The Mercenary Group didn’t have much heavy stuff when they came, but on the return, they had bundles of fur, porcupine quills, and a heavy shield. These slowed down the horses, especially the heavy shield, which required a cart to carry. They made a cart for it and pulled it with two horses.
Halfway through the journey, an arrow zipped out from the trees beside them, barely landing in front of the leading group.
“Be on guard,”
Leider signaled everyone to slow down because there was a horse-impeding array up ahead, and charging into it would surely result in a nasty fall.
They were being ambushed!
The mercenaries pulled the reins to slow their horses and drew their weapons, whether longswords or longbows, watching their surroundings warily.
There were woods on either side of the trade road and a gentle slope on one side. Now, from both sides of the woods, many people emerged, easily a hundred. Aside from about twenty bandits leading them, the others looked like displaced people, most of whom held wooden spears.
“Haha, leave behind your goods, or don’t think about passing through here intact,” a bandit stepped forward. He was tall, wearing shabby half-armor, and had a wooden mask on his face.
No sooner had he finished speaking than he was answered by an arrow shot straight at him.
“Child’s play.” Seeing this, the bandit leader wasn’t the least bit rattled as he waved his arm, and the arrow was blocked by his armor.
“Boss, watch out!” However, he didn’t notice that following the arrow was a spinning small axe, just as fast, blinking right in front of him, making the other bandits sweat for their leader.
The bandit leader had just lowered his arm when he was met with a dark shadow, and the small axe hit him square in the neck. His eyes bulged, and he didn’t even have time to make a sound before he fell face-first to the ground.
With the leader taken down in an instant, the other bandits and the displaced people wished they had extra legs to flee in panic.
“Captain, your Flying Axe Skill is still so crisp and unexpected,”
“Ivan, did you learn this killer move?”
Thanks to Glowe and Leider’s coordination, the attempted robbery turned into a farce, and the Giant Shield Mercenary Group ended up with an additional piece of worn armor.
Within the Giant Shield Mercenary Group, the captain’s Flying Axe Skill and the deputy captain’s archery were topics of great delight.
In fact, all five of the Ivan siblings had learned the Flying Axe Skill from their father when they were young, but none of them had mastered his seemingly effortless and infallible technique. No doubt, there was a talent boost involved.
As evening approached, the group finally reached the gates of Flying Fish Port.
Being locals, they didn’t have to pay an entry fee, but the goods they brought needed to be inspected by the City Guard and a small fee for bringing goods into the city was required. If there were no forbidden items, they would be let through.
“Safe travels, Captain Leider,”
As the mercenaries departed, the old City Guard told the person beside him and hurried off too, heading towards West City.
Ivan and the others returned to the Mercenary Group’s base to return the items they needed to return and then dispersed.
The father and his two sons went back to the Marichadon family home together.
After dinner, Ivan went back to his room, and Peggy followed him.
“Brother Ivan, a few days ago a beautiful lady came looking for you at our house, she seemed to be a noble lady,” Peggy said with a gossipy expression, trying to pry into something.
On hearing the words ‘noble lady,’ Ivan immediately thought of Miss Church, and with the swiftness of lightning, he placed his hand on his sister’s head, and started rubbing vigorously, tangling her fluffy brown hair until it was a complete mess.
“Ack!”
It took Peggy a few seconds to realize her brother had messed up her hair again. Alas, with the disparity in strength, she couldn’t dodge it at all.
After a while, Ivan finally let her go.
Peggy looked at him with eyes full of shame and anger, muttering, “There really was a beautiful sister looking for you, dressed in a green dress, with a very large—-abnormal woman.” While speaking, she gestured in front of herself but suddenly felt somewhat deflated.
From her description, he knew it was Justine, but he had no idea what she wanted from him. Ivan wasn’t too concerned about that. Seeing that his sister was hesitant to continue, he asked,
“Is there anything else?”
Peggy lowered her head and fiddled with her fingers before looking up again and saying, “It’s about that medical center, there’s been a big problem.”
Ivan furrowed his brows and said, “Let’s hear it.”
Peggy then disclosed the events at Bat’s Eye Medical Hall. Ever since her brother started learning there, she couldn’t help but pay closer attention, especially since the incident had become the talk of the town, and anyone, even a vegetable vendor, would know if you chatted with them.
‘Old Orio is dead, his bones turned to dust, a mysterious sorcerer, a great and evil crime.’
Listening to his sister’s account, Ivan’s expression changed unpredictably, not expecting such a huge incident would occur at the Bat’s Eye Medical Hall in just a few days and that such a powerful pharmacist as Old Orio would vanish just like that.
Looking at him worriedly, Peggy said, “Brother Ivan, this has nothing to do with us, no one has come to trouble us, and it has nothing to do with you either.”
Seeing the anxious look in his sister’s eyes, Ivan casually remarked, “I know, I’m just feeling a bit frustrated about having one less place to study apothecary. By the way, Justine, that beautiful sister, did she only come looking for me once?”
Peggy nodded her head.
“Did she leave an address?”
“No, she just asked if you were home and then left, looking unhappy,” Peggy replied.
“I see.” Ivan thought for a moment and then waved his sister away. “You’re dismissed, go back to wherever you came from and don’t disturb my reading.”
Hearing this, Peggy looked at him with puffed cheeks, standing still.
Ivan asked in surprise, “Is there something else? Don’t tell me, I’ve only been gone a few days.”
Clenching her little fists, Peggy threatened him, “I have something to ask Brother Ivan.”
“Speak.”
“Why were you so rude just now, daring to mess up a lady’s hair? Brother Ivan, you must explain yourself clearly or I will never forgive you, never!”
Peggy was serious, determined to get to the bottom of it; she was not someone who could be easily fooled.
“It was just a small punishment for a bad thing you did,” Ivan explained. Seeing her obvious disbelief, he shared the incident involving Miss Church with her so that she could understand what she had done and the trouble it had caused him.
After hearing his words, Peggy’s mouth opened slightly, and it stayed open for a long while.
Ivan patted his sister’s head again, admonishing her, “If you get the chance, speak well of Beaman, brother. Actually, better speak well of Paul, your brother. You’ll have to advocate for Paul; the happiness of his future and the hope of the Marichadon family are in your hands, Peggy.”
“This is a gift for you, the first trophy from my hunt—the knife deer antlers,” Ivan said.
Peggy was even more stunned and stood still for a while after Ivan pushed her out the door, facing the slightly ajar door. Only then did she collect her thoughts.
Why does my head feel so muddled?
Peggy shook her fluffy brown hair and looked at the sharp knife deer antlers in her hand. She was tempted to go back, peering through the crack of the door into the room, thinking to herself that Brother Ivan must care a lot, hoping that he would be alright.
She let out a sigh that seemed too mature for her age, and ultimately, she didn’t go back to reason with her brother.
About an hour later, Ivan quietly left the room and departed from the Marichadon home.