Chapter 90: Arcanist Mercenary

"Are you really sure about that?"

Seeing that this girl was already set on realising her own dreams, even if it were to end with her dying in the forest within the next few days, Fen couldn't really fight with her proposition anymore. Even though her flesh was no longer glued to his skin, just the fires burning in her eyes were enough to remind the young man of all the pleasure he had last night, and he could have at his hand's reach for as long as he could guarantee her safety and wellbeing on the road!

"You know how pointless this question is. You won't change my mind, dear."

With a hint of joyful denial only enriching Arla's smile, she pulled up one of the bags that she miraculously had already long prepared in wait for the situation like the current one, before straightening up and presenting herself to the young man.

"So… How do I look?"

Turning around on her feet, Arla presented the most beautiful and the least practical outfit that one could take for a journey. With the excess amount of various straps, pockets and all sorts of elements hanging from every inch of her dress, I couldn't deny that Arla looked both cute and adventurous, but I wouldn't go as far as to call her outfit something fitting for the troublesome journey that we had in front of us.

"Sexy as hell, although I won't be able to save you if some bandit or beast catches on those many straps that are hanging down from your clothes…"

This was one thing that Fen couldn't deny. Just a single look at how Arla looked was enough to awaken my instincts and make me look for the nearest bush thick enough to shield us from the public view during the time that I would be undoing all of the girl's hard work of dressing up.

Thankfully, given how long the girl took to prepare for their departure, the two of them couldn't waste any more time or cuddling or fucking around like rabbits. At this point, only the caravan master refusing to take the girl with them could save Fen from the comforts of a young, female body always being there for his lonely times!

"Let's move."

With enough time wasted today already, Fen only shook his head, grabbed Arla's delicate hand and pressed forward. Kicking the doors open like some kind of barbarian, Fen ignored the countless stares of the girls that passed by them as the pair walked out of the chamber and moved towards the exit of the building.

"Arla… didn't you tell that you would let me nibble on him a bit?"

Right as the two of them was about to leave the rose-coloured building, a familiar figure of the cute maid appeared, the same one that guided Fen through this place just yesterday.

"I'm sorry… I didn't have any hopes that he would turn… so accommodating."

Holding herself even tighter to Fen's arm, Arla hid behind his side, as if she was unable to stand the guilt caused by the maid's slightly disappointed look.

"It's okay. This should be the day of your celebration, not guilt."

Stepping forward, this strange maid pulled a small poach from behind her, stuffing it in Arla's hand.

"It would be unbecoming of you to be unable to support your man of choosing like that. This is the money you earned and saved over the time you worked in our establishment."

As soon as the heavy bag appeared in Arla's hand, maid's figure disappeared nearly in one instant. It seemed that as strict as she looked for the moment when she first asked for what was promised to her, she was actually a kind person willing to support her friends!

"Thank you."

Prompted to greater attention by a sudden tightening of Arla's fingers in his hand, Fen barely managed to hear those soft two words, escaping from the girl's mouth. At this point, the young man finally realised that just like he had his own circumstances, the situation of this girl didn't seem to be that much better than his in the first place.

Obviously, it was bound to be different. Maybe she was an orphan? Maybe she was sold to the brothel, where a kind owner gave her the chance to start on a slightly higher footing? Maybe something completely unimaginable happened that forced this kind of lifestyle on her? Without Arla's own confirmation, Fen would be unable to pass his judgment on it, rendering him unable to actually gauge the depths of Arla's backstory.

But in reality, it didn't really matter. With her soft flesh constantly coating Fen's arm in a pleasant warmth, even if if the entire thing was nothing more but a mutually beneficial deal for the two of them, the young man would be more than willing to partake in it!

"Let's go."

Ordering in a soft voice, Fen pushed gently forward, pulling the girl still latched to his arm alongside with him. As emotional as this quick farewell was, they really didn't have any time to waste. 

Thankfully, while ridiculous in terms of practicality in the truly wild areas, Arla's costume managed to achieve something that could turn into a far more important aspect of their safety. In essence, no one seemed to pay them any real attention as the two of them waltzed right through the city!

'If she were to appear here in that gown of her…'

Just a single memory of how perfectly she looked under the thin, see-through piece of cloth was enough to make Fen shrug with worry. If such a delicious girl would stand in the open on the street they were walking through right now, hinting ever-so-slightly that she might be looking for someone to support her, then at least the half of the entire city would rush just to offer their services to her!

"Where the fuck were you? I already thought you gave… Oh."

After a few, long moments of walking through the city, Fen and his new, cute companion finally arrived at the rallying point right outside of the northern gate of the city. Compared to what one could see even from within the confines of the city-walls when it came to both eastern and western gates, this entire place could be said to be nearly entirely deserted!

"Yeah, a lot of stuff happened last night. I hope it won't be a problem."

This was the main point of worry for Fen right now. Given how he accepted Arla's offer of turning her into his private companion, he basically took responsibility for her. As little as it means for a fugitive like him, Fen wasn't someone to break his promises easily, pushing him to wish for the caravan to accept this slight deviation from its original plans.

"Whatever is your poison, man. No one will hold it against you if you have someone to fuck with after the stressful situations that are bound to appear while crossing the border. You won't even imagine how much problems small caravans like mine has with the rapists running rampant and expecting protection…"

As much as a relief as it was to hear those words directly from the announcer's mouth, the fact that he was actually the owner of the caravan! Ignoring the part about the two of them fucking around despite Arla clearly tensing her grasp over Fen's arm when she heard that, the young man looked towards the line of the horizon, illuminated by the bright rays of the morning sun.

"Everyone, listen up! Our late lovebirds have finally arrived, so get your assess moving! We will be departing at once!"

Soon, the reality dawned of the young man. What he considered to still be a relatively young morning, was already late in the day for the men in front of him. In just a moment, the few carriages that stood around started to move, quickly revealing their drivers and a whole lot of cargo.

"Here."

Passing a strange item to Fen's hand, the caravan's owner pointed at the young man's chest.

"Wear it somewhere visible. While it won't do much if the push comes to shove, it might still grant you an easier death."

The meaning of those words was as serious as predictable. It would be hard to believe that both the royals of the Empire and the power behind its northern neighbour would allow for a beast infested area to sit right on the border. This kind of situation would constantly worsen the relationship between the two countries, already strained by their differences in political views. That meant, the only danger that this man could be wary off, was a threat presented by fellow people!

Be it the soldiers of either country or just simple bandits that could make a killing on this unofficial border pass, by appearing as someone of the status with this strange item pinned to his clothes, Fen could have a bit easier time against this kind of enemy!

"Is this…?"

Raising his eyes at the caravan master, who was surprisingly the same man that invited him in the first place, Fen awaited the explanation. Unless he knew who he was appearing at, even on such a remote trail he would be prone to leaving behind a lot of tracks and hints!

"Your arcanist mercenary badge. While it's not as respected as the arcanist one nor as honoured as the mercenary one, it might save you some trouble later on."

Arcanist mercenary… While the function of arcanist was obvious, and so was the kind of job that being a mercenary meant, when those two words came together, they somehow found a new meaning!

'For an Arcanist to be a mercenary… He has to be free!"