After a few minutes had passed, Emil heard a snore come from the end of the tent. As the noble’s snoring then kept going, he decided that was his cue. The Necromancer got up from the carpet, and took a few steps over to the corpse by the table. Though he could have easily reached for the cloud of death above it, he instead bent down over the body.

Emil was about to place a hand on its chest, but paused just a few inches before contact. That area of the dead man’s purple tunic was still drenched with fresh blood. The soaked portion was just harder to see between the already darkly colored cloth and shadows cast over it. But as he would ideally prefer not needing to clean his hand afterward, he placed it on the corpse’s shoulder instead.

The Undead Human closed his eyes as his mind focused on the bandit’s soul. As Emil’s mental self reached out to it, he felt a tugging sensation from the base of his neck. Part of his own soul’s essence extended into the cadaver’s being. After several moments, his spiritual invasion eventually hit a wall of resistance from the other man’s will.

It tried to keep him out, to push back against his foreign spirit. And to its credit, the barrier amounted by its defiance was a solid one. Emil could feel that it was the result of the life this man had lived. One could not command genuine respect and authority from those above the law without a strong character.

But at the end of the day, it was still a barricade put up by a soul that had never needed to defend itself before. Its strength was limited to that of an unconscious spirit that acted only on what was akin to instinct. Before the overbearing might of the Necromancer, it could only fight back against his attacks for so long.

For this was not a stage that was determined by spending Mana or the direct casting of a spell. Rather, it was a simple matter of difference between their individual egos. And as the only one that was actually consciously self-aware of his soul, Emil would naturally win out. Piece by piece, the bandit’s wall began to fall apart. Until eventually a critical mass of damage was dealt, and the rest of it crumbled entirely.

With this soul’s resistance now reduced to nothing, it was fully defenseless against his will. The Necromancer’s mental self now had complete access to everything he could want. He began to look through the bandit leader’s memories. The first thing he wanted to do was confirm Faustus’s story. While he hadn’t necessarily felt there were any lies in the nobleman’s words, there was no harm in being sure. Faustus had said that his capture had occurred almost three weeks ago. So to add a little extra wiggle room, Emil decided to start his viewing from a full month in the past.

Due to the lower amount of traveling done during winter, it was a slower season for the group of bandits. As such, they apparently had a type of winter camp they usually spent this time of year in. Its location was that of a large system of caves, quite a distance up north from their camp in the present. But there was one thing of immediate significance, and that was the number of bandits there.

Compared to the couple dozen Emil had killed, he saw what had to be at least several hundred people gathered together. It was impossible to make a proper count of them all, so that estimate could just as easily reach all the way up to the low thousands. To initially think of it as just a temporary winter camp was a disservice.

With the amount of trade and infrastructure that was ongoing, it was more like a small town. From what he could understand from the leader’s thoughts and memories, this was due to how bandits in Vermila operated. As far as the general public was aware, they were just a bunch of disjointed outlaws. Where they were all independent groups of varying sizes, but almost never larger than a few dozen members.

The reality was that they were much more like an actual organization. But while it certainly appeared like they were a unified force from what he saw, that wasn’t quite accurate. Rather than really being a single entity, the structure of the bandits was that of an alliance between five main factions. Each one of these factions had a head captain at the top.

To keep up the illusion of being fractured, smaller units within each faction were led by those chosen by the head. These groups all had their own unique colors and names to further the deception. As they plundered their assigned territory, they would send part of their loot to always changing drop-off spots. But every winter, they would return here to report back in person to their captain.

Then while together, these five captains would meet for discussion and vote on important decisions. So while the common people believed that there was currently a rise in random banditry across the nation, that was just the intended perception. This was the beating heart of Vermila’s criminal underworld, and it only continued to grow as time passed.

Emil continued to observe this significant affair through the bandit’s eyes. He had been prepared to simply skim through this week of the dead man’s life. But now, the Necromancer didn’t want to lose a single waking moment’s worth of information. The names of important figures within the organization, discussed strategies and key objectives, he didn’t want to miss any of it. As such, he made the decision to go even further back in the soul’s memories.

The Undead Human rewinded them back, until he reached the day the man had arrived at the winter hideout. Fortunately for him, it didn’t take very long to find it. The bandit leader and his group only arrived just a few days prior to where Emil had started from. So now with a newly set beginning point, he then initiated his observation anew.

Unfortunately for Emil though, those extra days of time ended up providing little in terms of additional information. In the larger criminal hierarchy, the dead bandit was only a small fish. Even as the leader of a couple dozen members, the relative authority of his position was just third from the bottom. Officially, his rank was that of a lower commander. As a result, the man spent the majority of his time with just his own group. And when he did interact with other bandits, it was only with those of equal or lower rank.

While Emil had originally intended to not miss anything, he ended up growing bored. So after a while, he did end up skimming through parts of it that were obviously of no importance. Yet even while removing the filler, a diamond of vital information never ended up appearing. In the end, it was simply a rehash of what he had just learned before. Essentially, the added days’ worth of memories largely proved to be just a waste of his time.

