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

...a duck?

The creature immediately became noisy after appearing, "ga ga" and circling the old wizard non-stop. And Leslough soon discovered that both Grandin and the princess seemed to be accustomed to this and seemed to have known it for a long time.

Chapter 13 Everyone who meets you has a share

"This is Cole," the old wizard waved to the duck, who immediately jumped into his arms obediently. "It's my familiar. It will go to the nearest wizard gathering point on my behalf in exchange for 600 imperial gold coins as a deposit for our previous contract."

"It's five hundred and sixty-eight gold coins." Leslaufer reminded.

"I don't trust you, to be honest." Bol glanced at Doppler. His duck familiar, having just appeared, leaped back out of sight. "So I'd rather give you more in exchange for your devotion."

"Aren't you afraid that I'll send His Highness back after I collect the money?"

"Don't worry, the contract will bind you," Bol summoned a blank scroll and a quill. "But I'm not a devil after all. I can't write the contract so perfectly, so I can only hope for your character."

"You can count, so I assume you can read and write, right?"

The old wizard wrote the terms as simply and clearly as possible. He wanted the other party to send the princess safely out of the empire, so he would never deliberately play word games on it. If Reslaufer had any bad ideas and caused the princess to fall into a miserable situation, it would be entirely Bol's responsibility.

The process of signing the contract was very simple. After Reslaufer left his name, a ray of light flashed across the scroll, and another copy was separated and fell into the hands of the mercenary.

"Angelita Matt, Her Highness Angelita, right?" Leslaufer checked the contract again and found the princess's name by the way.

"Please don't add that suffix anymore," the princess sighed softly. "After learning my father's secret, I'm afraid I no longer have the qualifications."

"Well, if you're willing to give up your name, I'll just call you Angelita from now on," Leslaufer nodded. "Can I know why you say that?"

"It's just a royal family affair, and it touches on some mysticism, but there's no need to delve into it." Bol gestured, silencing Angrita. "Although Angrita knows about it, she won't spread it. After all, she is his bloodline."

"The problem now is that His Majesty doesn't believe she will keep the secret, while the Imperial faction is certain she will tell it. For the princess's safety, Grandin and I must get her out, away from the vortex."

"Won't it spread?" Reslaufer looked at the wizard and the head maid. "She didn't tell you either?"

"No," Grandin shook his head. "'Imperial family affairs involving the occult,' that's what His Highness told us."

If this is true, the princess is quite tight-lipped. Reslaufer thought of her calling him and Benjamin at the last moment, and wondered if she wasn't actually that weak beneath that delicate frame.

It's just too immature.

"Don't make the same mistake as in the tomb again," the mercenary looked at Angrita, "If you hadn't suddenly exposed my position, that person would have died much sooner."

"I... I'm not sure if you guys would help," Angelita shook her head slowly. "I just thought that if you were with him, you wouldn't keep hiding yourselves, so I took a gamble."

"This kind of risk is meaningless," Bol said. "Let me teach you one last lesson tonight. Perhaps it will help you..."

The conversation between teacher and student gradually faded as the moonlight drifted across the sky. Head maid Grandin soon let out a soft cry. The broad blade of the greatsword rested on Reslaufer's shoulder, its weight helping the mercenary stay awake during the rest of the night.

Boll's education was completely "academic" in style, and Reslaufer did not agree with many of them, but there were no mistakes or omissions. If Princess Angelita was obedient enough in the rest of her journey, there would be nothing particularly to worry about.

If they are unwilling to obey... Leslaufer has an idea. After all, the contract does not specify how to send the person, so in most cases, just tying them up will be enough.

Suddenly, Reslaufer's ears moved, and the light from the fire was reflected in his eyes as he looked in the direction he came from.

Benjamin's figure soon appeared in the field of vision. The young man was carrying a set of luggage and was approaching this side.

"Are they all asleep?" Benjamin's gaze swept over the princess, but lingered on Grandin for a moment longer. "What a shame! I used connections to get into the Horseshoe Mercenaries. I can't just walk away like this. Sigh."

"These are all your things, right? Lady Amantha helped pack them. She said she would handle all the problems over there, so you don't have to worry."

Leslaufer nodded. Since Amantha said so, there was no need to worry. He found his purse in his luggage and counted out about three hundred gold coins from this part of his savings. He put them in a new pocket and handed it over. The main part of it was the old imperial gold coins, and new coins would be used to replace them when they were insufficient.

