Chapter 77: The Reason for Escape

Wushi City—once, it wasn’t even a city.

After the Empire discovered the land’s abundant mineral resources, they conscripted commoners every year to dig for ore.

Over time, for the sake of storage, transport, and processing, Wushi City was built.

With the development of its primary mineral trade, Wushi City grew in strength.

Merchants, nobles, commoners, and even people from other nations who once never set foot there now came to trade or seek work.

Later, Wushi City was given to Willis as her territory.

Even after she took office, she barely managed it.

The only few times she governed, Willis remembered very clearly—it was always because Sielyou dragged her along.

Just as this Mountain Bandit Boss before her said, she was unfit to be a Lord.

Because she truly lacked governing experience, and even less the resolve to be a Lord.

Now, the setting sun in the sky burned like fire.

Willis stood atop the hill, her red hair blazing, beautiful beyond words.

Yet even that couldn’t block the hateful glares the surrounding bandits threw her way.

It had started out fine, but as soon as Wushi City and words like Lord were mentioned, the bandits seemed to change completely.

“Imperial Sister, take the others down. I’ll talk to him.”

At her words, Sielyou looked at her with slight worry.

“Willis…”

“I’ll be fine.”

Willis smiled.

Then, unexpectedly, Annie Donald spoke up from the side.

“How about I stay here with Her Highness?”

“I don’t want to be involved in handling bandits anyway. I hate being near these men. They all look like they haven’t bathed in months. Disgusting.”

The brown-haired girl pinched her nose in distaste, her honest expression drawing chuckles from the others.

“All right then, but be careful.”

Sielyou turned and led Victoria and the others to round up the remaining bandits.

By now, the City Defense Army in the valley had climbed the hill and begun rounding up prisoners.

The rest of the bandits, seeing their boss and leaders captured and surrounded by the Imperial Army, gave up resistance in despair.

Willis looked at the angry faces of the bandits.

“Your subordinates are really loyal!”

“Hmph!”

The Mountain Bandit Boss snorted.

“We’re brothers who’ve suffered together. If they’re ever in trouble and taken hostage, I’d be willing to kneel and be bound for them too!”

Even if the one before them was their enemy.

However, Willis didn’t seem to have any intention of killing them.

“What’s your name?”

Willis asked again.

“My name’s Terrence! Remember it well, Her Highness the Princess!”

Terrence sneered.

The two bandits next to Annie, under her glare, also angrily shouted their names.

“My name’s Andy!”

“My name’s Feidi!”

This man called Andy, like Terrence, had a short haircut, a chiseled face, and bulging muscles—clearly accustomed to heavy labor.

All three had dark skin, like men who hauled rocks in the mountains.

Among them, Feidi looked the youngest, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight.

Terrence was the oldest, his face lined with the hardships of time.

The three of them showed no outward submission, nor any in their hearts.

Even though they were now Willis’s captives, they showed no sign of begging for mercy.

“Terrence, Andy, Feidi?”

Willis repeated their names.

“I haven’t heard them before, but this Princess does remember seeing you somewhere…”

Willis’s memories stirred.

Soon, she was sure.

“That’s right. You were miners in Wushi City. I remember seeing you when I inspected the mines.”

Especially those resentful eyes.

“Heh. The Princess has a good memory.”

Terrence mocked.

“If you were miners, why aren’t you working in the mines? How did you become bandits here?”

Willis was confused.

“Being a miner isn’t a noble profession, but at least you get paid and have a stable life, right?”

Before Terrence could speak, Feidi, the youngest, spat at Willis.

He was utterly unmoved by her beauty.

“Bah! Willis! You venomous woman! How dare you say that? If not for you, would we have come all the way here to become bandits!?”

Seeing the spit on Willis’s boot, Annie’s expression darkened.

She slapped Feidi and pressed her dagger to his nose.

“Try it again if you want to die!”

Feidi was stunned by the blow.

Seeing the furious expression of this ‘fairy,’ he had no doubt she would really kill him.

Though he had prepared to die, when faced with death, Feidi still shut his mouth in fear.

Willis, however, watched Annie with interest.

She hadn’t expected this always-elegant girl to become so fierce for her sake.

It was nice—but why did Annie like her Imperial Sister instead!?

Now she felt even more envious.

The feeling of someone being tense for you was truly wonderful!

“Enough, Annie. Let him go. It’s fine.”

Around them, most of the bandits had already been captured and bound by the City Defense Army. The sun was sinking below the horizon.

A gentle breeze stirred the grass and trees on the hillside.

Willis gazed at the scene, trying to keep her tone calm.

“Terrence, what happened at the mine?”

“You don’t know?”

Terrence frowned.

From Willis’s expression, she really seemed ignorant of what she’d done.

How could that be!?

Willis turned to him, ruby eyes filled with confusion.

Terrence curled his lip, wanting to sneer, but finally spoke.

“Half our wages were cut. The daily workload increased by a third. If you didn’t finish, all your pay for the day was taken!”

“Miners complained and protested, but the Castle Lord’s Mansion people killed ten miners and threw their bodies into the street…”

Terrence’s eyes reddened, fists clenched, and he roared at Willis.

“They said if anyone disobeyed, ran, or caused trouble, that’d be their fate!”

“We worked over 20 hours a day, day and night!”

“Some weaker ones were beaten to death by overseers or died of exhaustion in the mines!”

“Willis! Can you really say you didn’t know!? If you didn’t order these cruelties, who did!?”

“If we could have survived, would we have fled so far and become bandits!?”

Sielyou, who had just finished gathering the bandits, heard this and was instantly furious.

“What did you say!? Is that true!?”

Andy sneered.

“Heh, you did all this and now pretend you don’t know!? You’re good at acting!”

“Let me tell you—don’t let us get the chance, or we’ll destroy you!”

“Second Brother!”

Terrence, still somewhat rational, barked at him.

They were now prisoners—if they angered Willis, they’d only invite death!

They three didn’t care, but they had a thousand brothers following them!

Useless bravado was meaningless.

Willis didn’t blame them, and instead had the three taken away.

Sielyou stood for a long while, then asked in concern.

“Willis?”

“It’s nothing, Imperial Sister. Let’s set out for Wushi City overnight. I need to get there as soon as possible.”

The sun had set, and darkness quickly spread.

Inside the carriage, the women could feel, in the calm depths of Willis’s gaze out the window—

—a storm was brewing.