Chapter 329 Encounter with a Wizard
sunset.

The clouds in the sky were burning.

The golden light shines down, adding an ancient feel to the old mill, and the waterwheel turns slowly.

"Whoa~ Whoa~"

The calm river water was stirred up into ripples, with sparkling water.

"Whoo~"

The crisp sound of flowing water and the rhythmic breathing make the whole mill even quieter.

Following the sound of breathing, I bypassed the waterwheel and came to the barn.

On the golden straw, nine demon hunters in leather armor lay with their hands flat on their thighs and closed their eyes in meditation.

Suddenly at some moment.

The regular breathing sound suddenly became disordered.

Two pairs of eyes suddenly opened and looked at each other. Instead of standing up, they carefully observed the other seven demon hunters.

Then, it was as if they had made an appointment.

Amid the quiet sound of flowing water, the witchers woke up one after another, and then fell silent under the gazes of Arryn and Vesemir, looking at those who were still asleep with a gloating look.

Until the last person woke up in a daze.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I was stared at by many mocking eyes. I immediately became alert, looked around, and smiled bitterly:

"it's me again?"

Everyone laughed.

"Take it easy, Ajax. At least you got more rest than us." Clay patted his shoulder.

“Okay, pack up and get ready to go,” Vesemir said. “Ajax will be in charge of cleaning up the blood and bodies left by the water ghosts…”

The last young demon hunter to wake up could only respond weakly, frowning as he threw the increasingly smelly flesh and blood into the river one by one.

This is a small game for practicing meditation.

Just like when Eileen, Hughes, Bont and Fred went down the mountain, the witchers who did not wake up on time had to pay for their own meals.

However, in order to conceal their tracks, the group could not, as they had done in the beginning, take on commissions while on the road.

So except for Arryn and Vesemir, the other demon hunters had no money, and the original reward and punishment rules naturally no longer applied.

then.

After Vesemir and Arryn discussed it, they decided that the last demon hunter who woke up from meditation would clean up the traces left by the group.

Of course, it is just a simple treatment.

For example, when throwing a corpse into a river, one should avoid having the wounds on the monster's corpse, especially those caused by the seal, being discovered...

That's enough.

after all.

How could it be such a coincidence that they would run into someone in such a dangerous place in the wilderness, and that the person not only could identify the traces left by the witcher, but also happened to have a grudge against them?

The probability is too low.

"Da da da~"

The sound of horse hooves on the empty brick and stone ground

The young witcher held the horse in place and watched Ajax, with a bitter face, cleaning the smelly corpse of the water ghost, laughing and making a joke from time to time.

"Plop~"

"Plop~"

The last scattered body of the water ghost was thrown into the river.

"Clay..." Ajax jumped onto his horse, "You killed the water ghosts in the most fragmented pieces... arms, heads, intestines, legs and feet... I am all over my body with the stench of water ghosts, next time you must chop off a few more times..."

"I don't have to clean up, so why should I listen to you?" Clay smiled and made a face.

"Hahaha~" everyone laughed.

"You--" Ajax was furious.

“Okay,” Vesemir came out to smooth things over. “Ajax, next time you meditate, pay attention to the changes in your body’s environment. Same with Clay. Try to hunt monsters in the wild and avoid getting wounded too big and bleeding too much…”

"Those few waves of water ghosts this afternoon all came here smelling the blood..."

Ajax and Clay could only shrink their heads and respond.

"Yes, Master Vesemir."

"I understand, Master Vesemir."

The Demon Hunter Master nodded with satisfaction and looked up at the sky.

The sun was setting towards the horizon and the sky was dark.

After Vesemir withdrew his gaze, he turned his head to look at Ailin, and when he saw him nod slightly, he said:
"It's almost time."

"Hide your silver sword, put on your hood... and go!"

……

the other side.

Because the hunter in the village who was most familiar with the environment outside the village was killed tragically at home last night, and the workers of the Bamba Mill were also killed or escaped, and the others were hiding somewhere unknown. The village chief had to run to a nearby village before he found someone who was familiar with the route.

The group from Ban Ade officially set out for Banla Mill near dusk.

This made Sonny, who always appeared gentle and humble, feel a little irritated.

of course.

