I continued following my father. We hadn't run far from the estate—about halfway to the city—when my father suddenly stopped and turned around.
—«Ruwen, you must stay home.»—he said firmly.
—«But I can help you,»—I insisted.
—«No. I don't even know what's happening. I can't allow you to come,»—my father pressed.
—«Father, you know my abilities. I can—»
—«NO!»—Rey interrupted me.
His gaze was resolute. Sometimes he might not seem serious, but at moments like this, he was full of determination. There was no convincing him.
…
—«I… I understand,»—I exhaled.
—«Good,»—he placed a hand on my shoulder and added—«Take care of our home.»—Then he turned and continued running toward the city.
—«…Yes, Father,»—I said, watching his back.
Damn, what should I do? I want to help him. My skills, both in magic and with a sword, should be more than enough. But he's right—if whoever attacked the city decides to target the mayor's house, someone must defend it.
I had already turned back and was about to head home when—
—«Master.»
My thoughts were interrupted by Marika, who stood by the small fence in front of our house.
—«You can go,»—she said—«Don't worry about us. It's unlikely they'll make it here. We'll be fine,»—she added with a soft smile.
It seemed she had overheard my conversation with Father. Still, I was worried about them. Marika was weak and wouldn't be able to do much, and while Ellyn was a powerful mage, without a swordsman beside her, she wouldn't be able to cast spells quickly enough.
—«Alright, be careful,»—I replied with a faint smile.
Thank you, Marika. I'll buy you something sweet when I return. She's such a sweet tooth. Well then, off to the city.
…
When I reached the city, the first thing that caught my eye wasn't the empty streets—which were never bustling to begin with—but the heavy atmosphere and the towering plumes of smoke rising from the other side of the city.
The closer I got to the source, the louder the screams became. I turned onto one of the streets and saw a crowd of people trying to extinguish a house fire on the outskirts. They passed buckets of water from a well in one of the alleys and did their best to douse the flames. Their efforts weren't in vain, but as I looked around, I noticed nearby houses that had already burned but were now extinguished.
As I moved closer to the crowd, I couldn't see my father. Where was he?
—«Excuse me,»—I approached the group to find out what had happened.
—«Yeah? What do you want? Can't you see we're busy?»—a man snapped irritably.
—«What happened here? And why isn't Rey here?»—I asked.
—«What? Rey? Can't you see what's going on around here?!»—
—«Calm down,»—a girl appeared from behind the man—«You're Ruwen, right?»
—«Yes, that's correct.»
—«Are you looking for your father?»
—«Yes, do you know where he is? Why don't I see him here?»
—«He went into the forest with some knights.»
—«The forest?»
—«Yes, they followed those bandits.»
—«Bandits?»
—«Yes, they're the ones who attacked the town.»
So it was just bandits? But why would they do this… I need to leave immediately.
—«And also—»—the girl started to say, but I interrupted her.
—«Thank you,»—I shouted as I ran out of the city toward the forest.
—«Um, I wasn't finished…»
—«Hey, who was that?»—the man asked.
—«Him? That was Ruwen. He's Rey's son,»—the girl replied.
—«Rey's son? The son of the city's mayor? Ha-ha, he's just like Rey in his youth.»
…
I headed into the forest. I didn't know what to expect, but I didn't think it would be a problem. Father is strong, though I haven't met many powerful people yet. By this world's standards, Rey is likely very strong.
As I ventured deeper into the forest, the muffled sounds of battle became audible. The clanging of swords grew louder and louder. When I finally burst out of a thicket, I saw the fight in full swing. Several knights, with my father at the center, were engaged in battle. Looking around, I could see traces of their skirmish with the bandits, along with about half a dozen bodies.
Both the knights and the bandits were exhausted. Their movements were sluggish, their strikes less precise, and their speed had diminished. After a few more clashes, all the enemies were defeated.
They were all dressed in strange clothes that looked more like rags than proper garments. They wore long dark cloaks and carried identical swords. Odd bandits, attacking in broad daylight, with the same weapons and, most strangely, why attack the city itself?
—«Ruwen?»—my father looked at me in surprise, panting heavily.
—«Father…»—I hadn't even finished speaking when I noticed one of the bodies still moving.
—«Behind!»—I shouted.
I quickly raised my hand to cast a spell. In an instant, a powerful air blade shot from my hand towards the body. The bandit had already raised his sword and was moving towards my father's heart. The spell pierced his arm, severing it and sending it flying about five meters to the side. My father, undeterred, made a swift motion with his sword, severing the bandit's head. Blood sprayed from the wound, splattering everywhere, especially on Rey. As always, not a pleasant sight.
Rey exhaled.
—«What happened?»—I quickly approached to find out what had occurred.
