Chương 29: Beastfolk and Mercenaries
His attitude now was a complete turnaround from earlier, almost like he was a different person.
Elena was startled by the sound of Leo slapping the table, and then his excited tone left her somewhat bewildered.
"Actually, it's not quite a life worse than death..." Elena blinked, softly countering.
"Right, do you have a place to stay? I can arrange that for you right now! I know of a manor with servants ready; I can arrange it for you immediately!"
Leo grasped Elena's arm eagerly.
Elena, with her hand in Leo's grasp, felt the warmth of his palm and her cheeks flushed slightly.
This was the first time in her life she had been treated with such enthusiasm, even a bit abruptly, leaving her more at a loss.
"Tha-thank you," she nodded instinctively.
"Don't mention it! It's what I should do!" Leo puffed up his chest, his face beaming with a radiant smile.
...
Leo was extremely excited about recruiting an intermediate magus specialized in healing.
Without any hesitation, he summoned his subordinates, ordering them to prepare the manor for Elena to move into.
Moreover, he gave Elena a role.
He decided to establish a foundation and put Elena in charge of it, allowing her to fulfill her desire to compensate the victims.
"Thank you so much!" Elena stood at the entrance of the manor, her eyes filled with gratitude.
"You're welcome," Leo shook his head and then waved his hand, "Go back and rest for now. When you're ready, you can report to me."
"Okay," Elena nodded gently.
At this moment, in Elena's eyes, Leo seemed like the best person in the world.
"Goodbye," Leo said with a smile.
As he spoke, he slowly turned and settled into his carriage.
Elena stood still, watching Leo leave.
Sitting in the carriage, Leo's eyes narrowed slightly, his lips curling up like a fox.
Tapping his knee with his right hand, he hummed a popular tune under his breath.
…
A day later.
In his office, Leo was still holding the travelogue, reading the stories that were seven parts fiction and three parts truth.
"Boom!" Suddenly, a loud noise and a slight tremor startled Leo.
Instinctively, he looked up towards the window.
"What's happened?" Leo rose to his feet and asked.
One of his officials pushed open the door, equally baffled.
"Lord Mayor..." The official's face also showed signs of panic.
Leo immediately realized that this person probably didn't know what was going on either.
Without further questioning him, Leo pushed open the door and stepped onto the corridor, looking towards the distant sky.
At that moment, about fifteen or sixteen kilometers from Jacques, a swath of red flames painted half of the sky red, and thick smoke rose from a forest, as if something had fallen there.
"What's going on?" Lilith arrived at the scene and asked Leo.
Leo gestured with his chin towards the direction of the disturbance.
Lilith looked in that direction, her eyebrows furrowing slightly.
She was now a novice knight and could feel the tremendous energy fluctuations emanating from that area.
"Spellbeast, maybe?" Lilith said instinctively.
"I'll go take a look," Leo thought for a moment and spoke softly.
"That area is not part of Lionara's territory," Lilith reminded Leo.
"I know, but it doesn't belong to any other nation either," Leo said lightly.
That area was a primal forest, inhabited by many fearsome spellbeasts.
The human nations of the continent had not yet been able to claim this region.
Going there to investigate might be dangerous, but it would not infringe upon any other nation's territory.
"Then I'll get ready," Lilith said instinctively.
"No, Elena will accompany me," Leo replied.
Lilith was taken aback.
"Elena?" Surprise flickered in her eyes.
"Yes, you stay in the city. I'm leaving you in charge. Manage everything here for now," Leo instructed.
Lilith bit her lip, momentarily dazed.
This was the first time Leo had not asked her to accompany him, and instead, he had chosen another woman.
For some reason, a sense of unexplained loss welled up inside her, leaving her unable to respond immediately to Leo.
After a brief silence, Lilith regained her composure.
Lowering her eyes, she said softly, "I understand."
"Good," Leo nodded.
Without saying more, he turned and walked downstairs.
Lilith stood still, wrestling with the strange emotions in her heart, a hint of struggle in her eyes.
After a while, as if convincing herself, she muttered, "Who cares about him? I... I will kill him someday..."
...
"I'm sorry to trouble you so soon," Leo said to Elena, his eyes conveying an apology.
"It's okay, I'm happy to help if I can," Elena smiled and shook her head.
She meant it; she didn't want to just accept Leo's generosity without contributing.
"Shall we go then?" Leo asked.
"Yes," Elena replied with a smile.
She agilely mounted her horse, not appearing as a pampered princess at all.
Before leaving, Leo turned to glance at Lilith from a distance.
Feeling her icy gaze, he paused.
Blinking, Leo said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work."
"Hmph! I hope you never come back!" Lilith huffed coldly.
Leo's mouth twitched slightly.
Well, that was the response he was hoping for.
"May your wish come true then," Leo said with a smile.
Lifting his head, he pulled the reins, heading towards the outskirts of the city.
Elena followed beside Leo, looking a bit nervous, trying hard to calm herself down.
Considering their current situation, this expedition was meant to be secretive, so the city's populace remained unaware.
They left Jacques quietly, Leo and Elena advancing towards the source of the disturbance.
...
Ahead of Jacques lay a plain, with the forest's edge about five or six kilometers away.
Tall trees grew on undulating hills, even obscuring the sunlight, casting the forest in deep shadow.
The winding mountain paths were unsuitable for horseback, forcing them to find a relatively flat route.
By the afternoon, Leo and Elena had neared the site of the disturbance.
Suddenly, a valley appeared before them, with a deep pit at its center.
The pit, still red and emitting intense heat, was about a dozen meters in diameter, surrounded by scattered earth and stones, creating a scene of disarray.
Leo looked up, following the trail of disarray to a cave entrance.
He could hear heavy breathing from inside the cave, unmistakably non-human!
"Snap!" A faint sound came from a distance.
Leo looked over and spotted a group of people.
They wore armor and held swords or bows and arrows, about a few dozen of them, clearly well-trained.
At the forefront was a young man with a rugged face and a scar under his eye.
His fierce aura made him look formidable.
They were likely a group of mercenaries, Leo surmised.
Only mercenaries could carry such a heavy scent of blood and hostility.
There was more than just their group here; another party had already arrived.
Leo looked in another direction.
There was a forest that seemed devoid of any human presence, but Leo could already sense the presence there!
"This is a young dragon, and we all know its value!" the young leader of the mercenary group shouted loudly.
"Rustle... rustle rustle rustle..."
The sound of branches and leaves being disturbed rang out, followed by the appearance of a dozen or so beastfolk.
They were half-naked, their bodies covered in fur, resembling various animals.
At the forefront was a lionfolk, glaring fiercely at the group of mercenaries.
Waving his crude axe, the lionfolk growled, "This is beastfolk territory, you damned humans shouldn't be here!"
"Heh! Don't be ridiculous! This place belongs to no one. We're all explorers, aren't we?" the young man shrugged and said with a laugh.
The lionfolk narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the mercenaries in front of him.
Although not the cleverest, he had some wisdom to be the leader of this group of beastfolk.
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White_Ink
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