Northward

The elf cross-dresser who'd just been put in his place found Chen Jinyang, his eyes brimming with tears as he glared at him. Pouting, he said aggrievedly, "You're all picking on me! You're not good people! Waaah!" The sight of him throwing a tantrum made Chen Jinyang so queasy he wanted to throw up. "Am I really that annoying? Bad William! Stupid William!"

"You're not annoying! You're just kind of disgusting! A grown man acting this girly is seriously unpleasant! Look! Look! You're doing it again! Don't come any closer!" Chen Jinyang frowned and backed several steps away from the elf.

"Oh, stop it! You've made me so mad, I forgot I'm a male elf right now! Heehee! You're so mean!" The little elf cross-dresser patted his head, instantly going from tears to laughter. Then he pulled a small silver-white metal mirror from his little bag and pouted at his reflection, admiring himself. "Waaah! I'm so cute! What's disgusting about me?"

Chen Jinyang watched the "super cross-dressing elf" preen in front of his little mirror, and his disgust only grew stronger. He turned away and walked back without another glance, circling around the elf. But a fresh, sweet fragrance wafted over him, followed by the elf's soft lips pressing against his. After taking a bite out of Chen Jinyang's lips, the little cross-dressing elf hopped away, leaving behind a string of silvery laughter.

Chen Jinyang smacked his lips. They tasted a little like fruit. Then his face went pale. "Ugh!" Finally realizing what had happened, he bent over and threw up until he could hardly see straight.

In the distance, the little elf clenched a delicate, jade-like fist and declared triumphantly, "You vile demon, William! Accept the vengeance of Aelf Star-Night, the great elven maiden from the High Forest! Wahahahaha!"

After acquiring the Hell Hound, Elrago returned to Longsaddle that very night under the protection of twelve family guards. He left behind four people whose injuries hadn't yet healed, along with five other mercenaries who didn't belong to the family, including the elf Alafil. He also asked Chen Jinyang to take over as the new leader and join the food convoy as it continued toward Mirabar.

The next day, Chen Jinyang appeared before everyone with a sallow face. The moment he saw the elf Xingye waiting outside with a cheerful smile, his cheek twitched. He could only turn away and ignore her as he walked past. The little elf didn't mind his rudeness at all. Grinning with her little white teeth, she bounced along behind Chen Jinyang.

They fed the horses, ate, and hitched up the wagons. The mercenaries quickly got everything ready, while Chen Jinyang folded up the things they needed and put them into his magic bag. Magic bags really were wondrous items. As long as you stayed within the bag's set capacity, you could store anything that fit inside it, and it even reduced some of the weight. Of course, you couldn't put one magic bag inside another.

Phinia and the two little ones set out with the convoy as well. Chen Jinyang didn't feel comfortable leaving them at home by themselves. When he went to take the giant wooden pole he used for training, he found that someone had already chopped the poor thing into eight pieces.

Livid, Chen Jinyang stormed toward the elf and snapped, "You girly freak! You bastard! You actually dared to destroy my—" The elf had been watching his every move. Before Chen Jinyang could get close, she hopped away, putting plenty of distance between them. Then she pulled a face at him and went, "Smooch!"—sending him another huge flying kiss. Haunted by yesterday's "ambush," the man's face darkened. His stomach churned again, and his fury turned to a cold sweat.

Chen Jinyang really wanted to beat that pervert to death! He did! But what little reason he had left kept him from giving in to the urge. The elves of the High Forest were not to be trifled with; everyone in the North knew that. Besides, being a girly freak wasn't a capital offense, and Chen Jinyang didn't want to bring trouble down on his family over something so minor.

As was customary, the convoy left a supply of flour and vegetables for Gnome Village, storing them in the cellar and sealing the village entrance with logs. Everyone, including the injured, climbed aboard the wagons and set off for Mirabar.

As agreed with Elrago, a Mage from the Habel Family would arrive in Mirabar before long. The Mage would take little Alos back south with him and deliver the boy to a suitable archmage to study.

The wagons were wooden, with no suspension, and the road was full of ruts and bumps. Traveling by wagon under those conditions was a nightmare. Before long, no one was willing to stay aboard, and the uninjured mercenaries helped the wounded along. Phinia followed behind Chen Jinyang with her great axe, while Alos and little Mishaer cheerfully ran around the convoy. The little elf Xingye was there too. The mischievous girl in disguise ran wild with the two children and, every so often, remembered to tease Chen Jinyang as he suffered in silence.

Sometimes, when the little girl got tired of running, she'd climb onto Chen Jinyang's back. Her helmeted head bobbed from side to side, and she'd occasionally show off to the elf.

Between tangled trees, slopes, hills, mud, the treacherous road, and the wounded slowing them down, the entire convoy had traveled barely ten miles by sunset. After the early spring thaw, bright campfires rose from the dark brown earth. The wagons formed a circle, and everyone sat on the ground around the fire. Mutton chops simmered in the caravan's stew pot, while long strips of hard bread were skewered on thin sticks and toasted.

"Hey, William! Do you remember me? I'm Gosa!" A burly, middle-aged man with a thick beard—apparently the head of the mercenaries—carefully came over.

