Long-Legged Firecracker

Long-Legged Firecracker

Several drunks stared at the gorgeous girl, swallowing hard. Someone had already risen to his feet, swaying as he carried a huge mug of ale over. "Hey, pretty little thing..."

Smack! Before he could finish, the bull-like warrior knocked him flying, drawing a burst of laughter from everyone in the tavern.

Du Wei watched with great interest. A bull-like warrior for close combat, an archer for long-range attacks... The girl was surrounded by her companions, so she was probably their leader. Was this one of those legendary small adventuring parties?

After learning about this world, Du Wei had long known that there were adventuring groups much like mercenary bands. Large ones could number in the hundreds, while small ones had only three or five people. Low-level magical beasts often appeared in the southern forests, attracting many adventuring parties hoping to get lucky by hunting them and selling their spoils for a reward. Some local governments, when short on manpower, were also happy to pay such groups to handle matters such as capturing heavily wanted bandits.

Basically, the Empire had yet to develop any large-scale mercenary guilds. This was because Imperial law did not permit alliances of such sizeable armed forces, fearing that such organizations would threaten the Empire's authority. In Du Wei's view, this was undoubtedly the right approach. Controlling privately armed forces was necessary to ensure national stability.

But... there was actually a mage among them?

That was truly astonishing! After reading many books, Du Wei already knew that mages were extraordinarily rare in this world!

To become a mage required not only outstanding talent, but also ten or even several decades of hard work! Only with all of that combined could a mage be produced!

According to the records Du Wei had read, there were only a few hundred mages in the entire Empire. Even powerful noble families might not be able to recruit a mage to serve them! Precisely because mages were so scarce, their treatment was exceptionally lavish. Families with even slightly weaker finances simply could not afford to support one! Even among the royal and noble households, recruiting a mage was something to be immensely proud of!

Yet this seemingly makeshift adventuring party actually had a mage. That was certainly quite unusual.

The three men and one woman chose a table in the farthest corner. The bull-like warrior hugged an entire barrel of ale and chugged from it. The archer carefully chewed a piece of roasted meat. The mage rested with his eyes closed, while the gorgeous girl was clearly growing impatient with the excessive attention from the men around her.

Fortunately, since their group was obviously not to be trifled with, no one dared approach them to flirt or make trouble. Still, quiet discussion was unavoidable.

Especially among Du Wei's group.

These knights from the count's estate considered themselves noble and did not think much of a ragtag little adventuring party. After a few drinks, coupled with their frustration at being banished, they were even more in need of venting their feelings.

Others did not dare provoke the girl's group, but the Roland Family's guard knights were not so timid. Still, with their master nearby, they restrained themselves somewhat. No one actually went over to flirt with her; they merely talked quietly among themselves.

Du Wei drank two cups of wine. Listening to his subordinates discuss the girl's beautiful legs, he could not help finding it amusing. It felt rather like how he used to go drinking with his bad friends and talk about pretty women.

But after two drinks, these men seemed to grow more reckless, and their voices rose slightly. And... it seemed they did not have much respect for their disgraced young master either.

That gorgeous girl, meanwhile, seemed to have the temperament of a little firecracker. Faced with so many lecherous stares, she glared right back at every one of them. Yet for a girl like her, that furious glare only made men drool even more.

Finally, a knight beside him who had drunk a few cups laughed quietly. "Look at those legs. My God, I've never seen such beautiful legs. A fiery little thing like that, if she were in one of Imperial Capital's pleasure houses, she'd probably cost at least a hundred gold coins..."

"What do you mean, a hundred gold coins? Have you ever even been to a pleasure house? Hmph, the girls there cost at least three hundred gold coins!" Someone beside him immediately retorted, mocking his companion's ignorance.

Du Wei looked at these resentful subordinates who had followed him all the way here. Suddenly, an idea came to him, and he smiled. "Is she really that pretty? I think she's merely average. But those legs do have some flavor."

"..."

The knights were stunned. They had not expected this young master, who had been as dull as a mute along the way, to say something like that! Hadn't they heard that their young master was a simpleton who barely spoke? It was precisely because they had heard their master was a little fool who understood nothing that these knights had dared speak so freely and without restraint.

"What's wrong? Are none of you men?" Du Wei laughed. "She's just a girl. You're all skilled knights. Since you like what you see, are you only brave enough to sit here and wag your tongues behind her back? Heh, I'll offer ten gold coins. Whoever dares go flirt with her gets ten gold coins from me."

The knights finally laughed. In everyone's eyes, this young master might have fallen out of favor and might speak rather improperly, but he suited their tastes quite well. At once, a bold knight laughed. "Young Master, give those ten gold coins to me!"

With that, he stood up, slapped the table, and shouted toward the corner, "Hey! Little miss, how about I buy you a drink?"

