Chapter 46: Veena's Appearance

Walking out of the tavern, Field saw Hollan standing not far away, arms crossed, as if she had spotted him but then turned her head away, pretending not to have seen him.

Field silently pursed his lips.

It seemed like everything was fine on the landlady's side, now it was time to deal with the tutor.

Field had a premonition that this side wouldn't be as easy.

Sure enough, when Field approached Hollan, she smirked and said, "Looks like you're really close with that landlady."

Field chuckled, "Yeah, good friends."

"Friends?" Hollan raised an eyebrow. "Friends who can accept an impossible task just because of a word from you?"

"You know, I'm an excellent mercenary, so naturally she trusts me with the tasks," Field replied.

"Without taking a commission, would she agree?" Hollan asked again.

Field's eye twitched.

"Of course she wouldn't, but compared to the commission from a few tasks, any smart person would choose the friendship of an equally excellent tutor like me," Field smirked.

Hollan chuckled, but it was clear the matter wasn't over yet.

She opened her mouth, preparing to ask something else, but Field sensed it wasn't good and quickly changed the subject.

He pursed his lips and said to Hollan, "Seriously, Hollan, you really scared me just now."

"I thought it was just a few gold-level tasks at first."

"Turns out the first one is a platinum-level task."

"You'd be scared by a platinum-level task?" Hollan was surprised, her attention diverted.

"Of course not, I was scared by you," Field grinned mischievously.

"Me?" Hollan looked puzzled.

Field said seriously, "You know, when I was promoted to gold, I was eager to find a platinum-level monster to test my strength."

"After all, as you know, I like to be challenged and embrace danger."

"I was thinking about a crystal serpent at the time, because these creatures are quite ferocious, even among their peers, and there's a forest two hundred kilometers away from here where they reside."

"Such challenges can stir up my desire for battle."

"When you mentioned there was a platinum-level commission, I was just surprised, but when I saw that the target was a crystal serpent, I was truly taken aback."

"I suspect you might have some mind-reading magic, knowing what I was thinking."

"Is that so?" Field stared at Hollan, as if there might be some truth to it.

Hollan burst into giggles, her face filled with pride.

It seemed like her thoughts and Field's thoughts coincided, making her feel very pleased.

There was a sense of telepathy between them.

"What do you think?" Hollan naturally wouldn't admit it, but she didn't deny it either. Instead, she asked with a coy smile.

Field pondered for a moment, then said, "Two possibilities."

"One, you really do have mind-reading magic or some similar magic ability. Those who can master such magic are said to be one in a million magical geniuses!"

Hollan's smile widened even more. "And the other?"

Field looked mysterious. "The other... is that you're definitely very clever and empathetic, only someone like that could see through what I'm thinking!"

"Hehehe," Hollan laughed heartily, her laughter causing ripples. "Then let's go with the second one."

"I think so too, but the first possibility isn't low either," Field analyzed playfully.

"Alright, enough flattery, Veena is still waiting for us," Hollan said with a smile, not asking further about Evelyn.

Field grinned.

work out!

Driving the borrowed carriage from the tavern to the orphanage gate, Veena boarded the carriage with bags in hand. A group of little girls who had stopped crying upon seeing Veena sitting in the carriage, about to leave, suddenly burst into tears again. Seeing this, Field opened his arms, waved his hands, and lifted the group of girls under ten years old.

"Sit tight!" Field placed them on his shoulders, and the girls quickly held hands and sat down.

Veena was still holding onto Field's neck, but she wasn't crying anymore.

"I'll take you all for a little ride. We'll return once we're out of the city gate, so no more crying, okay?" Field said.

"Yeah!" The girls nodded, some of them excitedly looking around, saying, "Wow, you're so tall, big guy! Aren't you scared being so high up?"

Field chuckled. With a perspective of just over two meters, there was nothing to be afraid of.

"Of course not. I'm a brave mercenary!" Field grinned.

Veena looked at him with big, sparkling eyes. "Can I be a mercenary too?"

"Of course you can, but it's better to be a mage," Field smiled, then lifted the girls onto the carriage.

His movements were big but steady, eliciting gasps from the girls, followed by laughter.

Veena reached out a small hand from inside the carriage, nervously holding onto the back, as if afraid the little girls might fall off.

But Field didn't seem to care at all. He was driving the carriage while boasting and joking with the girls sitting on his shoulders.

"Big guy, can you fly?"

"No, but I can knock down flying things with stones I pick up on the ground!"

"Wow!" The little girls exclaimed in amazement.

Hollan watched the scene with a faint smile on her face.

A guy who could really play with children wouldn't be bad.

From the orphanage to the city gate was only a ten-minute ride, but Field deliberately slowed down the carriage, taking twenty minutes to reach the gate.

"We agreed, no crying," Field reminded.

"Yeah, no crying!" Veena and the group of little girls said stubbornly, their eyes red.

"Good." Field nodded, then lifted the four little girls into the air, catching them with open arms.

