Chapter 4

When Ted and the others arrived at the scene, the air was thick with the overwhelming smell of blood.

"Bandits."

Even without Aldis saying it, the situation was clear.

There were two carriages on the road, surrounded by about twenty men in shabby, armed attire. Beside the carriages lay the figures of mercenaries, collapsed and bleeding.

They must not have been careless, but it was impossible to predict such a large-scale bandit attack along the road.

By the time Aldis and the others arrived, the battle was already over. The owner of the carriages was likely a merchant, but it was impossible to tell which of the lifeless bodies was the owner.

"Damn, we're too late!"

Ted clicked his tongue. It seemed that everyone had been killed by the bandits.

There was no point in intervening now, but since they had been spotted by the bandits, they couldn't just leave. The bandits, still in a state of excitement after the battle, immediately shot arrows at Aldis and the others without any warning.

"Damn! Even if we say it's none of our business, they won't listen, will they?!"

"Of course not! They probably think we're either the remaining guards or bandits trying to take over!"

Ted shouted while deflecting the arrows with his sword, while Orphelia calmly analyzed the situation. Norris, standing to the side, calmly shot arrows back at the bandits.

"Aldis, protect me well. I like shooting arrows, but I don't like being shot."

"Who would?"

Aldis responded with a look of exasperation at the silly joke and floated two short swords in front of Norris to block the arrows. The floating short swords were the perfect defense, as they could block the arrows without obstructing Norris's view or risking the swordsman being shot.

Arrows continued to fly from the bandits. Fortunately, either the quality of the bows and arrows was poor or the archers were inexperienced, as most of the arrows missed Norris and hit random spots. About one in five arrows came toward Norris or Aldis, but all were deflected by the floating swords.

The arrow exchange continued for a while, but none of the bandits' arrows hit Aldis and the others. On the other hand, Norris's arrows were effectively reducing the number of bandits. Frustrated by the ineffectiveness of their ranged attacks, the bandits, seeing that Ted was the only one in the front line, decided to engage in close combat.

"Once we take down that big swordsman, the rest are just a mage and an archer! Charge!"

The apparent leader of the bandits rallied his men. All but a few who had been shot by Norris drew their swords and responded to the leader's call.

"I'm not a mage, you know..."

Aldis's complaint, of course, went unheard by the bandits. No longer needing to block arrows, Aldis released the two short swords toward the charging bandits.

At that moment, the tide turned. The short swords, without a wielder, silently and stealthily approached the bandits from their blind spots.

One short sword pierced the last bandit from behind. The bandit, who had been running at the rear and not paying attention to his surroundings, collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely, without understanding what had happened.

The other short sword, passing over the fallen bandit, swiftly cut the throat of a bandit running toward Aldis and the others, then pierced the heart of another bandit standing beside him. The unexpected attack from behind, carried out by inanimate objects that gave no sign of life, was a ruthless slaughter.

One by one, the bandits were killed by Aldis's short swords. They stumbled and fell to the ground, unable to comprehend what was happening. Eventually, the leader, who had been running at the front, charged at Ted and shouted.

"Men! Hold this guy down while we finish off the rest! Capture the woman alive!"

But no one responded to his call.

"Hey, old man,"

Ted's eyes showed a hint of pity.

"Let me tell you, you're the last one."

The leader, unable to understand Ted's words, looked around in confusion.

"What...!"

The leader finally realized that he was the only one still standing, seeing his comrades' bodies lying in pools of blood.

"No, no! This can't be...!"

"Bad luck."

With those words, Ted's sword came down on the leader.

After disposing of all the bandits, Aldis and the others searched for survivors.

"Well, it looks like they're all dead."

Norris was right. The carriage drivers, the mercenary guards, and the merchant, who was likely the employer, were all dead. The stab wounds on their necks and chests indicated that the bandits had methodically finished them off.

"What do we do? The horses are dead too, so should we just take what we can carry back?"

"It's a shame to leave the carriages, but there's no choice. We'll have to leave the bulky items. And... if we can find anything to identify the merchant, that would be good..."

"Then, Norris and I will check the other carriage, and you and Ted can check this one?"

"Got it."

They split up to search the carriages. Norris and Aldis approached the carriage that had suffered less damage.

There were probably a considerable number of items in the two carriages. They didn't know what the merchant was dealing in, but the amount they could carry was limited.

"It would be nice if it was jewels or spices."

Norris expressed his wish. Indeed, the value of items could vary greatly depending on their type. If it was jewels or spices, as Norris suggested, even a small amount could fetch a high price.

But if it was bulky items like artworks or low-priced items like food, they would have to consider their carrying capacity. In some cases, they might have to recover only the cash and leave the rest.

Norris approached the back of the carriage and grabbed the tarp. He slowly lifted it and peered inside, his body stiffening for a moment. Then, he covered his face with one hand and looked up at the sky, saying, "Oh no."

"What's wrong, Norris?"

Aldis, curious, looked over his shoulder.

"Huh?"

What Aldis saw were numerous barrels and baskets, presumably containing goods, and two young girls cowering in fear beside them.