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

The enemy probably didn't use it often, but the advantage of a long-handled weapon was that it didn't require much proficiency or training, yet it could pose a deadly threat to expensive troops like cavalry. This was also why spearmen always made up the majority of mercenary groups.

but……

"Don't you know what I do?" Reslaufer couldn't help but feel absurd and ridiculous for a moment. He pressed the head of the assassin who was fighting with Bella next to him and smashed him to death on his raised knee, then strode towards the two men.

"He's coming!" "I'll go left, you go right, stop him!" Unconsciously, the attackers became the defensive side, fully prepared for Reslaufer's charge. And the latter would never let such expectations down.

"Cha-"

One halberd slid past the edge of Reslaufer's helmet, while the other was simply grabbed by the mercenary under his armpit. "Come here!" The mercenary held the Black Flame Greatsword upside down in one hand and grabbed the halberd's shaft with the other, pulling it back.

The leader of the White Blade Army widened his eyes in horror. The last scene in his vision was the head that was getting closer and closer... and the pair of blunt horns on the helmet!

"And you!" The only remaining halberd rushed towards the mercenary's head again, but he used the armor on his arm to block the hook of the halberd, preventing it from being dragged inward. The leader of the Black Arrows could only watch as his weapon was only a few centimeters away from the back of the barbarian's head but could not move forward an inch, and the flame-shaped greatsword held in the backhand turned into a forehand war pick, and the cross guard went straight to his face!

Just a little bit... The unrecognizable Black Arrow fell into a pool of blood, his hands still tightly grasping the shaft of the halberd. But he didn't know that this tiny distance was filled by countless spearmen with their lives, and it has not been filled yet.

"Two men..." Leslough kicked the corpse to the ground, and the halberd fell to the ground. "Have they always been so brave?" The bard's exaggerated and strange cheers came. "Don't they know I can fight!"

"I'm not a monk," Leslough muttered. The word Daisy used was usually used to refer to the fighting skills of the ascetics in the monastery, and it was different from what he used. "Watch your back!"

Leslaufer's charge towards the two assassins left a gap in the team. Although Vondar and Bella tried their best to fill it, they were still unable to do so. A Black Arrow saw the opportunity and launched a sneak attack from the dark on the poet who had been harassing them from behind and disturbing their minds.

Despite the warning from the incredibly powerful mercenary, the distance between the two sides was too far, and the assassin did not think that his attack would fail - they had already lost so many people, they had to bring back some results, otherwise it would be the same as if they all died here.

However, what he never expected was that after receiving the warning, the poet did not flee, but instead raised the matte in his hand and waved it around wildly.

Was this a sign of being frightened to the point of insanity? The assassin chuckled inwardly, as this would save him a lot of effort.

The woman's frantic movements did cause him some trouble. His dagger didn't penetrate her heart directly, but rather deflected slightly to the right. However, just as he was about to swing his left dagger for another strike, the instrument, which might have been filled with lead, slammed into his face.

There was a sudden explosion of thunder, so loud that even Rathlough had to cover his ears and head, and mixed in with the poet's chaotic and exaggerated scream:

"Where are you touching?! Down there!"

Chapter 99 Daisy's Victory

Thus, the assassin was truly "defeated." The magic harp struck him head-on on the ear. Even ignoring the damage caused by the impact of the harp case, the magic alone was enough to penetrate his body and soul.

"vomit--!"

Walking in the wilderness, Angelita and Bella both supported Miss Daisy, who was pale and had disheveled hair. Even though half a day had passed since the fierce battle at the city gate, the bard still could not get out of the huge psychological shadow.

She had to stop every few steps, but there was probably nothing left in her stomach to eat.

"Miss Daisy, are you...are you okay?" Angelita asked with concern. Daisy's appearance at this moment was completely different from her usual crazy and cheerful appearance.

"Let her take it easy," Leslaufer's helpless voice came from the front. Mercenaries are good at physically blowing people apart, but psychological counseling is really powerless. "Having your brains blown up is still too much for the average person—"

"You know it and you still say it!! Ugh--" Daisy glared, but immediately couldn't hold it anymore and started to dry heave again. At the same time, she did not forget to mobilize her remaining magic power to heal the puncture wound on her chest which was about to heal but could not heal due to constant tearing.

"And can't you think of another adjective? Brains are... over! It's all your fault! There's one less dish on my table from now on!"

"It's okay, there will always be other dishes to replace it," Her Highness Angelita, who had eaten and seen it before, comforted her naturally, "I know there are..."

"Stop! I say stop! Please leave something on my table!" the poet interrupted her with a whine. "Give me time, give me time."

Bella couldn't help but speak: "Actually, it's no big deal if that's missing. Although hunting is a part of nature, the method - forget it, I won't say it anymore, I won't say it anymore."

