The following morning, Cygnus talked to Fhen once again before they left the bandit village. The people from the village accompanied them to the entrance to see them off. They happily waved their hands as the people left their village.
After they finally disappeared, the women and children left first while the men lost the smiles on their faces. Some of them were still a bit skeptical about what they have entered to. Fhen could feel their unease but they'll change their mind soon.
"Now that the master has left, do you have any concerns you want to say now?" Fhen asked. He took the chance that they were all there to know what they think about everything that has happened so far.
"Can we really trust that man?" One of them asked what most of them were thinking. They could only agree to the man's demand because of their fear but after everything subsided, the doubt came again.
"Yes, although I almost died because of him, I was also saved because of him. According to the master's butler, his words can be trusted and we'll just have to see if it is true." Fhen could somewhat understand their worry. They were doing fine by being bandits and robbing people but since they encounter that odd group, change came so fast.
In one day, they lost many of their brothers then succumbed to the other's power. Now, they needed to serve him and do whatever he would demand of them in the future. The only benefit they could get from that was they could live and continue with their lives like nothing happened.
"But what if we can't fulfill the promise and we can't meet his demands when he calls for us? We don't even know when he will be needing us? He did not give us any exact time to prepare," another from the crowd shouted.
"Don't worry, that's the reason why I am here. The master has left some gifts for us to make sure that we grow strong by the time he will need out strength as for the time, I am not also sure but it will surely be a long time before he would need us." Fhen gladly answered, he even gave a mysterious smile.
The bandits were at least settled by those words since the master clearly stated that if they proved to be useless to them, then they will all die. They stared at Fhen who had changed overnight. They saw him talking back to the master when he opened his eyes but when he recognized the man before him, he suddenly turned docile. Must be the blood, they thought which was not that bad.
He looked more reliable and stronger now that he was under the master's command. The only reason why they recognized him as the leader was because he could use magic but his attitude was a bit unpleasant.
"Alright, we will follow this kind of arrangement for now. Although we really hope that he won't ever call for us so that we can continue with our lives," one of them sighed. The others chuckled at the wishful thinking but it was not wrong of them to even think about it.
"Time can only tell." Fhen looked up and saw a shimmer in the sky, it seems that the master has done his part. Before they left, the master told him that he will be placing a barrier around their village. As long as they stay inside, they will be safe but once they left, they'll be responsible for themselves. "As for the master's first gift, he placed a protective barrier around our village to keep us safe. So when we go out, we need to be responsible for ourselves."
The group reached the place where the carriage was left and Mr. C did a good job of repairing their ride. It was pristine like it was not damaged by the fight. Nina and Astrophos went inside first while Cygnus took his time in walking since he was in an awfully good mood.
"Master, why did you take those bandits under your care?" Mr. C finally asked. He had been wondering the whole night but he did not want to disturb the master's mood.
"Nothing that you should be concerned about," Cygnus gave him an odd smile that gave off a mysterious vibe. It was a simple smile but carried meanings that he could not understand.
"Then, do as you please," the butler did not probe any further. They rode the carriage and continued with their journey.
People wearing gray buttoned coats with red collars and red folded cuffs appeared on the site of where the fight happened after Cygnus and his group left. A tall man looked around the area with a serious face while the other soldiers started to look around.
"Major Ginehart, are you really going to take this case personally?" A woman wearing the same uniform spoke beside the man. Her face showed a frown and disgust at the place where they were.
Major Linius Ginehart looked at his captain, "Are you questioning my decision, Captain Cazal?" He stared at her with cold eyes but the woman was not fazed.
"I am not. I am just wondering what made you decide to take this bandit case?" Captain Violett Cazal shrugged her shoulders.
"Then why don't you ask your father about it? I'm sure that General Cazal will personally tell you why I accepted this assignment," he simply answered. There was no mocking from his voice but the woman could still feel the major's dislike towards her.
She was aware of her position and how the other soldiers looked at her but that didn't really matter to her. She could always brush them off. "I won't talk about this again then."
"A piece of advice captain, watch your words and your actions. I know that you are aware of how people in this field look at you, so you should also be aware you won't be able to stay here in peace if you continue with that kind of attitude." The major turned around and left the woman. He'd rather spent time talking with the other soldier than to continue speaking with the captain.
Violett clenched her fists then glared at the major's directions. Ranks don't really matter for her but the way that the major has been talking down to her was becoming more and more unbearable. Even though he was in a higher position compared to her, that doesn't give him the right to look down on her.
Since they did not welcome her presence there, she decided to leave the place instead and wait for them in the next town. She did not ask for permission nor let the major know that she was leaving, she simply did not care.
Major Ginehart stared at the woman's back then closed his eyes for a moment before he returned to continue talking with the soldiers. It was not his problem if the woman didn't want to heed his advice and it was better that she left, that way they can concentrate on their investigation.
"Follow the direction of those tracks and report to me whatever you find. Let's move!"