Chapter 75 Good Deal? (1/2)

Old Walker strolled towards Rhode and made a gesture to the bartender who immediately whipped up a large pint of cold beer. Old Walker grabbed the handle and gulped down in one go, wiping his mouth satisfyingly as he grinned at Rhode.

”It's done. The person you asked me to hire is waiting in our stronghold. Shall we go back and have a look? It cost us 300 gold coins... it's quite expensive...”

”I hope that the person you've recruited will meet my requirements,” said Rhode as took back the money from Old Walker. ”otherwise, I will cut your wage to make up for the loss.”

”W-what?! Hold on,” Old Walker's expression stiffened, ”I did not hear you say anything about that back then!”

Rhode shrugged as though it had nothing to do with him.”You didn't ask, so I didn't mention.”

Then he stuffed the money back into his pocket, ignoring Old Walker's contorting expression.

”You actually dare to deceive me!”

”I did not deceive you, Mr. Walker,” said Rhode nonchalantly.

”If the person you've recruited met my requirements, you shouldn't be worried. Or… are you playing with me?”

”O-of course not.”

Old Walker stroked his beard angrily when Rhode accused him of not doing his job properly and chose to keep silent in the end. Indeed, if he was confident, he did not have to be afraid! However, the expression that he had, made him look like he had done something wrong!

When Old Walker thought of this, he shifted his gaze to Marlene who was silently spectating the drama. Since he already knew that she wouldn't back him up, it was useless for him to say anything else.

”Anyway, I'm quite confident that I've found the one you're looking for. Don't look down on my age, I'm no fool. You can verify it for yourself if you wish.”

”Alright, that's good. Let's find Lize and return home.”

Rhode didn't dwell on the topic any longer; he nodded his head and turning around.

The place that Lize temporarily resided in was just an average guesthouse in the Mercenary Association. According to Old Hank, she had shut herself in the room to practice her spells. In fact, she was so hardworking that even when Rhode's entourage arrived at her door, they could hear her muttering some kind of spell.

Rhode raised his hand to stop Old Walker from disturbing her. Once he heard no sound from behind the door, he knocked on the door twice.

”Who is it?”

”It's me, Lize.”

”Eh?!! Mr. R-Rhode! Please wait, I'm coming!!”

When she recognized Rhode's voice, the pitch on the other side of the door immediately went one octave higher. After that, a myriad of sounds of multiple objects moving began to escape from behind the door; the wooden floor even trembled slightly as though an earthquake was occurring.

The chaos only lasted for five minutes. Soon, the door slowly creaked open which revealed Lize's beaming face, though some traces of sweat on her forehead were evident.

”W-welcome back, Mr. Rhode and Marlene.”

Lize frolicked towards Marlene and held her hand in hers.

”It's great that you guys finally are back. I've been extremely worried! Is everything alright? Did anything bad happen? ”

Lize began bombarding both Rhode and Marlene with questions, the worry on her face was evident. Marlene, however, revealed an unnatural expression, though Lize didn't seem to be aware of it. Her face was filled with joy as her worries were all swept away in one go.

Back then, after Rhode embarked on the mission with Marlene, Lize discovered that she couldn't sleep in peace. The constant worry in her heart prevented her from relaxing. Therefore, when she finally saw Rhode and Marlene unharmed, a huge load seemed to have left her chest. Although Rhode did tell her not to worry, she knew that the enemies were from the Country of Light. So how could she rest easy when she clearly understood what kind of power they had?

”Everything went as planned.” Rhode nodded and smiled. ”...But now isn't the time to talk about that. I will explain the details once we return to the stronghold. Go and pack your belongings for now.”

”Okay!”

Lize nodded and made her way towards the bedroom to pack her belongings.

It felt quite odd; she had been living in this guesthouse for as long as she could remember, but now that she owned her own home, staying here wasn't as enjoyable as before. Although there were room service and three meals a day, she couldn't comprehend why she longed for her own home. Therefore now that she could finally return home, her joy-filled face was even more jubilant than before. She quickly packed her belongings and exited the Mercenary Association with Rhode.

Currently, it was late in the night, and the streets were no longer crowded. Instead, the only people on the streets were soldiers who were patrolling the area on their horses.

While strolling down the road, Rhode inquired about Lize's progress since he was also curious how much she could pick up.

”I'm still trying! Mr. Rhode, as long you give me enough time, I can definitely learn the Arrow of Light!”

Lize spoke with confidence when she described her progress. Studying spells weren't easy; let alone having a breakthrough. Frankly speaking, Lize wasn't weak. However, the lack of spells and skills suppressed her true potential. By learning more spells, Rhode was confident that her overall strength would breakthrough to the next level.

However, noticing her excited expression, he felt that it would be better not to tell her.

”Being hardworking is a good trait to have, but you still need to pay attention to your body. It can become dangerous if you're too rash. To become a good caster, you must learn how to keep calm. Take it easy; learn one step at a time.” said Rhode, then he raised his brow and gazed into Lize's eyes. ”I've heard from Uncle Hank that you didn't step out of the room for a few days because of studying. Although your perseverance is commendable, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's a good thing. You must understand that your position in the mercenary group is irreplaceable as a supporter.”