Looking at the three bandits in front of him, who looked extremely haggard, Darius and his two comrades couldn't help but slightly frown.
Before the already weakened bandits could react, Darius suddenly appeared behind them and knocked them out.
"Let's bring them back to the camp, we can interrogate them there," said Leroy as he bent over and picked up one of the bandits.
Hearing this, Jackson, who was standing nearby with a thoughtful look on his face, nodded after a few moments of hesitation.
"Alright, let's go," mumbled Jackson as he picked up one of the bandits as well.
…
Coincidences, Jackson hated coincidences, especially extremely convenient ones.
Looking at the three bandits who had been tied to a tree, as well as his two sleeping comrades, the frown on Jackson's face increased in size.
What were the chances that just as the three of them were about to leave Abrington County, they would encounter some remnant members of the Steel Rats, which they had been searching for all this time?
Low, extremely low.
Jackson hated this feeling, this feeling of being toyed with and manipulated in the palm of someone's hand.
Although he knew that this was an irrational fear and that coincidences did happen, Jackson couldn't help but feel as though a pair of eyes were watching him, laughing at him, toying with his senses and emotions.
Suddenly, Jackson turned his head around and looked and stared at a nearby tree branch.
Staring at the small bird that had just flown onto the branch, Jackson couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Jackson had felt as though he had heard someone, but as expected, it was just his imagination getting the best of him.
"I'm already an Official Knight, and I'm still so cowardly, how pitiful," mumbled Jackson as he lightly slapped his face, slapping his fear away.
Usually, Jackson was not afraid of the darkness, but for some reason, he couldn't help but feel a sense of fear as he looked around.
A few moments later, Jackson slapped himself once again, and then returned to his usual state, guarding his sleeping comrades.
…
"Did something happen whilst we were sleeping? You got way too tired after being awake for only a night," said Leroy as he looked at Jackson, who had sat down on the ground.
"Don't bother me right now, I need to sleep for at least an hour," mumbled Jackson as he closed his eyes.
Only a few moments after that, under the surprised eyes of Leroy and Darius, Jackson fell asleep.
…
A few minutes after that.
Only five minutes after Jackson had fallen asleep, he had woken up once again, but unlike what one might expect, he did not move in the slightest.
Jackson looked as though he was sleeping, with his eyes still closed, but as his vision was taken away from him, Darius could focus much more clearly on his other senses.
"What happened to your gang?!" asked Darius, presumably looking at one of the captured bandits.
"W-we were ambushed by the troops of that damn noble, other than a few of my friends, who escaped w-with me, I don't know what happened to a-anyone else," said one of the bandits, quickly spilling the beans as he looked at the huge axe on Darius' back.
"He seems to be telling the truth," mumbled Leroy as he looked at the bandit, causing Jackson to suddenly flinch.
If both Leroy and Darius were far away from him, next to the bandits, then who was the person next to him?
As this thought entered Jackson's mind, he couldn't help but feel as though a hand was moving around his neck, touching its veins with its nails, threatening to pierce it at any moment.
Suddenly, Jackson opened his eyes and began struggling, but sadly, he could not move his body, only being able to feel the fingers move around his neck, threatening to take his life at any moment.
Occasionally, the being would let out a laugh, as if to mock Jackson for his powerlessness in this situation, and his inability to stop it.
Although Jackson could hear his comrades nearby, he could not move his mouth to ask for help, and could only stare in horror as the figure came closer and closer to taking his life.
Suddenly, Jackson felt another hand, a much larger one, land on his shoulder, causing his eyes to pop open.
"Jackson, you said you would only sleep for an hour, hurry up, we have to go," said Darius as he looked at Jackson, who had been sleeping whilst the two of them were interrogating the bandits.
But even though Jackson had woken up, he simply stood there, with a rather blank look on his face.
"What, did you have a scary dream?" asked Darius before letting out a chuckle, causing Jackson to nod sheepishly.
"Yea, a dream…" mumbled Jackson as he touched his neck.
…
As Jackson picked up one of the bandits, who had once again been knocked out, he couldn't help but instinctually turn to look behind him.
Looking at that pair of black eyes, which were hidden in a certain bush, staring at him, Jackson nearly dropped the bandit he was holding to the ground.
Thankfully though, as soon as Jackson blinked, those eyes disappeared, allowing him to move once again.
'I need to get the hell out of this cursed place as soon as possible,' thought Jackson, causing him to begin moving a bit faster than his comrades.
"Did something happen?" asked Leroy as he looked at Jackson, causing the latter to shake his head.
"I just want to get back to headquarters as soon as possible, I don't like this place," mumbled Jackson as he sped up his movement once again.
…
'The memories of the bandits have been successfully changed without any side effects,' thought Beatrice as she stared at the three men who were hurrying out of the forest.
"That was quite a bit of fun," mumbled Beatrice as she stared at the leading man, Jackson, with a faint smile on her face.
On this very nice day, Beatrice discovered a very fun pastime.