At present, the situation at the royal capital Vinceton wasn't very good, despite the efforts of the Third Knight Order to maintain security.
Specifically, many of the criminals living in the slums on the outskirts of the capital had formed gangs and threatened the safety of normal citizens.
Most of them had been vagrants or orphans originally, and because of their lack of minimum education, it had been difficult for them to find a proper job. This forced them to commit crimes such as theft, blackmail, and looting.
The deterioration of the public safety in the royal capital was the result of the corresponding downwards spiral that those exposed to such harsh environments often fell into.
And now that almost all the righteous thieves in the suburbs of the royal capital had been eliminated due to the policy of righteous thieves suppression advocated by the late Prime Minister Val Morrow, the so-called "small villains" were now allowed to run rampant without a leash.
However, further deterioration of public order was able to be stopped. Under the leadership of the new King, Maine Castall, the "pus" rotting the court from the inside was cleaned. And now, nobody remained at the center of the politics that would intentionally steer the Kingdom in the wrong direction.
Thus, little by little, the problem was heading towards a solution.
However, it seemed like it was still a long way to go before a complete solution was reached.
On a certain holiday.
At a certain corner of Lake Vanilla. There was a man who came with fishing equipment to this little know spot where people rarely came. He had a bony face, black hair swept back, and a sharp gaze that seemed to belong to someone who has killed many people, a tall and stout body, and the dignity and aura of someone in his thirties or so. He was a member of the righteous bandit gang, R6, and Cubero's self-proclaimed underling, Besaid.
"Oh, kid. You're free today again?"
Besaid called out to a young boy who was about 16 in age and had the gaze of an evildoer. He affectionately called him "kid". And that kid had already set a fishing rod.
"You too, aniki, don't you have work to do?"
"Nah, today's a day off."
Making the expression similar to that of an old man, Besaid sat down in the rocky area a short distance away from the kid.
"You're still calling me kid. You can't just call me a kid because I'm a kid, you know?"
"So noisy, and I've just gotten here."
"Alright, then let's see who catches more."
"Yeah, yeah."
Besaid prepared his fishing equipment while bickering lightly with the young boy, who in turn also prepared and then threw his fishing line.
A pleasant air, the sound of running water, the scent of the lake breeze, and the warm winter sunlight. It was the usual weekend scene.
"There it goes."
After finishing preparing, Besaid also followed the kid and threw his fishing line.
The began to think about how many weeks have passed since he started to share this fishing spot with the young boy like this.
He could still clearly remember the encounter between the two――
"Old man, teach me how to fish."
A certain day. While Besaid was fishing, there came a young man who called out to him from behind.
He had his hands in his pockets, an arrogant tone, and glaring eyes. Obviously not the proper way to act and look when asking someone for a favor.
But it wasn't any of that what bothered Besaid. Why did he approach me? he wondered. Why, while there were many other anglers on Lake Vanilla, did he choose to come to him? After all, it was obvious by his appearance that he was just some 29-years-old man without a respectable occupation.
"...Sit down, kid. I'll teach you."
He answered on a whim, thinking it might be interesting to have a conversation with this unusual young man.
The young man then stared at Besaid for a few seconds with a surprised expression, before opening his mouth.
"Will you teach me?"
"Yeah."
"Will you, teach me, how to fish?"
"I already said I will."
"Really...?"
"Ahh, how annoying, hurry up and come sit down. Otherwise, I won't teach you."
"W-Wait, I'm coming! Just a second!"
The young man ran over the rugged rocks as he quickly approached the place Besaid was sitting down.
This was later revealed. It seems the young man had been asking all around Lake Vanilla to teach him how to fish. However, the kid couldn't speak politely nor with honorifics. As a result, he was obviously turned down by every person he asked. Then, just as he was about to give up, he saw Besaid and was surprised when he said he would teach him after asking.
...Then, ever since, Besaid taught the kid how to fish every holiday.