"What are you doing?" Benjamin was startled and quickly stepped back. "This, this is too much!"

He thought that if he had a hundred gold coins, it would be like pie in the sky!

"Weren't you dissatisfied with my high earnings earlier?" Reslaufer shoved a handful of coins into Benjamin's arms with a half-smile. "Keep them. I told you whoever sees them gets a share. But the wizard's money hasn't arrived yet, so I'll cover it first."

"But I don't have much Imperial gold on me. If you want to blame someone, blame His Majesty Richard. Do you need me to give you some new coins?"

"Enough, enough!" The luster of the gold coin dazzled Benjamin's eyes. The rider kept repeating this word for a long time, not knowing what else to say. "Sir, you are the best person I have ever met! Really!"

That's three hundred gold coins! Three hundred! Even Reslaufer would have to earn that much in... uh, three months?

But it took him nearly a year!

"Don't just turn around and throw it over to the gambling table or the drinking table," Leslaufer warned casually, but he didn't know how much the other party would listen to him. "Live longer. I don't want to return to the Empire next time and still only know Amantha."

"Don't worry! I will..." Benjamin opened his mouth and finally lowered his head dejectedly, "Let me think about how to spend this..."

"Do you have any message for Lady Amantha?"

Leslaufer thought about it, and finally shook his head: "Don't worry about her. With her skills, she will have no problem living to old age. We'll talk about it next time we see her."

Amantha never mentioned her age, but elves were said to have a lifespan of over seven hundred years. Even with the most conservative estimate, she could still make it to the funeral of Raslaufer's grandchildren. Instead of leaving her a message, it would be better to think about when they would meet next time.

Chapter 14 No Talent

Benjamin Russo came under the cover of night and left under the cover of night, and Grandin, who was awakened, joined him.

The old wizard Bol did not say goodbye to his students and Leslaufer until his duck familiar returned with a large bag of coins.

"From now on, Grandin will likely provide as much erroneous and ambiguous information as possible, and I will respond to every misjudgment made by His Majesty and the other nobles involved in the search," Bol said solemnly. "You shouldn't face too much pressure, but some fish will inevitably slip through the net."

"After all, this is still the territory of the empire, even the core territory of the empire."

"I'll try to get her out within two months," the mercenary said, looking down at the deposit he'd received. "Hmm, who are the names engraved on these coins?"

He took out a few gold coins. Although the portraits on them were not Richard VII, they were also not the previous emperor Henry III. Rathlough could not remember whether he had seen them anywhere else.

"After all, Cole can't go back to Magpalez to get the money, and the nearby Imperial gold coins aren't plentiful, so we'll use something else as a substitute," the old wizard blinked guiltily. After all, the contract he'd written didn't say that. "But I assure you, they're just as useful as Imperial gold coins."

"The bearded one is Serak, the god of knowledge and arcane magic. The open book pages and candles on the back are his holy symbols. The other one with a crescent moon on the back is Corellon, the god of art and magic from the elven side. Corellon Larethian, if I'm not pronouncing it wrong."

"The patterns on these coins are very clear, and the gods depicted are all righteous and true gods. They also have little tricks that ordinary people can trigger to distinguish the authenticity of the coins. They can be used as imperial gold coins."

Reslaufer sighed slightly. What Bol said was true, but there were many gods in this world, but there was only one Matt Dynasty, a great empire with humans as its main body. No matter which sect minted the currency of the former, its versatility could not be compared with the imperial gold coins.

But, it's already come to this! Reslaufer wasn't the kind of merchant who would stubbornly accept only Imperial gold coins, so he immediately acquiesced to Bol's slightly breach of contract. The old wizard breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said goodbye. Reslaufer didn't know what spell he cast, but he took off as if he had wings and quickly disappeared into the distance.

"Let's go too," the mercenary packed his bag and nodded to the former Princess, now Miss Angelita, beside him. "We can't stay here for long. We need to head west and make a long detour."

"Okay, okay," Angelita wanted to salute Leslaufer with court etiquette, but quickly stopped this subconscious behavior, "Mr. Leslaufer, where should we go next?"

"Let's find a small place first, far away from here. You need to change your clothes." Reslaufer looked at Angelita boldly. The princess was wearing a set of aristocratic clothes that were easy to move in. People who were not familiar with her would never realize that she was a noble princess, but in Reslaufer's opinion, it was still a little too conspicuous.

"What does this costume say?"

