[Quest ‘Fateful Encounter’ has been initiated.]
<Fateful Encounter>
Objective: Rescue Hanna 0/1
―Rescue Nea’s mother, “Hanna.”
Reward: Nea can be recruited as a vassal.
—
“But if you put my mother in danger, I won’t let it slide.”
It was a warning that she would kill him if he failed.
But Ian just smiled.
“I’ll live up to your expectations.”
Now it was time to get to work.
This wasn’t something he was doing reluctantly—it was something he was looking forward to.
“Advisor and Sir Oswell, you can leave now. Oh, before you go, tell the guard to bring someone here.”
“Understood. Who should we call?”
At Jurdan’s question, Ian smirked mischievously.
Count Erce would never imagine what was about to happen.
—
* * *
Rom, who had been the vice-leader of Den’s bandit group, was living in a dark, damp underground cell where not a single ray of light entered.
At mealtime, he was given thin barley porridge, but with no sense of time, he had no idea how long he had been there.
Days passed in the cell, one after another, with no way to tell how much time had gone by.
Clang!
Suddenly, the guard entered and opened the cell door.
“Come out.”
“Where are you taking me? Is it time for a public execution or something?”
“Why so many questions? Just follow me.”
The guard irritably dragged him out, blindfolded him, and led him somewhere.
After walking for what felt like a while, they stopped, and Rom was forced to kneel before the blindfold was removed.
When his vision cleared, he saw the person standing in front of him.
“Y-you…”
Rom’s eyes widened.
The person before him was none other than Ian.
Others might have thought Ian was planning to execute him to make an example for the bandits.
But in reality, Ian had kept him alive for a different purpose.
Ian glanced at the guard who had brought Rom in.
“Good work. You can leave now.”
“Yes, sir!”
The guard quickly exited, following Ian’s orders.
A brief silence followed, and once the sound of the guard’s footsteps faded, Ian spoke first.
“Let’s work together.”
“…What?”
Rom couldn’t understand.
Ian wasn’t ordering him to do something—he was asking to work together.
“Tell me about a dozen or so trustworthy subordinates from your bandit group. But be careful—if you bring up anyone unreliable, it’ll be your head on the line.”
Rom had no idea why Ian was making such an offer when he could have been executed at any moment.
“What exactly are you planning to…”
“Enough talking. Just answer.”
Ian didn’t explain his reasons, but Rom couldn’t refuse.
Rom thought carefully and listed the names of his most trusted subordinates.
—
* * *
Ian kept Nea by his side and put her to work, quickly realizing how capable she was.
When he finished his training and asked for a drink:
“What’s this? Why is it so good?”
“I’m glad it suits your taste.”
She brought him a drink that was far more delicious than what the other servants prepared.
When he finished training alone and needed to wipe off his sweat:
“What’s with this towel?”
“Didn’t you say you wanted it washed without any lingering smell?”
“Yeah, but why does it have a faint fragrance?”
“I washed it with water boiled with wildflower leaves. It removes odors.”
‘What the hell? Why is she so good at everything?!’
Wasn’t her specialty supposed to be information gathering and manipulation?
He had no idea she was so skilled in other areas.
In truth, her mother had been renowned for her work in the Erce household.
Nea had learned from her mother since childhood and had a perfectionist streak, refusing to tolerate even the slightest flaw.
But because of this, no one found it strange when Ian suddenly made her his personal maid.
Everyone assumed Ian had recognized her talent and decided to keep her close.
However, Ian was a bit annoyed by how flawlessly she handled everything.
‘Would it kill her to show a little humanity?’
He had been looking forward to scolding her for her incompetence, just as she had scolded him as her “worm of a disciple.”
But with her perfect work, there was no room for criticism.
As Ian wiped his sweat with the fragrant towel, he noticed her gaze.
“You look like you have something to say. Go ahead.”
When Ian handed the towel back and asked, she replied,
“You said you’d rescue my mother, didn’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“But is it really okay to be this relaxed? Do you even know where my mother is being held?”
“It’s only been three days. Be patient.”
“…Right.”
But her eyes were filled with doubt.
He had promised to succeed within a month, but honestly, that seemed too short a time.
“I’ll definitely succeed. Preparations are being made in places you don’t know about, so don’t worry.”
“Is it related to the bandits you’ve been calling in for labor?”
This was a conversation that had taken place in her absence, and the matter was being handled secretly.
In fact, only Ian and Jurdan knew that bandits from the pioneer village’s mines were being brought in for a rehabilitation program.
Yet, she had already figured it out.
It was a way of showing that she had the ability to gather information and knew quite a lot.
In other words, it was also a veiled threat—if he failed, she would reveal the information to Count Erce.
