"..." A vein popped out on the leader's forehead as he gave a signal to his group to move.
Nobody would become a bandit of their own free will. They were unlucky guys, unlike Lucian.
They've known each other for a while, and the boy was a dreamer with a death wish.
They wanted to see him fail. What could a lone boy achieve anyway? They thought. He had no one to rely on, no family to support him.
The sight of him making actual money infuriated them, but also made them start dreaming too.
Maybe they should have listened to the boy back then and taken him seriously, but who would have expected him to succeed?
"Hey!" The leader shouted as he watched the boy drive away. He took half of the pouch's content and threw the bag with the remaining coins back at him, "Don't you dare hire other bandits! You will hire us first if you want to hire anyone!"
Lucian caught the bag and put it away, laughing, "I will hire you first, don't worry! We're friends, right? Friends help each other!"
"..." The leader's mouth twitched in annoyance, "Two weeks, you said?"
Lucian nodded, "Yes, I'll come back with a bigger cargo and the same route. We'll talk about the future then."
The leader didn't respond as he watched Lucian's wagons disappear behind the hill.
"Fuck him and his smug face!" he cursed under his breath, turning to his gang, "If he scams us, we'll beat him up until he begs for death and take all his stuff!"
"What if he gets rich enough to hire a mercenary group?" one of the members asked.
They weren't strong enough to take a proper mercenary group, especially one that specialized in escort missions. They were more than a match for their ragtag group.
The leader didn't answer immediately, his teeth grinding against one another, "How much richer can he get in two weeks?" He snapped, "Just how lucky can a single kid be?!"
"..." his gang was silent.
Their leader should just admit it; he was jealous. They were jealous. The four southerners who joined that punk were probably living better than they now. It was a painful realization.
At first it was just "borrowing", then it changed into "taking from the rich" and finally became "taking from the weaker".
They all started as normal villagers, until their livestock were lost to disease, crops were damaged by the weather, and taxes were paid to the officials. Fear of failure stopped them from trying again, and hunger drove them to the darker side of life. Greed and desperation kept them there.
There were eleven of them, which was enough to harass, but not enough to guard every crossing, bridge, or fork.
Travelers could take alternate paths. Lucian was an exception. He always chose the fastest route. They knew he was coming from their informant located in the town, which was why they chose this area to ambush him.
Thinking how smart they were, they were ready to rub it in Lucian's face, only to be pitied by him instead!
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Lucian smiled at the admiring glances of the boys, the thumping of his heart slowing down to a steady rhythm when the danger passed.
The bandits were gone, and the journey was back to normal.
"You were awesome, boss!" Goblin said, jumping on his spot like a happy, green rabbit, "I can't believe we got past that without a scratch! I thought we were dead meat for sure."
"Bandits don't kill when they can extort," Lucian explained, "They just have to show their numbers and threaten a little."
The boys were looking at him with bright eyes, full of respect, as if he were a master sharing his wisdom with his disciples. It made the growing numbness in Lucian's chest slow down for a little bit.
'Why are you so silent, Voice? I might gain even more power after this this trip, and you have yet to give me a single compliment.'
'Getting involved with the wrong people is doing you no good,' the voice said, 'Your parents didn't raise you to be a criminal, did they?'
'You were the one who told me I was too emotional, and that I need to get rid of my attachments. Now you are complaining again. Make up your mind, Voice.' Lucian thought, his smile getting bigger, but his heart feeling colder.
He was repaying the Voice for the health. He thought the Voice wanted a rich and carefree life, so he had been trying to provide it (in exchange for health). With loyal managers and a comfortable villa to live in. What more could the Voice want?
This was the fastest route to success, so why was the voice so against it? Was it worried that if Lucian went down the wrong path, the Voice would also get in trouble?
'Nothing will happen to you, Voice. Don't worry, I'll make sure of it,' Lucian reassured the voice.
'...' The voice couldn't understand Lucian's provider mindset; it had never had anyone to care for before. It was used to being a parasite, but the boy was making it feel like a burden.
'Did you ever consider how your little wife might feel if she lost you?' it asked, unable to believe that it was going along with the boy's fantasy.
'I will take my little wife with me,' Lucian replied, 'We'll be together forever.'
'...' When the voice thought that dealing with the kid Lucian was difficult, the teenager version turned out to be even worse. He was a hormonal mess of a person, and his brain was as mature as a banana. Rotten and mushy.
What now? At this speed, Lucian would accomplish his goal before he could reach adulthood.
'What about those four? I thought you wanted to go on adventures with a bunch of friends.'
'I was six, and besides, they can't even learn how to trim a plant properly,' Lucian grumbled, thinking about how his four new employees had disappointed him. Slow learners. Very slow.
Having a human-hating thing in his head did eventually make him look down on his own race, but not to the extent where he would be cruel. He was indifferent. There was nothing wrong with being indifferent. They were all strangers, after all.
'...' The voice would have been proud of Lucian in the past for his ambition, but as Lucian changed over the years, the voice began to change with him. 'Get yourself a real wife already. I'm getting sick of your fantasies.'