Your Majesty, Wonders are Harmful to the Country!

After traveling west to east through Thorn Valley, one officially enters the Idar Territory.

Just a few hundred meters past the valley's entrance, a fork in the road appears.

One path is a wide, flat cement road stretching northeast, while the other is a narrow, rugged forest trail winding through the mountains.

Beside these roads stand two signposts:

One wooden sign indicates the route to Idar City, with a hand-drawn map showing the way to Mann Fortress.

The other sign, painted in red, bears a stark warning: "Bandits ahead! Proceed with caution."

Becoming a traveling merchant in this era is no easy feat. Unlike the conveniences of modern transportation, where people can travel thousands of miles a day, a single trade journey here might take months or even half a year to complete.

And if one's goods were stolen halfway, the loss would be devastating.

Thus, any sensible merchant would take the newly built cement road even if it was a longer route. It was smooth, flat, and free of bandits. Plus, stopping at Idar City for rest and trade made it the most logical choice.

The two signs might look hastily made, perhaps even like a prank by some mischievous child, but no one dared take the risk.

They were only a few steps away from the Basel Kingdom losing everything at the final stretch would be a nightmare.

Of course, while most merchants took the safe route, there were always a few stubborn ones who dared to take the risky shortcut.

Though rare, some caravans chose the forest path.

Some did so because they had hired strong mercenaries to protect them.

Others, however, simply ignored the warning, assuming that since they hadn't encountered bandits before, there was no real danger.

The trees along the forest path had grown lush and dense in just a few weeks. Warm spring sunlight filtered through the branches, illuminating patches of shade on the ground.

Krell and his bandits lay flat behind a low hill, their sharp eyes scanning the road for potential targets.

Two months had passed since he was handpicked to lead this bandit group. Through rigorous training and countless raids, he had grown skilled in his new role.

In these two months, he had learned a lot.

Not many fools chose the forest route, but every now and then, a stubborn caravan would appear.

As per Bruno's orders, any caravan not transporting supplies for the Imperial Army was fair game.

Thus, in these past two months, the bandits had reaped enormous profits. Their earnings in just this short time exceeded what they used to make in half a year.

After all, these weren't just ordinary bandits they were Idar Bandits, operating under strict guidelines with a formal process. They even had monthly KPIs to meet!

To Krell and his men, collecting tolls from merchants came with zero guilt.

Sometimes, the "toll" they demanded exceeded the total value of the merchant's goods, but...

If you're passing through Idar, you should contribute to Idar!

Wouldn't it have been easier to just take the cement road to Idar City?

Krell and his men did not see themselves as thieves they were working for the greater good of Idar!

They were bringing prosperity to the Idar people. Their actions were righteous and justified!

It wasn't as if Bruno lacked money. The real goal was to push merchants toward Idar City.

Once there, they'd spend money, creating demand, boosting jobs, and driving economic growth.

And so…

As Krell continued observing the road, yet another "fat sheep" no, another caravan appeared in the distance.

"Get ready, boys! We've got another payday coming!" Krell signaled to his men.

The bandits, who had been lounging lazily, immediately perked up.

Finally!

It had been days since the last "fool" took the forest route, and now another caravan had arrived.

This one even had mercenary guards but that just made it more tempting.

The tougher the target, the bigger the rewards. A well guarded caravan usually yielded profits greater than four or five smaller ones combined.

These bandits weren't just any thugs they were Idar's elite soldiers in disguise. Though they had removed their military armor, their weapons and training remained top-tier.

Bruno had no intention of letting them die meaninglessly they were valuable assets.

At the end of the forest path, a massive boulder had already been placed to block the road.

Once the caravan moved a bit further, another floating rock enchanted with levitation magic would seal their retreat.

"This road is mine, this tree is mine if you want to pass, pay the fine!"

Krell sat boldly atop the boulder, his blade resting across his knees.

Of course, an ambush would have been the simplest strategy.

But Idar Bandits operated on principles hey avoided unnecessary bloodshed.

They only took goods, not lives.

Not because Bruno was merciful, but because killing merchants would be bad for business.

If these merchants survived, they'd return to Idar City and spend even more money next time.

Besides, most mercenaries were just for show. When faced with a swarm of bandits, they'd surrender after a few swings.

Watching Krell block their path, the merchants exchanged uneasy glances.

So that sloppy warning sign wasn't a joke after all…

At that moment, fifty more bandits emerged from the shadows, their presence intimidating.

Since this caravan had mercenaries, the bandits would negotiate first.

"Leave half your goods, and you can go free!"