Bandits?

At noon, Ryan and the elderly man, Harvey, rode a cart along the dirt road toward their destination, with the Anti-Magic bird perched on Ryan's shoulder.

The bumpy ride was uncomfortable, but the two of them kept up a conversation, passing the time until they arrived.

The village was small and not many people were out and about. The few people that were visible were slowly going about their day, seemingly unaware of the two strangers passing through.

Ryan turned to the old man and asked, "Why are there so few people here? It's a bit strange that the village is so quiet."

The old man sighed and said, "It's been like this for years now. People have been leaving, and those who remain are too busy trying to make ends meet to really care about much else."

Ryan furrowed his brow and asked, "Where are they leaving and why?"

The old man shook his head and replied, "The village is too far away from the center, and that's why there have been many times when they have been attacked by bandits. That's why everyone prefers to live in villages near the center, where they can get more protection."

Ryan calmly listened to the old man and looked around the village. The road was quiet and the buildings were old and run-down.

There were some shops selling groceries, clothes, and other items. Ryan observed the village and thought that it was like a slum. The buildings were old and neglected, and the people were struggling to make ends meet.

At that moment, Ryan noticed a little girl running with a loaf of bread in her hand. She stopped abruptly when she heard the fat man shouting at her, her face paled with fear.

The fat man yelled, "Catch the thief!" and started chasing after the girl.

Harvey, the old man looked at the fat man and said, "What's going on here?"

The girl quickly got behind Ryan, cowering like a mouse, her eyes wide with fear as the fat man continued to shout.

The fat man shouted indignantly, "This girl stole my bread! She needs to be punished!"

The little girl was trembling and tearfully pleaded, "Please, I'm sorry. I was just hungry."

The old man looked at the fat man and said, "I'll pay for that loaf of bread. There's no need to punish this child."

He then took out a few coins from his pocket and handed them to the fat man. The fat man looked at the coins and then at the old man.

The fat man scowled and walked away, taking the coins from the old man. He muttered something under his breath but quickly disappeared out of sight.

Ryan then turned to the little girl and said, "You can go now."

The girl nodded and ran away, clutching the bread tightly in her hands.

Sighing, Ryan shook his head. Ryan had seen this sort of situation before.

Although he knows he cannot do anything, he thought to himself that when he was stronger, he might be able to destroy noble realm and bring some relief to the people.

Ryan believed that the noble realm was exploiting the villagers, living in luxury while the villagers had to suffer in poverty and danger.

If it were merely insignificant, it wouldn't matter much, as they don't actually have any reason to care. But claiming to be the ruler and even collecting taxes while still looking down on the peasants showcases the hypocrisy of the Noble realm.

The setting was somewhat reminiscent of the European history he studied in his life on Earth.

So, for now, Ryan is focused on increasing his strength.

After that, they quickly arrived at their destination, which was a small store attached to a house.

A middle-aged man came for the supplies of the medicines and he seemed to be quite respectful to old man Harvey. He offered the two of them to stay the night, and with the sky getting dark, they accepted the offer.

...

After taking dinner, Ryan got out from the house and decided to take a walk around the village. He noticed that the village was quite different from the village he had grown up in.

The houses were old and crumbling, and the streets were filled with trash and mud. The villagers themselves were dressed in ragged clothing, and they seemed to be living in poverty and despair.

Although Relmaur was not the most comfortable place, it was still a far cry better than this village.

Walking, he arrived at an open space just behind the village. The area was surrounded by tall trees and the stars were sparkling in the night sky.

Ryan smirked as he cracked his knuckles and muttered to himself, "Well I didn't train for the whole day, my body's aching."

With a wave of his hand his grimoire flew in front of him and he quickly materialised the ethereal purple sword with a swing.

The purple sword caught a dark purple aura and burned like flames as Ryan swung it around. Smirking, he looked at the trees at a distance, but just as he was about to honor the tree's existence...

BOOM!

Ryan quickly spun around, his eyes widening in surprise when he heard the loud boom come from the village.

He could see a plume of smoke rising from the village in the distance "What the...?"

He then looked and can see many silhouettes of many robed people flying on broomsticks all over the village. They were all wearing strange masks.

Ryan narrowed his eyes as he watched the robed figures attack the village. "Bandits?" he muttered to himself, his grip on the sword tightening.

But slowly a grin appeared on his face. His eyes lit up with a mischievous glint, his lips curving into a predatory smirk.

"It's so happen that I wanted to test my new strength," he said to himself, before quickly sprinting towards the village.

...

"Hahaha... plunder everyone and take all the pretty women!"

People were running around in panic, screaming and crying for help, while the robed figures were wreaking havoc. They were setting fire to houses, looting, and taking hostages. The village was in total chaos.

"No please!" A young girl shouted as she tried to run away from the robed figures. She was trembling with fear, but she was determined to get away.

"Hehehe....Don't run little lady," one of the robed figures said as he grabbed the girl's arm, pulling her back.

"We just want to have some fun with you and your village."

The girl screamed and tried to break free, but the man's grip was too strong. The girl's heart was pounding as she stared into the man's eyes. He smiled, revealing a row of sharp, yellow teeth.

"Why are you crying? I told you I just want to have some f-" his word was cut in half as a kick collided with his big head.

The girl watched in slow motion as the bandit's face twisted in wired shape.

BAAM!

He was sent flying across the village, crashing into a nearby house with a loud thud.

The impact was powerful enough to make the walls of the house shudder and the roof to collapse.

The figure walked towards her, the smoke from the burning houses surrounding him. He was dressed in black and was wielding a mysterious purple sword.

Two shining eyes and a predatory smirk can be seen on his face as he walked closer and closer.

Ryan stepped forward, the dark purple aura of his sword still burning brightly.

"Hehehe... what a coincidence," he said. "I want to have some fun too."