Anna looked at Ovid and found that the way he walks was really strange. It was very robot-like, even though the ground was uneven, the two legs were always completely symmetrical. Moreover, Ovid's legs were always raised to a particular height, bend at a certain angle, and would travel the same distance. His back was as straight as a ruler and looked like a very straight sapling. His clothes, although worn many times by the original inhabitant of the body, seemed extremely clean. Even on the surface of his feet, there wasn't any dirt on it, though he was wearing sandals and walking in the forest.
The only part that cannot be considered meticulous on Ovid would be the long, free-flowing hair hanging off his shoulders. This was as his hair was never that long in his previous life.
Near the end of the forest, Ovid (unsurprising) saw a group of six women. Each one was dressed in rags and seemed extremely poor, yet at each of their hips carried a dagger. Their dagger was rather rusty and was smaller than most, evidently, the dagger had been used for a long time, and been sharpened many times.
However, aside from those daggers, they lack anything else, none of them seems to possess a sword, nor a bow. If they were bandits, they must be wretched bandits.
The tallest bandit, who had owned grey patches all over her body, quickly examined Anna. She said in a cold voice, "Hand over your valuables, and we can guarantee you safe passage through the rest of the forest."
The exit of the forest was already insight, and even a fool could tell that this is a highway robbery.
Ovid shook his head and murmured, "What bad luck." He turned his sight to Anna beside him. Expect for a trace of puzzlement and shock in her eyes when the six-woman first appeared, she had calmed down very quickly. Ovid could not help but silently praise Anna for acting so cool in the situation.
Ovid looked at the bandit and said clearly, "I refuse."
One of the shorter bandits frowned and said, "Our leader is a deacon. Neither one of you is able to manipulate mana. You either hand over your money and keep your life, or we can take it after you die."
Anna asked, "Are you from the clergy? Are they conducting banditry?"
The short bandit was surprised, she shook her head and said venomously, "Our leader was expelled by that disgusting organisation."
The bandit with the grey patch patted the shorter bandit's shoulder, she said bitterly to Anna and Ovid, "I do not wish to bring shame upon the clergy. I... was just a stupid follower who was expelled."
The bandit with the grey patches had been forced into banditry for a variety of reasons. The largest one of these reasons were the children she was assigned to raise.
In the Juliana empire, there is a peculiar absence of males, so raids and tributary would be constantly and extracted launched against the northern kingdoms in the form of obtaining more manpower for the Juliana Empire. Strangely, an equilibrium was eventually achieved. The second, fourth, and sixth daughters of a family would be offered to these raiders by the inhabitants of the northern part of the continent.
These children would then be assigned to various individuals to be raised. The woman that Ovid saw on the field, for example, was one such individual and could be considered the original Ovid's adopted mother.
However, eight years ago, when the summer drought was particularly harsh, many families were unable to continue raises these children. It was at that this bandit had been expelled from the clergy. Seeing the children untended to, she had decided to become take up banditry as a method to provide.
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There exist more than a billion people in this world, yet only a few can manipulate mana. Thus, the bandit with the grey patches was successful in her extortion and had continued for nearly ten years by leveraging their deacon status.
Ovid had never fought in his life, as he had always led a peaceful light. He tightened his leg muscles and pressed his feet against a pile of fallen leaves, sinking into the wet mud underneath. He was ready to flee at any time.
The air was so tense that a knife could cut through it. Suddenly, a ruthless wind hurled through the greyish tree branches. Some sprouts hidden beneath the old barks were spared, though the fallen pile of leaves on the ground began to rustle and whirled in the air.
Before the leaves could fall back on the ground, a 'zeng' sound representing the singing metal echoed through the forest.
The six daggers bolted out of their respective sheaths and became a grey shadow closing toward Anna and Ovid at high speed. The bandits rushed through the air and leaves, ready to pierce through the purple robes Anna was wearing.
The grey shadow in the hand of the bandit with grey patches was surprisingly fast, and its powers had shattered all the leaves within its range. Behind her were traces of ember that formed a line behind the grey shadow.
Ovid, without hesitation, picked up Anna and began to run, dodging the six swords coming his way like a ghost. Furthermore, his steps in the dark forest were truly strange and left behind no traces.
