50-55

Chapter 50: Ambush

Reborn: I'm A Dragon Girl With An OP System

Night set in after making quite a bit of ground. The bandits were currently nice and warm in their holes with their heads sticking out. Since it looked like it was going to rain, I even put some big leaves over their heads. Whether it would protect them or not is another story.

"Umm…. Miss. Can we talk about this?" The bald headed bandit seemed to not like my little setup.

"Huh!?" I turned, and with a furrowed brow, I unsheathed my sword and began walking over to him. For some reason, his face paled, and he began sweating. "Wait. Never mind. Haha! The temperature is just right. I think I can sleep wonderfully tonight."

"Oh? Then I am glad all my hard work was not in vain. I could have sworn you were about to complain." I gave him a blossoming smile that would warm anyone's heart. But I am sure to him, it was as if he was looking at a devil. I mean, I had the horns for it!

"Haha, why would I complain when you have gone out of your way. Look at the pretty leaf! It is perfect to keep the weather off my face. I thank you kindly." The bandit grinned, showing me a toothy smile. "Then I will be off to find us dinner."

Sadly I still had to feed the bandits. I get more money for them being alive from what I know. Bandits that are kept alive can be used for prison labor. Also known as another form of slavery but only for those who commit crimes. This did not discriminate on race or even gender. If you committed a crime that was not worthy of death, instead of sitting around inside some cell someplace mooching off the taxes of the people, you were sent to do hard labor. Mining and other jobs that would require a lot of people. The kingdom ensured a roof over their head and two meals a day. But they worked from sunup to sundown. While I personally think this is the proper way to handle prisoners, I am sure some human rights activists on Earth would have screamed unfairness!

At any rate, having them buried up to their heads means they will not do anything stupid. I even solidified the ground, so they were basically frozen in time except for their heads. I was about to head off into the woods nearby when I stopped and thought for a moment. "Oh right! If you have to go to the bathroom, do it now because we will not be stopping for you to do your thing on the road."

I also did not wish to see anything I shouldn't since they would all need to be near me while they went. At least this way, I can spray them with water until they don't stink any more afterwards. But now, with this reminder out of the way, I put up a circle of rock dirt around their heads before I walked into the forest to try to find a place to eat. I was not going to share my food with them, of course, I would find them some food, but it will probably be some leaves from a tree. Just enough to keep them alive until we make it to the next village. As for the circle of dirt, it was fortified with a protection spell so no one could break through it. I couldn't have people stealing my paid day, now could I?

I quickly found a good spot for a campfire and gathered a bunch of rocks and sticks. Once it was set up, I tossed a small puff of my dragon breath on it to light it on fire. Dragon breath was indeed handy. I wish I could use it in front of others. But if I did I could be giving away the fact that I was actually a dragon. Then I would be in for all kinds of problems.

But now, with the fire lit, I could begin roasting a monster chickig. A chickig tasted like chicken and bacon merged together. It is to die for if you add a bit of salvaini spice. This kind of spice was not something you would find on Earth, at least, it was not something I had ever tasted before. It was a peppery, spicy taste but had a refreshing aftertaste. It is very hard to describe. But by sprinkling some of this on and rubbing it into the meat, then roasting it over the fire slowly, it was to die for. My mother would get mad at me and my father for eating out in the woods at night.

I sat and watched the flickering of the flame. Besides the bandits I have following me around, this was actually my first time being alone outside at night. In a way, it was kind of exciting while at the same time a little lonely. I had always been with others, so this was really different for me. Even in my past life, I had always had someone around. I sat back and looked up at the cloudy skies above and sighed. "I can't even see the stars…."

It would be fine if I could gaze at the stars just a little bit, but the threat of incoming rain ruins my mood. Makes me feel dreary and lazy. No sooner than when I thought this, I felt a drop of rain fall on my head. I pursed my lips and waved my hand, creating a protective dome over the area so I could eat in peace. "Now that I think about it, those guys may drown…. Detection!"

I sent out my vision over to where the heads were sticking up out of the ground and waved my hand once more, creating a protective dome around them. "That should keep them from dying." With nothing better to do, I began drawing in the dirt while I waited for my chickig to cook. It was a thick thigh leg, so it took a while, almost thirty minutes until it was finally roasted just right. I happily took it off the fire and bit into it. It smelt and tasted so good I even had drool running down my chin.

"Not bad for my first time… But still… It is not as good as father's. I still have a long way to go, I guess." As I ate, my right ear twitched. I heard a cracking sound coming from the forest. I still ignored it as nothing could get through my barrier unless it was someone powerful. So I kept munching on my chickig thigh leg.

Not long after, I watched as a group of monsters I had never seen before came out of the forest. There were at least thirty in total. Each one was about half my height and had bodies shaped like a lion but with thick scales on their back and long narrow heads that had a strange looking mouth. I watched as one in front of me opened its mouth, which split its head into three sections revealing rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth. "Oh? A nerdal! I saw pictures of them in that book!"

It didn't dawn on me until their heads split. It was a unique feature to the nerdals. They were creatures that could eat anything, and I mean anything. The nerdals were also large pack hunters. They never had fewer than one hundred in their pack at all times, which meant. That there were many more that had yet to show themselves. They were also very smart, so to fight them, you would need to be overly powerful and smarter than them. I just so happened to fit both categories. "If I am not wrong, aren't their hides worth a lot of money?"