William's remaining memories were like scattered pictures. They let Chen Jinyang recognize people and things William had known well, but he had no recollection of this adventurer. Chen Jinyang shook his head and asked, "Gosa? I'm afraid I've forgotten you. Have we met before?"

"Of course! I used to travel this road all the time, and every time I'd stop by Old Sailu's place for a few drinks! A sturdy boy like you is hard to forget, isn't he?" Gosa settled down beside Chen Jinyang like an old friend, broke off a piece of bread from above the fire, and wolfed it down.

"Maybe." Chen Jinyang also had a piece of bread. He tore it into small bits and popped them into his mouth. "As an adventurer, what sort of things do you usually do?" He was curious about the mercenaries in this world and wondered how they differed from the hired soldiers of his previous life.

"Uh, adventurers? Well, the name says it all: they brave all sorts of dangers. They take on jobs guarding caravans, transporting goods, hunting down monsters that cause trouble, and exploring unknown places like caves, cities, ruins, and labyrinths. They also do things like gather intelligence and find out information. Sometimes they take jobs in wars between lords, or help defend a city or attack enemy territory." The mercenary leader spoke frankly and at length.

"Mr. Gosa, do you ever go slay dragons?" Little Mishaer had been listening with great interest. She couldn't help asking, "I heard that brave adventurers prove their courage by killing dragons."

"Hahaha!" Gosa burst out laughing at the little girl's question. He swallowed the rest of his bread and said, "Slay a dragon? My dear Mishaer, that's not much fun! If a dragon isn't attacking a city or a country, who'd go looking for trouble with such a powerful creature, except the greedy and foolish? Even the gods don't have anything better to do than provoke a dragon for no reason. You'll only find fools who slay dragons to prove their courage in those silly knightly stories."

"Adventurers? Who'd willingly sign up for such dangerous work if they weren't forced by circumstances? Apart from those powerful lunatics who love dangerous experiences, most adventurers come from ordinary people who can barely get by. Some lost their homes in monster attacks; others were called up by a lord and weren't allowed to return to farming, unless they could no longer fight." Gosa's words made the mood around them rather somber.

Chen Jinyang had trouble understanding what he meant, so he asked, "Why wouldn't a lord let an adventurer become a farmer? Surely a farmer who provided him with food would be more valuable than a wandering adventurer?"

"It's simple! The land here is so fertile that only a few farmers are needed to produce enough food. But the endless monsters are the biggest problem lords have to deal with! It's much cheaper to support an adventurer than a soldier."

Once you spelled it out, it was worth next to nothing. Supporting soldiers meant paying their wages and supplying them with weapons and armor, with the equipment accounting for most of the expense. If they died in battle, you'd have to pay their families compensation, too. Adventurers, on the other hand, were a bunch of people who brought their own provisions. You only had to pay them a tiny, comparatively insignificant fee when you needed them, and once you were done with them, you could even send them packing.

Chen Jinyang couldn't wrap his head around such a strange situation, but he dropped the subject and asked, "Then where do you learn your combat skills? Are there any institutions like academies?"

Gosa gave a somewhat self-deprecating smile. "That's a funny question! You really are the clueless William you used to be! Where in the world would you find something like that? Most adventurers start out as farmers who've just put down their hoes. If they're lucky, they might have received some basic training in the army. As for combat skills, they figure things out and develop them through experience on their adventures. Of course, a few lucky youngsters may get guidance from an experienced older adventurer, which can make them considerably stronger."

"But William, how did you get so good? Did some old adventurer teach you, too?" Gosa finally voiced the question he'd been holding onto for a long time.

Chen Jinyang laughed it off and said vaguely, "Not really! My crippled old dad taught me a few things when I was a kid, and I just never forgot them!"

"Right! Old Badier was once a renowned adventurer in the North. Back in the day, a lot of young adventurers looked up to him. What a shame!" Gosa knew William hadn't told him the truth, but didn't press the matter. Instead, he asked, "Why did Mr. Elrago abandon the caravan and return to Longsaddle overnight?" That was what the mercenary leader really wanted to know.

"Yeah, yeah! I want to know, too!" The elf, who'd been sneakily eavesdropping nearby, curiously came over.

Chen Jinyang held out a big hand and covered the elf's face. "Don't butt in when grown-ups are talking, kid!" He squeezed her cheek and gave it a tug. The elf lost her balance and fell to the ground. Chen Jinyang felt as if he'd pulled a face off her. When he looked down, he saw a pale moon-colored mask.

What the heck! A complete transformation! The cross-dresser had turned into a beauty in an instant—no, a beautiful girl! Everyone around them was dumbstruck! The elf girl had been lying on the ground, stunned for a moment, but she immediately got up and snatched the mask from Chen Jinyang's hand. She glanced at the speechless crowd, pouted, and said fiercely, "What are you looking at? Never seen a pretty elf before?" To everyone watching, her expression and tone didn't seem fierce at all. If anything, they made her seem even cuter.

The elf's beautiful light-green eyes glared at Chen Jinyang. "You're awful, Bad William! I'll never give up! Hmph!" She scrunched up her little nose and walked into the nearby tent. Chen Jinyang could only manage an awkward, helpless smile.