The young man was like a sponge, absorbing all the knowledge and fishing skill he was taught. And then, within just two weeks, he could now be considered a proper fisherman.
Neither of them knew what the other did for a living, where they lived, or even their name. However, the young man eventually began to admire Besaid and started calling him "aniki", and Besaid just kept on calling him "kid".
Then one day. Uninvited guests arrived as the pair was fishing.
"Ohho, so it's here. Not bad, not bad."
"Comiiiiing."
"Yo, yo. We have come."
"...What are you guys doing here?"
A trio of young people appeared, all of them men, with an appearance that showed they were up to no good, and two or three years older than the kid.
The young boy stood up, taking a step back as if trying to keep his distance from the trio.
"Well, you see. It's been the hot talk in the slums lately. That someone's been earning some money by fishing."
"Don't, you think it's unfair that brat is the only one who can have a good time?"
"Say, isn't that sneaky? You think so too, right? Now, I wonder who that brat is?"
The trio approached the young boy while grinning, surrounding him from all sides.
"Is this a tool?"
"Mine now."
"Dibs."
His fishing rod and net were stolen.
"..."
The young boy could only bite his lower lip in frustration, remaining silent.
There was no way he could win against these three. He was painfully aware of that. In addition, these three guys were part of a notoriously evil gang that had a considerable influence in the slums. If he went against them, there's no way he would be able to keep living in the slums.
And above all else, he had also walked the same path as them. Taking away from the weak. Robbing something important. Everything was decided by power. That was the truth of this world.
"――Hey. Wait a moment there, sonny."
A deep voice that resonated from the depths of the stomach called for the attention of the trio.
That voice belonged to Besaid, who was still sitting down fishing.
"What? Don't get in my way, old man, I'm working."
The young man who seemed to be the leader of the three said while glaring back at Besaid.
"Working, huh?"
"Yeah, that's right. It's a job, a job. Just collecting my fees, you see?"
"Hahaha, yeah, that's right. This is how we righteous bandits raise money from the bad guys."
"...from the bad guys?"
"Yeah, didn't you know, old man? This guy here is a famous pickpocketer in the slums."
"It seems these days all he does is fishing since he can earn more that way."
"But trash will always be trash. He has stolen so much thus far, so it's only normal that he should be robbed too."
"..."
That was true. Hence why the young man kept his mouth closed.
The fact that the number of poor young people who were unable to receive a proper education and fell into despair, turning their lives to crime was still a deep-rooted problem in the Kingdom, albeit now it was on the decline. That's why the young boy hadn't learned polite speech, nor how to fish.
"I see..."
Besaid muttered to himself as if to agree while putting down his fishing pole.
"Oh, what now? You wanna go at it?"
"There are three of us. It's three versus two."
"And one if just a snotty nose brat. Just stop, it's not worth it."
The trio, seeing Besaid standing still, threw the fishing rod to the side. Yes, it might be a three versus two, but they realized he wasn't backing down.
"Say...What do you think a righteous bandit is?"
"What?"
Besaid spoke to the trio, his back turned to them.
"A righteous bandit does not rob or steal from the wicked. It's not such a half-hearted thing. They are villains that kill villains. They embrace carnage, leaving behind the virtuous path of God."
"What nonsense are you spewing, old man?"
After heaving a sigh, he continued speaking.
"Be prepared. To become a righteous bandit for the rest of your lives. To abandon the path of men for all eternity."
"..."
His was a glare of emptiness, with a voice that took the form of a demon.
The trio was taken in by the unexpected power and involuntarily fell silent.
Then. Besaid placed his hand on his jacket and took it off――in one quick motion.
"――!?"
His back was exposed. And there, a tattoo was carved all over it.
It was a glaring demon in a style like the yakuza tattoos.
The tattoos in this world were truly awe-inspiring. There was no anesthesia, and if you used a potion after tattooing, the tattoo would fade away and couldn't be easily recovered. Therefore, to have one, one had to endure a hellish pain for a long time.
