Youkar, Walite - Chapter 2. Mountain bandits

Hey, translator here! I’ve been pretty busy recently, but things are looking up. I’ve gotten an editor to help out and freed up some time, so expect a daily schedule by the weekend!

The tax official immediately realized he had encountered a tough opponent. Looking at the fierce Youkar, he kept shouting with a grimace: “Let go! Let go! It hurts, ah!”

“I don’t want the tax anymore!” The tax official screamed, pain visible on his face. She let go and threw the tax official aside.

“Argh!” The tax official quickly covered his head, fell to the ground, and crawled the distance to the guards, in front of their feet. In the time it took for him to gather his bearings, Youkar was already far from sight

Inside the forest, Youkar looked up at the sky. By now, the daylight had dimmed, and the sky a faint yellow. She decided to rest and wait until dark before launching an assault. The night would work to her advantage.

She cut down a few wilted bushes with her knives, collected some firewood, found a clean clearing, and stacked together what she gathered. Then, Youkar extended her hand towards the woodpile.

“Burst—!” A burst of fire sprayed from Youkar’s palm, igniting the dry wood in an instant, creating a simple campfire. She touched her stomach; for now, she wasn’t hungry. So, she lay down by the fire, enjoying a moment of tranquility.

The night had fallen, and the stars in the sky began to bloom, some of them occasionally twinkling.

‘When was the last time I went stargazing with my sister?’

She tried to remember. However, she couldn’t recall at all. She had been traveling alone ever since the break up of her mercenary group. Now, it was her third time coming to Snodham alone.

Youkar’s past was a blur. She could only remember her name and…

*Rustling!*

An uneasy noise from the bushes woke up Youkar, still of a mind to sleep. She quickly sat up, crouching on one leg, drawing her dual blades, and stared right at it.

*Rustle… rustle…*

The sound grew louder, and Youkar tensed her legs, preparing to strike first.

“Excuse me…” A thin, old man with a hat poked his head out, looked at Youkar who was about to pounce, and screamed: “AHHHHHH! Please don’t do anything to me!”

Youkar’s blade pointed at the old man’s neck, and the old man, eyes shut tight and his hands clasped together, begged for mercy: “Please spare me! Sir! I’m just an old fellow making a modest living! I haven’t seen anything… Ah!!”

“Aren’t you a bandit?” Youkar glanced at the old man, who tripped over his tongue to explain: “No, no! I’m around the nearby town, yes, Cross Town… the town over there!”

Youkar released the harmless old man, sheathed her weapons, and apologized: “My apologies, I mistook you for a bandit.” With that, she bent down, took the old man’s arm, and carefully helped him up.

The old man coughed a few times, placed a large bundle of herbs he was carrying to the side, and then sat by the fire. “Can’t blame you. This area has been restless for several years.” The old man took out a potato and placed it by the fire to roast. “Because I couldn’t afford the herb tax, I haven’t been home for about a week. Sigh…”

“Herb tax? I know a bit about Snodham’s laws. Generally, taxes are based on an individual’s monthly income, unless it’s some special item that requires additional taxation.” Youkar scratched her head, understanding the situation without the need for the old man to explain further. “I came from the town, accepted a commission from a doctor to deal with the bandits here.”

“Was it Doctor Faust?” The old man furrowed his brows, adding more wood to the fire. “Hmm, has he already paid the deposit?”

The old man smacked his chapped lips and muttered: “His clinic hasn’t closed down yet. Competing with the church for business, it’s not easy. Can he win?”

The old man continued to complain: “Ah, the town has become so chaotic. I don’t even know how my son is doing at home.”

“Can you… please?” The old man cupped his hands, his words accompanied by a pleading gesture.

“Okay…” Youkar said this, but she felt a bit distressed in her heart. After all, it was her own money. However, she didn’t want to get too involved, so she took out ten copper coins and handed them to the old man. “Is this enough?”

The old man’s hands couldn’t help but tremble, saying hastily: “It’s enough, it’s enough. The tax requires eight copper coins, and the remaining two, I’ll donate to the church for blessings on your behalf.”

“No need.” Youkar stood up, brushing off the dust on her: “Rather than giving it to those fat cats, I’d keep it for myself.”

With that, she kicked up some dirt, put out the fire, and then bid farewell to the old man.

Continuing along the road, Youkar finally saw the bandits stronghold. Through the grass, illuminated by the lights inside the stronghold, she could roughly make out the structure of the base.

Youkar listened quietly to the old man’s complaints. She didn’t ask questions like: “Why isn’t anyone managing this?” The church was in the center of the town, and they likely turned a blind eye to the tax official’s actions. As for the prosecutor sent by the capital, the local lord probably found a way to deceive him.

“While at it, did you encounter any bandits on the way?” Youkar had a sudden realization, and her hand slowly moved to her waist. As soon as the old man made any suspicious move, she could quickly draw her sword and, in a single stroke, sever his head.

“Fortunately, no, I didn’t encounter any. Otherwise, these old bones of mine would have been long gone,” the old man replied.

“Are you alone? No companions or anything?” Youkar asked cautiously, her eyes scanning the area around the old man as she carefully listened for any sound of movement.

“Well, there’s a nearby road that leads to Trunk City. Soldiers tend to patrol more on city roads, so they are relatively safer,” the old man pulled out the roasted potato with a twig, blew on it, and held it in his palm. “If you have some money, you could also hire an adventurer passing by to escort you.”

“Speaking of which, since you can’t enter the city, how have you been staying outside for so long? Although there aren’t any powerful monsters or wild beasts here, encountering them would probably not end well. You’ve been here for a long time.” Youkar asked, her hand already gripping her knife, her muscles tense.

The old man didn’t seem to notice anything unusual. He patted his chest and said with pride: “This is our herb gatherers’ unique skill. We can concoct a special spice to drive away mosquitoes and wild beasts. It can somewhat ensure safety on the road.”

“I’m familiar with the terrain around here. I know where to take shelter from the wind and rain, and there are no wild beasts to fear.” Seeing the old man’s smooth response without any flaw, Youkar let herself relax slightly. However, even so, her hand did not leave the knife.

“Oh, by the way, Miss Youkar…” The old man lowered his head and cautiously asked: “Can you spare some money?”

Youkar didn’t respond, but her heart tightened and her hand once again wrapped around the knife handle.

Whether it was timidity or caution, even though Youkar showed no reaction on her face, the old man still felt something was off. He hurriedly explained: “I’ve been outside for so many days, only gathering a bit of medicine. If I return to the city now, the tax collector will surely collect most of it.”

Its structure was quite simple; the entire stronghold consisted of wooden buildings arranged in a square shape. In the center, there’s a wooden tower with a stone foundation. Around it are a few scattered houses of varying size. Three people were patrolling the outside.

“Judging by the size of the patrol, the number of bandits probably doesn’t exceed fifty,” Youkar contemplated, and just at that moment, the sound of a whip cracking came from the distance, sending a shiver down her spine.

Then, she heard the sound of a carriage advancing. Youkar followed the noise and saw a carriage rapidly approaching.