VOLUME 15: CHAPTER 28

VOLUME 15: CHAPTER 28

The first person in the Princess’ group to notice that they were being watched was the mage from the royal palace.

On their way here, he had been continuously spreading out small, constant bursts of mana to assess their surroundings, wary of any ambushes and traps nearby. The moment it touched one of the bandits hiding in the shadows of the trees, he was immediately alerted to their presence.

“Captain,” said the mage. “We’re being watched.”

Hearing those words, everyone in the caravan flinched, and the guards placed their hands on the hilts of their swords, ready to pull them out at any time.

The Captain looked back at the Princess’ carriage. Seeing that his men had already strategically moved to protect it, he returned his attention to the mage.

“How many?” said the Captain.

“I’m not sure,” said the mage. “But I’ve detected at least fifty of them.”

“Fifty, huh…”

If those short bursts of detection magic could already detect that many people, there should be a lot more of them hiding nearby.

Since the Captain couldn’t detect their presence, they had to be at least a kilometer away from their current location.

“Their positions?” said the Captain.

“Most of them are waiting for us along this path, while several others are scattered to our east and south.”

The Captain’s expression turned grim. He could easily infer what they were trying to do.

“They’re trying to cut off our escape paths, huh?”

“Captain, they’re probably just bandits,” said one of the soldiers. “Even if they outnumber us, they’re just a ragtag bunch that doesn’t even know how to properly wield a sword.”

Compared to that, thanks to the Second Prince’s overprotectiveness, the guards currently escorting the Princess were composed mostly of elites.

Some of these elite soldiers were even good enough to be a knight’s apprentice.

Ordinary bandits wouldn’t be their match at all.

“Captain, I agree with Big Lips. I suggest we pierce through their net and—”

“—Damn you! Who are you calling Big Lips?!”

“Stop interrupting me! And why can you call me Stinky Breath but I can’t call you Big Lips, huh?!”

“Because your breath stinks, that’s why!”

“You damn piece of—”

“—Enough!” snarled the Captain. “Not another word! Back to your positions!”

The two guards glared at each other, but quietly followed their Captain’s commands regardless.

Their comrades seemed used to them already. They simply watched in amusement as the two sulked back to their positions.

The mage frowned at the soldiers who had just bickered with each other. He said to the Captain, “Are your men always like this? This is an escort mission. We’re not playing games here, Captain. I don’t know about you, but I don’t wish for any harm to befall the Princess.”

The mage was a fan of the Saintess.

After learning that her true identity was the Princess of the kingdom, he vowed in his heart to protect her no matter what until they had successfully returned to the capital.

The Captain sighed. “I apologize. They may look childish, but I guarantee you that they’re a skilled bunch.”

What use were skills if they were undisciplined?

The mage looked like he disagreed, but he didn’t pursue that topic any further.

The last thing they needed was for a rift to form between them while their enemies surrounded them from all corners.

“So, what’s the plan now?” said the mage.

The Captain replied, “I need to talk to Her Highness first.”

Personally, the Captain wanted to turn around and leave this place immediately. That way, they would be able to minimize the danger to the Princess.

But in the end, although he was a Captain, he was still a mere escort of the caravan. He did not wield enough power to decide something so crucial.

Moreover, he couldn’t overstep his bounds when it came to royals.

“Halt! To your positions! Be prepared to fight at any time, you hear me, you bastards?!”

“Yes, Captain!”

After disseminating several orders, the Captain approached the Princess’ carriage.

The Princess had long noticed the commotion at this point. Upon opening her window, she asked, “What’s going on?”

“An ambush,” said the Captain. “If we keep going in this direction, we’ll meet a large group. Probably bandits. As for their numbers, it’s safe to assume they have over a hundred people.”

The Princess looked worried.

Although she had met bandits before, this was the first time she had been told that there might be over a hundred of them waiting for her at the end of the road.

A band of bandits on such a scale normally had several skilled members within their group.

If her guards and those bandits clashed, casualties would be inevitable.

She didn’t want her people to die because of her.

As though he could read the Princess’ mind, the Captain reassured her, “Your Highness.”

“Saintess,” she corrected.

“Of course, Saintess. My apologies.”

Although there wasn’t anyone else nearby, it wouldn’t hurt to be prudent. The Princess didn’t want any of those bandits to learn that she and the Saintess were one and the same.

The Princess wordlessly told the Captain to continue what he had been saying.

