The Advancing Scum

Marcus was happy to accept everyone's praise, even enjoying the cheap wine and chatting jovially with the nobles.

The pioneering efforts were going splendidly, and everyone was in high spirits. In such a situation, it would be hard for the banquet not to be lively, and even the cheap wine couldn't dampen their mood.

However, Harrot and most of the nobles still didn't get along well. The nobles' condescending tone bothered him somewhat. Aside from Marcus, the inherent arrogance of the other nobles made it impossible for them to converse with Harrot as equals.

Harrot had now resolved to become a noble. Subconsciously, he no longer saw himself as a "mere Knight." Moreover, his own strength surpassed that of ordinary nobles, so he held no reverence for them.

Harrot couldn't be bothered to humble himself and flatter the nobles, so he simply went to hang out with the Elves. The Elves were still somewhat wary of ordinary humans and didn't mix with them.

After their initial curiosity wore off, the Elves became less friendly with humans, especially with those arrogant noble lords. In the Elf Forest, there were neither nobles nor lords; everyone was a united and loving family, and they disapproved of many of the nobles' practices.

The Elves held their banquet in a separate area, taking the opportunity to discuss future plans. They hadn't quite decided what to do next, so for now, they would just go with the flow. Long-lived beings had plenty of time to squander.

Harrot, the "Elf hybrid," was still very popular among the Elves. Even the Archmage had confirmed it, so there was no doubt. Harrot's exceptional strength and thick skin allowed him to forge a good relationship with the Elves.

Surrounded by handsome men and beautiful women, Harrot had the illusion that he, too, was handsome. He felt much more confident and invited an Elf woman, with whom he'd been chatting enthusiastically, to dance.

This Elf woman was named Bias. She was very tall, about 1.8 meters, with a slender figure and a waist so thin that Harrot felt it was smaller than his thigh.

The only pity was her flat chest and her lower body, which had no "excess flesh." However, Harrot didn't mind because her face was simply too beautiful.

Each of Bias's facial features was exquisitely beautiful on its own, but combined, they formed a truly stunning appearance. Humans simply couldn't compare; even Hill and Sihrulu were slightly inferior.

Bias also had a certain fondness for Harrot. For one, Harrot performed exceptionally well in battle. For another, as a transmigrator, Harrot shamelessly paraded various knowledge from his past life, pretending it was his own original thought.

Phrases like "I think, therefore I am," and "universal love and non-aggression" deeply captivated Bias, who had always lived in the Elf Forest like a bumpkin. She was very willing to dance with Harrot.

The proper Elf woman perfectly fulfilled Harrot's fantasies. Her voice was gentle, her movements light, and as they danced, he could smell the faint fragrance of the Elves, making Harrot's heart ache with longing.

Tiona, who was still feasting nearby, saw Harrot dancing with another Elf and felt a stir of emotion. She shoved Bias aside and forcefully pulled Harrot into a dance. The problem was, Tiona had absolutely no experience or talent for dancing.

She used brute force to drag Harrot through the entire dance. After a few dances, Harrot felt like his arm was about to be torn off, and his HP had dropped by seven or eight points. He silently cursed his luck.

Seeing Harrot in such pain, Bias lured Tiona away with food and began to rest and chat with Harrot, which deeply moved Harrot.

Harrot intimately sat beside Bias, their bodies close. Harrot could even hear Bias's slightly nervous breathing. To ease the awkwardness, Harrot proactively started discussing magic.

Bias was quite fond of magic and began to chat with Harrot spiritedly.

"Oh, it's a pity I can only learn basic magic. I can't continue studying deeply like you all! Is this my fate?"

Harrot pretended to be distressed, covering his face with one hand and sighing, bowing his head. This trick was to elicit sympathy, and it worked exceptionally well on gentle, kind women.

Bias, as expected, fell for it. She leaned closer, pulled away Harrot's hand from his face, and softly comforted him, "It's okay, being able to master powerful magic isn't everything in life!"

"Besides, basic magic is also very good. After mastering most basic spells, I realized that magic isn't about its level, but about how it's used."

"Basic magic has low consumption and quick casting. As long as it's used properly, it can be very effective when combined with physical techniques! Harrot, your physical fitness is so outstanding, you'll definitely be fine!"

"Bias, thank you. No one has ever encouraged me like this before!" Harrot tightly held Bias's small hand. Her soft, fair hand was so captivating that Harrot was a little reluctant to let go.

Harrot brought his face close to Bias's, and facing her blushing face, he asked:

"Can I come to you to learn magic in the future? I feel like there's so much I don't understand." It wasn't that Harrot had a lot he didn't understand; it was that he understood nothing at all.

His purpose wasn't as simple as learning magic; it was a much more sinister, impure goal.

