Sword Saint's Reincarnation-Chapter 60: Prelude (2)

It was the start of the fifth month since Evenon’s death.

Rylan focused completely on raising his magic combat skills with his father. It was only possible because he didn’t need to Level up. Instead of trying to learn too many spells, he concentrated on becoming more proficient with the ones he’d already learned. There was no point in having many weapons if he couldn’t wield them well.

Much faster than before his Trait changed, Rylan made progress. Every day he advanced bit by bit. He never stopped training his body, but the spars against Gerard and his studying now occupied most of his day. Improving on something new was both refreshing and invigorating. Pushing himself just a bit further every day allowed him to grow and develop.

Every so often, he left for the Veria Woodlands to test out his combat abilities with magic alone. In his eyes, the higher number of monsters only meant more training opportunities. By seeking out enemies with different traits and characteristics, he was able to test his progress in different ways, developing as he did.

Finally, the end of his current training regimen arrived.

***

Rylan hugged Gerard in front of the Flameheart estate.

“I’m going, Father. I will succeed,” he said with a wide smile.

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His father looked at him with a gaze full of complicated emotions.

“Be careful, son. You’ll always have a place to return to.”

With a nod, he looked at all the soldiers standing behind Gerard. They were grinning like fools while waving at him, the usual group of seven standing in front.

“Good luck, young master!”

“Someone like the young master doesn’t need luck.”

“Kick their asses!”

Jack and Scott stepped forward, extending their hands. Rylan shook them one after the other.

“Show them what a genius really means, master,” Scott said with a smile. Rylan shook his head.

“I’m no genius, but thanks.”

“I’m certain you’re greater than anyone else, my lord,” Jack stated with a serious expression. “There’s no way you won’t succeed.”

Rylan nodded and waved at the rest of the soldiers.

“You’ve really built a bond with them, huh?” Gerard said as he looked back and forth between the soldiers and Rylan, who smiled.

“I just taught them a few things.”

He decisively turned around after giving his father one last nod and looked at Aelfric, who was standing beside the plain-looking carriage with an anxious expression and wearing simple clothes. Rylan shook his head with a smile and clapped his younger brother on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Aelfric. We’ll make it.”

Aelfric sighed with a furrowed brow.

“I’m not like you, Rylan. I don’t think I’ll manage.”

“You will. Trust me. Come on, let’s go.”

He entered the plain carriage, followed by Aelfric and Sarah. It started moving a few seconds later, pulled by the two horses in front.

The interior was silent. Rylan could see how conflicted and insecure his brother was just by looking at his expression. He wrapped his arm around Aelfric’s shoulders.

“You’re greater than you think, Aelfric. Don’t worry.”

Aelfric let out another sigh.

“…Maybe.”

Sarah watched them from the side in silence.

“Look at the city outside,” Rylan said, trying to take his brother’s mind off his worries. Aelfric looked through the window at the streets of Cantavega. The main roads were lined with people, especially as they approached the shopping district. Some were laughing, while others looked worried, all going about their daily lives.

Rylan watched the changing scenery with his brother. Soon, they arrived at the city’s east gate. The bustling, metropolitan landscape gave way to a forest with tall trees as the paved road turned into dirt. They were now officially out of town.

“Sarah, this trip will last fifteen days, right?” he asked, turning to face her. She nodded.

“Yes, my lord.”

Rylan clicked his tongue. He had never been to another city, especially one so far away, like the capital, Caer Rhelon. Because of his memories, he was too used to Roland’s ability to cross several miles in a single step. He let out a small sigh and looked through the window.

The first few days of travel were uneventful. They followed the travel plan, which allowed them to rest in a town or city almost every day. It was also a way of making sure they didn’t lack food or water.

On the eighth day, however, there was a change.

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Inside the carriage, Rylan perked up. Because he had been training his mana circulation whenever possible, he was able to hear the incoming footsteps, both from behind the carriage and from up ahead. Next to him, Sarah was looking through her window, while Aelfric was sleeping.

He immediately stood up and knocked heavily on the carriage’s ceiling twice. The vehicle ground to a stop as he shook his brother’s shoulders. Aelfric blinked and rubbed his eyes, raising his body.

“What? What’s going on?”

“We’ve got company,” he replied, opening the door and leaving the carriage. Sarah followed him, looking around with sharp eyes. With an uneasy expression, Aelfric came out of the carriage as well.

“Something the matter, young master?” the coachman asked, looking confused.

“Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll see.”

Silently, they waited. The footsteps became louder, getting closer.

Around eight people.

While they could try to run away using the carriage, this was a good opportunity to teach Aelfric something. It was why he had stopped the vehicle. He glanced at his brother, taking notice of his expression. Aelfric’s eyes kept darting around as sweat flowed down his brow.

Soon, the figures of the eight men came into view, surrounding the carriage. Rylan captured his surroundings in a moment, gathering as much information as he could. Two men held spears and wore leather armor, while the others donned robes. The tallest one stepped forward with a savage smile.

“Well, now. I didn’t think there would be such a pretty flower here,” he said, looking at Sarah. “Guess it’s my lucky day.”

Sarah immediately frowned and grabbed her wand, but Rylan raised his hand and made her stop. The tall man laughed as he saw this.

“You should listen to that one,” he said, still laughing.

Rylan looked at him with calm eyes.

“Are you bandits?”

The man shrugged.

“That doesn’t matter. Just hand over all your valuables and you can leave in peace.”

