DRAGONBORN SORCERER-Chapter 45: Countering The Bandits
"What’s this?" The bandit leader stammered, incapable of breaking out the domination of Skyler’s passive skill. "Who are you? No... What are you?"
His soul was terrified as though he had witnessed the presence of death, and it was only a moment away from his soul to get snatched by him.
However Skyler didn’t harbour those kinds of intentions. All he wished for was to sleep peacefully until he arrived to El Niora. But obstacles were inevitable.
"Let’s see." Skyler chuckled, glancing at the bandits frozen in the places they stood, "How about I let you go for this time?"
His intentions were unreadable, though the bandits didn’t hesitate to believe in his words. They nodded, seeking a hope to save their lives.
"Y-Yes..." A unison voice rose as the bandits’ face filled with an uncertain hope, "Spare us just this once! We swear we won’t cross your path again!."
"That’s negotiable." He replied, "Although, I can’t release you unpunished for interfering with my sleep. You have to bear the consequences."
Skyler’s eyes darkened as his aura intensified. A few yellowish magic circles appeared, swirling around him. They sparkled with electric.
The bandits swallowed hard. They knew there wasn’t anything they could do about it. A few of them even swore that if they survived, they would walk the straight path.
Meanwhile the leader’s impression dried out as though he was about feel the wrath of a ferocious beast.
"Overload Strike!" Skyler whispered.
A lighting strike pierced through them— through the entire forest itself. The bandits who were his main target almost got roasted as they fell unconscious, their body unleashing smoke.
The barrier casters also met the same fate, and the mana crystal they had been holding, shattered to pieces. Ultimately the barrier shattered and the students got their energy back.
With the battle settled and the bandits defeated, a strange calm returned to the forest. The lingering scent of burnt mana crackled in the air as it mixed with the distant rustling of leaves.
Skyler took a deep breath, shaking off the remnants of his combat stance. As he turned toward the students, their wary expressions softened into curiosity. The tension of battle had faded, but the weight of unanswered questions remained.
[Notice: ’Overload Strike’ has been used]
[MP cost: 800; Current MP: 14800/15600]
The system popped with a new notification.
However before Skyler could see the system interface someone called him. It was the group of students claiming to be from Niondra Mystic Academy.
"Excuse me." The blonde girl said, "Thank you for saving us. We didn’t expect them to use ’Mana Prevention Orbs’. We let our guard down."
’Mana Prevention Orbs?’ Skyler repeated the phrase in his mind, ’What’s that?’
[Notice: Mana Prevention Orbs]
[Effects: Mana infused items that are use to block a specific mana nature. It drains the mana that are used to convert in elemental attacks]
[Using Limit: Mage level or low tier Sorcerer Level]
[Notice: Essence of Mana Prevention Orbs detected. Do you like to Scavenge?]
[Yes/No]
’It might get handy.’ He chuckled, ’Scavenge’
[Item received: Mana Prevention Orbs (2)]
"Hello...." The girl called him again with a little hint of irritation, "Where did you get lost, Mr? we are still here. Don’t just ignore us."
"Oh! Sorry for that." Skyler replied, smiling a bit, "Earlier you said you are from Niondra Mystic Academy?"
"Yeah." She nodded.
"Then you must be familiar with Arnol Viser." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"You mean the ’Crazy Mage’ Arnol Viser?"
"I don’t know all of that." Skyler replied, his impression as though seemed a little shocking, "Do you know him or what?"
"Yeah, we do know him." Replied the girl, "He is a professor in our academy. And famous for his crazy magical demonstration."
"I see."
Skyler halted for a moment as though thinking deeply to understand it. His behaviour seemed suspicious to the students he just saved. One of them, a male student, with Short brown hair and pitch black eyes, decided to speak.
"Do you have any business with him." He said, "If you show us any proper reason, we may help you to reach him."
"For real!" Skyler got a little exited over the fact, but immediately regained his calm demeanour, "Ahem! The thing is I happen to have a letter for him."
From the system inventory, appeared a letter in between his fingers— enveloped with a bright paper and sealed with a royal emblem.
"A request from Her Majesty Rosaline Rosevill Del Heathway."