It was carved all over his back, densely, clearly, and thickly.
Unmistakenly a true and real "Righteous bandit"――The three young men and the young boy knew it in an instant.
"...Ah...Ri- R6（Rimusuma Six）...!"
One from the trio muttered as he slowly walked back and fell on his butt. He recognized the tattoo of the demon.
The greatest righteous bandit group, known to all the outlaws in the royal capital. He had heard that the R6, whose name was enough to shut down a crying child, had been destroyed by the knights. Why was one here?
"From the great righteous bandits of R6, with the unmatched and peerless house Firstest, gardener apprentice Besaid. That is the one you're dealing with!"
Besaid spoke up proudly, confronting the trio.
The three were pitifully scared.
"H-House Firstest...!?"
The already dismantled bandit group R6 was one thing. But also having the backing of the powerful embassy that's said to dominate both the front and back sides of the Kingdom, it's hard to imagine someone would want to turn them into enemies.
That's why he had mentioned the name of house Firstest. To serve as a deterrent to keep this trio from meddling with the young boy even back in the slums. Besaid was ready to be scolded later since he had protected the kid at his own discretion. Or it can be more accurately described as his mouth had slipped up. This even surprised him. For him to find himself fond of the kid.
"Hiiiiii!" " Damn." "Let's get the fuck out of here!"
The trio ran away as fast as rabbits with their tails between their legs.
"...A-Aniki."
Left alone in that place, the young boy tried to say something.
Besaid silently dressed up and picked up his fishing rod again.
"..."
Then, after a brief moment of silence, the kid followed along.
Actually, as a matter of fact, he moved up next to Besaid.
...This is fine. This relationship is fine. Thinking along those lines, Besaid stared into the distance at the lake and smiled to himself.
"Stay around. Seems there will be a festival soon."
"Festival?"
"Look, your line is gonna get all tangled up."
"I see...Then, I will take this spot today."
"...Do what you want."
"――sen! Hey, Aniki! Listen!"
"Eh? Whoa!? Idiot, you need to tell me sooner!!"
"Your rod! Look at your own rod!"
"How noisy! Just get the net, the net!"
"Yes, yes!"
While Besaid was lost in thoughts, remembering what had happened a few weeks ago, a fish took the bait.
"Hey! You see it!? It's a huge one!"
"It's a good size. But this one swallowed the hook..."
The kid used a tool to remove the hook the fish had swallowed. His movements were done with experienced familiarity.
After throwing the fish into the bucket, the hook and bait were set again, then the kid returned the fishing pole to Besaid.
Besaid gazed at this scene with some satisfaction.
Then again, the two silently dangled their fishing lines.
"Say, Aniki. Did you go to the title tournament?"
"Yeah, obviously. It is the duty of all the servants to watch the games."
"Whoa, how nice. I could only see a little bit."
"Hehehe. The master was a contestant. And in three of them nonetheless. How could I not go see it?"
"You really sound happy..."
"It's three crowns! Three! If the archery one counted it would've been four crowns! Of course, I'm happy."
"It's so amazing I have no other words to describe it. He's like an existence similar to a faraway cloud."
"He's fighting with everything he's got. Fighting for everyone, just like us righteous bandits. That's why I want to cheer on him with all my heart."
"Uhh. I think it's completely the opposite. Righteous bandits bet their everything in a bad way. But that person is betting everything in a good way."
"Bold of you to say that, kid. Well, it's not like you're wrong."
"Right? I don't want to be a righteous bandit. If possible, I want to be someone like Second-sama."
"...Eh? Brat."
"No, it's not like I'm a fan or anything. I've never even considered having you aniki get an autograph for me."
"Want me to get you one?"
"A-Are you for real!?"
"I'm kidding, you fool"
"..."
"Ahh!? Sorry, my bad! Nooo, my fish! The side dish for tonight's drink!"