Chapter 55

The latter seemed to understand something.

He crouched down and looked at the girl's hands, which were constantly rummaging through things.

"What's missing?"

"Alas!"

Alice was startled by the sudden sound beside her, but she quickly realized who the voice belonged to.

She turned her head, and the expression on her face surprised the other person.

After hesitating for a few seconds, the blonde girl decided to tell the truth.

"It's all gone. All the valuables are gone."

Episode 33: The Truth Behind the Attack

After dealing with the remains of these poor people.

Xiu Er looked at Takuson and Alice, who were squatting beside the wreckage of the carriage not far away.

Because he was constantly gathering information about the surrounding environment, he overheard every word of the conversation between the two people.

All your money is gone?

Xiu Er immediately grasped the key point.

Logically speaking, if Monster kill people, they would at most eat them; they wouldn't possibly take human money. Moreover, according to the information Alice provided earlier, there were no dragons among the attacking Monster.

So, it was other people passing by who came to collect the body.

This is very likely, and there are also footprints on the ground at the scene that are far more than 14 people's footprints. This is information that Xiu Er obtained when he first scanned the scene.

Even if two people wear the same shoes, their height, weight, walking style, and the type, size, and weight of their equipment will be different.

This also results in differences in depth and direction even when the footprint patterns are the same.

Xiu Er, however, distinguished from the numerous Monsters and human footprints on the ground that there were more than thirty people in total.

Normally, it's not uncommon for caravans to be attacked by Monster and wiped out, with the lost money being picked up by passing bandits or other people.

However, there are some issues with the details here.

Because he discovered that if the scene was reconstructed based on the footprints at the scene...

You will receive the following intelligence:

After dealing with Alice's caravan, those Monster stood still, waiting for others to come and collect their loot!

At this moment, Xiu Er's gaze shifted from the marks on the ground to the direction in which the many footprints had left.

If the entire army is wiped out by Monster attack, it's considered a natural disaster, just bad luck.

However, if someone deliberately lures or drives Monster to attack caravans in order to gain wealth, then the nature of the matter is different.

At this moment, Xiu Er had already figured out the specific answer in his mind.

"Don't panic. Do you think it's possible that the things on the carriage have already been picked up by passing adventurers or bandits?"

Takuson patiently comforted Alice was very panicked because she couldn't find the money.

"After all, it's already the second day, isn't it?"

The blonde girl, though comforted, did not feel much less panicked.

"No, that's not it..."

Alice retorted tremulously.

"It's about commission, but I... can't pay you commission right now..."

She was taught by her parents from a young age to keep her word, so she considers it very important to do what she says she will do.

The original plan was to first hire these two adventurers to take him to the site of the caravan's wreckage to retrieve his belongings, and then use the money to hire them to take him to his relatives' house.

Now, the money is gone, and she has nothing left to pay the commission, even though she had previously claimed she had the ability to do so.

I have become the "dishonest person" that I hate.

This made her very uneasy.

Yes, what Alice cares about now is not that the money was taken by someone else, but that she cannot pay the commission and that she has not kept her word.

Moreover, in Alice's mind, Xiu Er and Takuson were only willing to take on the commission because of the commission.

In this situation, wouldn't he abandon himself?!

It's no wonder the girl speculated about the character of Xiu Er and his apprentice, because she herself firmly believed that there is no such thing as an act without expecting anything in return.

She doesn't deny that such kind people do exist, but she doesn't believe she will meet one.

After hearing this, Takuson finally understood what the girl meant.

So that's what she was worried about. It seems her parents gave her a very good upbringing.

"Don't worry, your teacher and I will still take you to a safe place, such as the relative's house you mentioned earlier."

Because the other person was a woman, Takuson couldn't touch her head or put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

It can only be described verbally.

Furthermore, to allay the other party's concerns, he added some appropriate details.

"Just have your relative pay the commission fee on your behalf. Your relative should be able to do that, right?"

Hearing Takuson's reply, Alice finally managed to calm herself down.

Wiping away the tears that streamed down her face from her anxiety, she quickly made a promise to the other person.

"Yes, Uncle Joseph is a kind man. If he knew about this, he certainly wouldn't be stingy."

Seeing that his words had indeed had an effect, a gentle smile appeared on Takuson's rugged face.

"Then it's a deal?"

"Okay, it's a deal..."

"[Affirmative] Alice's emotional fluctuations are stable. Takuson, you did a good job."

"Hey-hey."

After receiving praise from the teacher, the burly man shyly scratched the back of his head.

"Then, teacher, shall we send her to her relative's house next?"

"[Reject] It is not a high priority at present."

"Huh? Is there anything else?"

Takuson, who had been wondering why Xiu Er would refuse the proposal, suddenly realized what the other party meant.

"Teacher, have you finished inspecting the scene?"

"..."

Xiu Er didn't reply, but only glanced at the black-haired youth beside him.

"Haha... you're right, haha, look at the question I asked..."

After chuckling, Takuson's expression immediately turned serious.

"So, this was done intentionally?"

"[Confirmed] Based on the information at the scene, it can be inferred that the Monster attack was deliberately orchestrated by someone."

Who is it?

"[Answer] There is an 84.6% probability that it was done by bandits, involving 18 individuals and one Magic User."

"[Speculation] The Monster attack is highly correlated with this individual Magic User."

"Yeah..."

As Xiu Er explained the results, Takuson's expression gradually turned cold.

The two talked away from Alice, so the girl is unaware of the truth about her family's murder.

At this point, Xiu Er looked at Alice. As if sensing his gaze, the girl, who had been calming herself down by the carriage, turned around and met his eyes.

Then, startled, he immediately turned around.

In her mind, Xiu Er was the complete opposite of the kind and amiable Takuson.

That coldness that shuts others out, the eerie feeling of not being able to sense any human warmth from him, and that strange way of speaking made her feel afraid of Xiu Er.

Even with the friendly assurances of Takuson:

"Don't let her appearance fool you, she's actually a very gentle person."

These were the words that Takuson had said to the girl before.

Looking at Xiu Er's cold face, you're telling me this is called "gentleness"?

I don't believe it anyway.

And this terrifying person is actually the benefactor's "teacher"?

Alice, who had initially thought that Xiu Er was a younger sister whom Takuson had brought along on his adventures, was extremely surprised when she learned that they were master and apprentice (Xiu Er was the master and Takuson was the apprentice).

Seeing Alice avoiding his gaze, Xiu Er didn't take it to heart.

Should we tell Alice?

Takuson, looking at Alice, asked the teacher beside him.

"[Answer] I will not interfere with your decision."

"Is that so... I understand."

Letting out a breath, Takuson immediately walked away from Xiu Er and towards Alice...

In a secluded cave deep within a forest...

At the entrance of the cave, two humans stood guard. Their clothing indicated that they were "mountain bandits," and inside the cave was their stronghold.

Today, cheers from the bandits could be heard constantly coming from inside the cave, as if they were preparing for a grand feast.

It turned out that just yesterday, their leader had brought back a considerable sum of money from outside, enough for them to squander for several months.

A group of bandits surrounded a stone table, which was laden with food and wine.

One of them, a burly man with a full beard, is sitting on a "throne" made of animal bones and fur.

It's obvious at a glance that this person is of high status; he must be the leader of these bandits.

"Boss, you really are amazing! This plan is brilliant."

A shrunken man approached the bandit leader, showering him with praise.

Upon hearing his subordinate's praise, the man's face lit up with delight, and he burst into laughter.

"My lads, eat as much as you want today!"

"Yay—!" ×n

The bandit leader downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, then glanced at the man standing to his right holding a staff.