I kept thinking about it trying to remember where I got this information from. I then remembered a conversation I had with one of the merchants. He said the hide of a normal sized nerdal, if in perfect condition, would go for around twenty silver, more if it was bigger. "Hehe…." I rubbed my hands together. I mean, this was a lot of money in front of me. I just had to kill them without damaging their hide. This meant stabbing them through the mouth or casting a spell down their throats. This was why it cost so much for a single perfect hide. The way to kill it was to get up close and personal with it.

For me, this was no problem. At least I hoped…. But first thing is first, I need to finish dinner. I can't fight on an empty stomach, right? It also seems that my chickig might be what attracted them here, which made things better. Since they were so smart, I could use this to anger them and make them stick around until I was done. So I started to eat my chickig with gusto while making all kinds of smacking sounds with my lips. "So good… Mmmm! Oh wow! So tender…. Yes, this is right…."

Yandex Games

If anyone were to walk by at this time and heard my words, they would think something naughty was going on. But I swear I am only eating my chickig! Luckily my noises did seem to anger them because the nerdals were charging at my barrier, trying to break in.

It was just when I was about to finish eating when it happened. "How dare you attack a fair maiden!"

Yes, I watched as a young man in knight's armor jumped from only god knows where, landed next to my barrier, and began slashing his sword and firing magic at the nerdals. Yes, he was just slashing away, cutting them up into bits and pieces… Yes, the twenty silver a piece hides were being ruined right in front of my eyes. I could feel the money slipping away. "You damn idiot! Stop! Stop attacking! No, you're ruining it! My twenty silver!"

Why is this idiot here!? Why is he ruining my money!? This is all I could think as I did away with my barrier, and instead of going to kill nerdals, I went at the stupid idiot! "Wait, Miss! Why are you attacking me!?"

"Because you're a damn idiot!"

I couldn't believe it. In a matter of seconds, he had killed so many of the nerdals that my heart felt like it was bleeding. "Three gold! Three gold you destroyed!" Three whole gold!

"What three gold!? Hey, stop swinging your sword at me! Wait, why are you firing magic at me!? Was I not saving you!?" This idiot just did not seem to understand! I already told him to stop attacking, but he won't listen!

"You idiot! Who needs your saving!? I was happily luring them over while I ate dinner, and you came along, destroying my precious materials! Twenty silver! Twenty silver for each one you killed! Pay me now!" I did not care if this stupid boy had to strip naked and give me all the armor he was wearing. He would need to cough up my three gold!

"What!? Wait, you were luring them!?" I could see this kid was not all that bright. But I had to admit he was very strong. With my strength, he was able to defend against my attacks just now without losing any ground. We actually tied in strength. This truly surprised me. 𝒊n𝓃𝗿e𝚊𝒅. Co𝚖

"Yes, I was! Now, pay me five gold!" I yelled, stomping my feet. My money! Normally I would not be so greedy, but I had everything planned as soon as I saw the nerdals, and this idiot… this idiot ruined it all!

"Five gold!? You said three!"

"That's because you keep killing them!"

"They keep attacking me!"-.

"Then let them kill you!"

"No!"

I do not know if the nerdals seemed to have decided to side with me, but they were going all out to kill the young man while ignoring me. And me? I was busy defending my precious silver! Since we were fighting to a stalemate, I changed tactics and began blocking the young man's ability to fight the nerdals.

"Why are you doing this!?" The young man yelled out.

"Because you owe me money! Look how many you killed! Why did you have to be Mr. Knight In Shining Armor when I was trying to eat!? Go save someone who wants to be saved!" I really have no idea why I was getting so angry, but it seemed the more I spoke to this idiot, the angrier I got. I just wished he would take a hint and leave.

"How could I, the one destined to be the hero of the land, let a young girl fight such terrifying beasts on her own!?" What is this some kind of wanna be hero syndrome!?

"I guess… I will need to get serious then… Accelerate!"

"What!?"

*Bam!*

I smacked the young man as hard as I could in the back of the neck, causing him to drop to the ground. I then grabbed him and swung him around a few times before tossing him like a bag of trash towards the road. "Hah! I should have done that, to begin with!"

I held my head and shook it before glancing at the nerdals that were still around, looking at me as if I was their hero. I felt no more killing intent from them, which made me not want to kill them anymore. But that thought only lasted for a second before I began attacking. I guess my sudden change in attitude startled them because I pried one of their mouths open and shoved a fireball down its throat. Brutal, I know, but this was the best method. It only took me killing one of them to understand I was still an enemy as they began attacking me left and right. Fifteen minutes later, I finally had thirty nerdal corpses in my inventory. Sadly the ones from before all got chopped to pieces by Mr. Idiot.

Now I am not only in a bad mood, but it was also raining, so I am also soaked. "I still need to sell the stupid bandits…. Which means I need to feed them." I was too tired and lazy at this point to look for proper edible food, so I just grabbed a branch off a tree with a bunch of leaves and figured it would do.