His words filled them with a newfound overjoy. Their eyes shined. Their behaviour changed as though curious children dying to know, and they began to ask him too many question one by one.
"Rosaline Rosevill Del Heathway? The new Queen of Rosevill?"
"The one who is famous as the ’Protector of Divinity’? the Divine Guardian?"
"The one who stood against the Xions?"
"The one who protected Rosevill from fake Faith and Devotion?"
"The one who annihilated the demons of the Shadow realm?"
"The one who team-up with one of the Primordial Ruler Dragon?"
Their enthusiastic minds were thrilled to meet someone who knew Rosaline. Skyler couldn’t handle their question. So, he just nodded to everything they just asked.
In fact those rumours were true. To counter Saranavia’s faith Skyler made a plan to wide spread those rumour as if she was the one who save entire Rosevill.
If it had been Skyler who saved them in actuality, many controversial topics would’ve raised against him whether he was a real ’Chosen One’ or not.
Since many of the nation already knew that Rose advanced to Guardian class not by Church’s selection but the goddess herself granted it, it was easy to manipulate the believes.
It gave Skyler a major advantage to hide his identity. He couldn’t afford to revealed it just yet. After all, he didn’t want The Vanguard Clan to find about his reappearance. He had a revenge to take out of them.
But on the other hand, the curiosity increased more as they now started to ask him more.
"So, what’s your relationship with a ’Divinity Protector’?’ the Girl asked, "She wouldn’t entrust anyone with the task. Are you from the palace?"
"That’s sort of complicated." He admitted, "In simple term I’m just an ordinary Stage-5 Mage who happens to be Rosaline’s close friend."
"Huh?" They were shocked to hear that, "There’s no way you’re just close friend of hers?"
But they themselves doubted their question, seeing how he casually addressed Rose’s real name.
"Moreover, how is it possible that you weren’t unaffected by those orbs. I mean we all are above Stage-5.but it still affected us."
’Above Stage-5?’ Skyler raised an eyebrow, ’It was a good idea to get a new adventurers’ licence as stage-5 mage. At least I’m now less suspicious compared to before.’
However, the fact that he wanted to conceal his real identity as a Sorcerer, only made his mind race. He needed an alternative theory to counter their questions. And he came up with one.
"Actually, it was Rosaline who trained me to control mana flow within my body." He stated, "This way, even if my mana preserve were to drain out, I could still use my mana to convert them into elemental attacks."
They felt amazed. They never heard that kind of theory before. Skyler’s impression only make them to take more interest in him.
"Whoa! That’s pretty impressive." A girl, slightly shorter than the blonde one, and with radiating green eyes and hair, said to him "You should’ve been a professor in our academy. This way we could learn a new things or two."
"Indeed." Replied the blonde girl, "Our professors don’t know anything beside giving us field assignments and quests. It’s kind a boring to counter those bandits again and again."
She made a irritated face as though she was exhausted doing the same job repeatedly.
"Seems like it’s tough being a student." Skyler remarked, recalling something important, "Oh, by the way I’m Skyler. An adventurer from Rosevill."
"My name’s Maya William." The blonde girl told.
"I’m Charlotte Jenkins." The girl with green hair said.
"My name is Leon Albert." A boy almost same look as Maya added— they weren’t related though.
"I am Ethen Fisher." The boy with short brown hair replied.
Next to him, there stood a boy with blue hair and blue eyes. He seemed to have a little attitude as he spoke, "The name is Julian Reed."
And the last one— a girl with short crimson hair and eyes; almost similar to Vitra, said, "My name is Emily Harris."
The group of six had equal number of boys and girls. They in unison replied, "it’s a pleaser to meet you, Skyler."
If it were anybody, they wouldn’t bother introducing themselves. Knowing that he was Rosaline’s friend, they couldn’t bring themselves to ignore him.
"So.." Skyler said, giving them a gentle smile, "Do you mind showing me the way to Arnol Viser? I really need to deliver the letter as fast as possible."
"Sure." They said, "Follow us."
Before heading with them, Skyler gave the caravan driver a few Siets as he told him to. And he also told him to head back before another group of bandits would appear.
The driver nodded as he saw Skyler leaving with those teenage students, his black robe waving gracefully.
