"Thank you for doing all this for me," Hilda said sincerely.
"You said it yourself, we're friends now," Feld waved his hand, speaking openly.
Hilda's mind wandered for a moment, then she nodded, "Yes, friends."
Hehe, friends it is!
Feld chuckled mischievously, looking at Hilda in front of him, thinking to himself that their relationship had taken another step forward.
You have to become friends first before you can have a chance at being a girlfriend~
Those idiots who confess without any emotional foundation, how could they possibly succeed?
Who would agree to someone's confession right after meeting them?
Impossible~
These things need to take time, can't rush~
Hilda had no idea what Feld was thinking, she only knew that she had gained another friend.
She had very few friends.
Those who showed her flattering smiles and flattered her weren't friends.
She was proud, so her standards for friends were high.
Anyone who could become her friend must be outstanding.
And she had always believed that excellence in soul and character far surpassed talent and strength.
And it seemed that Feld possessed all of these qualities.
At least, in her eyes, he did.
So she was very happy, extremely happy.
That kind of happiness softened her smile.
She wasn't a cold person, Feld had always known that.
Her iceberg-like exterior was just self-protection. This little swan actually had a passion that ordinary people didn't have.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be risking her life multiple times by going to the Nofaklar Forest, which showed responsibility and a passion and anticipation for life, for herself, and for the future.
She yearned to become stronger and better.
Such passion was something many people who had been worn down by time and reality no longer possessed.
It could be seen that her family had protected her very well.
But precisely because she had been so well protected, she had hidden this passion.
Because she wanted to be independent, not reliant on her family.
This was evident from her always going alone to the Nofaklar Forest and her accepting failure and teaching from Feld after being defeated.
She was an independent and strong girl.
Therefore, Feld knew he still needed to work harder.
Strive to turn the proud Hilda into the clingy Hilda!
Just like Chichi.
And Vina, too, was an independent and strong girl, but different from Hilda.
What made her independent and strong wasn't the protection of her family and a good environment, but suffering.
So what Hilda needed was challenges.
What Vina needed was a sense of security.
These were two extremes.
And they created two incredibly beautiful beings.
"Feld," suddenly, Hilda's voice came.
Feld: "Call me Feld-gege, I'm one year older than you."
Chichi twitched her ears but didn't speak.
Hilda was taken aback, then chuckled.
The big guy who had just brought her endless pressure was now acting like a child.
But this kind of conversation between friends made her feel curious and interesting.
Yet no one had ever spoken to her like this, not even family.
"Then, Feld-gege?" Hilda blinked her eyes.
Feld immediately looked pleased, "Happy~"
"Are you really that happy? I don't feel it," Hilda said, puzzled.
"You wouldn't know~" Feld hummed.
"Then I won't call you that anymore," Hilda suddenly said.
"Eh, Hilda, how could you?" Feld widened his eyes.
Hilda smiled, feeling very pleased with Feld's reaction.
"Feld, can you teach me how to fight? I feel like you're really good at it," Hilda asked.
"Hilda, please take back your feeling. I'm very good at fighting!" Feld said seriously. "Even better than blacksmithing!"
"So does that mean you agree?" Hilda asked, feeling somewhat happy.
"Did you reluctantly agree? After all, your combat skills are still a bit rough. I couldn't bear to watch," Feld remarked tactfully.
Hilda immediately retorted, "You won't feel that way for long!"
"I hope not," Feld shrugged, then swiftly changed the subject before Hilda could respond.
"But we can't stay here."
"Why?" Hilda asked, puzzled.
"Didn't you see? Just now, when I won, those students looked like they wanted to tear me apart. I don't want to provoke them," Feld explained.
"Oh..." Hilda felt a twinge of guilt, then sighed, "I don't want that either, but they're always like that..."
"Can I interpret that as your way of 'Versailles'?" Feld couldn't help but comment.
"What's Versailles?" Hilda asked curiously.
"It means expressing dissatisfaction or subtly displaying one's superiority to others," Feld explained.
"That's not it!" Hilda immediately protested, puffing out her cheeks.
Feld's eyes lit up.
Oh wow, so damn cute!
But Hilda seemed unaware and continued, "It's really annoying. Even though I don't need them to do those things, they just assume and do it without my consent, expecting me to show appreciation or enjoyment."
"I really hate that. I've explicitly said not to do unnecessary things for me, but they never listen..."
Obviously, after that battle, Feld and Hilda's relationship had grown closer.
She really did see Feld as a friend because only in front of friends would she vent like this.
Feld just listened quietly, occasionally chiming in.
"Really?"
"No way?"
In reality, Feld didn't take much of it in; he was more admiring Hilda's venting.
At these times, her cheeks would puff up slightly, pink and tender, making Feld want to pinch them.
Surely, she was as soft as jelly, just like Vina.
"So, that's why I don't want to stay in the academy. The Nofaklar Forest is quieter than here," Hilda pouted, saying.
Feld chuckled, nodding, "Okay, when I'm done with my work the day after tomorrow, I'll go with you. It's very suitable as a teaching venue."
"Really?" Hilda brightened up, then, as if afraid Feld might change his mind, she quickly added, "It's settled then!"
