Leo had never liked indulging people who asked to be "kept." They always talked big, but the moment real money was put on the table, every last one of them suddenly got shy and awkward.
"Th-this… I… um… I…"
Rosh's eyes were spinning, practically turning into spirals. Her face was growing redder by the second, and white steam was practically rising from her bright red hair. One look told you she was a well-behaved kid at heart.
Leo, however, only gave a cold smile and pressed the attack further.
"If you're willing, I can support you long-term, you know. As long as you agree. Five gold coins every time with your mouth, and if we go further, I'll give you ten gold coins each time."
The enormous temptation replayed endlessly in Rosh's mind. Her already-overloaded brain had basically crashed, but her remaining instincts still automatically converted those gold coins into images of bread, chicken legs, stewed meat, pies, and bowls of rice, looping endlessly in her thoughts.
Endless food.
All it took was using her mouth once, and she could get piles of chicken legs and rice.
That temptation made her rationality steadily drain away. Her inner resolve wavered badly. She opened her mouth, unable to decide whether she wanted to refuse or agree, and with her brain fully stalled, she could only repeat one word over and over.
"I-I-I-I-I…"
Her nervous yet adorable reaction amused Leo greatly. He shook the coins near her ear again and whispered softly.
"Just once is five gold coins. And if it's only that, you'd still keep your purity, right?"
Leo was only teasing her. After all, even though Rosh claimed she was an adult, her body type and personality made that very hard to believe.
No matter how desperate he was, he wasn't actually going to make a move on Rosh.
With that body, there was honestly zero appeal for him.
Just as he was about to stop teasing—
"If you don't stop right now, I'm calling the guards."
A crisp, capable voice sounded beside him.
Leo and Rosh both turned toward the voice and saw a female fighter wearing the same style of martial outfit as Galina and Tangie. Her figure was far more balanced than either of theirs—almost textbook-perfect. Her face, however, was sharp and heroic. She had feminine features, but her stern presence made it hard to even think of her as a woman.
"You…"
Leo pointed at the fighter, then pointed toward Tangie's territory.
The female fighter crossed her arms and stood there calmly, staring coldly at Leo before answering exactly what he wanted to hear.
"I'm Luo Hua. You're the rookie adventurer Tangie asked me to guide, right? Let me be clear—she paid me fifteen gold coins, but if you really are a scumbag, I won't hesitate to ignore that money."
So it really was her.
Leo covered his face helplessly, then rubbed Rosh's head again and gently pressed her upright.
"Don't get the wrong idea. She's short, but she's an adult. And I was just joking with her."
He chuckled lightly and ruffled Rosh's hair again.
"Besides, with a body this flat and short, I can't feel any interest at all."
That blunt remark instantly snapped Rosh out of her mental crash. She slapped his hand away and glared at him viciously.
"You bastard! You know I'm short and you still press my head down?! I'm going to bite you to death today!"
She acted immediately. Before Leo could react, Rosh grabbed his arm and bit down hard.
Pain exploded instantly, and Leo yelped.
The sharp pain made him reflexively lift his arm—but what shocked him was how light Rosh actually was. He almost effortlessly lifted her off the ground as she clung to his arm and gnawed away.
"Are you a dog or something?!" Leo shouted, grabbing her hair and trying to pull her off.
"…"
She doesn't look like a bad person.
Watching this ridiculous scene, Luo Hua couldn't help shaking her head.
They looked unreliable, sure—but with how close they clearly were, it didn't seem like the kind of relationship she had imagined.
Still, letting them keep fooling around wasn't an option.
After watching them struggle for a bit, Luo Hua waved her hand.
"Enough. Let's go. We're escorting a caravan."
"A caravan?" Leo asked.
"Yes. Since Tangie asked me to bring you into the profession, I'm obviously going to show you how adventurers actually live. Don't tell me you thought you just grab weapons and walk into the forest. That kind of 'adventure' is nothing but suicide."
Leo and Rosh exchanged a glance, then decided to follow this articulate, dependable older woman.
Luo Hua didn't hold back either. As she led them toward the main street, she explained the ecosystem of adventurers to Leo.
"Most adventurers don't go out for lofty goals. The majority do it to get rich, or because their families can't afford to support them anymore. That's why most adventurers are poor. Fights breaking out over ten or twenty gold coins are extremely common."
She continued calmly.
"Because monsters—especially goblins—are so numerous, villages are frequently robbed, attacked, or even slaughtered. So villagers often post missions to clear goblin nests. The pay is low, but since the strongest enemies are usually just one or two minotaurs, this becomes the main source of income for most adventurers."
"Also, many merchant caravans can't afford professional warriors, so they hire adventurers in large numbers. New adventurers especially use this kind of work to gain experience and earn commissions."
She paused and pointed toward a fully loaded caravan ahead.
"That's the caravan we'll be escorting."
Leo, however, asked curiously,
"Then what about adventurers who don't do goblin exterminations or caravan escort work?"
Luo Hua's body stiffened slightly, as if recalling something unpleasant. She sighed.
"Those people are either dead… or—"
She pointed toward the group of adventurers at the rear of the caravan.
They were all women.
And the one thing they had in common—
They were dressed extremely revealingly.