Tory and his remaining guards trudged uphill with great difficulty. Tory was in a sorry state—his helmet had been lost, and a broken arrow was lodged in his shoulder. He felt as if he was on the verge of meeting the god of the underworld. The night before, the town had been attacked by a group of bandits. Fortunately, Tory had been drinking in the tavern when it happened. Strangely, the guards stationed at the town's entrance had failed to raise an alarm.
When the bandits arrived, most of them charged directly toward the town's castle, leaving only a small number behind to pillage other areas. Due to the holiday, there were six guards inside the castle—two patrolling the streets and two keeping watch outside the town. Tory was in charge of 20 guards, divided into two squads alternating between patrol and watch duties. When Tory and his team saw the bandits, they immediately rallied the remaining 10 guards and fought to break through the encirclement, taking Lady Aria with them. The town's main exit was heavily guarded, so their only option was to escape through the rear mountain pastures. Although the terrain was steep, it provided a chance for survival, and the horses there could be used for food if necessary.
However, the snowy weather betrayed them. As soon as they left, the bandits picked up their trail and pursued them relentlessly. What began as a small group managed to break through with only four guards: Tory, one other guard, Lady Aria, and the tavern's landlady, whom Lady Aria had insisted on bringing along. The treacherous mountain path, blanketed in snow, only added to their ordeal. While the bandits eventually disappeared—possibly due to slippery terrain or some other reason—the group dared not stop. They pressed forward without rest.
The journey, which would have taken only half a day under normal conditions, had stretched from 7 PM the previous evening until dawn the next morning, and they were still only a third of the way to their destination. Despite the exhaustion, they knew stopping was not an option. Moving forward offered a slim chance of survival; falling into the bandits' hands meant certain death.
"Stop! Stop, damn it!" Tory turned to look behind him. The bandits, who had vanished earlier, reappeared on the narrow mountain path, waving their weapons and shouting aggressively. Tory quickly counted about 20 of them—a nightmare for his exhausted group.
"Chuck, go! No matter what, you must ensure Lady reaches the pastures safely. Once you're there, dismantle the fence and roll the logs down if anyone tries to climb up. I'll stay here and hold off the pursuers," Tory said, glancing at the remaining stretch of mountain path, still a few hundred meters away.
Since the previous evening, none of them had eaten or drunk anything. Continuous movement had drained every ounce of their strength. Even Tory, a battle-hardened veteran, felt the temptation to collapse and sleep.
"Captain, you all go ahead. I can't climb anymore," gasped Chuck, one of the guards. As he spoke, his strength gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground, nearly sending Lady Aria, whom he was carrying, tumbling off the cliffside.
"I can't go on either. Even if we make it, my legs are probably ruined," said the tavern landlady, lifting her skirt to reveal legs that had turned blue from the cold. After all, they had fled in such haste that they hadn't had time to prepare for the harsh weather.
"Dalis, don't lose hope... Miss, Miss!" Tory suddenly noticed something was wrong. Lady Aria had fallen limp after Chuck's collapse and showed no signs of movement. Alarmed, Tory rushed over to check on her and found that she had fainted, likely from the cold. Her breathing was weak and shallow.
Despair gripped Tory. All his efforts had been for Lady Aria's safety, and if anything happened to her, how could he face her father? The mental pillar that had kept Tory going crumbled, and his vision blurred. He fell backward into the snow but quickly snapped awake when his head hit the icy surface.
The bandits pursuing them grew even more motivated when they saw the four of them motionless. They had been after the little girl from the beginning. Though they had considered chasing her through the treacherous mountain path during the night, they decided instead to rest, drink, and eat before resuming their pursuit at dawn.
"Captain Tory! Captain Tory!" A voice broke through Tory's haze. Forcing himself to lift his head, he saw a figure sprinting down the mountain path toward them. It was none other than Ryan, the caretaker of the pasture. Tory let his head fall again. What difference would Ryan make? He was still a boy, untrained in combat. Even if he had trained, what chance did he have against 20 armed bandits? His arrival would only mean another needless death.
"Captain Tory!" Ryan had seen the dire situation from the top of the mountain and had rushed to help. He knew he couldn't possibly get everyone to safety alone. He would have to rely on the horses. Holding a thick rope, he quickly ran to Tory's side, shocked to find the group lying lifelessly in the snow.