The poet glanced at the druid resentfully, but she soon caught a glimpse of a conspicuous red spot on Bella's shoulder: "Where did this little creature come from? It has been following us all this time? I didn't even notice it!"

As Daisy spoke, a squirrel with bright red fur stood up from Bella's shoulders, twitching its whiskers and squeaking something inaudible.

"It's Tiaotiao, oh sorry, it's 'she'," Angelita said with a smile, "Come to think of it, she also played a part in our rescue of you!"

"But Sister Bella, are you going to take her with you?"

"It wasn't 'I want to,'" the druid said with a helpless smile. "She insisted on following us. Her home in Xinmu City was a large tree next to a residential building, and it was burned down by a group of cultists while they were setting fire to the house."

"Oh, she firmly believes that this is a deliberate conspiracy by the devil."

"Another homeless little creature," Daisy reached out to stroke Tiaotiao's fur, but the squirrel deftly dodged her and lightly jumped onto the poet's head, using its little paws to pull at her flaxen hair, which had been washed a thousand times and still wasn't dry. "Hey! She likes me. She wants to play with me, right?"

"Well, you can understand it that way." Bella's expression changed awkwardly, "Yes, that's it."

"You're fooling me, Bella," Daisy was not so easily fooled. "Although I'm not a druid, you don't think I can't understand what animals say, right? I can. I have the ability to talk to animals!"

"I suggest you don't—"

Bella wanted to stop the bard, but it was too late. Under the confused yet somewhat understanding gazes of her companions, the poet's pale face regained its blush at a speed visible to the naked eye, and it became redder and redder.

"What did Tiaotiao say? Why did she jump onto Sister Daisy?" Angelita couldn't help but ask Bella.

“…She mocked Daisy as a drowned woman and said her hair was like logs in the river and she should catch two beavers to build a dam on it.”

Now, not only Daisy, but even the blood pressure of several other people has risen.

As the sun was about to set, Leslaufer turned his gaze toward Xinmu City, which had shrunk into a black silhouette in the distance, and decided to find a place to rest. With the exception of Daisy, everyone else was familiar with this kind of life outdoors, so the poet naturally became the one to be cared for. Of course, this was also because she had been unlucky today. After enduring a severe fright, she was now sparring with a mean and clever squirrel.

However, when it was time for dinner, as the soup in the iron pot hanging over the campfire began to boil, the poet actually came back from outside in high spirits. Instead, the squirrel Tiaotiao left the poet as if he had been pardoned, and flew to the druid's shoulder, refusing to come down no matter what.

"What's wrong with you?" Bella asked curiously, but Tiaotiao was out of character and seemed mute and unwilling to answer her.

"The smile shifted," Daisy declared her victory with a clear mind. "Fight me? I've been trawling through all the yellow, red, blue, pink, black, and white forums. If I can't beat them, how can I beat you? Go ahead and learn from me!"

"What are those? Some kind of gathering of bards?" Angelita asked curiously. She knew that Daisy probably wouldn't get any reliable explanation, but the way she spoke was indeed very interesting.

"It's A... yes, it's the bard's gathering," Daisy thought for a moment and nodded. "One of the six major gatherings where bards share their stories, experiences, and other insights. But there are always some who don't follow the rules so well and will lead others astray, like demons."

"I've learned a lot in there, and normally I wouldn't want to reveal it, but I'm sure you all understand: if someone offends me, I'll offend them, and the same goes for squirrels. So I put a little bit of my experience into practice, and as you can see, the effect is very significant."

"Oh, I know bards have their own circles, but I've never heard of the specific details," said Fengdal Banqiu, leaning forward with interest. "Can you tell me what their experiences are? I think they'll be useful when I negotiate with the Zhakot clan in the future."

Daisy perked up when she heard this. Wasn't this opportunity to "spread the gospel" a privilege exclusive to people like her? But before doing so, the poet cautiously glanced at Reslaufer over there. After confirming that the mercenary had no interest in such a quick talk, she began her performance with a serious expression:

"If you ever get into trouble, don't tell anyone about me. Actually, getting started is very simple. Basically, no matter what kind of debate opponent you encounter, no matter what topic they bring up, you only need to pick one of the following five, or at most ten, words as a response..."

Chapter 100 White Blade Clues

"You mean, with three times the manpower, an ambush, and a combined attack of white blades and black arrows, we still couldn't even save a single hair of Her Royal Highness the Princess?"

In Magpares, a building that looked ordinary from the outside, a man in a black cloak was staring at the crystal mirror in front of him with a reproachful look. To be more precise, he was staring at his subordinates on the other side of the mirror.

