CHAPTER 60: THE HIDDEN BANDIT VILLAGE

Ard and Eva quickly began climbing the ropes that Vahn’s subordinates had provided, followed by their familiars. When they reached the top of the ropes, it turned out the ropes led to a cave in the cliff face.

Ard and Eva entered the cave, seeing many bandits in the cave tunnel, ready to fight Zorax. They all stared at Ard and Eva full of questions but did nothing because the two were walking behind Vahn, their leader.

When they reached the end of the cave and entered a vast cave chamber, like an empty space inside a mountain or underground, Ard and Eva were shocked. They saw a village below them with simple wooden buildings, consisting of only about twenty houses.

They also saw families living in those homes. Additionally, they saw two longhouses that seemed to be used as barracks and a village hall or command center in the middle of the settlement.

Ard and Eva walked down the wooden stairs, continuing to look down. Many small children were running around playing outside their houses, and women were walking out of their homes to hang clothes while gossiping. The village looked active, just like villages on the surface, but it was clear that everyone in the village was a bandit.

"This... is your secret headquarters?" Ard asked Vahn, who was walking ahead.

"Hmm... this is where my subordinates and their families live. Almost all of them are people who were oppressed in the imperial cities and had no place there, whether they were ostracized or banished," Vahn answered casually.

"I see... but why are there mostly women and children?" Eva asked.

"Because all the men and anyone who can fight went down to the village below to help deal with the stampede, and some were with me, preparing to face the giant dragon in the crater," Vahn answered.

Ard and Eva immediately glanced at each other, then looked back at Vahn walking in front of them. When they reached the bottom, several small children immediately ran up to greet Vahn. Of course, Vahn immediately crouched down and stroked their heads, even lifting a little girl to sit on his shoulders.

The working women also greeted Vahn kindly as Vahn, Ard, and Eva passed them. Seeing Vahn so respected in what was essentially a bandit’s lair, Ard and Eva couldn’t say anything. Then Ard moved closer to Eva and put his mouth near her ear.

"Do you think we can trust him? From the looks of it, the people here seem to respect him a lot," Ard whispered.

"You’re right. I think we can trust him, just like Claudia said," Eva whispered back.

Vahn continued to cheerfully greet everyone he passed. When he reached the door of the village hall, Ard, walking behind him, placed his hand on Vahn’s shoulder.

"Do you know Claudia? The chief’s daughter?" Ard asked.

Vahn immediately fell silent and stopped. He lowered the little girl from his shoulder and stroked her head, then turned to look at Ard and Eva behind him. There was no smile on his face, and his eyes scrutinized Ard and Eva once more.

"You know Claudia?" Vahn asked.

"Yeah, she’s our friend," Ard answered casually.

"Hmm... are you two from the academy?" Vahn asked.

"That’s right, we came from the academy," Eva replied.

Suddenly, Vahn drew the sword from his hip and pointed it in front of Ard and Eva’s faces, confusing them. The atmosphere fell silent as the working women immediately stopped and watched Vahn, who was pointing his sword with an unreadable expression.

Even the children who were playing suddenly went still, seeing something happening in front of them. The women immediately moved toward the children and took them back into the houses.

"Hmm... did the Orthus Empire send you here? Is Claudia alright? You haven’t done anything to Claudia, have you?" Vahn asked with a deep, heavy voice. His face looked cold, but his eyes stared sharply.

"No, actually, we intend to escape the Orthus Empire and head to the Rellios Kingdom. Claudia came with us," Ard said casually.

Vahn observed Ard and Eva’s faces closely, as if searching for something in their expressions. Then he lowered his sword and sheathed it back at his hip.

"Alright, you seem to be honest. Come on inside, we’ll talk in there," Vahn replied, turning to open the door.

Vahn walked inside. Ard and Eva looked at each other again, then Ard pulled Eva closer to him.

"Don’t ever mention that you’re the imperial princess," Ard whispered.

