"Even these guys don't have any credits?" Leo asked with surprise as he touched the corpse of the novice that he'd just killed.
"Oh, so that's why you kept touching their corpses…" Richard laughed a little, "Young master, the waters in the Wastelands run far deeper than you realize. These bandits won't risk dying and losing all of their wealth."
"Oh…" Leo's expression darkened, "So I've been wasting my time kicking these corpses... Great." He said before walking back toward his horse.
"This place might be the so-called trash heap of the empire where all the criminals and runaways gather," Richard said as he continued moving his horse with Leo and Ingrid following him, "But after so many years, multiple factions have been established here, and made this entire province an almost organized crime community."
"I see…" Leo nodded in understanding after Richard stopped speaking. Richard probably wasn't giving Leo the full story about the behind-the-scenes currents that were going on here, but that was because it would require an entire history lesson's worth of information.
Through this exchange, Ingrid stayed completely quiet, not wanting to react in a way that would make Leo punish her once again.
As they got back on their way, Leo continued training Lust Magic by lightly teasing Ingrid. As for Richard, he took care of most of the bandits on their way without even getting off his horse.
This made their journey much faster than before since with Richard's reaction speed, they didn't even need to slow down the horses to kill the bandits. By the time the horses crossed the bandit checkpoints, most of the bandits there would already be decapitated by Richard's attack, the only ones that were left alive were the opponents that he determined would be good for Leo to battle.
The only times that the horses stopped were when Richard wanted Leo to fight. And those fights were slowly pushing Leo to his limits, with Richard even having him fight multiple novice aura wielders at the same time.
Thankfully for Leo, he had received the best training since he started his aura journey. The techniques that he'd learned weren't something that the novice tier bandits could combat with the flimsy experience that they had. But it was still taking a toll on Leo. Ultimately, he was forced to stop his Lust Magic training since he had to conserve his stamina for his fights.
Soon enough, the sun was at its peak with its rays shining directly at their faces when they crossed the border of the Wastelands and entered the Northern Domain of the Kingdom. The territory of the North Duke. He was the man who held the most power and influence in the empire, right below the Emperor himself.
Not only was the man the duke of the largest and most resource-rich land of the Kingdom, but his personal forces were enough to match the Royal Family themselves. The only reason that the Royal Family hadn't tried to take away that power was because most of those soldiers were busy defending the northern front of the empire from the Border Tribes.
There were two fronts where the Empire had to defend itself from the border tribes. Both fronts were managed by Dukes. The northern front was managed by the North Duke and the eastern front was managed by Duke Pendragon. Both of their territories were prime locations for Border Tribe invasions but were also the most resource-rich territories. This formed a delicate balance that allowed the Royal Family to keep a sufficient amount of control over them while making sure that these dukes didn't encroach on the emperor's authority.
There was an instant change in terrain as Leo's group entered the Northern Domain, which allowed the horses to move much faster than before. It only took another hour for them to reach a large set of double gates. There was a large procession of people and wagons moving into and out of the city.
They had reached the Dungeon city of Vineta.
…
"So I already have everything prepared for me?" Leo asked with a surprised tone, "I thought I would be contesting against tens of people bitterly to get the item I need…" He mumbled as he observed the sides of the road that he and Richard were riding their horses on.
Unlike that previous unnamed city, Vineta City was a vibrant hub of activity. With merchants and adventurers alike entering and exiting the city at all times. Leo could see a sort of tower in the distance that almost stood out with its black rocky textures that stood and almost shone under the sun.
Richard couldn't help but laugh heartily at Leo's words. He said, "Young Master, you are still the sole scion of a Duchy. Even if we don't possess immense resources resources, your father is a man who has a wealth of favors and connections. This is just a small thing for the North Duke."
"Good to know…" Leo said before asking, "So I just need to enter the dungeon with an entourage and pluck the fruits of their labor?"
"Oh, no," Richard said, "There is one trial that you need to go through before you can enter the final location. It's a solo trial that you must clear by yourself."
"Any clue what it is?" Leo asked.
"It's a fight. Everyone faces a different enemy that's suited to their skill set." Richard explained.
"So when do we go there?" Leo was impatient to get his hands on something that could at least bring his aura talent from barely average to somewhat decent.
"Tomorrow morning, at the crack of dawn, we'll be entering the dungeon before it is opened to the public. So we need to leave at least an hour before sunrise to get there in time." Richard said.
"I'll need to get up early. Got it." Leo understood.
"May I also attempt the trial, master?" Ingrid chimed in with a tiny voice, "I would like to face the trial too…"
"I don't see why not." Leo shrugged, "You're going to act as my bodyguard while we move in the dungeon anyway. Oh, by the way, will you enter with us, Richard?"
"I'm afraid not." He shook his head, "I have another errand to run. I will drop you off with the North Duke's trusted people before leaving. I'll be back before you exit the dungeon." He explained.
"Are you sure that they won't try to kill me?" Leo asked with a little laugh, "I'd rather not risk it…" He was still a little wary of ambushes.
"You don't need to worry. These people are a part of the Duke's personal force. They were the ones who brought the news of the item in the first place. If they wanted it, they could've utilized it for themselves already." Richard said.
"And it definitely can't be taken out of the dungeon?" Leo asked, "I'd rather not take the risk if I don't need to. I'm just a novice with his adept bodyguard who would be surrounded by a bunch of journeymen and adepts after all."
"If it was a possibility, then the Duke wouldn't have needed to send you here in the first place. He could've just sent someone to procure the item for you." Richard said, "The dungeons are some kind of an independent location that seems to have separate laws from the outside world. Most of the things that are found within dungeons can't be taken out. And even if they are taken out, they just wither away." He explained.
"Huh…" Leo was surprised, "I never thought that dungeons were so complicated."
"You've only recently started your aura journey, so it's understandable." Richard nodded, "People usually wait until they are Journeymen before trying to enter dungeons since they are so dangerous."
Soon enough, they reached an inn and booked two rooms for the night, the same as before. Looking at the quality of this place, it was leagues ahead of their previous so-called inn. But they still needed merely a tenth of a credit to rent both rooms for the night.
"That other place really squeezes money out of people, no?" Leo said, "The rooms there cost twenty times more than here…"
"It's all about demand." Richard replied, "They are the only ones who give that service, so they can set whatever price they want."
"I'm going to explore the city after dropping my luggage, are you going to follow us, or do you have something to do?" Leo asked Richard.
"I'm only going to be gone tomorrow, Young Master." Richard said, "I'll be with you today."
"Great." Leo's eyes had a little sparkle, "I wanna fuck with some people. You can just stay nearby while keeping an eye on me with your aura. I'll signal to you if I need any help."
"Please try to restrain yourself, Young Master. I would rather not cause trouble for the City Lord. He's already sour about the North Duke's personal forces being stationed here. He will look for any way possible to inconvenience us."
"Don't worry about it." Leo smiled, "I'll hold back. But we can't really help it if someone else decides to provoke us, right Ingrid?" Leo gave her a teasing smile.
'He's going to use me as bait…' Dread filled Ingrid as she realized that look in Leo's eyes. She shuddered and was just about to say something, but Leo grabbed her leash and forced her to follow him.
"Let's meet outside in ten," Leo told Richard before entering his room with Ingrid in tow.
Gathering her courage, Ingrid gulped before saying, "P-please master… Please don't put me on display…" She knelt behind Leo in a bid to show her desperation, "I-I'll die of embarrassment."
"Not if I have something to say about that…" Leo's smile seemed almost demonic to Ingrid at that moment.