Merchant. the lifeblood of kingdoms, that ran the economy across countless nations, in past, present, or even future. Even if that kingdom is closed off to the outside world for example the Kingdom of Asheatha. Traders and Merchants kept going around keeping the economy flourishing.
Thus, every king's task in the kingdom and their financial minister is to maintain the trust of those merchants. As they are akin to vital bees pollinating flowers, ensuring the economy thrives.
In Ignarion, the economic situation had spiraled into turmoil. Merchants one by one deserted to other nations with better financial system elsewhere. The kingdom's currency thus result to collapsed day by day, quicken by the raiders and bandits that rise up, discontent with the new king's and the prime minister's new policies.
***
A few flying silhouettes sliced through the desolate brown sky as crows perched on a withered tree cawed their sorrowful symphony. With a couple of caravans, we then arrive at somewhere in the middle of north eastern Ignarion. Clouds of smokes arises from the smoldering village in the background, a haunting testament to the perils plaguing all the kingdom.
A glance was all we needed to look at the hopeless scene before we look back down, thinking about what plan should we use to dispatch and neutralize the group of bandits in this area. Was our indifferent was spurred by our status, or is it the cause of our logic that thinks even if we reached the village, none might be left alive?
"Brother, any thoughts?" My sister's voice, muffled by the hood from her red plain mage robe, interrupted my contemplation.
"We can't really assessed the situation before we went out there, right?" I replied, refocusing my attention on her.
Days prior back in his abode, Cedric summoned us to a meeting with him. Finishing our refitting, he tasked us to eliminate a group of bandits in this city and also guide the merchants out of the out of the area if we ever passed one.
"Hear now children. I knew both of you could take down this bandit base in an instant. I'll assign my most loyal troops to help you with it if you seem troubled with my request" He said with utmost confidence, with his finger pointing towards the area on the map.
"You need to defeat and eliminate the bandit group at least a month before the expedition needs to raid village after village for supply just to keep it going"
Back in the present, I pondered over Cedric's extraordinary faith in us, while my sister hesitated to voice a question.
"Brother, is Cedric a..." She halted herself before regretting her decision to ask. "Never mind, I think you know what I'm going to say anyway"
Before I could reply to her unclear and cut short question. Shouts outside grabbed our attention. Confused, we hasten ourselves to open one of curtain from the caravan, witnessing that the bandits has just attacked us.
"Commander!" The knight took his breath before continuing. "A group of bandits has just ambushed us! Your safety is first so please follow me, I'll promise me and my group of soldiers will guide you to safety."
Annoyed and perturbed, a sentence materializes in my mind Are the guards underestimating us? I thought uneasily before I rebuffed the protective gesture. "Robert, why are you even here? Go help your companions or I'll personally punish you!"
"But commander-"
"We're not some helpless children or nobles that needs protection at all times!" I asserted. After a reflexive "Yes" from him, he then joins the fight with his other troops. With my sister and I prepared to face the threat, guarding each other's backs as we surveyed the danger lurking around.
"What are you children even doing in this fight?"
A voice, sprinkled with amusement, echoed from the left side of the caravan as a gang of bandits swiftly encircled us, trapping my sister and me inside.
Surprised but not shaken, and also sensing my sister's worries. I stepped forward, staff poised outside the carriage. "Bandits, huh? You're here because you despise the new king and his reign, causing all this strife and suffering, right?" I challenged, eying them steadily, keeping my staff close to my body
"I don't care what kids like you think you know about us. Just because you overheard grown-ups talking doesn't make you experts, you brats!" One retorted, proceeding to charge towards us blindly, with his sword stayed on his hips, ready to strike.
"Brother, they've surrounded us."
"I noticed, sis. I should've not asked Robert to leave."
"If we asked the guards to cancel your order and come to help us, even if they knew that we're just brats, our commands will carry as just much weight as a feather next time we're on an expedition."
"Brats huh...That's a strong word coming especially from you."
"Keep chattering inside there, kiddo!" a bandit began climbing into the caravan, knife gripped strongly onto his hand, prepare to plunge at our body anytime.