The gorgeous girl glared over with an angry expression, then seemed about to rise. One of her companions gently tugged at her. The mage pointed at Du Wei and quietly said something. He had probably noticed Du Wei's noble attire and different status, and did not want to cause trouble.

Seeing that the other side did not respond, the knight who had called out scratched his scalp and was about to say something else. But Du Wei suddenly stood up, whistled toward the corner, and raised his middle finger!

The guard knights were the ones stunned by that gesture!

They were trained guards from a prestigious family. When had they ever seen a noble of high status make such a vulgar gesture? And this was the respected count's eldest son!

While the knights stared dumbfoundedly at their young master, the gorgeous girl reacted far more quickly. A large wine cup was already flying toward Du Wei.

A knight seated in front of Du Wei reacted first. He immediately stood and raised an arm to block it. The cup was knocked away, but the liquor inside splashed everywhere, even wetting Du Wei's sleeve. The knights immediately flew into a rage. Some drew their swords, others shouted, and they all rushed toward the group in the corner. The girl in the corner had already drawn her curved blade. After the two sides traded a few insults, a brawl immediately erupted.

The tavern descended into chaos. Some of the timid patrons had already fled, while the bolder ones hid at a distance to watch the excitement.

The bull-like warrior alone drew the attacks of five or six family guard knights. Though everyone had drunk a little, they initially held back somewhat. Especially the adventurers—when the fight began, the mage in the corner had shouted something, probably telling his companions not to strike too hard. But once the bull-like warrior was surrounded by several knights, he carelessly took a punch to the nose. Blood immediately spurted out, and his nasal bone broke on the spot. He could no longer hold back! He swept his great shield across, and a knight cried out as he was smashed flying, vomiting blood. He crashed into the distant counter, smashing it to pieces! But the space was too cramped for the warrior to move freely. The knights struck with their swords together, and several wounds instantly appeared on his body.

The archer was in the worst state. Archers excelled only at long-range attacks, and in such a cramped place, his nearly man-tall longbow was useless. He could only use a dagger to desperately fend off a knight's attack, but after only a few exchanges, he was kicked to the ground.

The gorgeous girl used her curved blade to parry a knight's longsword. Though her movements were nimble, she could see her companions were unable to hold out. Catching sight of Du Wei sitting nearby, who was clearly the leader of this group, she immediately had an idea. She sidestepped another knight, then slipped forward and lunged straight at Du Wei.

But the family guard knights had not forgotten their duty to protect their master. The moment the long-legged girl moved, a nearby knight casually hurled a table at her. It struck her and sent her staggering. Then another knight slashed down, cutting through her leather armor. Yet the armor was clearly magically enchanted. A flash of white light passed over it, knocking the blade aside, and the girl was unharmed.

The mage, who had remained at a distance and had not yet acted, saw the girl struck by a sword and his face darkened. He rose, raised both hands high, rapidly traced several symbols with his fingers, and quickly chanted a string of strange incantations. Then faint rings of light spread from his fingertips.

The Rowling Family knights, holding swords and fighting their opponents, immediately felt their bodies grow heavy! Every movement suddenly seemed to slow, and the swords in their hands felt several times heavier! This unexpected change caused them to suffer one setback after another. Their sluggish movements let several knights get injured, and blood appeared on their bodies.

Du Wei's eyes lit up as he watched from afar!

Slow Spell! This was real magic!

The mage retreated while rapidly moving and tracing with his fingers. Du Wei watched as a Fireball burst from the mage's fingertips and shot toward several knights. Fortunately, one knight was quite skilled and split the Fireball apart with a slash. But sparks scattered everywhere, and several other knights were licked by the flames. They cried out in pain and grew even more flustered.

Flames were already darting everywhere throughout the room. The mage was like an enormous flamethrower. As a result, the Rowling Family guards, who had held the advantage only moments ago, immediately lost it. Twenty men against just a few opponents, yet they had only managed to fight to a draw.

But Du Wei felt that something was wrong.

This mage had already cast seven or eight Fireballs in succession! Du Wei did not know exactly how capable a first-level mage was, but being able to fire off so many Fireballs at once... Moreover, Du Wei had observed that the mage barely chanted any spells! Each time, he merely raised a hand and launched another Fireball, at astonishing speed!

Such a performance far exceeded the strength a first-level mage should possess.

Du Wei recalled that the books he had read on magic stated clearly that mages excelled at long-range attacks but were extremely weak in close combat. Seeing that no warrior guarded the mage in this melee, he immediately grabbed a wine bottle and hurled it at him.

Mages could cast powerful spells, but their close-combat ability was extremely weak. The wine bottle forced him to dodge in near-panic. With a smack, it shattered against the wall, and the flying shards even cut his face! The mage clutched his face and cried out in pain. Du Wei had already pounced over, seized his throat with both hands, and tackled the mage to the ground!

