Stray

"What did you say?" Oliver asked blankly. He had just woken up, his brain was buzzing like a beehive, and the pain was bubbling from every bone. But the foggy dizziness disappeared, he shook his head, and Nemo's voice sounded a lot clearer.

"I just said that Miss Savage gave us an offer." Nemo sat beside him, his face a little blue, and the grey parrot sat on his head. "She suggested we sneak in Noe and get the Black Badge."

"So you humans call 'kill you if you don't do it' as a 'suggestion'?" The grey parrot stomped twice, "It's taught."

"Black Badge?" Oliver turned to look at the female warrior who was maintaining the weapon, "But we don't—"

"I'm not interested in your innocence. I'm pretty sure my conscience is not worth three thousand gold, it's just a trade." There are still three days before the certification of the chapter begins, and I came back for this matter. It doesn't matter if you disagree, I will take some time to find it. "

"But..."

"Do you prefer to exchange your head for gold coins?" The corners of An's mouth were upturned, but there was no smile in her amber eyes. "Look, I think this deal is very good. With me here, you can guarantee it will pass. What you have to do is also very simple - form a team and let me name it."

"You should have belonged to a team before." Oliver coughed a few times, but his throat was still very itchy.

"Yeah, it's a pity that everyone is dead. I have to find a new team to register. That's the rule." Ann said, not looking sad.

"Why us?" Oliver stared at the heavy hunting spear nervously. "…Well, I mean, it sounds good. I'm just curious."

"I don't like to act with other people. I've tried teams of refugees, and they either die too quickly or they don't last long. You're unpleasant scum." An explained calmly, "You don't look like the kind of **** who likes to cause trouble. People at the 'dangerous' level are more or less capable, and it should be fine to do some low-level tasks honestly. You can also live in peace for a while. Three thousand gold coins are just a guess."

"I think so." Nemo moved in Oliver's direction and muttered in a very low voice. "An extra day counts as a day."

"I have no opinion." Oliver replied in a low voice, "Three thousand gold coins, it is better to promise before she changes her mind."

"What the **** is a black badge?" Gray parrot squeezed between them, almost smack Nemo's **** in the face.

"Second-class citizens or cannon fodder." Nemo grabbed the bouncing bird and laid it on the ground. "Choose a word that you can understand."

Although the black chapters are hanging under the mercenary guild, they sound like they are arrogant, but they are actually cannon fodder. There are many small countries on the mainland, wars are raging everywhere, and the laws of each country are very different, which directly leads to criminals and refugees running around everywhere.

Once people cross the border, official negotiation becomes mortally troublesome. The current mercenary guild leader, Brock, is a good example - when he was not the guild leader, he secretly raised middle-level demons in the capital of Alban, and his wanted level soared to "thugs" after being discovered. Seeing that something was wrong, Mr. Brock quickly fled to Willard, Alban's enemy. Unexpectedly, in the following days, he became prosperous, climbed up countless relationships, and became a real rich man.

Alban's perseverance in trying to bring people back to death almost extended the line between the two countries.

It's just that the things they can do are severely restricted, and they are basically troublesome or dangerous jobs that legal citizens are unwilling to deal with, and the taxes and commissions are staggeringly high.

Black households without identity certificates are basically unable to live normally, so even if the pay for this job is really bad, a considerable number of new black stamps are born every year. In fact, even without Ann's "suggestion", they would have gone down this road sooner or later—unless they were really going to be the villains in exile.

"We agree," Oliver said. "Now what do we need to do?"

An finger tapped his chin, whistled, and the white horse ran over lightly. She drew a short sword from the leather bag hanging from the saddle and handed it to Oliver.

"This kid said it was you who cut the wolf hunter, make a gesture." She clenched the spear, "If you have any extra actions, I don't mind stringing you up and dragging you to the Noe."

Oliver licked his chapped lips: "Actually I don't know what happened last night."

He is really not impressed.

"Oh, where did you come from so much bullshit!" The grey parrot became excited when he saw the opportunity to prove that he was telling the truth. "Just cut it! How about I help you brew your emotions—"

Oliver didn't say a word, and the unlucky spider dog was pulled out of thin air again. The spider dog's eight claws kicked angrily, and it was about to bite into his face. Oliver only felt that the roots of his hair stood up, he didn't even think about it, raising his hand was a sword.