Reacting swiftly, I signaled my sister. "Au-" I almost forgot about the new name that Cedric gave us so we wouldn't be recognized easily "Ah, Freesia, now!"
"Flame Notes"
Startled, the bandit attempted to defend himself. "M-Mages?!" His scream filled the air as he was hurled, singed and battered, thus flown outside of the carriage from my sister's magical attack.
"What in the world?!" Another bandit exclaimed.
The other bandits quickly attracted to where the sound of the scream was. After witnessing their comrade's fate, initial shock twisted into fury. "A pair of children has done this to one of our friends?" they chattered to themselves. One after another, they entered the caravan, only to be met with the same fate, defeated by our spells.
Soon, after defeating the bandit's leader in the fighting that happens in front of our leading carriage, the guards declared victory, rounding up the surrendering bandits and meticulously inspecting every carriage for lurking threats.
The sounds of rapid footsteps were quickly heard from outside. The sound of a knight rushed here to check our well-being, with him swiftly open the curtains from the back side of the caravan.
"Commander? How's your condition?"
"We're fine, Robert"
With a sigh of relieve, he proceeded to chastised me. "That was really rash of you commander! You know you're always at risk of getting attack by bandits at anytime you know during that ambush!"
"I'm sorry, Robert. I was just more concerned about your man than my own myself, I suppose."
Sighing, his demeanor softened, with a faint display of worry were left from earlier. "Well, from now on, I'll be accompanying you until we've subjugated the bandit's operational's base as well as their group" He exclaims while putting both of his hands on the waist's side.
Attempting to change the subject, my sister quickly thought of and queried, "Robert, just curious. Why are there no monsters attacking? Aren't we near the forest and diverted by the bandits?"
"Why you ask? Well, it's because the Vanguard"
The Vanguard...?
Eager to know more, I added to my sister's question. "What's the Vanguard?" my eyes filled and shines with curiosity while putting both of my hands in front of me.
Completely overwhelmed, he cracks under pressure. "W-Well, you're not asking the right person to answer that, commander. But you could think them as adventurers that's created for the sole purpose of protecting the kingdom from monsters and monsters only. Like those only solely focused on adventures." He states.
My mind echoed back to when I wrote the MC after saving the Ignarion's princess and replaced the new king from the old 'tyrannical king' that she compares the MC with the Hero of Ignarion.
"Is the leader of that group named...Heydrick Visca?" I ventured. It was a blind guess for sure, but this is a guess that I'm fairly certain of.
Robert's eyes widen. "Yes, that's right" before getting close and got really intrigued to me.
I wouldn't thought a character that I only reference by a short dialogue and a brief appearance in the anime would've such a big influence here I thought. Ego swelled within me, a grin is now visibly visible to everyone. Before I could enjoy my short amount of time inside my pride, my sister nudged me, pulling me back to reality.
"Did you heard this from this somewhere with 'his baron'?" Robert probed, now squinting his eyes suspiciously to me. It fairly understandable considering that I'm still eight and I know about this stuff.
Realizing my predicament and the impossibility of my current act if I kept going while playing the part of 'a child adopted from nowhere', I feigned a nervous giggle and act like I've heard it somewhere when Cedric accidentally talks about it with some of his friends.
After a brief respite, both my sister and I hastily dispatched the group of guards left to manage the subdued bandits, sending them back to Cedric for judgment.
Without we even knowing, unlike Robert, who didn't secure the bandits, the other guards noticed peculiar burn marks on the captured bandits nearby. Aware that no mages other than my sister and me were in Cedric's domain, they interrogated those with the singed marks, seeking answers about their unusual injuries.
Rumors quickly spread among the guards as they realized that a significant portion of the captured bandits had been defeated by us. Oblivious to this development, we pressed on toward the bandit stronghold. Meanwhile, back at Cedric's mansion, Cedric himself was gearing up to reprimand us while ensuring that guards were kept in the dark to prevent any loose lips.
"Those kids, I suppose I'll give them a 'hell' of a time in their life so they would never repeat this kind of act." He stated, sitting on a lone sofa with one of his leg crossed while his hand holding a stick that's usually use to explain plans that were drawn on the planning table.