Chapter 93: Bandits, Bread, and Bumps in the Road

Words : 1017 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 93: Bandits, Bread, and Bumps in the Road He’d only eaten two pieces of bread and one meat skewer. Was that really enough? Dominic leaned down and looked at Shiao Yi with concern. Louis also agreed—he didn’t think that small amount was going to cut it either. "If you’re feeling tired, Shiao Yi, try drinking this," said Aaron, suddenly pulling out a suspicious-looking bottle. Shiao Yi, not thinking much of it, reached out to take it. However before he could grab it, Dominic smacked Aaron’s hand with a loud slap and sending the container flying. "Don’t give him weird stuff!" "What?! Dominic! That was a good one!" Aaron protested. "It’s a special magic tonic I made to help him recover from fatigue. It even tastes good!" "You absolutely can’t! I’m not letting Shiao Yi drink something that suspicious!" Dominic shouted firmly. With an annoyed pout on his face, Aaron looked frustrated, but Dominic simply stood up while still holding Shiao Yi protectively in his arms, as if to distance him from Aaron. That signaled the end of their lunch break. Rex and the others began packing up their things. Louis quickly wrapped up the untouched meat sandwich in paper. Ever since he saw it at the morning market, the smell had tempted him. There had been plenty of bread, and he had quietly stashed this one away so no one would notice. He tied it to his horse, planning to enjoy it later as a snack. Looking over at the carriage, Louis saw Aaron climbing in and starting to pester the captain again. As an alchemist Aaron had a strong build and was tall. Standing next to Captain Dominic with his golden hair, the silver-haired man actually looked like a perfect match. Louis remembered how Aaron used to seem intimidated by the captain. But now? He didn’t seem bothered at all. In fact, with Shiao Yi between them, it almost looked like Aaron was teasing Dominic and that made Louis tilt his head in confusion. ... Some time had passed since they entered the forest when Louis suddenly felt a strange ripple of magical energy in the air. The sensation was faint, like the forest itself had taken a breath. Louis exchanged a glance with Rex. Captain Dominic popped his head out from the carriage and ordered Amal to make a run for it. Amal gave a silent nod, his expression tight with tension. At the same time, Aaron began weaving a magical barrier. Suddenly, over a dozen men stepped out from the trees with weapons in their hand. Louis and Rex immediately drew their swords. "Go!" Amal shouted as he whipped the reins and the horses took off. However, they didn’t get far—Louis spotted the ropes stretched across the narrow forest path. Amal quickly pulled the horses to a stop and drew the sword at his waist. "Amal, get inside," Dominic ordered as he stepped out of the carriage. Once Amal got in, Louis could sense the magical barrier go up around it. "Leave the cargo. Do that, and we won’t take your lives." The voice came from one of the armed men. The man who seemed to be the leader of the bandits stepped forward while pointing his sword as he made threats. He must’ve thought there were valuables in the carriage after getting a good look at it. "Leave the horses too. Get out of the carriage. Now." Backed by their numbers, he shouted his orders with arrogance. Since Captain Dominic didn’t move, the bandits began to surround the carriage. Louis and Rex got off their horses and kept a close watch. The narrow forest path made fighting on horseback quite difficult. Through the window, Louis saw Aaron holding Shiao Yi back as the boy tried to get out of the carriage. Just as the bandit leader gave a signal and the others started to move, Dominic also drew his sword and sprang into action. Louis slashed down a bandit who had reached for a horse. On the opposite side, Rex was already start fighting, his sword moving swiftly. A horse neighed and when Louis turned to look, he saw one of the bandits grabbing at the luggage tied to his horse. The man had noticed him and, in a rush, yanked at the bundle. The paper wrapping came loose and Loius’s carefully packed meat pie sandwich scattered all over the ground. "My snack!" By the time he snapped out of it, all the bandits were already lying on the ground. Some had their jaws broken, the others had their arms or legs twisted at unnatural angles and a few of them groaned with cracked ribs. Lpuis was stomping on one of them without even realizing it. Dominic, Rex, and the others were staring at him with a mix of disbelief and pity in their eyes. That’s why you should never mess with a foodie... you know? A-and it’s not like he was trying to keep the meat pie sandwich all to himself! Rex walked over and patted him lightly on the shoulder. Please don’t look at me like I’m a sad little man! Still, that meat pie sandwich looked really good. Louis let out a deep sigh. He should’ve just eaten it during lunch. ... They guided the wagon into a village with an inn. It was the seventh night of the journey. The road had been rough—unpaved and covered in grass and uneven bumps. The wagon often jolted as it hit the ruts and being shaken around in it every day must have worn Shiao Yi out quite a bit. This village seemed a little larger than the ones they had passed through before, but even so, it was unlikely they’d have the luxury of a bath tonight either. Tomorrow, they planned to reach Mitromica. It was a fairly big place—even larger than Garamsythe—so they had high hopes for a better inn. The roads had been poor, but things had gone smoothly so far. A few bandits and monsters had shown up along the way, but for them, it was nothing serious.

Chapter 93: Bandits, Bread, and Bumps in the Road

Comments (0)