"Boss, boss—"
The underling panicked and hurried around the bonfire to call for the Bandit Leader.
The Bandit Leader sat there, alert and clear-eyed. His steady gaze was reassuring.
"Boss, I think Martin's been poisoned..."
The Bandit Leader glared at him. "Boss? You should call me King!"
The underling's brief relief vanished. "Wha—"
"I'll kill you!"
Another of his companions charged past him and lunged at the Bandit Leader.
Shock and grief crossed the Bandit Leader's face as he pinned the man to the ground. "Queen, were you sent by an enemy king!?"
"Die, Orc!"
"Fine. If ten years together mean nothing to you... don't blame me!"
Watching his boss clamp his hands around their companion's throat, the underling stumbled back in terror. Then he remembered something and hurriedly stuck his fingers down his throat.
At the edge of the firelight, he caught sight of a shadow crouching silently beneath a tree.
Wait... There were five of us. Two died on the way here, so with Martin, there should be four left... Where did the fifth person come from!?
"You're... It's so hot!"
The underling suddenly screamed. Heat surged over him as though he had caught fire.
A bizarre scene unfolded around the bonfire in the forest clearing.
One man sat before the fire, weeping in grief. A young man lay in his arms, deep finger marks around his neck.
Nearby, another man had stripped off his clothes and was hopping about. A few steps behind him, a figure bound tightly with hemp rope was foaming at the mouth.
"Annan, you have to find Martin!"
Aunt Susan had cried until her eyes were bloodshot. Beside her, her daughter-in-law held a child, her face stricken too.
"If you bring him back, we'll never hit him again."
"Don't worry, Aunt Susan,