ix

There are many ways for men and women to meet. One of the most romantic is called "Heroes Save Beauty", which is often the beginning and end of a legendary story. In the eyes of others, the first encounter between Huran, Di Martel and Lily, and Maggie that day fits the definition of this encounter - but the result is a little different. There is no heroism in the dialogue after the meeting, and there is no romance in the promise of each other - only *naked bargaining.

"You mean...... 10,000 pounds, 10,000 gold pounds, just to escort Lennie to it! That's enough to buy a small estate!"

Xiulan was the first to react and asked in disbelief. For an escort mission, this price is probably unprecedented - even escorting the Emperor would never have been paid so highly.

"Yes, ten thousand gold pounds, a promissory note with absolute guarantees, payable upon arrival at Lenny. The green-haired woman said as she began to gather the wreckage of the carriage, and dug out a heavy wooden box from it, "I can probably scrape together more than a thousand pounds here as a deposit." Regardless of the contract you accepted, the price is enough, right?"

The adventurers exchanged glances for a moment, and finally Xiulan stepped forward to open the box—almost at the same time, everyone exclaimed. Inside was shining with gold, and there was a whole half box of real gold pounds!

"So much, who the hell is she sacred?" the paladin took the gold coins and returned to the group with a stammering mouth.

"Hunted down by the Free Army, it can't be civilians. I think it's a little suspicious, and it's the opposite of our destination, so don't accept this commission. Reve frowned, a "more is better than less" expression.

Jett Nitton hurriedly shook his head: "That's 10,000 gold coins, a whole 10,000 gold coins! As long as we accept this commission, we won't have any financial problems for a long time! What's more, we have killed the employer's people by mistake now, and we don't even have the financial guarantee ...... behind."

"Seeing such a weak woman in danger and not saving her is not the paladin's doing. Xiu Lan also helped.

Rev snorted coldly, "Paladin......? What do you think, Denika?"

"Ah...... I—I abstain from voting. Hearing Lenny, the girl with mixed emotions couldn't make a decision. If you go home in two days, it's like just running away from home...... This was not the kind of determination she was clearly undertaking.

"Abstaining. Pike replied indifferently.

"Two to one, that's it. Rest assured, Miss Namlock, we won't delay our trip. Please trust us. ”

Xiu Lan turned to his new employer and said loudly: "Then we will accept this commission and escort you...... And your escort to Lennie. Can you tell us a little bit about who you are?"

The green-haired woman groaned for a moment and replied, "Let me introduce myself first, I'm Lily and Maggie. The one who passed out is your real employer...... Well, you can call him Mr. Alpha. Our destination is Lenny, who has a very dangerous and important mission, and we will tell you when we are in a safe place. ”

"IMHO, Mr. Alpha's pseudonym is hard to believe. The priestess took two steps forward and retorted, "Is there any secret mission that cannot be said here, and if you don't trust us, don't hire us." We don't have to be rare for ten thousand gold pounds. ”

"You mean, it's a good idea to say our mission when someone might not be dead, or have eavesdropping magical items? At the very least, let your mages examine the corpses of all your enemies first. Maggie didn't hesitate to push back.

"Miss Namlock, I think Miss Maggie's analysis is correct. It's time for us to clean up this place and then go to a safe place. Enemy reinforcements could arrive at any moment. The middle-aged man stepped forward and whispered to the female pastor whose face had begun to turn pale. Reve had to turn her head and return to her mount in some anger.

Lily spoke a little helplessly, as if lamenting the time lost because of this pointless argument: "That young female mage over there, can I ask you to do this?"

"Uh...... Good. Danika hurriedly used the magic of "Detect Magical Effects" to put her vision into a state of detecting magical effects. After enduring the smell of blood, after examining the suspicious corpses near the carriage, she remembered the previous interception team and ran back into the forest.

She saw the taciturn Pike, who was already crouching there to check: the young Assassin staring at the burning holes in the corpse, startled.

"Pike, you're here first. Is there anything suspicious?"

The Assassin reached over to the charred spot of the corpse, touched it, sniffed it again, and the expression on his face changed. He jerked to his feet and faced Danika with a somewhat stiff smile. The girl was stunned: it was the first time she had seen the young man smile. She had always thought that he would not laugh.

"You're amazing, I'm ...... Admire you. You're an expert, Viren...... Belch...... Miss. ”

His words stammered, but they were sincere. He tried hard to call out the last name that Danica had chosen, and he added an honorific title.

"Thank you. Denika reflexively thanked her and crouched down to look for suspicious magical items. After destroying a suspicious brooch, she also saw the wound that had been pierced by the flames, and reacted violently.

"Expert......?!"

The young Assassin praised the expert for only one thing. He praised not her skills in using magic, but her skills in killing. He was praising her as an expert at killing.

None of the corpses on the ground had died from the attacks of the orb of light, the glare of light, or the handsome angel—they all died from the full force of the flaming arrows. Danica's legs went limp, and she sat down on the pool of blood. The most majestic is not necessarily the most effective, and the most striking is not necessarily the most dangerous...... The most dangerous thing for these people is her. A murderer praised even by professional assassins.

