After burying the villagers, Leon spread his senses to the limits and tried to find the bandits but no avail. The bandits were long gone. He could understand that because of the scarcity of the trade caravans, the bandits choose to attack the villages and plunder it. But the thing he couldn't understand why the bandits killed them. They were weak villagers so if the choose to threaten them, villagers would gave their meager wealth to them but why kill? Maybe some sort of ritual needed to made, Leon knew a few of these kind of bloody rituals. He also used one of them to forge a body for himself. But bloody rituals also had their drawbacks. His [Life Seed Rebirth Manual] would fill the new body with impurities, fortunately he had a chance to burn the impurities with the lightning.
If the bandits were doing a ritual, Leon needed stop them. He didn't know what was the purpose of the ritual but if he were to guess, he would say, it has relation with the resentment. And any ritual using resentment wouldn't be a good type.
The caravan leaved the village after burying the villagers. Because it was already evening they didn't advanced too much but enough to not smell the blood. The atmosphere was tense after they saw the scene in the village. The students didn't sleep because what they saw, the order of the watch didn't mattered anymore, they all guarded the campsite together. After a sleepless night, they continued to advance towards the destination.
While they were proceeding, Leon was checking ahead with his senses he didn't find anything until afternoon when they entered a valley. Ahead of them there were horsemen who were faced to them with their weapons ready. Behind them, there were some horsemen too. There wasn't any solution besides fighting,
"We're surrounded." Leon said while he pull out his sword. He didn't know how to use sword but with his strength, it wouldn't matter.
When they heard that, the students and merchants became tense. They already witnessed the cruelty of the bandits thus making them scared of them. Leon didn't afraid of the bandits but he was worried about how the bandits using the resentment. Leon didn't wished to make this mission longer so he hurriedly rode his horse ahead. While he was going he told the others.
"I'll handle ahead, you protect, the caravan."
Hearing that Jacob and other students remained at side of the caravan with readied swords. After advancing a bit Leon could see the bandits and the bandits also saw him. While Leon riding his horse towards them, the bandits also unsheathed their swords and advanced towards Leon.
With his superhuman senses, the upcoming bandits was moving too slow for him. Soon he came face to face with a bandit. The bandit swung his sword to Leon. Leon dodged it and kicked the bandit while he was still on his horse. The bandit fell but Leon also hardly stabilized himself. But soon another sword came to his face when he dodged it, he lost his balance and fell on his feet. Without wasting time started to cut down the bandits like he was harvesting wheat. He didn't see anyone commanding the bandits while he was battling, so he thought the leader wasn't here.
He spread his senses to where Jacobs were to see if they handled the bandits. Seeing they didn't have any problem annihilating the bandits, Leon crouch down and called his book of knowledge from his sea consciousness. His soul artifact didn't have material body but it can be seen as a transparent book. He passed the book insides of the bandits to see their memories. After passing through, Leon knew where the base of the bandits but he didn't find any clue about the resentment, he didn't hope to find anyway from their memories.
Leon returned and talked about his discoveries with the rest. They were surprised that his soul artifact could read memories of the dead but accepted this.
"We should first finish this guarding job, if there were to any mishap to the caravan, I don't you but I'd feel guilty." Said Jacob. In this limited time, Leon understood that Jacob was a good guy and besides they were really close to destination so it wouldn't be a problem to company the caravan until the end.
…
"It is here." Leon said in hushed voice. It didn't take too much time for them to accompany the caravan to the destination. As soon as they finished the job, they went to the base of the bandits. The base of bandits was inside of a cave. From the cave, Leon could sense massive amount of resentment. It condensed to such a degree, even though other students didn't open their sea consciousness, they could feel eerie coldness in the cave to make them scared just being near it.
"Let's go." said Jacob but.
"Wa- wait a second." said Mark, Leon and Jacob looked to him. Mark was looking to the cave shaking.
"I don't want to do this mission, I'm the weakest here. If I go there, I- I don't think, I'll be alive." hearing that Leon didn't think him as a coward, instead he could understand him. In the world where you could make your lifespan longer, people tend to more scared of dying. But this didn't same for Jacob.
"Why are you backing off at this time? Didn't you see the village?" While Jacob was good guy, he was also hotblooded. Because he was strong and could manage himself very well in the combat he couldn't emphasize with the weak.
"We are also not going." Andre and Frank also backed off. The pressure which they were feeling from the cave also broke their courage.
"You, uhh, whatever, do what you want." Jacob looked dejected but he looked Leon with hopeful eyes. Leon didn't disappoint him, he said that he'd go with him. After the trio left Leon and Jacob remained on the spot, Leon didn't have any strategic mind and Jacob was straightforward guy, so they unsheathed their sword and attacked the sentries who were waiting outside. They quickly finished them without alarming the whole cave.
…
"Still not enough, I gathered this much resentment but it is not enough." Bloody Albert was mumbling while he was holding a leash in his hands and his eyes were bloodshot. It was clearly showing that he was losing his sanity.
"When it finished, I'll become a king an emperor." he was looking at the leash in madness. Taking his gaze from the leash he looked at the egg in front of him. While he didn't know what kind of beast inside, he could clearly sense massive mana from it. Albert wasn't a magus, but warriors also could sense the mana, even some high grade manuals would allow the warrior to use meager amount of mana.
While he was daydreaming a bandit came running and panting;
"Boss, there is intruders in the cave, they are coming here." after he said. Albert turned his bloodshot eyes to him
"And you trashes couldn't stop them and I should do your job you're saying that right?" saying he kicked the bandit on his chest. The bandit flew back for four meters with a bone breaking noise and stayed on the ground wailing but Albert didn't finished his job with him. He went side of the bandit and stomping on him until he died.
This was the scene welcomed Leon and Jacob. Leon didn't think much about it. Thinking this was the man who brutally killed anyone who he liked, it was understandable for him to kill his subordinate in a fury. The one got attention of Leon was the leash on his hands and the egg. Leon deducted that he was making this leash for controlling the beast inside of the egg. Leon could feel mana inside of the egg but he didn't know what type of magical beast was inside the egg.
After killed his subordinate with his stomps, Albert looked at Leon and Jacob with madness and without further talking he unsheathed his sword and run towards them.
["It seems the leash corroded his mind."] Leon thought and intercept oncoming attack with his sword. At the side Jacob swung his sword at Albert's abdomen. Even tough his mind corroded, Albert still had senses as a warrior and he dodge by stepping back. Leon didn't gave him anymore time and immediately he thrust his sword to his chest.
Albert dodged it by stepping toward Jacob and swung his sword, Jacob didn't thought Albert would attack him couldn't dodge and got injured in his chest and fell. Seeing that Leon thought it wouldn't be good drag this battle more than this and he threw his sword towards Albert. The sword impaled his chest but Albert still have a breath left on him so Leon jumped towards him to finish him off for good and punched him on the face. Albert's head blew up like a watermelon, blood and brain rained with bits of bones. Jacob was shocked to see Leon's strength, in his shock he forgot about his pain on his chest but soon after pain came back.
Leon opened his spatial bag took a pill and gave Jacob
"Take it, it would make you better."
Jacob thanked and took the pill and sat down. His injury was healing in a speed visible to naked eye. While Jacob was healing, Leon looked around and saw a lot of golds, silvers and other valuable things inside of the cave. Leon didn't have any interest towards them. They might be alluring to mortals but a magus wouldn't be interested in them.
Leon destroyed the leash with lightning while Jacob's eyes were closed and looked at the egg. It was looking like an egg but its surface was scaled like a snakes and it was black. Leon did have knowledge about magic beasts but couldn't say the species of the egg from its shape and color.