Now back to where he stopped before rewinding further, the Necromancer had grown weary. This was definitely a new record for the longest amount of time he had actively spent reliving another’s life. Even though only mere seconds had passed in the real world, he still felt every moment experienced here.

At this point, Emil could definitely say he was mentally exhausted and just ready to tap out. But he couldn’t call it quits, not quite yet anyway. He had still yet to reach the point that led up to Faustus’s capture. The thing he had originally wanted to learn, before the sudden discovery regarding the bandits captured his full attention. So with that main objective still remaining, he pushed on.

For the next couple of days, it was simply more of the same. But then finally, what came next was what Emil had been waiting for. Exactly three weeks and three days before the present, a novel development occurred. As the lower commander and his group had been going with just another day’s work, a horn of alarm was abruptly blown.

As its deafening blare echoed throughout the cave system, none would have missed it. Its sound was one the dead man knew the meaning of, but never actually heard before that day. An intruder had somehow slipped past their sentries and discovered the entrance to their hideout.

In a flurry of motion, each of the bandits gathered their arms and prepared to mount a defense. With no idea what to expect in this unique emergency, they only imagined the worst. Amongst one another, nervous assumptions of an approaching army spread like wildfire. To any who remained calm and rational, such a thought would have been easily dismissed.

Any force large enough to be considered an army would have been spotted long before it even came near their area. But at that moment, few cool heads could be counted among the crowd. Weapons tightly gripped, most of the bandits expected to fight the biggest battle of their lives. However, no such battle would actually occur.

After several minutes of waiting, the five captains appeared together and stood before the armed crowd. They ordered that all the bandits put their weapons away and stopped acting like a bunch of scared children. There was no enemy army or anything at all for them to be worried about.

Then unexpectedly, the lower commander’s own captain pointed in his direction and singled him out by name, along with a couple others. At the same time, the rest of the captains did likewise for individual members of their own factions. These called-out subordinates were told to follow their superiors, while the other bandits were to return to their prior tasks. Though clearly confused, the lower commander did as he was instructed and left his group behind.

The chosen bandits followed their captains through the winding tunnels of the cave system. It was a long walk, but they eventually reached the final turn before the front entrance. Once at this point, the lower-ranked bandits' eyes collectively widened at what they saw. There was indeed a small group of intruders, only numbering half a dozen individuals. One of them was a man that wore bright silks and was ordered with jewelry. While the rest were guards whose faces were covered by their steel helms.

But rather than captured or killed, a table and set of chairs had already been brought. On the table were decorated cups and fancy bottles of what looked like expensive liquor. The guards hadn’t sat down or partaken, but filled glasses had still been left out for them. Instead of being treated like intruders, they were being pampered as guests.

Utterly dumbfounded by the sight, the lower commander momentarily froze. But as the captains took their spots at the empty seats, he remembered himself. He quickly kept going before the rest noticed that he had been lagging behind. Now on one end of the table were the stranger and his guards. While on the other side were the captains and the picked bandits that stood behind them.

Fatustus’s claim would prove to have been the truth. For one thing, he had been right about how much time nobles wasted during the conversation. The first hours of the meeting were spent discussing random topics in idle chit-chat. However, the stranger’s name was never directly mentioned in the presence of the lower commander. So from what was discussed, Emil knew only that he was apparently a man of great importance in Vermila’s aristocracy.

But after a while, they did reach the real meat of the reason why this important noble had arrived. In summary, it was as Faustus had overheard during his time as a prisoner. The noble wanted him captured and brought to a certain location alive. One that Emil immediately made sure to mentally repeat to himself until he had it memorized.

As for the deadline, it wasn’t quite a specific date. Rather, the noble worded it as ‘before the final patch of snow melts from the warmth of the coming spring’. But if they completed the assignment sooner than later, he promised a bonus reward on top of the rest of the payment. In terms of the actual present day, there was still another month or so left until their deadline.

As for the lower commander and the others that had been told to attend, they were to split up across Vermila with their groups. Their client did not know the target’s current location, so they would need to find him themselves. Out of all the bandits across each rank, they had been picked by their respective captains as the most suited ones to do the job. Once this had all been agreed on, the deal was then formalized.

With a snap of the nobleman’s fingers, a new noise began to echo across the cave walls. From the tunnel leading to the entrance, the wheels of a column of horse-drawn carriages rolled across the rough ground. There were well over twenty that could be counted. But there were even more that couldn’t. For while he knew he heard more, there actually wasn’t enough room for them all.

The carriages formed a line that continued past the turn of the tunnel, and continued out of sight until they all had to come to a dead spot. At the front of each one was a driver, however, all of them were blindfolded. The nobleman snapped his fingers, and his guards went to open the doors of the carriages. As each of the doors was swung wide, the gathered bandits looked to see what they contained.

