As soon as Martha heard from James that her husband and son were with the Ironhorn Bandits, she immediately understood something.
Her face turned slightly pale, and a hint of fear appeared in her eyes.
Looking towards James, she said slowly, her voice tense, “You are a scouter who generally goes around checking whether a party is worthy of being robbed or not.
For the past week, you have been coming here to eat in our restaurant.
You were scouting us…
observing whether we were earning enough money or not.
And based on that, you planned to ask ransom money from us.”
The faint smile on James’ face widened slightly as soon as he heard Martha accurately guess both his purpose and his work.
Leaning back a little on the wall, he casually said, “I like people who are smart and understand things quickly.
Since you already know who I am, I will speak bluntly.”
He raised one finger calmly.
“You have to pay 500 silver coins if you want your husband and son back alive.
And I don’t need to explain what will happen if you complain to the county guards.
You already know the result of that.”
The atmosphere inside the restaurant turned heavy.
Even the faint crackling sound coming from the kitchen hearth seemed unusually loud.
James then continued, his tone carrying a cold indifference, “You have until tomorrow to arrange the money.
If by the day after tomorrow you still haven’t paid, then you can forget about ever seeing your husband and son again.”
After saying this, James did not wait for Martha’s reply.
He immediately turned around and walked away.
The wooden floor creaked beneath his steps, and soon the sound of the restaurant door opening and closing echoed lightly before silence returned once more around Martha.
Martha stood there motionlessly for a few moments, her hands trembling slightly.
Issho, who had been quietly listening nearby, slowly walked towards her side.
His expression remained calm, though his brows were slightly furrowed.
“What are you going to do?” Issho asked.
“Are you going to speak with the authorities?
Maybe report this matter to the county guards…
or even complain directly to the Viscount?
It might help.”
As soon as Martha heard this, she immediately shook her head.
A bitter smile appeared on her face.
“No…
that is not possible,” she said quietly.
“If the Viscount truly cared about the people living in his territory, then do you really think a bandit group would be able to remain only a few kilometers away from the county for so long?”
Her fingers clenched tightly against her dress.
“He clearly does not care.
On the contrary, there are even rumors that the Viscount receives money from the Ironhorn Bandits regularly, almost like some kind of dividend.”
As soon as Issho heard this, he was not that surprised.
His face remained calm as he said, “So the Viscount is a corrupt official.”
As soon as Martha heard this, she nodded slightly and said, “Yes, it is said that he is quite greedy, and it is also a fact that he harshly implements taxes on the people.
But despite all that, he still has some fear towards the higher-ups of the kingdom.
After all, the King holds the true authority over all the territories.”
She paused for a moment before continuing, her voice carrying bitterness.
“And because of that, it is said that the Viscount has adopted many backhanded methods to earn more money secretly.
Things like this…” She clenched her hands tightly.
“They are quite normal in this area.”
As soon as Issho heard this, he remained silent for a few seconds.
The faint sounds inside the restaurant entered his ears clearly—the weak crackling of the firewood, the slight trembling in Martha’s breathing, and the distant noise of people outside completely unaware of what had happened here.
Then he calmly asked, “So what exactly are you going to do now?”
After hearing this, Martha lowered her head slightly and answered, “I don’t have that much money with me right now.
But…
if I trade our house and this restaurant, it should fetch a decent price.”
Her voice became heavier with every word.
“If I combine that with all the savings we have, then I should barely be able to gather enough money to free my husband and son.”
As she finished speaking, tears slowly filled Martha’s eyes.
She tried hard to hold them back, but the fear and helplessness in her heart were impossible to completely suppress.
The restaurant, which usually carried warmth and noise, now felt unusually cold and silent.
Issho quietly listened to her words.
Although Issho was not some chivalrous hero who would recklessly save everyone he met, he was also not a cold-hearted person who ignored kindness shown to him.
Martha and Alex had genuinely treated him well ever since he arrived here.
Even though it was not like he owed them anything, the care they had shown him was far from ordinary.
Martha always cleaned his dirty clothes along with her family’s laundry.
Even when Issho had tried multiple times to give her money for it, she had never accepted it.
Instead, she would simply smile and say that she was already washing her son’s clothes anyway, and since Issho was also like a son to her, washing one more set of clothes made no difference.
Not everyone helps another person without expecting something in return…
That thought quietly passed through Issho’s mind.
The image of Martha silently washing clothes late at night while still smiling faintly surfaced in his memory, making the atmosphere around him feel even heavier.
Issho slowly made up his mind.
If possible, he would help them.
Turning his blind gaze towards Martha, Issho immediately asked in a calm voice, “Tell me more about these Ironhorn Bandits.
Their strength…
their numbers…
anything you know about them.”
As soon as Martha heard this, she immediately started telling Issho everything she knew about them.
“The Ironhorn Bandits are said to be an extremely ruthless group,” Martha said slowly, her voice trembling slightly.
“Just like they are doing right now with us, they demand money from people.
And if they don’t receive that money…” She paused for a moment, lowering her head.
“Then they kill the person, and that person never returns.”
The atmosphere inside the restaurant grew even heavier.
The weak flame from the hearth flickered quietly, casting unstable shadows across the corridor while the faint smell of smoke lingered in the air.
Martha continued after gathering herself, “There are even cases where those bandits deliberately targeted certain people…
especially husbands whose wives were beautiful.”
Her lips trembled slightly.
“So that they could have those women.”
Martha could not continue speaking further after that.
Her voice got stuck in her throat, and she simply lowered her eyes silently.
But Issho understood clearly what she meant.
Those bandits most likely demanded an absurdly high ransom that the wives could never possibly arrange in time.
And when desperation cornered them, those women would be left with no choice except to pay with their own bodies.
A faint coldness appeared on Issho’s face.
Disgusting scum…
Martha took a slow breath before continuing once more.
“As for their strength…” she said quietly, “it is said to be very high compared to normal bandits.
The leader of the Ironhorn Bandits is rumored to be someone extremely close to becoming a true knight.
People say he is a top-class trainee knight.
And the deputy leader of the group is also a trainee knight.”
Issho listened silently, his expression calm.
“That is why I said earlier,” Martha continued, “if the Viscount truly wanted to destroy them, then he could easily do it.
He only needs to send a squad of guards led by three or four trainee knights, and the entire bandit group would be wiped out.”
A bitter laugh escaped her lips.
“But nothing like that has happened until now.”
The faint sound of her fingers tightening against the wooden table echoed lightly in the silent room.
“And another thing…” Martha said.
“Even when nobles don’t want to send their guards because they fear losing manpower, they usually place bounties on dangerous bandits.
That way, adventurers or mercenaries become willing to hunt them.”
Her voice turned colder.
“But clearly no bounty has ever been placed on the heads of the Ironhorn Bandits.”
Issho quietly understood what that implied.
The Viscount was either deliberately ignoring them…
or directly benefiting from their existence.
Martha continued, “No adventurer living around here would willingly do such a thankless task.
After all, there are two trainee knights among the bandits, and their total numbers are said to be around twenty people.”
She slowly shook her head.
“No normal person would risk their life for nothing.”
Then, after a brief pause, she added quietly, “Only some chivalrous and righteous knight would willingly go against such people without reward.”
A bitter smile appeared on her tearful face.
“Unfortunately, Sidian County has not seen such a knight for a very long time.
And neither has someone like that passed through this county recently.”