Kadyn, Barret, Zelie, and Elora sat inside a single carriage. Kadyn told the entire story that happened last night. From drugs to conspiracy. From start to end. From slaughter to the arrival of Barret. How he turned the tables. How they stripped the brother-sister duo naked and made them slap each other — Zelie and Elora blushed furiously when they heard about it — until Patriarch Irabel realised something wrong. Kadyn looked at the two ladies and smiled awkwardly and stopped talking.

Zelie eyed Kadyn incredulously and said with a shocked voice. "So much had happened. Why didn't you wake us up?"

"I don't know about Elora but you'll only make things difficult so it is natural." Barret snorted when he heard his daughter's question. He peered at her with a stern expression and said. "You've yet to explain your previous actions."

Kadyn also shook his head. He had been conned by this girl. He took her with him because he thought she had already asked Barret's permission. Now he realised that she made a fool of him. He felt embarrassed and comical at the same time.

"Would you have let me come if I had told you?"

"No."

"See, you didn't even think before replying." Zelie pouted like a ten years old child.

Elora, who was sitting silently all this time, turned towards Kadyn and asked. "How're your wounds, now?" her voice was filled with concern.

Kadyn smiled towards her and replied. "Don't worry. The potion worked fine and I'm mostly healed after your spell."

Elora nodded and then said with slightly an unnatural tone. "If you do something like this next time, do tell me. I know I'm not a battle mage, but I won't become a burden at the very least."

Kadyn—who had started to talk with Barret—turned towards her in surprise. Though Elora's face didn't show it, Kadyn realised that she seemed angry with him.

Before he could speak anything Elora continued. "I'm working hard not because I want to become famous, nor for riches, nor for anything else." She looked at him and said with slightly wet eyes. "I'm working hard to become strong because I want to support you, to protect you, to stand side by side and face all kinds of perils TOGETHER— if something had happened to you I won't be able to live. I'll tell you. I don't have the courage to face my mother and father and tell them that their son is no more."

Kadyn's heart skipped a beat when he heard words. He looked at her determined face and tightly held her hand. Then he soothed the girl. "I promise something like that will never happen again. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. Because I didn't want to worry you. Because I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't know I would hurt you, instead."

Only then Elora's expression improved somewhat. The journey continued. The group passed a few towns in between. In the Lightbreach Town, they stopped and replenished their provisions and took long baths before leaving the town. They also crossed a river. Frothy Canal was its name. Though it wasn't as wide as Tonton River. It was, nonetheless, a river. The water was fresh. One could see the bottom of the river, fishes hopping inside and out merrily. Though there was no angler to be seen as Tonton River.

As they proceeded the mountains started to become taller and wider and closer, trees started to become dense, long and somewhat eerie "Hopeless Mountain Range." Barret murmured.

Kadyn looked outside and saw large boulders and trees and towering peaks in the distance and asked. "So this is the famous Hopeless Mountain Range where Hopeless Bandit lives—or plunder."

Barret nodded then said. "Hopeless Bandit isn't a single group. All of the groups here collectively are called Hopeless Bandits."

"Ouch!" something came under the wheel of the cart and Zelie's head hit the roof of the carriage as she winced.

"Be careful. The path is full of debris and pits." Barret said, looking at his daughter disapprovingly. It has already been one and a half days since she was travelling and yet she still hasn't learned to be careful on such a decrepit path.

Zelie smiled awkwardly and held the handle at the corner of the cart tightly. No letting the bounces affect her.

"Si-sir~"

At this moment the carriage stopped abruptly and the driver said with a trembling voice. Everyone exchanged confused looks. Then Kadyn asked. "What happened?"

"There are pe-people. I mean… I mean they aren't no-normal people. They they…"

"Let me go check out," Barret said and stepped out of the carriage. "I will also come." Kadyn followed from behind. Just as he was about to go out he looked at the two ladies inside and said. "Stay here." Duo bobbed their heads obediently. Kadyn sighed and exited. The two girls exchanged glances and grinned. Then they exited as well.

