Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

At my words, the bandit leader looked like he had just been smacked in the head with a palm strike.

Behind him, the other bandits stared at me in stunned silence, their faces a mixture of confusion and disbelief.@@novelbin@@

They were being accused of something they hadn’t even done—no wonder they looked so dumbfounded.

‘What? Why? Got a problem? What are you gonna do about it?’

But in moments like these, the best approach was sheer audacity.

I met their stares with a nonchalant expression.

The bandit leader, still flustered, waved his hands frantically.

“W-we… That’s absurd! We were just confirming the identity of a ship passing through the Three Gorges without a clan flag! We never even boarded! We only asked for a small—uh, maybe a little too much—”

I hated dealing with people who lacked situational awareness.

Not rude people. Not even shameless people.

But oblivious people.

Why?

Because they forced me to waste my breath.

Even during my past life as a streamer, I would forgive dumb jokes or inappropriate humor from viewers, but the ones who just didn’t get it? They were instantly banned.

I glanced at the bandit leader, then patted Cho on the head.

Since he had trouble remembering, I’d help refresh his memory.

Severe short-term memory loss, huh?

Well, the best cure for amnesia was shock therapy.

“Oh dear. The kids seem hungry. Cho, are you hungry? Want something to eat? There’s something fresh from the water, nice and plump…”

– Tssssr? 『Eat? What?』

‘No, sweetie, Daddy’s just joking.’

– Tss? 『Why?』

‘Uh… Because… I want to scare that guy?’

– Tss? 『Why scare him?』

‘…’

Oh, for heaven’s sake.

If only the bandit leader had taken the hint earlier, I wouldn’t have had to suffer through Cho's endless string of why?s.

While I was internally grappling with Cho’s growing curiosity, the bandit leader finally caught on.