"This is the place I spotted them," said Brad after leading them into the forest.
"Hmm… We've been heading north this whole time… Now that I think about it, where are the locations of the other villages? Are they north of your village?" Noel asked.
"Yes. Is there something wrong with it?" Brad tilted his head in confusion.
"I see. In other words, the bandits have been attacking you from the north, eliminating one village after another."
"Ah. So, that's how the village chief knows we will be targeted soon." Brad gasped.
The literacy skill for a commoner was very low, so it was understandable that he wasn't aware of this.
However, for Noel, this was just a common sense. This was the discrepancy between nobles and commoners, especially the ones from the village.
"Anyway, is there something in the north? I mean, like an important and huge place that can be used to host the bandits?" Noel asked again, inciting his train of thought.
'He really does ask for the cooperation of everyone. Just by asking this question, the hunter will feel that he's become a part of the group. This way, he will feel great if we manage to eliminate the bandits. I see, this is how Noel becomes a part of them and treats them sincerely..
'If Noel just asked for the data and where they came from, he would be able to figure this out easily. Yet, he asked the hunter's cooperation.' thought Anna, assessing Noel's every single action.
"I think there is one important place." Brad nodded in agreement while pointing at the north. "If I'm not wrong, there used to be a mine in that area. It stopped a decade ago."
"Then, this place might be the bandit's hideout. Can you lead me to the farthest village? We'll advance carefully so that we don't get spotted by bandits too. At least, she can tell." Noel grinned, pointing at Anna.
"Oi. What do you think I am?"
Noel shrugged. "Anyway, let's not waste time."
The group continued their way to the north. On the way, Noel learned that the village handled the mine not long ago. So, there was a chance that they could find the map of the mine, allowing them to locate the bandits.
Hence, Noel decided to investigate the village, hoping that not everything had been burned down.
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, they arrived at the village. Half of the houses seemed to have been burned down to the ground. But due to the distance from one house to another, half of the building in the village managed to escape the fire.
The village itself had a slightly bigger area than the village that requested for the army's assistance.
But this village was filled with skeletons lying on the ground. It was clear that they were what remained from this village, mostly men.
The blood had been washed away by a rain that fell two weeks ago, so there was no foul smell entering their nose.
"How is it?" Noel asked Anna in a low voice while hiding behind the tree.
"I am not very sure. But let me go around to check. You shouldn't leave this place until I come back." Anna looked around, trying to find people in the area.
"Alright." Noel agreed. As soon as Anna left, he looked at Brad who was resting behind the tree. He asked, "Are you afraid?"
"Y-yes. I used to hunt animals, but I couldn't do it anymore ever since the bandits roamed around. They would kill without batting an eye, so…" Because of Noel's gentleness every time he spoke, Brad forgot the fact that the village chief referred Noel as a nobleman. He just spoke casually.
"If you have the opportunity, will you kill the bandits? It's a bandit that will harm your village if left alive…"
"I… I don't know… I've never killed a human in my entire life." Brad shook his head helplessly.
"I see." Noel smiled. "Though, I still need your help to eliminate the bandits. Just like the other villagers who raise their arms when they saw us in the distance, you need to kill the bandits as well. It's my job to eliminate them, but it's also your duty to protect your village, don't you think so?"
"Y…yes…" Brad nodded in agreement.
"Well, just keep in mind. If the enemies are too many, I might need your help. Just shoot them with your bow like how you kill the animals." Noel shrugged.
The wait lasted for an hour to the point Noel was confused, wondering if Anna was captured or not. But considering Anna's prowess, even if she couldn't defeat them, she had the ability to escape. So, he just trusted her.
Fortunately, she soon came back while bringing good news "It seems that the enemy is indeed hiding inside the mine. I can see a few bandits coming in and out the mine. Though, I can't calculate their number."
"As expected… I guess we need to go to the village to check the houses. Maybe there is a map of the mine. We can use it to locate them inside the mine." Noel glanced at Brad and said, "You're free to go back right now."
Remembering what Noel said earlier, Brad hurriedly said, "Let me help you."
Noel patted his shoulder and said, "No. This time, we'll do our work alone. In the meantime, you should think about what I said earlier. Before attacking the bandits, I'm going to ask you again. Give me your answer at that time."
"I… I understand." It seemed Noel saw through his hesitation, so he could only believe in Noel.
Noel didn't want to leave until he made sure Brad went back, so the latter had no choice to excuse himself first.
After that, Noel and Anna turned to the village.
"I hope that you can stay around the village to make sure there's no enemy coming. I'll check the village house one by one."
"Sure." Anna agreed without hesitation but she still glanced at him with a poker face. "Though, what did you talk about earlier?"
"Secret." Noel stuck his tongue out while walking to the village.
Anna's eyebrows twitched, annoyed by him. He always did this.