I stuck up a barrier over my head while I used heating to dry myself off. Only when I was completely dry did I head back. But who would have thought that on my way back, Mr. Knight In Shining Armor was up to his old tricks again? "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing? I am trying to save these poor souls who were buried up to their heads by some demon." The young man answered me without even looking back at me. He was currently bashing away at the barrier around the bandits in the ground. On top of that, he just called me a demon!

"So you not only want to kill my nerdals, but you also want to take my bounty on those bandits!? Are you a thief!? Fireball!" I tossed out a fireball without much thought. I was sick of this kid just butting in where it did not belong!

"Why are you attacking me again!? Can't you see these people need help!?" The young man quickly jumped back and stared at me with an aggrieved expression. While the young man was handsome, with his blonde hair and blue eyes, he was a total idiot.

"Those are bandits that I caught that I am taking back to the nearest town, and you want to free them!?" I mean, come on. Why do I have to run into such a weirdo as soon as I start my journey?

"Bandits?" I watched as the young man lowered his sword and scratched his head. "Even if they are bandits, can't you at least treat them better?"

"You really are stupid! Why would anyone give good conditions for the bandits they caught!? They murder and sell people for a living to steal their goods. And you want to treat them nicely?" My chest heaving up and down. This idiot's only purpose in life was to anger me, I swear.

"Why do you keep calling me stupid this, idiot that?"

"Because you are a one hundred percent idiot! Can you at least take a look at the situation before you act? No, no, please don't forget that. How about this. Give me the seven gold you owe me and be on your way."

"Seven gold!? You said it was only five before!"

"Because you owe me ten gold for all the nerdal material you destroyed!" In truth, he only owed me five gold. There were not that many nerdals, to begin with. But since he was an idiot and was wasting my time, I figured I would tack on a bit of compensation. I mean, there is no harm in taking a little kickback for the headache he has given me, right?

"Why is it ten now!?" I had to hold my tongue because I almost burst out laughing, looking at the young man's pathetic face.

"Ahem…" I cleared my throat and slowly spoke. "Because you are making me deal with an idiot. So quickly pay up, oh hero of justice."

"I don't have it!" The young man said proudly.

"So you are not going to pay what you owe? Then take off all your armor and give me your sword. I can at least sell it for some compensation." I mean, something was better than nothing. This would also give him a good lesson in not just jumping in when it is not needed. Whether he truly felt I needed saving or not has nothing to do with me. I am someone who only cares about those close to me everyone else can shoo away. Of course, if I saw someone in need of help, I would probably try to help them, but this was beside the point. I, however, would make sure that whoever I was helping truly needed my help.

"No…. I need them both. Plus, if I give them to you, I would have nothing else to wear."

"What you wear has nothing to do with me, just take it off and give it to me!" I couldn't take it anymore and walked right over to the young man and took his sword before I began pulling on his armor.

"Miss! I swear I will pay you back, please let me keep my armor!"

"A hero should always pay their debts!" I suddenly realized I was no different from a bandit right now. While he did owe me money, I was also starting to feel conflicted. One thing I did notice was that this entire time he had not looked down on me for being a demi. I sighed and let go of his armor and gave back his sword.

"Fine, keep it. But if you go to the capital, look me up at the magic academy. My name is Faith Cyrilia. You owe me twenty gold from this day forth. So if you do not give it to me by the next time we meet, I will strip your armor off you." In light of him not being a demi hater, I can only do this.

"Twenty gold… Alright, I, Charles Doli, swear on my path to being a hero that I will one day pay you back, miss Faith." He doesn't even have a heroic name!

"Then Charles, I will be waiting. Now then, I need to feed my bandits, so I will not keep you." I didn't even wait for his reply before walking through my barrier and undoing the mound of dirt surrounding the heads in the ground. I then began ripping leaves off the tree branch and placing them in front of the bandits' faces. "I didn't have time to find anything proper, so make do with this. Although I am not sure if they are poisonous or not…."

"Miss, we can go without the food…." I heard the bald headed bandit say. I looked over at him and drew my sword. "Waa! Look at these tasty leaves. I can't wait to eat them."

Seeing the bandits all eat the leaves happily, I nodded my head in satisfaction. I turned around to go prepare a spot for me to make camp, only to see that the idiot was still standing there. Drenched from the rain staring at me. "Why haven't you left yet?"

"I wanted to know why are you so strong?" Charles asked suddenly. To be honest, I also wanted to know why he was so strong. I mean, my stats were off the charts.

[Humanoid Form]

[Name]: Faith Cyrilia

[Age] 12 𝓲𝓷nr𝒆𝚊d. 𝘤𝑜𝘮

[Level] 42

[Race] Dragonic-.

[HP] 20000/20000

[MP] ∞

[Attack Power] 19600

[Magic Power] 19600

[Status Points] 495

[Strength] 1960

[Vitality] 2000

[Intelligence] 1960

[Mind] ∞

[Agility] 1960

[Skill Points] 11

[Skills]

[Appraisal (LVL 10(MAX))] [Military Command (LVL 10(MAX))] [Military Tactics (LVL 10(MAX))]

On top of my stats being off the charts, I still had status points I could use, which may give me an edge over the young man, but the thing was, was that I was a dragon, and he seemed to be human from what I could tell. "How about telling me how a human is able to be this strong at your age."

