VIII

Lesa and the two girls were tired, gasping for breath as they sat on the bed, looking like they had indeed undergone a careful and unobtrusive body search. Unlike before, the girls were no longer wearing the sheets, but wearing a set of white dresses, and the texture of the clothes was quite familiar.

"It's still a sheet...... it must be," the half-elf maliciously guessed the texture of the dress. Most alchemists are in the business of making some items, and it is a matter of little effort to transform clothes from bed sheets. The style of the dress was indeed a bit too plain, and the maker clearly had little talent for it.

"Is there really nothing?" he asked.

"There's really nothing. Not to mention magic items, not even a copper coin. Rysa's face was full of "this time it was hard for nothing" expression, and she stood up and prepared to leave.

"Wait, wait, is there really nothing?" Leonard hurriedly stopped her.

"Of course. What else?" the alchemist paused.

"Then they are your property. As he spoke, Leonard had a relieved look on his face. "Anyway, I'll leave it to you, and I'll be relieved......"

Hearing his words, the alchemist was stunned for a moment, and his face was surprised—the same as the two maidens. "Property, wait a minute, what's going on?"

"It's just the two little girls, haven't you heard of this law of the sea after staying in the New World for so long?" asked the half-elf in disbelief. "Those who save the lives of others are entitled to a reward of equal value. If it is not possible to repay it, let it be reciprocated with life itself. Article 1 of the Public Law of the Sea of Diza. ”

"When you say that, I remember it, and I think I've heard it a few times. In other words, because I found out and commanded the ship to save them, they are mine?"

"That's right. The half-elf nodded and continued, "This law was made to ensure that everyone who saves people is compensated, so that all sailors will go to the rescue of others. If some people are rescued without being paid, then there are people who do not rescue others......"

Resa interrupted him: "That's it, no nonsense. It's just that people who don't have the money to thank for saving their lives should be slaves, right?"

"You're so direct. Leonard smiled wryly and turned to the two teenage girls with surprised and panicked faces. "Now you should understand, right? It is better for you to be a servant to this lady than to be to someone else. You don't want to be sold into the slave market, do you? Young girls are going to be miserable. Now it is better that my conscience will not be condemned, and you will not be betrayed. ”

Hearing this threat, the girls who were dissatisfied with the word "slave" just now exchanged a look, and their expressions immediately changed completely. They nodded desperately, vigorously, thanking the lady for saving her life.

"We are so lucky to have such a kind, gentle, and beautiful lady as our host!" complimented the cheerful blonde girl with a smile on her face.

"We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the lady for saving her life and taking her in, and we will definitely work hard to repay it. The brunette girl swore solemnly.

As they made up their minds, the alchemist was thinking.

"These two girls are just the right age, and they look healthy and full of energy......"

Thinking of this, she finally made a decision, and a light smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

"Okay. From now on, I will be your hostess. I'll introduce myself, I'm Resa Helmont, the wandering 'Alchemist of Pure Gold'. ”

"Ahh "Helmont, alchemist...... ......"

"What are you afraid of? Alchemists don't make anything strange out of living people. Resa frowned, she had seen a lot of misunderstandings among mortals, and there were always some strange theories that alchemists like to use living people in the pot. "I am your master, but I don't want you to call it that. You are to call me 'Venerable Lady' or 'Lady.'" ”

"Yes, noble lady. The two girls replied immediately.

"Of course, you owe me a debt. It's a debt that always has to be repaid - for a young and lovely girl like you, I don't want to take a direct return like everyone else. Hearing this, the other three people all breathed a sigh of relief. "But on the other hand, you have to work for me. ”

"Of course, noble lady. We can do any rough work......" The brown-haired girl hesitated slightly, glanced at her sister, and changed her words, "But it's better not to be too tired." ”

"Naturally, the rough work on this ship is done by sailors, and you are not needed. What I want you to do is—" Lesa said in a long voice, "Guard." ”

"Protecting ...... Guards?" Everyone was taken aback, including Leonard.

"Yes, it's the guards. Of course, I know that the two of them can't do it now, so I hope someone can teach me that. I think you're very flexible in your fighting style, and it's more suitable for girls. The alchemist's tone was very flat, as if he was saying something that was taken for granted. "So, Mr. Kakkawi, they'll ask you. ”

"This ...... Training Girls ...... Fighting?—This seems unlikely......" Leonard retorted.

"No problem, you're a dignified 'throat stabber'. Who told me that he was famous for the Two Seas Fleet?" Lesa gave two top hats first.

