NOVEL NEXT Chapter 171: Late Guards
Suddenly, a Mana Barrier appeared in front of Julia!
"This is my last!" Harvey yelled, shrouding Julia in a defensive barrier moment before the knight's sword swept toward her.
CLANG!
It bounced off—barely.
Still, Julia stumbled back and coughed up some blood.
"Enough… We have to end this," Julia said, gasping. "Lena, Gian—power transfer!"
They nodded. Both of them poured what little remained of their mana into her.
Soon, the runes on Julia's staff began glowing... This unnamed staff gifted by her father was definitely not a simple item.
Then she whispered, "Let's finish it."
Julia's eyes locked on the Aura Knight, who was also the Bandit Leader. He was already preparing for another charge, but that was it... Julia would no longer allow this man to play on them…
Her staff was soon filled with Mana that she needed… and she cast the final spell.
"Mana Bomb!"
It was not a typical Zero-Circle Spell. It was an advanced variation, barely within reach of Apprentice Mages. But Julia was special—and now, empowered by her allies, she unleashed it.
A blast of mana erupted in front of the Second-Level Aura Knight!
Boom!
The man did his best to dodge and lessen the damage on him but Julia would certainly not allow it to happen! Since he no longer had the Aura he needed to defend himself and could only use his physical strength, Julia just used her Magic Hand to interrupt on his movement and just like that, he was got caught by the blast!
"Aahhh!" The man screamed as the blast occurred near his face!
When the smoke cleared again, the Gray Aura Knight lay on his back, armor shattered and the mask seemed to have been burned and stuck to his face…
His real appearance could probably not be seen anymore unless he gets healed by a high-level Magician or a top-grade potion… which will not happen at all.
***
The battlefield soon became silent as the five apprentices finally sat on the ground to rest as they confirmed that they had won the battle.
As expected, without any Mana Circle on their bodies, using Spells was still too mana-consuming for them.
Just now, they could tell that all the Spells they used, Mana Chains, Magic Bullet, Mana Barrier, and all others were too costly. Their Mana Reserves had consumed too much!
"Whew~" Gian exhaled as he started to look around.
This was his first kill… He had never killed a person before like everyone else. Nonetheless, he didn't feel too bad about it since these people deserved death.
Soon, he checked the broken swords lying beside cracked armor…
There weren't any signs of their affiliation. However, they were really well made, so he could guess that someone from their side could actually craft a high-level sword.
"We need to check them…" Julia said, at last, her voice was hoarse, but steady.
Harvey nodded. "Looting? Right. Instructor Chavez hasn't said anything, but if these bastards came armed, they might have something valuable or dangerous."
Just like that, they ordered their slaves to move.
Van had already used his Ocularis Lens and found various things on it, but he still worked like he was unaware of it…
Fin was already bending over one of the corpses, carefully prying a dagger from a dead Aura Knight's gloved hand.
"That's quality steel," he muttered. "No rust, no dents. I can feel the Aura residue even now."
"Same here," Jax muttered, pulling a heavy banded ring off a finger. "Artifact ring. I think this is the one that created the Aura Shield. It's worn down, but still functioning. We can recharge it with Aura."
"Ohh… That's expensive." Gian muttered. Although it was only usable for a Mage like him, it would be perfect for his slaves. However, since he felt that he wasn't the one with the highest contribution to win against the leader, he just waited for the others' decision.
They worked methodically and as expected, they confirmed that these people weren't just robbers—they were trained warriors, likely ex-soldiers or mercenaries. Their equipment reflected that.
Van knelt by the body of the Second-Level Aura Knight, his hand hovering just above the shattered remnants of the Aura Weapon.
[ Analysis: Weapon Fragmentation Due to Overdrawn Aura Saturation ]
[ Material Composition: Refined Obsidian Steel Core, Hollow Crystal Lattice for Aura Conductivity ]
[ Value: High – Repairable ]
He retrieved a curved shard the size of a forearm, slipping it into a thick leather wrap before placing it in a satchel.
"What's that?" Julia asked.
"His sword," Van replied. "Broken, but worth keeping. Weapons like this aren't forged by amateurs."