His clothes were no different from those of most Bairen warriors, but on the thumb of his left hand, he wore a huge jade ring.

"Sir, the information we received is wrong. Her Royal Highness the Princess was most likely not kidnapped, but left on her own initiative!" A distorted voice of a subordinate came from the opposite side. That was the leader of their fifth team that infiltrated Xinmu City. In addition to the original mission, they had to add one more: to find out the cause of death of the first two team members.

It now appears they have made some progress, but only some.

"So? You mean to say they were slaughtered by a girl under sixteen?" The man's mouth twitched. "The Queen might be pleased, but I'm not sure His Majesty would feel the same way."

"No, no, no, I'm just guessing. Our colleagues who died in the line of duty probably didn't dare to take action because they didn't want to hurt Her Royal Highness. After all, we are loyal to the royal family and His Majesty, and..."

"So that the mission fails?"

The man said patiently, "Listen, you can tell me this all you want. I completely understand the difficulty involved, but His Majesty only cares about the results. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, sir."

"I'll go talk to that old fellow at Black Arrow," sighed the White Blade leader. "It's unbelievable! How long has it been since we've experienced a defeat like this? First, the troops we sent to the Grand Duke of Reims were wiped out, and now we can't even accomplish something as simple as bringing the princess back. If it weren't for our poor progress on the battlefield, we'd probably have no reason to exist."

"But it's not a good thing for those armies to be too unlucky—you wouldn't want to be dragged into battle, right?"

The boss's words made the White Blades on the other side of the mirror gasp: They, going to the battlefield? They'll die worse than a dog!

"Sir, we've uncovered some additional information," the White Blade leader, who was far away in Xinmu City, quickly said. "Xinmu City was previously attacked by demonic forces, and the individuals who 'kidnapped' Her Royal Highness the Princess played a role in the incident. They were even publicly commended by the Count of Xinmu, who was unaware of the truth. We've interviewed many of those who attended the banquet and saw the kidnappers, and have roughly determined their identities."

"Tell me."

"The clearest one is a druid, likely a member of a cult, who somehow got involved in this whole thing. He has red hair and green eyes. He carries an oak staff, but often uses whips and stones in combat. He can use some simple spells, but there's no record of him using anything more powerful."

An image resembling Bella was projected onto the mirror and presented to the White Blade leader.

“Is the restoration accurate?”

"More than ninety-five percent, sir. We found a recording device on the body of the Black Arrow who died in the line of duty."

"So she's a druid of the Quiet Creek Society, a follower of Eldath, of lower status, probably 'Sprouting' or 'Spring Leaf,'" the man waved the image away. "I've told you to broaden your horizons, but you won't listen. You can't even recognize the obvious symbol on her, and you're still calling her 'some society,' tsk."

The subordinates lowered their heads in guilt. Fortunately, their leader had no intention of punishing them. "Let's find out her name and why she got involved. The Jingxi Society only operates in the wilderness near Xinmu City. This must be a coincidence. What about the others?"

"The second one is a dwarf named Fengdal Halfhill. He's been a blacksmith in the town of Kilanda for eight years and once had his own shop called Old Mountain." Another portrait was displayed. "He's over 200 years old, but it's uncertain if he's over 300. He's believed to be from Haidong. His two apprentices previously reported him to us, and they're still under close surveillance."

"One of our men was killed in the bombing in Kiranda Town," the White Blade leader nodded. "Now it seems he likely knew the princess's identity and took the initiative to cover for her. But why would he go to such lengths? A dwarf blacksmith abandoning his own furnace—that's clearly not right."

"We are still looking for the reason."

The man pondered for a moment. "He might have some other secrets, and our pursuit is making him nervous. This isn't the main point, but we should raise his danger level. He's capable of anything."

"The next one is a bard, sir," the subordinate changed the portrait and emphasized the pronunciation to show that Daisy had magical powers and was not an ordinary entertainer. "It is said that her name is Daisy Dewdrop Buttercup, but it is likely a pseudonym."

"This is too fake," even the White Blade members on Magpalez's side couldn't help but complain, "At least give it a name."

"And we figured out her origins based on naming conventions?" the leader scoffed. "Since she's third, that means you don't have any clues, right? Just think of it as a code name. Is she the same as the first two? Or is she a premeditated colluder?"

"We have no way of knowing," Bai Ren of Xinmu City felt his cheeks nearly burning. "It's as if she suddenly 'popped up' in Xinmu City. She has no past, no earlier social network, and everything is a mystery. The only people who know her are the guests who also drink in the tavern, and eight out of ten of their statements are just guesses."

"And half of that is completely drunken talk or hallucination," the man nodded in agreement. "What about the tavern owner? He's not an alcoholic either, is he?"