But it was just an ordinary sword.

The spider dog grabbed his right arm. Open your mouth to bite again. Oliver was a little flustered, he was very sure that his arm would never have a second growth. So he hurriedly made a swipe with his left arm, and the spider dog was swept to the ground, gasping for breath.

An didn't say anything, just stood by and watched with interest.

How did that sword swing last night? Oliver desperately recalled what he felt at the time, gritted his teeth and stabbed the spider dog again.

He nearly stabbed himself to death.

Before this sword was stabbed, countless ice thorns stretched wildly along the front of the sword. The spider dog was directly blasted into the soil, and the icicle did not stop because of it. It exploded the moment it touched the ground, blasting out a huge ferocious and clear ice flower—the sharp petals composed of ice thorns pointed in all directions, the shortest. It is also over a meter long.

These icy things have no self-awareness at all, thanks to Oliver not stabbing directly at the ground - a sharp ice thorn was facing his face, almost poking his eyes. Oliver took a few steps back, almost tripping over the weeds behind him, and Nemo rushed up to hold him with a quick hand.

Small ice chips drifted in the air, and the sultry summer air dropped a few degrees.

"Although the style is a little different, the wolf hunt is basically finished like this." The gray parrot explained to Ann Savage, "Look, I'm an honest demon, I was just here for sightseeing. of!"

"Three thousand gold coins..." An stared at the pile of huge ice thorns, his face was very ugly. "It's cheap."

Nimo held Oliver from behind, and his short light brown hair buried his face when he first made contact. His nose was sore from the bump, and he didn't know if he was bleeding. Fortunately, the medicine Ann gave worked well—Oliver woke up and his fever subsided, and he no longer looked like a human-shaped charcoal. He quickly stood up before Nemo couldn't take it anymore and coughed twice.

"Thank you." He turned around, not surprised, but slightly frowned.

Nimo rubbed his nose, trying to hide his shocked, stiff expression. "Oliver, you-"

"I changed my mind." As a result, halfway through his sentence, he was cut off by a deep female voice.

Nemo turned his head sharply, so big that he almost twisted his neck. At the moment he hoped with all his heart that the words were not what he meant.

"Don't be nervous." The female warrior's expression was serious, and she lost the slightly relaxed tone just now. "I'm not going to kill you - it looks like I've missed my best chance."

Nimo found his arm being pulled by Oliver and being pulled behind him. The other party's unintentional or unintentional action made him a little inexplicably angry. He snapped Oliver's hand open and insisted on standing in front.

Ann sighed, "You two sit down, we have to have a good talk."

Nimo and Oliver looked at the hunting spear in the female warrior's hand at the same time, without moving a single step.

An said nothing, thrust the spear into the mud, and sat down first. "That brown-haired boy, Oliver Ramon, isn't it? You're a bit of a jerk, but the movements are too rusty. I'm really curious—even a blind man wouldn't miss out on this talent, what on earth did the person who taught you think? Alban would let such a talent go, if he knew about it, the bishop of your area would probably have his hair pulled out."

"I gave up very early." Oliver thought for a moment, still standing upright. "Because I... don't like it very much. My father also said it's no big deal. If you don't want to learn, you won't learn it, that's all."

"It's no big deal? I've been in this business for almost 20 years, and to be honest, you've never seen a few at this level." Ann raised her voice, "It's even a kid who raises demons. It's hard to tell the difference between abyss magic and wild mushrooms, I can't judge, but you are a pure human being, right?"

For a moment, Nemo felt like he was being classified as a parrot hybrid.

"Yes." Oliver answered firmly, "Is there a problem?"

"It seems that the two of you have absolutely no concept of the world outside of Roadmark Town." Ann said, her face not very good-looking. "Have you been living a good life all the time? I'm really curious, if your teacher is someone who has seen the world, it's impossible for you to be so leisurely—"

"His father...the teacher's character is fine." Nemo interrupted the female warrior's words, and the inexplicable unhappiness in his heart became more and more obvious, as real as the melting ice on the skin. "You're right, I'm the one who implicated this guy. He could have lived to old age leisurely. I don't think it's anyone's 'educational error'."

