<Chapter 29>

Even if it was for money, it was still a good deed. Lanken, with a reluctant expression, saw Moslin start to rage.

“Good? Good? Chasing after peace in such a cowardly way?! If you’re a true person, settle things with strength!”

Lightning crackled around her.

Bolts of lightning struck the village fence and market stalls, making the bandits recoil in fear as the burnt remnants blackened.

“Boss! The road! The road’s being destroyed!”

Everyone was breaking into a cold sweat at the madness of a battle-class magician.

‘She’s a lunatic.’

‘Exactly.’

Lanken and Viretta shared a silent conversation through glances.

After all the time they’d spent together, they could understand each other without words.

Lanken’s eyes seemed to ask, ‘What now?’ Viretta, confident, flashed a grin.

“Perfect. I’ll offer a brilliant solution, so leave it all to this master detective.”

Viretta reached out toward Moslin. Her gesture was modest, like offering a dance, her elbow unbent and her hand extended.

“It seems you’re still keen on rampaging on the battlefield. Well, I have an excellent opportunity for someone like you, who’s become a backroom relic in this peaceful world.”

“You little…!”

Lightning flared from Moslin’s staff, and Iola quickly raised the ground as a shield. The lightning struck the earth barrier, absorbing the impact safely.

The earthen wall, which had briefly shielded Viretta like an iron wall, began to crumble. This time, a hint of fear crossed her face, but she steeled herself.

She was a woman who would hunt dragons. She couldn’t afford to be intimidated by a single battle-class magician.

“Aren’t you interested in the title of dragon-slaying magician?”

Viretta’s clear voice carried over the field.

Around them, people were sobbing over the destroyed stalls, others were trying to calm Moslin, and the sound of crackling flames filled the air.

In the midst of it all, Viretta’s voice rang out with strength and resolve.

Wouldn’t you like to go on a dragon hunt? The devil’s whispering invitation.

“My companions and I are heading out to slay a dragon to prevent the marriage alliance between the Medleridge Trading Company and the mercenary city of Najin. All expenses covered by me. I formally propose a profit-sharing employment contract for battle-class magician Moslin.”

Viretta tossed a handful of silver coins from her pocket.

It wasn’t much, but the sight of the gleaming silver captivated everyone present.

It was Medleridge’s ultimate trump card.

The solution of throwing money at the problem.

“This… this is your solution?”

Lanken’s expression was somewhere between contempt and resignation.

Sure, they were on their way to hire a magician, but Moslin?

“Overwhelming firepower. Affordable rates for her skill level. Considering our budget and timeline, she’s the perfect asset we’re looking for.”

“A lightning-flinging, war-crazed old woman?”

“Don’t be cheeky, kid. I don’t love war; I love blood-soaked fights.”

“Are you really suggesting we make her our ally?” Lanken pointed his thumb at Moslin, confirming her with disbelief. Viretta gave him a sympathetic smile as her expression dimmed in the backlight.

“Lanken, let’s be realistic. We’re not in a position to be choosy. No sensible magician would join a small party on a dragon hunt.”

“What, are you saying I’m some pitiful fool? And whose fault is this, anyway?”

“It’s Medleridge’s fault.”

“Right! And that just makes it more frustrating!”

Lanken grabbed Viretta’s collar and shook her before collapsing in exhaustion. He’d already experienced several close calls today and was drained.

As Iola patted his back kindly, he finally broke into tears. Now he, too, could cry because of Medleridge, the root of all evil.

Moslin looked back and forth between Lanken, sprawled on the ground, and the unshakable Viretta. She quickly grasped who was leading this party.

The strongest one, Iola, offered no objections to Viretta’s words. Therefore, the leader was Viretta.

“You’re aware you sound like a madwoman, right? Do you know why I’m playing the bandit leader here?”

“Because you lack the courage to stand up to Medleridge.”

“It’s called rational thinking. Any sensible magician wouldn’t pick a fight with a money-grubbing trading company. Same goes for anyone with a good head on their shoulders.”

The marriage alliance between the colossal Medleridge Trading Company and Najin’s mercenary city was on the verge of being finalized. If anyone tried to disrupt it, they’d be risking bloodshed for their entire clan.

One side specialized in isolating enemies socially through wealth, while the other was a military force that solved problems by killing first and asking questions later.

It made no sense to make them enemies for a little money. Moslin loved combat, but she wasn’t stupid.

“Heh heh, but we’re different from ordinary people. My fiancé and my knight are prepared to face any opposition head-on.”

Naturally, Viretta had no intention of backing down. Even Iola, who understood the stakes, supported her statement.

“We already sent a blood-splattered horned beast’s head to the engagement ceremony.”

“Why?! Why would you go that far?!”

Moslin let out a scream that wasn’t quite a scream.

It truly was a ‘why?!’ moment. People might crash a wedding or escape with the bride or groom, but sending a horned beast’s head was a first in her life.

Despite committing such an extreme act, Viretta wore a sweet smile that only intensified Moslin’s dread.

Then Viretta threw in a bombshell.

“Don’t worry. It’s our wedding anyway.”

“What… on earth?”

“I’m Viretta Medleridge, the second daughter of the Medleridge family. And this is Iola Jin, nephew of the Lord of Najin.”

Moslin, renowned for her battle prowess and known as the Flash of the War of Roses, felt her mind go blank.

The villagers around them either looked surprised or finally understood, but Moslin, who had survived the battlefield for decades, was different.

This… this was trouble. It was the ones like them, laughing innocently while sticking it to their fathers, that were truly terrifying.

These two, with their lighthearted smiles and determination to rebel against their fathers... This was the real deal.

She hadn’t met opponents like this in a long time; finally, she encountered true loose cannons after so many years.

A magician who had seen it all, from back alleys to royal courts, knew Viretta wasn’t just bluffing.

These two would indeed drag themselves into the lair of a fire-breathing dragon if that’s what it took.

If they were people crazy enough to defy both Medleridge and Najin, then they’d undoubtedly go that far.

Her old age was about to take a sharp turn for the worse.

Any sensible magician would never agree to such a proposal.

“Let’s do it right now.”

And that’s exactly what made it so enticing.

Moslin grasped Viretta’s extended hand firmly.

“Another… another lunatic added to the group…”

Lanken, only twenty-three years old, rolled his eyes and clenched them shut. He wasn’t someone prone to tears, yet he couldn’t stop them from falling.