Inside each one was a different kind of treasure trove of wealth. The first had multiple chests filled with coins. Another was covered with fine rugs and racks for silk clothes. While a third was decorated with tall stands that held gold and silver jewelry. Ordered by their captains, the bandits began to remove the chests and treasures from the carriages. As they did so, the pile of riches only grew higher and wider across the cave floor.

When Faustus had overheard his captors saying the upfront payment was worth a year of crime, Emil had assumed it was in reference to that one group’s plunder. But now the actual meaning was clear to him. It was not just for them, but instead a year’s worth of riches for the entire organization. All those treasures and valuables, for the capture of just one man. So just exactly what Faustus was to this noble, to warrant such a severe level of expenditure?

It really was an absurd amount of wealth, so much so that Emil couldn’t even hope to properly quantify its numerical value. Then the fact that it was only half of the total payment was only more mind-boggling. From the memories of the dead bandit, he knew that the lower commander had felt the same way.

However, at the same time, there was another emotion deeper inside the man’s head. Beyond the awe of it all, the bandit had the greedy desire to have it all for himself. But while open betrayal would only get himself killed, the seed of an idea had already begun to form.

For the time being, the bandits eventually finished moving all the valuables. It had taken them a few hours to finally complete their task. By which point their muscles ached as they were drenched in sweat. Meanwhile the noble and their captains had cheerfully sat around and emptied their bottles of liquor. With their initial transaction now concluded, the noble left the cave with his entourage of guards. Then one by one, the carriages slowly also drew back toward the exit.

The rest of that evening was a rush for the lower commander. Other bandits would be tasked with coming to take the treasures and then storing them. Meanwhile, he and the rest of those chosen were sent back to their groups.

Their teams were to immediately get their equipment and supplies ready, and then promptly return to the captains. At which point, each group was first caught up to speed on the new contract. After that, they were all assigned to different search areas across the country. According to the captains, there was no time for them to waste. Rather than going to sleep and waiting until morning, they were sent off that same night.

Once the lower commander’s group reached their designated area, they scoured for leads on their target. They would soon receive a tip that a noble of the Ubel family was currently on a trip across the countryside, and would soon pass through their region. So only five days after the night they left, they would be the ones to successfully capture Faustus.

But it was at this point, however, that their leader’s greed came to fruition. Under the original plan, delivering the target would let the entire organization get paid. But he wanted a chance to instead gain a pile of wealth of his own. With Faustus found so quickly, there was still plenty of time until the deadline. So instead of immediately handing him over, why not use that good fortune to their advantage?

Thus the plan was hatched, and the leader’s group made to go along with it. They would ransom the nobleman back to his family for a large sum. If the noble who paid for the job could spend so much, then surely the Ubels would be able to buy his freedom for a comparable amount.

Then once their newfound gold was acquired, they would flee the country and go to a foreign land. Outside the influence of their former captains, they’d have enough money to live as kings for the rest of their lives. Their demands were sent to the Ubel estate, and then it was simply a matter of waiting. In the meantime, they would live off their supplies and whatever bounty nature was willing to provide during the winter. And if any other travelleres happened to pass by, then they would take the opportunity for additional plunder.

It was here that Emil only wanted to learn more about one more matter. He skipped through the next couple weeks, until he reached the memories closer to the present. The previous night, their scouts had apparently spotted carriages bearing the mark of a noble clan. One they identified as that of the Taube family, a lower house in Vermilan aristocracy. Like Faustus, the bandits would spare only whoever was inside to see if it was an actual noble or merely a representative.

If the former, then they too would be ransomed off. With the lack of any response so from the Ubel family, their mood had steadily soured. But with this new development, a spark of excitement was relit. The bandits armed themselves, and prepared their ambush. However, their expectations would soon be dashed by the action of some of their own members.

Far too intoxicated from a sleepless night of drinking, a couple archers mistantly shot through a window of the carriage. Then as Faustus said, those archers were later executed for killing the noblewoman inside. It was then that Emil learned just what exactly the mission their leader had given to three of the bandits.

They were to take most of the loot they had collected back to their winter camp. A noblewoman’s death would defintely eventually reach the ears of the five captains. Murdering and kidnapping normal citizens was one matter, but killing a noble was another. They would hide the evidence later, but their captains would still find out. And with their group as the only bandits in the area, it would be obvious that it was them.

So rather than wait, the lower commander decided to get ahead of it and have those three men offer the loot as apologies. Though he made sure to order them to travel slowly, and take at least twice as long to get there. That way, they would still have enough time to collect Faustus’s ransom in case the offering wasn’t enough to quell the captains’ wrath. And though the leader didn’t say so aloud, that scenario would likely lead to the deaths of those three. But even so, it would also give the rest of them enough time to escape Vermila.

At this point, the rest was history. Emil was finally able to end his perusal through the bandit’s memories. His consciousness now returned to reality, the Necromancer stood back up to his full height. As expected, only seconds had actually passed during that whole endeavor. Though it had mentally drained him, he could confirm that everything Faustus claimed had indeed the truth. But more than that, he was also now more than familiar with the reality behind the true structure of the bandits in this country.