He told me that about 20 bandits had attacked the city. They were setting fire to all the houses in their path. He also mentioned that these bandits had captured some people and took them away in carts. This attack was too strange; they were acting in ways that real bandits wouldn't. And why did they need people? Was there slavery in this world?
—«Why do they need people?»—I asked.
—«I don't know…»—he said, briefly averting his gaze. It seemed like he knew something but didn't want to share. I would have to find out on my own.
—«I see,»—I replied.
We decided to inspect the bodies of the bandits, but found nothing. They had no other possessions besides their swords, their strange clothes, and the identical weapons. However, there was one odd thing I noticed—there was a strange, barely perceptible energy emanating from them, unlike anything I had ever felt. I couldn't find the words to describe it, though if I had to, I would call it disgusting. It seemed like no one else felt it. I was practically revolted by it, while the others seemed fine.
After we finished our inspection and took a short break to rest, we decided to head back to the city.
…
As we were leaving the forest, the acrid smell of smoke hit us. In the distance, we could see that all the houses at the edge of the city had been burned down.
We approached the city and saw about 10 houses completely reduced to ash, with foundations barely visible. Several dozen more houses had been damaged by the fires.
Upon arrival, we learned of the number of missing and dead. The numbers were far higher than I had expected. Nearly 30 people had been kidnapped, and almost 50 had been killed. For a town with a population of just over 2,000, this was almost a tragedy.
…
Evening.
The city was busy dealing with the aftermath. Rey and I decided to return to the manor. My father planned to write a letter to the capital to help resolve the situation. We walked home in silence, my father deep in thought the entire time. It seemed like the day couldn't get any worse…
I lowered my head slightly as we walked. Today had been too difficult. As I continued walking, I noticed that my father had stopped. I looked at him—his face was one of horror. What had he seen? Where was he looking? Why did he look like that? His eyes were filled with fear, his face pale, his mouth open. He didn't stay like that long—after a few seconds, he dashed forward. I shifted my gaze to where Rey had been looking…
Fear.
That was the first thing I felt. Goosebumps ran down my body, and a cold sweat appeared on my face. I looked at the yard of my house… which was now gone. The signs of battle were everywhere. The fence around the house had been knocked down. One of the walls of the house had been destroyed. It only took a moment to realize what had happened.
—«No…»
—«NO!!!»—I shouted and ran forward.
As I got closer and entered the yard, I could see it more clearly…
The tracks on the ground showed signs of both a swordsman and a mage. There were numerous craters caused by explosive magic, and beyond them, the traces of a blade… and blood. Blood was everywhere, with several bodies scattered around, just like in the forest. They wore black cloaks, but these were different—decorated with intricate patterns, and the clothing on their bodies was of higher quality than the rags they had worn. I stepped over both the bodies and the craters left by the magic, slowly approaching the house. The door was open—of course, my father had rushed in before me.
Once inside, the first thing I noticed… was the blood. A long trail of blood ran across the floor, stretching from outside. It was hard to spot at first, but it led into the living room on the first floor…
I followed the trail, unsure of what to expect. Fear began to fill me. Whose blood was this? Who had fought? It couldn't have been Ellin… Though she was a powerful mage, she could have fought, but if she had been injured during the battle, she wouldn't have been able to fight alone…
As I passed through the hallway leading to the living room, I noticed something—my father's family sword, which was supposed to be hanging in the parents' room, was lying on the floor in front of the door to the room… covered in blood. Ellin was a mage, and she wouldn't have fought with a sword…
I stood before the living room. On the bed lay a girl, with beautiful features, her striking red hair spread out on the pillow. Her once neat maid's uniform was no longer intact, with a large tear on her chest, and blood continued to flow from her wound. Nearby, on the floor, sat a girl with beautiful white hair, her back turned as she cast some spell. A man sat beside her, simply watching. As soon as I approached, he stood up and hurried off somewhere.
I slowly moved closer to the bed where the girl lay. She was conscious, her eyes open. I stood above her, and countless thoughts raced through my mind.
What had happened while we were gone? They had decided to attack after all, but why? If I had stayed home, would things have been different? Marika wouldn't have been hurt… This is all my fault…
Before I could dwell further on my thoughts, I heard her voice…
—«It's okay,»—Marika said, taking my hand.—«You're not to blame.» A soft smile spread across her face, and it filled the room with warmth.
—«Cough…»—she coughed up blood.
—«It's okay,»—I said, holding her hand and lowering myself to the floor.
—«I'm sorry…»—I whispered.
Tears began to well up in my eyes, slowly rolling down my cheeks. She still held my hand, her gentle, warm touch never leaving. I squeezed her hand a little tighter and continued to hold on…
…
…
…
The end of Chapter 10.