The Second Son of the Marquis Wants to Laze Around-Chapter 79: Ambush (1/2)

On the main road, the convoy made its way back to the Aisman Kingdom, the carriages slowly progressing through the dense forest. At the front of the convoy, Commander Gareth led the way, flanked by Sir Leon, Kristoff, and the rest of the elite knights. Among them was Raven, riding Thundercalw, the formidable monster beast she had tamed, its powerful presence almost palpable in the air.

The convoy moved at a steady pace, each member deep in their thoughts, until Commander Gareth suddenly brought his horse to a halt.

"..."

The rest of the group noticed immediately and followed suit, their horses coming to a stop in unison. Kristoff, ever observant, was the first to speak up, his voice cutting through the silence.

"Commander, is something wrong?"

Gareth remained silent for a moment, his sharp eyes scanning the surrounding forest. There was an odd stillness in the air, an unnatural quiet that set his senses on edge.

"The air... it’s too quiet," he muttered, his voice low, yet filled with an undeniable tension.

At his words, the knights instinctively tensed, their hands hovering over their weapons as they began to scan their surroundings.

"Is it another surprise ambush?"

Leon murmured, his gaze shifting to Raven, followed by the others as they all remembered what she did in the past.

Sensing their eyes on her, Raven raised her hands defensively, shaking her head quickly. "It-it’s not me! I swear, I have nothing to do with this!"

Gareth’s stern gaze remained fixed on the horizon, his mind already calculating their next move.

"Can you send your birds to check the situation?" he commanded, his voice firm.

Raven realized she was the only one capable of checking the area with her tamed bird-monster, so she quickly called upon it through her skill. The bird, a swift and agile creature, soared above the convoy, its keen eyes scanning the forest for any signs of trouble. However, before she could even confirm the bird’s findings, Gareth’s instincts kicked in.

Suddenly, he leaped from his horse, shouting at the top of his lungs,

"Take cover!"

–BOOM!

–BOOM!

–BOOM!

The sounds of magic exploding erupted all around them, and a barrage of powerful attacks flew from the trees, coming from every direction. The knights reacted instantly, activating defensive spells or using magic artifacts to shield themselves from the oncoming assault. This was clearly an ambush.

–BOOM!

–BOOM!

The attacks didn’t stop. The knights who had raised their shield barriers gritted their teeth as they struggled against the relentless onslaught. Their strength was being sapped by the intense magic raining down from all sides.

Meanwhile, inside the main carriage, the young master, Eren, slowly raised his eyes from the game console he had been engrossed in. Hearing the commotion outside, he muttered under his breath, barely a whisper,

"It’s time."

...

Back outside, a massive magic circle began to form beneath the convoy, its radius so large that it covered everyone, including the knights. Commander Gareth’s sharp eyes immediately recognized the color of the circle beneath them, and a surge of dread coursed through him.

"Not good," he muttered, his voice grave.

As the magic circle completed its formation, it glowed brightly, and a wave of energy pulsed through the area. The knights and everyone standing within the circle immediately felt their strength diminish drastically.

"It’s a debuff spell!" Leon shouted, his face contorted in anger. He could feel the weight of the spell’s effects, his power reduced by at least near one level, making him feel sluggish and vulnerable.

Once the magic circle faded and the spell’s effects were gone, the attacks ceased as abruptly as they had begun. The forest around them fell eerily silent. Then, from behind the trees and out of the underbrush, a large group of cloaked figures emerged, encircling the convoy. They were all wearing strange masks, their faces hidden from view. The number of figures easily reached into the hundreds.

Raven’s heart raced as she realized the gravity of the situation. She immediately activated her Taming Skill on Thundercalw, preparing to command the beast to strike at their attackers. Her hand shot up, signaling her mount to prepare for battle.

But just as she was about to issue the command, Gareth and the others noticed one of the cloaked figures step forward. The figure produced something from beneath his cloak—a scroll, a magic scroll. But what took everyone by surprise was the color of the scroll.

It was gold.

Without hesitation, the cloaked figure tore the scroll open, activating the spell within. A beam of golden light shot forth from his outstretched hand, speeding toward them.

"Binding Rope!" the figure shouted, his voice booming with authority.

Before anyone could react, the beam hit Raven’s Thundercalw directly. In an instant, a golden rope materialized, binding the creature’s body and rendering it immobile. The beast let out an ear-piercing roar in fury, thrashing against its restraints.

–ROOOOOAAAR!