"But I still have to train my subordinates......"

"It's okay, just train them a little early every day, and you can train your subordinates as usual during the day. The alchemist changed his tone, "At the very least, these two girls can be able to compete with the ordinary soldiers under your command." If I can't, then I will have to use ordinary means to recover the debt, and then it is all your responsibility. ”

The half-elf, who was an abolitionist, stared at her for a moment and sighed. He knew that he had been completely seen through, and he could no longer escape from her palm.

"Well, I'll do my best. With that, he turned to the two young girls. "I'm sorry...... My training may be a bit harsh, but they can save your life on the battlefield. Of course, I sincerely hope that you don't have a chance to use these things...... Speaking of which, what's your name?"

"Annie Sapphire. The blonde girl replied, "My sister, Bonnie Sapphire." The hometown is ...... Well, Lennie. ”

Hearing these two names, the half-elf felt a little funny. This surname is directly called Qingyu, which is really full of the flavor of guilds. Belch...... It also seems to be full of the smell of kana......

Lesa was more direct: "That's a good name. In the future, Anne's code name is Slave A, and Bonnie is Slave B. ”

Leonard tried to hold back a laugh and said, "Then I'll contact the captain and write a rescue certificate, which can be used to get them an identity...... By the way, where is Lady Resa from?"

"Soma, but this time I may not return to my hometown. ”

"Also, the Principality of Soma has not been quiet in recent years, and recently there has been an inheritance dispute. Why don't you settle down in St. Sen? Port Elivie is a bit chaotic, but it's a nice city. "The half-elf not unselfishly recommended the location of the headquarters of the Open Sea Fleet.

"No, I'm going to try my luck back to my hometown first. The alchemist politely declined. "By the way, find a room for my slaves, my cabin can't fit in. ”

"There's still room in the bilge, I'll lead the way. ”

The group walked out the door under the leadership of Leonard. Lesa walked at the back to teach her slaves A and B, speaking loudly, still letting the half-elves hear things they shouldn't have heard.

"Of course, as a woman, it is definitely not enough to just practice fighting. You see that your hands are very delicate, and you have probably never done housework, right? In addition to practicing, you can learn how to cook with me—"

A chill swept over the half-elf's tongue, esophagus, stomach, and back to the inside. He slipped and nearly fell.

Lesa Helmont...... Alchemist, how is that possible?"

"It doesn't match the intelligence...... She shouldn't be on this boat!"

"What now, a rare opportunity to take the fate of the entire Principality of Soma into your hands......"

"Well, let's be slaves first...... Uh, it's good to be a servant. ”

"Still, it's a real mess...... I kind of regret coming here. ”

This conversation takes place in a small, musty cabin in the bilge. There are no portholes in the bilge because the outside is full of seawater. The ballast stones that were piled up there were moldy straw, even if it was a bed. Of course, there was no light in the confinement chamber, only a few faint blue rays of light penetrating through the cracks in the top of the ship's board.

Obviously, it's going to be a sleepless night......

In addition, the captain of the navy could not find his bed sheets that night.

At half past four o'clock in the morning of the next day, the light of hundreds of billions of stars was still shining in the night sky, and only a touch of fish belly white faintly appeared in the eastern sky.

"The so-called ...... Cold...... Combat skills, just three words...... Accurate, fast, and powerful...... It's cold...... Sorry, 'so cold' isn't the fourth word......"

A cold wind blew, and a tired Leonard Kekawi shivered, and what should have been an imposing opening statement turned into a staccato babble between his trembling teeth.

In this temperature, standing on the deck of a ship without shelter, no one will have dreams such as conquering the stars and seas, but will only want to go back to the bed and sleep again.

Judging from the date, it should be midsummer, but because it is the Great Northern Cold Channel, the temperature difference between day and night is still quite large. The half-elf glanced far away, and saw that there was one milky white iceberg that could easily break the ship in two, floating on the surface of the sea in the distance.

It doesn't seem like an early morning...... "He has never regretted the excuse he used yesterday to excuse himself as much as he does now."

Thinking of this, he glanced at the energetic female alchemist beside him. She got up too early......!

That buzz in the morning still rings in my ears. Although it was just a little trick used by mages to practice basic source element control, it was really unbearable to scream in their ears.