“If you’re feeling apprehensive, then please be at ease,” said the Captain. “All of your escorts are trained soldiers, and some of them are skilled enough to earn a position even within the Order.”

The Captain believed that the best decision to ensure their client’s safety was to turn around and flee, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

After all, the Princess had come here to aid the suffering residents of the Dried Leaf Village.

If they turned around now out of fear of losing against mere bandits, how could they consider themselves her guards?

In the end, the only thing the Captain could do was reassure the Princess that everything would be all right, that they would protect her.

The decision whether to retreat or not would depend solely on her.

“We will protect you, no matter what,” said the Captain resolutely. “So please don’t include our safety when weighing your decisions. Fighting any sort of danger coming your way is part of our job, after all.”

The Princess fell silent for a couple of minutes.

The bandits waiting for them ahead must have realized that the soldiers had learned of their presence, but that part no longer mattered.

The Captain willingly gave the Princess as much time as she needed to make up her mind.

Whether to move forward or to retreat wasn’t always an easy decision. The Captain knew this more than anyone.

Eventually, the Princess spoke, “Let’s turn back.”

She didn’t know what had happened to the remaining residents of the Dried Leaf Village.

Maybe they were currently waiting for aid to come, or maybe they were already long dead, rotting inside their homes after being tortured by the bandits.

She sincerely wanted to deliver supplies to the village to alleviate their suffering somewhat, but she couldn’t trade the life of one person for another.

Even if she managed to deliver the goods, if several of her guards died while protecting her because of her stubbornness, she would forever carry the guilt on her shoulders.

“Please order the retreat, Captain,” said the Princess.

The Captain saw the conflicting emotions buried within the Princess’ eyes.

“As you command,” he replied.

The Captain immediately gave the order to retreat. Skillfully, the soldiers moved as one to protect the escape path to their rear.

And as expected, the bandits hiding in the east and south followed their group and blocked the forest’s exit. At the same time, they sent a signal to their other members that their targets were retreating.

The soldiers didn’t know how these scum did it, but in a short period of time, over a hundred bandits had surrounded their group in all directions.

Seeing the eyeballs hanging on the necks of these men, the escort guards felt utterly disgusted.

“The Eye Collector Clan,” said one of the escorts.

Even now, bandits kept arriving one after another. At this rate, their number would probably reach around two hundred.

“Kihihihihi!”

“Nyahahaha!”

“Look at these wet chicks! Freezing the moment they see us!”

Snickers and mocking laughter echoed, along with the clanking of metal and the sound of boots crushing leaves in the forest.

The Captain stepped forward and shouted at the bandits, “Are you part of the Eye Collector Clan? Listen! This forest is part of the Kingdom’s territory! And what you’re doing right now is infringing on the royal family’s land! It is a crime punishable by death in the kingdom!”

The leader of the bandits also stepped forward. Unlike his underlings, he was a relatively small man with bulky limbs. Still, despite his small stature, none of his men dared to disrespect him.

Everyone in his band knew that their Boss was a former mercenary leader in the Dukedom of Mauko.

After losing most of his subordinates in the civil war a decade ago, their Boss left his identity as a mercenary leader behind and joined the Eye Collector Clan.

The massive sledgehammer their Boss was currently carrying bespoke how much strength he wielded.

That sledgehammer was twice larger than an adult male, its head easily weighing over two hundred kilograms, but their Boss easily slung it over his shoulder as though it was a mere tree branch.

“You know we’re from the Eye Collector Clan but you still dare spout nonsense?” smirked the bandit leader. “Kingdom’s territory, my ass!”

Although the Eye Collector Clan never dared to mess with the beastmen, they never once feared the Kingdom of Thornforge or the Dukedom.

They roamed wherever they pleased, pillaging and murdering anyone they encountered along the way.

The Captain’s words were nothing but a laughable threat in their ears.

The right-hand man of the bandit leader said, “I know the Saintess is inside that carriage.”

Hearing those words, all of the guards gripped their weapons tighter.

“Give her to us, and we’ll let you go. How about it?”

The right-hand man seemed to be the intellectual type. He was probably the one in charge of organizing the band and taking care of the other troublesome affairs of the group.

“The Saintess? Why would she be here?”

The Captain feigned innocence, but it was useless. It was easy for the bandits to verify the veracity of his statement.

“Haha! Really? Then, let’s do this. Show us who’s inside that carriage. If the Saintess really isn’t inside, we’ll let all of you go.”

