Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

"How much?" With one hand, Reslaufer held the greatsword, blocking the unsharpened portion between the horn and the guard, and stepped forward to pick up the already cold flesh. The mercenary didn't completely let down his guard. If the druid tried to set a trap, a weapon heavier and sharper than the wooden club in her hand would easily crush her last bit of courage and even her body temperature.

"I don't need money, but I want to go with you." Bella suddenly chuckled.

She suddenly noticed some discordant details on Angelita's face, which were difficult to notice in the tense atmosphere, and this aroused her strong curiosity.

"The words of this elf, oh, 'half-elf' brother are very inspiring. I hope to further explore some questions that I have not been able to answer before, and there is one that I care about very much:"

"I want to know, how many days of food can the meat of these five giant birds provide you in the wilderness?"

Chapter 38: Strangers Traveling Together

Due to the sudden arrival of Druid Bella, the original plan to return to the main road was naturally cancelled. Leslaufer and Angarita had to take this stranger into the wilderness and give her some necessary demonstrations.

How many days will the meat of five Chocobos last?

Leslaufer tore off a large piece of roasted bird meat with his teeth and swallowed it down his throat. Normally, this kind of poultry would not be too bad, but when it was regarded as a task, its taste changed significantly.

The mercenary, who had always killed people without a trace of blood, regretted for the first time that he had been too merciful - but what could he do? Although he was not like Angrita, who could now chat and laugh with a druid, he at least understood how much trouble killing a druid in the wilderness would cause.

And that was a druid who worshipped Eldath. Thanks to the good reputation of most Eldath believers, attacking an Eldath priest was considered taboo, and killing one was said to bring great bad luck. Self-defense was certainly no problem, but going further and killing Bella? Raslaufer would never take that risk.

Compared to Reslaufer, who found it difficult to even listen in on academic topics, Angrita was much more comfortable with someone to talk to accompany the meal. Although Bella had many errors and omissions in her understanding of Druid doctrines, she could recite the original text of the classics by heart. As a princess of the empire, Angrita had some knowledge of various gods and sects, and the two soon found a lot of common topics.

"I didn't expect you to know so much! Did your elf relatives teach you this?" After a deep conversation, Bella was astonished by Angelita. She even began to believe that she was truly half-elf. "You look like you've just...come of age, right?"

"It will take a few more months," Angreta said, smiling a smile that shocked the other party even more. "You are right. There are indeed wise men teaching me, whose knowledge and experience surpass that of most humans."

It's just not an elf, the princess added quietly in her heart.

The background story used to introduce Buddy to herself came in handy, and Angreta also added some of Buddy's own experiences to make it more real and believable.

Badina's surname "Antichi" can also effectively explain many of her words and deeds. The old nobles are also nobles, or it is better to say that it is precisely because they no longer have power that they pay more attention to details to highlight their differences.

"Come to think of it, I don't seem to have seen your other weapon?" During the conversation, Angelita also raised a question that puzzled her. "When you were fighting with Uncle Reslaufer earlier, you seemed to have taken out a whip..."

"Is this what you're talking about?"

Bella casually pulled off a small piece of thorny herb stem from the ground. It looked nothing like the thorn whip that Angelita had seen before. Just when she thought that the other party was not going to answer the question seriously, Bella suddenly stood up and waved the arm holding the grass stem in the direction of Reslaufer.

A ferocious thorn whip immediately appeared in her hand, twisting the spikes cunningly and rushing towards the mercenary's neck!

There was a muffled "crack." Angritta turned around, covering her face. Bella, who had been standing beside her, had now fallen into the dirt, her head and face covered in mud and grass stems. The druid still had his magic in one hand, while the other was wrapped several times around Reslaufer's arm.

This spell is usually used to bring the target to oneself, but now it is the other way around!

And what could Angelita say? She knew it would be like this!

"A whip isn't a good weapon, especially when you don't know how to wield it." As if nothing had happened, Reslaufer swallowed the roasted poultry in his other hand and threw away the bones. "In this case, you'd be dead without anyone even having to do anything."

