331: Bandits

Bandits

As a person who grew up foraging and hunting in the forest, Oriana's senses were no less than a knight's. She could sense the movement of people with hostile intentions approaching their group.  1

"Come out, and stop hiding like cowards!" Rafal shouted in provocation. 

No one emerged from the trees, but a man's rough voice responded from the shadows, "Leave all your belongings here and you can go on your merry way."

"You wish," Rafal sneered as he brandished his sword. "You fools dare target the Crown Prince of Griven? If you wish to keep your lives, I suggest you turn back and let us cross  unharmed. Otherwise, I can't guarantee how many of you can make it alive."

There was a stretch of tense silence, broken by a flying dagger shot in Rafal's direction. 

Swish!

In the darkness, only a few sharp-eyed knights caught the glimmer of the blade, but it was too late for them to react to the sneak attack.

However, that dagger was grabbed by a hand even before it could reach Rafal. 

Arlan flung that dagger back towards its source, smirking at the groan that followed, telling those around him that the weapon hit its target. "My knight has given you a chance to survive but it seems like you people do not cherish your lives."

A whistle erupted from the shadows, and soon, masked bandits wielding various weapons stepped out of the cover of trees, their rough appearances illuminated by the carriage lamps causing the palace officials and the ordinary servants in their delegation to go pale. 

Not even a minute had passed, but at least a hundred armed men could be counted. Perhaps there were about twenty or more long-ranged attackers hidden in the darkness. 

"They outnumber us. Make sure those in the carriages are protected," Arlan spoke to his knights as he himself drew his sword out its scabbard.

The members of the delegation amounted to roughly fifty people, where about twenty of them were scholars and civilians that had little to no combat prowess. The royal knights under the Crown Prince might be elites, but it was obvious these bandits were no ordinary figures either. Otherwise, they would not have the guts to target a royal carriage escorted by knights.

"Show them the might of Griven!"

"Brothers, charge!"

The knights of the Order of Thistle were fearless. Working for Arlan, they never knew what fear meant. Dealing with such a disadvantageous situation was nothing new for them. They had been trained to fend off multiple attacks, and they also trusted their liege and comrades to protect their backs. 

At this moment, their only concern was ensuring no harm would come to the ordinary people they were escorting. A third of the troop firmly stationed themselves around the carriages where Oriana and the officials were hiding. 

Swords were drawn and blades clashed. Arrows whistled in the darkness, interrupting the screams of their targets.

Oriana watched in bated breath as everyone outside engaged in a deadly battle. The prince was at the forefront, slashing through those bandits with ease. At first, she was relieved to see Arlan and the knights effortlessly dealing with the bandits, but she began to grow nervous when she observed more and more masked men were coming out from the jungle. 

How many bandits were aiming for them? A hundred? Two hundred? She had no idea, but she didn't want to stay inside the carriage when she had the ability to contribute in the defense.

In her opinion, even if one knight could deal with at least three bandits at the same time, knights were merely humans. They would experience fatigue or make mistakes if enemies continue to pour down on them.

Worse, since it was obvious that Arlan was the most important person in the delegation, he was being lynched by the stronger bandits.

'What if His Highness gets hurt?' 

She felt worry gnawing at her, but she was also held back by her own circumstances. She could not use magic without giving away her secret. 

Her gaze landed on a longbow and a quiver of arrows hanging from the saddle of one of the nearby horses. She could not wield a sword as skillfully as the knights or the Crown Prince, but she knew she was good at archery. 

She sneakily stepped out of the carriage and got hold of the bow and arrows. She moved with caution but expertise—after all, prior to working in the palace, she had prided herself for being nimble and fast. Even though the fight was chaotic, the illumination from the lamps and  torches allowed her to identify her targets. 

'Fortunately, the knights wear armor so it's easy to distinguish the foes.'

With no fear, she started to shoot arrows, relieving the pressure from some of the knights with weaker stamina, who were showing signs of being overwhelmed by the bandits. Since the number of arrows were limited, she carefully targeted which knights to support, like knights dealing with two or more bandits or those who were being ambushed by hidden weapons. 

Of course, Arlan noticed her actions, scowling at the fact she was putting herself in unnecessary danger. He could have swept all of these bandits single-handedly, but he had vowed in the past to never use his powers against humans. Otherwise, how could he continue claiming to be human? 

Still, he had put the fight under his watch and he would act out if he found one of his men in mortal danger. At most, he would allow them to sustain small injuries. Real combat experience was precious for their own individual growth. 

Arlan could only sigh, seeing how determined Oriana was to help his knights. 

Oriana didn't stay around the prince's carriage and slowly made her way towards the cargo wagons at the rear as more bandits were flocking them. Those carriages contained not only their personal belongings and valuables, but also the precious gifts Arlan received from the participants of the summit and the nobles of Othinia. 

Along the way, Oriana attacked relentlessly, even pulling out arrows from dead bodies so she could use them again the moment she emptied her quiver. 

Her efforts surely added weight on the Crown Prince's side and it didn't take long for her performance to gain the notice of the bandits. After shooting her last arrow, Oriana was about to replenish her quiver when an enemy arrow whistled her way.

Fortunately, she dodged sideways, but her foot got caught by the bandit corpse on the ground, causing her to roll outside the protective ring of the knights. 

"Boy, get back behind us!" she heard one of the royal knights nearby shout at her.

"Sorry!" Her eyes flashed with delight when she found three arrows stuck on the back of the corpse. "Wait, let me just—"

All of a sudden, a sword-wielding bandit appeared behind her just as she bent to grab the arrows. She was about to turn around to fend him off with the longbow, but the bandit was already slashing down at her.

'Damn it!'

Just when she thought she was done for, a dagger pierced the bandit's throat and he collapsed a step away from her. Oriana looked in the direction of its source, finding Arlan scowling at her. 

"Get back here, Orian!" 

A mixture of relief and gratitude caused a smile to appear on her face, but just as she took a step towards the protective ring of the knights, she was forced to jump backward to dodge another enemy arrow.

Crack!

"Ah!"

Thump!

Oriana disappeared from Arlan's sight.

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