Chapter 79: Saving a Group of Ungrateful Wretches

“Members of the Swift Wind Mercenaries, go on patrol!” As Rod watched Niels fawning over them while rolling his eyes, he suddenly heard a voice beside him.
Turning around, he saw one of the men brought by Niels. If he remembered correctly, this guy should be a Silver Warrior—he had seen him release white combat energy during the earlier fight.
“Did you hear? Go on patrol!” Seeing Rod standing motionless, Anches repeated his order with a stern face.
Rod gave the guy a cold glance, said nothing, and simply turned to stare at the sky as if nothing had happened. Ada and the others also looked displeased. These damned guys treated him like their leader, ordering them around as if they’d forgotten who had saved them from that dangerous situation just moments ago.
“Damn it, did you not hear? You lowly mercenaries!” Anches growled coldly, his brows furrowed in anger.
“It seems tonight won’t be peaceful. Damn, why is there a mad dog barking around here?” Rod said coldly, a glint in his eyes as he stared at the guy beside him.
“You damned mercenary, you…” Rod’s words instantly enraged Anches. He raised his eyebrows, stepped forward two paces, clenched his fists, and glared at Rod, ready to punch him.
“What, want to fight? I’ll go all the way!” With a cold snort, a soft humming sound came as the Dark Dragon was drawn, and they stared at each other angrily.
“Rod, ignore him!” Ada quickly stepped forward and grabbed Rod’s sleeve, speaking softly. Though she was also annoyed, she knew this wasn’t the time for such actions.
There were already over a dozen people from the other side surrounding them, while they were only four. Fighting would surely put them at a disadvantage.
“What’s going on?” The noise finally alerted the people behind them. Lucia, Evan, and Niels came over, with Evan leading the way and asking in confusion.
“Let’s go on patrol!” Bit tugged at Rod’s sleeve, speaking softly.
“Damn it, let go!” Rodthrew offed off Bit’s grip and complained unhappily.
“Rod, come on, don’t stay here!” Fearing that this troublemaker might do something outrageous, Ada quickly pulled Rod and led him outside.

“Hmph, remember this!” Held back by Aida and Bit, Rod glared fiercely at Anches, then sneered coldly before speaking softly. Immediately after, as Lucia and the others approached, he turned and left!
“What happened?” Lucia frowned as she watched the four leave, seemingly thinking of something. Evan also glanced at the departing group and asked Anches and the others.
“Told them to continue patrolling, but instead of doing so, they even tried to fight us!” Seeing Evan and the others alarmed, Anches hesitated for a moment with a bitter expression before falsely accusing them first.
“Hmph, just a bunch of crude mercenaries. We knew they weren’t trustworthy. Miss Lucia, you must be fed up of being with them these past few days. Ignore those money-grubbing scumbags!” With a disdainful snort, Nils stepped forward to add his opinion.
“Really? Nils, you told your men not to clash with them. Don’t forget they saved us just now!” Evan glanced at them deeply and sighed heavily. He wasn’t blind—how could he really believe their words? Nils and his men were notorious even in the capital for bullying others. How could a few mercenaries dare provoke them? Clearly, they were lying.
“Nils, I don’t want anything like this to happen again!” Taking a deep breath, Lucia spoke coldly as she looked at the figures disappearing into the darkness in the distance.
“This…” Unexpecting such an outcome, Nils’s face instantly turned ugly. He glared fiercely at his subordinates and then cast a cold look at the figures who had vanished, not knowing what to say.
……
“Damn those bastards! If only I’d let them fight those bandits—saved a bunch of ungrateful wretches!” Walking away and looking back, Aida complained since the figures were no longer in sight.
“Hmph, why did you pull me along? Those bastards think they’re something special? Just a bunch of dogs acting tough over there!” With a cold snort, Rod grumbled in frustration over being dragged away.
It made sense—how could a boy under eighteen endure such things? Perhaps one should marvel at his patience and self-control.