What he was talking about was naturally the situation on the battlefield. If dozens of people, or even just a few people, rushed over Bella, the druid would not even need to rescue her.

"That's not fair! You must have been peeking!" Bella yelled as she scrambled to her feet. "Do it again! I want a do-over!"

The long whip made of magic dissipated in an instant. The druid grabbed the wrist of her right hand with her left hand, opened her right hand upwards, and with a "bang", a cluster of swaying flames appeared in her hand, illuminating the darkness around her.

"Take the move!"

In Reslaufer's eyes, a flame shot out of his hand, growing larger and larger. However, it was still not enough to cause any real harm to the mercenary. He simply tilted his head, dodging the flames that were not aimed at his vitals. When the dangerous seed was about to fall to the plants on the ground, before Angarita could scream, it went out with a "puff".

"You needn't worry about them," said Rathlover, who knew without even looking that the fire wouldn't cause any disaster. "The druids set the grass on fire, and that was a real treat."

"Rufo did it, but he set his beard on fire—fire spells usually don't harm the caster." Bella waved her hand nonchalantly, as if this spell was just a trivial trick for her. "He forgot to extinguish it when he transformed."

This was the fourth time Angelita had heard the name. "Your association sounds quite interesting... and you can learn spells," she muttered.

If I hide in the druid society, will I be caught? Angrita couldn't help but wonder. But she wasn't a believer in nature gods, nor did she have any special feelings for nature—she was even a little afraid of it—her main attraction was the animals. Someone like her would remain a guest no matter how long she stayed in the druid society, and druids were always seen as the epitome of hospitality and indifference.

It is common practice to kick guests out if they become troublesome.

"It's not that interesting. Most people have a sour face most of the time," Bella curled her lips. "Buddy, you don't want to be a druid, do you? I advise you to think it over carefully. The life of a druid is no easier than those of a hermit monk, and druid spells are not that easy to learn. I only know a few basic tricks now."

"You know much more than I do. Have you never tried to learn magic? I heard that elves are quite good at it."

"I hired a teacher, but he couldn't teach me," Angelita said truthfully. "It seems only a few of our ancestors had this talent."

"Oh—" Bella's voice suddenly stretched out, "No wonder, but there's nothing I can do, you know."

"Of course, some things can't be forced."

Chapter 39 The Land of Sorrow

Although most of the officially recognized wizards in the empire claim that magic can be learned through hard work and struggle, in reality, some people are ruthlessly turned away by the high fees, while others cannot even get started.

Angrita had long since decided she belonged to the latter category. The magic palace lay before her, yet she couldn't even see a window, let alone a door. However, due to her status, the old wizard, Bol, remained her teacher, occasionally offering some basic instruction. But even if the old wizard was willing to devote time to explaining more advanced topics, Angrita simply didn't have the heart to listen.

But that didn't mean Angrita didn't want the wondrous powers of magic—what if! What if she could learn druid spells? Not to mention the long-range effects, even in the short term, wouldn't she be able to escape from Reslaufer even faster? Druid abilities were far more suited to surviving in the wilderness than slashing through obstacles with a sword or a hammer!

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. As the meat from the five chocobos was completely devoured, Bella had no choice but to declare the end of her efforts.

"Perhaps I'm just not capable enough, Buddy. Don't lose heart. You're a half-elf, and still young!" Bella was only willing to declare her own failure, still trying to piece together the shattered confidence of "Buddy Antich." "You can do it! You have the blood of the elves in you. Maybe the god named Corellon is just testing your soul—"

Angelita accepted the consolation with a forced smile, but she knew that although the Elf God of Art and Magic, as one of the most powerful gods in the world, would respond to the prayers of human believers, testing the soul was impossible. She would rather believe that it was Serak, the god of knowledge and magic worshipped by Teacher Boll, who was testing her - and her results were obviously not ideal.

Bella knew this in her heart, of course. When she found that the druid's spells could not bring power to Angelita, she turned to teaching her some more practical skills - such as stick fighting and stone throwing techniques that Leslaufer would not consider.