“Don’t push it,” growled the Captain. “We don’t take orders from bandits.”

The bandits around them laughed, clearly amused by how the Captain was trying to hide the Saintess’ existence even now.

Even the most stupid bandit in the group could see him lying through his teeth.

Not a single soul believed him when he said that the Saintess wasn’t here.

“Boss,” said the right-hand man. “I like that guy’s eyes. Can you give them to me?”

The Captain felt shivers crawl down his spine when he saw the lust within the assistant leader’s eyes.

How disgusting.

That deranged man really wanted to gouge out his eyes. If things went south, that man would probably wear his eyeballs tomorrow as part of his necklace collection.

“Very well,” said the bandit leader. “But do not touch the Saintess. The Clan Leader wants her.”

“Understood.”

The right-hand man was visibly delighted. He shouted, “You heard that, boys? Keep the Saintess alive! Do not touch her eyes, in particular! As for the rest – kill everyone!”

The ground shook as the bandits roared, their bloodlust covering a large portion of the forest.

The caravan was greatly outnumbered, but they didn’t fall into despair.

As the Captain said before, the guards escorting the Princess this time were composed mostly of elites. They would definitely suffer casualties, but it should be possible to come out of this predicament alive.

One of the bandits let loose an arrow, signaling the start of the battle.

***

While Lark was flying toward the Kingdom of Thornforge, he remembered the conversation he had with Secretary Irene before they parted ways.

‘Your Majesty, I know this may seem trivial to you, but we need to think of a formal name for the Coalition.’

Lark could understand why she brought up that topic.

The northern nations had also formed their own coalition, after all.

To give the members of their alliance a sense of belonging, Lark had to give their coalition a proper name to differentiate it from Pendara.

‘They called it Pendara since it looks like a pendant on the map. Hmm… What should I call ours?’

Lark had to admit that the northern countries had style. Their naming sense was quite good in his opinion, and he honestly found it hard to contest against.

If they included the Endless Forest in the map, their coalition looked like a giant, deformed turd.

Or maybe Lark wasn’t imaginative enough, but he couldn’t really see any shape he could use to name their Coalition.

‘Should I just call it the United Banner of the Common People or something along that line?’

Lark didn’t really care what the coalition would be called.

What he cared about the most were the results, but of course, he knew that Secretary Irene would kill him if he didn’t think it through.

‘What about Banner of Hope? Or Coalition of the Last Bastion? Or maybe I should go for something simple and easy to remember like the Human Alliance?’

Lark shook his head.

None of them fit the current composition and goal of the coalition.

‘Forget it. I’ll just ask my people about the name after I return.’

Strength was not in carrying every burden alone, but in entrusting your weaker hand to those whose strength was forged for it.

Knowing that his naming sense was bad, Lark decided to leave that matter in the hands of his subordinates.

Lost in his thoughts, Lark almost didn’t notice the commotion occurring in the forest below.

Lark abruptly stopped and hovered in the sky, his eyes infused with mana watching the fight between two groups below.

‘Guards and… bandits?’

When Lark saw the eye necklaces hanging on the bandits’ necks, he immediately knew they weren’t people worth sparing.

Only cruel murderers without conscience would make ornaments and accessories out of the body parts of the people they had hunted.

‘The guards are skilled.’

Lark didn’t descend to help the caravan immediately.

Although the escort guards were outnumbered, they easily defended their posts and repelled the bandits rushing at them like waves.

The mage, in particular, was skilled enough to be an elder in a Magic Tower.

Barring fighting experience aside, that mage should be as strong as George or Austen.

Those kids had grown tremendously over the years, and Lark believed they were already capable of holding off over a dozen ordinary soldiers on their own. If they worked together, they should even be capable of fighting against a platoon.

Even if Lark didn’t intervene, chances were the caravan members would be able to make it out of this fight alive.

“Men! Stand your ground!”

“They may have the numbers, but we have the upper hand!”

“My spell is ready! Move back!”

The guards were filled with resolve and fighting spirit. None of them had any trace of fear in their eyes, as though as they didn’t fear death.

After the mage announced that his spell was finally ready, the guards swiftly moved aside, clearing a large path.

“Now!” roared the guard who seemed to be the leader. “Fire!”

“You wanted this!” shouted the mage. “Earth Explosion!”

The forest rumbled, and the trees shook. Flocks of birds flew out of the trees as numerous spikes flew out of the ground and shot toward the bandits surrounding the caravan.

