Clop, clop-clop!
The scout galloped back to the temple convoy. Without even reining in his horse, the knight leaped from the saddle and ran straight toward Edson's carriage.
"High Priest, someone has their eyes on us!"
"There are more than five hundred of them. They're probably bandits from the Smaco Hills!"
The knight spoke as soon as he entered the carriage.
"Only one band?"
"Are there any others?"
Edson set down the map in his hands and asked without any change in his expression.
When he had chosen to head north, the old priest had already anticipated what they would encounter in the Smaco Hills.
Bandits!
Like locusts, there was no end to them, no matter how many they killed.
In fact, aside from the monsters pursuing them, these bandits were the other obstacle that worried the old priest most.
And once Ryan had held the pursuing monsters back at Aya Outpost, these bandits became the only obstacle on their journey north.
Thus, the old priest had already begun considering how to deal with them.
Against an inexhaustible horde of bandits who knew the terrain, their numbers would put them at a disadvantage. Even gathering every knight would not let them hold off an endless stream of enemies. But their advantages were equally clear: fine equipment and practiced combat skills, neither of which their opponents possessed.
In a head-on battle, they could quickly overcome even their numerical disadvantage. But if they walked into a trap, it would be a nightmare.
So the old priest was extremely cautious.
"We haven't found any others yet."
The knight answered.
"Send out more mounted scouts. I need the most detailed information possible."
"Scout not just ahead of us, but to both sides and behind us as well."
The old priest strove to take the