The Precious Baby of the Bandit Leader Chapter 95

“Waaaaah!”

 

“Strike!”

 

A literal war broke out.

 

Gaon’s group, holding up pickaxes, sickles, and even axes, clashed head-on with the fully armed private soldiers of the Prime Minister.

 

‘Those people… they are taking Gaon’s side even though they are faces I’ve never seen before.’

 

Though I didn’t know how it had come to this, I calmly loaded my slingshot and assessed the state of the battle. 

 

In terms of numbers alone, Gaon’s side had the advantage. 

 

But most of them seemed to be ordinary commoners.

 

It was obvious that trouble would ensue if untrained civilians rushed in.

 

“Aaaack!”

 

Sure enough, they helplessly fell one after another to the swords of the private soldiers.

 

I bit my lip tightly in anger.

 

“More enemies are coming!”

 

As if the Prime Minister’s side had noticed the movements here, to make matters worse, even more private soldiers flooded in.

 

“Everyone, pull yourselves together! Form a human chain and surround them! Overwhelm them with numbers while maintaining distance!” 

 

Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack!

 

However, contrary to expectations, Gaon’s group didn’t get pushed back easily either.

 

It was because of Gaon, the divine archer whose arrows pierced the enemies’ throats with hundred-percent accuracy. His ability to read the battlefield and command also played a part.

 

“Yeong!”

 

He was desperately running as if trying to reach me while shooting arrows. However, it wasn’t easy because of the crowd blocking his way.

 

“Catch him! We just need to catch that b*stard!”

 

“He’s like a ghost!”

 

“Where do these bastards think they’re going!”

 

“Ugh…!”

 

Countless soldiers rushed at him, and Gaon’s subordinates engaged in a fierce close-quarters battle while blocking the soldiers.

 

“Subdue the child first!”

 

Meanwhile, five or six soldiers had broken away and came toward our side.

 

They swarmed Uncle Gaeddong, Park Dohyul, and me.

 

‘You think I’ll just let you do as you please!?’

 

Thwack! Thud! Splash—! 

 

I shot my slingshot once again and successfully made one of them fall into the water.

 

Perhaps stimulated by my actions, Park Dohyul also put his mask back on and calmly continued the fight.

 

Despite the difficulties, the tide of battle seemed to be slowly shifting in our favor.

 

But then.

 

Thud—! 

 

Suddenly, Uncle Gaeddong, who was standing next to me, rolled his eyes back and collapsed onto the floor.

 

“U-Uncle!!” 

 

Freaking out, I hurriedly rushed to Uncle Gaeddong and checked on him.

 

Blood was continuously pouring from the side where he had been stabbed by a sword.

 

Uncle’s face had already turned as white as a sheet of paper from excessive blood loss. 

 

“No… Uncle, please…!”

 

I pressed his side with all my might, putting my weight into it. I had to somehow stop the bleeding.

 

At that moment.

 

Neigh—!

 

Along with the sharp cry of a horse, the sound of a horse snorting cut through the air.

 

A man holding a large longsword charged through the crowd on horseback.

 

“Wh-what is that!”

 

“Aaaack!”

 

Even while moving at incredible speed on horseback, he brilliantly swung his sword, cutting down people.

 

With a few sweeps of his hand, the surroundings crumbled helplessly.

 

‘That person is…!?’

 

For a moment, I recognized the man’s face and froze.

 

‘The highest-ranking person among the Prime Minister’s direct private soldiers.’

 

In other words, when I was captured and taken to the Prime Minister’s villa in my childhood.

 

He was the man who had picked me up and carried me. 

 

The intimidating presence, where neither presence nor breathing could be felt, was still vivid.

 

‘What was his name?’

 

As I pondered deeply, I vaguely remembered the Prime Minister calling him while moving to the annex.

 

[Jo Mujin.]

 

As that dreadful name struck my mind, I unconsciously tightened my grip on the slingshot.

 

‘The one that person is aiming for is me. I have to do something…!’

 

Sure enough. As soon as Jo Mujin dismounted, he lunged at me as if flying.

 

I got goosebumps from the overwhelming presence. Holding my breath, I calmly fired my slingshot at him wildly.

 

I put in all the stones I had and shot them at him!

 

“Where do you think you’re going!”

 

Freely swinging his large longsword, he lightly deflected the stones I threw.

 

Indeed, he lived up to the nickname of being the Prime Minister’s right arm.

 

Watching that sight, I realized instinctively.

 

…My slingshot doesn’t work on this man.

 

He was an opponent far beyond my level.

 

When I looked down at my empty pocket and hurriedly raised my head, Jo Mujin’s hand suddenly reached out toward me.

 

‘I’m going to be caught…!’