As Kadyn exited Hot Rod also joined them. Khrom and Dion remained behind.

Kadyn nodded towards the man and stared ahead of him. A group of around twenty men stood in front of them. Kadyn examined them one by one— some held swords, some javelin, some had hammers while others were without weapons — his gaze stopped on a man at the very front. He had a black beard, long messy hair; his clothes were tattered and a long and deep cut over his right cheek made the man intimidating and somewhat spooky. He was tall and strong-looking and he was glaring at Kadyn's group.

As Kadyn examined him he also examined each of them. When his eyes fell on the two ladies behind the three men, he licked his lips and chuckled. "Never thought that our luck would change for the better this time. I was already thinking about going to the city brothel. Who would have thought god would hear my prayers and send two top-grade beauties at my doorsteps?"

"Boss, don't forget us." A man from behind said. He seemed like a vice-leader as he stood just a step behind the leader and behind him were others. As he said others also followed and grumbled about how long it had been since they had tasted a woman.

The leader laughed and said, "Don't worry. I would let all of you taste…"

"Splash!"

Before the bandit leader could finish his sentence he sank into the earth, and with him sank his companions. They looked around in horror and realised that they had fallen into a swamp. Where did this swamp come from? They had the urge to cry but no tears came.

At this moment, Barret took a few steps forward and snorted. "You talk too much. I can assume that you are one of the weakest bandit groups in the Hopeless Mountain Range." He looked at the bandit leader inside the swamp, struggling, and harrumphed coldly. "Just a lowly 8-star Elementary Mage and you dare to block our path."

"S-spell Caster!" the bandit leader blurted in horror. His frog-like eyes widening to their limit. "Sir, sir, we didn't know about you…"

"You didn't know?" Barret grunted. "Are you saying that you didn't know that I am a Spell Caster — that's why you attacked, huh? And if you knew you wouldn't, yes? That means to say if I was weak you would have done all of those atrocities you just spoke about, huh?"

"I-I…" the man was completely lost for words. He seriously didn't think that there would be a Spell Caster in such a small caravan. After all, there were just five carriages — not worthy enough to be accompanied by a Spell Caster.

"Sir, please forgive..."

"Forgive you?" Barret snorted. "How dare you ask for forgiveness after insulting my daughter in front of my eyes." He waved his hand and the swamp engulfed the whole bandit group as if it was a maw of a gigantic beast. None of them even had a chance to scream—or struggle, or beg. They died such a pathetic death just because they made a foolish mistake and chose the wrong target.

Kadyn gulped as he saw this scene. He recognised the spell Barret used. Because he had died hundreds of times due to that spell in the Practice Room. Though he was already Half-Rank 1 Magus he couldn't understand when Barret cast the spell. I need to learn more about Spell Casters. He thought. He had no idea how they cast spells. When Barret cast spells there was nothing like a spell pattern. The spell appeared out of nowhere under those bandits. Then how…

"Let's go." Elora's voice interrupted his train of thoughts. He looked around and entered into his carriage with everyone else. After this incident, they have become even more alert. They didn't want to be caught unprepared. There was no medicine for regret after all. And Kadyn didn't want to die unjustified death.

Fortunately, they crossed the Hopeless Mountain Range until the evening arrived and no other bandit attacked their carriage. "From here we would need around three hours. Let's continue."

"Will guards open the city gates for us at night?"

"They might not open for you," he chuckled and brought a badge from his pocket. "But they can't stop someone from the Magic Association."

Kadyn stared at the badge and realised that a map was carved on it. It was divided into ten different parts while something was written at the centre in bold letters: Magic Association Alliance. Other than that there was nothing written. Not even the name of the ten different sections. Though he could guess that they were ten kingdoms. Because the Magic Association was the alliance of ten kingdoms.