I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 193 Returning Home
The unexpected turn of events, where the prey was supposed to turn the tables and kill them, was still within the bandits' comprehension.

Even the gods in this world cannot predict everything. The so-called god of prophecy is vying for favor with the god of magic: who is the most capable of Mystra? He failed to win the battle against the gods and even had his own soul suppressed in a staff, struggling to survive.

Such is the way of the gods, but for the bandits who live on the edge and make a living by killing, the death of a comrade is nothing to worry about. As long as it wasn't caused by infighting, it just means that the bandit was not skilled enough. Even the boss who dislikes the death of his property will not say anything.

After all, there was no friendship to speak of in their gatherings. Many of them were probably the fat sheep who had been kidnapped before. After their wealth was emptied, they had no choice but to become bandits to redeem their weapons and equipment. Even if they died, although they would have to take their equipment and horses back to their boss, no one knew what other property that person had. Those who survived would have a chance to plunder and share the spoils.

But this time, the fat sheep was not only difficult to deal with, but it also jumped back and chased after them when they were already showing signs of retreating, which really startled the bandits.

Where did this madman come from?
As the saying goes, skill breeds daring, and the remaining bandits had no interest in trying to fight back. Instead, they all turned their horses around and started to flee.

But then two more roars echoed as two bandits fell from their horses. Just as the others were relieved that this unlucky fellow wasn't them and quickly whipped their horses to run away, they saw the masked man running like the wind, even faster than their horses!
He sheathed his spear and drew his sword, leaping forward and piercing his companion's back. Then, he stomped on his horse's back, the force of which even caused the horse to neigh in pain. Ignoring the incoming crossbow bolts, he switched swords again in mid-air and, bracing against the opponent's shield, delivered a straight slash!
With a desperate wail, the shield-wielding man and his horse were cleaved in two!
"Devil!" The remaining bandits screamed in agony. They took out their whips and lashed their old buddies with all their might, as if only in this way could they feel at ease. But the black figure was like a bolt of lightning. Even though the old horse had used all its strength, it still couldn't shake off the figure!

Damn it, how can this person run faster than a horse?!

Even the most cautious bandit, Old Cole, couldn't escape this eerie figure. However, his expensively purchased adamantite chainmail meant he was only slammed to the ground with a horizontal slash. Looking at the strange figure, he couldn't help but raise his hand to protect his head and shouted, "Sir, I surrender!"

"Surrender?" DuPont glanced at the guy. His outburst just now had made his breathing a little heavy. He calmed himself down before speaking: "Give me your space bag. Let me see if it's enough to buy your life."

“Sir, if I could afford this, I'd go off to trade. Why would I need to rush into a business that could cost me my life?” Old Cole almost burst into tears upon hearing this. After thinking for a while, he realized he had met a fellow trader: “This chainmail I’m wearing has a bit of refined gold mixed in. If you don’t mind, sir, you can take it.”

Dupont glanced at it, but still held the sword in his hand: "Throw the sword away. Don't try anything funny to save your life. Get lost."

Although the other person's voice sounded somewhat young, all eight of his companions who had come with him were already dead, and even the carriage had stopped with two elves wielding halberds. Old Cole dared not play any tricks. He quickly dropped his equipment and was about to ride away when he heard the other person shout again, "Who told you to ride away? Leave the horse behind and get out of here!"

Old Cole was dumbfounded upon hearing this. How could these out-of-town bandits be so barbaric? "Sir," he said, "I'm afraid I'll die from walking over 20 miles in this sweltering heat!"

"What's it to me? Should I send you to see what the divine kingdom is like? But a bandit like you should be going to the abyss."

Upon hearing this, the bandits dared not utter another word, immediately wrapped themselves in their cloaks, and turned to leave, while DuPont began cleaning up the battlefield.

After slitting the throats of the few seriously injured but still alive men and collecting their bodies, DuPont returned.

These bandits were all penniless; their equipment was worth almost as much as their experience points. But even a small amount is still something, and DuPont wouldn't pass up any opportunity to earn extra money.

Looting equipment from other people is much more lucrative than copying scrolls, it requires less brainpower and is less stressful, but it does carry some risk.

But fortune and wealth are often found in danger, so this was nothing to him.

However, when they returned to the carriage, the elves had different expressions, and the coachman was terrified. Dupont took out a silver coin and tossed it to the elves: "You're not a bandit, what are you afraid of? Keep going."

"Sir, that looks like a gang of jackals!" The coachman took the silver coins, his face still very pale. "It is said that their leader is a high-level mage whose lightning bolt is as powerful as a thunder god descending. You've probably gotten yourself into big trouble."