"Captain Tory, grab the rope! It's tied to the horses above!" Ryan shouted urgently. He could see the armed bandits approaching and was relieved to note that they didn't appear to have archers. But spotting the broken arrow in Tory's shoulder made his heart race with fear. His own magic's effective range was no more than 50 meters—barely anything. At that range, a single archer could easily hit him. After all, Ryan had already died once.
"Ryan, just go. Take the lady with you and report everything to her father. We can't go any further," Tory croaked weakly. His voice was hoarse and filled with despair, as though he'd resigned himself to his fate.
"Oh! Looks like I'll have to do it myself." Ryan paid no heed to Tory's words. Frustrated, he grabbed the rope and began looping it around his companions. He started with Chuck, reasoning that Chuck's helmet would prevent snow from blocking his nose and mouth while being dragged. Next was Tory, followed by the tavern landlady. As for Lady Aria, Ryan decided to carry her himself. After all, she had saved his life years ago. Without her, he would have starved to death. Even though he was a slave, being alive was better than the alternative.
"Hey, kid! Put that girl down!" Ryan had just secured the others when the bandits appeared, now less than a hundred meters away. Seeing the rope and Ryan's actions, they quickly realized what was happening and charged forward with renewed vigor.
"Niu Niu, pull!" Ryan shouted loudly. From above, his trusty horse Niu Niu obeyed the command. The rope tied to the horse went taut, and the three looped in it—Tory, Chuck, and the landlady—began moving quickly upward.
"Healing Light!" Taking advantage of the moment, Ryan cast a basic Light magic spell on the nearly lifeless Lady Aria. A soft glow of white light emerged from Ryan's hand, seeping into her body. Ryan couldn't help but wonder how Niu Niu had learned to recognize this magic incantation; it wasn't in any of the books he'd read. But Ryan's usual approach was to avoid dwelling on things he couldn't figure out.
"Haha! A hundred gold coins! Don't let anyone else take her!" The bandits were closing in. Their leader had promised a bounty of 100 gold coins for capturing the girl, a fortune that sent them into a frenzy.
"Ryan! Ryan, run! Run!" Tory, lying on his back, shouted hoarsely as he saw the bandits rushing at Ryan. But he was too weak to do anything more than scream. Chuck had already lost consciousness, and the landlady, tears streaming down her face, shut her eyes, unable to bear watching what she thought would come next. Facing 20 armed bandits, even a fully equipped swordsman would have no chance—let alone Ryan, who wore only a thin shirt.
"Hmph! I know magic! Why should I fear you?" Ryan muttered, trying to boost his own morale. His legs, however, were trembling. This wasn't like fighting a single Magic Ape. Here, he faced 20 opponents. Fortunately, the narrow mountain path only allowed two to advance side by side.
"Sixty meters… fifty-five… fifty… fireball!" The mountain path was steep but straight. Ryan watched the bandits approach, carefully estimating the distance. Hesitant to misjudge, he waited until they took another step closer.
"Ha! The kid's frozen in fear! Everyone, charge!" The leading bandit saw Ryan standing still, looking like easy prey. But as he charged forward, his face turned pale when he noticed a glowing, fiery orb in Ryan's hand.
"A mage? No way—!" His words were cut off as Ryan's Fireball spell blasted into him, shattering his arm and sending him tumbling into the deep ravine below, his screams fading into the distance.
Everyone froze. The remaining bandits stood in stunned silence, their brains struggling to process what had just happened. A mage? Here? To them, mages were terrifying, almost mythical figures capable of extracting souls or casting deadly curses. This narrow, snow-covered mountain path now seemed like a death trap. The 50 meters of uphill terrain felt insurmountable. Even a fool could see that reaching Ryan would take at least half a minute—a timeframe in which the mage could cast multiple spells. And what if he retreated while casting?
"This… this…" Tory was equally dumbfounded. He had fully intended to end his own life once they reached the top. Now, the situation had completely reversed. The sheep had become the saber-toothed tiger, and the predators were the prey. Blinking in disbelief, he watched the bandits scramble to flee—only to slip and tumble into the ravine. Their screams echoed below as one after another fell. Even the landlady stared, wide-eyed, unable to reconcile this powerful figure with the weak, submissive slave she had known.
"Stop! Stop! If you don't, I'll cast another spell!" Ryan yelled, though inwardly he was close to fainting. What was going on? One spell, and they were all running? Didn't they realize that capturing them meant loot? His thoughts turned to the potential spoils he was letting escape.
