The bandits stared, frozen like rabbits in a trap, their earlier bravado crumbling into something much less charming—sheer, unfiltered terror.
Lyrasia let out an exaggerated sigh, her sword still raised. "Oh dear, did I scare you?" she asked, feigning innocence. "I promise, I didn’t mean to."
The bandit clutching his cheek—the one now decorated with a fresh, crimson cut—snarled. "You little brat—!"
She tilted her head, her expression darkening. "Now, now. That’s no way to talk to someone holding a sword, is it?" She tapped her blade lightly against her shoulder, watching the group flinch. "Really, you should be thanking me. I could’ve gone for your throat instead."
Another bandit, perhaps the least idiotic of the bunch, took a cautious step back. "Tch... Kid, what do you want?"
Her lips curled into a slow, wolfish smile. "Oh, so you can use that brain of yours. Good! That means you’re capable of answering a few questions."
She took a step forward, and they instinctively stepped back. She took another. They retreated again. It was almost comical.
"Let’s start with the easy one," she purred. "Why were you pretending to be moneylenders?"
The bandits exchanged nervous glances, shifting uncomfortably.
"N-no reason," one mumbled.
Lyrasia let out a soft gasp, placing a hand over her chest. "No reason? Oh, but I love reasons!" Her sword swung up in a playful arc—too fast, too precise—and suddenly, the dagger strapped to one of their belts wasn’t on their belt anymore. It was embedded in a nearby tree, quivering from the force of her strike.
She clasped her hands together and smiled sweetly. "Try again."
The bandits scrambled to talk over one another.
"W-we just needed money!"
"Village heads are always easy to fool!"
"The real moneylenders would’ve come soon anyway, so we just—"
"—got there first!"
Lyrasia hummed, nodding along. "Ah. So you’re opportunistic and lazy. I see, I see." She tapped a finger against her chin. "And the village head? He’s in on it, isn’t he?"
The men hesitated.
"Ah. That’s an awful long pause," she mused.
One of them gulped. "He—he thought we were real! We just kept taking the money and—"
"And?"
"...We were gonna skip town before the real collectors came."
Lyrasia exhaled through her nose, feigning disappointment. "So you’re not just frauds, you’re cowards too?" She clicked her tongue. "How tragic."
One of the men clenched his fists. "You little—"
Her sword was at his throat before he could finish.
"Ah-ah!" she cooed, pressing the blade just enough to make him sweat. "Let’s not get aggressive now."
The other men were practically vibrating with fear.
She tilted her head, mock-thoughtful. "You know, I could end this right now. No one would miss you. In fact, I bet the village would celebrate."
They all stiffened.
"But," she continued, lowering her blade slightly, "I am feeling generous tonight."
A collective, nervous gulp.
"I’ll give you a chance to make yourselves useful," she said, a playful lilt in her voice. "You see, I happen to be looking for a certain group of merchants. Wealthy. Important. Stupidly rich."
The bandits looked at each other warily.
"And since you lot like pretending to be merchants, surely you’ve heard some juicy gossip, yes?"
A beat of silence. Then—
"...Maybe," one admitted.
She grinned. "Good! Now, talk. And if your information is good enough, I just might let you walk away with all your limbs intact."
Their faces paled, and suddenly, they couldn’t spill their secrets fast enough.
The bandits tripped over themselves in their rush to talk, words spilling out like a river breaking past a dam.
"T-there was a caravan—real fancy one! Gold-trimmed wagons, armed guards, the whole thing! Passed through the valley a few days ago!" one of them blurted.
"Yeah! They were heading north, toward the city! Heard ’em talking about some big deal going down soon! Something about a shipment!" another added, nodding so quickly Lyrasia thought his head might pop off.
She arched a brow, twirling her sword lazily. "A shipment? Of what?"
The men hesitated.
"We—we don’t know! Honest! We just heard them talking about it at the last outpost!" the first bandit stammered. "Something valuable, though. Expensive. The kind of thing people would kill for."
Lyrasia hummed, tapping her chin with a finger. "Interesting..."
Her sword flicked out, impossibly fast, slicing through the air with a sharp whiff—and suddenly, the belt of the loudest bandit snapped, his trousers sagging comically. He yelped, scrambling to hold them up as the others flinched violently.
