really hurts.’

 

A sharp pain surged from my knees and ankles. 

 

‘I need to do some first aid, quickly.’

 

Steeling my shivering body, whose temperature had dropped from being soaked in the rain, I tried to untie the tightly fastened bundle again to take out the herbs.

 

And right then.

 

“Aaaaaargh!”

 

Suddenly, a bizarre scream echoed from deep inside the cave!

 

Wha—what was that?!

 

I was so startled that I sprang up reflexively.

 

Naturally, the inside was completely dark without a single ray of light, and I couldn’t see anything.

 

I held my breath and listened closely.

 

“Aaaaaargh!”

 

Once again, a loud shout shook the inside of the cave.

 

It definitely sounded like someone howling in pain.

 

Only then did I realize the seriousness of the situation.

 

“Fire, fire…!”

 

I organized what I had to do first. Even if I went in like this, I wouldn’t be able to tell what was there. 

 

“When it’s dark at night, you can make a torch like this. Do you understand? And you can make fire like this, by striking two flints together.”

 

Recalling what Master Dupil had taught me, I picked up a branch nearby. It was slightly wet, but it would be fine if I carved off the exterior. I peeled off the bark with my small dagger.

 

And then I started making a torch in earnest.

 

I wrapped one end of the branch with a piece of cloth taken from my bundle and tightly secured it by twisting a straw rope around it.

 

“Ugh, hng.”

 

Meanwhile, agonized groans and heavy breathing continued to be heard from inside.

 

Clack, clack—!

 

“Got it!”

 

After several attempts, I barely succeeded in lighting the torch!

 

In an instant, the inside of the cave was brightly illuminated with an orange light.

 

Step, step, step, step!

 

I hurriedly grabbed the torch and ran deeper into the cave.

 

The faint breathing gradually became clearer, and soon, someone’s figure appeared beyond the light.

 

‘…A boy?’

 

I couldn’t see clearly, but he looked like a small boy.

 

One of his legs was caught between collapsed rocks, rendering him unable to move.

 

‘Did a landslide occur by any chance?’

 

It seemed the entrance on the opposite side of the cave had been blocked by a landslide, and this boy, who had just entered the cave, met with disaster.

 

I took a step closer with my torch to get a better look.

 

Swish—!

 

And the next moment.

 

I stopped right in my tracks in surprise.

 

Because a dagger had just grazed past my ear, striking the inner wall of the cave before falling weakly to the ground!