‘Can this be the moonstone mines?’

This was Red’s first thought. However, thinking deeper into it, the boy noticed some obvious problems with that theory.

“How can there be a hidden tunnel network running throughout the entire region? Wouldn’t the locals have found out about it a long time ago?” Red asked.

“I was trying to find that out too, of course!” Rimold said with a sneer. “Why do you think I tried to infiltrate their ranks, brat? The bandits weren’t the ones that found the hidden passages, though. Someone else showed it to them.”

Red frowned. “The imperials?”

“At the very least you’re not slow.” the man nodded. “They approached the bandits months ago and revealed the existence of these tunnels to them. The entrances were all sealed and hidden by Spiritual Formations, which is why none of the locals noticed it until now.”

“What reason does the Empire has to reveal that to the bandits?”

“According to some of the bandit’s higher ups, the Empire wanted them to help scout the depths of those tunnels.”

“Couldn’t they have done that themselves?”

“I thought so too, but these tunnels go deep into the earth and even now the bandits have barely covered enough ground… Not to mention, there are monsters down there.”

Red’s heart skipped a beat. “What kind of monsters?”

“I never got to face one myself, but according to other bandits, the monsters down there all looked very similar to the ones that disappeared from the forest not long before the tunnels were opened.”

‘So not insects.’

Red didn’t know what to think of this information.

“Is that where all the monsters went?” Allen asked in surprise.

“Seems like it.” Rimold nodded. He looked like he was about to continue speaking before suddenly catching himself. “Listen, we don’t have the time to discuss this! The others could be in danger!”

“Oh, right!” the young master was also reminded of that fact. He looked over at Red. “We should hurry!”

“Right.” Red nodded. “I’ll lead the way.”

“You?” Rimold said with a scoff. “Do you even know how to scout?”

“Red has been learning from Rog!” Allen went to the youth’s defense once more. “If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t have reached this far!”

“Isn’t he the one who put you into this situation in the first place?!” the man looked unconvinced.

Red, however, wasn’t paying attention to him anymore, and was already walking off towards the southeast, where their group should have been waiting. Allen, noticing his companions’ actions, also picked up his equipment and followed behind.

“Wait, where are you two going?!” Rimold stared at the boys’ back in anger.

“I thought you were in a hurry.” Red said without looking back.

He heard the man grumble a curse beneath his breath, but a few moments later, he followed in tow.

“I hope you know what you’re doing.” Rimold said. “The young master’s life is in your hands.”

“I think we were doing fine.” Red shook his head. “It wasn’t me who allowed him to get shot, after all.”

“You…”

Red paid no attention to the strings of curses coming out of the man’s mouth. Instead, he began to think about the information he had just learned.

Once the boy heard about the tunnel network spreading the entire region, he immediately associated it with the moonstone mines. The fact the Empire was also likely behind the existence of both of them only led credence to the idea. However, once he learned more information, Red suspected the two might not be related.

First, there was the curse. The bandits had entered these tunnels months ago, during which at least two New Moon phases had happened. Yet Rimold had mentioned nothing about a curse or any moonstones. Then, there were also the monsters, which were not insects, unlike what had lived in the moonstone mines back then.

Perhaps these two tunnel networks were not connected, but that idea also presented a problem. The moonstone mines were also kilometers long and went even deeper than Red had ever had the chance to find out. What were the chances, then, that there were two separate and distinct tunnel networks that both extended throughout the entire region?

It seemed unlikely. Chances were indeed connected, which meant Red’s suppositions about the curse would need to be revised. Or maybe there was some sort of otherworldly magic at play letting these two vast tunnel networks occupy the same region without ever crossing each other. The latter possibility wasn’t that crazy, considering what the boy had witnessed before.

Whatever the case, this all brought Red to an unfortunate conclusion.

‘Do I need to return to the underground?’

…

The trio walked through the forest for the next hour.

Allen seemed to be distracted by his shoulder injury, wincing from time to time in pain. For his part, Red was focusing on scouting the way ahead and keeping watch with his crimson sense, while Rimold seemed intent on observing the boy’s actions to evaluate his skills.

“How many bandits were in that camp?” Red asked.

“Around thirty of them.” Rimold said. “The problem is not the number, though. One of Rickard’s officials was set up in the region, and suffice it to say, he will be tougher to deal with than common bandits.”

“Does Rickard organize everything like an army?”