"Run! He's after us! A mage! Run!" The terrified bandits threw away their weapons and bolted, with those at the back pushing the others ahead. Most tumbled into the ravine, while the few in front tripped and were dragged down by their comrades. In the end, only two bandits remained, far beyond Ryan's reach. Reluctantly, he turned and headed back uphill.
" Oh, even mosquito legs are still meat," Ryan muttered as he removed a sack from his waist. He began collecting the weapons left behind by the fallen bandits, shoving them into the grain sack he'd deliberately brought along for such occasions.
Ryan never expected that using a simple Fireball spell would solve the rest of the problem. He was feeling quite proud of himself, thinking, "A sharp mage, huh? Man, I'm amazing. Took down 20 fully armed warriors all by myself." He was thrilled, but then he remembered the lady and quickly began gathering the spoils: seven greatswords, two leather helmets, a few pairs of boots—nothing else of note.
Ryan noticed his strength was increasing. Carrying one person on his back and hauling a sack up the mountain didn't feel like a big deal anymore. He felt light and happy, as if he had just triumphed over a group in a game.
"Wait, why is everyone unconscious?" Ryan arrived at the summit and saw all three of them were out cold. Chuck had passed out earlier, the landlady had fainted, and Tory... was he pretending to be unconscious?
Ryan first checked the young lady on his back. She was wrapped in a cloak, but it wasn't much protection. As for her name, Ryan couldn't possibly know that.
"Oh, she's a beauty!" Ryan thought as he unwrapped the cloak, revealing a blonde girl, around 12 or 13 years old, with an oval face, long golden lashes, small lips, and a slender, graceful neck—most importantly, she was breathing.
Ryan didn't overthink it. He quickly removed her gown to check her condition, blushing and relieved when he realized she was just cold. He hurriedly carried her into the cave, laying her on the grass. He poured hot water from a metal can into a wooden bucket, adding cold water. The temperature wasn't high enough, but Ryan had a solution: he cast several Fireballs, about seven or eight, filling the cave with smoke. When he checked the water again, it was nearly ready. He quickly undressed the young lady and tossed her clothes into the bucket. Blushing, he rushed outside. Since no one here wore undergarments, it made sense why he had blushed when checking her earlier—after all, his knowledge in these areas was more theoretical than practical.
Chuck was also stripped and placed on thick hay between two fires to warm up, his clothes frozen from the night's escape. This was in the front section of the cave, while the back part was Ryan's old living space, where a "little beauty" resided. Ryan wasn't going to put Chuck there. Fortunately, the cave was long and high enough to avoid the smoke causing any issues.
Tory, too, was stripped and placed beside Chuck. Ryan prepared warm water to treat Tory's injuries.
"Niu Niu, heal him. I told you to heal him, so do it!" Ryan called, with a candle beside him, signaling Niu Niu.
"Alright, healing." Niu Niu, a light-elemental being, had revealed to Ryan that her magic came from inherited memories. Ryan pulled out the arrowhead from Tory's body, waiting for the stagnant blood to drain before allowing Niu Niu to heal the wound.
Once Ryan and Niu Niu left, Tory woke up, shocked. "Ryan isn't just a mage, he has a high-level humanoid light-elemental familiar! This... this..." Tory, who had fought alongside the knight Terry in battles, understood the significance of what he had just seen. Looking around, he decided that resting and recovering was more important for now.
"This... is a bit troublesome," Ryan said, looking at the landlady's frostbitten limbs. He sighed and moved her farther from the fire. Then, he ran outside to gather snow and brought it back in.
"This woman is beyond saving. Why bother?" Niu Niu asked, puzzled.
"Beyond saving? You shouldn't be making judgments you don't understand," Ryan said as he quickly stripped the landlady. He wondered why both she and the young lady had been fleeing in formal attire.
The landlady appeared to be in her twenties, with long golden hair and an oval face. However, her body was covered in a blueish frostbite that made Ryan shudder. He grabbed a handful of snow and began rubbing it over her body.
Niu Niu watched curiously, not understanding Ryan's actions.
Ryan continued vigorously rubbing the snow, changing the basin twice. The effect was clear: the landlady's blue skin had turned red, thanks to Ryan using both healing spells and the snow treatment. He was so focused on his work when he suddenly heard a soft, feminine voice.