Hmm, perhaps that Mercenary Leader called Boris might have had a chance, but the truth was Boris was already quite injured at that time, Laine thought to himself.
Seeing the female sorcerer and the kingdom knight bickering, some people couldn't stand it any longer.
It was that young mercenary called Banda, who eagerly jogged forward to help Teresa with her horse, then quietly told the female sorcerer, "Lady Trovik, you're right. With its movements sealed by you, that beast would have died at the hands of anyone. What's so worth bragging about for that knight? If it were me back then, I would have cut off its head as well."
After speaking, Banda gave a flattering smile to the female sorcerer.
"Heh." But Teresa merely let out a cold chuckle, glanced down at him, then looked at the two-handed greatsword on his back, and disdainfully turned her gaze away without a single word of response.
With the warm face meeting a cold backside, the atmosphere was quite awkward.
Laine watched this unfold and secretly found it amusing.
Teresa Trovik, from the Jialan Council, daughter of Jialan Council Elder Aurora Trovik.
The Jialan Council also has another nickname, known as the Female Mage Council, this organization is renowned throughout the continent.
A hundred and fifty years ago, Savior Ludwig led the Order Army to crush the Chaos Army, pursuing them all the way to the northernmost Chaos Wasteland only to withdraw due to lack of supplies, and the female spellcasters played an extremely important role in the Order Alliance Army at that time.
After the second Chaos Invasion ended, eighteen female spellcasters at the Legendary Tier or above held a gathering at the Celestial Vault Castle to discuss various injustices against women in the caster domain. The meeting lasted several days, and these female mages reached a consensus to form a so-called Female Mage Council, which only accepts female casters as members. The council's purpose is to advocate for gender equality among mages and to unite the strength of female casters to fight against the male-dominated mage establishment on the continent with a united voice.
The Jialan Flower burns like a flame, beautiful and elegant, representing female strength and independence. Thus, the Female Mage Council was named the Jialan Council and received partial recognition from Emperor Ludwig, becoming an official organization, with the Celestial Vault Castle becoming a holy land for female spellcasters.
Teresa is a female sorcerer from the Jialan Council. Growing up in such an environment and deeply influenced, her perspective is imaginable.
The female spellcasters of the Jialan Council don't look down on men. In fact, they have never said anything like, "Men are trash," and female spellcasters who join the Jialan Council are not forbidden from marriage.
They look down on "useless men."
Unluckily, this mercenary named Banda, in Teresa's eyes, is just such a "useless man."
Judging from his aura, Banda is only an ordinary-tier warrior. Since I've never seen him in action, Laine thought at best he's just an ordinary high-tier warrior. Even Boris, who is of elite tier and has advanced to Berserker as the leader of the Mercenary Corps, wasn't really taken seriously by the female sorcerer, let alone a mere ordinary-tier warrior.
Trying to win Teresa's favor by stepping on me? You've chosen the wrong target~ Laine shook his head, not wanting to tangle with Banda either. Teresa was exhausted, and the kingdom knight started chatting with Oliver: "Mr. Oliver? We meet again."
"Ah! Yes, yes! We meet again, Mr. Laine, thank you very much this time!" Oliver expressed his post-survival gratitude quickly.
"This time we were relatively lucky, the Beastman's forces in Nord Territory aren't large. We only encountered Chaos War Dogs, Razor Beasts, and Inferior Horned Beasts, nothing major except the Horned Beast, even the Beast King was just an ordinary Horned Beast evolved. Truly powerful Beastman Tribes have, besides these, taller, more muscular War Great Horned Beasts, Giant Demons, Cyclops, and even Giant-Horned Minotaurs and Chaos Giants. If we really encountered such a Beastman Tribe, I'd just have to run." Laine chuckled, though his words were spine-chilling.
"What's there to fear? Mr. Laine, you know the Battle of Blood Pine Forest, right? After ascending to the throne, our Emperor, Franz Friedrich, led a hundred thousand troops into the Blood Pine Forest, wiping out over fifty thousand Beastmen from more than thirty warbands, supposedly piling up bones into hills. If there were truly such Beastman Tribes, our great Emperor would surely roast them all again!" Oliver boasted gleefully.
"Indeed." Laine commented no further.
The Empire, south of the Nord Kingdom, is the most powerful human country on the continent. The Nord Kingdom was originally part of the Empire and now is a vassal state mainly because the Empire tired of endlessly defending against incursions and invasions from the Northern Barbarians. Thus, Savior Ludwig appointed his adjutant, Harald Frank, as the Duke of Nord Territory, separate from the Empire.
Laine and Oliver chatted for a while. About two hours later, Laine estimated it was around 7 PM.
This time was about when the camp needed setting up for rest. With Mercenary Corps leader Boris still injured, Vice Leader Viert took over temporary command. Viert was also an experienced mercenary of elite tier strength, having advanced to Great Swordsman and wielding a two-handed greatsword. Banda seemed to be his apprentice.
The group found a campsite near a rocky hill close to a water source. Since the Beastman Leader was dead, the Beastman Tribes in the forest would surely be in inner turmoil and too busy to bother them, so they didn't worry much about enemies.
Everyone was busy setting up tents and making campfires. The two days and nights of snow finally stopped, though the weather remained gloomy. The mercenaries took out pots and pans, boiled water, and soaked their dry rations in hot water to eat. Normally they would gather some wild vegetables or other ingredients to make soup, but during the depths of winter, there was little of that outside, and they had to make do until reaching a town tomorrow.
"Lady Trovik, let me help you dismount!" Banda noticed Teresa sitting on her horse without getting down and the young mercenary immediately approached respectfully.
Yet again received with a cold shoulder, the female sorcerer's hand remained on the reins without even glancing at him. Instead, she actively called to Laine, who was checking the terrain in the distance: "Laine? Can you arrange it?"
"Alright, alright, I got it!" Upon hearing this, Laine approached, picked Teresa up off her horse, and let go once her high-heeled boots hit the ground: "Do you want me to find you a more comfortable spot?"
"Isn't this your job?" Though Teresa's face was pale, needing her magic staff's support to walk, her words remained unyielding.
"Heh, so you're using your magic staff as a cane now? One staff with multiple uses, not bad." Laine teased upon seeing this.
"Oh? Isn't your warhammer being used as a fire poker in your hand?" Who knew the female sorcerer would retort, and Laine laughed heartily: "Hahahahahahaha!"
Earlier, he had stuck his fire-attribute warhammer into the firewood stack to ignite it, apparently seen by Teresa.
The interplay of words between the Kingdom Knight and the female sorcerer left Banda gritting his teeth in secret. Damn knight, trying to please Lady Trovik like that, and Lady Trovik indeed seemed to trust him more. He'd need to find a way to make him leave, or else it would be tough to win Lady Trovik's heart.
"Master Viert, could you help me with something?" Banda quietly approached his master, Deputy Leader Viert. Viert looked about as old as Boris and wasn't as rugged-looking as the Mercenary Leader. He was arranging the camp and cooking duty when he heard his apprentice's request, shaking his head with a bitter smile: "Banda, understand your situation. Lady Trovik is a member of Jialan Council. Do you really understand the disparity in your positions?"