Ann turned her awl-like gaze to him, her nose twitching quickly. But when she spoke again, her voice remained calm. "Your teacher is your father? Interesting. Now that I'm interested, tell me what you guys did last night," she said. "I'm familiar with that look—like two holes being trampled on. The groundhog, confused and panicked to death."

Unfortunately, Ann Savage's nearly 20 years of experience did not help her much after putting together the somewhat stumbling narratives of the two.

Seen this kind of lifeless. Totally thankless practice."

"How do you say?" Oliver sat down honestly during the story, leaving Nemo alone standing stubbornly.

"The first thing a high-level demon is summoned is to attack the summoner." Ann said, "In simple terms, creatures with a little brain are not willing to do white jobs - they It is necessary to confirm the strength of the future owner. The summoner is too weak, which means that most of them can’t get any benefits. If the summoner is killed, the demon can then go on a free free tour, eat enough, play enough, and walk back to the abyss.”

She glanced at Oliver. "A powerful person can't do such a thing as summoning a deadwood jellyfish. If I guessed correctly, the summoner has already been eaten to the point of scum. Your father should force the devil before he is completely free. The summoning ritual has been moved... Probably to protect the town."

"But he..."

"The next thing is what I can't figure out." Ann said, leaving no time for Oliver to ask questions. "This is the point - according to the records, the only humans who can perform the forced transfer ritual are demon warlocks. Is there anything unusual about your father?"

"I swear no, my father has absolutely no alienation."

"Then there is only one possibility left." Ann said, "The higher-level demons who have obtained a human body can also do this."

"Impossible!" Before Oliver could respond, someone screamed for him. The grey parrot swaggered over, confidently. "I've seen that man, he can't be a superior demon! If so, I can definitely detect-"

"You?" An raised her beautiful eyebrows, "How do you detect it, class oppression?"

"Fart." Grey parrot shot back contemptuously, "Rely on the breath of the same level! If we don't want those low-level garbage to find out, there is a way - but the same level can't hide it."

Ann took a deep look at it, then pushed it away firmly and slowly with her hand. The grey parrot was so angry that it exploded, very unlike a parrot, it plunged into the bush next to it.

"Where are we talking about?" She sullen. "Oh yes, Oliver, has your father ever used magic in front of you?"

"I have used it, but only once." Oliver said, "It's a very common illusion, I don't think it can be used as a reference."

Oliver doesn't seem to be shaken by Ann's claim, which Nemo suspects he didn't intend to believe in the first place. But he could totally understand it—Old Ramon might just hurt the mosquitoes that passed through Roadmark Town with his own hands, and the raw meat in the inn was all ready-made from the butcher. Their shock share of these two days has already been overdrawn, and no additional blow is needed.

"Okay." Ann obviously noticed the unhappiness of the two, she raised her hands and made a gesture of admitting defeat. "Then skip the question. After the ritual is transferred, the demon will also transfer its target, which is probably why your father wants you to kill him."

Oliver raised his head sharply.

"Assuming you're telling the truth and he's really dying when you meet, the transfer ritual can only buy the army a little time. If he was taking the demon out of town, I guess That's the plan." She sighed, "But if the summoner is killed by a third party in this confrontation, it is considered a simple summoning failure - according to the law, the demon will be immediately sent back to the abyss."

"I can't think of any other reason than to protect the town." Ann shrugged, "I apologize for what I just said, if you didn't lie, Mr. Ramon is not some uninformed fool. But I don't judge this kind of behavior, at least I will never make my relatives suffer like this for irrelevant people... um."

"One thing I can be sure of, boy. Knowing the rules of demon summoning and being able to transfer rituals by hand, your father is definitely not a small person. If you have the heart, you can try to find—"

"Thank you very much for your explanation." Oliver said, stood up swaying, and gave the female warrior a non-standard salute. "thank you very much."

"But no, I don't want to know his past. Enough is enough."

(m..=)