Du Wei's strategy was correct, but he had forgotten to consider his own strength. After all, he was only a thirteen-year-old child. How much strength could he have? A mage's close-combat ability might be weak, but surely an adult would not lose a barehanded fight to a thirteen-year-old boy?

After struggling a few times, Du Wei was instead pinned beneath him, both arms twisted and held so tightly that he could not move. Just as he was about to shout, there came a bang! The mage rolled his eyes and fainted, collapsing on top of Du Wei. Du Wei shoved him away with effort and saw his loyal servant Made standing before him with a panicked face, holding a wooden table leg.

Without the mage's aid, without the interference of the Slow Spell, and without the scattered Fireball attacks, the Rowling Family knights immediately rallied and charged forward again. After a chaotic clatter of fighting, they instantly swept their opponents aside.

The bull-like warrior could not withstand so many people either. Before long, he took two sword strikes to the leg and was knocked down. The archer had long since been beaten unconscious. The gorgeous girl was the hardest to deal with. Her own skill was only average, but her leather armor was clearly enchanted. She moved with remarkable agility, obviously due to the magic upon it. Her curved blade was no ordinary weapon either—it actually cut through two knights' longswords. Only after several knights freed up their hands did they manage to defeat her together, then pin her to the ground with many hands.

Du Wei caught his breath for a while. A terrified knight quickly helped him up, found an undamaged chair, and invited him to sit. The knights were all somewhat ashamed. As guard knights, they had allowed their young master to be frightened.

But Du Wei did not care.

He had already understood the situation clearly: these adventurers were all very ordinary. Their martial skills were mediocre. The only one who stood out was the bull-like warrior, and he was merely somewhat stronger than average. Most importantly... not one of them was a skilled fighter capable of using Battle Aura!

They could not even use the lowest-grade Battle Aura. They were simply complete nobodies.

Still, from this, it was enough to show just how unloved Young Master Du Wei was! The twenty guard knights assigned to him seemed to be the absolute worst the Roland Family had to offer. Twenty men against four opponents, yet they had needed so much effort.

It seems Father truly had given up on me, to send such a sorry lot as my attendants. Du Wei smiled bitterly to himself.

Otherwise... hmph, could the Roland Family, the household of the second most important figure in the Imperial military command, possibly lack experts?

It was not surprising. After all, what highly skilled knight would be willing to accompany this useless young master into exile? Only those without ability had no choice but to accept such an assignment.

His subordinates apologized in ashamed tones, but Du Wei did not care in the least. Instead, he took the captured weapons and examined them. He lost interest after one glance at the bull-like warrior's great shield. Then he walked over to the fiery girl and began carefully studying her leather armor. After looking for quite some time, he finally cheered, "Just as I thought!"

After studying many books on magical knowledge, Du Wei's interest in magic had grown ever greater. He had now confirmed that this leather armor bore at least two enchantments: one enhancing agility, and another enhancing strength!

With two magical enchantments placed on a single piece of armor, the leather armor was already quite valuable. Even in the high-end weapon shops of Imperial Capital, it could fetch a very good price! Many skilled fighters would be willing to pay dearly for it. But how could this long-legged beauty, whose martial skill could practically be described as "poor," possess such a fine item?

Du Wei also held her curved blade and examined it twice. He discovered that the gemstone on its hilt seemed to be the sort of tool described in books for storing magical power.

"Hmm, another magically enchanted weapon."

Even more valuable was the silver bow she carried! Silver was a relatively soft metal and unsuitable for ordinary weapons, but it was among the best weapons for dealing with mages!

This was because it was common knowledge that metal possessed an innate repelling force against many forms of magic! When many high-level mages cast spells, they would first place protective magic on themselves to compensate for their weakness in close combat!

And this silver bow was clearly a superb ambush weapon designed to counter a mage's defensive magic!

It was a rare bow with the property of "magic-breaking"! It was not very useful against ordinary people, but it was an excellent choice for fighting mages.

Du Wei could not help looking the long-legged girl up and down twice. Such a low-level fighter carried such high-grade enchanted weapons, including an exceptionally rare magic-breaking weapon!

Du Wei stared at the long-legged girl for too long, apparently causing the female captive to misunderstand. Even the family guard knights beside him could not help imagining a few things about their young master's intentions—after all, when a half-grown boy kept staring at a girl's chest, it was hard for others not to get the wrong idea.

"Take off this little girl's leather armor," Du Wei casually ordered. In truth, he was merely interested in the magical equipment she possessed. He even had the urge to immediately find a quiet room, thoroughly study these items, and compare them one by one against the books to resolve the many questions in his mind.

But the knight carrying out the order looked troubled. "This... respected Young Master, do you really want to take it off here...?"

The knight's wording was vague, and his expression suggestive. Clearly, judging by the fiery curves beneath the long-legged girl's armor and the exposed cleavage at her chest, she was obviously wearing little beneath that leather armor. At most, she had only a small undergarment underneath.