Sophia frowned slightly, withdrew her half-stepped foot, turned, and melted into the cell’s shadow. Peering through the gap in the iron door, she watched.
A one-eyed bandit gripped a little boy by the collar. The boy thrashed violently, so the man kept slamming his fist against the boy’s head, trying to knock him out.
“What a hard head!”
But the boy didn’t pass out as expected.
More bandits entered Sophia’s view—each wielding a machete, each herding one or two unarmed villagers.
“Bandits? How…?”
A flicker of doubt crossed Sophia’s mind. *Could some have escaped last night? Impossible… I calculated the magic’s range precisely. No one should’ve survived.*
Her gaze settled on the one-eyed leader. After a moment’s thought, clarity dawned. *I never saw him last night. They must’ve been sent out beforehand—just missed the disaster.*
Suddenly, chaos erupted.
The boy bit the bandit’s arm hard. Yelping in pain, the man instinctively loosened his grip. The boy broke free and sprinted toward the cell.
Sophia’s eyes narrowed slightly.
She recognized him—the child who’d given her black bread last night. His face was clean now, revealing delicate features, but those striking eyes remained unforgettable.
*Why run here? Did he notice me?*
But battered and small, how could he outrun burly bandits?
Before he reached the cell, the one-eyed man seized his neck, his single eye burning with malice. Slowly, he raised his bloodstained machete, its tip pressing into the boy’s stomach.
“Brat. If you weren’t worth a few gold coins, I’d slaughter you first. Those eyes… they disgust me. I’ll gouge them out myself.”
Twisted jealousy twisted his voice.
The boy froze, mouth agape but silent. Only his sapphire-blue eyes turned toward Sophia.
She noticed—but remained still. *Not yet.*
“Boss,” a bandit approached cautiously, “the camp’s destroyed. What about these villagers?”
They knew their old leader was dead. Here, the one-eyed man held power. *“Boss” is just a title. Feed us, and we’ll follow anyone.* Such was bandit law.
He shot the villagers a venomous glance. *After last night’s raid, a mudslide wiped out the camp—only this cell stood. Villagers gone. Enraged, I tracked them, recaptured them… made examples of resisters. Like this brat’s mother.*
“Lock them in that cell.”
“Yes, sir!” The bandit bowed and herded the villagers inside.
The leader murmured, “Find a buyer soon. Sell them, grab the coins, and run. All nearby villages are picked clean.” A strange relief settled in his chest.
Sophia watched them approach, cold light glinting in her aqua-blue eyes.
*What will you do?* An’s voice echoed softly in her mind.
Sophia’s lips tightened; her fingers clenched the wand. “Kill them. Five or six petty bandits? One spell.”
An’s eyelids lifted faintly, then closed.
The bandits shoved villagers into the cell, oblivious to Sophia hidden behind the door.
“Huh? Why’s this lock broken?”
Spotting the shattered mechanism, the bandit paused—then nodded grimly. *No wonder they escaped.*
