The battle with this group of bandits was over quickly.
Standing on the handcart, Roger unleashed a barrage of attacks on the bandit leader from his high vantage point.
Within moments, the bandit leader was struck by several arrows and collapsed to the ground.
[Points +70. Total: 4,085.]
Seeing their leader die so quickly after the fight began, some of the bandits in the rear threw down their weapons and bolted on the spot. The remaining ones tried to hold their ground and organize a decent counterattack, but they were quickly shot down by arrows.
The ambushers hiding in the woods on both sides had originally planned to launch a pincer attack from the flanks once the frontal battle began. However, by the time they rushed out of the forest, the front line had already completely collapsed.
After leaving behind several corpses, the ambushers also turned and fled into the depths of the forest.
“They don't even have a single Awakened, yet they dare to highway rob... Where do these people get the nerve?”
Watching the bandits scatter like startled beasts, Roger couldn't help but complain. At the same time, he glanced at his points: 4,400.
The points for each bandit varied, and he hadn't gotten many kills this time; most of them had been slain by the other guards.
The caravan began counting their casualties. Over a dozen bandits had died, while the caravan had only four or five people with minor injuries. Edwin distributed healing medicine to each of the wounded, leaving Roger with no opportunity to farm experience.
After a brief rest, the caravan dumped the corpses by the roadside and continued on their way.
Walking in the middle of the convoy, Roger occasionally glanced back at the handcart covered in white cloth.
It was because the bandit leader had set his sights on the cargo on that handcart that the negotiations had broken down. This made Roger even more curious about what could possibly make a bandit leader ignore cold, hard cash sitting right in front of him.
He couldn't think of any other reason besides someone pulling the strings from behind.
Furthermore, whoever ordered these bandits had likely offered a handsome reward—one so generous that they could completely ignore the highly valuable fabrics and spices.
Roger quietly asked a veteran member of the caravan, but the man didn't know either.
“I only know that someone commissioned us to escort this cargo. It was originally supposed to go to Soloren, and that would've been the end of it. But a few days after we arrived at the destination, the client sent another letter saying there was a change of plans. They wanted it delivered to the royal capital and promised to pay extra.”
“Edwin didn't want to take the job at first because the road to the royal capital is long and unsafe, but the client offered enough money that he ended up accepting it.”
Hearing the veteran's words, Roger couldn't help but mutter to himself:
“Are they sure that letter was actually written by the client? If not, is this trip to the royal capital going to turn us into a walking target, with people trying to hijack us every other day?”
But this concern did not materialize in the end.
For the rest of the journey, the caravan encountered no more bandits or outlaws, as if the previous attack had been nothing more than a minor interlude.
Edwin showed no intention of stopping to do business in the towns along the way either. Every day, they broke camp at the first light of dawn and only stopped to rest when darkness fell, as if they were racing against a deadline to deliver this batch of cargo to its destination.
A month slowly passed. Roger did not waste this time; every day after they set up camp, he would find an open space nearby to practice his skills.
During this period, 【Scout's Eye】 and 【Weakness Detection】 upgraded to Level 2, and the experience bars for his other skills were steadily rising as well.
On an ordinary morning, the city walls of the royal capital, Parmenia, appeared on the horizon.
After entering the city, Edwin paid each of the guards as promised. Roger tucked his coin pouch away, asked around for the location of the Mage Association, and bid farewell to everyone in the caravan.
He watched the handcart disappear around a street corner, then turned and walked toward the center of the city.
Half a day later, he stopped in front of a white stone building.
Glancing at the guards on either side of the entrance and confirming they had no intention of bothering him, Roger walked straight into the association and entered a spacious, circular hall.
The floor of the hall was paved with polished black slate, and the domed ceiling rose dozens of meters above, painted with an intricate mural of star charts. The stars were connected by golden lines, forming complex geometric patterns.
A chandelier hung from the exact center of the dome, casting a soft white glow.
Roger walked up to the reception desk in the center of the hall and spoke directly:
“Hello, I'm looking for Ms. Nina.”
The receptionist looked up at Roger and replied in a businesslike tone:
“Ms. Nina is currently on the second floor attending an advanced magic circle course hosted by Vice President Yimon. It will end in about ten minutes, so I suggest you wait a moment... By the way, are you a member of the association?”
Roger shook his head. “I'm here to deliver a letter on behalf of an acquaintance of hers.”
“In that case, you can wait in the lounge area.” The receptionist pointed to a leather sofa on one side of the hall.
