54 Paper Puppet and Scarecrow Part 1 (1/2)
Saleen wasn’t sure how the others saw him. He cast another Grade 1 spell and filled his cup with restorative water, drinking it.
Squanderer!
Walnut thought to himself. Casting a magic spell expended magic chords, and Saleen had cast a Grade one spell just to quench his thirst. Upon seeing that, even Flamenco, who had regarded Saleen as a ritzy mage, felt a sense of pity.
The mood turned awkward as everyone turned their attention to Nailisi. Only then did Walnut realize his misdemeanor and give an awkward laugh. Raising his wine glass, he gulped it down to hide his uneasiness.
After dinner, Saleen and the others went back to their own rooms. However, the Nut Mercenary team gathered in Flamenco’s room for him to give the orders for this mission.
”This mission, we will not be earning gold coins, but will instead earn two pieces of phlogopite. Walnut, you are a mage and this reward is not significant to you. How would you like to be paid?”
Walnut understood the leader’s temperament and replied directly, ”Just give me the same as usual one-eighth of the rewards.”
”Alright. I estimate the two pieces of phlogopite to be worth around two thousand gold coins. If you have no objections, that will be one hundred and sixty gold coins.” Seeing no disagreement from Walnut, Flamenco nodded his head in satisfaction and said to the others, ”This mission is not difficult. The people we are protecting already possess fighting skill aside from Aini. But nonetheless, Aini is from the Clyde family and there is definitely some value in preventing him from being killed. The one we need to keep an eye on is the mage, Saleen. ”
”Why?” Walnut couldn’t help but ask.
”Because the reward of this mission might be in his hands. A Grade 1 mage doesn’t have much close combat fighting ability. Wachowskis, the two of you will be responsible for sticking by his side and protecting him. Take care of the Caucasus warrior Sika too, and if need be, defend her as well. The Caucasus people have decent fighting skills and I’ve seen the boomerang at her waist. She has decent long-range fighting abilities and if a fight truly breaks out, we will need her help as well.
”Yes, chief.”
The Wachowskis were the heavy swordsmen in the team and had the thickest armor. They usually supported Walnut in battle.
”Javelin, you will be the scout.”
”What about me?” Hearing Flamenco assign the role of scout to the only marksman, Walnut was confused. Usually they used his puppet as a scout. Why had the leader change their roles this time?
”You will be with me. We will be in charge of support.”
Thinking about it, Walnut began to understand his chief’s intentions. By supporting the battle, he could avoid expending a large amount of magic nuclei or magic scrolls. The reward for this mission was not large and if he used too many of them, he would be creating a loss for them. If he had to control puppets, he would need to continuously expend Grade 2 magic nuclei. For three months, this was no small sum.
”Raul, the four of you will protect Aini. We do not have any cars this time and the entire journey will be on horseback. Be careful of arrows from bandits and it should not be too much of a problem.”
”Yes, chief.”
”If Aini’s health allows, we will walk an extra hour every day. Everyone will go back and check on their equipment. Is that understood?”
”Understood!”
”Walnut, you will stay. The others are dismissed.” Flamenco waved his hand and dismissed the team, leaving the mage behind by himself.
On this night, Nailisi’s moaning came from Saleen’s room again, confirming the thought in everyone’s minds. Saleen had definitely come from a large family, and had used his wealth and authority to become a mage. How could a real mage still engage in physical pleasure, much less with his maid?
A mage like him wouldn’t go far.
How much of an upstart were the people from Sikeqinya? He definitely brought shame to the class of mage.
Saleen did not consider these problems. Once they began their journey, he would not be able to use his badge for training. He had to make full use of the time he had now. Every time he used the badge, his concentration would increase a little and its effect was much stronger than meditation. Who would resent more concentration as a mage?
The breathing in the room slowed down. As Saleen laid in bed, he suddenly grew alert. Outside the window, a shadow the size of a palm entered the gap in the window. It was a paper man.
The face of the paper man had been filled in using red ink, the color bright yet menacing at the same time. Entering the window, it tried to follow the wall and sneak onto the floor. Saleen immediately sat up, nearly launching the bright light that was now his hands.
Saleen’s icicle magic was the magic that he was most familiar with, and it had also been the first Grade 1 magic spell he had learned. The flaw of this magic, however, was that it had too short of a range. When Saleen had been in the Red Forest, he had needed to use a water shield for protection, and only after closing the distance with the archers could he make use of the powers of this spell.
The room in the inn was not big and there was no problem with the range of the magic. The icicle accurately pierced through the paper man’s body, pinning the paper man to the wall. It struggled and let out a low chirping sound, attempting to use its hands to tear itself away from the icicle and escape.
Nailisi sat up from the floor and pounced on it like a leopard. She ripped the paper man off of the wall and crushed it in her hands. The paper man looked menacingly at Nailisi’s face. Its eyes, which had been drawn on with red ink, were still moving. Nailisi placed it under her nose and sniffed it. Suddenly, she opened her mouth and swallowed it.