The latter wasn't achieved through magic like the Thorn Whip, but rather a little trick Bella had devised herself. Even against Reslaufer, it could still inflict a small loss on the mercenary. However, the only unlucky person from now on would be the druid, who relentlessly sought revenge on Reslaufer.

The mercenary did not forbid this kind of "provocation" without his consent, although it would make him feel irritated occasionally, but a companion who could barely withstand a few moves from him significantly reduced the frequency of his search for "prey".

Teasing this "red-haired female goat" (because no matter how he beat Bella, the red-haired girl would not be convinced) was obviously more convenient than bathing in blood - even if Leslough himself had long been accustomed to it, his equipment always needed to be cleaned and maintained, and this was one of the most difficult tasks in the wilderness.

When another night came, Angarita, who had exhausted all her energy and strength during the day, had fallen into a deep sleep, while Leslaufer raised his hand and easily caught a stone that was thrown to him.

"You're going to wake Buddy up, and tomorrow's trip will be postponed again." Leslaufer threw the stone back, but his accuracy was not as good as Bella's, and it only hit a piece of soil next to where the druid was sitting.

"Don't worry, I can't bear to disturb our young 'Ancient' from resting," Bella smiled leisurely, then her expression became slightly more serious. "I want to talk to you alone, about... about the Empire."

"I'm not from the Empire, and even if I were, I'm just a mercenary without a noble title." Leslaufer glanced at the dimming bonfire and said, "Add some more. It hasn't been very warm these past few nights."

Bella pulled out a bunch of dead branches from a large bundle she had prepared long ago and easily ignited it with the fire magic. "Don't change the subject. I heard from Buddy that you have probably been a mercenary for ten years or even longer. You are knowledgeable and experienced, so you must have some ideas, right?"

"And I can only ask you, what else can I do? Should I communicate with those noble gentlemen through a message in a bottle?"

Perhaps because she knew that the young druid had been chatting face to face with a great noble for several days, Bella's witty remark sounded particularly amusing to Leslaufer.

"I wouldn't call it an idea, it's just some hearsay." The mercenary suddenly remembered some of the things Amantha had mentioned to him before, and his attitude became a little more serious. "But what about you? Why are you asking this? Do you think there's something wrong?"

"I'm a druid walking in the wilderness. I don't know much about politics or military affairs. Compared to Buddy, I'm probably not very cultured." Bella dug some soil with her fingernails and held it in her palm. Reslaufer was sure she wasn't casting any spells, but Bella looked as if she was communicating with him. "But this land is wailing, Reslaufer. It's very sad, and the feeling grows deeper with each passing day."

"The change is so slight that I can't even pinpoint when it started or when it will peak, but one thing is certain: it's growing."

"This must be related to what happened in the Empire."

"You can sense changes across the empire?" Reslaufer looked at him in shock. This druid, who couldn't even defeat him, actually had such an ability?!

"It's just around here," Bella shook her head. Even the archdruids probably weren't as cryptic as Reslaufer imagined. "But there's no war going on here yet. If that's the case, wouldn't other places be even worse?"

Leslaufer was silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts a bit, and then he said slowly, "There will be a change, I heard."

"If the Emperor's army wins, a new situation will open up, and all the creatures around, including the Eastern Elves, will be affected by this new situation. And if the Empire wins..."

Reslaufer would like to say that everything will go back to the way it was – but will it?

"Our Emperor will not accept this kind of defeat," Angelita's slightly hoarse voice rang out. She was finally woken up by the noise. "He is not someone who is willing to compromise."

Otherwise, the war would not have reached this point. But contrary to expectations, it eventually left the palace and the court, and left Magpare.

Chapter 40 Unexpected Victory

Generally speaking, druids wouldn't be concerned with such topics. The empire's collapse into ruins due to war was even considered beneficial to nature by some sects. Bella, however, couldn't see that far ahead, and she could only imagine the calamities that would affect nature during this process.