"That's not the case, but he is involved in another clue: the Angora Temple—he also had part of his memory erased."

The man's hands trembled, barely controlling himself as he punched the crystal in front of him, shattering it! They were all loyal to the royal family, so why was there such a huge difference?! Was it because those priests had gods above them protecting them?

He had previously approached the Archbishop of the Angora Church within the Empire about this matter, but he was completely unresponsive! He feigned deafness despite polite inquiries, and he couldn't resort to violence. Even magic couldn't break his faith. He was even more difficult to deal with than that head maid who blamed all the sins on a missing wizard!

"Keep investigating. As long as she's alive, there's no way there won't be traces left." The White Blade leader waved his hand. "Next."

"Leslaufer, in his early thirties, looks like an Inassian, a mercenary, skilled in wielding a two-handed greatsword, and fierce and brutal in combat. He is... possibly the one who originally abducted Her Royal Highness the Princess."

Images of this barbarian flashed by one after another, many of which had annotations, but the voice of the subordinates was no longer heard.

"keep going."

The subordinate across from the mirror felt a cold sweat running down his spine: "Continue... No, no more."

Even through the magic props, he could feel the leader's gaze suddenly becoming sharp.

Chapter 101 The Fleeing Cockatrice

"Why did he do this? How did he do it? How did he connect with other people? You mean, these are the questions we've been asking for a long time, and there are still no answers?"

"We can't look up the mercenary lists of all the lords, sir," the subordinate swallowed hard. "Even if we could, we can't verify the roster of every mercenary group. Especially in today's wars, so many mercenaries are recruited later by their acquaintances. It's impossible to trace the origins of such people."

There is no way to know the reasons and process.

"Can you confirm which part of Inassus he belongs to?" the White Blade leader asked anxiously. "If it's Western Inassus, we'll mobilize some of the hidden agents there. If it's Central Inassus, we'll negotiate with the lords there. Eastern Inassus... damn, a two-handed greatsword, could he be a Doppler?"

"What?"

"Double-paid mercenaries, I'm telling you... forget it," the man said dejectedly. "Maybe it's true. If that's the case, it's understandable that we can't capture him. Don't get into direct conflict with them. I'll dispatch some personnel to provide support."

After severing contact with the other side, the man twirled the large ring on his finger, pondering which reinforcements to send. East Inassus's double-paid mercenary was a formidable problem, and the fact that he had survived to this day was a testament to his strength. Treating him like a skilled mercenary would only lead to further losses.

"Muliwei, do you have a mission now?"

As the leader finished speaking, a dark figure, much smaller than an ordinary person, began to stir in the corner. But when it stepped into the light, it cast a huge shadow on the ground. "There is one, leader," he said. "I'm watching a count and his daughter. They may be of great help to our dear princess in her escape."

He spoke rapidly, as if his tongue was rented, but this habit was made more reasonable by his distinct race: less than a meter tall, with a brown, smiling face and haphazardly growing blue hair, all features that marked him as a dwarf rather than a human.

"I'll find someone else to take over your job, then pack up and prepare to go to Xinmu City. Perhaps we should go a little further west. Their target seems to be the Golin Otto Mountains."

"Black Arrow should also be sending people. Instead of cooperating with the operation, don't be too willful. The most important thing is to make sure the princess can return safely."

The dwarf still had a silly smile on his face: "Boss, this is not easy. When you recruited me..."

"But I told you at the time that I hoped you could take on more work, right?" the leader interrupted Mullive. "I hope you can be competent for similar work, at least not crush everyone you meet—at least bring the hostages back alive, do you understand?"

The words "dwarf" and "crushed" mixed together in one sentence sounded somewhat funny, but none of the White Blades around laughed out loud.

"I'll do my best, Boss," Mullive nodded. "Do you want me to bring a small mirror too?"

"That's not necessary. Just use their messenger to send a message when we get to Xinmu City. I trust your ability," the man said in a deep voice. "Don't let me down."

The dwarf nodded and turned to leave when he suddenly thought of something: "By the way, boss, do you want me to give that earl a beating? You know, a few people will die, and then we can take the lead in solving the problem with Bai Ren, like this."

"I don't think it will have much effect, but... it's okay to try. It'll just kill a few civilians," the man in control of the building and all the Imperial White Blade members nodded. "Go ahead, but be careful not to push him over to Grand Duke Lance's side."

……

What was about to happen in Xinmu City had little to do with Reslaufer and the others. They had already passed the farthest edge of Xinmu City's control over the wilderness. Within the empire's borders, yet untouched by the Emperor's majesty, everything seemed wild and untamed.

Leslaufer would naturally deal with the most threatening part of them, but the mercenaries had no way to deal with the noise that came from within the team.