The crack of dawn was upon the mountain deep inside the Ediab forest.
Today was a special morning for the forest, for the place that would have always been in darkness under the shades of its trees and the bandit village inside that used to live in the darkness even during the morning was strangely bright.
It was the first time the entire package the morning sun carried had landed on the place.
The village, no, the remains of the village had turned into a clearing.
And in front of it, a path of land in the shape of a crescent stretching almost a kilometer ahead...
... Had its shape changed from a land covered with forests and trees to a wasteland of nothing.
***
Strength left my body, but I didn't let go of myself. With the sword next to my hand that was as numb as a paralyzed man's, I stared at the scene ahead.
"Weak..." the word left me.
That was when I noticed the remaining knights and bandits gulp in the distance.
"Did he just say weak?"
"He meant the bandit leader... right? Not himself... right?"
Such whispers reached my ears.
Classless bastards, of course I meant myself. Who else was weak here if not me? Just obliterating everything in almost a kilometer was not even close to satisfactory. A single dragon's breath destroyed everything in a radius of ten kilometers in the gates I had explored, and dragons were not even the strongest here.
I remembered Albert's words at that moment.
Surely, he had said that there was someone who could remove an entire mountain from sight with the snap of their fingers.
I was nowhere enough yet.
That said, I was also completely drained out of strength.
Without turning back, I called out after summoning all my strength. It wasn't that I didn't turn around, but that I couldn't.
"Keith."
"Yes, yes, young master, just a moment."
I heard a loud scream from behind me followed by Keith cheerfully walking over. He stuck his head in front of my face while still standing behind me, it was annoying to see an unrecognizable blur in front of my eyes after being exerted like this, but whatever.
"What is it, dear young master? How can this lacking servant be of use to you, young master?"
"Carry me, I can't move."
"Pfft."
Bastard. I would have to set him straight.
Using Mana and Ki in synergy was not only dangerous, but also tough to control. I had memories and experience as Yujin and the mana control of that time which would make even gods blush, that was what helped me manage to mix these two in the first place, but controlling them was enough tougher so I always ended up using everything when I used the attack.
Keith audibly smirked as he hauled me up on his back and carried me to the place where all of the knights and bandits had gathered.
Rolling on the ground was the attendant of the leader with his legs bleeding profusely while the rest of the bandits were being suppressed by the knights from the baron's territory.
"Good work, handle this well," I said.
The knights all stopped and looked at me, they saluted without a word with impeccable form. It was even better than what they did when they saw me in the village we had turned into a town now.
"There's no need to investigate this place, I know everything about it."
I couldn't let the knights take them to the baron, though.
"As for these people, bring them to our territory. There's no need to fill the baron's prisons with such scum."
The knights had a strange air about them when I said that.
"Young master even dived in danger himself..."
"Not only is he strong, he's also brave enough to infiltrate them..."
There seemed to be an annoying misunderstanding going about which made me frown. The knights only perked up when I frowned.
"Whatever, lets go."
Keith nodded with me propped on his back and started descending the mountain.
"W-wait! What are you going to do with us!? Newbie! Newbiee!"
The attendant screamed from behind, but I ignored him completely as Keith and I started descending the mountain.
"Haah, Maria and Lily are going to kill me after seeing you like this."
"Is it? I'll hold a good funeral for you, don't worry."
"How cold, young master, how cold."
We exchanged such light banter as we left the outskirts of the forest, on our way, Keith posed a question.
"Young master, when you said you'll be taking the Dark Moon Bandits, did you mean their technique?"
What was this guy on about.
"Their whip was definitely unique, I guess there must be something more with the original of these bandits—"
"That's not what I meant at all?" I said. I struggled and reached into my pocket before pulling out a piece of paper.
"What's this?" he asked.
I unfolded the paper and revealed a magic stamp inside it.
"The Dark Moon Bandits under the leader very recently started spreading out. They were planning to increase their area of influence and sent all the top brass out. Of course, they're weaker than the leader, but they're good."
"You mean..."
"This seal will send carrier pigeons straight to the one you want."
"Hah..." Keith scoffed.
I had spent the last two weeks rolling about to take this seal.
Take the bandits. Of course I wanted them alive.
A bandit organization for myself alone, that was my plan. I would have captured them and forced them under my wing, killed the leader and ordered them around. But these guys were already planning to increase their area of influence.
After witnessing their crimes, not only did I get the chance to create a deep impression amongst the knights and the citizens by capturing the bandits. I also got to keep them alive since they had broken off.
"The bandits are hoping to succeed the old bandits. It is their passion, and they believe the key to that passion is in the hands of the leader, so they won't betray him. The leader was the successor of the original Dark Moon Bandits who didn't commit as many atrocities as they helped the poor and the people with no one to turn to. They stealed from the rich and handed to the poor and worked against the injustice of the nobles of old.
"The Dark Moon Bandits has a lot of followers who could be traced back to the people they protected. It's those guys that tried to revive it under the leadership of the descendant of the leader."
I could send them letters and orders as the leader. I had an entirely new information agency working around for me without knowing it was I they would be serving.
"Was it fine to kill him?"
"Hah, the leader was a pawn. The true successor is someone else. He's cunning."
Keith looked up at me.
"Who?"
"The one you crippled a bit back."
"Hah!"
Keith scoffed and shook his head.
I had everything planned out well.
The foundation for things had come to an end. I would soon revive the Dark Moon Bandits who I had made sure to get in my own territory.
As soon as I got back that day, even before resting, I saw the village we were turning over on its head. The villagers with nothing to their name now had erected a town that would make even the baron's jaw drop. It was just lacking the most important flair to finish my image.
I sent out an order as the owner of the territory, the de facto atleast.
All artists who wished to make a name were to gather in my territory.
The time to bring in a new landmark on this kingdom was here.
After that, I could go back to training and be the strongest in the world.
The very strongest.