“Of course he does!” the man scoffed. “He was a sergeant in the army before, so he tries to use his experience to command his subordinates. In fact, many people in his band don’t even refer to themselves as bandits.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Haven’t you learned anything from the others? Rickard and his men are from Stormgard Kingdom, which was conquered by the Empire over the last year. They refer to themselves as the Stormgard Resistance Army.”

“Resistance?” Red frowned. “Who are they resisting? Aren’t they working with the same people who conquered them?”

“Bah, they’re all bandits!” Rimold waved his hand. “What did you expect of them? Some semblance of honor?”

The boy didn’t respond to this question. He had seen a deep-seated hatred from Allen and Narcha against the Empire, so he had been expecting some aversion from the bandits to working with the same people who conquered their home country in the first place. Maybe they didn’t care about revenge at all, but if that was the case, why would they still call themselves the Stormgard Resistance Army?

Red felt like he was missing some important piece of the puzzle here, but it wasn’t relevant to their current objective.

“Are you sure we’re headed the right way?” Rimold asked after a while.

“There’s no right way.” Allen said with a grin, repeating Red’s words from earlier. “I made the same question earlier. We’re trying to avoid the area where we found the demon, so we’re taking a roundabout path.”

“This…” the man looked embarrassed. “Shouldn’t we be hurrying instead? What if our companions are fighting against the bandits?”

“It’s already been hours.” Red shook his head. “Whatever fight happened there, it would have ended by now. We can only hope they are still safe.”

Rimold frowned, but refrained from responding.

The youth continued to focus on his crimson sense and scouting the path ahead. A few minutes later, though, he finally sensed a familiar fluctuation.

“Stop!” Red said, holding one of his arms up.

Allen immediately followed his orders, freezing on his tracks.

Rimold, though, looked back at the boy in alarm. “What is it? What did you find?”

“There’s something up ahead.” Red pointed out between the trees.

“Something?” the man frowned, looking over in the direction the boy had pointed out. A few seconds later, though, he sneered. “What do you mean by that? There’s no one there!”

“You have to trust him, Rimold!” Allen said to the man. “Whenever Red says that, he’s always right! There’s definitely someone there!”

“How could he even tell?” Rimold seemed unconvinced, looking over at Red. “Have you opened your Five Senses vein too?”

Red didn’t respond, keeping his gaze steady at the direction he felt the fluctuation.

Rimold looked angry at being ignored. “I made you a question, you bra-”

“Shhh.” Red shushed him. “It’s coming.”

“What do you mean by…” the man trailed off, finally noticing a stirring within the trees. He stepped back, pulling a dagger out of his sleeve and looking over in wariness.

Red had also taken out his bow and notched an arrow. Allen, noticing the movement of his two companions, unsheathed his sword and looked in the same direction with some trepidation.

Finally, the approaching figure showed itself. It was the undead monkey, swinging on the forest canopy. The creature was staring at the trio, showing itself into the open with no apparent concerns.

Red didn’t hesitate. He took a moment to adjust his aim, and then shot an arrow towards the monkey before it ran away. The creature, however, seemed to be expecting this kind of reaction, and jumped out of the way to another branch in a hurry, successfully evading the arrow.

Red wasn’t the only one who acted swiftly, though. Rimold also threw a dagger towards the creature as soon as it had landed. The monkey, however, once more dodged the projectile with ease, as if predicting the direction they were coming from.

Rimold didn’t give up, though, and continued to throw daggers at the monkey in quick succession. It was all to no avail, though, as the undead animal jumped between the branches in a flash and got away with no scratches. Curiously, the monkey never moved too far from his original spot while doing it.

The man frowned upon noticing this. “We need to get closer!”

Red nodded and prepared to give chase.

However, as soon as they took a step ahead, the monkey followed suit, keeping the same distance between them with no issues. Rimold scoffed and prepared to push himself to give chase.

Red, however, suddenly sensed something appear in his crimson sense. “Stop! There are more zombies up ahead!”

Rimold suddenly froze in his tracks and looked over at Red in shock. “H-how can you tell?”

The boy shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. It’s just trying to lead us to an ambush.”

An expression of grim realization came to the man as he looked over at the monkey. The undead ape stared back with a smug expression, seemingly unbothered at having his plan discovered.

“You accursed necromancer!” Rimold looked livid. “The Cursebreakers are scouring this forest, trying to eliminate your influence, and yet you still have the courage to show yourself in front of us?! Are you not afraid of being discovered?”

A laughing sound came from the monkey’s mouth.

“Why would I be?! Still hidden for hundreds of years! Why would they find me now?” a shrill voice came from the small undead creature.

The human trio suddenly felt a shiver run up their spine.

The monkey had spoken.