But she could do nothing. She was just a member of the Druid Society who was punished for her reckless behavior and was exiled. Now all she could do was chat with "Buddy Antich" every day and teach her how to fight - mainly how to fight against wild beasts.

A few days later, under the setting sun, a few strands of Angelita's black hair stuck to her forehead due to sweat. The immature warrior stared at the big bird with its feathers standing on end in front of her with her brown eyes. In her hands, she slowly clenched the war hammer with the head of an owl bear at the end.

She still couldn't accept the fight with the beast. The inhuman and hideous scene made her heart beat faster and faster. Every time this happened, she could only hypnotize herself over and over again, telling herself that what she needed to face was not a monster, but a druid incarnated in the form of the wilderness.

"Gaoh--" Suddenly, the huge chocobo on the opposite side let out another high-pitched strange cry, and its strong and powerful legs kicked off the ground. Taking advantage of the moment when Angelita was distracted, it flapped its two small wings that had degenerated beyond recognition and flew towards her.

The sharp lower edge of the bird's beak is like the blade of an axe. Once hit by it, even a pony will have broken bones and tendons. However, the special structure of the axe-beak's head allows it to avoid the reverse impact of the same force.

Angelita took careful steps, trying to avoid the fatal attack as soon as possible. She stretched out her arms and swung the warhammer, but the axe-beak reacted just as quickly, jumping aside before the metal owlbear's beak could tear off a piece of her flesh, leaving only a few dull feathers in its place.

As expected of a druid...Angelita thought silently, resuming her defensive stance and quietly waiting for her opponent to attack again. The difference in size and strength between the two sides meant she had to use her limited strength with caution.

This attitude seemed to anger the axe-beak. With repeated howls, the giant bird's attacks became more frequent, but also more scattered. Finally, in a new round of attack and defense, as if it was certain that Angritta would not pursue it, the axe-beak did not increase the distance as before, and this was exactly what Angritta wanted to see.

"Miss Bella, you lose!"

The owlbear on the warhammer made a sharp sound of breaking through the wind and headed straight for the giant bird's head, while the latter could only stare wide-eyed in vain, watching in disbelief as the warhammer that was about to smash its skull got closer and closer.

There was no counterattack, no spells, and it didn't even change back to its original form! It just looked like it had accepted its fate!

How is this going?

In a completely different change from before, Angelita forcibly retracted the war hammer she had already swung. This was the first time she had gained such an advantage in a sparring match with Bella. Could it be that Miss Druid didn't react in time?

Angelita had no intention of hurting her with the hideous weapon in her hand!

However, just as Angelita was trying to retract her strength, the giant bird's eyes suddenly became ferocious and bloodthirsty. One of its claws brought up a gust of wind and kicked Angelita's abdomen from below!

Angritta hadn't anticipated Bella's sudden and brutal attack, and in her haste, she lost her balance and fell backwards. The giant bird's claws missed, but it showed no sign of stopping, and its heavy beak immediately slammed down on Angritta!

"Ga--" Just when Angelita was about to be ripped open, another even more enraged howl exploded from the side. Immediately afterwards, the huge body of the Chocobo was hit at high speed by a black shadow of the same size as it. It flew out with a scream, smashing the grass and soil on the ground and plowing a big hole.

It was not until the black shadow that came to rescue stopped above Angelita and protected her with its huge shadow that Angelita saw clearly what it was - it was also a huge chocobo!

"Are you crazy, Buddy? Why are you fighting an axe-beak? These guys are known for their bad tempers!" The giant bird that rescued Angelita from its beak quickly shrank and finally turned into the image of a red-haired woman. As soon as Bella regained the ability to speak, she immediately started complaining.

"I thought that was..." Angelita was dumbfounded. She turned her head to look at the strange bird that was knocked unconscious by Bella and was struggling on the ground, muttering to herself to make excuses.

"You think that's me?" Bella didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Look carefully! That's a male bird! And it's a real axe-beak, not the same subspecies as the one I usually use!"