But whether Ian understood her intentions or not,
‘Wow, how did she even find out about this?’
He was simply impressed by her abilities.
It was amazing how she had managed to uncover this while working as a maid.
Her talent truly was extraordinary from the start.
“Young Master Ian.”
At that moment, Jurdan’s voice called from outside the training hall.
Nea took a step back and bowed her head, but Jurdan didn’t even glance at her.
Having once been treated as the “reckless young master,” Ian knew this was Jurdan’s way of dealing with people he didn’t like.
“Advisor, what brings you here? Isn’t it time to clock out?”
“I’ve got some overtime work. But that’s not the point—I have something to report.”
“What is it?”
“They’ve arrived.”
He didn’t specify who.
But hearing this, Ian immediately understood and grinned.
The bandits who had been undergoing the rehabilitation program had arrived.
—
* * *
Rom and fifteen other bandits who had been undergoing rehabilitation in the pioneer village stood before Ian.
Each of them was handed a weapon and stood in front of Ian.
“You have three choices. You can try to overpower me and escape, go back and continue the rehabilitation program, or listen to what I have to say. The choice is yours.”
At the thought of the first option—overpowering Ian—they trembled.
Though they each held a weapon, none of them dared to attack Ian.
It was obvious they stood no chance, even if they all rushed him at once.
They had all witnessed him fighting the werewolf with their own eyes. Who would dare challenge him?
It would be a one-way ticket to hell.
What about the second option, the rehabilitation program?
‘Rehabilitation? More like hell! It’s forced labor!’
‘That place is a nightmare.’
‘I never want to go back there!’
Their reluctance to return to the rehabilitation program was clear.
They were treated like slaves—no, worse than slaves—forced to meet daily quotas.
And if they didn’t meet those quotas?
They were made to work without rest until they did.
That left the third option: obediently following Ian’s orders.
Ian had given them a choice, but in reality, they had no choice at all.
“You’ve probably already heard, but if this mission succeeds, I promise to set all of you free.”
On top of that, he promised to release them if they succeeded.
It was an tempting offer, but their faces were filled with distrust.
The hope of being set free was overshadowed by the fear of being used and then killed.
‘Living like this isn’t living at all. I’d rather die!’
The treatment they endured during their forced labor was so horrific that they’d rather die than go back.
And if things went south, they could always try to escape.
“Of course, even if you’re set free, you’ll never be allowed to enter the Schrantz territory again.”
‘Who in their right mind would come back here?’
‘I’ll never even sleep facing Schrantz again!’
They had no intention of ever returning, no matter what.
To them, Schrantz was a place of nightmares.
“Hmm, it seems none of you are refusing.”
Satisfied that they were willing to work with him, Ian smiled.
“Good, then I’ll take that as your agreement. Any questions?”
Rom raised his hand.
“You haven’t told us what we’re supposed to do.”
“Do I really need to spell it out?”
Ian pretended to clean his ear as he spoke.
“Why do you think I called you here? Obviously, it’s to do what you’re best at.”
They exchanged glances.
“What we’re best at?”
They didn’t need to think hard.
There was only one thing they were all good at.
“You don’t mean…”
“Stealing… is that what you’re saying?”
Even as they said it, they couldn’t believe it was the right answer.
Why would a noble, the heir to a ruling family, ask them to steal?
But.
“Yeah, that’s it.”
The bandits were stunned by his response.
A noble, the young master of a ruling family, was seriously suggesting they steal?!
“From now on, let’s get the titles straight. Don’t call me ‘young master.’ Call me ‘boss.’ Got it?”
“……”
No one could have imagined that he would seriously take the lead in a life of crime.
—
* * *
Hanna, Nea’s mother, gazed at the moon from the terrace with a heavy heart.
‘Nea…’
She missed her daughter dearly.
It had already been three months since she last saw her.
She had no way of knowing what her daughter was doing now.
Count Erce’s men had brought her here and kept her confined.
Servants stood guard at the entrance to the villa, the garden, and even the terrace where she went to calm her troubled mind.
The only consolation was that, while confined to this villa, she still had some freedom of movement.
Though her living conditions were far better than they had been outside, her heart was uneasy.
She had no idea where her daughter was.
‘Why did he lock me up here?’
There must have been a reason, but she couldn’t figure it out.
No one told her anything, and all she could do was worry about Nea, who was out there alone.
“It’s getting late. You should come inside now.”
“I’m feeling suffocated. Can’t I stay out a little longer?”
“No.”
At the servant’s firm response, Hanna bowed her head.
Even stepping outside required permission, and she couldn’t stay out for long.
“Please come inside.”
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