Chapter 15: Robbery!

‘What is this? A date? Or a leader bringing his secretary out for an inspection?’

Alicia followed uneasily beside Lai En, her mind wandering wildly, completely unaware of what her boss was saying.

“Hey, what are you thinking about? You’re not paying attention!”

Lai En gave her a sharp flick on the forehead, snapping her back to reality.

“I’m asking you a question!”

“Mm…”

Alicia jolted from the knock, covering her forehead as she pouted in dissatisfaction and protested softly, “Lord and Master, can we discuss something… Could you please stop hitting my head? Too many knocks will make me stupid!”

“Ha?”

Lai En raised an eyebrow and grinned playfully.

“You? Stupid would be better—then I’d have less to worry about! Want to guess what interesting things my finance officer found when he checked the accounts you submitted earlier?”

‘What?! Alicia broke out in a cold sweat. That little matter of her investment in Xindeli’s gunpowder workshop… could it have been uncovered? But that was her personal property, so it should be fine…’

“W-what did you find?”

She forced out a stiff smile, her voice trembling slightly, her eyes darting away.

“I… I have no idea?”

“Hmph!”

Lai En snorted lightly and gave her shoulder a not-too-gentle pat, his tone carrying a hint of disappointment.

“You, my boy, can’t even control your subordinates properly!”

“Huh?”

Alicia was taken aback.

‘So it wasn’t me?’

“That Andrew fellow seems to be living pretty comfortably under your command.”

Lai En crossed his arms, looking at her with a smirk.

“I heard he’s buddying up with the new recruits at the training camp, not only organizing gambling but also picking up some other shady income. Unfortunately, the kid didn’t keep his books clean enough, and he left traces.”

Alicia felt a huge weight lift off her chest, but then anger flared up instantly.

‘Andrew, you sly dog with those honest eyes and that good-comrade image—turns out you’re corrupt behind the scenes! Your lord and master is still struggling on the poverty line, waiting to squeeze some relief grain out of His Highness’s fingers!’

‘No! I need to find a way to get his shady income into my own pocket!’

Her eyes began to dart around as she schemed on how to blackmail Andrew.

“Alright, don’t get too worked up. Things like this…”

Lai En studied the girl with interest.

“Are pretty common, actually. But I never expected you to only fudge the numbers a little in your reports.”

‘Wait, what? “Pretty common”? “Only fudge a little”? So you’re not against it—you just think I’m too greedy and too amateurish?!’

The girl felt her worldview being rewritten.

“I thought all crows are black, but I didn’t expect to find a gray one like you.”

Lai En raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, then gently patted the girl’s head.

This act was actually quite over the line, as their current relationship was merely lord and retainer.

However, at that moment, Alicia’s mind was completely elsewhere.

‘Her brain was running at full speed, considering adding anti-corruption content to her “Treatise on Strengthening the Nation”…’

‘Well, but I absolutely cannot take the lead on such high-risk matters. Cutting off someone’s income is like killing their parents. If I don’t want to end up dead in a ditch, I’d better keep a low profile.’

Seeing that the girl didn’t resist his touch, a flicker of joy passed through Lai En’s heart.

But he quickly noticed her mind had wandered off again.

That joy instantly turned to disappointment.

He pulled his hand back abruptly, as if burned by the warmth of her hair, cleared his throat in disguise, turned around, and continued walking forward, his voice regaining its usual clarity: “Alright, stop daydreaming. Look ahead—we’re here.”

“The stables?”

Alicia was pulled back to reality by his voice.

Following his gaze, she saw a neat row of stalls, the air thick with the smell of hay, horse manure, and leather.

Confused, she asked, “Lord and Master, why did you bring me along to inspect the warhorses? I don’t know anything about judging or raising horses…”

“Idiot!”

Another flick on the head.

“This is a reward for you! You should accept it with gratitude!”

Ignoring the girl’s protests as she covered her forehead, Lai En directly called out to the stable hand.

“Bring that ‘Black Bess’ over!”

‘What man doesn’t dream of galloping on horseback? Though Alicia was no longer a man, seeing such a spirited black mare—slightly smaller in build but full of energy—a surge of boldness welled up inside her.’

‘Unfortunately, she didn’t know how to ride. That brief excitement instantly turned into awkwardness.’

She looked at Lai En with a complicated expression: “Lord and Master… are you asking me to learn how to ride?”

“Exactly! During the last drill, you couldn’t see the battlefield clearly, so you climbed on top of Andrew’s head, right?”

Lai En watched as the stable hand finished adjusting the saddle.

‘What do you mean “climbed on top of Andrew’s head”? Can’t you choose a different phrase, Your Highness?’

Alicia’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.

She felt something slipping away from her in a bizarre way.

Without turning around, she could sense the stable hands and laborers around her trying to suppress their shoulder-shaking laughter and strange looks.

‘Rumors spread like wildfire, but quashing them is damn near impossible, my lord!’

“So, learning to ride properly is the real priority!”

Lai En gently patted the obviously high-quality saddle and made a “please” gesture to Alicia.

