Warhammer Divine Throne

Chapter 18: Chapter 8, Teresa Trovik

”Well done, Teresa. I saw traces of the battle about an hour’s journey from here. Are you... alright?” Laine stood in front of the female sorcerer.

”Better than you expected.” The female sorcerer said, leaning on her magic staff, her bright silver eyes looking at Laine through black-framed glasses with butterfly patterns, clearly dissatisfied with Laine’s show-off.

Laine completely understood.

The female sorcerer’s power was strong, very strong. In theory, stepping into the Legendary Tier should have allowed her to display much higher levels of prowess in this battle. Given enough preparation time, she could eliminate a Beastman Warband, even two or three of them.

The key issue was that the female sorcerer had already fought once. On the way over, Laine noticed traces of heavy spell usage, proving Teresa had led the Blood Axe Mercenary Corps against at least one Beastman Warband before already. It was a magic exhaustion battle, meaning Teresa was already out of mana before this fight began.

Furthermore, Teresa had expended substantial mana tracking the demon hunter. Since she was not a hunter and couldn’t follow prey through experience, the demon hunter’s reverse-tracking skills were top-notch. Teresa could only use her magic power to cling to the clues left by the demon hunter, with her mana never fully recovering and perpetually drained.

Being out of mana, she forcefully released a Sixth Ring Spell. Laine knew Teresa probably found even standing a strenuous task now and may not be able to cast spells for several days.

”Better than I imagined? Do you know what I imagined?” Laine retorted, leading his horse and hanging the Beastman Leader’s head on it. ”Alright, I’ll keep you safe during this period.”

”That’s what you should be doing. You nearly got an entire Mercenary Corps killed for a vague lead!” Teresa continued to lean on her magic staff without moving, breathing heavily and slightly bent over, revealing her proud figure, Laine even spotted a pair of fullness gently trembling.

”But I found a lead on Belte... Nevermind, talking about this now is pointless.” Seeing the female sorcerer stubbornly standing still, Laine’s eyes shifted. He realized something and proactively offered: ”Come, mount the horse. Let me lead it. Just think, Nord Kingdom’s ’Great Hammer’ Laine personally leading your ride isn’t exactly degrading your status as a Jialan Council Member, is it?”

”... Let’s find a place to rest first. Blood Axe Mercenary Corps can’t battle any further, and Boris is injured. This time, our Jialan Council owes Blood Axe Mercenary Corps significant favor. I’m honestly doubting if chasing Belte was worth this cost.” Teresa remained unmoving. Laine knew the female sorcerer’s remaining strength was depleted, she was merely holding on for pride.

That’s the warlock’s talent. In a situation of mana exhaustion, the warlock can forcibly overdraw their stamina as a substitute for magic power.

The mercenaries were cleaning up the battlefield, finding it difficult with the snowstorm’s frozen terrain — but it was necessary. After suffering heavy losses, they hoped to mitigate some of it through battlefield cleanup.

Laine had no interest in cleaning the battlefield; the Beastmen’s broken items were worthless. Seeing Teresa stationary still, Laine helplessly led the horse closer, trying to help the sorcerer onto it.

”What are you doing!” The Kingdom Knight’s hand reaching for Teresa’s rear was swatted away by the sorcerer’s magic staff. She looked slightly angry, yet using the staff almost caused her exhausted body to collapse.

She ultimately didn’t fall onto the snow. Laine straightforwardly picked her up by the waist, the two mounted the horse together, then patted the sorcerer’s shoulder: ”Must it be this way for you to be happy?”

After speaking, Laine jumped down from the horse. His full armor made the war horse struggle under the weight of two persons.

”You bastard.” Teresa realized she overthought it, knowing Laine wasn’t one to take advantage of situations when she was down. She quietly rode the horse while the Mercenary Corps tidied the battlefield, hastily cremating their fallen comrades before burying them shallowly. Many mercenaries wore expressions of grief, the Imperial Merchant retrieved his lost cart with two guards, and prepared for departure.

The Mercenary Corps suffered heavy casualties and remained silent. Oliver and others felt grateful for surviving and reclaimed their goods, yet sensing the grim atmosphere, they said nothing.

As the group proceeded through the forest, the moon was already high in the sky.

”No enemy can withstand my Blizzard. If I hadn’t halted the Beastman Leader’s actions, you wouldn’t have stood a chance against those Beastmen. Once frozen, anyone can step up and slay it. Hmph, reinforcements always arrive post-battle,” the female sorcerer, sitting on the war horse, suddenly addressed Laine walking ahead.

Her beautiful face, shimmering black hair, crisp black nightwear, and noble white fur coat made the sorcerer akin to a moonlit goddess.

”Without my timely arrival, are you sure you could’ve killed that Beastman Leader? Perhaps you could cast another Blizzard, and when everyone recovers, you could slay all these Beastmen, wouldn’t you agree?” Laine felt speechless. Everyone knew the Beastman Leader’s might — even injured with frozen legs, Laine exerted full efforts to kill it. The Kingdom Knight was sure the Mercenaries, facing its active arms, would still be merely offerings.