Two weeks passed in a flash, and the caravans encountered the first danger in the infamous Bandit High Roads. Merchants never travelled through these routes because of knight-level bandits preying on caravans. Even lords avoided to travel through these routes because many had been captured and ransomed. The families who didn't pay only received their loved ones in butchered pieces.
A week ago, a heated conversation had burst:
Donald was shouting: "Come on! Even if we want to reach Evergreen City, it only matters if we reach it in one piece! It's one of the many Death zones of Barnolia, and you want us to step in there? A small detour will only increase the duration of the travel by a month! If we travel during the knight, it might not even take 6 months to reach Evergreen City! Why would you want to-"
"Our lord has spoken. He possesses ownership of 5 out of the 6 caravans we are transporting. He thus has the executive power the make the following decision. Do I need to elaborate?��, Lewis asked.
Lewis was much more cunning than he used to be. He had barbarian blood flowing in his veins, but he had grown up on the streets, killing bandits since he turned 14 under Lord Allan Moonlight's orders.
His sheer aura was enough to intimidate Donald. As soon as he increased the intensity of his voice, Donald would feel tremendous pressure, even though the latter was a rank 1 acolyte who had learnt a spell.
"But…"
Eventually, Donald gave up and until now, they had yet to encounter a single group of bandits. But…the day came.
An army of 200 preparatory-knights armed with swords and hammers, led by 6 knight-level individuals blocked the road. Another 150 archers came out of the forest surrounding the Bandit High Roads, ready to shoot a few arrows with their bows.
Sensing the threat, Drake came out of his carriage, followed by Lewis.
"White Rat, Black Rat. You have not been slacking off on your training, right?", Drake asked in an overbearing voice.
It was the first time since they left Helios that he spoke a word.
"No, my lord!"
"Good. Now, go ahead and bring me the heads of the knight-level powerhouses. Shadow crossbowmen, kill the archers. Rey, protect the carriage. Sentinels, protect the caravans, and focus on defending!"
After issuing these orders, Drake closed his eyes, cast a wind barrier on himself, and terrifying wind started to surround his body.
Acolyte! Marius Dayne was an acolyte! A rank 2 acolyte nonetheless! No wonder half-grand knights were respecting him!
Drake then cast an alternate version of [Wind Blades]. Over his 2 weeks of meditation, he found out that he could continue to supply a spell with mana to maintain its form, similarly to how [Wind Barrier] was protecting him for an extended period of time.
The three wind blades turned into lethal blades that swept through the bandit army.
*SPLASH*
Drake was controlling the three wind blades independently, and each one of them targeted vital spots of the enemies, while avoiding to hit allies or impeding with the shadow crossbowmen's attacks.
The merchants were terrorized, the sentinels flabbergasted at this display of strength and the acolyte merchants, namely Jennifer and Donald, were utterly shocked.
How was that a mere rank 2 acolyte? His attacks…they were on par with a rank 3 acolyte!
[Minor Arcane Orb – Grade 3 Magical Artefact
Amplify all offensive spells with [Arcane Amplification], adding 6 degrees of magical damage.
Requirements: 8 points of Spirit]
His magical artefact allowed him to amplify his [Wind Blades] with an additional 6 degrees of damage. Each one of his blades dealt around 42 degrees of damage, which was indeed on par with rank 3 acolytes.
This was the power of magical artefacts.
Meanwhile, White Rat and Black Rat were cutting through their enemies at high speed, using their Great Sword Art, not decreasing the speed of their charge despite the formation of enemies standing in front of them.
Some said that Magi were not invincible. And it was true. But to kill a magus, you needed at least a Grand Knight, because otherwise, the army you brought would just get decimated by the Magus' spells. Drake wasn't even a magus, yet this army of bandits was taken care of in a matter of minutes.
Meanwhile, White Rat encountered two bandit knights. One of them took him by surprise and sent a blinding powder in his eyes. As a result, White Rat was forced to close his eyes for a while. The two enemies took advantage of his vulnerability and charged at the now incapacitated White Rat. But as soon as they unsheathed their swords to cut him, White Rat roared and cleaved in front of him, accurately halving the two enemy knights alongside three bandits who stood in the way.
Sight is nothing but one sense. Who knew that Drake's harsh training would have such an effect? White Rat had long since been accustomed to use his hearing in addition to his sight whenever he fought.
A few meters away, Black Rat also finished swiftly three knights, the only one left being a white-armoured peak knight who had a very unusual elegance. It was as if he was dancing instead of fighting. The more 'Black Rat' exchanged blows with him, the more confused he seemed. He obviously had the advantage in terms of physical attributes, and his techniques were definitely not lacking.
'What is it?'
Ever since he met Drake, he swore to serve him to the best of his abilities. Less than two years later, Black Rat had reached an impressive level of strength, not just in terms of physical attributes, but also in terms of techniques. Drake taught him personally for a long time, giving him guidance and advice on his practice. He suffered a lot, but the pain only made him stronger.
'Am I falling behind?', Black Rat screamed in his mind.
He couldn't believe that a mere peak knight was standing in his way. His lord had already reached such heights. He could only follow by sprinting, and training more than anyone else. The more he wielded his great sword, the more pressured he felt…But similarly, he felt a beauty in the white-armoured knight's swordsmanship. Black Rat was wielding his sword with the sole intent to kill whereas his opponent…seemed to fight for something greater.
It was the true path of knighthood.
Rather than fighting to kill, knights originally fought to protect the loved ones standing by his side. Fighting to protect. This was it. This was the white-armoured knight's choice.
Black Rat stopped for a second, allowing the sword to reach his throat. But as if he was suddenly enlightened, an enormous amount of energy spread in his body. It was a breakthrough. Just like Lewis, Black Rat was experiencing a 'second awakening', a breakthrough that couldn't be explained in mere words.
This breakthrough was much more meaningful than a simple increase in physical attributes. His sword art mutated. Just like that white-armoured knight, Black Rat made a choice. He wouldn't wield his sword just to kill an enemy. He would fight till his last breath for his lord, the one who showed him the true beauty of swordsmanship.