Warhammer Divine Throne

Only then did everyone stop their various discussions.

About ten minutes later.

Laine brought a woman into the carriage where the female sorcerer was: ”Teresa? The whole crew has only this woman, so let her take care of you!”

A woman with a slender figure and beautiful blonde hair walked in somewhat shyly. She wore very simple mercenary attire, brown leather armor, and a yellow linen shirt. To the female sorcerer’s slight relief, the female mercenary was relatively clean.

However, when she lifted her head, Teresa felt a twinge of disappointment. Her face was covered with freckles, her small eyes and high nose bridge made her features look a bit out of proportion, her looks could only be considered average.

”Who is she?” Teresa asked casually.

”She’s a mercenary from the Blood Axe Mercenary Corps, named Amelia. She’s also the only woman in our caravan, so she’ll be taking care of you for the time being.” Laine nodded, about to step out of the carriage.

”Wait!” Teresa called out to him: ”Why do I feel like I’ve never seen her before? Is she really from the Blood Axe Mercenary Corps?”

”She is. She usually handles cooking and laundry, and is quite good at medical care. Also, she can wield a rapier quite skillfully. According to Viert, she’s fairly competent. Anyway, you should change your clothes first, and we can discuss any issues later.” Laine added.

Even with repeated assurances, Teresa continued to look at the female mercenary with distrust and scrutiny. Her gaze swept over the female mercenary as if it were tangible, especially when it passed over her face. Teresa’s silver pupils glimmered with arcane light. Under her gaze, Amelia, the female mercenary, was very tense, even showing signs of pushing back, wanting to retreat.

”Alright, she can stay.”

Laine left the carriage and rode his horse to Viert’s side: ”Mr. Viert, that female mercenary, Amelia? I don’t think I’ve seen her before either?”

”Amelia? Yes, she’s indeed somewhat... not very noticeable. Do you know how she joined our Mercenary Corps?” Viert said.

”I’m all ears.”

”She joined our Mercenary Corps around two years ago. At that time, she was picking wild vegetables in the wilderness, looking quite lonely. Then a few bandits noticed her. Our Mercenary Corps happened to pass by, and Boris saved her. We didn’t plan on taking her in because her swordsmanship was rather weak, and... the Mercenary Corps doesn’t really need such women. I think Mr. Laine knows what I mean.” Viert gestured.

”Then why did you let her join?” Laine folded his arms, intrigued.

”Because she’s literate and knowledgeable. She easily found the loopholes in the contracts we signed with local merchants, and helped us negotiate with them. Plus, she can cook, knows a lot about medical and bandaging techniques, and can make some simple herbs. So, after she displayed these talents, despite her poor swordsmanship, we had no objections to keeping her in the Mercenary Corps.” Viert shared the story behind the female mercenary with Laine, and then added, ”Thinking back, it’s funny. I was the one who strongly opposed her joining the Mercenary Corps back then, but now even I have to admit she’s become an indispensable part of our Blood Axe Mercenary Corps.”

”Interesting. But didn’t you ever wonder about her background? Why would a literate woman who’d learned to read be picking wild vegetables in the wilderness?” Laine asked curiously.

He wasn’t worried about Teresa’s safety. The female sorcerer’s powerful magic wasn’t something to be trifled with. She had numerous ways to protect herself, and Laine had confirmed that the female mercenary was only of ordinary tier strength.

”Amelia says she’s the daughter of a bankrupt merchant. Such people aren’t rare, nothing strange about it, right?” Viert raised his right hand, palm up. ”War always brings disaster. Even without the threat of those damned barbarians and monsters, frequent skirmishes between bandits, robbers, even lords can easily bankrupt merchants. The daughters of these bankrupt merchants are often sold as maids, and capable ones like Amelia manage to escape. Nothing surprising about it.”

”True.” Laine nodded, there wasn’t really anything surprising about it.

The phrase ’The vassal of my vassal is not my vassal’ entirely applies to the feudal system of nobility in the Prime Material World. Although the empire’s laws dictate that disputes between lords should be resolved through legal and diplomatic means, private strife is still prevalent. Not to mention the frequent appearances of various bandits, robbers, and demons. It’s important to note that this world is not a technologically advanced Earth. Even in the wealthiest territories, at least fifty percent of the area is uninhabited forests, plains, or mountainous and swampy regions. If a lord’s army isn’t efficient, farmers would be on edge when going out to till the land, because who knows if something might suddenly emerge from the roadside forests, streams, or even the ground to take their lives.

Likewise, any trade route carries risks. It’s just a matter of whether one encounters petty goblins, ordinary bandits, or terrifying Beastman Warbands or even the Green-skinned Army.

In the afternoon, the caravan moved on. It was just after the onset of winter, the roads had frozen solid, and the caravan made rapid progress. According to Oliver, come the following April or May, as the snow began to melt, the pathways in Nord would become extremely muddy. It would be difficult for even people to traverse, let alone carriages. Then, numerous hibernating animals would come out to forage in their hunger, making the trade routes even more dangerous.

”So, in April and May, no merchant would choose to do business in Nord.” Oliver concluded.

”No wonder the prices of grain skyrocket every April and May. I always thought it was because of issues with seeds and food stock after winter.” Laine quipped.

”It’s the same, the flavor of human meat is most delicious in April and May, and the price is the highest too.” Oliver laughed. ”Rising grain prices affect us humans, but aren’t they the same for the Beastman and the Green Skins?”

”Hahahahahahahahaha! Indeed.” Laine laughed heartily.

”So, Mr. Laine, do you think you should check on Lady Trovik? She seems to be in a bad mood, I’m worried…” Oliver suggested seeing that Laine was in a good mood.

”Alright, alright, I’ll go check on her.”

He had been hearing Teresa’s impatient voice all along.

”Oh! Stop it, what are you wiping?” ”Wait! Be careful, this is silk, do you know how expensive it is?” ”Oh my God! You fool, you can’t even wear pants?” ”Don’t use such dirty water! Get me clean water! Clean!!!”

The sorceress’s roar was something he pretended not to hear. After all, women are prone to losing their temper during their time of the month. Moreover, Teresa was raised and born in the Jialan Council, independent and powerful; it would be abnormal if she didn’t have some temper. He didn’t want to stir trouble for himself.

Everyone else kept their distance, only the carriage driver bravely continued on.

Inside the carriage, Teresa, looking pale, was painfully putting on her tight pants. But after a short while, she gave up. This black tight-fitting pant didn’t feel so tight before, but now, just pulling it up a bit made her body pang with piercing pain.

The female mercenary was clumsy, especially when she had tried to use fetched water to help her clean. Doesn’t she know it’s easy to get an infection like that? It’s essential to use snow boiled to remove impurities!

Additionally, the female mercenary’s attitude also irked her, very, very much so. Teresa, of course, knew she wasn’t at home. There was no way this female mercenary could be overly respectful, but basic courtesy and respect were expected. Yet, this Amelia kept her head down all the time, her eyes never meeting Teresa’s, and responded only with simple ”Yes, I’m sorry, okay.”

This made her very uncomfortable, both physically and mentally.

”Alright, alright, from now on, just do as I say, okay?”