"No," Angelita shook her head. "It belongs to a friend of mine at Magpalus. Grandin said it would make me less conspicuous."

"What is the title of your friend?"

"She doesn't have a title yet, but her father is an earl." Angelita was a little nervous. She knew her life was in the hands of this mercenary. "The children of an earl shouldn't be a very eye-catching identity...right?"

"That was in Magparesh. Outside, it's rare to see a knight's daughter like that," Leslaufer said, looking at Angarita. "And you... are too clean."

"Let me think, do you know magic like that old wizard? Or do you serve some god?"

If you are a wizard or a priest, it is easy to dress up.

"I'm sorry," Angelita lowered her head in shame. "I don't have any talent for this, but Mr. Boll said that this would also make it harder for me to be tracked. If it were a spellcaster, I'd be even easier to find, and it would be difficult for them to interfere."

"Then I'll have to put you through some hardship."

Not long after, a rather disheveled young noblewoman and her attendant emerged from the valley, heading north. The young noblewoman's coat was ripped and tattered, revealing the dust and dirt-covered lining in many places. The noblewoman was clearly in a bad mood, constantly trying to straighten her now irreparable garments while muttering and scolding the attendant who was carrying two gifts and a huge sword.

Several Matt light cavalrymen saw them from a distance and then moved away from them - they didn't want to get in front of an angry noble and be scolded for no reason.

As for the important people to be searched for, it was clearly stated above that there were three people: an old man, an adult woman and a girl of fifteen or sixteen. The number of people here was wrong, and the man's age did not match either. He was definitely not the target they were looking for.

As for going up to ask...if the other party is not furious, you can give it a try.

Reslaufer and Angelita naturally noticed them, and the latter's performance suddenly became more exaggerated. Although the effect had achieved its goal, when the horses disappeared from sight, Reslaufer couldn't help but shout out a warning:

"You don't need to raise your voice. Just maintain your previous attitude." The mercenary put down the luggage and signaled Angrita to take a break. "Being too loud will only attract attention."

"Why?" The princess was completely puzzled. "I thought this would seem more realistic... After all, you've tricked me so badly and left me in such a state of embarrassment..."

"Generally speaking, the louder the volume, the more... vulgar the language," Raslaufer murmured with a sigh, "but you obviously don't curse, so forget it."

"No, it's okay! Teacher Boll taught me that he also ridiculed that wizard in the tomb before—"

"I mean the kind...that would bring the other party's relatives, various animals, and reproductive organs." Reslaufer almost exhausted his vocabulary. It was too difficult for a mercenary to describe how to gain the upper hand in a war of words without giving specific examples.

Angelita widened her eyes, trying her best to understand Reslaufer's meaning, and tried to combine it with Professor Boll's language skills to put it into practice in the next journey. But just by observing Reslaufer's expression and color, the princess of the empire deeply realized that she probably had no talent in this area, just like chanting spells.

Chapter 15: Shu Ni's Favor

Although her background meant that Angritta was destined to be vulgar, Reslaufer believed that she at least possessed the talent and physical strength for acting, or perhaps she was indeed resilient enough. For two or three days, until they arrived at a nearby village at dusk one day, Angritta had barely stopped chattering, except for rest breaks and necessary food and water. This allowed them to avoid the Imperial Army and the Imperial search parties several times.

The battle between Marquis Marrick and Marquis Queeg apparently ended in just one day, much more efficiently than the previous pretentious "tug-of-war". Now, they seem ready to focus on other things.

For example, hunting down a fugitive princess from the Matt Dynasty.

"Three silver coins? Are you robbing me?"

When the mercenaries entered the village, Reslaufer quickly provoked a group of peasant women who had just returned from collecting laundry. They snatched the wooden basin filled with freshly washed clothes and said, "God damn it, these scraps of cloth are only worth a silver coin at most!"

He searched for a long time inside and finally found a few clothes that looked suitable for Angelita. They were simple, rough and dull in color, but at least they looked brand new. "Do you have a set of pants? Put together a complete set for me! Now!"

A shining silver coin slipped from Reslaufer's hand, making a crisp sound in the air. "Hurry up! This is for you. Paying in advance is already the greatest kindness I can offer you!"

The peasant woman whose basin had been robbed grabbed the silver coin as quickly as possible, tears streaming down her face. "Master! This is a new dress for my maid! Her old one is no longer wearable, and this is the only one she has. How could you!"