"Oops," she said, entirely unrepentant. "My hand must have slipped."
The unfortunate man whimpered. "Please don’t kill us...!"
She sighed, taking a slow step forward, watching with delight as they all shrank back like cornered mice. "Kill you? Now, now, let’s not be dramatic." She lifted her sword to her lips, pretending to ponder. "Though... I suppose you did try to rob an entire village under false pretenses. Stole their money. Lied to their faces. Broke their trust."
One of them opened his mouth to argue but promptly shut it when she turned a sharp glare on him.
"Tell me, what exactly should I do with you?" she mused, tilting her head. "Hand you over to the authorities? Leave you for the real moneylenders to deal with?" She grinned, all teeth. "Or maybe I just... clean up this mess myself?"
They all paled. One looked ready to faint.
"W-we swear, we won’t ever do this again!" one of them pleaded, practically groveling now.
She sighed, lowering her sword—but only slightly. "I could let you go... but where’s the fun in that?"
One of the men nearly choked on his own breath. "F-fun?!"
She shrugged. "Alright, fine. You want mercy? Then prove it." She stabbed her sword into the dirt, leaning forward on the hilt. "Give every coin you stole back to the village. Every. Single. One. And if I hear even a whisper that you’re up to your old tricks again..." She trailed off, her grin widening. "Well, let’s just say you’ll have far bigger things to worry about than losing your trousers."
The bandits frantically nodded, already emptying their coin pouches onto the ground, tripping over themselves in their rush to comply.
Lyrasia straightened, rolling her shoulders. "Good boys." With a satisfied smirk, she turned on her heel, grabbing her sword as she walked away. "And remember—if you ever do run into those rich merchants again, do say hello for me."
She didn’t need to turn around to know they were still frozen in place, too scared to move even after she disappeared into the night.
Good. Let them stew in their fear a little longer.
Now, it was time to pay a visit to that caravan.
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[TWELFTH MISSION: A Meal for Protection!][Objective: Establish a food-based protection fee and convince the bandits to work for the village.][Reward: +50 Bargain Points, +20 Influence, First Employee Title Unlocked][Time Limit: 30 Minutes]
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Lyrasia blinked. Huh?
Of all the missions she expected, this was not one of them.
"Wait... food-based protection fee?" she muttered under her breath, barely suppressing a laugh.
The bandits flinched at the sound of her voice, misinterpreting her amusement as something far more sinister.
"W-We were just joking, kid!" one of them stammered.
"Y-Yeah! Just a little fun, y’know?" another chimed in, nodding frantically.
Lyrasia tilted her head, smiling sweetly. "Oh? Just a joke?"
With a flick of her sword, the dirt beneath their feet exploded, sending a shockwave through the camp. The fire pit flickered dangerously, and one of them yelped as their bedroll caught fire.
The bandits fell to their knees.
"We surrender!" one wailed.
Lyrasia sheathed her sword with a satisfied hum. "Good choice."
She took a deep breath and crossed her arms, shifting into a merchant’s stance—chin up, a hand on her hip, and an air of effortless authority.
"Now, let’s talk business," she announced.
The bandits exchanged nervous glances. "B-Business...?"
Lyrasia gave them a dazzling smile. "You see, I could kill you. But I won’t."
They exhaled in relief.
"Instead, I’ll let you work for me."
Their relief vanished. "...Huh?"
Lyrasia gestured dramatically toward the village. "That sad little place over there? It’s defenseless, struggling, and constantly getting robbed by you lot. But imagine if... oh, I don’t know, a group of strong, reliable men were to offer their protection in exchange for food?"
She batted her lashes. "Sounds like a fair trade, doesn’t it?"
The bandits blinked. Then, their stomachs growled in unison.
One of them coughed awkwardly. "I mean... it does sound better than starving..."
"Exactly!" Lyrasia clapped her hands together. "From now on, you’ll be working under me. You get food, the village gets security, and I get..."
She flashed a wolfish grin.
"...free labor."
The bandits gulped. Why did that suddenly feel scarier than death?
But before they could protest, another ding! rang in her head.
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[Mission Complete!]
[Rewards: +50 Bargain Points, +20 Influence, First Employee Title Unlocked]
[New Title Acquired: Budding Overlord]
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Lyrasia smirked.
This was just the beginning.