"Because I am the hero!" Charles stated proudly, causing me to hold my head. Did he really think just because he said he was a hero that, that would explain his strength?

"No, really, how are you so strong? For me, I am a demi, so it's only natural for me to be stronger. It's just I have never met a human near my age that was just as strong as I am." This was true. My family was mostly made up of half demis. While my mother was strong, she was only strong in magic. My father and brother were both strong due to their dragonkin blood. But even then, excluding my father, since I am not sure how strong he is exactly, I was still stronger than my brother. But here, a human boy who was around my age had strength equal to my own, and even then, I still do not know if he is holding back or not.

I watched as Charles crossed his arms in front of him and fell into thought. "I think it started the day I had a strange dream and some beautiful woman in white with large ti…."

"Get on with it!"

"Ahem…." Charles' cheeks turned slightly red as he cleared his throat. "The woman said something about how this world needs a hero, so she was granting me the strength to become one. But I had to go out into the world and make people recognize me to become strong. Since then, I have been strong. Although I do remember this one time when I was around five that my mother asked me to pick some radishes, and I came back with a tree."

I held my head. This kid was just born stupidly strong, and I emphasize the word stupidly. I mean, who mistakes a tree for a radish!? They look nowhere near the same! Plus, if he was able to pull a tree out of the ground at such a young age, what the hell was the story just now about some lady in white? Fantasy? Did he just toss one of his fantasies at me!?

"Ummm? Why are you making such a scary face?" Yes, I was glaring at the boy. I just wanted him to leave so I could finally sleep.

"You got your answer, so please go. I need to rest." I waved him off, not wanting to waste any more words on him. The sky was already dark, and I wanted to get up at first light.

"Then I will be off. If you are ever in need, remember Charles, the hero of Gravos, will come running! Just call out my name, oh Hero of Gravos, save me, and I will appear. Good day, fair m…. Ouch hey! Don't throw boulders at me!"

"Then shut up and go!"

"Alright, I will go!"

I watched as Charles walked away with slumped shoulders. I let out a sigh of relief seeing him go. At least now I could finally sleep. I walked over to where my bandits were and undid the barrier over my head, and created a small room made of dirt. It was not too big, just big enough for me to sit inside and lean up against the wall to close my eyes. But before entering, I rebuilt the dirt wall around the bandits' heads to keep them out of sight. While my barrier would keep others out, it was not foolproof. That is why for good measure, I also set up a few landmine spells around the area.

Only when I was satisfied did I tell the bandits to get some sleep before retreating to my little dirt hut. After placing a small fireball in the center to keep the place warm, did I finally find a comfortable spot and sit down. I am not sure if it was because of how troublesome the day was or not, but my eyelids did not seem to be able to stay open, and I slowly fell into a slumber….

The next morning the rain had stopped, and the sun was high in the sky. To get rid of the bandits sooner, I decided to speed things up with the spell, accelerate. While the bandits screamed for mercy, I arrived at the next town by noon. But when I saw the town, I couldn't help but feel that it felt more like a city. Tall buildings made of wood rose up over the huge stone walls that surrounded the town. The only entrance seemed to be the big gates to the city. "If I remember correctly, this place is called Hammerlin…."

I walked up to the gate with the tear filled bandits behind me. Of course, the guards quickly stopped me. "State your business." A guard that looked to be in his mid forties called out. Although the way he said it sounded rude, he did not have any harsh tone behind his words.

"I came to claim a bounty on these bandits," I said while pulling on the rope behind me. To my surprise, the bald headed bandit dropped to his knees and began confessing all his ins. "Sir, guard, please arrest us, we are no good bandits that rob and kill people. We even sell women and children off to slave traders. If I am not wrong, I even have a three silver bounty on my head."

"I have a one silver bounty!"

"Mine is two!"

Was this some kind of contest to see who was worth more!? Was my treatment that bad that they would rather be sent to do hard labor than stay another second with me? I have a sudden urge to make them travel all the way to the capital with me! I will show them a thing or two. I mean, even the guard is giving me a strange look! "Maybe I should just wait until I get to the capital…."

"No, no! Miss, you do not need us dragging you down. You can just as easily get our bounties here in this town. Why would you want some dirty, disgusting men following you around?" I watched as the head bandit turned to his men behind him and shouted: "What are you all standing around for? Quickly come to the guard and give him your name! We all got some form of bounty on us! Quickly help the Miss here get paid." The bald headed bandit seemed to have drunk too much caffeine as he ordered his men around. I was truly at a loss for words.

"So, will you be turning them in or not?" The guard next to me asked. I could tell he was unsure of what to do at this time.

I sighed and waved my hand. "Yeah. Take them."

"Then please follow me to the headquarters."

I nodded and handed my rope over to the guard. For some reason, the bandits all started cheering and happily followed after the guard as if they had just gotten away from a horrible monster. But I do not think I was that bad. I kept them safe. I fed them. I even kept the rain off their heads but yet they still seemed to be glad to be getting away from me. I let out a long sigh as I followed after the guard.

