The days in the academy passed uneventfully, with me doing my experiments and preparing myself for the one-month break.
Blair looked around our family castle his eyes widening.
"You are basically competing with the royals in wealth and extravagance. "
I chuckled at that. It was the next morning after the academy released us for our two-day holiday.
"We’re far ahead of the royals, we just like to remain humble, no need for everyone to know."
"Yes..humbled."
Blair answered sarcastically.
"Anyway, have you prepared everything?"
I asked Blair who nodded.
"Yes, I have some people keeping an eye on him in case he thinks of escaping."
"We should be leaving," I glanced upstairs, "you go ahead, I’ll just have a talk with my sister before leaving. "
Mother had already gone back to the duchy, and only the two of us remained, but she would be coming back for the engagement.
Until now, Seraph still wasn’t talking to me, and it was getting childish.
I turned to see her standing on the first floor looking down at me. I hurriedly climbed up the stairs and walked towards her until I came to a stop just a step from her.
"Are you not going to talk to me?"
She scoffed and turned her face away from me. I sighed heavily in both frustration and amusement.
"I’m leaving, that’s what I wanted to tell. I’ll probably be back by tomorrow, and I need you to sort out your thoughts cause this is becoming childish. You don’t want me getting angry do you?
She didn’t respond, I kissed her lips and left.
"Be safe."
I smiled at that but didn’t look back. I got into the carriage with Luna beside me, and Blair was taking his own carriage since I didn’t want to sit with him for almost half a day.
I looked back at the disappearing capital walls and turned back to my book. Thinking about it i had never been outside anywhere.
In the duchy, I stayed within the vicinity of Bloodmoor City in the capital. It never occurred to me to leave. If the academy had not held the test, this would have been my first time leaving home.
I was really sheltered.
"These roads are not meant for travel."
Despite using the best carriage, the roads were just too much. There was no teleportation circle near or around the area hence we had to travel by carriage. I really do hope all of this was worth it.
After a three-second glass of uncomfortableness, the carriage slowed down.
"What’s the matter, I don’t think we’ve arrived yet."
I asked loudly. Luna opened the curtains, and I leaned against the window to look outside. One of the guards I had come with slowed down his horse until he was next to me before jumping off.
"There seems to be a commotion in front young master."
The guard quietly said his eyes glancing at me nervously.
"We are at Bandit forest, what do you expect. Just move forward. "
The guards hesitated. I chuckled annoyed.
"Do you want me to save whoever is being attacked?"
I asked him with a smile on my face. He looked between my face and the road ahead where the screaming had gotten louder.
"Yes, young master. "
"How insolent, you dare disobey your own master’s orders."
Luna’s voice came before a dagger shot out from the carriage, embedding the guard’s skull, killing him in an instant.
"Move forward. "
I said to the slowing carriage driver. Blair was in the carriage in front of me, and he also seemed to get the message, we resumed our speed.
The Bandit Forest, just like its name, was a forest infested by bandits. The imperial family couldn’t erase them no matter how they tried.
Most merchants avoided this road or paid a toll to the bandits to get out of the forest alive. Normal travellers faced worse. If they weren’t killed, the women were either taken in and violated, or their men were killed.
But this was the shortest route to get to the village.
"You in the carriages stop!"
A booming voice cut through the screams as we approached. The carriage didn’t stop we continued forward.
"This is your last chance, stop the carriage!"
I sighed. Maybe I needed to stretch a little.
"Stop."
The carriage slowed down to a halt. I opened the carriage door and got out before Luna could. I was starting to get irritated and the condition of the road just didn’t help.
"We’re out, do you need something ?"
My eyes fell on a heavily muscled man. His face was full of messy beards, and long, messy black hair fell past his shoulder. He was taller than me in height, and his bulging muscles added to his intimidating look.
"I thought you liked killing bandits?"
I turned to Donovan who was driving the carriage. He jumped off the carriage and stood beside me a crooked smile on his face.
