The setting sun reflected on the river's surface, resembling scattered golden leaves glinting across the rippling waves.

A gentle breeze of early autumn brushed through the woods, rustling the leaves and carrying with it the first touch of chill after a blazing summer.

This touch of chill felt somewhat desolate.

“Hmph, girlie, be smart and hand over your valuables!”

Along the riverside path, a group of rugged men clad in animal hide skirts surrounded a frail young girl. Their expressions were fierce, like wolves hunting a baby deer.

The leader was a man with a massive scar across his face. As he gazed at the cute girl before him, a wicked smile curled on his lips:

“If you behave yourself, we might not hurt you. But if you don’t... heh heh, don’t blame us for being unkind.”

“I’m an adventurer.”

The surrounded girl gripped her wand tightly, her eyes showing no hint of submission.

“If you want to rob me, have you thought about the consequences?”

“Hahaha, of course, I can tell you’re an adventurer.”

The scar-faced man burst into laughter, clearly disregarding her status as an adventurer.

“But you’re a mage, aren’t you? And judging by the fact I don’t sense any battle aura coming from you, you’re just a pure mage,” he sneered.

“...”

Looking at the young girl's silence, the scar-faced man grew even more brazen:

“If you had companions—heck, even someone who could stall us for a moment—we’d run as far as possible. But you’re alone.

“A lone mage is a lamb to the slaughter no matter where you are.”

His gaze drifted greedily to the wand in her hand. “Just that wand alone would fetch quite a sum.”

“... Damn it.”

The girl instinctively hid the wand behind her back and took a few steps backward. Trying her best to make an intimidating face, she said:

“You're robbing in broad daylight, aren't you afraid of the righteous people passing by to do justice?”

“The righteous people? Hahahahaha—”

The scar-faced man exchanged glances with his men and burst into fits of laughter, clutching his sides.

“So naïve, this little girl.”

“W-what’s so wrong with what I said?”

“Hmph, everything is wrong.”

The scar-faced man shook the glimmering blade on his shoulder and chuckled arrogantly.

“Missy, haven’t you figured it out yet? We’re professional bandits!

Professional! Do you know what professional means?”

“Planning ahead!” shouted Bandit A.

“Mapping precise routes!” said Bandit B.

“Targeting with accuracy!” laughed Bandit C.

“Ensuring there’s no chance of failure!” Bandit D proclaimed, arms akimbo.

“Exactly, that’s professionalism!”

The scar-faced man raised his hand dramatically and laughed:

“We’ve scoped out the entire area, ensuring no one passes through here. That righteous one you speak of is never going to appear.”

“...”

The girl’s cheek twitched in disbelief.

It’s just a robbery—why are they making it sound like a sophisticated heist?

“What if—just what if—you missed someone? What then?” the girl asked pessimistically, still not giving up entirely.

“What if? Haha, if you insist on ‘what ifs,’ then maybe the only place we didn’t thoroughly scour was the river itself.”

Scar-face made exaggerated expressions, squinting and grinning:

“Are you implying that your so-called righteous person will emerge from the river? Haha, don’t make me laugh. What are you suggesting—that the righteous one is actually a mermaid living in the riverbed...”

*Splash!*

Scar-face’s words were abruptly cut off by the sudden sound of splashing water.

Under the sunset’s shimmering reflections, a blonde man suddenly broke through the river’s surface, rising halfway out of the water.

With slick golden short hair swept back, he revealed an extraordinarily handsome face. Crystal-clear water droplets slid down his perfectly toned chest, gleaming in the fading light.

“A m-mermaid!”

Bandit A cried out in shock.

“Mermaid your ass!”

Scar-face smacked Bandit A on the head. “Look carefully—that’s a man!”

“Oh, oh.”

“I... I finally... escaped!”

The blonde man suddenly lifted his head and spread his arms wide, as if embracing the sky.

“I’m finally free!”

His voice was so unrestrained, so impassioned—it felt like a soul long trapped in darkness had finally seen the light of day. Even from afar, Scar-face and his gang could sense his jubilation.

“What the hell?”

The blonde man’s eyes suddenly turned to the group on the riverbank, his intense gaze making even the bold scar-faced bandit feel uneasy.

He started swimming toward them.

And as the water grew shallower, revealing more of his body, everyone on the shore finally realized—

He was completely **naked**!

“B-boss.”

Bandit B's voice trembled slightly.

“Is it possible we’ve encountered a pervert?”

“Very likely.”

Scar-face nodded gravely, considering the situation.

If they had indeed encountered a pervert today—and such an alarmingly handsome one at that—his plans might require minor adjustments.

He turned to look at the girl.

The girl was covering her flushed face and shaking her head furiously.

Good, it seemed this wasn’t the righteous man she wanted.

“Hello.”

“Hello.”

“And hello to you too.”

The blonde man casually strode ashore, completely unperturbed by his nakedness, and greeted each person enthusiastically.

“Lovely weather today.”

“Have you eaten?”

“Brother, your outfit is stylish!”

“Do you know where this place is?”

“This is...”

Bandit C couldn’t help swallowing hard as he murmured:

“The wilderness west of Belland.”

“The west, huh... Seems like I’ve drifted quite far. Ann should have lost my trail by now.”

“Just to play it safe, I drifted along the river for an entire day and night,” the blonde man muttered softly to himself.

Earlier, Moen—after temporarily blinding Ann with a Illumination Spell—had immediately plunged into the river and escaped by following the current.

Since he was uncertain about the effectiveness of Ann’s detecting abilities, Moen decided to hide in the river for an entire day and night, letting the water erase all traces of him.

Fortunately, as a second-tier fighter, his battle aura protected him from losing body heat in the early autumn chill. Floating along the river also required little physical strength.

After confirming Ann wouldn’t catch up, Moen finally sought a calmer spot to come ashore—only to unexpectedly encounter those people.

And judging by their demeanor, it seemed they were in the middle of a robbery.

After a brief moment of thought, Moen realized that his new acquaintances were bandits.

What kind of rotten luck was this?

——Time to slip away.

Without a weapon and facing a group of bandits, playing the hero would be highly unwise.

“Haha, thanks for the help. I'll be off now.”

Moen smiled politely, then turned to walk away with practiced ease.

“Wait.”

Before he could take more than two steps, Scar-face’s voice rang out behind him.

“Hmm? Anything else, bro?”

Moen turned back, forcing a smile.

“Hmph, kid, you’ve already figured out what we do, haven’t you? And you think we’ll let you just walk away?” Scar-face sneered.

Not good.

Moen’s mouth twitched, his smile becoming awkward: “Don’t worry. I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Then what is the point?”

“The point is we’re bandits. When bandits run into strangers...”

Scar-face's gaze fixed on Moen as he spoke slowly and deliberately:

“Of course, we rob them.”

“Rob me?”

Moen’s expression turned odd.

He glanced down at his completely unclothed self, then back at Scar-face. “Are you serious?”

“Heh, who said I’m robbing you for money?”

Scar-face traced his tongue along his gleaming blade, his eyes burning with fervor as he stared at Moen:

“I’m here to rob your **body**!”