The deeper reason for his irritation was not the procrastination of those inferior people, or that was only a small part of the reason.

Ever since the overconfident Jaynes hid his own limitations and caused the celestial conjunction, he killed the king.

They radicals seem to be on a downward spiral.

Henry and Gedimides, who had originally reached a tacit understanding, had a very obvious rift in their relationship due to the turmoil and destruction caused to the academy by the conjunction of the celestial spheres and the death of the king.

The damage and shackles this rift has caused them today are incalculable.

More than half of the wizards recruited for the New King War are from the radical faction. The funds for ongoing research have been withheld, some research has been restricted, and even travel has been restricted...

Today's radicals are like griffins in a cage and on a leash.

There are no restrictions on movement.

The only thing that comforted him was that the king's power had been weakened by the death of the old king, and the wizard kingdom that belonged to their radical dreams seemed closer to reality than ever before.

But even this.

The hypocrisy from the friendly nobles and the unusual activity of the Wolf School cast a shadow on the bright future that was bound to come.

"Master Mage..."

The flattering tone of the inferior interrupted Sonny's thoughts.

"Just ahead, through a small forest, is ..."

Before he could finish a complete sentence, he suddenly stopped.

There was also a commotion in front of the team. The elite guards who were specially selected when leaving the city took up a vigilant formation.

Sonny looked in the direction of the sound.

In the dim evening light in the distance, nine knights galloped out of the dense woods.

Looking closely, they were all wearing leather armor, black hoods, and had long swords on their waists.

After these knights rushed out of the woods, they seemed to have not expected to meet their group, and they also pulled the reins vigilantly.

"Herodus~"

A dark golden glow shone, and horses neighed loudly.

"Qiang! Qiang! Qiang!"

The sound of metal clashing against metal occurred as the long sword was unsheathed.

The two teams stopped less than thirty meters apart.

"Who are you?"

The guard at the head of the team shouted in alarm and drew their swords.

The five mages, including Sonny, skillfully and calmly activated their magic accessories in an instant, giving themselves various protections and enhancements.

Magical glows of various colors flashed rapidly under the dark sky as if they were free.

They couldn't help but be cautious.

Because they were only leaving the city to deal with the water ghosts that were wreaking havoc near Ban Ade, each of them only brought a mage guard. Every year, the academy would regularly clean up the powerful monster nests for materials or for the safety of the surrounding workshops and farmlands.

Even if water ghosts are rampant now, these guards are more than enough given their speed and brains.

But the armed gangs that suddenly appeared on the opposite side are different.

Within thirty meters, a charge by warhorse.

These mages might not even have time to cast a spell before their guards were breached and the enemy's swords pierced their hearts.

The tense atmosphere was like black powder near a fire source, ready to explode at any moment.

The confrontation lasted for several seconds.

"Dear mages, we are a mercenary group from the Hengfors Alliance. We heard that the war between Kaedwen and Aedirn is fierce, and the respected King Rado offered a lot of bounty, so we led the team here to support." The leader said with a slightly hoarse voice.

"Why are you wearing a hood and not showing your real face?" the guard asked again in a stern voice.

The five fully armed knights in full armor heard that they were mercenaries and followed the rebuke, steering their horses a few steps forward.

The hoarse voice paused and did not answer immediately, and the mercenaries behind him did not take off their hoods.

The atmosphere became tense again.

"Okay, Elite." Sonny suddenly spoke up at this time, "Since they are warriors who came to the front line, there is no need to be too harsh on them."

"Yes, Lord Sonny." The guard at the front of the team tilted his head and responded.

However, he did not control the horse to retreat, but instead kept his eyes on the people opposite.

"I know that the war mercenaries of the Hengfors Alliance are powerful and disciplined. What mercenary group are you from?" Sonny asked gently.

"Mage...Mage, our name is the Wolford Mercenary Group." The hoarse voice sounded a little strange for some reason, yet also a little inexplicably familiar.

But it seems to be just an ordinary mercenary group making money from war.

Sonny didn't think about it too much.

"We are few in number, so let the warriors who are about to fight for Kaedwen go first." Senni said gently, pulled the reins, and headed towards the high grass on the right.

Several other mages and guards heard the order and moved as well.

