The forest fell silent.
Even the birds stopped singing.
Only the distant rush of the river beneath the broken bridge disturbed the stillness.
Then...
The cry came again.
"Help!"
It was weak.
Desperate.
Barely loud enough to carry through the trees.
Kael immediately stood.
"That came from the east."
Walter nodded.
"About three hundred meters."
Bram rested his shovel across his shoulder.
"I'll take point."
Garrick reached into the back of the cart and pulled out a heavy iron hammer.
The merchant quickly stepped forward.
"Wait!"
Everyone turned toward him.
"You can't go in there."
"Why not?"
The merchant swallowed.
"Bandits."
"We've lost three caravans this month."
"They attack anyone who leaves the road."
Kael looked toward the dark forest.
"How many?"
The merchant shook his head.
"No one knows."
"Some say twenty."
"Others say fifty."
"They disappear before soldiers arrive."
Kael looked at Bram.
"We're going."
Bram grinned.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
The group left the road and entered the forest.
Branches scraped against their cloaks.
The deeper they walked...
The darker the woods became.
Master Rowan quietly muttered,
"I've never liked forests."
Lily smiled.
"I thought carpenters loved trees."
"I love trees that stay where they're planted."
Kael raised a hand.
Everyone stopped.
He crouched beside the ground.
Fresh footprints.
Boots.
At least eight people.
Dragging marks.
Something—or someone—had been pulled through the mud.
The system activated.
"Imperial Analysis"
Tracking Skill Activated.
Multiple targets detected.
Estimated:
Eight adult males. One wagon. Two prisoners.
Time since passage:
Less than one hour.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"Two prisoners."
Walter looked surprised.
"You can tell that?"
Kael simply nodded.
"The tracks say so."
He wasn't about to explain the system.
After another five minutes...
The smell reached them.
Smoke.
Not from a campfire.
From burning wood.
Bram slowly peeked through a thick patch of bushes.
Then motioned everyone down.
Kael crawled beside him.
Beyond the trees...
A small clearing opened before them.
An overturned merchant wagon lay against a fallen oak.
Crates had been smashed open.
Cloth.
Food.
Medicine.
Everything was scattered across the ground.
Nearly a dozen rough-looking men laughed while dividing the loot.
Several carried swords.
Others held axes.
One man was kicking a merchant who had already collapsed.
Nearby...
A young woman and an elderly man were tied to a tree.
Their mouths were covered with cloth.
The young woman struggled desperately.
The old man barely moved.
One of the bandits laughed.
"Leave the old fool."
"He won't survive the walk anyway."
Another spat on the ground.
"We should sell the girl."
Kael's expression hardened.
Lily whispered,
"What do we do?"
Walter looked worried.
"There are twelve of them."
Bram quietly cracked his neck.
"There are twelve mistakes."
Garrick gripped his hammer tighter.
Master Rowan sighed.
"I suddenly miss my workshop."
Kael carefully observed the camp.
Two guards.
Three archers.
The leader wore chainmail.
Better equipped than the others.
Likely a former soldier.
Not ordinary bandits.
Organized.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment.
The system appeared.
"Combat Prediction"
Enemy Strength:
Low to Moderate.
Victory Probability:
43%
Recommendation:
Avoid direct assault.
Alternative strategy available.
A glowing outline appeared before Kael.
The system highlighted the forest around the clearing.
Then...
It marked several dead trees leaning against one another.
An idea formed.
Kael smiled.
Bram noticed immediately.
"You've got a plan."
"I do."
He pointed toward the dead trees.
"If those fall..."
Walter's eyes widened.
"They'll block the escape route."
Kael nodded.
"And create confusion."
He looked toward Bram.
"Can you bring them down?"
Bram smiled.
"With one swing."
The plan spread quickly.
Garrick would free the prisoners.
Walter would guide them back through the safest path.
Lily would stay behind cover.
Master Rowan would coordinate the retreat.
Kael and Bram...
Would draw the bandits away.
Everyone nodded.
Bram quietly walked around the edge of the clearing.
He planted his feet beside the first dead tree.
He inhaled deeply.
Then...
CRACK!
His shovel slammed into the rotten trunk with unbelievable force.
The old tree snapped.
It crashed into another.
Then another.
Like falling dominoes...
Three massive trees thundered across the clearing.
BOOM!
Bandits shouted in panic.
"What was that?!"
"The trees!"
"We're under attack!"
Dust exploded into the air.
Horses panicked.
Crates scattered everywhere.
The escape path disappeared beneath tangled branches.
Kael stepped from the trees.
His sword slid from its sheath with a sharp metallic whisper.
The bandit leader pointed toward him.
"A kid?"
Kael smiled calmly.
"No."
"A prince."
For a heartbeat...
The clearing fell silent.
Then the bandits burst into laughter.
"The prince came to save them?"
"Kill him!"
"His ransom will make us rich!"
The leader raised his sword.
"Take him alive!"
Kael slowly lowered his stance.
His breathing became steady.
His eyes never left the enemy.
In his previous life...
He had never held a sword.
In this world...
He had trained every dawn and every dusk since returning.
The system wasn't giving him victory.
It was helping him see.
The leader's weight favored his left foot.
The archer's elbow lifted before every shot.
The axeman telegraphed his swings.
Tiny details.
Tiny mistakes.
The system highlighted them all.
"Combat Assist Active"
Predictive Analysis: Enabled.
Weak Points Identified.
Reaction Speed Increased.
The first bandit charged.
Kael moved.
Not wildly.
Not dramatically.
One precise sidestep.
The sword flashed once.
The bandit's weapon flew from his hand.
Before he understood what had happened...
Kael's blade rested against his throat.
"I don't enjoy killing."
He looked directly into the man's terrified eyes.
"So don't make me."
For the first time...
The bandits stopped laughing.
They realized something.
The young prince standing before them...
Wasn't bluffing.
He was dangerous.