Fortunately, he finally came across other people.
A northern caravan.
There were about twenty of them in total, followed by a number of refugees. The mounted caravan guards became alert and nocked their arrows when they saw him. After some questioning, they reluctantly agreed to let him follow the caravan to flee to the next city.
Duncan consciously walked alongside the refugees.
After a bit of inquiry, he learned that most of the people were fleeing from nearby areas. They had heard that the imperial army was defeated again and were escaping north to avoid the chaos of war. This caravan also retreated urgently to the back, never expecting the local lord to betray and switch sides.
At any rate, everything was a tangled mess, with defeated soldiers causing havoc everywhere.
"It seems like the Empire is done for!"
Before Duncan could get familiar with the refugees and gather more information, a sudden shrill cry rang out. Immediately, he saw the guards of the caravan panic, the mules and horses being gathered together, goods stacked outside, and people flocking inward, each with an extremely tense expression, already prepared for battle.
"It's the Barbarians!" a terrified voice cried out beside him.
Whoosh!
An arrow came flying, and one of the refugees behind the caravan fell instantly, letting out a piercing wail. The others scattered in all directions. Those who retained a bit of clarity immediately ran toward the semicircle formed by the caravan's gathered carts and horses, but there were not enough mules and caravans to form a full circle.
The Empire's most loyal mercenaries.
The Barbarians.
In recent years, wars have been unceasing, with the few victories of the Empire all fought by the Barbarian mercenaries, who upheld the last bit of glory for the ailing Empire.
However, when the Barbarian army was defeated and became deserters, it was a complete disaster.
They burned, killed, looted, and annihilated towns and villages more brutally than the armies of enemy nations.
"Enter combat state!"
Duncan felt a sensation of his consciousness leaving his body. The next second, he re-entered a god's-eye view, only this time there were numerous red dots on either side, while the caravan guards were marked by blue light points. To his surprise, in the central area of the caravan's vehicle formation, there was a special yellow mark.
——"Witch [Neutral] (Skull Mark)."
What the hell?!
Ever since the appearance of an empty mana bar, Duncan had suspected that this world might possess some supernatural power.
But the knight he had taken down earlier only had physical strength superior to that of ordinary people. He thought that even if supernatural power existed, it should be rare, yet he didn't expect to encounter it so soon.
The witch in the crowd was completely obscured from view.
Duncan felt like a wild horse gone loose, his speed far exceeding that of the other refugees as he dashed into the semicircle formation of the caravan.
A rain of arrows descended.
The refugees following the caravan were instantly reduced by half. A few young and strong ones barely kept up, one robust man behind him saw his companion fall behind and turned to pull him along, only for an arrow to pierce through his neck.
As for the one he tried to help, with a terrified scream, he pushed away his fallen companion and crawled into the caravan's defensive circle, scrambling on all fours.
Only the man's corpse fell with a thud where he had been.
"This chaotic world is no place for saints."
Duncan couldn't help but shrink his head back. The robust man must have been a hunter among the refugees, quite respected and likely skilled, yet he died so swiftly.
As for the terrified young man, he was already scared out of his wits, collapsed on the ground, unable to get up for some time.
A strange howling sounded.
From the woods on both sides of the road, Barbarian deserters emerged one after another. They had thriving beards and looked like wild men, covered in animal skins, with many of them having tattooed totems on their upper bodies. Some even smeared ashes, using bizarre howls to frighten the onlookers.
The Empire's most loyal mercenaries once again turned their blades toward the Empire's civilians.
.........