He shook his head and continued his lecture: "Of the three, the most important word is - accurate. ”

"Combat, tactics, and strategy are all the same: if an attack can't hit the opponent in the right position, it doesn't deserve to be called a threat at all. The basic requirement for all fighting moves is to be accurate. On the basis of accuracy, and then ensure speed, this is the basis of swordsmanship. Swordsmanship is a killing technique, and it doesn't require flashy movements, it just needs to be accurate and effective...... Do you understand?"

He had only two listeners—and these two, like him, were poor people who were called up at half-past four.

"Ming...... I see...... It's ......"

Anne Seffir and Bonnie Seffir reluctantly sat together as half-elves, shivering incessantly. Today, they had completely changed their outfits: a suit of black light leather armor that barely interfered with their movements, lined with extremely thin silk cotton underwear.

In all fairness, this set of light leather armor is truly a masterpiece.

Each joint is connected with soft leather to ensure protection from the weakest points, the vital part of the torso is embedded with a layer of fine wire mesh to increase the defense against spike weapons and arrows without adding weight and thickness, and for the key parts of the chest and waist, the thickened double chest armor and solid corset are specially designed to strengthen the defense and highlight the curves of the female warrior......

Worst of all, the two sets of leather armor were perfect for their owners' body measurements—because they were custom-made for two of her female slaves and bodyguards over the course of a night. This time the creation technique consumed a lot of her magic materials and energy, and it is estimated that it will be difficult for the alchemist to do anything with the creation technique or processing technique before she reaches the shore.

However, the most obvious advantages are often the hidden ones......

It was so close fitting that it was impossible for the two girls to wear any warmth under their leather armor. The brown-haired sister was slightly better, and the blonde sister was already a little sluggish, and it looked like she was going to freeze to death at any moment.

"Well, that's all for me to talk about the theory. The half-elf's endurance finally reached its limit, and he retreated in a different way. He was just going to deal with this errand casually. "Next, follow me to the arsenal and pick the right weapon for you......"

"Huh, that's it?" questioned Lessa. "Is it that simple to fight? I thought it was as complicated as learning alchemy. ”

"Yes, the principle of combat is as simple as that. Leonard explained with a smile, "Whether it's martial arts or swordsmanship, the principles are very simple, but if you want to master it, you have to practice hard and learn it in actual combat. In this realm, there is no recognition of the existence of geniuses, and there are no warriors who do not have blood on their hands. ”

"That's right...... In other words, there is no such thing as a sword trick at all, so wouldn't it take a long time to practice?" the alchemist grumbled, straightening the fur coat that was worn under the golden robe.

"It's a pity, but it's true. That's why I say that it's hard to teach women how to fight. ”

"Well, it seems that I can't possibly become a warrior anymore...... Then you keep working hard, and I'll go back and do my own research first. ”

Hearing this, the other three hurriedly praised the great noble sentiments of the female alchemist who danced and studied hard at the sound of the chicken. After that, they ran towards the weapons bay in a puff of smoke.

The weapons bay is always manned, and the charcoal stove there is lit at any time of the day.

"Hey, the sun hasn't come out yet, it's not time for a shift change......" The sailor on duty woke up from his sleep, complaining disapprovingly about the people around him who woke him up.

He rubbed his eyes—and then he saw the man's pointed, not long ears.

"I, sir, I—I didn't doze off......"

The captain of the navy patted him on the shoulder to reassure: "I am not a person who strictly adheres to useless and rigid dogma. You keep sleeping with yours, I'm just here to keep warm. ”

"Okay...... But ...... those two?"

"Ressa Helmont's bodyguard, come and pick out two suitable weapons. By the way, it's okay to pick a few weapons from the brothers' private collections, right?"

"Resa Helmont is ......" Realizing that it was the alchemist's daimyo, the guard's face immediately turned the color of pig liver, and he nodded in agreement. "Please, please feel free. As long as you don't take the long weapon in the corner......"

"Oh, you still have long weapons, who has such an impractical hobby?" Long weapons are full of ingenuity, and they are naturally advantageous to ordinary scimitars, and when the time comes, it will be over for Lesa to show them...... This thought flashed through Leonard's mind.

"Those are those guys who are completely unfamiliar with naval warfare. After all, they are not under our control, and it is difficult to give an account if they take them. ”

"Okay...... Then pick and choose something else. Leonard led the two girls towards the inside of the weapons bay.

Like almost all sailing ships, the official armament on board the Emperor Cleon was a cutlass. This weapon is hailed as a symbol of the pioneering era, and in many places it is even called a "pirate scimitar". Halfway between a long and short sword, it has enough blades to cut through any rope, and can even be used to cut meat and vegetables...... As long as it is a warrior at sea, almost everyone knows the importance of the scimitar.