When I passed through the gates, I was met with the hustle and bustle you would expect from a large town. The streets were packed with people walking to and fro. The buildings were tall and made me crane my neck just to see the tops of them. The bases were made of stone, while the rest was wood and plaster, from what I could tell. Each building had six or seven floors. I was quite surprised at how big they were. What lined the streets were small stalls where vendors were selling their goods. I made a note to check them out later to see if anything interesting was being sold. "I guess I can consider this officially starting my journey…."

The guard headquarters was a four story building that was on the main road, surrounded by a short log fence. It was set back further because the front yard was used for training. It did not take a genius to figure this out because the yard was full of straw and wooden dummies for practicing, and a few guards were outside swinging their swords. There was even a large circular patch of dirt that a few other guards were at, two of which were sparring in the center. To be honest, I kind of wanted to test them out myself to see how strong they were, but I held back. Not that they would let me anyway but it was still fun to think about it.

"By the way, my name is Jack." The guard, who had been quiet this entire time, suddenly spoke up. "I forgot to introduce myself, which was rude of me."

"Nice to meet you, Jack, my name is Faith." I returned his greeting. I was finding it strange that not many people were giving me strange looks. Especially now that I was in the guard station. I wonder if this was one of the rules to join any guard or even the knights, that they had to at least be nice to demi humans.

"It's nice to meet you as well. I should have introduced myself earlier, but to be honest, I have been trying to wrap my head around the fact that you caught bandits, ten at that. Not to mention these guys seem quite scared of you, Haha!" Jack let out a loud laugh. The so called bandits didn't seem to mind either. They even laughed along with him.-.

"Well, they would have been fine if they did not try to stop me." I pursed my lips as I said this. It was because of these bandits that I had to deal with the idiot hero guy.

"Haha! Well, in a way, I am glad they did stop you. The fewer the bandits on the road, the safer it is for the citizens. You would be surprised at how many reports we get each week. Sadly once someone is robbed, whether it be their goods or their women and children, trying to get any of it back is a lost cause." Jack shook his head. I could tell he hated this fact.

"I couldn't just let them go free after they stopped me even if I did beat them up…." I really couldn't tell him the only reason I captured them was because I wanted their treasure. Sometimes it is best to lie.

"That is true. Haha. I thank you. Now then, if you will follow me inside." Jack pushed open the door to the guard headquarters and led me down a small hall to a large room. There was a table in the center of the room, with chairs around it, and a small windowed counter in the wall on my left, with a man sitting on the other side. On the far wall to my right was a more comfortable seating area with cushioned chairs lined up against the walls. It reminded me of a doctor's office when you went to visit and had to wait your turn. Besides that, there was a barded door that led to another hallway leading further inside the building next to the window on my left.

"Faith, I will ask you to wait here while we confirm their bounties and file the proper paperwork. Bringing in bandits also raises your merit with the kingdom, so it is good to make sure everything is on file. Plus, this way, you know you are getting the correct amounts."

"Okay." I nodded my head and turned to go sit in one of the chairs. Surprisingly enough, the chairs had open spots in the back and were pulled away from the wall to accommodate demi humans. While it only took into account for tails, I could still easily sit in it with my wings pressed against my back.

I looked around the room a bit and pursed my lips with how boring the room was. There was nothing on the white walls, not even pictures. It was a gloomy room that gave nothing for the eye to look at. If there was a picture, I could at least stare at it and nitpick it until Jack returned but sadly, I could only look at the white ceiling that had a bunch of bumps in it and start counting. Sitting and doing nothing was not something I was able to do unless I was trying to sleep.

While I counted the bumps, I began thinking about what I was going to do for the rest of the day. Since the town I was in seemed okay for demi humans, I figured I would do what I never got a chance to do before, and that was to browse the stalls and try out some of the food the town had to offer.

Wandermere used to have the same kind of setup until the lynching and the splitting of the village. While small, it still gave a place for the locals to sell what they had to others. So I was kind of excited to see what the town had to offer.

I ended up waiting almost thirty minutes before Jack came back from the back room with a stack of papers in his hands. "Sorry for the wait. I never thought that all ten would really have bounties. I hate to say it, but you will need to sign quite a few forms."

"Okay." I got up from my seat and walked over to the table in the middle of the room. Jack began sorting the files out into ten stacks.

"The top page is the information on the bounty and how much the bounty is for. The second page is your authorization for us to take them in, and the second to last page is confirming that you received the bounties in full. And lastly, we need your signature, a drop of blood, and magic injection to make sure that you do not miss out on the merits. When dealing with merits that are not officially going through proper channels from the kingdom, like being a knight under the kingdom or going through the mercenary guild, you will have to fill out this form each time. You can also gain merits at the royal academy as well. But for a normal civilian, we have to have these forms of signatures so they can be filed and sent to the capital. When or if you ever register at any of the places I mentioned, you also have to register your signature, blood, and magic." Jack's explanation confused me a bit because I did not know anything about merit points.

"Jack, what do these merit points do for you? What use do they have?" I asked. I mean, if you do not know, it is best to ask.