Rylan tilted his head. Were they doing this because his group didn’t look like nobles?

If so, the decision to dress plainly to not attract attention backfired.

This was only happening because the bandits thought they could take him on, since he, Aelfric, and Sarah no longer looked like they were part of a noble family. The bandits weren’t skilled enough to tell how powerful they really were. However, that only gave rise to another question. Why were they trying to rob people who clearly didn’t look like they had money at all? Was it because it would just be easy work? In the end, it didn’t matter.

This is perfect.

Ignoring the tall bandit, he looked at Aelfric, who was shifting his weight with an anxious expression.

“Aelfric, you’re up.”

His brother blinked twice.

“…What?” he asked in disbelief.

Rylan pointed at the bandits, who were watching the exchange with frowns on their faces.

“Fight them. You need experience.”

The atmosphere froze. After a few seconds of silence, the bandits started laughing loudly.

“What the fuck?”

“Did he really just say that?”

“Hey, kid. It looks like you don’t understand how fucked you are.”

Rylan ignored their words, merely looking at Aelfric with a serene expression. Sarah furrowed her brow.

“Young master, I don’t think that’s—”

“He can do it,” Rylan interrupted, nodding with a grin.

Aelfric’s gaze alternated between the bandits and Rylan.

“I-I can’t…” he said, looking more anxious than ever.

Rylan shook his head.

“We all gotta start somewhere. I’m here to ensure nothing bad happens to you, and there’s also Sarah. Don’t worry.”

At that moment, he felt the mana within the tall bandit leader move. He recognized it as the precursor to Magic Missile. As the arrow of mana cut through the air, he took two steps back without a change in expression, still looking at Aelfric. The Missile missed, passing him uselessly and landing on the ground behind the carriage.

“My patience’s run out. Hand everything over or die,” the bandit leader said with a frown. As he looked at Sarah, however, his gaze changed. “Leave her behind, too.”

Rylan froze before turning to the leader with cold eyes. He didn’t question what he’d just heard. It was the moment the man’s fate was sealed in his mind.

He pointed at the leader.

“You will die here.”

His tone made the bandits frown. They slowly raised their staves and wands. The two spearmen stepped in front of the leader. Rylan turned to Aelfric again. His brother’s expression had changed into one of anger and outrage, likely because of what the bandit had said. It was a good development, as long as he didn’t get lost in his anger. With sharp eyes, Aelfric stepped forward.

“I’ll fight.”

Rylan smiled.

“Good.”

The bandits and Aelfric started chanting at the same time. Rylan grabbed the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it at a moment’s notice. His other hand wrapped around the wand on his waist.

Aelfric was the first to finish.

The mana within him and outside his body resonated, igniting into a flaming sphere. Rylan inwardly nodded. Firebolt was a good choice against opponents like this, but it didn’t account for their number.

The spell shot toward the bandit leader. The man’s Magic Missile pierced through the air, landing squarely in the center of the Firebolt. Both spells collapsed, nullifying each other. The leader raised an eyebrow.

“You’re better than I thought.”

Rylan could tell that he was nervous. He hadn’t expected someone as young as Aelfric to match him in power.

But they’ve still got superior numbers.

Targeting the leader first hadn’t been the right choice. It would have been better to quickly deal with the spearmen and ruin the enemy’s frontline. Aelfric needed to learn better judgment, but that was exactly why they were doing this.

“Think about which enemies should be your priority,” he said as Aelfric raised a Magic Shield to defend against the Missiles from the other bandits. The two spearmen ran toward him.

Rylan circulated his mana, ready to intervene. However, Aelfric grinned.

“Earth Grab!”

The earth beneath the spearmen’s feet rose, making them trip and fall to the ground, ruining their charge. Aelfric started to run to the side to avoid more projectiles, but his chanting didn’t stop. Rylan nodded with a smile. Aelfric recently became capable of moving while casting.

His next spells were aimed at the spearmen, who were still dragging themselves to their feet. The Firebolt landed squarely on the left one’s shoulder, making the man scream and drop his weapon as the flames scorched his skin. Rylan paid close attention to Aelfric’s expression. He had winced but didn’t seem too shaken. Rylan inwardly nodded. It was imperative to become used to hurting others in combat.

He continued to throw out pointers as Aelfric fought the bandits. In a way, it was a funny sight; because the bandits couldn’t move while casting and the two spearmen had quickly been taken out of commission, the battle consisted of most of them standing in place and shooting projectiles while Aelfric ran around and took them down one by one.

“What the fuck are you all doing? Kill him!” the leader screamed at the top of his lungs as he looked around, hidden behind a Magic Shield. Aelfric scoffed but hurriedly got back to chanting.

Then, another sound reached Rylan’s improved hearing. Horses, rapidly closing in. He frowned and unsheathed his sword.

“Young master?” Sarah asked, looking back and forth between him and Aelfric.

“More people.”

Keeping part of his perception focused on Aelfric’s battle, he looked at the carriage approaching them on the same road. It was completely white with golden engravings that shone in the sunlight. It was much bigger than Rylan’s carriage, but the large black horses that pulled it managed to reach a similar speed.

They galloped as a young woman popped out of the window and yelled.

“Faster!”

She had raven hair and black eyes with brown skin. In Rylan’s eyes, her expression of outrage did nothing to diminish her beauty. He raised an eyebrow.

The bandits stepped back as her carriage arrived.