"Can anyone tell me...... Should I be happy to hear this compliment?"

"But you can't let your companions see that you're a novice. You can't. ”

Different voices echoed in her heart. She mechanically destroyed all the badges that glowed suspiciously and followed the group south.

*** ***

As the sun set in the west, the apprehensive adventurers finally returned to the vicinity of the blockade. At the insistence of the new employer, the team chose the fastest path.

"Stop for a moment. Xiulan stopped the group, "We must first act like we have fought hard, or we will be treated as having fled the war zone." Uncle, are you ready?"

"Ready. Jett, Niton magically pulled out a handful of blood-soaked gauze, "I think it's going to work pretty well...... Who's going to come? I think Miss Viren will work best. It may be a little uncomfortable, so bear with me. ”

Danika looked up from her sluggish state, "Huh, what are you going to do?"

"It's just a small thing...... Soon fine. With a kind smile on his face, the uncle walked over with the pungent smell of gauze.

After completing this final preparation, the group made a dejected expression and walked into the town. The soldiers of the defense immediately met them.

"It's a mercenary again. Will you come back too early? Don't be lazy. ”

"Someone in our team is injured and needs to go back for treatment. Encountered a team of vicious bandits. ”

Jett: Nitton showed off the temporary epaulettes that the team had received when they accepted the mission, as well as his naturally honest face. The guards glanced at the naturally innocent Danica on her shoulder and the blood-stained bandage on her right arm, stamped their passes with sympathy, and waved their hands to let them go.

"Witches are always the first target, how pitiful. There's a Senjah of the Concord in the town to the south, and you can go to him and see him. The guard kindly reminded the adventurers, "Oh...... And a faint one? What a misfortune, is the opponent very stably?"

"It's a bit of a prickle...... Thanks, we went. ”

After thanking them, the group of seven people pretended to be leisurely and passed through the town. As soon as he left the town, "Lily Maggie" dismounted and pulled out a large pile of shimmering gray horseshoes from the small box strapped to the horse's back.

"Guys, we're going to hurry up now. If they sense that the ambushers have not returned on time, they will definitely set out to inspect them, and we will no longer be able to fool ourselves around. It's four o'clock in the afternoon, and we're going to get out of the way of the Fifth Militia Division before they find out about it—we're going to have to cross the deep forest junction and get to Lenny by the 27th. ”

"Deep Forest Intersection?!" Uncle Jett, who is familiar with geography, immediately spoke, "That's nearly two hundred kilometers away, can you get there within today?"

"Not too reluctantly, because I brought the 'tireless horseshoe'. Let's put it on now. With horses that don't get tired, gallop at full strength until 12 o'clock at midnight, and we can check in at the hotel at the intersection of Fukamori Road. It won't be safe until then, so please do your best until then. The green-haired woman tossed the horseshoe in her hand, "That knight over there, please do it." Most of you don't seem to have anything to do with horses. ”

Xiulan was stunned for a moment, jumped off the horse, and took the pile of horseshoes a little reluctantly. Pike: Tap jumped off his horse without saying a word—the taciturn young man was surprisingly good at tending to horses.

"It seems that control of the team has been snatched away all at once......" Seeing this scene, Danika pretended to be the wounded, and Viren smiled knowingly and whispered.

As if hearing her words, or perhaps seeing the bottom of her heart from her expression, Reve, who was walking with her, also dismounted neatly. Almost at the same time that the priestess's riding boots touched the dust, her right index finger was already pointing at the nose of "Miss Maggie".

"Before you go, tell us your purpose. Inexplicably hunted down, inexplicably involved us in it, and inexplicably hired us with a lot of money. What are you going to do, why are you being targeted, and who are our enemies?"

"Sorry, I can't say right now, we might be positioned by the prophecy magic. I'll tell you when we get to the deep forest intersection and set up the magic array for defense. The green-haired Lily replied in a steady tone.

"Then what if I say that we don't want to take such an inexplicable commission? Rev didn't show any weakness.

"Ah, but we have no choice. I trust that the adversary will arrive in time to collect the bodies of their companions and send a search party including the Prophet and the Observer. I'm sorry for this hurting you. ”

Lily explained apologetically with an apologetic look on her face. There seemed to be such a meaning in her words: I am the employer now.

Reif's face turned dramatically blue in an instant, and a few green tendons floated on her forehead: "And the guards just now, right? You urged us to pass so quickly so that they could leave a record of us passing together, right? We're sorry, but for our own safety, we're afraid we can't accept your commission, even if it's that high. ”

Hearing the pastor's words, the expressions on several people's faces changed. Xiulan quickly loaded the last horseshoe in her hand and hesitated, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't speak. The green-haired woman bit her lip in a little surprise, like a commander who had encountered an unexpected counterattack.