"O-okay... Yes, you can come to me to learn whenever you have time. It's just that I'm not very good at teaching, so the results might not be very good." Bias was extremely shy, her cheeks completely red, and her eyes darted around, afraid to look at the close-up Harrot.

Harrot's heart blossomed with joy. He completely forgot about his pregnant wife and Hill, the maid who had always meticulously served him. Like a true scumbag, he replied, "It's fine, I have plenty of time. As long as you're willing to teach!"

"Oh, really? Then I'll learn too! I also have plenty of time!"

THUD With a sudden sound, Tiona appeared from behind Harrot and slammed his head onto the table.

"Harrot! You... why are you so rough! Let go quickly! Harrot, are you alright?"

At this moment, Harrot's head, under Tiona's immense force, had made a small dent in the table, which made the gentle Bias a little worried.

Tiona completely ignored Bias's protests and said to herself, "Since you like teaching magic, then teach me too!"

"As for this guy, don't worry, he's fine. He's very sturdy, no need to worry about him. You go play somewhere else!" With that, Tiona waved her hand at Bias, signaling her to scram.

"Bias, I'm fine, Tiona's just playing around with me!" Harrot explained. For some reason, Harrot felt a bit guilty now, even if Tiona bullied him, he didn't dare to complain.

Bias was relatively timid. She had been bullied by Tiona ever since she was in the Elf Forest. Now, Tiona's scare made her lose her courage immediately. She scurried away, only daring to secretly observe the two from a distance.

Tiona, meanwhile, pulled out a chair and sat beside Harrot, saying earnestly, "We're both half-bloods, yet you abandoned me to go play with pure-blood Elves. You've really disappointed me!"

Harrot had his "+40" defense, and the table was of a relatively soft material, so he wasn't seriously injured. After thinking carefully, he realized that Tiona wasn't his wife; she was just a mentor and comrade-in-arms with whom he often practiced sword fighting.

Their "impure relationship" only happened in Harrot's dreams. In reality, Harrot had no reason to be responsible for Tiona.

With this thought, Harrot felt righteous and explained to Tiona with conviction:

"Tiona, I went to learn magic with Bias, not to play. What are you messing around for? Don't you dislike learning magic?" Of course, what Harrot wanted to do wasn't learn magic. If Tiona was tagging along, it would definitely be a no-go.

Tiona looked at Harrot with disdain and said, "If you want to learn magic, why don't you go find Ailan, or Elder Iltiran? Bias's skill level is just amateur! She has no other优点 than being tall, and her courage is like a rabbit's!"

"You're my rare compatriot! We agreed to train together every day! If you go play with her, how bored will I be by myself?"

Ailan was the handsome Elf male who had a good relationship with Harrot. He was the most skilled in magic among these Elves and had expressed his willingness to help Harrot learn magic. Tiona was present at the time, so she knew this very well.

Harrot felt a bit helpless. What should he do now that his excuse had been exposed? Wasn't Tiona always quite dense? Why was she suddenly so clever now?

Harrot didn't dare to say, I'm here to pick up girls, don't get in the way, fearing Tiona would beat him half to death.

Harrot sighed. Bias's graceful figure and beautiful face lingered in his mind, but with Tiona causing trouble, even if he went to Bias, he couldn't make any further progress. He couldn't actually learn magic, could he?

Harrot was annoyed that his good time had been interrupted. He didn't chat with Tiona anymore and went back to his tent to rest, feeling disgruntled.

Early the next morning, Marcus led Harrot and the others south. After half a day of travel, they still hadn't seen any Centaurs. It seemed the Centaurs in the south had mostly gotten wind of their approach and fled.

Marcus and Harrot decided to rest first, planning to scout other areas in the afternoon. Suddenly, a Knight on a Magical Warhorse came rushing towards them at an incredible speed.

"Lord Marcus, return to the castle quickly! The Centaurs are counterattacking!" The Knight delivered this shocking news with a grief-stricken expression.

"The main pioneering force was attacked by the Centaur army on the plains. Tens of thousands of troops were directly routed, and only a few nobles and a small number of Knights managed to escape back to the castle with the remaining forces!"

The Knight quickly relayed the message, then rode off without stopping to notify other nobles who were clearing out Centaurs in the south.

Marcus's face changed drastically. He immediately ordered, "Everyone, return at once!" Marcus's troops and The Bald Man were also part of the main force; their fates were now uncertain. And who the enemy was, and how they had assembled so many Centaur troops, also puzzled him.

There was no time to think. They had to return to the castle to get accurate information. Everyone quickly galloped back towards the castle.

Harrot was also very worried. He hoped The Bald Man would be alright, that the castle wouldn't fall, and that Bias and Tiona wouldn't be in danger!