DuPont scoffed at this: "A high-level mage can easily earn tens of thousands of gold coins a year just by hanging around somewhere. Why would he bother coming to this godforsaken place to be a bandit? Besides, I'm the one who killed him, what are you afraid of? Do you think they'll arrest you for questioning?"

The coachman seemed to think there was some truth to it, and muttered, "Normally it's possible, but sir, if you let one go, they probably won't need to come to me for information."

"That's settled then, let's go."

The vehicle started up again, but now nine old horses followed obediently behind it, galloping wildly.

Their obedience stems from a small spell.

First-circle spell: Animal Talk
This can be considered one of the signature skills of druids and rangers, but it is also within the duties of bards, and it is also the reason why some of the animals that bards perform are very obedient.

Inside the carriage, the elves exchanged glances, and it was the Sun Elf who spoke up: "Dupont, why did you let one person go back? Judging from the driver's reaction, this is no small group. Wasn't that person bound to go and inform them?"

“What I want is for them to go back and inform us, so they can take revenge.” DuPont said, taking out a bloody human head, which he put back under the elves’ disgusted gazes. “I haven’t been home for several years. When I come back, I only stay for ten days or half a month, so naturally I have to help manage some chores at home.”

"These bandits dare to intercept any passing carriage. If we don't kill them, how will ordinary people survive? The caravan will have to spend a lot of money to hire mercenaries, and the cost will ultimately fall on Huangsha Town. If we kill them all, the cost will be saved. This is definitely a good thing for the country and the people."

The elves exchanged glances upon hearing this, and even Moonflower was unsure whether DuPont truly meant it: "So you mean we wait for them to take the bait, and then we'll wipe them all out?"

"That would be the best option, of course. After all, a blue dragon might only come twice a year, but these sand bandits might commit murder every few days. Their threat level is much higher than that of a blue dragon."

“What you say makes sense. Everlasting Island is relatively peaceful, and even your academy isn’t in this state of chaos.” The Moon Elf praised, “But what if these guys don’t come, or if they let the sand bandits rob nearby villages?”

“Let’s set a magic trap. Once we find anything unusual, we’ll rush over and warn them to keep their doors locked.” DuPont patted the book and laughed, “Of course we should do that. Who knows, we might even fall into the trap ourselves.”

"What does it mean?"

“Bandits either don’t grow big, or they usually have a strong base. Otherwise, where would they live their nightlife? They can’t just hide in the vast desert day and night, they’d either die of heat or thirst.”

DuPont pointed to his throat as he spoke: "If I hadn't spent a few years at the academy and forgotten my hometown dialect, and if I hadn't made it clear beforehand that I was from the DuPont family, these guys probably wouldn't have targeted us. After all, my father is a local lord with considerable strength and some soldiers under his command. Knowing that I was attacked, he would definitely retaliate against them, which is something that robbers who make a living by robbing certainly don't want to encounter."

Yuehua was somewhat surprised after hearing this: "Did you do this on purpose, or did you plan it all along?"

“Maybe?” DuPont didn’t answer, just smiled. “Why don’t you guess?” “Naive!” Moonflower kicked DuPont’s shin in annoyance. “I saw that most of those people had two or three magical equipment pieces. That’s at least level three or four. If there are more of these subordinates, then the leader’s strength might really be a genuine silver medal. If these guys launch a sneak attack, everyone will be in danger.”

“They’re just a bunch of chickens and dogs. I’m afraid they won’t dare to come.” DuPont shook his head. “Instead of worrying about that, I’m more concerned about what we’ll eat this afternoon. I wonder if it will suit your tastes. We don’t produce fish or venison here, and we don’t even have much fruit. After all, there’s very little arable land.”

"I heard that the beef and mutton here are quite famous?" Moon Elf thought for a moment, "If it's not gamey, we can try it, otherwise we'd better just eat the dry rations we brought."

"Whatever, as long as you're happy. We won't be staying here for long."

Just as Yuehua was about to reply, Jonawei, who had been observing from the side, suddenly spoke up: "Your Highness, city walls have appeared ahead."

Moonflower leaned against the window with some curiosity, only to see a sandstone wall. The surface of the wall, which had been sun-dried to a grayish-white color, was covered with cracks caused by wind erosion. Every thirty yards there was a jagged watchtower, with soldiers wearing cloth armor and fully armed.

A faded flag bearing the image of arrows hangs atop the tower, and a rusty bronze bell sits under the eaves nearby, presumably for early warning purposes.

DuPont glanced at it, and a memory came flooding back: "I used to be quite mischievous. I remember once I rang this bell when the guard wasn't looking, and everyone in town thought a sandstorm was coming and hid in their rooms. I got a good beating, and the guard had a month's salary docked. Now that I think about it, I really feel bad for that guy."