"Don't close your eyes, I'm going to give you a thrilling ride," Field grinned mischievously, then jumped off the carriage, swiftly dashing away.

"Waaaah!" The little girls screamed, Veena's scream being the loudest.

But their excitement outweighed their fear.

It only took Field less than a minute to return to the orphanage with the little girls.

When he put them down, their hair was tousled.

"I still want to play, I want to play more!" Veena raised her hand and said.

Field laughed heartily, ruffling her hair. "Next time, I'll take you to the academy with your sister."

"Promise me, you'll take us to play next time!" Veena said.

"Definitely!" Field nodded, then handed the children over to Grandma Lunnar before rushing back to the city gate in a sprint.

"You really don't mind trouble," Hollan smiled.

"What's the trouble in this?" Field laughed heartily, then snapped the reins. "Let's go!"

In the carriage, Veena watched Field's smiling face and the glimmer in his eyes beneath his hair, and a soft light appeared in her own eyes.

The carriage drove out of the city and into the wilderness.

It was apparently Veena's first time going so far from the city. She held onto her parcels tightly, looking a bit nervous.

"Relax, silly mushroom," Field turned around and smiled.

Upon hearing this, Veena murmured softly, "I'm not silly."

"In that case, I'll call you Little Mushroom," Field chuckled mischievously, as if teasing this girl brought him endless joy.

Veena hesitated for a moment, then stretched out a finger from her sleeve without saying a word.

Seeing this, Field raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter? One year older, and I still call you Little Mushroom."

Veena immediately withdrew her finger, lowered her head, looking a bit aggrieved.

Hollan watched the interaction between the two, feeling both amused and annoyed. She reached out and lightly slapped Field. "You dare to bully her while I'm here!"

"I wouldn't dare," Field chuckled awkwardly.

"I saw it with my own eyes, and you still deny it?" Hollan pouted.

"Sometimes seeing isn't believing, right? If you don't trust me, ask her if I've bullied her," Field said, laughing.

Hollan turned to Veena, gently linking her arm with hers, and said, "If he bullies you, you tell the mentor, and I'll make sure he gets punished!"

Veena shook her head repeatedly. "No, he didn't bully me..."

"Hehehe," Field chuckled.

"...Still laughing!" Hollan gave Field another pat and said, "It's just that Veena is gentle. Other people might not let you bully them like this."

Field laughed and then said slowly, "Hollan mentor, can you guarantee that no one will bully Veena in Heidis?"

"Of course!" Hollan said. "As long as I'm there, no student would dare to bully Veena."

But Field shook his head. "It seems like you really don't understand Veena."

"Why do you say that?" Hollan frowned.

Field didn't look back but said calmly, "Have you ever seen Veena's true appearance?"

"Erm..." Hollan suddenly froze, turning to look at Veena.

She suddenly realized that she... indeed had never seen the true face of this girl.

"If you lift her bangs and take a look, then I'll ask you again," Field said calmly.

Hollan hesitated, but still looked at Veena and asked, "Is it okay?"

Veena hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

Hollan slowly lifted her bangs.

And then, she froze.

And then, she fell silent.

Field's voice came after that.

"Hollan mentor, now, can you guarantee that no one will bully Veena in Heidis?"

"I..." This time, Hollan's answer lacked the certainty from before.

Because when she saw Veena's face, she knew.

If Veena were to show her true face, it would cause quite a stir.

Those who set their eyes on Veena wouldn't just be the students of Heidis anymore.

This world is cruel.

Having a beautiful face without corresponding strength or background can sometimes be a curse.

Think about Hilda.

Her beauty shocked the entire Heidis and even the city of Grilagar. At least half of the more than 3,000 students at Heidis were her loyal followers, and not just students, even mentors and many nobles in Grilagar admired her.

Sounds impressive, doesn't it?

But what if Hilda didn't have the corresponding strength and background?

Being targeted by so many people wouldn't be a good thing.

Not all nobles can uphold their noble demeanor.

Not all strong people can restrain themselves.

When a girl as beautiful as an angel appears in front of them, and she's powerless, how many people can control their desires?

Protecting Veena... Perhaps Hollan's status isn't low, and her strength isn't weak, but if someone stronger and with a bigger background sets their eyes on Veena, how should she respond?

This is the real reason behind Field's questioning.

"Can you?" Field asked.

"I..." Hollan bit her lip and said, "I will do everything I can to protect her!"

"A great answer," Field nodded with a smile.

"But I'm different."

"How so?" Hollan was a bit unconvinced.

"I'm a mercenary. I have no scruples, and I can do whatever I want!" Field looked ahead, but his words were strong and decisive.

"Remember what I told you before?"

"Freedom beyond the rules!"

"If someone bullies her, your approach is to do your best to protect her."

"And my approach is..."

"To ruthlessly eliminate anyone who dares to bully her!"

"Annihilation is protection!"

"Do you understand, Hollan mentor?"

With that, Field turned around, grinned, and his teeth seemed to gleam.

"I can guarantee that no one but me can bully her!"