"Merit points are used to allow even a commoner to reach a higher noble rank. Although you would need a lot, you can reach the rank of baron or higher if you gathered enough merit points." So basically, it was a means to rise through the ranks. It made me wonder just how many nobles this kingdom really had.

I thanked Jack for his explanation before quickly signing all the forms. By the time I was done, my hand ached from grasping the quill. I think at some point, I should really introduce an actual pen. Making such things would be easy. A metal pen with ink injected inside and a small ball at the end. Pressing down and writing will allow the ink to escape, I should probably have the parts made later on to try it out. I wonder if this kingdom has a thing called patents. This way, after it is made, I can sell it exclusively under my name.

After finishing the paperwork, Jack handed over a small pouch full of silver coins. "Fifteen silver in total. Also, take this." Jack handed me a small card. "This is your pass. It is good for three days. Normally they cost three copper, but since you have done a good deed, this one is free. You will need it if you get stopped by a guard."

I see, so it seems there was a kind of citizenship when it came to towns. You needed proper identification if you planned to stay for long periods of time in the town, which made sense since if someone committed a crime, those in town could be tracked with these cards. I could even feel a bit of magic in it. A tracking function was my best guess. To be honest, with how this world was all over the place with technology, I was not surprised. 𝙞𝚗n𝓇𝘦аd.＆nbsp;𝗰𝘰𝚖

By having everyone carrying a form of identification, if someone committed a crime, it would be easy to find out who it was or if the person was even allowed to be in town. You probably had to get one of these before entering town, so unless you scaled the walls, you were stuck getting one. And if you tossed it afterward, then the guards would easily find it and then begin searching for you. Very intuitive for town protection.

"Thanks!" I once again gave my thanks before exiting the guard headquarters and making my way to the street. Now I could finally check out the stalls. I feel like eating some meat….

Sadly before I could even think about the stalls, I had to find a place to sell my nerdals. I had at least a few golds worth which would allow me to shop a bit more. "Excuse me." I stopped in front of a shop that was run by an older woman. I had spotted her setting things up before going into the guard headquarters. She looked to be in her mid forties and was on the bigger side, but when she turned and looked at me, she did not show any disgust at all. Hearing me call out to her, the older woman turned and smiled brightly at me before walking over.

"What can I do for you, young lady?" I really was quite surprised at the way people welcomed demi humans in this town. While I did feel a few malicious gazes, most people didn't even pay attention to me. Those that did look at me would smile before going about their things.

Compared to the stares and whispers I got back in Wandermere, this town was like a safe haven for all demi humans. Of course, this was only speculation. Who knows, if they were not all gloating inside and at some point, I would become part of some game where I am given some food rations and had to run away from all the humans trying to kill me. If I survive for a certain amount of time, I win. At any rate, for the time being, they were all being nice to me.

"Yes, can you tell me where I can sell materials from nerdals? Is there an armorsmith around?" I did not know exactly who I was to bring this to, so I figured an armorsmith of some kind would be best. And since I did not know what the town had for craftsmen, I figured the term armorsmith would work best.

"Nerdals? You actually have materials from nerdals? Hmmm, if you are going to sell them and want to get the most out of them, you can sell them to the mercenary guild down the street. Just keep going until you see the big sign with the skull and swords. I never understood why they chose such a signboard, but that is the best place to sell materials. As for an armorsmith, There is the blacksmith and the leatherworking shop. I have never heard of any armorsmith."-.

"Thank you! When I sell my materials, I will be sure to stop by and buy a few things as my way of saying thanks." I waved at the older woman and ran off. I could hear her telling me I didn't have to buy anything but. She was selling what looked to be some kind of pastry, and I wanted to try it anyway.

The mercenary guild was not hard to find. It was a fairly big building with huge doors at the entrance, and as the older woman had said, there was a big sign with a skull and sword. The swords were piercing through the skull. Kinda made it seem like a bandit hideout than a mercenary guild. But nonetheless, I was here to sell things, and if I can get more money coming here, then I would do just that. Although…. I walked over to the side and sat down, and opened my menu. "Let's see…. Business…. Business…. Ah, here we go…. Business Tycoon! A skill that allows me to be the best of the best when it comes to business. Not only does it allow me to understand how to make a successful business, but it also allows me to know when someone is trying to rip me off. A kind of business sense."

And so I took the skill Business Tycoon and maxed it out. This was probably the best all-rounder skill because even if I had to hide in another kingdom someplace, I could always rely on this skill to make me money in the future and forge a new path if need be.

[Business Tycoon (LVL 10(MAX))]

With that set, I walked into the mercenary guild with my head held high. However, as soon as I stepped through the door, a loud voice echoed through the big hall. "What the hell is a demi doing in here!?" A young man with spiked hair yelled out. To be honest, I do not even know what made him act so tough. He was just as skinny as I was, and I'm a little girl! He looked like a bad take on the evil villain from some crappy movie made back on Earth. With his sharp pointy green spiky hair and loose fitting leather armor, I really wondered how he even fought in such a getup.

"Bastard, Jerad, apologize this instant!" A woman at another table yelled out. "You dare pick on a little girl!?"

"Gesel, shut up and mind your own business! You know more than anyone how much I hate demis." Bastard Jerad answered. He really had a unique name, it seemed to fit him well.

