Chapter 453: Unwilling Savior.

Chapter 453: Unwilling Savior.

“What do you want? Stay back!”

“I don’t think we will... Now, how about you make this easy for everyone and just come with us...”

A large group of rough-looking individuals was surrounding a carriage. Two armored men were standing before the door to this carriage, their swords drawn and ready to defend whoever was inside. On top another two could be seen, holding longbows and ready to fire. Inside the carriage sat a young lady, her face filled with tears and an expression of uncertainty. She clutched onto a pendant around her neck while her body trembled.

The group that looked like bandits spread out to let a person through. He was a burly-looking man with a scar running down his left cheek, wearing ragged clothing that indicated a life of hardship. He had a menacing aura about him as he approached the guards, a cruel smirk playing on his lips.

“Well, well, what do we have here? Seems like we've stumbled upon quite a little treasure, haven't we?”

The man’s voice was gruff and filled with malice as he eyed the guards who were defending the carriage. Though he couldn't see the girl within, her weak sobbing echoed from inside. The guards tightened their grip on their swords and were ready to spring into action if necessary.

“You won’t get away with this! We’ll defend the young lady with our lives.”

“Strong words for soon-to-be-dead men, but how about we make a deal? We just want her and what’s inside, nothing more. All of you can leave, so don’t be stupid, I’m sure you have families that rely on you... Just walk away, and no one will ever know."

The guards exchanged uneasy glances, knowing that they were outnumbered and outmatched. The bandits had them surrounded, and their leader seemed confident in his ability to take what he wanted by force. However, numbers alone didn't dictate the outcome of a battle, and upon closer inspection, the bandits didn't appear particularly strong or even healthy. Retreating now would also have severe consequences. Failing to fulfill their task could potentially make them into wanted men and they would have to flee the entire region.

“I will repeat again, stay back! We will not bargain with bandits!”

The guard speaking was older than the other three and wearing a more defined piece of armor. His voice was firm and it didn’t let a smidge of fear through that was slowly bubbling up. The man was determined to protect the young lady, even if it meant facing these bandits head-on.

“Stubborn fool, kill them all!”

The bandit leader smirked widely at the response as if he didn’t care. With one swift motion, he drew his sword which was a damaged blade coated in something more than just rust. The other bandits knew that the moment the blade was pointed forward it was time to charge forward. However, right before the man could finish his motion an arrow flew. It flew in a swift arc and connected with one of the other men’s forehead, killing him instantly.Geett the latest novels at novelhall.com

“Shit... Get them!”

The bandits were taken aback by the sudden attack, their leader cursing under his breath as chaos ensued. The guards seized the opportunity, charging forward to engage the bandits in combat. Swords clashed, arrows flew, and the sounds of battle echoed through the air as both sides fought.

Their leader remained at the back, his frown deepening as he observed the standoff. Despite their overwhelming numbers—over thirty men—they couldn't close in on the opposition. On the other side, there were only four guards and a coachman armed with a peculiar crossbow. It was evident that his men were outmatched and outgunned. However, he wasn't deterred, knowing there was one trump card up his sleeve. He turned to the side, where a lone figure clad in a black robe awaited, and called out to him.

“Sir, I think we will be needing your help...”

“...”

The man clicked his tongue in annoyance as he surveyed the chaotic scene before him. The bandit leader's call for assistance was met with silence from the figure in the black robe. He stood there, unmoving at first but eventually stepped forward. Though his body was concealed to some extent by the robe, a long blade was visible on his left side. It differed from regular longswords, with a slight curve and a distinctive eastern hilt, a katana.

“Fine, but remember, this will cost you extra...”

Once this man stepped forward, the other bandits spread out to the sides. His presence commanded attention and emanated a strange aura. The guards near the center of this chaotic battle reacted almost instantly. The two archers, along with the coachman, launched projectiles in his direction - two arrows and a bolt from a crossbow. However, to their surprise the man didn’t seem to perturbed.

His right hand moved with uncanny swiftness as he drew the katana from its sheath in a single fluid motion. To the people watching, his hand movement seemed like a blur. A faint clang of metal resounded through the air as the arrows and bolt were sent flying off course. This display of skill left the guards in awe and instantly identified their foe to be above them.

“A tier 3 master...”

