Horse Bandits

Three days later, a group of riders on fine horses arrived at Ravenwood Town, hooded cloaks draped over their bodies. They were completely concealed beneath their cloaks, their faces impossible to make out. Only the emerald-green engraved bracers on the hands gripping their reins were visible.

They had barely reached the gate before the Shadow Fortress soldiers, who had yet to withdraw and were temporarily serving as guards, stopped them.

"We are traveling merchants from Sinterland, here to visit Bishop Dorodamenro." The lead rider removed her hood, revealing shoulder-length black hair and pointed ears.

The Shadow Fortress soldiers recognized who they were and recalled the Knight Commander's instructions.

"Come with me. The Knight Commander is already waiting for you." With that, he turned and began leading the way.

The lead elf frowned, sensing that things were not so simple. Yet she could only pull her hood back on, dismount, and follow the guiding soldier. They passed through without obstruction until they reached the church. Seeing the bloodstains still wet on the streets, the elf's frown deepened.

"We're here. The Knight Commander is inside." After leading the elves to the room where Laxus was, the soldier left.

Pushing open the door, the lead elf's pupils suddenly constricted when she saw Laxus seated in a chair and the twin swords laid out on the table before him.

"You've arrived. I am Laxus, Knight Commander stationed at Shadow Fortress, and also Bishop Dorodamenro's disciple."

"Where is Dorodamenro? What happened here?"

"A few days ago, Moran troops who had infiltrated the area attacked this place. I believe you know the reason as well. My teacher died in that battle."

After a moment of silence, the lead elf spoke.

"I am Sersma Illusionfeather, captain of the Sinterland Royal Guard's Third Squad. By order of Her Majesty the Queen, I have come to bring the princess home. The Queen has already executed the traitor. Since you are Dorodamenro's disciple, you must know where the princess went."

"After Dorodamenro discovered Moran's plot, he had Daisy join Belicha's merchant caravan and head for Sinterland. They left several days ago. By now, they have probably entered the Vizan Plains. A squad of mercenaries is traveling with them. I do not know their origins, but they should be people Dorodamenro trusted. If you move quickly, you may be able to catch up. However, some Moran men are pursuing them as well."

"I understand. Since Dorodamenro is dead, I will take his weapons back and present them to Her Majesty the Queen."

Laxus nodded and handed the twin swords on the table to Sersma. Sersma took them and did not linger. She turned and left the church. They had to catch up to Belicha's merchant caravan as quickly as possible.

They galloped out of town. When they passed the cemetery outside it, the group stopped to look at Dorodamenro's grave for a while before continuing onward.

Meanwhile, Ronan's group was camping on the Vizan Plains for a midday rest. Belicha invited Ronan to eat with him every day, and Daisy was always there as well. As a result, Ronan and Daisy gradually became familiar with each other. Looking at Daisy's pure smile, Ronan felt as though the emptiness in his heart since arriving in this world had been filled, if only a little.

Ever since coming to this world, Ronan had never known what he wanted to do. At first, he had only been hunted. Once he had gained some strength and followers, he had planned to settle in Ravenwood Town, but fate had forced him to leave Ravenwood Town and head for Sinterland.

Others who came to this world with a system might have wanted to conquer the world, live like kings surrounded by wives and concubines, or travel the world, explore everywhere, and enjoy a free and unfettered life. But Ronan had never had a clear goal. He merely accepted things passively. Whenever he wanted to stop, something unexpected always happened, as though an invisible force were driving him onward.

After eating and drinking their fill, the caravan set out once more. But danger was already closing in. Unwilling to accept defeat, Moran no longer placed its hopes in Guldan's remnants. The Bloodfang Gang, the most vicious band of horse bandits active along the borders of various nations and led by "Bloodfang" Belik, had quietly entered the Vizan Plains. They were searching for traces of Ronan's group.

Belik had originally been a minor noble of the Eagle Kingdom. After losing a power struggle, he had been forced to flee abroad. He and the clansmen who followed him roamed the borders of different nations, plundering villages and ambushing merchant caravans. Belik and his Horse Bandits committed every evil imaginable, but because they were all mounted, came and went like the wind, and had no fixed base, they had ravaged the region for more than a decade without being eradicated.

What the world did not know was that behind their repeated escapes from pursuit and their growing strength stood the help of Grand Duke Kaivol of the Moran Kingdom. The Bloodfang Band had long since become a Moran Kingdom lapdog, bringing enormous profits to Moran while weakening its rival nations.

Guldan's group knew they could not catch up to the caravan and could not enter any towns, so they could only resort to their final method.

Time passed, and two days went by. The caravan's journey remained peaceful, without encountering a single band of bandits or pack of wolves. In another two or three days, they would leave the plains and enter Acorn Hall.

But reality rarely went as one wished. Just as they were about to leave the plains, tremors suddenly ran through the ground. The experienced guards immediately realized that they had been caused by a large number of cavalry charging at full speed.

"My lord, they come with ill intent." A Kujit Iron Cavalry rider galloped up to Ronan and spoke.

"Prepare for battle!" Ronan's face darkened. Judging from the tremors, there were quite a few enemies, but there should not have been bandits on the Vizan Plains in such numbers.

At Ronan's command, the Kujit Iron Cavalry immediately began circling on horseback around the camp. The other soldiers, who were not skilled in mounted combat, dismounted and drove their horses beside the wagons. Together with the caravan guards, they formed a shield-and-spear formation with their backs to the wagons to prevent an attack from behind. Belicha, Daisy, and the other noncombatants hid in the wagons at the very center of the formation.

Ronan also removed the greatsword from his back. Ape Arm allowed him to wield it effortlessly with one hand. With a greatsword in one hand and a shield in the other, Ronan mounted Radish and prepared to meet the enemy. To reduce the burden, he had removed most of Radish's horse armor, leaving only the breastplate. There was no time to put the rest back on now.

Before long, a sizable group of horse bandits appeared in Ronan's group's field of vision. Their formation was disorderly, and they carried all manner of weapons—spears, short bows, curved blades, and more. They wore only tattered leather armor and felt hats.

Scattered arrows flew from the horse bandits, but the soldiers blocked them all with their shields, suffering no losses at all. The counterattack from the caravan guards and Nord archers, however, shot many horse bandits from their saddles.

The two forces collided, and men and horses immediately tumbled together. The horses in the front rank were pierced through and killed by the spears, while the riders on their backs were thrown down and trampled into pulp by the horses charging behind them. Yet the soldiers in the first row were also sent flying by the immense impact of the charging horses. The horse bandits' charge stalled, and they became entangled with the soldiers on the ground.