With Thundercalw momentarily incapacitated, the figure who had used the scroll turned to his subordinates, his voice rising in command.

"ATTACK!!!"

At his shout, the cloaked figures began charging forward, unsheathing their swords and weapons. A violent clash was about to ensue.

"Prepare for battle!" Commander Gareth shouted, his voice steely as he steeled himself for what was to come.

The sound of metal clashing against metal, the screams of combat, and the grunts of the knights filled the air as the two forces collided. The knights gritted their teeth, pushing back against the overwhelming numbers of their attackers.

Leon, with his years of experience in the darker corners of the world, quickly recognized the type of foes they were facing. As he fought off one attacker, his eyes narrowed as he noticed the clothing beneath their cloaks, recognize their styles.

"Bandits!" he snarled, his grip tightening on his sword.

"Who do you think you are, attacking a noble’s convoy!" a Knight shouted in anger when he heard Leon’s words.

One of the bandits, his voice dripping with mockery, laughed maniacally.

"Who are we? We’re just doing our job, man!" he jeered, lashing out with two daggers in quick succession.

The knights struggled as they fought, but the effects of the debuff spell were taking their toll. Though the bandits were rough, unskilled, and lacked proper combat training, the spell had drained the knights’ strength, making the battle much more even. Still, the knights fought on, determined to protect the convoy, though the numbers of the attackers made victory seem uncertain.

Despite the knights’ best efforts, the sheer number of opponents pressing in on them was overwhelming. They couldn’t afford to let their guard down, not even for a second.

–Clang!

–Clang!

Leon was fighting five of them alone. He blocked one attack with his sword, only to counter with his other blade, slashing at the enemy.

–Clang!

"What?"

To his surprise, the enemy used his cloak to shield himself. Leon quickly realized that the cloaks they were wearing had protective enchantments—in other words, they were magic artifacts.

This made him frown in worry and confusion. ’How did these guys manage to get their hands on something like this?’

And just like Leon, many knights began to notice that the bandits were fully prepared. The ambush was carefully planned: the strategy, the initial distraction to cast the large debuff spell, the golden magic scroll used to bind Raven’s tamed monster...

Not to mention how the enemies focused their attacks on the strongest among them—Commander Gareth, him, and Kristoff. It felt like the bandits knew everything about them... as if their information had been leaked.

While Leon was still holding off five bandits, each using their cloaks to defend, Raven—who couldn’t fight in close combat as a Tamer—was hiding behind Commander Gareth. He was fighting only three enemies, including the leader who had used the scroll on her monster.

–Clang!

–Boom!

Commander Gareth was struggling as he faced off against the leader—a large figure wielding a heavy axe. Behind him, Raven supported him with low-level magic, but her attacks had no effect. The enemies simply used their cloaks to block her spells.

"Hahahaha! What’s wrong, old man? Feeling helpless protecting your wife?" the leader taunted, swinging his axe. freёnovelkiss.com

Gareth deflected it and landed a counterattack using his Aura.

–Bang!

Despite being weakened by the debuff, the Commander still stood tall, holding his ground.

"Who ordered you?" he demanded with a frown. He was certain someone was orchestrating this ambush from behind the scenes.

Just like Leon, Gareth suspected that the bandits had been hired by someone—and that person was the real mastermind, as he didn’t believe those guys were able to pull this kind of plan.

"Huh? Why would I tell you?" the leader sneered, tossing something toward Gareth. The Commander’s eyes widened, and he dodged instinctively.

–BOOM!

It was a magic bomb marble—an illegal item typically used only in wartime.

"Master!" Raven screamed in fear—only to sigh in relief as she saw that Gareth was unharmed, protected by the Aura surrounding his body.

Though the explosion was small and weak to him, Gareth’s expression darkened. The enemy was holding three more marbles.

"Hehehe! You survived. Let’s see how many more you can handle!" the man grinned behind his mask and threw all three magic bombs toward them.

–BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Elsewhere, the knights were also struggling. On top of the debuff weakening them, the enemies used underhanded tactics—attacking the carriages where the maids and servants were hiding.

Meanwhile, at Eren’s carriage, six knights—including Hector—were guarding it. But they faced ten bandits, and the odds weren’t in their favor.

It didn’t take long before Hector was the last one standing. The others had fallen unconscious after the enemies used some kind of magic powder that exploded, knocking them out cold.

"Hah...hah...!"

Hector was breathing heavily as he was confronting two opponents.

....