Chapter 286 Festive



It was a bright day and the market was busy as always. During this time, the people temporarily forgot about the bandit attack. The streets were busy and full of activity. There were different goods on each stall on each side of the road. It was a lively day for everyone and an opportunity for the enemy to attack.

Despite the heightened security, chaos and explosions still happened within the midst of the celebration. The people started to shout and scatter in different directions after the first explosion happened. During the second explosion, the market became even more chaotic.

There was a rush of people who were running towards the exit. They were pushing and pulling each other just to get out of the place without regard to the other people who were with them. The streets were vacated in the blink of an eye but all of the people were at the exit. Some of them took cover behind their stalls because they didn't want to get caught in the rush of people.

Fhin saw this and he grinned. They were able to do a surprise attack thanks to the master's gate. He looked behind him and nodded to his men. The members of his group landed on the ground without a sound and started to enter the buildings and rummaged through the stalls.

The people who were hiding inside or behind did not make a fuss and let the bandits get what they wanted. While they were busy, soldiers, mages and heroes came to the scene in full force. They immediately surrounded the bandits with their swords and magic ready.

General Ishmael was also there to personally supervise their capture. The man did not need to say any words as he only gestured his hand forward. This signal made all the people at once and they attacked the bandits.

Even at the face of the kingdom's military and magic users, the bandits weren't fazed. While they were being surrounded, another group of bandits silently moved around behind them. They used stealth that the master taught them to do and waited for the right to ambush.

The bandits were forced to move towards the center of the street and face the forces that were after them. The mages were the first to attack as they used an immobilization magic to restrain the bandits and give the soldiers and heroes the chance to attack. The bandits appeared to be frozen in place so they were encouraged to attack.

With their weapons, they stabbed and slashed in the direction of the bandits only to be surprised because they were able to avoid their attacks. The mages were also taken aback because they honestly thought that they got them in place. With a frown, the heroes joined the fray.

They used their magic in combination with their weapons. But the bandits were protected which could be attributed to the clothing they wore. The mages could see that each time magic would hit the bandits, their clothes would glow silver. They were familiar with the magic imbued with the clothes because it was used to dispel any magic that could cause harm to the user.

"They're using clothes that could negate any magic," one of the mages announced which the others heard. This only means that they won't be able to use magic against the bandits.

Even the general was surprised because of the information. He did not have the time to even wonder where they got such kind of clothing. Instead of becoming flustered, the general maintained his calmness and commanded his soldiers well. Since the bandits couldn't use any magic themselves and could only rely on equipment, the soldiers needed to step up their game.

Without any question, the soldiers moved forward and crossed blades with the bandits. The market street of the capital became an instant battlefield. The clashing and clanging of weapons crossing one another echoed in the air. The mages stepped back because they couldn't really fight without their spells.

The heroes also brandished their weapons and attacked but the bandits were holding themselves against their enemies. They were not to be underestimated because they trained themselves for this moment. They were confident that they were not going to lose. In that moment of unified thought the bandits suddenly became enthusiastic and their movements became sharper as a blade and faster.

Some of the soldiers were fatally wounded because of the sudden change in the bandit's movements. They were caught off guard but because of their experience, they managed to bounce back and counterattack. Despite the skills that they showed, they were still outnumbered. The bandits were once again pushed in the center and were forced to take on a defense.

General Ishmael grinned because they were able to corner the bandits and he thought that they would be able to catch the bandits but then they heard shouts from behind. The mages were caught off guard as bandits appeared behind them and one by one slit them on the throat. General Ishmael turned around and saw this bloody scene.

Before they could even organize to divide their forces, the second group of bandits were already on the move and running towards them. If the first group of bandits were only composed of twenty people, the second group almost equaled the number of the soldiers and heroes that were on the site. This created chaos within the ranks of the forces of the kingdom as the bandits attacked without mercy.

General Ishmael was also forced to unsheathe his sword and join the fight. During the battle, he was able to wound and kill some of the bandits but the loss on their side was greater than what he had expected. Still, he gritted his teeth because they had a mission to capture the bandits.

This decision added more loss to their side and before he could call out for them to retreat, the bandits took the initiative. They even managed to get the bodies of their comrades who were wounded and died in the fight. Fhin looked at the general and grinned because he knew that they wouldn't be able to chase them.

They turned around and ran away. The kingdom's remaining forces wanted to go after them but the general stopped them. They were already lucky to stop the bandits from causing more trouble and they don't have enough people to chase the enemy. Despite that, the heroes who joined them volunteered to go after them.

Ishmael frowned but because they have the ability to track them, he gave them permission. His remaining men instead gathered the body of the fallen soldiers and mages before he commanded them to cordon off the entire place. He also sent a messenger to the Magic Tower to inform them of what happened.

The incident during the market day quickly spread like wildfire and it struck fear to the people of the capital. Even the areas on the far ends of the capitals received the news. They then started to refrain from going to the capital's center as much as they could because of the event.

The king pounded his desk, hard, because of what happened and because of the casualty. Now the Magic Tower refused to lend their mages because of the death. The only consolation he had was that the Magic Tower would allow any mages to participate if they wanted it. The king could offer a great reward to the mages and that should solve the problem.

He was also angry because they lost many of their soldiers. He considered them elite but he did not expect that the bandits were more ruthless and had that kind of strength. He tightly shut his eyes in order to calm himself. He even took several deep breaths to help him be calm.

"I agree with the conclusion that the bandits have a backer. According to one of the mages who were with us during that time, the bandits were wearing clothes that can neutralize magic and I suspect that all of them had that kind of clothes." General Ishmael spoke even though he knew that the king was not in a good mood.

"And?" the king asked with his eyes still closed. If that was the case then they'll just need to find that backer and detain him.

"The person behind them might be extremely rich. According to the Magic Tower, imbuing magic on a cloth is expensive and for all of them to access clothes imbued with magic will mean that they spent a lot of money for it." The general sounded more confident as he stood there with his hands behind his back.

"Only aristocratic families could provide them with that kind of resources. In our kingdom there are a handful of families with wealth. It's like we are looking for a needle that fell in a haystack. If that's the only clue we got from that battle, then it is not enough." Orpheus opened his eyes and stared at the general.

They could check all the aristocratic families but it would take too much time. Even if they eliminate all the other families that don't have the finances, there will still be a lot of names that would remain in the list. It was too much work and the people of Lumiere were already overshadowed by fear.