His ran faster than what should be possible, even if his control over his power was bizarrely good. Yet while he could dodge the blades that are as thin as cicada wings that are in the hands of the five mortal bandits, he could not outrun the deacon, who was above a normal human in all regards.
The bandit's blade sliced Ovid's leg, leaving behind a deep beam of blood there. That line of blood than began to spread rapidly and spurted out, yet Ovid seemed unaware of this phenomenon. He continued to stare at the depths of the forest and ran.
The blade in the bandit's hand drew a curve and returned at breakneck speed, quickly leaving two more wounds on Ovid's body.
Suddenly, Ovid broke his perfectly symmetrical steps and turned with his left foot. He lowered his body, and caused the blade to strike against a wild maple tree.
The blade that was moving incredibly fast sudden stopped. Yet the bandit seemed prepared for that as she pushed the tilt sideways with her left hand and sliced through the maple tree.
With a loud 'thud', the maple tree suddenly collapsed on the ground covered by mud and leaves. Fortunately, one it the branches struck the bandit, trapping the woman between the arms of the tree.
Yet there was no time to celebrate, as the leaves quivered strongly and the figure of the bandit came out like thunder and left another mark on Ovid's thigh.
Anna, who had remained quiet the whole time, whispered into Ovid's ears, "You should put me down, at least there is a chance of outrunning her."
Ovid quickly refused, he said decisively, "No. A life is a life."
---
Although Ovid's leather sandals were still strapped to his feet, he had run across many streams and creeks, so there were many wounds from the many sharp rocks he had grazed past.
He could no longer run any further.
Placing Anna down, he took out the cleaver cooking knife he had used the previous day to cut up the dried meat and focused his intention on the bandit with the grey patches.
When the bandit had moved closer to him, he pointed the knife at the bandit and silently waited. His face only had calmness, concentration and peace, without any distracting thoughts or emotion.
The bandit had killed many people, yet had never seen anyone as unique as Ovid, who would be so resolute. Perhaps due to the shock of this, her hand holding the blade unconsciousness became a little stiff.
However, that only lasted for a moment and the bandit soon struck, her waist controlling the blades directly, causing it to move like lightning, and gashed into Ovid's ribs accompanied by a muffled sound. Blood and flesh were squeezed out from the blades, yet Ovid did not utter a single cry. Biting his lips, he struck the blade at the bandit's exposed nape.
Yet how could an amateur face a person who has been slashing and killing for the past decade?
The bandit ruthlessly retrieved her blade from Ovid's chest and blocked the strike. When the wind became violent, Ovid was forced backwards and landed on the fallen leaves. Yet he then forcibly stood up and increased his grip on the cleaver kitchen knife.
He placed all his might behind the knife, looking firmly at the bandit, he powerfully struck the short cleaver at the bandit.
The knife moved straightly and stabbed at the bandit.
The bandit lacked any form of combat training, yet by all logic, she should be able to block Ovid's attack.
Just she couldn't, for Ovid had carefully calculated the most perfect trajectory for his knife to pass through. Before the sound of two metal clashing could be heard in the forest, he had penetrated the bandit's body with his blade.
The body of a deacon was not strong, even though they managed to channel mana, they still need to be vigilant and pay attention to their surroundings. Usually, clergymen would wear light armour beneath their white robes, so as to prevent such situations.
However, the bandit had been expelled from the clergy, and could not afford such luxurious items.
The bandit felt as if she a hard and heavy wooden pole had crashed into her. Such momentum had forced the bandit back a step.
She soon realised that there was a lukewarm substance running down her chest, and saw a crimson flower blooming on the grey patch of cloth on her chest.
Only saints could be unharmed by physical trauma, and the bandit was only a deacon. Though the possibility was impossibly low, it was still possible.
She looked at Ovid with absurdity and astonishment and immediately returned ten more steps.
She said while coughing heavily, "I will not pursue you another further."
Bandits are people that have long abandoned morals, no matter how fair their intention may have originally been. Certainly, this particular grey patched bandit only care about risk and reward, when Ovid had been running like a dog, there was no chance of her suffering any losses. Yet now the dog bared its fangs, and though the chances of Ovid killing her was close to none, it was still a possibility.
The bandit wearing the grey patches gazed at Ovid for a short moment, before walking away from the piles of fallen leaves.