The Sun Elf shook his head after hearing this: "This kind of careless guard should be fired immediately. Your father is quite easy to talk to, though."

“We’re all from the same village, so it’s not good to be too formal. In my memory, even the sand bandits wouldn’t dare to raid the city. After all, it’s a place where the main force of the church is stationed. Those judges are notoriously ruthless. Even demons would be terrified if they fell into their hands. It’s good enough if we don’t cause them any trouble.”

As they spoke, the carriage slowed down. The massive ironwood main gate remained closed today, with only two soldiers guarding the side gate, constantly wiping their sweat and sipping small amounts of water from leather bags.

He perked up when he saw the carriage approaching: "There are several people inside, each paying 10 copper coins for the city entrance fee."

The coachman stopped the carriage; this wasn't his responsibility to pay the fare. Dupont opened the door and tossed in a silver coin: "Keep the change. By the way, where's old Dupont?"

"You're asking about the city lord?" The two soldiers were bewildered. They had no idea where the city lord was. Seeing Du Bang's imposing manner and the fact that he didn't even ask for change after paying, they suddenly felt a little guilty: "May I ask what business you have with the lord?"

"What do I need? I'm going home," Dupont replied curtly. The two soldiers looked him over carefully and exclaimed in surprise, "Are you Master Irene?"

"Huh? You guys still recognize me?" DuPont looked at them curiously. "I don't remember you guys at all."

“What are you saying? Young master, you were always busy practicing swordsmanship or studying. You never had time to pay attention to us.” One soldier replied casually, while another went to find his captain. A moment later, a man in an earth-yellow officer’s shirt came up to Dupont, looked him over, and gave him a sergeant’s salute: “Welcome home, young master Irene.”

DuPont glanced at him; the guy looked unfamiliar too: "You are...?"

“Young master, you may have forgotten me, but without you, I probably wouldn’t have trained so hard. I’m now a level five warrior and have the title of sergeant.” The man smiled and said, “Why didn’t I hear you were coming back? The lord would be very happy to hear that and would definitely come to pick you up.”

“Those are all irrelevant. By the way, don’t call me Young Master anymore; the academy doesn’t observe that custom.” DuPont felt a little awkward: “Just call me Mage.”

The captain felt something was off, but upon seeing the silver badge on DuPont's chest, he realized that the status of a formal mage was indeed more valuable than that of a baron's son, and immediately understood what the other party meant: "Then, sir mage, shall I clear the way for you?"

"No need for that. Let's just leave it like this." Although she felt very familiar with the place, it was easier now that someone was helping her. "By the way, is Dad home?"

"They should be here. We didn't receive any news of the lord's deployment today." As he spoke, the captain looked at the carriage and keenly noticed the marks left by crossbow bolts. "Young master, were you attacked on your way here?"

DuPont nodded and said, "Maybe my accent is a bit off because I've been away for so long, they thought I was a stranger."

"Damn it, these guys who'll die of thirst sooner or later are getting more and more lawless." The captain cursed, but then whispered, "Young master, how about we change to another carriage? I heard that the owner of that carriage shop might be colluding with the bandits."

DuPont was somewhat surprised: "Does that car dealership owner have that much influence?"

"No, that's not it. But selling information can earn you some gold coins, and there are some unscrupulous guys in our town who are willing to do that kind of thing." The captain coughed lightly. "So it's best to send this guy back. It's safer to keep our own people safe."

"Alright." DuPont gestured for the elves to get out of the car, and the captain and the surrounding soldiers were quite surprised to see this.

When did this young master Irene become so successful? He even travels with four elven maids every time he goes out.

It would be strange if they didn't get robbed.

etc.
The captain suddenly exclaimed in shock: "Young Master, that DuPont apprentice mentioned in the newspaper the other day, the one who even led the Archmage to declare war on the Drow, could you be him?"

"I don't know either. There's no one else in the academy with the same surname as me." Dupont glanced at the guy; no wonder he was guarding the gate with such low emotional intelligence. "Have someone announce that I've brought some elf friends over and I'm preparing some food that suits their tastes..."

Before Dupont could finish speaking, Yuehua suddenly stepped forward and grasped the ring on his hand: "Not a friend, but my fiancée."

"Uh," DuPont glanced at Moonflower: This is my home. There are no desert elves in this world. Why do we need to do this role-playing?
Moonflower simply flashed the ring on her hand: "We had an agreement beforehand."

"Yes, and his fiancée." DuPont felt a toothache; this young woman seemed to have ulterior motives, actually asking to meet the parents.

Damn, is this girl with a bean sprout body lusting after me?

Sigh, if she really becomes queen and then gets divorced, could I get half of Yongju Island to play with?

　This volume should have started in the previous chapter, but after looking at it, it seems like it can't be revised.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)