"Who are you?" I demanded.
"My name is Salicia, I'm the Bandit King."
What I had thought was a melodious male voice turned out to me a deeper feminine voice. The Bandit King was definitely not who I expected behind the mask. That was mostly because her name was a complete lie. I was right for second-guessing!
"Oi… you're a woman. You should be a Bandit Queen."
"I'm a strong enough person to be referred to with reverence as royalty, and you want to argue with me about semantics?" She responded bitterly. "I've cut out men's tongues for less audacity."
"I apologize." I lowered my head. "But you wouldn't have just begged for my help if you were so easily angered."
She made an annoyed tsk and then nodded. "I suppose you are right. I know Balrack's strength. For you to be able to capture and bounty him to the city, you must be quite formidable. The fact that you're standing here so calmly despite the fact I have you surrounded shows your party must be powerful."
"That is only because I have a way out," I admitted. "I'd be a little worried if I thought I'd have to fight my way through your lot."
A slight grin formed on her face. "A little worried, he says. A normal man would be pissing himself. Forget it. Let's forgo the dick measuring contest for the moment. I'm sure you would win anyway."
"Mm!" Lydia nodded in conformation.
Miki and Celeste were also nodding as if this was a given. Suddenly, Salicia looked at me with a cocked eyebrow and I could only blush. Only Terra had her head cocked as if she didn't understand the conversation. It's nice that you girls think highly of me, but perhaps this wasn't a good time. I was getting a few jealous and angry stares from some of the bandits. They had their bows strung and pulled, it wouldn't take much for someone to accidentally shoot it!
"Well, in that case, I will make this simple. That mechanical monstrosity was created by the church. My sister was tasked with recovering it. However, it has a defect. The person linked to the dragon's mind will slowly be corrupted, and eventually, they will think like the dragon and eventually become one with it."
"Why would the church send one of their own if they knew this to be true?"
Recovering something you made yourself had some sense. At the least, you could study and learn from your mistakes. However, if they already knew the dragon was faulty, then sending a Paladin to try to control it was just asking for more trouble.
"Because… they want the dragon to go out of control." Salicia explained. "No one can trace the dragon back to the church, so they want it to go havoc. Then, when they solve the issue, they can gain the adoration and love of the country! It's how the church has operated for the last few thousand years. Controlled chaos."
"Okay, let's say I believe you. What is Carmine's role in all this? If she's a patsy for the church, why should I care about what happens to her?"
Salicia made a bitter expression on her face. "Carmine… wasn't always like this. When we were young, our town was attacked. We thought it was by Bandits. It was the church that came to save us. They took a liking to my sister, so they took her and told the rest of us survivors it was a blessing. My sister when on to become a Paladin."
"And you became a Bandit?"
"I started out hunting Bounties…" Salicia admitted. "But when I couldn't find out information on who attacked our village, I realized the only way I could get information was from the inside. I became a Bandit to avenge my village. It wasn't until I declared myself the Bandit King that I finally realized the truth. The church had hired men to attack the village so that they could come in and save it. Everyone who died… my family… their blood was on the church's hands!"
"And… Carmine?" I said, already guessing the answer.
"I found her… and I told her the truth. She… was different. It had been ten years from when we were last split up, and the woman I knew was no longer there. They brainwashed my sister!"