"You! Just because that rabbitkin told you off in public, you now hate all demi humans!? Are you an idiot?" Oh ho ho? Do we have some kind of drama going on in Bastard Jerad's life? So basically, he was rejected and told off, and now he hates everyone.

"Damnit. Gesel, I will kill you!" Bastard Jerad seemed to have lost his cool. But I think this young woman named Gesel did it on purpose because as soon as Bastard Jerad charged at her, she turned to me and winked. For a woman who was full of muscles, she was a very kind person. And by muscles, I mean they were bigger than my father's. Anyway, never judge a book by its cover. Sometimes they got unique names like Bastard Jerad. This is the lesson I will take home from this little incident. As for Bastard Jerad, he was knocked out cold without even being able to put up a fight. As I thought, he was rather weak.

I walked up to the counter and rang the small bell to the side that was used to call the person in the back. "Can I help you?" A young man with glasses walked over and sat down behind the counter. To be honest, I was just barely tall enough to see over the counter. It made me realize just how short I was.

"Yes, I need to sell quite a few nerdals hides…. Well, more like the entire monster." I hoped they would take the entire corpse, or I would need to take up the skill needed to harvest monster skins. And to be honest, I really did not wish to take up such a trade. But now that I am thinking about monsters. For some reason, I did not feel my ancient will at all when I killed the nerdals. I wonder if it is because of the way I killed them or some other factor that is now restraining it. Well, whatever the reason is, I am grateful for it.

"Little Miss, I do not see any nerdals with you." The young man's words brought me back from my thoughts.

"One second." I reached out to my side and grabbed a nerdal from my inventory. With a loud bang, it fell to the floor.

"Hot damn spatial magic!" I heard a loud, gruff voice yell out behind me. Spatial magic was a thing? I never heard about it, but by the surprised look and the fact that someone knew about it, I guess it was. It was also at this time that I realized that I did forget that people did not have inventories like me, which is a big blunder on my behalf.

"Little lady, to think you are able to use such a high ranked spell… How about joining my merc group?" The gruff man ran over to me and reached out to take my hands. I instinctively reached for my sword.

"Fred!" Gesel, who had come up behind the gruff man, grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back. "You were about to lose that hand. See how the little lady already has her hand on the hilt of her sword. She is no amateur. Or else she wouldn't have a fully intact nerdal with no damage on it."

After scolding Fred, Gesel smiled at me and pulled me squatted down. She was like six foot five, so while she was standing, I had to crane my neck to look up at her. So it was nice of her to squat down to my level. "Little miss. I suggest never showing that magic to anyone. People might even try to kidnap you. Luckily the only one here who would do such a thing was just knocked out by me. Hahaha! Isn't that right, boys?"

"Right! Gesel knows us best. We could care less about spatial magic, but little lass. There are merchants and a few other not so noble individuals who will try to covet your magic as it is only something top mages can cast. So be careful." i𝙣𝒏r𝚎𝑎𝙙. 𝒄૦m

"I will… Well, since I already showed it to you once, can I take out the rest of the nerdals?" I did not want to cause any issues, but it was hard to pull out the nerdals if I couldn't access my inventory.

"Wait, you have more!?"

"Mmm…" I nodded my head and began pulling the nerdals out one by one soon, there was a pile of dead nerdals taking up a large area. The way I killed them made it, so no blood got anywhere, so besides the dirt on their bodies, there wouldn't be a huge mess to clean up.

"This is insane!" Gesel yelled out. I could see where she was coming from after all to her I was just a small girl who looked frail.

"Ahem…" Mr. Glasses behind the counter cleared his throat. I turned to look at him with eyes full of expectation. "I can see that each one is in very good condition. The standard market price for a nerdal hide in pristine condition is twenty silver. Since we will need to skin them ourselves, I will give you fifteen silver each."

"Oh! Not bad. To think even Mr. Stickler over here was willing to give a decent price for once." Gesel commented. I can only guess that Mr. Glasses is someone who always lowers the price of things to save the guild money. Which is not a bad practice but sadly for him, I did not take the skill 'business tycoon' for no reason.

"Wait!…." I raised my hand, stopping everyone from continuing. I walked over to the counter and looked Mr. Glasses in the eyes, and asked: "You said the guild will be skinning them. So does that mean the guild will also create items with the materials?"

"Huh? Yes, we do. We do all the craftsmanship and then sell them to our mercenaries." My lips curled up hearing this. This means they would be making a bigger profit. Why should I get the short end of the stick when they will be making out like bandits.-.

"So if you will be selling them which will, in the end, make you a huge profit, why are you not buying them from me at market price? If I am not wrong, even the meat of the nerdal is worth a few silver. Since you will still make out on the deal, should you not at least be offering twenty two silver per nerdal?" I watched as Mr. Glasses' business smile cracked.

"You are really shrewd for your age." My smile widened as I gave a small bow. "Thank you."

"The highest I can go is eighteen silver each." I shook my head and waved my hand putting all the nerdals back into my inventory. "I am not so hard up for money that I would sell my things for lower than market value. Sorry for disturbing you."

With that, I gave my thanks to Gesel and the other man before walking towards the exit of the guild. "Wait! Fine twenty two silver… Geeze…."