"Okay, I understand," Eva replied.

They entered, following Vahn. Once inside, Vahn led them to a private room that looked like a private meeting area and invited them to sit down. Vahn sat across from Ard and Eva.

"Alright, can you tell me who you are? What is your connection to Claudia?" Vahn asked.

Ard immediately introduced himself and Eva, then told him about their current situation, what happened at the academy, why they were fleeing, and their true destination, the Rellios Kingdom, without mentioning their true identities. After Ard finished speaking, Vahn was silent for a moment, thinking. A few moments later,

"So the situation at the academy is like that, and Claudia left with you," Vahn muttered.

"That’s right. She’s with us and wants to cross to the northern continent to circle around and then cross again to the eastern continent," Ard replied.

"Right now, we are in the village located in Count Dimitri’s territory," Eva added.

"Hmm, I see. My men are heading there now to help them deal with the monsters running down the mountain... I can confirm later if Claudia is really there, but I feel like I can trust you and you seem honest," Vahn replied.

"Thank you for trusting us," Ard replied.

"Then how were you able to force that giant dragon back into the crater and seal it? I saw what you did from above. Also, what dragon was that? I’ve never seen it before, and I only just learned it was trapped in this mountain, even though I’ve been building this village in the mountains for ten years," Vahn asked.

"Hmm... alright, let me tell you what just happened," Ard replied.

Ard and Eva then recounted what had just occurred, how they re-sealed Zorax inside the mountain, and what their concerns were. Hearing Ard and Eva’s story, Vahn’s face, which had been calm before, became very serious and stunned. His eyebrows furrowed as he seemed to be thinking hard.

"So, according to you, someone unsealed the ancient dragon that was imprisoned in this mountain 3,000 years ago by the Dragon God? So that’s what your earlier question about the seal was about?" Vahn asked, seeking confirmation from both of them.

"Yes, that’s right. Do you have any idea who might have opened the seal?" Ard asked.

"No idea at all. I myself just found out this mountain held such a secret," Vahn answered.

"Hmm... I see. So you really don’t know," Eva muttered, thinking.

"Hmm, this is a serious problem. I will try to investigate it based on your description of your two swords. I don’t want the people in this village to be threatened and become victims of that dragon’s ferocity," Vahn replied.

"We understand. Please do," Eva replied.

Vahn continued to observe Ard and Eva’s faces seriously. A moment later, he started smiling again and stood up.

"In that case, let’s go. We have to help the village below," Vahn replied.

"Good. Please lead the way. Eva and I are ready to help," Ard replied, standing up.

"Yes, let’s go help them," Eva added, also standing up.

"Thank you," Vahn replied.

The three of them left the village hall again, then walked toward a tunnel near the village to return to the forest at the foot of the mountain and then back to the village where Ard and Eva’s friends were struggling to defend the village along with Dimitri and his troops. As they walked through the torch-lit tunnel, Ard and Eva could see many bandits guarding the passage.

Vahn invited some of his men to join him in fighting the monsters to defend the village. Finally, they formed a group with Ard and Eva among them, and together they walked quickly toward the torch-lit tunnel.

When they reached the mouth of the cave, the sound of a noisy battle could be heard. It turned out many bandits were fighting a horde of Orcs and Goblins in front of Ard and Eva. Vahn drew his sword, then moved forward to help his men attack the monsters that were assaulting the gate made of bamboo, which formed a fence closing off the cave entrance.

He left Ard and Eva standing still as they came out of the cave, then looked around. After realizing there were still many monsters running around, and Vahn’s men were starting to be overwhelmed,

"Come on, Eva, let’s help them," Ard whispered, gripping Exgrandal.

"Yes, let’s go, Ard," Eva replied, gripping Exelion.

Ard and Eva immediately ran forward toward the battle to help Vahn, who had already begun fighting to drive the monsters out of his territory.