*Third point of view
three days after the three brothers vacation, Arthur gathers his family in his study. Not only his family the employees who had been helping Arthur with his work were also present. They got together to discuss one thing. Bandit subjugation. This was not the first time Marquisdom Randall had fought bandits.
After all, the Randall territory was an area that was often used as a transit point by many who would travel to the imperial area. Therefore the level of mobility in the Randall area was very high. They entered the territory of the city of Romeon by paying a levy. Once in town, they rented lodging, paid for meals, and restocked before continuing their journey. This was one of the Marquisdom's main incomes.
With such a high level of mobility, it is natural that many people are trying to take advantage in a dirty way. One of them is a bandit. They targeted caravans of merchants and even nobles. So far, they have been eradicated, but in their era, they are very difficult to overcome.
"Today there are at least two reports that we got from the testimony of the merchants whose merchandise was looted by the robbers." Arthur placed a few sheets of paper on his desk.
The paper contained reports on the activities of the bandits, which were continuously monitored by the scouts who had been dispatched to monitor the movements of the bandits.
In the end, the paper's contents were only reports that the reconnaissance team could not detect the movements of the robbers at all.
While on another paper contains testimonies of traders who survived after successfully escaping from bandits attacks. The testimony contained more or less about what the band of rogues looked like and how they acted, including the location points where the bandits attacked.
This witness report should be very helpful. But somehow, every time the Marquis army moved, the robbers were nowhere to be found. As well as their booty.
Their number cannot be ascertained because they always wear black masks and robes every time they operate. But there was no way they could move so fast while carrying a lot of loot. Most likely, the bandits had an artefact that served as a place to store their loot.
But if they did, who gave it to them? A storage artefact was a rare artefact that was even treated as a national treasure in the Heinz kingdom.
This was only Arthur's hypothesis, but he was certain that one of the nobles who had been the opponent of Marquisdom Randall was Duke Conrad. Arthur suspected Duke Conrad's intervention this time.
But even he didn't have enough evidence to complete his piece of analysis. He also believed that someone had deliberately leaked the movements of the soldiers to the bandits. But whoever did it, he had no idea.
After his family gathered, Arthur finally started his meeting. Arthur sat at the very end. While to his right were his two wives and two sons, Albert Randall the second child and Geitz Randall, Arthur's first child.
To his left were several employees who had been assisting Arthur in managing and cultivating Randall's territory. While next to them were Misha, Sasha, and of course, their beloved sister, Issac.
"As you know, lately the activity of the bandits is getting more massive." Arthur started the meeting while opening a map depicting his territory.
"According to reports from traders, they are acting in these areas." Arthur marked several locations with his pen.
"But by the time the soldiers were dispatched to the scene, the bandits had already fled. And what was even more troublesome was that they had exhausted the merchandise and food supplies brought in by the merchants and couriers.
They left no evidence other than the wagons that had caught fire and the horses they had killed. Their operation is really neat for a robber class.".
Everyone in the audience listened with the focus of Arthur's narrative. Only one person was resting his head on the table lazily. Who else but the slacker Isaac. Issac is indeed considered lazy when he talks about meetings like this.
Albert, who saw Isaac's behaviour, shook his head. Gosh, this kid. Of course, he was complaining in his heart. Even though his view of Isaac is quite cold, he cares and loves Isaac. It's just that the way to love him is different from his sisters.
Of course, Isaac refused. Even though he looks lazy, this meeting is quite important for him. But because he stayed up all night, his childlike physique was tired.
"No nii-san. I'm sorry because yesterday I slept too late, and now I'm sleepy.". Again Albert shook his head while exhaling. How can a child sleep too late?
"Next time don't sleep too late. I will ask the waiter to make refreshments. Sorry dad for the intrusion. Please continue the meeting."
Arthur finally continued, "The scouts we sent to keep an eye on the bandits also returned empty-handed. They weren't able to track down the tracks or the base of the bastards.
We also sent a patrol team to ensure safe passage to the Randall area. But even the robbers seemed to be so elegant that even the patrol team couldn't get to the scene in time.
In the end, the opinions of the merchant caravans and nobles towards the Randall Territory became rather ugly. Thanks to the construction of various entertainment facilities in this area, their thoughts and views are not too bad. but if this continues, a crisis of confidence will ensue, and it will be a nightmare when the palace troops finally step in." Arthur ended his explanation.
"Father! Why don't we deploy a large number of soldiers to march deep into the forest?! Isn't that much more effective than sending a small number of soldiers on patrol and reconnaissance?! !!"
Geitz, Arthur's eldest child, immediately made a suggestion. He is currently studying at the Academy with Albert. he returned to Randall's territory after being given special permission from the academy to participate in solving problems in his territory.
Honestly, in Issac's view, Geitz was just a lousy noble kid who often used his father's name to do silly and stupid things. Both Geitz and Albert were well educated during their time in the Randall area. Including not doing anything arbitrarily to anyone.
But ever since Geitz lived in the capital, his behaviour began to change. Instead of focusing on his studies, he chooses to spend his time doing useless things. Even often on behalf of his father to do inappropriate things. There was a possibility that this resulted from his association between him and the nobles in the capital.
"You stupid brother. I thought the contents of your head were not as big as your thumb. There is no guarantee that the base of the bandits is in the forest. Instead of dealing with the existing bandits you will be dealing with troublesome high-level monsters.".
Hearing his sister's reproach, Geitz was furious. He was about to punch Albert if Arthur didn't stop it.
Arthur sighed, "Albert, do you have a better suggestion?" Albert thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"I think there is. We should still have a chance to hunt down those bandits. It seems that the activities of the bandits, although they seem random, they seem to have a pattern in carrying out their activities." Albert began to explain his idea.
He suggested placing a few small troops in a location where the bandits had worked. This location is based on reports of bandit victims. Albert also suggested placing a team in a location that could potentially be a place where the robbers carried out their actions.
Geitz, whose suggestion was disapproved of, violently left the meeting location. At the same time, the others listened to Albert's explanations and ideas.
Isaac, of course, was listening. But in his heart, he was grinning coldly.
****
That night, a young man walked through the deserted city of Romeon. The cold wind blew against his skin, but he didn't feel anything. Suddenly an arrow shot in front of him and fell right in front of his feet.
On the arrow was a rolled-up piece of paper. There is an inscription on the paper.
"Preparations complete. Hell Punishment Operation Ready to be carried out." Seeing the contents of the letter, the young man smirked. Tonight, something bloody will begin.