Chapter 99: Bandit hunting (3)

[ Name: Ren Arken

Age: 14

Race: Human

Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana])

Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana])

Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana])

Mana: ~~~

Spiritual: ~~~

Intellect: 700, 000

Unique Skills:

-Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight’s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas]

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“You could be quite ruthless sometime, huh, Ren…” Said Alfred with a wry smile as he stares at the poor bandit that just got interrogated by them.

To make sure the bandit didn’t run away, Oz tied him upside down on top of a tree while having his clothes completely stripped.

“Hm? Ah… We should make sure he regrets turning into a bandit, right?” Oz answered with a fresh smile.

“By the way, give me back my dagger, Ren,” Said Alfred as he remembers Oz used his dagger to threaten the bandit.

“Hm? It’s on your waist, though?” (Oz)

“My waist?” Alfred checked his knife sheath on his waist and his hands could feel that his knife is still inside the sheath.

“Eh? But I’m sure-” (Alfred)

“Let’s continue our journey quickly. If what the bandit told us was true, then the bandits must be confident that we’ve already died. It’s our opportunity to enter the city smoothly,” (Oz)

“Indeed… Then let’s leave now, we can reach the city at night if we leave now,” (Peter)

“Then what’re we waiting for?” (Albus)

The journey continues and as Oz’s predicted, they arrive at the city at night without having other bandits attacked their wagon.

“Damn… It’s far more impressive than the capital…” Oz couldn’t help but exclaim when he saw the city. The buildings, the walls, the city that filled with a lot of grandeur buildings and soldiers with expensive equipment. The city lord even has its own castle while several small castles are surrounding his castle, as if the city is a small kingdom that stands alone.

“It really is…” Not only Alfred, Sen, and Edreale, even Peter, Seraphina, and Albus are surprised by the scene before them.

“Wait, aren’t Albus and Seraphina should’ve already been to Bareland city before?” Oz asked after looking at their surprised face.

“Yes, indeed… I’ve been here before, but it’s five years ago, and it’s not this grandeur when I went here before,” (Albus)

“Me too, last time I went here is four years ago. I also have no recollection of the city to be far more grandeur than the capital,” Said the princess.

Oz didn’t ask Peter directly since it might blow his cover, but Peter knew that Oz wanted to ask him too and shook his head, hinting that he didn’t know anything about it too.

Hearing and looking to their reactions, Oz paused a moment as he realized something.

“What is it, Ren?” Alfred realized Oz’s reaction and asked him.

“My deduction is right, but it’s also wrong at the same time. Looks like the city lord has other objectives by attacking them,” Oz answered after several seconds of pause.

“What do you mean? Other objectives?” (Albus)

“Princess, if I’m not mistaken, the city lord is at the opposite faction of the royal faction right?” (Oz)

Hearing Oz’s question, Albus and Co got quite surprised since that’s pretty much a sensitive question to ask to a royalty. But surprisingly, Seraphina didn’t even twitch when Oz asked it, rather, she immediately realized what Oz means.

“I see… Yes, they are,” (Seraphina)

“Everyone, use our cloaks, and let’s cover our identity. We might be entering a lion’s den,” Oz said as he uses his cloak.

Everyone followed Oz’s orders obediently and quickly before questioning him.

“So? What do you mean by all of this, Ren?” (Peter)

“My deduction from before is right, but it’s wrong at the same time. The deduction itself is right, but it’s not enough and their objectives are wrong,” (Oz)

“Think it like this, they suddenly attack us, a group of students from the magic academy that should be lacking at experience with a group of elites and three sword saints. It might look like they’re trying to silence us, but if we include the fact that the city lord of the Bareland City is at the opposite faction of the royal faction, then another objective could be seen as we have the royal princess and the royal magician’s heir coming together with us,” Explained Oz.

!!!!!

“I see… So we’re trapped inside a political war here…” (Alfred)

“It would be a great benefit for them if they eliminate the princess while saving Albus and making the headmaster owe them a favor. And if they play their cards well, they must be thinking that they could recruit Alfred, Sen, and Edreale to their ranks,” (Oz)

“So they caught the news of our arrival here…” (Peter)

“That’s right, that’s why we shouldn’t let them know we’re from the magic academy and the princess is traveling together with us. Let’s disguise ourselves as mercenaries while collecting information and end this quest quickly. If they realize that we’re not dead yet, I believe they’ll keep on sending us some assassins to kill the princess,” (Oz)

“Indeed… Let’s enter with caution,” (Alfred)

At the Bareland city’s gate entrance, they enter while using Alfred’s, Edreale’s, and Sen’s mercenary badge to enter as mercenaries. While Oz used soft mind magic to remove the guard’s suspicions, the three half-elves’ Red Fall mercenary badge turns out to be famous and menacing enough to convince the guards.

The Red Fall’s mercenary icon is made from magic ore in the middle of the badge. As one of a top-ranked mercenary guild, their clients are spread from various countries, giving them enough wealth to have such a badge.

“W-welcome to Bareland city, sir… Have a nice day…” The gate’s guard said, panicked.

(Even though it’s already night…) (Fenrir)

As it’s already night, Oz and co decided to find an inn to rest for the night. They decided to choose a normal inn to rest in order to not take too much attention. Since it’s not an expensive inn, everyone got a room each. After buying some food, all of them decided to get some rest for the night.

(Master, didn’t you just said that we’re going to get some rest for tonight?) (Fenrir)

(Fenrir, your thinking is too shallow. Master asked them to rest because if they’ll only become a hindrance to master) (Reo)

(Oh! I see…) (Fenrir)

(It’s not like that, Reo. Don’t make me sound so selfish like that… It’s just we need to ensure that the princess does not take too much action on this quest) (Oz)

(Hm? Why?) (Fenrir)

(I only know that they’re aiming for the princess’s life. But I got a bad feeling that keeps on bothering me since I enter this city) (Oz)

(Bad feeling?) (Reo)

(Yes, as if something really bad will happen. Since our top priority is the princess’s safety, the safest and easiest way is for me to act alone at night) (Oz)

(I see… It looks like you really care about that cold princess, master) (Fenrir)

(It’s not like that, I only fulfilling my promise to that old man) (Oz)

Old man Kyron’s figure appear inside Oz’s mind, the old figure that hides his caringness and problems with his stern face. But somehow, old man Kyron’s distressed expression appears inside Oz’s minds.

(This kingdom. Is slowly crumbling, Fenrir… Like an old tree that about to get struck by a storm… Rather than the lord, an old man that should be enjoying his remaining time is guarding the kingdom with his life on the line… I’m just helping him a little bit, hoping that I could relieve some of the burdens that he’s bearing on his shoulders…) (Oz)

(……..) (Fenrir and Reo)

Fenrir and Reo left speechless after hearing Oz’s words. They couldn’t think of any reply to answer their master.

(Well, what I’m about to do right now is for the sake of another thing, though) (Oz)

(Another thing?) (Reo)

(Yea, I’m going to hunt for another purpose today) (Oz)

Oz has three primary objectives on his ‘Blending In’ in human society. First, He’s searching for Azaline’s mother that got caught by the demons that might be in captive of a slave trader like how he got given by the demons to a slave trader too.

Second, Oz’s also searching for the slave trader that receiving commands by the demons that attacked the former owner of his body’s homeland. Third, he’s looking for ways to improve his power in order to defeat the demon emperor.

(Ah! I see!) (Fenrir)

(Exactly, this collaboration of bandits and this city’s lord made me remember about the demons and the slave dealer) (Oz)

(Master, you mean!?) (Reo)

(Yea, I’m afraid that some humans are conspiring with the demons too) (Oz)