Taming The Villainesses novel Chapter 284

(EP-284.1) King #3

284 – Bandit King #3

“It’s a typical cave-style hideout. It shouldn’t be too difficult to infiltrate.”

According to Stella, the bandits’ hideout followed a fairly standard design—consisting of narrow passages like an anthill, with flickering torches, voices echoing from beyond the corridors, and numerous ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) traps set on the ceiling and floor.

As I swallowed nervously, Narmi trembled with excitement, “It’s like an adventure! I feel like Tureuki’s Sindbad!”

Click.

At the sound of something activating, Stella stopped in her tracks.

“Narmi-yang, don’t step on that stone. It’s a trap. It’s connected to a string that would ring a bell—then the bandits would come rushing.”

Hearing the explanation, Narmi panicked.

“Ah! I already stepped on it...! What should I do...!?”

Thankfully, Stella remained calm.

“Then don’t lift your foot. It seems to be a pressure-sensitive trap that triggers when the weight is lifted. We were lucky. There should be a release mechanism around here....”

Clatter, click.

“Got it.”

“Unnie, thank you...! You saved me...!”

“Uh, unnie? Well, just be more careful from now on. I’ll go first, so only step where I step, and don’t step where I don’t. That’ll make things easier.”

Sassaak.

Elves were generally light and agile. Perhaps that was why Stella was able to navigate the area filled with traps set by the bandits with such ease, even disarming and neutralizing them with light steps alone.

━Did you just hear something?

━Probably just a rat. Or maybe those imps we caught earlier—hey, what are you—ugh! What was that in my neck...ugh....

She also silently neutralized the occasional bandits that appeared using her unique throwing skills and blowgun.

Such skills were something neither I, Lady Draco, nor Elga possessed, so I couldn’t help but be impressed. This wasn’t something she’d done just once or twice.

“There’s quite a lot of guards.”

As Stella began stuffing the unconscious bandits into a nearby crate, Narmi, who had been watching, couldn’t hold back and exclaimed softly.

“... Amazing! You’re just like Alibaba Bellhawk—the Bandit King! The one who escaped from the dungeons of Angmar palace!”

Alibaba Von Belhawk.

I knew the name.

He was the miraculous figure who escaped from the prison I was locked in not too long ago? That fella even got praised as the Bandit King because of his dexterity and exceptional skills.

Being compared to Alibaba as a bandit or trap disarmer was a high compliment, akin to calling a mage as great as Solomon.

Though, both were ultimately villains....

At that praise, Stella rubbed her nose.

“Well, I’ve been in dungeons so often I just picked up a few tricks here and there. Haha. But I guess I am still a bit impressive, huh?”

Though her smugness was a bit annoying, I had to admit that even if she wasn’t the Bandit King, she would be at least their princess.

Honestly, if Stella hadn’t come along, it would have taken me forever just to find the entrance.

Even if I had found it, I’d probably have triggered every trap and wasted my magic fighting off the bandits head-on.

“Stella-nim, I think I’ve been misunderstanding you up until now.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I thought you were just all show—someone who enjoyed tormenting assistants and stealing other people’s research....”

Stella let out a helpless laugh, as if dumbfounded by my honest confession.