All the mercenaries had been practising swordsmanship and basic elemental skills since the morning. Hundreds of couples were sparring in the wasteland near the mountain, where there were animals whose bodies could be sold to noble families for a high price because their meat was tenderer and juicier than that of animals raised on pastures.
Basic skills do not count as magic because they are used to improve equipment, not to directly manipulate the elements. Mercenaries with heavy equipment could enchant armour to make it appear less heavy, enchant swords to make them more piercing, and enchant non-combat items. Mercenaries could even create equipment that allowed them to dive deep underwater.
Immediately after their training, the mercenaries left to prepare for their next mission. Half an hour later, the Herald and Nameless stood before them. The Herald reiterated the requirements of this mission and that they should be more vigilant, as caravans had recently been attacked along this route.
The group quickly made their way to the rendezvous point with the Akwa family. There they saw armed guards with two girls. One of them looked to be in her thirties, a brunette with brown eyes and dark skin, and next to her stood a little girl with dark skin, blue eyes and light blonde hair with a hint of blue, which looked rather exotic for this country.
The older of the girls was constantly expressing her displeasure with her surroundings by speaking rudely to the family's guards. The little girl looked around curiously, but stopped when she saw a group of 100 people, some of them wearing heavy armour, others riding animals that had been brought down from the mountain when they were small and raised.
They were Metal Rhinos, which were used for siege defence because of their endurance, Wind Cheetahs, which had high speed and sharp blades for fast attacks, Fire Buffaloes, which could be used just like Metal Rhinos because of their strong build and they could also use fire to attack a group of enemies with a stream of fire.
This group was the defenders of the Aqua family, and the girls were the Fourth Mistress and Melissa. They hadn't stopped fighting yet, as only Melissa could spot the group from a distance. It was all new to her, so she didn't take her eyes off the group. She had been trained to use magic behind closed doors every day, so this was the first time she had been in a crowded place and seen a group like this. Even the protectors of the Aqua family mostly used water animals, so Melissa had never seen such a variety before.
Now the entire group of the Aqua family could see the mercenaries approaching. Herald and the leader of this group of Aqua Family protectors greeted them. The leader of this group was called Clantis, he was around 40 years old, but the wrinkles on his face hadn't shown yet. Their group consisted of 50 people who had a lot of experience, but they had hired people from Herald's group because of the recent incidents on the route, the Aqua family needed to ensure the safety of the two girls.
As they spoke, two successive sentences were heard:
- How much longer? We need to get to the capital faster, my Melissa needs to train without waiting for servants. What do you get paid for?"
"Mum, come on! Have you heard about the incidents on the way to the capital lately? Let's just let the guards take care of everything and then we'll go."
Melissa answered her mother very quietly, as if to admonish her, but they heard her anyway, and Melissa, seeing that everyone had heard her, blushed heavily and covered her face.
Clantis smiled crookedly.
- Let's go then, we're ready. - Herold said.
His group's activities had been arrogant to begin with, so he wasn't surprised by such a statement. Although he felt a little embarrassed, his group had not been spoken to like that for 20 years, and their reputation spoke for itself. The band members ignored the statement as well, the Herald spoke for them in front of the customers, so they did.