The situation was worse than Arthur thought. He had seen the gloomy faces of the people in every city he passed through, but the attacks on the roads were getting more frequent as the time passed.
Most of the mages who attacked travelers weren't Official Mages, and some were even as low as a third circle mage, but those people were invincible when fighting against the non mage population.
Everyone was fearful, and the number of rich merchants hiring people to protect their convey was getting more frequent. Even Arthur received the offer, and he accepted it.
Inside the town, which was not that far from Odemore, a merchant saw him, and offered him a job to protect them on the road.
Arthur wasn't willing to accept it, but the destination of the merchant was not that far from the One Hundred Thunder Academy, plus the payment was not that bad!