[STATISTICS]
[AUTHORITY LEVEL: Commoners (385/1500 XP)]
[STRENGTH: D (0/1500 XP)]
[COUNTRY: Small Village (Money: 0/10,000, Villagers: 5/25)]
[SUPPORT: (Public: 75/100(%), Politics: 0/100(%))]
"Don't kill me! Please!" The scream didn't stop even though Evan and the others had already saved the merchant.
Darren ran toward the commotion. He watched as several of his friends tried to reassure the merchant. From the beginning, they had no intention of hurting him. Their goal was to help, not rob him of everything he had.
Leon rushed over and pulled Darren closer, as if to show the merchant who was the most trustworthy among them.
"This is Prince Darren, son of Emperor Alric. And we are his guards who got trapped in this place as well." Darren watched as the merchant looked at him. The man squinted, trying to get a clearer look at Darren.
"Your Highness!" The merchant rushed forward in panic, using both hands to steady himself while half-bowing. "Your Highness, please help me!"
Darren knelt down and touched the man's back, which was covered in wounds and bleeding in several spots. "I can guarantee you'll be safe where I live. Don't worry, we'll all help you."
The merchant looked up at Darren, searching his face for sincerity. Though Darren had never seen this merchant before, he suspected the man had seen him and was able to recognize him. Who knew—maybe there was another puzzle piece to be gained from this man.
"What's your name?" Darren asked the man, who looked to be in his thirties. His body was a bit stocky, with a protruding belly and thinning brown hair.
"Rich, Your Highness." Darren nodded.
"Boss, let me help Rich walk to the campfire," Evan said, lifting Rich and guiding him away from the road toward the fire where they had made camp.
Darren approached Cal and Leon, both of whom looked to be in pain. Among them, Leon was clearly in worse shape, with a cut on his arm from a knife.
His eyes then fell on Kael, who was busy collecting the knives the bandits had dropped. Even in this dangerous situation, Kael managed to salvage some supplies for their survival. Elric, meanwhile, seemed to be tending to their two injured friends.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Darren asked the group, directing the question especially toward Elric, who seemed to have some knowledge about treating wounds.
"Boss, forgive me if this sounds out of place," Elric began. Darren listened attentively, not feeling even the slightest bit offended. These were his friends—people who had helped him despite his unfamiliarity with the place. "Can you help me treat their wounds?"
"Of course," Darren said, helping Leon walk as Elric rushed off to deal with Cal, who was still able to walk on his own toward the campfire. "Come on, Leon. I'll help you to the fire."
Though they were surrounded by darkness, a faint light illuminated their path toward the campfire. Cal, with just a few scratches on his face, was able to sit calmly. Leon, on the other hand, didn't have the strength to join in Kael's jokes as the boy returned with the knives.
Elric approached Darren, handing him several plantain leaves—something Darren had never seen before, as his hands were more used to laptops and phones.
"You need to crush the leaves until they release juice. Then place them on Leon's wound. I'll take care of the merchant and Cal," Elric instructed before walking around the fire to Rich.
"I'll help Cal," Kael volunteered, receiving a smile from Elric.
As Elric had instructed, Darren crushed the leaves until they released their juice and turned into a gel-like texture. Then he placed them carefully on Leon's wounded arm.
Leon's scream joined Rich's as both men cried out in pain. Carefully, Darren made sure the leaves covered the entirety of Leon's injury.
Leon tried to swat Darren's hand away, but Evan quickly held him down so Darren could continue.
"Does it hurt?" Darren asked. Leon shook his head, though his scream had made Darren curious about the real reason.
"Probably hurts more from this touch than the medicine," Darren concluded. The injury must've been very painful to the touch, so it was understandable that Leon would cry out.
"Is the medicine enough?" Darren asked Elric, who was still tending to Rich.
"Looks like we're short, Boss. Should we head into the forest to get more?" Elric asked, checking the remaining leaves.
"I'll go get more, Boss," Evan offered.
"We'll go together. It's not safe to head into the forest alone," Darren said, immediately standing up. Just as the two were about to leave, Rich's voice stopped them.
"Wait!" Rich cried, trying to stop them. Both turned around in confusion, Darren especially, puzzled by Rich's sudden protest. "I have more of those leaves. Please look inside one of the small boxes in my wagon."
Darren and Evan quickly opened the merchant's wagon, aiming to find the small box containing the plantain leaves. With no light inside, they relied solely on touch. In total darkness, they searched.
Darren opened one box and felt a small piece of wood attached to a strip of metal. The metal was flat—Darren suspected it was a knife. He touched its tip and confirmed it was sharp, immediately closing the box.
"Be careful, I think I felt a pile of knives," Darren warned.
"Got it, Boss. I think I just felt some ropes," Evan responded.
"Maybe Rich sells tools," Darren muttered, pulling out a small box and opening it. His hands touched some fresh leaves. "Got it—we found the leaves."
They returned and handed the box to Elric, who continued helping Rich.
"As a guard, I have to admit—those bandits were seriously skilled. Maybe on par with soldiers with five years' experience," Kael said as Darren and Evan sat down.
"They were good because they used knives," Cal dismissed the claim, thinking they weren't as skilled as Kael believed.
"But they were also great horsemen. Not just any bandits—maybe ex-guards or former military," Elric said, still tending to Rich.
"They're Richard's men," Darren said, catching everyone off guard.
"How do you know, Boss? Wasn't that just a rumor in the palace?" Cal asked.
"A while ago, Prince Richard spoke with Prince Darren," Evan added, clarifying for Cal.
"Spoke is a generous word. More like warned me not to return to the palace," Darren corrected.
"I've always known he's greedy. He wants everything in the palace. He wants to rule. Isn't that why he convinced the Emperor to exile you?" Evan said, visibly angry as he recalled how Richard had treated Darren before they were thrown into this place. "I say this as your guard and a witness, Boss."
"But now we know Richard has some of his men acting as bandits in this region. The only way we'll survive is to train in combat and stock up on medicine," Darren offered.
"I can help with medicine, Boss," Elric raised his hand. "My parents own a pharmacy, and they're also doctors."
"Alright, the rest of us can help each other train. Should we build some homes here to survive?" Darren asked confidently, no longer hesitating—he had a mission to complete this game the best he could.