Horse screeching sound resounded in the air as five horses stopped a few meters in front of Emery, who was scrutinizing them closely.
"Well, well, well... What do we have here?" said one of the people on the horses.
Another one exclaimed, "Wow, from your clothes, I am sure you are a noble or something. Do you have some coins to spare for the poor us?" He finished with a cruel smile.
Before Emery could respond, one more man said, "What do you think, boy? Give up your coins or lose your life here."
Emery scratched his head in bewilderment, thinking this robbery fiasco could not be any more cliché. He threw his gaze across these people and calmly responded, "Just to be sure... You guys are trying to rob me right now, right?"
Upon hearing Emery's questions, the five men looked at each other briefly before exploding into laughter. "Hell… we find ourselves an idiot, boys!"
One of them put on what they thought to be an intimidating face and threatened Emery, "Kid! You should be afraid. We are not your everyday robber, we are the Crimson Fang Marauders!"
Emery clasped his hands together, "Aah! I see… I assume you guys are part of the marauder who ran away from the battle 3 months ago."
The five men turned upset when they heard the mockery in Emery's words, "You are mocking us, kid! We are notorious enough to cause the wrath of a thousand knights that the kingdom has sent to kill us!"
Emery could not hold his laugh as he heard the marauders' words. Seeing the marauder's serious face claiming there were a thousand knights on that day truly became the joke of the day for him.
"More like 30 knights… plus citizens of Venta. Haha, Not even 100 people and they routed your gang in just 10 minutes."
The rough-looking marauders first became shocked when they heard Emery's comment, but it quickly turned to rage.
"How do you know that, kid?!!"
Upon hearing the question, Emery smiled and answered with confidence, "How do I know? Simple. I was there."
The man who stood beside the speaking man nudged him and whispered, "Brother... Come to think again. I think this kid looks kind of familiar…"
Alas, the enraged marauder did not care about his companion's words, he drew his sword out of its sheath and shouted loudly, "There goes your life, kid!"
However, before the horse the man was on could move even one step, multiple darkish roots abruptly emerged from the ground and swiftly inched towards all five riders.
The five marauders were shocked when they saw the roots immobilizing their horses and began wrapping on their hands and feets, immobilizing them as well.
"Brother! He's that wizar- ARGH!"
Without even a sliver chance of resisting, all five marauders were simultaneously caught and bounded by the roots. They crawled all over their bodies and faces, making them unable to speak.
Immediately after, the five were helplessly being flung off their horses and pummeled to the ground by Emery's [Shadow Binding Root] spell, their bodies firmly stuck on the grass. Emery could hear all of them mumbling something, but he did not care.
He then controlled one of the roots to take all the belongings of the marauders and gathered them before him. Five bags were placed in front of him and Emery squatted down to check what was inside. As he rummaged through the bags, he began picking up what he liked.
"Coin... coin… Oh, a sword! Nice!" murmured Emery as he went through the bags' content.
"Ropes could be useful… I'll take them too."
"What's with this stale bread…?"
The marauders could only helplessly watch as Emery chose what he liked and put it in his bag. Their victim turned into the robber. It was kinda ironic to see.
As he looted the marauders, his mind wandered to the time when he ran away scared shitless seeing these marauders. But now, he only needs to lift a finger to defeat them. The thought of that strangely brought a smile on Emery's face.
After a while, Emery finally stopped and turned his gaze towards the bound marauders, or at least that was what they thought. They then realized Emery was looking past them, more precisely, the horses.
"Well, thank you very much for the horses."
Emery walked past the marauders and climbed onto one of the horses. Looking at the five struggling men, he asked, "Which way is Venta City?"
The traumatized marauders were too scared to lie to what they now thought as the incarnation of the devil. They immediately gestured through their body, pointing towards a path.
Looking at the one they pointed, Emery turned to them and asked, "Thank you."
As Emery was about to leave, the five started making a ruckus, struggling, mumbling, muttering incomprehensible words. Hoping for Emery to release them.
Seeing that, instead of doing exactly what they wanted, Emery raised his hand and all the roots that bound their body contracted, tying them even harder.
"You all lowlifes actually deserve to die."
Emery thought about how these people are not just common thieves, they are a band of murderers, it slightly comes to his mind to kill these people, but he needs to have more restrained on his power. He cannot just kill around people because he can.
"I will give you all a chance to live. If your luck is good, some kind hearted travelers will probably save you. But if not, then you all know what is coming. Either you all starve to death or die killed by wild beasts"
Upon hearing that, the five marauders panicked and tried their best to break free, but to no avail.
As for Emery, he paid them no further heed and went for a ride towards Venta City.
Crossing through the familiar path, Emery reminisced about the time he ran as fast as he could, chasing the cart that took Morgana. Remembering the last look he saw from her, he subconsciously gritted his teeth. He was distressed by his inability to save her at that time.
Emery continued his journey, spending nearly half a day on top of the horse. Fortunately, he managed to arrive in the bustling, crowded trading hub town before the night arrived.
Even though the sky was almost completely covered by darkness, the streets of the town were still full of traffic. People came in and out of the two with bags and carts, creating a lively spectacle.
Emery got off his horse and took the reins as he led it across the main street. The first place he headed the moment he arrived was actually the pig pie vendor, which brought him the memory of his first time coming to the town.
The moment he took a bite of the familiar pie, Emery once again recalled Morgana, the person he had previously shared it with. Remembering the smile she showed to him at that time caused Emery to let out a sad smile.
"I really hope you are safe."
Emery gave a long sigh and headed towards the Quintin mansion.