Chapter 481: The Swift Wind Mercenaries

The negotiations on the continent were concluded, and the remaining warriors did not immediately hold a conference regarding the Demon Lord, as it was highly likely that the Demon Lord was hiding within one of them. For safety reasons, Rod and his group deliberately delayed the meeting for a few days before convening it, ensuring that no one would use their powers to cause unnecessary trouble.

The Wolf King and Elder Andrews had already begun preparing a large venue for the conference and devising plans to confront the Demon Lord.

Under such circumstances, Rod enjoyed a rare two days of rest. These matters did not require his involvement; the Wolf King and Elder Andrews were more than capable of handling them. As for the leader, it was naturally the ancient ancestor of the troll race—a man whose intentions were hard to fathom.

Along with Sognar and Lucy, Rod took the time to enjoy the scenery of Autumn Water City. John, after much pleading, stayed behind and, sharing a similar personality with Sognar, quickly won Sognar’s approval. The two of them acted like clowns, lightening the mood.

That evening, Autumn Water City welcomed a group of seven or eight people who arrived unnoticed in the city.

John was the first to hear the news and was the one to go greet them. He was overjoyed upon seeing them and immediately led the group toward the palace.

Rod, who was in the midst of his training, was pulled back by urgent knocking at the door. With some confusion, he opened the door and was instantly stunned.

Excitement and joy appeared on his face in an instant. Looking at the people before him, Rod’s lips even trembled slightly.

“Boss!” A familiar voice called out, prompting Rod to nod vigorously.

“Rod!” It was a male and a female voice, both so familiar.

“Jerome! Bitte, Cherie! You… you all came! Great, really great!” Not knowing what to say, Rod excitedly grasped Jerome and Bitte’s hands and spoke in a deep voice.

Indeed, the group that had arrived were Rod’s comrades from the continent, his brothers—Jerome—and several former members of the Swift Wind Mercenaries. Jerome was now also a member of the Swift Wind Mercenaries!

A group of seven or eight people, all so familiar—his first brothers, his first comrades, had all come here.

“Boss, it’s been several years!” Jerome’s voice was a bit choked up. This tall guy had gone through a lot. Standing beside him was the blond guy who had followed them back in Fire City; now he had grown into a man, no longer looking scrawny and shabby like before, but rather rougher in appearance. If you didn’t look closely, it would be hard to recognize him—over these years, he had changed the most.

“Head! It’s Jerome, right? Where is he?” From afar came Sambik’s loud roar, so intense it hurt the ears like thunder. Beside him were Jim and Kambi.

The three of them rushed to Rod like the wind. When they saw Jerome and the blond guy, they froze. The men stared at each other without saying a word; time seemed to stand still at that moment.

“Hahaha… You, Jerome, you’re still the same, not a bit changed!” After a while, they came back to their senses. Sambik laughed loudly and stepped forward to hug Jerome tightly. The two men embraced, expressing their deepest brotherly bond.

“You guys haven’t changed much either!” Jerome said with some emotion after separating. Over these years, Sambik, Kambi, and Jim hadn’t changed much in appearance, just becoming stronger, exuding an imposing aura. Perhaps what had changed the most was their gaze—more domineering.

“Haha, Blondie, you’ve finally grown up. Not bad. It seems you weren’t mistreated in the Stormwind Mercenaries!” They then turned to look at the blond guy, expressing their amazement—he was completely different from before.

Next, they greeted the members of the Stormwind Mercenaries. After all, Sambik and the others had also been mercenaries before and seemed to know them well. The atmosphere immediately warmed up as they chatted and laughed, as if they had returned to their old days.

“Aida should be coming soon!” Someone had already been sent to call her. Seeing that she hadn’t arrived yet, Rod asked jokingly, “Is this little girl shy?”

“Hehe, she’s almost here, should be arriving any moment!” Sambik said with a sly grin.

“Who said I’m shy? Here I am, right?” A clear voice came through, tinged with annoyance.

