Chapter 40 This Is How I Do It
After what they saw, the bandits knew that they won't be able to win against them so they decisively abandoned their positions and ran away. They did not forget to take their leader with them as they escaped.
The group watched as the bandits scrambled to get away from them but Cygnus has other plans in his mind. When there were no bandits in sight, he flew upward again and followed their movements.
"Are we pursuing them?" Mr. C asked after the bandits were gone. He looked up and saw that the master was already gone.
"Guess we are following them." Nina chuckled as she made her move. She leapt forward and with mana, she accelerated her steps to follow the bandits while keeping her distance so that she won't alert the enemy.
Mr. C did not make a move, "Aren't you going to follow them?" He looked behind him to ask Astrophos who was frozen in place.
"I-I will," he stuttered a bit before he also left. He caught up to Nina and matched her pace.
The butler remained where he was because he knew that they were enough to deal with them, the master was enough to deal with them but he was sure that Cygnus will give Nina and Astrophos the chance to fight before he would intervene. He looked around him and sighed since he needed to clean the area before they return or else the master might throw a fit.
Cygnus floated in the air while following the bandits, his arms were crossed in front of him while he stared below. He was amused, because they looked like ants that he can easily squash with a palm. Stirring trouble was not his style but if the trouble comes to find him, he doesn't mind playing with it.
From a distance, he also saw two shadows following the bandits, it seemed that Nina and Astrophos also followed behind. He thought for a while before he made a decision that would eventually shock the butler.
The bandits ran for almost two hours when they reached a fairly hidden community. It was surrounded by walls of mountains and hidden behind sky rising trees. Behind those trees was a stone wall where several bandits stood. They were holding bows and spears while alternating their positions as they kept watch on the forest in front of their base.
From a distance they could already see multiple people running towards the metal gate. One of the escaping bandits was holding up a white flag with an eagle printed on it, which was the symbol of their bandit clan. The patrolling guards immediately signaled for the gatekeepers to open the gate.
The bandits were panting and slumped on the ground after they were finally inside their camp. They felt relief that they were able to escape that man. Their comrades who came to meet them were confused at the disheveled look of their strongest group. They also notice that their number was reduced.
"Dex, what happened? Why were you running as if there were monsters chasing you?" One of the men who came to meet them asked.
"Don't mind us! Call the doctor immediately!" Dex shouted. They parted and brought forth their leader who was already unconscious.
Gasps filled the air when they saw the leader's state. The man who approached them first did not waste time and ran to where their doctor was. The doctor came within minutes to check the leader and they waited with bated breath for the doctor's diagnosis.
"He is fine. He just suffered some shock and will be able to recover after an extended period of time." The doctor finally spoke. The bandits were glad to hear that the leader would be fine.
"What happened?" one of them finally asked.
"We encountered an unusual group. We thought that we could take them on and the leader even confirmed but after fighting them, we were defeated. As you can see, many of us died." Dex briefly explained what happened to them. It was a miscalculation maybe because they got used to defeating weaker enemies.
"We are lucky that we escaped before he could kill us!" One of the bandits interjected from behind. It was an experience that they would never forget.
"Lucky?" A cheerful voice suddenly came from behind the man. "What do you mean lucky? There's no such word as luck in my dictionary because I make sure that all of my prey won't have that in theirs too."
The people were shocked and some took a step back when they saw this young man inside their territory wearing a smile on his face while speaking to them. His eyes that swept through them were as cold as the wind in winter, it sent fear to their core.
"How did you come here?" Dex shouted. He stood up and with one of his hands behind his back, he gave the others the signal to leave. "Outsiders like you are not welcome here, the guards should have shot you down!"
"Guards? Are you talking about them?" He gestured behind him. Dex and the others followed his hands only to see blood and hanging bodies on the wall.
The women screamed and immediately covered the eyes of the children that were with them. Without a moment of hesitation, they carried their children and ran away from the man. Even the men who were not adept at fighting followed behind. Several bandits appeared with weapons in their hand, ready to face the enemy that stood in front of them.
"Even if we die today, we will avenge our comrades whom you killed!" Dex declared which earned a roaring shout from the other bandits who were with him.
Cygnus clapped at the bravery they were showing, "Oh, I like that but the way you phrased it sounded a lot like those heroes I've killed in the past. You are bandits and you don't even know how to properly threaten your victims."
Dex frowned but he did not have the time to play word games with the man. They were serious and yet he seemed to be taking their words and moves like it was a joke. "I don't care!"
Cygnus smirked, "This is how you speak to your opponent. I will make you an example of my revenge." He disappeared from where he was standing and appeared before Dex. "First, I'll make you suffer." He injected his mana to the man and watched as blood started to ooze out from his eyes, nose and mouth.