Underneath the scimitar carriage was a clutter of another standard of sailors' equipment: about thirty or forty "light" arquebuses—not at all light, weighing about eight or nine kilograms. It was named "light arquebus" because there was also a weapon called a "heavy smoothbore gun": a smoothbore gun with a mount weighed about twenty-five kilograms.

"I've got a lot of smuggling in these guys......" The half-elf walked over to a weapon rack, flipped a switch, and with a flick, the weapon rack flipped to the other side. He did so until all the scimitar holders magically turned into weapons stands. "From daggers, short swords, and war hammers to long swords, battle axes, and scythes, you can use them all, so pick whatever is handy. Personally, of course, it's the Elven Rapier that is the most handy—but there aren't many of them on board. ”

It was clear that the girls were completely shocked by the number of weapons here.

"Wow, it's all real, it's genuine! It looks like a museum......

Anne ran to the shelves in amazement and began to rummage through the weapons to suit her heart, while her sister stood silently, carefully examining the blades one by one.

"Whatever you want, whatever you want. It's no problem to choose anything. "The half-elves are quite confident in their ability to use weapons. He is proficient in the use of most of the weapons here.

"Don't you have lighter muskets, pistols or anything like that. The first to ask the question was Anne, who was clumsily holding a light arquebus, and holding it in front of her eyes for aim.

"Miss, don't get your eyes so close to the fire department, be careful of being blinded by the fire explosion. Hearing the half-elf's reminder, Anne reflexively dropped the musket. "The musket is only a one-time attack, and you don't know how to use it at all, so there's really no point in learning it. ”

"So...... Is there a weapon that can fire continuously? like a repeating crossbow or something...... "Anne is not giving up."

"That kind of thing has a high failure rate to rely on. The longbow is good, but the problem is that you can't pull it open. The half-elf spread his hands. "All shooting weapons are unreliable, pick up melee weapons. ”

"Well, the dagger is too short, the spear is too inconvenient to carry, and the sword seems too tacky......" As if picking out jewelry in a jewelry store, Anne, who was dead-hearted, began to select these weapons one by one. Each one seems to be worse than the others. "Tomahawk, too savage...... Double-edged sword, too skillful...... Lengthening the warhammer, it's too ungraceful......"

Leonard was also surprised to see her casually remove the long-handled battle axe, double-edged greatsword, and extended war hammer from the weapon rack and play with them in her hands.

"Is she—does she have giant or minotaur blood?"

Just as he was stunned, his sister Bonnie also spoke: "That's all I have to do." ”

The half-elf glanced at her weapon of choice: it was two short daggers, the handleless kind.

"Is it possible to use such a short weapon? Daggers require very fast movements and very steady movements...... "He reminded worriedly, only to suddenly realize that the reminder was redundant. The brute-haired girl's soft hands, as steady and accurate as his own, held the dagger without trembling—though the grip was wrong.

"If the dagger is not equipped with a handle, the circular part at the bottom of the blade should be clamped between the index and middle fingers, and the flat bottom metal bar should be grasped tightly by hand—it should be called a 'fist sword', to be exact. If you grab the bar like that, it's easy to scratch yourself. ”

"Ah, sorry, I didn't use it......" Bonnie blushed and hurriedly changed her grip.

Leonard noticed that although her hands were small, her fingers were swift. Even the half-elves themselves, who are known for their skill, may not be so precise in their movements.

What exactly did they do in the first place?

Certainly not a noble lady, and doesn't look like an adventurer. In any case, if you have such a great talent, you may really be able to become a great fighter......

"Are they really ...... Probably not. Leonard shook his head, reason dispelling the doubt in his heart. How could someone with such great talent do such a dangerous job that could almost be said to have no return?

"There's no such thing...... Forget it, that's it. Anne plucked a scimitar from the rack, much more than the half-elves had expected.

"Why this one? It's not pretty, it's not powerful, and it's not very suitable for women. He asked, a little curious.

"If every sailor chooses it as a weapon, there must be a reason for it, though I don't see it yet. ”

Hearing this answer, Leonard looked at her again. Maybe they should be taught to take a look?

"Starting tomorrow, let's train during the day. ”

With two months to go, maybe their progress will surprise everyone, Leonard thought.

His instincts were almost always right. Always.

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