"Check his armor," Marcus said, prodding the Knight's torso. "I think he had internal compartments."
Fin, Marcus' Slave, immediately acted. However, he immediately realized that it was not something he could pry open.
After hearing this, Marcus smiled…
Harvey then took over, leaned down, and activated a detection spell.
"Mana Trace..." It was another Zero-Circle Spell that could be used for detection. It wasn't as good as Appraisal Spell but it was still decent for apprentices like them.
Soon, a light-blue glow outlined two parts of the Knight's breastplate.
Harvey pressed on a groove near the collarbone—click!
A small compartment opened, revealing a hidden velvet pouch.
Inside: two crystal vials of concentrated Mana Essence, and a folded map marked with red symbols.
Julia narrowed her eyes. "That's no ordinary map. Is it a treasure map?"
She seemed so excited now. Although none of them were poor, finding a treasure map was still quite incredible.
Van then stepped closer and used his Ocularis Lens to swiftly scan the parchment.
[ Cartographic Scan: Sector B-17 of the Whistler Forest ]
[ Markings: Communication Relays, Supply Drops, Deployment Routes ]
[ Insignia Detected: Obscured—Possibly a rogue military faction or outlaw guild ]
"We'll let Instructor Chavez deal with this," Van muttered as he turned his attention to the mask of the Knight.
To be honest, he knew that its quality was high and it must be extremely valuable.
If possible, he really wanted to get it.
However, the mask had already stuck on the man's flesh due to the Mana Blast, and it wasn't appropriate to just take it with him.
Finally, Marcus pried open a bandit's belt pouch and wryly smiled… "Money pouch. Not just copper—silver and gold in here… Enough to keep a town's worth of mercenaries fed for a month."
It wasn't a huge amount for him but it was still quite a good sum and could sustain his Alchemy Research for a few weeks.
"Definitely not simple paid soldiers," Lena softly muttered.
***
As the final items were gathered, the ground began to tremble again—this time not from magic or battle, but from incoming footsteps.
"Someone's coming!" Fin shouted, raising his club instinctively.
But finally, Instructor Chavez arrived and held up her hand. "It's not… Just calm down."
Soon, several figures with blue cloaks and gray robes emerged from the trees.
They were also mages like them… However, with their uniform, they knew that they were enemies.
Indeed, the robes they were wearing bore the unmistakable symbol of Rukh Tower…
They had finally arrived.
A tall man dismounted first. His face had a distinctive white beard that was trimmed into a disciplined line.
He looked around at the carnage, taking in the burned battlefield, the unconscious Aura Knights, the five exhausted Mages, the familiar female magician behind them, and the group of slaves…
"So it's like that…" he muttered. "You really held them off."
Another woman, younger but clearly an officer, ran up beside him and gave a respectful bow. "Commander Nathan, we've confirmed no further hostiles in this sector. These people who were killed by the Apprentices were definitely the last ones… The captives were telling the truth."
Nathan then stepped forward and smiled at the Instructor... He definitely knew that she was the Instructor of the Magic Academy.
"Mage Chavez. Apprentice Mages. On behalf of the Rukh Tower Mage Guard, I offer our sincere apologies for the delay in our response."
Instructor Chavez nodded, looking completely unbothered by everything that had transpired.
She then looked at his small group and replied.
"You're late..."
The officer flinched. "Yes... There were simultaneous attacks at Relay Station Alpha and the East Watchtower. The attackers used communication disrupters and decoy enchantments. Our squads were split responding to multiple fires."
"We weren't expecting an ambush in Whistler of all places," The female officer muttered.
Chavez looked toward his students.
"They survived… That's what matters." Chavez said as if their lives were truly in danger.
Gian then stepped forward, wiping grime from his brow. "Sir… it wasn't just random bandits. They had a strategy. Maps. Aura Artifacts. And their leader—he had a Gray Aura. He could have killed us… So we're taking all the loot here…"
"Of course… It's all yours. As an apology, we could celebrate our victory in the outpost. We have prepared some food." Nathan said as he stepped forward and examined the corpse of the Second-Level Knight.
"As for the Gray Aura... That confirms the reports. This isn't a bandit but a local mercenary band..."