"...How should I know this!" Angelita, who survived the disaster, almost cried out with a sore nose, half out of grievance and half out of fear. However, the cry only lasted for a few seconds, and she ran to the side, holding onto a tree trunk and vomited.

If Bella hadn't returned in time, wouldn't she have really died under the beak of the axe beak?!

"Racelaufer!"

"I'm here," said the mercenary not far away, swinging his sword and easily chopping off the axe-beak's head. After a violent convulsion, the beast finally fell to the ground, unable to move. "Don't worry, if Bella doesn't come back in time, I will of course take action and will definitely not let anything happen to you."

He spotted Bella sprinting back from a distance, so he refrained from attacking, continuing to watch the show from the sidelines. Perhaps the axe-beak had sensed a stranger in its territory and had come rushing over, mistaken by Angrita for Bella, seeking a sparring match. While Reslaufer recognized from the outset that the axe-beak was not the same bird as Bella's, seeing that Angrita was able to hold her own against it, he hesitated to attack.

"I'm confused about one thing: why did you hold back at the last moment?" After dealing with the intruder who had asked for trouble, Leslaufer walked over and looked Angelita up and down to make sure she hadn't suffered any substantial damage.

"If it was Bella, she could have easily dodged your hammer."

"How could I take that risk!" Angelita rolled her eyes and complained, "You must have recognized it a long time ago, right? Why don't you tell me? What good will it do you if I feed the bird?"

"There's no good in that, so I tried to avoid it," Raslaufer shrugged. "Don't you see? In this situation, not only did you not get scared, you even defeated the axe-beak. I think that's a good thing."

"Is this a good thing? This is simply—" Bella retorted unhappily. However, before she could finish her words, the druid reacted and grabbed Angelita's arm. "Buddy! This seems to be true! You just defeated that axe-beak!"

"How on earth did you do it? I remember you said before that you were afraid of seeing these beasts fighting?"

Chapter 41 Druid's Message

Bella asked her question eagerly, and when she got the answer, Miss Druid immediately hid aside, hugged her knees and squatted on the ground with her back to the two of them.

What does "Just think of the beast as Bella" mean?!

Yes, she admitted that many druids did wish to become beasts, and were even willing to spend most of their lives in wild form, but to be acknowledged in this way for the close connection between druids and nature—?

Bella didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Miss Bella, I'm so sorry, I..." Angelita tried to come forward to comfort her, but she didn't know how to say it when the words came to her lips.

Did she not actually see the axe-beak as Bella? Was Bella's wilderness form not yet complete, was she not close enough to nature?

Did she mistake the axe-beak for Bella? Did she have any ill will towards Bella?

"Forget it, you don't need to apologize." Bella had to personally resolve the awkward situation. After a brief moment of self-pity, the druid wiped his face, stood up again, and smiled at Angarita in a friendly manner. "It's difficult for ordinary people to tell the difference between a druid and an ordinary animal. It's understandable that you admitted your mistake. Compared to this, your progress is more gratifying."

"Half a month ago, you couldn't even bear to watch Reslaufer slaughter those giant birds, yet now you can actually face a bad-tempered axe-beak by yourself," Bella walked up and patted Angelita on the shoulder. "Don't think about it anymore. Compared to this, we have other things to do. Aren't you curious about where I was just now that allowed that guy to take advantage of the opportunity?"

Bella successfully diverted Angelita's attention and made her return to Reslaufer with Bella. As the best fighter and the one with the most decision-making power among the three, Reslaufer certainly needed to know what Bella knew.

"Have you communicated with your druid companions? How did they find us?" Reslaufer looked at Bella curiously. The druid probably told him what to do when he left, but the problem was that Reslaufer did not find any signs of strangers nearby.

"Druids don't necessarily need to communicate face to face. In the wilderness, we can be considered one," Bella explained, shaking her head slightly. "I can't reveal the specific method to outsiders. You just need to know that we can rely on animals and even plants to convey information. In addition, druids have another secret language and writing. They are hidden in nature and cannot be easily erased or tampered with. Only those who understand it can notice it."