Then she turned to Angarita, who looked like she needed a new set of clothes. "My dear lady, we are the subjects of His Majesty the Emperor and Master Marek. There are wars going on around here every day, and we are already having a hard time. Please leave some good clothes for us!"

If villagers from other places faced such atrocities as Reslaufer's, they would never dare to say a word, and would even be grateful for a silver coin. But as the peasant woman said, this is the central part of the empire, and the emperor's grace and power can at least illuminate this place. Even when facing a stranger, a respectable person, they dare to resist a little.

Of course, if this was one of Marquis Marek's men, that would be another matter.

"Racelaufer, this is the territory of His Excellency Marrick, and he stands on the side of His Majesty," Angelita said at the right time, "Don't be so stingy."

"Miss, you don't know—"

"I only know that I'm in this state now because of you!" Angelita's face suddenly became serious and her tone became higher. "Do as I say, now!"

"Are you going to let me go back to see my father, your master, Earl Gawain, like this?"

That was the father of the owner of the clothes she was wearing now. Even if these peasant women were interrogated later and the case was traced back to the earl's daughter who had a good personal relationship with Angelita, or even to her clothes, there would not be the slightest flaw - the earl's daughter would not keep a piece of tattered clothes and would be reluctant to throw it away. It would be enough to prove that she did have it and had indeed gone out recently.

Although in Angritta's opinion there was no need to be so cautious, she didn't even know whether these peasant women could remember the earl's noble name, but Reslaufer followed the most cautious plan. When Angritta began to scold him as planned, the mercenary could only take out three more silver coins from his pocket and stuffed them into the peasant woman's hand, and then threw the clothes in his hand to her.

"Alright, hurry up and prepare a complete set of clothes! And boil some water! Prepare a room! It's a blessing for you that the young lady is willing to stay with you, and you actually want more?!"

The peasant woman, who got one more silver coin than expected, immediately wiped away her tears and ran away happily with the others. A few coins may not be a lot, but in the village where copper coins are the main trading currency, it is a very rare thing.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled like that..."

When no one was around, Angelita lowered her voice and tried to apologize.

"I'm not a noble, you don't have to be like this," Reslaufer shrugged, slightly subduing his bandit temperament. "Are all members of the Matt family like this? You're like two different creatures from many of the nobles I know."

"In the palace, we've always thought people like you were two different species," Angelita smiled. "Actually, the difference isn't that big, right?"

The mercenary tilted his head in surprise, looking at the long black hair and brown eyes that shone slightly in the sunset. "...I've only heard this from guys who have been awarded titles."

"But it's better for us not to talk about this right now. My mind has been very tired these days and I don't have time to think about these topics."

The princess nodded silently. When she saw the peasant women returning with pieces of clothing, she quickly asked, "Do you usually think about these things?"

"I rarely even use it," Raslaufer pointed to his head. "If your teacher hadn't paid an extra thirty-two gold coins, I wouldn't want to use it now."

"Your brain is only worth thirty-two gold coins?" Angelita laughed. "Is it too much? Or too little?"

"You have to spread it out over each month," the mercenary laughed. "It's really not cheap, so I have to do my best to keep it running."

As the peasants laid out the suits of clothing, Rathlough selected some, and finally, Angarita herself chose a dark gray woolen gown. Its craftsmanship showed it was indeed of considerable value, and the three silver coins the peasant woman had asked for weren't particularly outrageous. When "Lord Gawain's daughter" found the outfit to be a perfect fit, her followers were forced to pay an additional silver coin each as a reward for the peasant women's attentive service.

So they had a steaming hot dinner, an equally hot bath, and a room that was cleaned so thoroughly that not a single straw was left.

"This is truly an unexpected bonus! I haven't had a real dinner in a while!" When Leslough washed off the bloody smell on his body and walked into Angelita's room, he saw the girl lying on the bed in a "big" position, humming softly without any image. "And this bed, God, praise Suni, the Flame-Haired Lady!"

The goddess who nurtures all forms of beauty in the world is still blessing her, allowing her to enjoy such treatment here!

Angelita bet that even if Marquis Marek came in person, he would not receive such a reception - and she got it by spending only a few silver coins!

Chapter 16 It’s you

Leslaufer did not comment on Angelita's gratitude. After all, if Marquis Marek really came, he would definitely not spend a single copper coin, so the mercenary felt that she should praise the God of Trade instead.

Angelita lay comfortably on the bed and soon fell asleep, but Leslaufer didn't have high requirements for the bed, so he found a straw roll outside and made do with it for the night.