"I was planning on coming to these sides of the forest, but you gave me too much work."
He said helplessly and shrugged his shoulders.
"It’s just taking care of an unborn child."
I said back to him. Donovan was addicted to battle and tying him down once in a while was a requirement since he was efficient and the oldest amongst us.
"You two how dare you ignore my presence!"
"Should I kill him?"
Donovan asked me his eyes filled with excitement.
I shrugged my shoulders and leaned on the carriage door.
"The floor is all yours."
He nodded and rushed towards the angry bandit.
"Boys!"
A group of about twenty men got out of the surrounding bushes and surrounded us.
"Should I fight master?"
Luna asked me while looking aroundat the bandits surrounding Donovan. I shook my head.
"Let Donovan and the guards handle it."
She nodded and resumed standing beside me. I observed Donovan’s fight with the bandit. In this short period, the bandit had ended up with a cut arm and a stab on the stomach.
Despite being surrounded, Donovan had a smile on his face as he cut through the ever-increasing bandits who came to save their leader.
Donovan was an eight-star knight, impressive for a commoner adventurer who rose through the ranks by sheer will and determination. An admirable fit.
To get there, he requires a lot of training and discipline on his part.
"Young master I’m done."
Donovan said and walked towards his eyes still filled with excitement and adrenaline.
"Okay, good job, let’s go."
I glance at the pile of broken bodies and limbs before getting onto the carriage. The bandits had been too weak, weaker than I had expected with all their wanted posters in the guild.
We moved forward slowly as the carriage passed by the first victims. Broken carriages were left with stains of blood all over them, there were bodies of expensively dressed nobles and their guards scattered around
It was clear that the man I assumed was the husband had tried to protect his family since the female and the two children’s bodies were further away; it was clear they had been running away.
"How sad."
Donovan’s voice came as our carriage passed by the dead family. The carriage picked up pace as we travelled through the forest and eventually, after two sand glasses, we met other travellers.
We were nearing Essex. This was the main border town where we had to stop before branching to the village.
The town marked the end of the capital’s surrounding lands and the start of the Western duchy.
Our carriage passed through the gates without being stopped due to the Bloodmoor insignia.
Essex looked just like a normal border town. Neglected and left to rot by its Lords.
The air smelled of sewer, rot, and blood, probably from the constant fighting among criminals. The buildings looked as though they would fall at any minute, just like it’s citizens. This was the definition of poverty.
This was a town ruled by criminals and the duchy had left it go unchecked.
Our carriage pulled to a stop in front of the adventurers’’ guild, the only place that seemed clean in this damned place.
"Young master, we shall stop here first before leaving. "
Blair’s voice came. The little thing had not stepped out of his carriage throughout the journey.
Luna got out of the carriage and stood by the side as I alighted. The smell that hit me the moment I was out was horrendous. I gagged a little. Luna gave me a white handkerchief to cover my nose as we walked into the guild.
"Sorry about our welcome, young master Lucian. "
A red-haired man said, walking towards me the moment I stepped into the guild. He was almost the same height as me. Also heavily muscles but the bright smile and friendly blue eyes changed his outward fierce look.
"It’s okay."
I said curtly and looked around. I would have preferred to go to the village directly, but I had let Blair plan everything, I wanted to see how well he would do.
"Thank you, Blair informed us of your visit, and I was quite surprised. "
The man who was the guild master said and led us upstairs. The downstairs was filled with adventurers, and the place, despite being a bit clean, was totally disorganised and noisy.
"Master Blair paid us to help keep an eye on the necromancer but we have both good and bad news. "
The man said the moment we were settled in his small office. Unlike the downstairs, his office was fully organised and everything was in place.
"I would like to hear the good news first."
I said. Blair was standing behind me, next to Luna, quietly as we spoke.
"The good news is we know where he is."
"And the bad?"
I asked impatiently.
"He killed the whole village. "
I chuckled at that, the man was getting more interesting.