“Never mind. Don’t forget who we are and what we need to do. As long as we finish this task, everything will be over once we reach the capital. I wonder if the captain is in the capital. If that officer from the Dark Legion has returned, it means the captain is likely there too. Maybe we’ll meet soon!” Cheri remained relatively calm, a hint of a smile on her face as she spoke with anticipation.

Her words immediately calmed everyone down, their faces filled with anticipation and excitement. Indeed, if that officer from the Dark Legion was still alive, it meant the captain was probably fine as well. What great news! Their previous frustrations were instantly forgotten, and they began discussing the matter.

That night, instead of returning to the camp, the group wandered outside for a while before finding a place near the camp to rest. They didn’t want to see those annoying guys and face their expressions and looks. They weren’t that foolish.

After an sleepless night, dawn finally arrived. The gray sky gradually lit up, slowly expanding and illuminating the entire forest. It was at that moment the land was lit that the group returned to the camp.

“Hmph, I wonder where these people have gone to slack off!” Anches and a few of his companions muttered under their breath upon seeing Rod and the others return, though their voices were clearly heard by Rod and the rest.

Rod shook his head, holding back Bit, who was about to step forward to argue. With a cold laugh, Rod was in high spirits after learning that the captain and the others might be alive. He didn’t want to bother arguing with these guys. “Waking up early to hear wild dogs barking. Bit, what? Are you planning to bite back after being bitten by a wild dog?”

“Hmm, you’re right. Then I’d be just an animal too!” Bit immediately understood and wore a playful smile, exaggerating his response.

“You guys…” Anches and the others’ expressions darkened. They stood up angrily, glaring at the group with fury in their eyes.

“Let’s go. It’s time to set off. Yeah, don’t bother with animals. We’re superior beings!” With a burst of laughter, Rod led Bit and the others away, leaving behind those who clenched their fists and panted angrily.

“Anches, don’t get angry. It’s just a few mercenaries—how could we be afraid? Now that Master Evan and Miss Lucia are here, let them act arrogantly for now. Hmph, once we reach the capital and separate, we’ll see how we deal with these guys. I’m sure Master Nils will be happy to support us!” Holding Anches back, another burly man gave a cold, vicious look as he sneered at the guys in front of him.

“Hmph, let them act arrogant for a few days!” Anches spat angrily and said with a cold sneer.

……

Rod and the others naturally didn’t understand what was happening behind them since they didn’t have eyes on the back of their heads. After taking a few steps forward, they encountered Lucia and the others who happened to be coming out as well!

After exchanging greetings, the group tidied themselves up slightly, had some delicate breakfast brought by Evan and Nils, and prepared to set off for the capital.

Upon leaving the Magical Beast Forest, the sun was already high in the sky. The intense sunlight made Rod and the others squint. It had been several days since they’d seen such strong sunlight. The days in the forest were finally over, and everyone let out a sigh of relief.

The group of over twenty people headed straight past Blackstone City toward the capital. Nothing unexpected happened throughout the morning; everything went smoothly.

Just after resting at noon and about to set off again, they heard the loud sound of horse hooves in the distance. Soon, they saw dust rolling across the sky. The sound grew louder and clearer, approaching rapidly. The intense noise even made them feel the ground trembling.

Their expressions changed, and they exchanged glances. Everyone quickly hid in some bushes by the roadside, fearing that it might be the men in black chasing after them again or some bandits or robbers. In any case, it was better not to be seen until their identities were confirmed.

After a while, a huge cavalry unit appeared in the distance—more precisely, an army of hundreds! Their bright white armor shone brilliantly under the sunlight.

“They’re from the Snowwind Legion! They must be here to rescue us!” Nils said excitedly after recognizing them.

He had sent someone to the capital to send a message the previous day. These people must have rushed here overnight from the capital.

Seeing who it was, Evan and Lucia both smiled. It was the Snowwind Legion, the army stationed outside the capital alongside the Dark Legion to protect it. They were their soldiers, and more importantly, they recognized the face of the officer at the front.
“Uncle Parich!” Upon seeing who it was, Lucia couldn’t help but rush out of the bushes and shout excitedly on the road.