The remaining four Reincarnators were all slain by the blade. Following Kino's orders, Li Minkai spared one life, temporarily detaining them.
Dan Ule, the lieutenant, and Kino, along with their companions, left the main camp, walking under the scrutinizing gazes of the bandits.
Originally, horseback riding would have been the fastest mode of transport, but Kino, expressing reluctance to ride with a man, insisted that the group proceed on foot.
Along the way, bored out of their minds, Kino and Dan Ule exchanged sparse words, passing the time.
Kino: "By the way, Dan Gu isn't your real brother, is he?"
Dan Ule: "He is."
Kino, somewhat puzzled: "Then why does he have giant blood, but you don't?"
Dan Ule, speaking with an air of indifference: "Same father, different mothers."
Kino's eyes widened. "So, your father…?"
Dan Ule, anticipating Kino's unspoken question, gave a nonchalant grunt in response.
Kino inhaled sharply, an air of respect emerging. "A ruthless man."
Their conversation continued as they walked, with the lieutenant silently observing.
The walk proved grueling for Dan Ule, who towered over Kino by nearly two heads. Forced to half-crouch to match Kino's pace, his slow progress was torturous—his knees and back ached, and only after hours did they reach the midpoint between Shilin Town and the nomadic army camp.
Paladin had been waiting there early, a large sack of silver coins at his feet. Upon seeing the bandits, his hand instinctively gripped the hilt of his blade.
Dan Ule's lieutenant mirrored the gesture.
Fortunately, the area was wide and open, offering no place to hide. Both sides honored their agreement to bring only one companion.
Kino looked at Paladin. "Is the bathwater ready?"
Paladin's gaze held something concealed, his voice deep with intent. "It's ready, and the essential oils have been purchased. We're just waiting for your return."
"Excellent." Kino led Dan Ule to the center, saying, "Now, I'm going to release you. For safety's sake, please cooperate and hand over your weapon to your lieutenant."
Dan Ule, exhausted and barely coherent, could barely hold onto his blade. He complied with the request.
Once the weapon was handed off, Kino stepped back, creating distance between them and returned to Paladin's side, tossing the sack of silver mooncoins onto the ground. "Here's 1,000 silver moons. You see, I never lie."
The lieutenant opened the sack, greedily nodding toward Dan Ule.
"You are indeed a man of your word," Dan Ule sighed in relief, as if freed from a ten-year-long imprisonment. His joints cracked as he stretched, groaning, "Damn it, I've never been so tired. I'll sleep for a day and a night when I get back."
"Dan Ule." Kino suddenly called his name, his amber eyes reflecting an eerie glow in the sunlight. "Now, our transaction is complete. I am the civil officer of Shilin Town, and you are a desert bandit. In theory, we are back at war, correct?"
Before the two bandits could react, Kino and Paladin were already charging forward, attacking the lieutenant from both sides.
The lieutenant barely had time to react before two swift, lightning-fast strikes cleaved through the air.
In the next moment, his vision was consumed by a flood of blood, before everything sank into eternal darkness.
Dan Ule's heart froze at the sight. There was no time to curse their treachery. Without hesitation, he turned and fled toward the camp.
To his surprise, neither Paladin nor Kino pursued him. They silently watched as he ran, doing nothing to stop him.
...
Dan Ule ran back to the camp at full speed, his lungs near bursting.
Upon entering the camp, his tense body finally relaxed, almost collapsing from exhaustion. But he forced himself to rally and shouted, "Assemble! I'm going to chop that little bastard's head off and use his skull as a bowl!"
The bandits stared at him blankly, silent.
Dan Ule cursed, "Are you all deaf? Assemble!!!"
He stopped abruptly in his tracks.
Only then did he realize that every one of his companions had been disarmed, their faces ashen, empty-handed.
One of the bandits trembled and said, "We're surrounded. They've flanked us from the north and south, and they outnumber us... Without you, we didn't know what to do..."
Before he could finish, a large group of soldiers clad in Duguland armor emerged from the shadows, fully armed and bearing different banners. The support troops from other towns had surrounded them, their numbers vastly superior to the bandits.
Baisa stood at the front, cracking his neck, a cold smile on his face. "After walking for so long, you must be exhausted, huh?"
At that moment, Dan Ule's mind was struck as if by lightning. Kino's every action fell into place, and he realized that everything had been part of a meticulous trap.
It was too late. There was no turning back. Dan Ule fell silent, letting out a long sigh. "Your civil officer is a worthy adversary. I admit, I am no match for him."
Baisa unsheathed his blade, the flames of vengeance burning in his eyes. He roared, "And you—are nothing but a senseless killer, a bandit without honor! The civil officer didn't even intend to meet you one last time!"
With those words, Baisa swung his sword down toward Dan Ule's neck.
"Thud!" The blood splattered.
As Dan Ule's head fell to the ground, the remaining bandits trembled, collapsing to their knees, pressing their foreheads to the earth in submission.
Baisa lifted Dan Ule's severed head, holding it up to the sky, as if offering it to the fallen. "To the fallen comrades of Shilin Town, the civil officer has avenged you. Rest in peace."
After a moment of silence, a soldier stepped forward. "Centurion Baisa, how should we deal with the bandit prisoners?"
Baisa gazed at the sky, sheathing his sword. "Take them back to Shilin Town. We'll await the civil officer's orders."
The army set out in full force. Not only were the bandits captured, but due to their wheeled military tents, their supplies—armor, weapons, food, horses, and money—were all transported back to Shilin Town, a total value exceeding 10,000 silver moons.
When Baisa arrived back in Shilin Town, Lugo and the others approached, their jaws dropping in shock.
Lugo stared wide-eyed at the captured bandits, muttering, "Damn, I've decided I'm sticking with him for life."
"Believe me, it's the best decision you'll ever make." Baisa, carrying the bloody little sack, asked, "Where is the civil officer?"
Lugo pointed toward the quarters. "He's in the bath. He's been at it for two hours and still hasn't finished."
Baisa, almost in disbelief, groaned, "Two hours? Doesn't he fear he'll scrub his skin off?"
Lugo gave a dry chuckle. "By the looks on his face when he comes back, he probably wishes he could shed his skin like a snake."
Baisa hurried to the quarters, knocking on Kino's door.
Paladin answered. "He's in the bath. What's the matter?"
Baisa excitedly raised the bloody sack. "Look! Dan Ule's head! I brought it to show the master!"
"Have you lost your mind, Baisa? The master is bathing, and you want to take a severed head in there to show him??? Why don't you chop your own head off?" Paladin, exasperated, quickly found a new bag to hold the head and started cleaning the floor. "It's dripping blood—take it away before you get it all over."
Baisa awkwardly scratched his nose. "What should I do with the head then?"
"Just hold onto it for now. When the time comes, we'll present it to the superior for merit."
"Got it."
After Baisa left, Paladin had just finished mopping the floor when a messenger arrived, hurrying up to him. "Where is Civil Officer Kino Van Hellsing?"
Paladin wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed. "You really know how to pick your moments."
The messenger didn't engage in small talk. Instead, he produced a wax-sealed letter. "Sixth-grade military intelligence. Must be opened by the civil officer."
In Duguland's military, intelligence was ranked on a scale of nine levels, from nine to one, with level six indicating a matter of considerable importance.
Paladin, taking the letter with utmost seriousness, went straight to the bathhouse, knocking on the door. "Master, it's a sixth-grade military message."
"Enter."