“Come on, don’t be scared. Get up and try. Black Bess is very gentle—I chose her specially for you.”

…

‘Tell me, is there any lord in the world who holds the reins for his vassal?’

‘This is no small crime! Overstepping, insulting a noble—if someone saw this, my head would roll!’

“Um… Your Highness? Isn’t this against proper etiquette…”

Alicia was already nervous enough sitting on the horse, and now she was even more flustered.

“If anyone sees this, I’ll lose my head!”

“What are you panicking about?”

Lai En, holding the reins in his hand as he walked ahead to the side of the horse, seemed completely at ease, even enjoying himself.

He glanced back at her and said casually, “In this deep forest, there’s nothing but trees and rocks. Where would people come from? Relax, don’t keep your body so tense! Horses can sense the rider’s emotions. You need to act firm and confident, and then it will trust you and obey you.”

Alicia was sweating with anxiety: “It’s not a question of confidence, Lord and Master! We’re only two people, dressed in civilian clothes, heading deep into the woods like this—very unsafe! What if some bandits come out to rob us? How about we lead the horse back to the city first?”

“Why would we lead a horse back to the city?”

Lai En confidently patted the sword at his waist.

“Besides, do you think this thing on my belt is just for show?”

‘I’m personally teaching her to ride and even holding the horse for her. Consider it compensation for my earlier rudeness (the head pat). This way, she should be touched, right?’

— The naive Lai En began to feel moved by his own actions.

‘Alright, it seems this guy either had a brain fart today or is determined to mess with me!’

— The overthinking Alicia resigned herself to her fate in frustration.

The two walked in silence, proceeding along the path in this strange atmosphere.

‘This isn’t right! The atmosphere is off! Usually, amidst the beautiful mountain scenery, a flattered young lady should be shy yet amazed, with a hint of anticipation and elation. Then the conversation can continue. But why is this one on horseback hanging her head with a mournful face, like she’s heading to the execution ground?’

Lai En looked suspiciously at Alicia’s tragic expression, wondering what went wrong with his date plan today.

‘Hm? Could it be because she’s afraid of bandits?’

The young lord suddenly saw the light and put on a confident face.

“Don’t worry, Alicia! We’re near Lide’an City. The City Guard patrols regularly. The bandits around here have long been…”

*Fwoosh—!

Before he could finish speaking, a rough but sharp arrow shot out from the dense forest on the right, breaking the air with a piercing whistle!

*Thud!

It buried itself solidly in the tree trunk beside Lai En, the arrow’s tail trembling violently with a chilling hum.

“…”

Lai En felt as if he’d been slapped across the face, a burning sting of shame.

His first thought was of Alicia on the horse.

Turning around, he saw her sliding inelegantly off the mare’s rump, quickly ducking behind a large rock, and peeking out cautiously.

‘This woman runs fast!’

Burning with humiliation and anger, Lai En drew his sword, scanning the surroundings warily as he shouted, “Who’s there? Show yourselves!”

In response, there was a hesitant, shuffling sound.

A moment later, a few figures reluctantly and timidly emerged from the bushes at the edge of the woods.

There were five of them.

The leader was a gaunt, sallow-faced man in his early forties.

The rest were older, with graying hair and faces full of wrinkles etched with misery.

Their clothes were patched over patches, stained with mud.

Their “weapons” were even more pitiful—a rusty hatchet, a wooden club with a stone tied to it, and even a notched pitchfork.

The five of them huddled together, trembling uncontrollably, their eyes darting fearfully at the obviously expensive longsword in Lai En’s hand.

They looked less like bandits and more like refugees at their wit’s end.

“Th-this is a robbery!”

The leading man stuck his neck out, trying to make his voice sound menacing, but his stammering and trembling tone betrayed him.

“H-hand over all your m-money… now! Right now!”

“Hmph!”

Lai En let out an extremely cold sneer from his nose, casually pointing the tip of his sword forward, his gaze sweeping over the five like icy blades.

Just that simple motion and look froze the “bandits” in place.

They trembled even more, instinctively taking a half step back, their hands gripping their “weapons” shaking.

‘Come on, uncles! You can’t even speak properly, you don’t have the slightest skill, and you still dare to rob people?’

Alicia had been a bit scared at first, but now she wasn’t worried at all.

If it came to a fight, Lai En could probably cut them all down in three seconds.

So she popped out from behind the rock, dusted off her clothes, took out her money pouch, and pulled out a few silver coins under Lai En’s astonished gaze.

“Here, money. I’ve got some. If you want it, how about you tie up that leader fellow and hand him over to us?”

“Ha?”

Lai En frowned, about to protest, but Alicia didn’t give him a chance.

She poured the silver coins from the pouch into her palm.

The five “bandits” couldn’t help but stare at the silver, their Adam’s apples bobbing as they swallowed.

“If you’re willing to tie up your leader and hand him to me, I’ll give each of you one silver coin. And I promise not to notify the garrison, and I’ll make sure this guard,” she said, slapping Lai En’s arm hard, “doesn’t lay a hand on you. Let’s all make some money peacefully! What do you say?”