Looking up, Ada stood behind everyone, dressed in a neat sheer dress of a stunning pure white that appeared even more sacred under the moonlight, giving off an aura that seemed untouchable.
“Ai… Ada…” Hearing that familiar voice, Bit swallowed hard and stared at Ada in disbelief as he asked hesitantly. She still looked the same as before, but in women’s clothing, she was utterly dazzling and beautiful.
“Ada, no… it can’t be!” Cheri also asked in disbelief, her voice starting to stumble.
Seeing their reactions, Rod secretly chuckled. Hadn’t he been just like them before? Ada’s trick was truly embarrassing; it was so well concealed that people began to doubt.
“What’s the matter? Do you want to try my magic?” Seeing their panicked expressions, Ada’s face turned red as she snapped angrily. Her outfit was even more surprising to behold.
“No… no, are you really Ada?” Bit persisted in asking.
Cheri nodded in agreement, clearly supporting Bit’s words.
“Damn it, who else could it be? If you want to try magic, I’m not shy about letting you relive that experience!” With a roll of her eyes, Ada finally gave up and explained helplessly.
Those words sent chills down their spines. Back then, Ada was the most difficult and strange person in the mercenary group. Not only was she effeminate, but she also constantly invited others to “taste magic,” claiming it was a feast, when in reality it meant dumping tons of magic on them. As a great mage, she was one of the top fighters in the group—who could resist?
The outcome was obvious: those who were “invited” would end up covered in wounds with traces of magic, while Ada’s control was just right—never causing serious harm. In the end, they would go on missions covered in scars, laughed at by all the mercenaries. That’s why Ada was known as the little demon among the mercenaries. No one dared to offend her in private, not even to share a room with her. Things only improved when Rod arrived.

It was still that tone—Ida’s tone. Bit and Chelly exchanged glances, finally accepting this unexpected reality. They never expected that the effeminate Ida was actually a woman, a real woman. Damn it, was this God playing a joke on him? The joke was a bit too much, especially since this woman was incredibly beautiful—strikingly gorgeous.
“Oh, God, just kill me!” Bit wailed in regret, which sounded amusing and triggered bursts of laughter.
“Get lost!” Ida snapped bitterly as she saw Bit running at her with a lecherous expression.
Yet inside, she felt warmth—this was the life she used to have on the continent. Though it had been tough back then, it was happy and joyful because of such good friends.
“Hehe, Ida, I never thought you’d trick us all. Well, enough talk—you must compensate us properly!” Scolded by Ida, Bit dared not act recklessly anymore and forced a smile, trying to flatter her.
Now, Ida was incredibly powerful; her strength was so great that Bit couldn’t even tell what level she had reached. This made Bit feel ashamed—he still couldn’t surpass this witch.
“Go!” A single word from her left Bit speechless, forcing him to put on a pained expression, which again caused laughter.
A moment later, Nightingale, Lilith, Lucy, and others arrived. Seeing so many beautiful women, Bit cried out again about injustice—his past days seemed wasted.
Everyone got along well, and the atmosphere quickly became lively and harmonious as they became friends after years apart.
As for Rod, reuniting with his brothers and comrades he hadn’t seen in years, he naturally had countless things to say. He was quite curious about how these people had fared over the years.
Additionally, Rod realized there was a reason why the Stormwind Mercenaries had grown so strong over those years. Guys like Jerome had made significant progress. It was unclear what kind of training they had undergone, but they had reached the early stage of the Imperial rank in just a few years. It might not seem impressive, but considering the environment in which they trained, it was indeed an impressive achievement!

Bit and Cherie had also reached the threshold of the imperial rank. Only upon Rod’s inquiry did he learn that all this was related to Kiro and the others. The group had indeed spent time training hard at the Holy Light Academy; otherwise, they wouldn’t have achieved such results. It seemed true to what John had said—the rise of the Swift Wind Mercenaries was indeed inseparable from Kiro and his group. Without their help, Jerome and the others couldn’t have improved so quickly. Without them, the Swift Wind Mercenaries wouldn’t have gained the support of the Holy Light Academy, couldn’t have recruited its students, and certainly wouldn’t have faced smooth progress throughout the empire!
Thinking of this, Rod finally managed to smile a little.
“Boss, is that your wife?” Just as everyone was chatting and laughing, and Rod was feeling somewhat relieved, a sudden remark made him blush furiously and silenced the entire scene.