"You have the freedom to imagine any situation, miss. But here we are, and we're already in the same boat. I've provided the means, I've hired you, and now we must work together to evade our opponents. I don't see the time or the need for us to argue here. As for the reason why we were hunted down, I'll tell you when we get to safety. ”

"But ......!" Reeve and Namlock seemed to want to continue arguing for control of the team, and at that moment, Lily and Maggie's eyebrows twitched slightly, and their eyes changed slightly. With the slightest movement of her right hand, she clicked a few times in the air. Her movements were so slight that almost no one noticed—except for Danika and Viren, who had been watching carefully.

"What's that...... Magic?" The young mage, who still maintained the vision of detecting magic, saw the magical light flickering in the green-haired woman's pupils. It was a magical glow she had never seen before.

The change in her pupils caught her in Reeve's eyes, and Namlock tilted her head slightly, taking a short breath - and then her attitude changed.

"You seem to have a point. Then I'll let you go this time, and I'll ask when I get to the deep forest intersection. Let's go!"

"Could it be the effect of the magic? This woman...... What the hell?" the girl, who had a keen touch of magic, nodded secretly. For some reason, she felt that now was not the time to tell her companions about this......

At some point, Jett Niton approached her horse.

"Miss Vilen, those bandages on your arms can be removed. Let me help......"

"Thank you very much. Danica smiled wryly and shrugged her bandaged shoulders: "This dress is ridiculous, and the uncomfortable smell of blood is still great...... Why should I do this?"

"Because I see your hands shaking all the time. Jett tossed the bandages aside, "Hopefully this will take your attention away from what just happened." It's good to be able to kill someone like this for the first time. ”

"It's not the first time I've killed someone......" Denika reflexively retorted.

"Those boys can't see it, I can see it. Let's go!"

As soon as Jett whipped his horse, the horse began to run wild as if it had seen a carrot hanging from a stick. Under the effect of the "tireless horseshoe", their eyes are full of hopes that should belong only to human beings.

*** ***

Evening of December 23 Lenny United Parliament Building

The clock was approaching five o'clock in the afternoon. The makeshift reconstituted parliament finally lasted until their first statutory leave. Today's agenda is over, and lawmakers are separated by party and faction, chatting through the gossip one by one.

"Why don't we hold a debriefing meeting when we've already arrived at Lennie? We've already sent someone to summon the admiral." ”

"Probably because it's close to the end of the year, even if it's Wiener, Betsy has to enjoy life. ”

"Unlike Radetz and Govar, our famous conservative is quite fond of enjoying life, and I'm afraid it's not 'a while'......"

"Look at it this way, the special meeting will be postponed until the 27th. ”

While the parliamentarians were chatting about topics that were not very healthy and not very important, the speaker rang the silent bell on the rostrum with the gavel in his hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the last term of the agenda of the 91st Parliament of the United Provincial Republic is coming to an end. If there is no urgent agenda, we will hold the annual summary meeting on the 27th and 28th, and then start the first agenda of the 66th year on January 3 of the following year. A lot has happened at the end of the year, but our homeland, our system, and our freedoms have managed to survive. Before you begin your pleasant New Year's holidays, let us hold the adjournment ceremony, as is customary. ”

All the councillors stood up at the same time, staring solemnly at the huge four-color cross flag in the center of the north wall of the council hall. The Speaker tapped lightly with the gavel in his hand, and the military band, which had been prepared, immediately began to play. It was a majestic march. The councillors feebly followed the rhythm of the tune and sang the song they knew so well.

Forever united in the name of freedom,

The great alliance will always stand.

The United Provincial Republic will surely transcend the times,

All citizens will be proud of it.

Long live, our free Fatherland,

It was built on the hands of the people.

May the gods bless them with unity and freedom......

May the four-color cross flag fly for a long time......

Just as the second part of the tune was progressing, suddenly from the direction of the parliamentary gate, a neat and loud singing voice was heard. These young lads, who were few in number, instantly overwhelmed the voices of the entire council, and even the tune and tone changed with their singing. It was obvious that it was the singing of the soldiers.

We fought hard to destroy the invading adversary,

Bring back the laurels of victory to the great motherland!

Our honor will be preserved in history,

Glittering with glory for posterity!

Hooray! Our free motherland!

It was built on the hands of the people.

May the gods bless them in unity and freedom!

May the four-color cross flag fly for a long time!

The eyes of the audience were focused on these soldiers who appeared at the last minute. On their chests, they all wore the coat of arms representing the Phaetes, a lilac coat of arms set off by a sword. A bespectacled, blonde lieutenant colonel lined up their line and walked to the rostrum with vigorous steps to salute the pro tempore speaker.

"On behalf of His Excellency Wiener, Commander-in-Chief of the Fatess Army, I request that an emergency meeting be convened on the 25th. Although this is a break with convention, His Excellency the Admiral sees urgency as such. ”

*** ***

A boring appendix to this section: the original version of the national anthem of the United Provincial Republics

,

hty dure!

ill live through the ages,

!

herland,

ple‘s mighty hand.

!

d flag inspire!

e fought for the future, destroyed the invaders,

land the laurels of in!

los,

!

herland,

ple‘s mighty hand.

!

d flag inspire!