Roger nodded in thanks, walked over to the lounge area, and sat down on a sofa directly facing the stairs.
While waiting, he took another look around the hall.
He noticed that the star chart on the ceiling wasn't just decorative; the golden lines connecting the constellations occasionally flickered, as if some form of energy were flowing through them.
The light source of the chandelier came from crystals fixed to it, which Roger figured was likely some kind of magical device.
The mages in the hall spoke in hushed tones. Occasionally, someone would stop and glance in his direction, but they quickly looked away.
Before long, Roger heard the receptionist calling him, so he stood up and returned to the desk.
Beside the receptionist stood a young woman. She had wavy, long brown hair and wore silver, thin-framed glasses. The eyes behind the lenses had heavy dark circles, looking as if she had pulled several consecutive all-nighters.
Roger thought to himself that if he hadn't transmigrated, he probably would have ended up looking like this in the future too.
“Ms. Nina, this is... Excuse me, how should I address you?” The receptionist looked at Roger.
“I'm Roger,” he said, reaching into his pocket as a cover to retrieve the letter sealed with dark blue wax from his system inventory, and handed it over. “Lord Raymond asked me to bring this letter to you. He also wanted me to handle a few matters in the royal capital.”
Taking the envelope and glancing at the wax seal, Nina nodded and slipped the letter into the inner pocket of her mage robe. “Let's go somewhere else to talk.”
The two of them left the Mage Association, turning left and right through the streets.
The association was located in the heart of the inner city. Most of the buildings lining the streets were made of neatly cut stone, their outer walls adorned with intricate reliefs and wrought-iron railings, with the occasional stained-glass window visible.
The pedestrians on the road were decently dressed, and carriages occasionally rolled past on the paved streets.
Compared to the low, dilapidated houses of the outer city, this was a completely different world.
After walking for about twenty minutes, Nina stopped in front of a two-story house with a red roof.
She pulled a key from her waist to unlock the door, stepping aside to let Roger enter first. She then stood at the doorway, looking left and right for a long moment to ensure no one on the street was watching before slipping inside and shutting the door.
Roger sat down on a chair in the living room. He briefly introduced himself and then gave a concise summary of his history with Baron Raymond.
Nina sat on the chair opposite him, listening quietly, and then asked, “What did Lord Raymond ask you to do in the royal capital?”
“To look into Count Augus's social circle and connections, and he said to pass any intelligence I gather to you.” Roger succinctly repeated Raymond's request.
“I understand.”
Nina didn't seem surprised, as if she had long expected this day to come.
Roger couldn't help but guess that Raymond might have learned something from her in the first place, which was why he wanted to investigate a noble far away in the royal capital.
“How much do you know about this Count Augus?” Roger asked tentatively, leaning back in his chair.
“I haven't had much contact with him. I only know that he likes to host gatherings and has a very broad social circle,” Nina replied. “A little over a month ago, my mentor took me and a few other apprentices to attend one of his parties.”
According to Nina, those gatherings were held every ten to fifteen days. The attendees spanned various classes and fields, including nobles and wealthy merchants, as well as those of humble origins who possessed specialized skills.
“There were a lot of people that night; the banquet hall was packed with at least a hundred guests, and everyone was talking. I wasn't paying special attention to anyone, but when I went to the terrace to get some fresh air midway through, I happened to catch sight of Count Augus talking to a few people in a corner.”
“Those people were blended in with the guests, wearing formal attire similar to everyone else. If Count Augus hadn't pulled them aside privately, I probably wouldn't have noticed them either.”
Hearing this, Roger merely nodded, not interrupting her.
Nina said that she hadn't thought much of it at the time, only finding those people a bit strange.
But when one of them was receiving a wine glass, his cuff slid up a bit. She happened to be standing around a nearby corner and saw several small, dot-like scars on the inside of his wrist.
“Those scars looked like they had been deliberately branded on. The lighting was a bit dim at the time, so I couldn't see the exact pattern.”
“That person was also very alert. The moment I looked over, he pulled his cuff back down. I immediately looked away and didn't dare to stare further.”
“They chatted for a long time. In the middle of it, a group of guests passed by, so Count Augus stopped to exchange pleasantries with them, while those individuals naturally stepped back into the distance. They didn't strike up conversations with others, nor did they walk away.”
“Afterward, I privately asked my mentor about it. He said he had noticed those people too, but warned me not to mention it in public.”
“A few days later, my mentor left the royal capital under the pretext of a field research trip, and he hasn't returned since.”
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