Feld almost burst out laughing; Hilda's contrasting cuteness was truly adorable.
But then, Hilda asked with a hint of confusion, "But why not tomorrow? Didn't you say you'd come see me tomorrow?"
Feld: ...Not so cute when she's got a good memory.
But Feld reacted quickly and said, "I'll come see you tomorrow, but I'll have to go back right after to do some work. Don't forget, I'm a mercenary."
"Good mercenaries have a lot to do," Hilda nodded in acceptance of Feld's explanation. But before Feld could relax, she asked, "So, what do mercenaries usually do?"
Looking at Hilda's curious face, Feld felt a little embarrassed.
This girl's curiosity is almost as strong as a kitten's, isn't it?
He couldn't exactly say he spends his time smashing people with a hammer, could he?
But having this curiosity was a good thing.
Would you be curious about someone you don't care about?
Obviously not, so this curiosity proved that Feld's importance to Hilda was increasing.
Therefore, Feld had to satisfy her curiosity appropriately.
After some thought, Feld said, "They carry out dangerous and deadly missions!"
"Such as?" Hilda leaned in a bit closer, her eyes shining with curiosity.
"For example, accepting a commission from the elder of a bullied girl's family and giving those bullies a good beating!" Feld said earnestly.
Hilda couldn't help but laugh, covering her mouth, "That must be interesting."
"No, it wouldn't be if you were the one being bullied," Feld sighed, shaking his head.
Hilda was puzzled for a moment, then her smile faded, and she asked, "Why?"
"You would probably think it's just a small matter, right? Just giving the bullies a good beating? But for those bullied children, it's not that simple," Feld explained.
Though she was a bit confused, Hilda still nodded.
"That's right. You haven't experienced it, so you would think it's a small matter. But for those bullied children, it's not like that," Feld shook his head, saying.
Then, he recounted the events around Vina, but replaced Vina with other people.
Listening to Feld's slow-paced narration of those events, Hilda finally understood why Feld wasn't laughing anymore.
"Can you imagine? No background, no friends, no help, living amidst mockery and pain."
"To you, perhaps it's just a minor conflict between classmates, just a trivial matter."
"Because of your family, your strength, everything about you allows you to hold your head high and face and resist bullying effortlessly, defeating it with ease."
"But those children from common families, they can't."
"Because once they resist, they don't receive victory, but rather more brutal beatings, and sometimes, a release from life itself."
"Being in a high position for too long, sometimes, you forget how cruel and dark life can be at the bottom."
At this, Hilda lowered her head slightly and said cautiously, "I'm sorry, I didn't know..."
Yes, she didn't know.
As a noble, where has she experienced school bullying, or even seen it?
Everyone in front of her would put on a smile and show her their best side.
She had no concept of it and couldn't imagine it.
Until Feld spoke in the most direct and understandable words, she couldn't grasp the hardship involved.
Hilda knew how to apologize; she really was a good girl.
Feld felt a slight sigh in his heart, then shook his head. "No need to apologize; this is just reality. I'm glad that even though you're a noble, you don't use your high status to bully the weak."
"The strong should use the freedom of the weak as their boundary."
"Only then won't they lose themselves, and only then are they worthy of being called strong."
"You can do that, and I admire you for it."
Feld's words made Hilda's eyes light up, and then she smiled, feeling a bit sentimental. "I admire you too. I've heard that mercenaries are a bunch of ruthless people who do anything for money, but you don't seem like that."
"You're willing to go to such lengths to help a poor girl; that's really rare!"
"Oh, stop it, you're making me blush," Feld scratched his head and laughed, his hearty smile having an unparalleled effect.
Hilda was amused by him and joked, pretending to be serious, "Mr. Feld, you have successfully earned my respect!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she couldn't help but laugh.
Feld also laughed, intentionally roughening his voice and speaking seriously, "It's my honor, Miss Hilda!"
"Hahaha!" Hilda laughed even more happily.
She had never experienced this kind of playful way of speaking before.
Meanwhile, the little cat nibbled on delicate pastries while watching the two.
What are they laughing about, meow?
Whatever, these pretty little biscuits are too delicious, meow!
"So what happened to that girl later?" wiping away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes, Hilda asked with a smile.
"Well, later," Feld looked pensive, "later, her life got better, and she successfully entered the magic academy of her dreams, becoming a proud researcher."
"Really? That's wonderful!" Hilda exclaimed, clearly happy for the girl.
She really was a good girl.
"That's right, I'm an excellent mercenary; all my clients say so!" Feld boasted.
Hilda covered her mouth and giggled, then blinked innocently, "So, such an excellent mercenary, would you accept my commission?"
"Of course!" Feld immediately replied.
"Then I hope you'll continue to be such an excellent mercenary," Hilda smiled and said.
Feld was slightly taken aback, his heart skipping a beat.
The last time he felt like this was when the wind blew Vina's bangs for him.
He looked at the smiling girl in front of him somewhat dazedly.
He found that this girl was even cuter and more beautiful than he had imagined.
"It's a permanent commission," Feld snapped back to reality, laughing heartily. "I accept!"
"What's the fee?"
"You know, mercenaries need their fee," Feld said.