Finally getting back at the main camp, he bid farewell his knight escort and headed back to the tavern. Them leaving, Ritzy removed his j bloodied coat and then continued to the tavern. Luckily his shirt and pants didn't have any blood.
At the tavern, he saw many people filling the place up again. It seemed they ran out of energy or money to continue for the night so they choose the cheaper option to continue drinking cheap ale with their companions.
Walking back to the table where Kevin brought him, he saw the group again.
Kevin,
"Hey your back, how were the girls?".
Ritzy,
"They were nice and knew how to have fun, sadly they can't keep up with me. I had to order another two to finally call it a night. Being a mage is a blessing and a curse".
Luke,
"Oh, so that's why the Benedire family is paying you so much. Not only are you a knight but also a mage. It makes sense now".
Rick,
"Wait, I thought mages were physically weak? Shouldn't you've been the first one back?".
Ritzy felt annoyed by the question since he wanted his disappearance a secret but he couldn't show any mal intent.
Ritzy,
"No and yes. Mages don't usually fight and many ignore their physical bodies but it's a bad idea. Using magic is similar to wearing armor. If one wants to use the best armor, their body must be strong enough to carry the heavy armor. For mages, one body needs to be strong enough to use strong spells or there will be a dangerous backlash".
The group was very intrigued by this concept, mostly Kevin since he works next to Benedire, one of the greatest magicians, as a priority defender.
Kevin,
"That explains a lot. I always wondered why my lord worked his body nonstop even though he's old and can use unimaginable spells".
Rick,
"That interesting but I have a bigger question?".
Ritzy,
"What is it?".
Rick,
"When you showed one finger to Luke, was it a gold coin you were talking about".
Ritzy was confused but then realized this world doesn't know that the middle finger is a profane gesture.
Ritzy,
"Yes, I did single that it was one coin".
Rick,
"I know one coin but is it-".
Before he finished, Kevin intervened and said,
"Jack's our friend and it's considered rude to ask information from a friend who doesn't want to share, especially if it's about money. Jack will tell us if he wants to".
Rick,
"Sorry about being nosey, I didn't mean to be rude".
Ritzy,
"It's fine".
Kevin,
"Sit with us, oh yeah. We have to pay the girls, want me to order one of their representatives to give us the bill?".
Ritzy,
"Yeah, get one of them here and order me something to drink. Also, get a snack for the whole group".
The group then resumed drinking, eating, and telling stories of what they did earlier this night. Minutes passed and an older lady came.
Representative,
"Jack, thank you for your patronage. Since we're also part of the tavern, we'll be including the fees. We need you to pay now since your tab has gotten too big. It's just to make sure you can pay and not steal money from us".
Ritzy,
"I understand, so how much will it be?".
Representative,
"For the time you requested the girls, the drinks, and food; it'll be 126 iron coins".
Everyone nearby was completely astounded by the amount of coins in Ritzy's tab.
Kevin and other people nearby said softly,
"What the f#ck".
Kevin and the group already knew Ritzy had a gold coin, which was much more than 126 iron coins but it was still a lot. 126 iron coins were about half the yearly wage for them.
Ritzy heard their comments and ignored them. He wanted to stay low but it was necessary to waste this much to sneak in the city.
Ignoring them, Ritzy took out two silver coins and handed them to the old lady.
Ritzy,
"Keep half the change as a tip and the other half put it in the tab. Also, make it my friends in this table able to use my tab".
Earlier in the night when she heard about a wealthy person renting many women, drinks, and food; she got excited with the amount of money they would get for the guild. Then hearing that the person was ready to pay, she hurriedly went to the tavern.
At the tavern, she saw Ritzy and became distraught. Before she thought it would be some wealthy noble or merchant but Ritzy's high collared shirt made her skeptical.
The shirt was something only people with money would wear but with Ritzy being young and having golden eyes. He might pull rank or do something to not pay the bill. She didn't like young people since they were trouble makers.
Now having being paid with two silver coins and being given such a hefty tip, she was speechless. She didn't know what to do.
Not sure what to do she said almost panicking,
"Order whatever you want, call if you ever need anything!".
Finished saying that out loud and fidgety, she decided to leave in a quick manner
Everyone nearby was surprised by her reaction and even more that Ritzy paid his tab no problem. Even more surprised that he paid even future expenses without batting an eye.
Kevin,
"That was very kind of you to add us to your tab but you didn't have to".
Ritzy,
"It's fine, I just wanted to give a gift to the group since I'm new. Plus, I will be going back to my tent. I pretty tired".
Rick,
"Oh ok, well thanks for letting us use your tab. I hope we see you soon".
Luke, Kevin, and Charles,
"Good night".
Ritzy said good night as well and then picked up the stone box. Having his things, he left the tavern and went back to his camp.
While walking through the crowds of people and women trying to entice RItzy for a night, Ritzy finally left the main camp. Outside the main camp, some people were picked up on Ritzy's Mana Presence.
They were hiding behind trees and bushes, making sure that Ritzy wouldn't see them. Showing that they weren't here with good intentions.
Some had swords, others had bows, but most had farm tools. It was obvious they were attacking Ritzy for his money that he showed earlier.
Ritzy continued walking, not minding that there were many people ready to ambush him.
As he walked, every step he took caused the people to tense up. They knew Ritzy must be an important person since he is a blessed person but they decided to take the risk.
The risk was nothing compared to the rewards. With Ritzy being able to afford two silver for a night's fun it meant that he had much more. They saw this as an opportunity to get a stockpile of silver coins. Even if each person only got one silver coin, it would be worth it.
Finally, Ritzy was directly in the middle of them and they emerged from hiding. Being in plain view, they aimed their weapons at Ritzy and made a menacing face.
Leader,
"Jack, we saw that you have a hefty bank account. Would you mind sharing it with us? You'll be allowed to leave after the ward".
Even though the people emerged aiming weapons at Ritzy and their leader threatened him, Ritzy continued walking as if nothing was happening.
The leader seeing Ritzy calming walking forward and getting closer to him, he became worried.
The leader yelled in a desperate and worried voice,
"Don't move, don't you see your life is in our hand!".
Ritzy ignored him and continued walking.
Leader,
"Stop right now!".
Nobody knew what was happening. They couldn't understand how a person wouldn't be afraid of being surrounded by a huge group.
Ritzy was now a meter away from the leader and the leader got frightened. Scared, the leader then lifted his sword and swung at Ritzy. He was scared of what Ritzy would do when he got to close since Ritzy wasn't even a bit fazed with their existence.
Ritzy seeing that a sword came at him, he didn't panic. Instead, he lifted his free hand that wasn't holding the stone box, and faced the palm of his hand at the leader. Then he expelled wind magic from his hand.
The wind came full throttle at the man unexpectedly and without mercy. When the furious wind hit the leaders body, it felt as if he ran into a wall.
The next moment, the leader's body was flung to a nearby tree. A strong cracking sound could be heard as the leader hit the tree.
Seeing this act, everyone was terrified and didn't know what to do.
Ritzy continued walking forward and reached the leader he threw at the tree.
Leader,
"Please don't hurt me".
Ritzy didn't respond and gently kicked him, causing him to fall over strangely easily. With him on the ground, Ritzy continued walking forward and out of sight.