 

Just as I was about to squeeze my eyes shut. 

 

“No!”

 

Park Dohyul jumped in and barely managed to block him.

 

Clang!

 

The two swords clashed fiercely, but the difference in strength was clear.

 

“Hah!”

 

When Jo Mujin put his strength into it in a flash.

 

Snap!

 

Park Dohyul’s sword blade broke in two and flew through the air.

 

“….!”

 

Dohyul stared at Jo Mujin with a devastated face.

 

As he staggered with trembling legs.

 

Jo Mujin suddenly opened his eyes sharply. As if he had noticed his identity.

 

“You…?”

 

He paused, then glared piercingly at Park Dohyul. 

 

Park Dohyul also stepped backward, unable to hide his flustered expression.

 

While following his actions with my eyes with the slingshot tightly gripped, my jaw dropped at the sight right behind him.

 

One step behind Park Dohyul was a deep, black waterway below a cliff.

 

Step, step—.

 

Jo Mujin approached with an expressionless face, reaching out his hand.

 

The moment he roughly tried to take off the bandana Park Dohyul was wearing.

 

I absolutely couldn’t stand it.

 

“Yaaaah!” 

 

I kicked off the ground and jumped up lightly.

 

It was time for the jumping power I had practiced while climbing the mountain all this time to shine!

 

Grabbing Jo Mujin’s arm, I bit his arm so hard that he would scream.

 

Chomp—!

 

“Ugh!”

 

He frowned, snatched the back of my neck, and directly detached me from his arm.

 

“You little brat…!” 

 

And just as he was about to strike my head with his fist.

 

Thwack—!

 

Jo Mujin’s hand couldn’t reach my head. Because his neck was pierced right in front of my eyes.

 

As he fell to his knees powerlessly on the ground, I also fell with a thud! on my bottom.

 

Startled, I sharply turned my head.

 

And there I found Gaon, holding a bow and breathing heavily. 

 

My uncle’s eyes were blazing with deep anger.

 

‘He… saved me.’

 

I tightly clenched my trembling hands. My heart was still pounding, showing how tense I was.

 

And I calmly took in the sight of Jo Mujin writhing as he died.

 

…I wasn’t used to the sight of a person collapsing right in front of my eyes.

 

But the relief of surviving at the moment I thought I was going to die washed over me more strongly.

 

I unconsciously let out a small sigh, but.

 

“Ack?!”

 

Grab—!

 

Before his breath completely stopped, Jo Mujin staggered and grabbed me tightly.

 

And, before I could do anything, he threw me into the air as if shaking me off.

 

Whoosh—!

 

In that brief moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion.

 

Jo Mujin collapsing to his knees,

 

Park Dohyul despairing with an outstretched hand,

 

Seo Taeho running toward him,

 

Gaon lowering his bow with a face turned pale. 

 

And.

 

Splash—! 

 

As the moment that felt like an eternity ended, the cold water instantly swallowed my whole body.

 

Whooooosh—!

 

It had been nearly fifteen days since the heavy rains hit the mountains.

 

But I had heard that the villages had been hit by a torrential downpour only five days ago.

 

Perhaps because of that, the black, fierce current helplessly wrapped around my small body and violently dragged me downstream.

 

It was hard to even stretch a fingertip, let alone swim.

 

A sudden fear rushed in. 

 

“Cough, cough!”

 

I struggled, flailing my arms and legs with all my might, but it was no use. 

 

When I opened my mouth to breathe, water rushed in, and my vision blurred.

 

‘I’m going to die like this!’

 

At that moment, someone grabbed my hand.

 

“Puhah-!”

 

When I spat out water and raised my head, I saw someone holding my hand tightly.

 

It was Park Dohyul.

 

With his other hand, he was barely holding onto a vine hanging in this direction.

 

“Hold on a little longer! I’ll pull you up!”

 

It was clear that he had jumped into the water right after I fell in.

 

Tears welled up in my eyes unconsciously.

 

“Ughhh…”

 

Park Dohyul’s handsome face was entirely distorted, and his bloodstained fingertips trembled like straw.

 

However, the time the vine could hold on did not last long.

 

Snap.

 

As the thin vine broke, we were once again swept away by the fierce current.

 

Park Dohyul hugged me with all his might.

 

Whoosh—!

 

At that moment, someone’s net swooped down on us and pulled us up.

 

When I rubbed my eyes and looked up, a massive ship, unbelievably large for navigating a river, came into view.

 

This was…….

 

“Pull!”

 

“Waaaaaah!”

 

“Row the oars the other way! We can’t be swept away by the current!”

 

On the ship, numerous men were pulling the rope with all their might, led by a boy.

 

A supporting character in the original work and the successor of the pirate captain.

 

…And my friend, Damho!