Things could get ugly. Bernard's expression turned grave upon hearing his master's speculation.
"I agree, but that doesn't mean we can just charge in recklessly. The bandits might scout our forces and bolt if they realize how strong we are."
The subjugation force consisted of one knight, two mages, and about thirty warriors. It was already a formidable group, and with my master and me joining, it had grown even stronger. Dealing with a bunch of bandits should be a breeze. But would they not realize that? No way.
'Even if there are several black mages mixed in with the bandits, they'd probably avoid a fight against a force this size.'
The Relief Holy Warrior Corps numbered around thirty. The estimated bandit count was similar. If they had any sense, the odds of them picking a fight with us were extremely low. It'd be hard to win, and even if they somehow pulled it off, the casualties would be devastating.
"Splitting up to attack is too risky—we could get picked off one by one. We don't have enough people to surround and annihilate them either. Hoo... How do we keep the bandits from running?"
Bernard lapsed into thought. His master, who had been watching, finally spoke up.
"They're likely trying to create mid-tier or higher undead. Even if we ambush them, the chances of them fleeing are slim. They won't want to abandon the time, money, and effort they've poured into making those undead."
"I see..." Bernard let out a deep sigh.
He seemed torn between heading out to crush the bandits right away or waiting for a solid plan to emerge. Then, suddenly—
"Ah!" Bernard exclaimed in realization. He looked like he'd just thought of something good.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The day after arriving at the village. After spending the first night indoors in ages, we joined Bernard's group at his request. Attempting to wipe out the bandits just one day after our talk showed he hadn't taken our discussion lightly.
"Move out."
Once everyone was ready, Bernard took point at the front. The Relief Holy Warrior Corps warriors followed with confident strides. We were positioned right beside him—essentially sharing the lead.
'We can win without a golem, right?'
His master hadn't brought a golem on this raid. It was to hide the fact that mages were in the group. It was a shame not to have his incredibly powerful skeleton, but I wasn't worried. His master was still plenty strong without it.
'The disguises look solid, at least.' I thought as I glanced back at the warriors trailing us.
Bernard had been fretting over the bandits fleeing. His solution? Disguises. By masquerading the group as merchants, he'd lure the bandits into attacking first.
Rumble.
Four mule-drawn wagons lined up single file, guarded by ten men posing as mercenaries. The rest of the warriors were disguised as farmers, merchants, porters—occupations that wouldn't raise bandit suspicions. We were in on it too. Bernard looked the part of a wealthy trader, his chainmail draped in fine clothes. My master and I were playing pack peddlers, laden with burdens.
We must've looked like tasty prey. These ruthless killers who'd been murdering folks left and right would strike as usual.
'Boring.'
Maybe because battle loomed, both Bernard and his master marched in tense silence, eyes forward. Naturally, my mind wandered.
'I wonder what other faiths' forces are like.'
A sudden curiosity. I'd seen the Ok'ya Church's Relief Holy Warrior Corps with my own eyes, but not the Sky Church or Purification Church armies. His master had said the Heavenly Church's forces were similar to Ok'ya's in makeup, while Purification went for small elite units. But that wasn't the whole story.
'The Silent Obedience Society.'
The Sky Church's public force was the Evangelism Praise Corps. But they had a secret unit too: the Silent Obedience Society. His master called them the mages' worst nightmare. They killed any mage on sight, no questions asked. A group specialized in hunting mages? How terrifying was that?
'Hope I never cross paths with them.' That's when it happened.
"We're almost there." Bernard murmured softly. A heads-up for us. Battle could erupt any second, so stay sharp.
'Focus up.' I shoved idle thoughts aside and sharpened my senses to react fast to threats and detect any lingering mana traces. A few minutes later, I felt echoes ahead. Several of them. Not just one or two spells.
'Fire magic.'
Oddly, the mana residue pointed to an unknown mage using fire magic. Not surprising, though. Black mages didn't stick to necromancy. His master was an earth mage, after all.
'Huh?'
While analyzing the traces, something felt off. Mana was gathering in one spot. This happened when preparing a spell—a pretty powerful one. And right now? Someone was targeting us.
"Master!" I called out urgently.
Luckily, he'd sensed it too and quickly cast a spell.
Boom!
A thick earthen wall erupted from the ground, blocking the mana buildup's direction. Moments later, a massive fireball slammed into it.
Kaboom!
The wall shattered with a deafening roar. Dust clouds engulfed the front. Then, war cries echoed from beyond—bandits charging our way.
"They knew we'd come this route. Looks like there's a traitor in the village. Tch! Should've just stormed in instead of this disguise nonsense."
Even in the chaos, Bernard stated his thoughts calmly. He shed his pricey merchant garb, drew his sword, and charged ahead. The Relief Holy Warrior Corps warriors grabbed hidden weapons from the wagons and followed.
"Master, what do we do?"
This was my first fight of this scale; I had no clue how to proceed. Help the warriors? Or block the black mage who'd lobbed that fireball? Tough call for me. So I asked his master. He gave me a straight answer, as always.
"Bernard asked for our help expecting us to handle the mages. So that's our job—deal with the black mages."
"Got it!"
My role was clear now. I followed his master out of the dust. By the roadside, in the thick trees, stood figures in black hoods. Suspicious as hell. One of them had surely hurled that fireball.
"One, two, three, four, five. Quite a few."
"The one who threw that fireball aside, the rest are probably small fry. Don't worry too much."
His master glared at the black mages, itching to cast. But bandits and warriors clashed between us, so no rash moves. The black mages thought differently.
Whoosh!
A fireball appeared before the central black mage of the five. It hurtled into the melee's heart. Without his master's wall, casualties would've mounted on both sides. They were willing to sacrifice their own. Or maybe they didn't see them as allies?
"Looks like we need to close in first."
The moment his master said that—Bernard, butchering bandits in the fray, surged toward the black mages. Moving twice as fast as any normal man.
Swish.
He dodged or batted away simple spells flying at him. As a mage myself, Bernard looked utterly terrifying.
'What would I do in that spot?'
If I were a black mage, I'd put distance between us first. A knight's prowess was beyond imagination. But the black mages held ground. One even charged at Bernard. It looked suicidal—and it was.
Slash!
Bernard swung without hesitation. The black mage's head came clean off. Then—
Bang!
The decapitated body exploded, showering Bernard in hundreds of flesh chunks. Smoke rose where they hit—definitely laced with magic. Poison or something similar. Regular attacks wouldn't drop a knight.
"Argh!" Bernard hit the dirt, screaming in agony from the surprise assault.
A human bomb. The black mage had pre-cast a death-or-corpse-triggered spell and sacrificed himself. Villainous, just like a black mage.
"This isn't good." His master, observing, muttered.
Bernard was alive but out cold from the blast. The black mages were homing in. He'd be dead soon.
"Heros, prioritize your life. And don't get tunnel-visioned—keep eyes on the whole battlefield."
With that, his master shot forward. Speed rivaling Bernard's—maybe faster. Not by running, of course. A mage outpacing a knight physically? Near impossible. The ground beneath his feet bulged upward, propelling him automatically toward the black mages.
'Can't just stand here.'
With his master gone, I fired a Lightning Bolt at the brown-haired youth on the far left. Aiming for an easy kill via surprise. But...
Ting!
Something blocked it. Like a transparent barrier in the air.
'He reacted.'
We were pretty far apart, so he'd spotted it and cast a defensive spell. Quick reflexes. After our exchange, the ambushed black mage glared my way.
'What're you looking at?'
I met that fierce stare head-on. Looks like he'd be my opponent. My first mage-vs-mage duel since arriving in this world.
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