But his eyes were still fixed on the group of mercenaries.

"Thank you, all the great mages." said the hoarse yet strangely familiar voice.

follow closely.

"Da da da~"

The sound of horse hooves sounded.

A group of nine mercenaries walked slowly along the narrow road.

Although they were all wearing hoods, Sonny had a keen sense and could feel those eyes scrutinizing them warily.

The distance between the two teams is getting closer.

Except for the two leaders of the opposing mercenary group, the rest of the people's movements were very nervous and stiff.

"Two veterans leading seven new recruits..." Sonny's lips curled up, "The team configuration of this mercenary group is quite interesting."

"Are you wearing a hood to hide your age?"

The wizard, who hadn't seen a mercenary group for many years, became interested. He carefully observed the opposing team and guessed what was going on in his mind.

He wanted to see what the differences were between today's mercenaries and those of decades ago, aside from the hoods and team configurations.

He actually found something strange in this observation.

As the mercenaries rode closer, features that had been unclear against the distant wooded background in the dim light now became clear.

do not know why.

Except for the two leading mercenaries, their limbs were relatively relaxed and there were no small movements.

The remaining people placed their left hands on the hilts of their sheathed swords at their waists, and their right hands were not holding the reins, but were slightly suspended in the air.

"What kind of alert posture is this?"

Sonny wondered.

Also.

The backs and bellies of the horses of the nine people in the group were all wrapped in black, which was usually only worn by nobles.

There was a slight bulge under the saddle, as if something was hidden.

More special...

When the mercenaries were closest, except for the one who spoke, the other mercenaries became much smaller under their hoods and leather armor.

"Could it be that this is a mercenary group composed mainly of women?"

"In this case, it is understandable that he is unwilling to take off his hood in order to avoid being harassed and looked down upon..."

Sonny overturned his previous guess again.

It's not uncommon for women to be mercenaries.

However, Sonny had only heard of a country on the other side of the Blue Mountains that recruited women as mercenaries on a large scale: Zerekan, which used a giant dragon as its emblem and flag.

There, is the most dangerous woman in the entire world.

They wear clothes made of lion hair and have tattoos on their faces. They are natural mercenaries who are invincible on the battlefield and in bed.

The more Sonny thought about it, the more confused he became.

He even guessed that this group of people were not mercenaries as the leader mentioned, but human traffickers.

But everyone on the opposite horse was free. Although the few people behind were a little clumsy, judging from the speed with which they drew their swords when they first encountered each other, they must have also received professional training.

Every conjecture he made was overturned with sufficient reasons as soon as it was made.

This made the usually conceited wizard frown more and more, and he felt as if his heart was being scratched by a cat out of curiosity.

He wanted to read minds, but the distance between him and the mercenaries was just out of his casting range.

"wait……

Sonny couldn't help it and opened his mouth to stop him.

At this time...

"Thank you, Master Mages, for making way!"

The leading mercenary interrupted him as soon as he uttered a word.

follow closely.

Without waiting for their reply, the nine men controlled their horses, passed them, and galloped away in the direction away from them.

"Lord Sonny, do you want to chase him?" the leading guard asked, "We can catch up with him at this distance..."

Sonny looked at the nine figures quickly moving away, his face full of uncertainty.

The pupils flickered with a magical glow of blue, red, brown, or green.

but.

Sonny did not take any action until the group of suspicious mercenaries disappeared into the birch forest.

for a long time.

The sun has completely set below the horizon.

Only a thin and cold light remained between heaven and earth.

"no need."

"Let's keep going. Besides the Banla Mill, there are still many places around Ban Ade where water ghosts need to be cleared."

Sonny shook his head and looked away.

Then he turned his head and looked indifferently at the inferior people who were trembling and huddled in a ball. For some reason, he suddenly didn't want to put on his usual gentle disguise anymore, and said coldly:

"lead the way."

"Yes... yes... Bumrah Mill is just ahead."

"Whoo~"

"Whoo~"

Amid the sound of the wind, several balls of light floated forward from the hands of the surrounding wizards.

Sonny looked at the white woodland illuminated by the ball of light and suddenly had a premonition.

Bumrah Mills...

There he could find out the origins of this group of strange mercenaries.

(End of this chapter)