The bandit leader didn’t even have enough time to tell his men to dodge before he was struck by the marble-sized projectile. One of them cleanly pierced through his right shoulder while another one connected with his foot. He went down to the ground instantly while his body received a barrage of magical projectiles. The other bandits suffered a similar fate, their bodies punctured by the relentless assault of magical orbs. Some tried to flee, but they were swiftly overtaken by the relentless rain of magical attacks.

Meanwhile, the guards and the young lady watched in awe as the robed figure controlled the magical onslaught with precision and skill. They were completely unscathed, the magical orbs that seemed countless were somehow precisely avoiding them. Some zipped past their heads but never connected with their bodies, as if the man had full control of their trajectories.

In a matter of moments, the large group of bandits was no more. All were suffering from puncture wounds and groaning down on the ground with only one person remaining, the swordsman. He found himself running to the side while being chased by a mass of magical projectiles. Even though he had been successful of deflecting most of them, some had already connected with his body.

“T-this wasn’t part of the deal!”

The man was fleeing for his life, his earlier confidence was now replaced with fear and a drive to survive. The robed figure remained suspended in the air, his gaze fixed on the retreating swordsman. He stretched out his hand in his direction and suddenly another mass of magical projectiles started to appear. They converged in the direction of the running man and quickly blocked his path of escape.

As the swordmaster stumbled to a halt in an attempt to prevent himself from going any further, the mage clenched his hand into a fist. Instantly, the mass of glowing orbs descended upon the man who tried to escape. What had begun as a rain of magical projectiles transformed into an avalanche of energy beyond the man's comprehension. Despite deploying all of his defensive skills, he was unable to deflect and dodge all of them. A groan escaped his lips as his body became riddled with holes, unable to withstand the onslaught.

The robed figure remained suspended in the air, his intentions shrouded in mystery. It was impossible to discern his thoughts. Only after the tier 3 swordsman fell to the ground in defeat did the orbs of energy dissipate. They transformed from condensed marbles into tiny magical bubbles and evaporated as if they had never existed in the first place.

For a moment the place was silent but soon broken by the screams of the bandits. It seemed that for some reason the mage had left them alive and mostly aimed for their limbs. The group by the carriage stared in disbelief at the scene before them, unable to comprehend the sheer power and skill displayed by the floating mage.

Slowly, the robed figure descended to the ground, his movements quite graceful. As he approached the carriage, the guards tensed, unsure of his intentions. However, to their surprise, he simply stopped a few paces before their leader and asked a simple question.“Could you tell me where I am, this is Dragnis Island, correct?”

It was a strange question to ask but the guard leader quickly responded out of fear of angering such a powerful magician.

“Y-yes it is Sir. Mage, we are on Dragnis Island.”

“Good... what’s the closest city, town, or settlement from here?”

“Ah... that would be the city of Aldbourne, Sir.”

The man tried his best to be respectful but without knowing who the man was, he could only give them the bare minimum of respect. It seemed the man was trying to hide his identity and his face was covered by some kind of metal mask.

“I see...”

The man replied but his gaze was fixed into the distance, as if drawn by something unseen. After a brief moment of silence, to the guard's surprise, something peculiar unfolded. From afar, the rhythmic echoes of hooves sounded, their numbers clearly large. After turning his gaze in that direction, he recognized a familiar sight. It was a band of mercenaries he had seen before, ones that were on their side.

It didn’t take long for this large group of mercenaries to approach the scene. The guard leader breathed a sigh of relief at their arrival, knowing that they would provide much-needed assistance and support. Even though this mage was quite strong, this group could not be taken lightly. They were stronger than a group of bandits and one tier 3 class holder.

“What’s going on here?”

Their leader, a rugged man with a stern expression, while on horseback approached the guards and the mysterious robed figure. He eyed the mage cautiously with eyes that were filled with suspicion.

******

‘What are these people trying to pull?’

Roland looked at the guard who stepped forward to explain the situation. He had managed to travel through the dimensional gate to his desired location. While this was not the place he wanted to be, it wasn’t that far from Albrook.

His arrival was interrupted by a seeming attempt on a young girl's life. She didn’t seem to be a noble but some type of rich individual, most likely a daughter of some kind of merchant. Normally, he would have disposed of the bandits along with their protector but things weren’t so clear cut this time around.

‘Something isn’t adding up here and I’m also in Theodore’s territory. What did I get myself into this time around...’