Chapter 124 - 120: Freya

Chapter 124: Chapter 120: Freya

Several hours passed, and the campfire had gone out.

However, there were no signs of it being doused with water or covered with dirt, meaning it had extinguished naturally after the firewood burned out.

This also meant the Adventurer Squad had already left and hadn’t returned.

"It must have been Adventurers."

After observing the surrounding tracks, Lu Wei concluded, "Four of them, too. The impression of one of the sleeping bags is a size larger, so one of them was probably a Half-Beastman."

"Mhm, and there are some fish guts by the river."

Mirana returned from the other side. "Only humans remove the guts when they eat fish."

"So they only left two or three hours before us. We might even run into them later."

Lu Wei muttered to himself, turning to glance into the depths of the forest.

He then looked away and waved his hand dismissively. "Never mind them. We’ll just stick to our plan and keep moving."

"Okay."

Mirana nodded, silently looking over at Bai Ya and Furen, who were resting on a rock, and at Hess, who was still asleep on Furen’s backpack.

After a moment’s hesitation, she shot Lu Wei a look that said, ’This can’t go on.’

"You’re right, this really can’t go on."

Lu Wei immediately understood. Or perhaps, he’d been putting up with that damn Fur Ball for a long time. After muttering to himself, he walked over with a stern expression and unceremoniously picked Hess up.

"PRRRT!"

Hess, who had been sound asleep, was startled awake. Its eyes shot open, and its short legs flailed in the air a couple of times.

Then it fell to the ground with a THUD.

"From now on, it walks on its own! No one is allowed to carry it!"

Pointing at Hess, who was still dizzily spinning on the ground, Lu Wei declared with a solemn expression, his tone severe:

"The Mushroom Squad doesn’t support freeloaders!"

"And that goes for pets, too!"

"If it can’t keep up, then it doesn’t deserve to be a member of this squad!"

"Is that clear?!"

"Ah..."

Faced with Lu Wei’s sudden lecture, both Furen and Bai Ya looked completely lost.

A moment later, Furen was the first to react. He immediately realized his mistake and nodded in shame.

"It’s clear."

"And you?" Lu Wei turned to Bai Ya.

"I..."

Bai Ya had also snapped out of it by now. She looked at Hess, who was already hiding behind her legs, then back at the stone-faced Lu Wei. Though she was worried Hess would fall behind, she was more afraid of making Lu Wei angry. In the end, she could only mumble softly:

"It’s clear..."

"Hmph. If it’s clear, then let’s move out!"

Lu Wei snorted and gave the order:

"From now on, full speed ahead!"

...

...

As it turned out, the fact that Hess had been able to follow the Mushroom Squad and "steal" food all this time meant it was more than capable of keeping up with them.

After its third consecutive attempt to jump onto Bai Ya’s backpack was thwarted by Lu Wei yanking it back down, it finally realized its "free ride" was over. It had no choice but to start pulling its own weight, trotting along on its short legs.

Despite its short legs, it wasn’t slow at all.

And because it was only the size of a basketball and had a good bounce, it was surprisingly agile.

In no time at all, it not only fully adjusted to the group’s pace but could even spare a moment to scamper into the nearby woods for a quick look around.

This finally put Bai Ya at ease, no longer worried that Lu Wei would heartlessly abandon it.

’The Captain looked so scary just now.’

’Thank goodness I’m not a freeloader anymore...’

She secretly glanced at Lu Wei, who was checking their direction with the Compass, feeling a sense of relief. At the same time, her hands were busy sewing a small pouch from half a rabbit pelt they had skinned the day before yesterday.

Being able to sew a bag while on the move was, of course, thanks to her [Skillful Hand] ability.

The needle and thread were actually "medical supplies," meant for stitching up wounds.

However, the battles they’d faced over the past few days had been very easy. Only Furen had suffered a minor scrape, which had already healed after applying some ointment.

So, Bai Ya had appropriated them to sew her bag.

SNAP.

After sewing the final stitch, Bai Ya bit the thread clean, admiring her handiwork with satisfaction. Then, she turned and handed the small rabbit-pelt pouch to Lu Wei.

"Captain, this is for you~"

"Hm? For me?" Lu Wei was taken aback.

"That’s right. I saw that you’re always having to take out your Compass, which seems like a hassle, so I made you a small waist pouch."

Bai Ya explained proudly, "You can put the Compass in here. That way, you can grab it whenever you need it."

"...Thanks. This is actually really convenient."

After a moment’s hesitation, Lu Wei accepted the pouch, quite pleased with Bai Ya’s thoughtfulness.

At the same time, an idea came to him.

’As everyone knew, pets in his previous life could all help their masters with certain tasks.’

’Dogs could fetch their master’s slippers or turn off the lights.’

’Cats could turn into cat-girls for their master’s... amusement.’

’Therefore, even a pet couldn’t just eat and drink for free.’

"Here, I have another task for you."

With this in mind, Lu Wei grabbed Hess as it trotted past his feet and said to Bai Ya with a perfectly straight face:

"Sew another small backpack, one that fits its size."

"From now on, it will have to carry part of the weight."

"..."

Bai Ya: "Huh?"

...

...

「Meanwhile, in the study of the manor estate.」

"Father, you were looking for me?"

When the door was pushed open again, the old butler was accompanied by a woman whose temperament was as cold and elegant as the arctic ice fields.

She was about twenty-four or twenty-five, at an age between "girl" and "woman." Her hair was the exact same shade of gold as Furen’s, with a few strands falling beside her ears, accentuating her fair, almost translucent skin.

She wore a light-colored velvet long dress. The openings of its lantern sleeves revealed a snow-white silk lining embroidered with intricate vine patterns in gold thread. The clan crest on her chest was perfectly straight, without the slightest tilt.

No matter where she was, one glance was enough to tell that "she was a noble lady."

More importantly, this young woman named Freya was exceptionally beautiful.

She had a perfect oval face, a straight nose, delicate lips, and a pair of grayish-blue eyes that were nearly devoid of emotion. Just standing there quietly, she exuded a sense of nobility that made others feel unworthy to approach.

"Mm, have a seat."

Behind the desk, the man looked up, a slight smile on his face. "How was the ball last night? Did any young men ask you to dance?"

Freya: "No."

"..."

The man’s expression froze. He turned to look at the old butler at his side, as if questioning something.

The latter replied helplessly:

"The young lady did indeed attend the ball, and she was dressed to the nines. But it is true that no one asked her to dance."

"Then last night, she..."

"Yes, my lord. The young lady just sat there, watching others dance all night."

"Ahem. This is all due to the prejudice against our Delaroca Clan."

The man’s expression grew even more awkward. He gave a dry cough, then looked at the young woman and promised with a serious face:

"The ball isn’t important. I will find the most outstanding husband for you."

Freya: "Alright."

The man: "..."

"Ahem, perhaps we should talk about something else first."

"You know that Furen has been gone for over a month. According to the Adventurer Association, he just collected a bounty in Heitai Town ten days ago."

"While this turn of events was certainly unexpected, it’s time for this farce to end."

"Besides, the Gelan Forest will soon become unsafe."

"In any case, it’s time for him to come home. But as you know, his two older brothers are not in Kalin Port right now."

"So, I was thinking you could be the one to bring him back."

"I’ll have Gante and Cersei protect you. It would also be a good chance for you to get out of the city for a change of scenery. What do you think?"

Looking at the young woman, although the man was her father, his tone held almost no authority and even sounded a bit like he was negotiating.

Freya, however, just nodded calmly as always.

"Alright, Father. I will bring him back."

"If he is unwilling, then I will knock him unconscious and drag him back."