The moment the spikes impaled the bandits, they exploded into numerous fragments, slinging out sharp earth blades that pierced the flesh of those nearby.

Before the dust from the mage’s attack even cleared, the escort guards immediately dashed forward and slashed at the surviving bandits.

The Captain of the guards and the leader of the bandits clashed, sword striking against sledgehammer. The Captain’s weapon seemed to be made of cold steel. It didn’t shatter even after taking the brunt of the sledgehammer’s attack.

The bandit wielding the sledgehammer seemed stronger than the Captain, but with the mage providing backup, beating him shouldn’t be a problem.

‘Seems like they don’t need my help.’

The escort guards were skilled enough to handle this matter themselves.

Seeing that the bandits were about to be wiped out by the escort guards, Lark was about to turn around and leave when he felt an ominous presence quickly heading their way.

The bloodlust exuded by the person was so strong that it froze everyone, bandits and guards alike.

The moment the man emerged from the shadow of the trees, silence descended on the area.

The rustling of trees, the chirping of birds, and the screeching of critters—everything disappeared like a mirage.

The bandit leader wielding the sledgehammer nearly dropped his weapon in shock.

“E-Elder? What… What are you doing here?”

The man’s entire hair was already white, and the numerous wrinkles on his face made him look extremely old. But despite this, he exuded an indescribable youth and vigor.

The Captain muttered, “Elder? Is that the infamous Grim Reaper?”

The Eye Collector Clan Leader.

The Blood Commander.

And the Clan Elder.

These three were the most powerful figures within the Eye Collector Clan, and it was said that each of them was powerful enough to rival even the high-ranking knights of the Empire.

One of the reasons why the Kingdom of Thornforge and the Dukedom had given up on actively subjugating the bandits was because of these three people.

They were so powerful that some of the kingdom’s higher-ups even considered them living calamities.

Of course, if the kingdom put its mind to it, they should still be able to kill them, but it would come at a great cost.

Because of this, the two sides had a tacit agreement not to wage full war against each other as long as the other party didn’t cross the line.

Instead of answering, the Elder scanned the battlefield. Upon seeing the numerous corpses belonging to the bandits, the Elder frowned disapprovingly.

“The guy above us,” said the Elder without looking at Lark. “How long do you intend to watch?”

Everyone looked up and was surprised to see a person hovering in the sky.

From this distance, all they could see was a small dot, but the bandits and guards with keen eyes could see the figure of a human.

“I know you can hear me,” said the Elder. For the first time, he looked up. “Only the Clan Leader is allowed to look down on me. Come down. Now.”

Seconds passed.

After some deliberation, Lark decided to entertain the old man.

To be honest, he was also curious.

He didn’t expect to encounter someone as strong as him on his way to the kingdom.

Lark quickly descended and landed on the forest ground with a soft thud.

The Elder’s eyes moved to the giant glaive Lark held in his hand, then at the metallic cubes floating behind him.

“Are you from the Phantom Castle?” said the Elder. “I don’t know why you’re watching my men, but if you’re not careful, this could lead to a war between our groups. Are you sure you can handle the repercussions?”

This world was really full of surprises.

Lark was inwardly pleased to hear the name of another organization in the southern continent.

The United Grakas Alliance.

The Dukedom of Mauko.

The Kingdom of Thornforge.

The Eye Collector Clan.

And now, the Phantom Castle.

Although he had heard about the existence of the notorious bandit group before, this was his first time hearing of the Phantom Castle.

Judging by the horrified expressions of the nearby bandits, it seemed that the Phantom Castle was a feared organization within the area.

Since Lark was capable of flying in the sky, the Clan Elder must have thought that he was a core member from that organization. There was no other way to explain why someone as powerful as him was here, otherwise.

Seeing that Lark didn’t seem to have any intention of answering, the Elder said, “Leave. I will let this one pass.”

He made it sound as though he was sparing Lark’s life. It was amusing.
Lark looked at the bandits, at the guards, at the carriages, then at the Elder.

He knew that if he left like this, none of the guards would survive. And whatever the goal of these bandits was, they would achieve it.

Allowing these bastards to get what they wanted would leave a bad aftertaste in Lark’s mouth.

“And if I don’t want to?” said Lark calmly.

Ripples of mana oozed out of the Elder’s body. He said threateningly, “You will regret it. Even the Phantom Castle won’t be able to protect you if you mess with us, youngling.”