I smiled and turned around. The items from a single nerdal will go for triple the amount the hide is worth once the items are created. Not only that, but they can also use the claws and even the teeth of the nerdal to make tools and weapons. So it would have been a bigger loss for me to sell for anything cheaper. 𝑖𝑛𝐧𝓻e𝒶𝗱.＆nbsp;c𝚘𝙢

Very soon, a bunch of workers from the guild came out from the backroom and began hauling the nerdals away. And while they were doing that, I was happily receiving my gold. Seven in total! Hehe, money, money! To be honest, this was the first time in both my lives making so much money. A single gold could be considered like a thousand bucks back on Earth. So for me, someone who never had an actual job making seven gold in a single day was a happy event. Now I could go out and try those pastries!

"Hahaha! I have never seen Mr. Stickler so angry before. His lips and eyes were twitching like mad. You have no idea how many have tried to get him to pay a higher price but always failed, and today he really had no choice since you brought so many nerdals. The armor made with a nerdal hide, if it is a full set, could easily sell for one gold coin. So he is not taking much of a loss. But he will always try to lower the price." Gesel came over and patted my head. "So now that you are rich, what do you plan to do?"

"Mmmm…. There was a pastry stall down the street that I wanted to try out. The older lady that ran it was nice enough to send me here so I could sell my things." I promised I would come back, and I would! I would be sure to buy all her pastries if they were really good. I can stick them into my inventory to save for later. All these years, I have only had Aunty Finna's cookies and some snacks my mother would make, so trying out something new was always fun.

"Oh! Gretta's place. Mind if I tag along? I have been itching to try her new goods." Gesel's eyes lit up as she spoke about the pastries, but I have a feeling that while she was going for the pastries, she was also doing this to give me some protection.

"Sure, let's go! My treat!" I said with a smile. Those who are kind to me, I will be kind to in return. Since Gesel was willing to help me even before I had shown my skills, I would return that kindness in kind. Even if we may only be passing acquaintances.

"Oh! Looks like I will be hugging your thigh for this pastry run then! Hahaha!" As Gesel laughed and so did I. Gesel's smile seemed to brighten the mood of the room even if she did look like the hulk.

"Hey, what about me!?" Fred cried out, chasing after us. I smiled and waved him over, which he quickly smiled back and followed along.

The three of us left the guild and made our way down the street towards Gretta's place. This time as I walked down the road, I really took a good look around at the people on the streets, and I noticed that mixed with the groups of humans were also demi humans. Seeing this I couldn't help but be happy but also purse my lips at the same time. I wondered why this town was so demi human friendly.

"Wondering why there are so many demi's are walking around?" I guess Gesel saw through my thoughts as I heard her question. I nodded my head as I turned to look at her. "Hehe… It is because the town lord is a demi himself. He is nothing more than a small baron, but he has built this town into what it is today. A place where demi humans and humans can walk around freely. No one is treated differently here. Sadly places like this are far and in between. Even in the capital, while the law says anyone caught discriminating against demi humans will be fined or arrested, there is no way to truly control it."

"Gesel, you go to the capital a lot?" This interested me. I knew next to nothing about the capital, so hearing that Gesel has been there, I couldn't pass up this chance to ask her.

"That I have. As a mercenary, going to the capital is something I will do on a regular basis. Although I do happen to like Hammerlin the most. It is a peaceful place with good people. While it still has some bad apples, at least while walking down the street, you will never have to worry about being discriminated against. I do not know what your plans are, but if you're ever looking for a place to settle down in the future, you can always come here. I will help you find a good place to stay. Why do you ask? Are you planning to go to the capital?"

"Yes, I need to reach there in the next few months. I am joining the Royal Magic Academy." I found Gesel very easy going and easy to talk to. Kinda like an older sister.

"The Royal Magic Academy, huh? I also went there." Gesel's eyes narrowed, making me curious as to what she was about to say. "Be careful. That place is a closed box. There are many factions in the school. Some pro demi humans, and some who see them as nothing but inferior beings. I, for one, have always been pro demi humans. After all, when I was young, a tiger beastkin gave his life to save me. But that is just me and the main reason why I fell in love with this town. So always be careful who you befriend in the academy."

I couldn't help but sigh. I kinda figured the capital, the Royal Magic Academy, in particular, was not going to be an easy place to stay at, but I guess strength will silence all. I do not wish to resort to violence, but if I have people harassing me left and right while I am trying to learn, then I will put them in their place, even if they are a prince or even a princess. "Don't worry, I will be sure to take care while I am at the academy."

"Good." Gesel patted my head before walking forward and waving her hand. "Gretta!"

"Oh, Gesel! Are you here for the new creations?" I heard Gretta's voice ring out happily. It seems Gesel was a regular here.

"Haha! The little lady over there is treating me. Now that I think about it. I never caught your name! Haha!" I couldn't help but laugh as well. I also just realized I never gave my name. To be able to get along with someone so well without even knowing the person's name or any formal introduction shows just how well the two of us clicked.

"Then let me formally introduce myself. My name is Faith Cyrilia."

"Wait, did you just say Cyrilia!?"