When Sharti looked bitter, Ren, disinterested, immediately asked bluntly.
“We have magical tools in our mercenary corps. We don’t sell them, but we lend them to each other among the corps members.”
Sharti nodded. She knew that, too.
Lending was not free, and for Bireta, who had to earn living expenses for four people each time, including Sharti’s share, it was a considerable amount.
“Don’t you want to give it a try? Instead of a salary, you can rent magical tools!”
From the perspective of a mercenary, Ren’s value was high due to his constitution where magic didn’t work.
He would likely be able to join the mercenary corps with no problem.
However, Ren answered without hesitation.
“I declined.”
“…What?”
Shukadi blinked blankly.
“I’ve already declined.”
Ren’s expression, with his fist clenched, somehow looked chubby.
The bewildered Shukadi cautiously tried to guess the reason for the refusal.
“Perhaps the reason is your personality…”
“…”
“No, it’s not.”
As Ren’s temples thinned, Shukadi quietly closed his mouth and averted his gaze.
“Uh, but if you declined, does that mean you proposed joining our mercenary corps?”
“I didn’t specifically set a mercenary corps and ask.”
Ren simply wanted to find a job, and unable to discover talents other than physical strength, he asked Bireta about the conditions for joining the mercenaries. To be precise, he didn’t mind the type of job as long as it allowed him to earn money.
However, like Sharti, the reality was harsh due to the need to conceal his face for now. Just as Bireta advised, there was nothing he could do except being Sharti’s assistant.
“I had confidence in my strength, but I didn’t have any experience holding anything other than a weapon. I thought I might be able to find a position as a porter or something similar.”
“A porter? That’s really tough.”
“My master also works hard and earns money, but…”
“Of course, but…”
Ren tilted his head in a disapproving manner.
“My master wakes up early in the morning, climbs the mountain to collect herbs, then washes, dries, and refines the herbs she dug. After that, she shortens mealtime and goes to treat patients looking for a doctor, comes back home, records and organizes herbs and symptoms. And…!”
“….!!”
Sharti immediately covered Ren’s mouth.
The seemingly delicate white fingertips looked reddened.
Shukadi, who was listening absentmindedly to Sharti’s sudden boasting, burst into a smile.
“Is he the spokesperson for the teacher?”
It sounded like bragging about a lover.
Whether it was on either side, Shukadi tried hard to maintain his composure, glancing at Sharti while managing his expression.
“Teacher has worked hard.”
“….”
Unable to endure embarrassment, Sharti stood up abruptly.
Then she quickly wrote a note.
Ren did not move from Sharti’s side.
With protective magic in place and the time well past midnight, Sharti also needed to get some rest.
Instead, Ren signaled Shukadi to take care of Sharti. Fortunately, Shukadi was not oblivious and used levitation magic to comfortably take Sharti to the adjacent room.
“….”
In the remaining room, Ren and Shukadi remained silent for a while.
Ren comfortably leaned against the wall with a nonchalant expression.
“Is there anything else to say?”
It was a hint asking why he kept lingering without being more guarded against potential intrusion.
“If there’s something urgent, you can use communication magic to let me know.”
Ren looked at Shukadi with skeptical eyes, considering it a lame excuse.
Certainly, the difference between whether Sharti was present or not could be felt in the gaze. His expressionless face created a solemn atmosphere as if all emotions had sunk, and the turquoise eyes seemed even darker as if shaded.
Alone, Ren appeared overall lonely.
More precisely, he seemed like someone who had severed all interest in others.
“Just state your business briefly.”
“Don’t you have any thoughts of becoming a mercenary?”
Shukadi didn’t bother to prolong the conversation, fearing it might become awkward.
“For magicians, a constitution where magic doesn’t work is highly valuable. Mercenary magicians like us need colleagues with a constitution like yours, just like a teacher’s assistant.”
Mercenary requests typically involved combat as a necessity. And wizards, at such times, could do no more than retreat to the rear.
If asked which was stronger between swordsmanship and magic, one could promptly say magic. However, wizards couldn’t endlessly cast magic. If the mana within the body, squeezed out with magical power, was depleted, it became a reality that even a paper sword couldn’t block.
“I’ve never tried holding a weapon.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
Shukadi scanned Ren’s arms, legs, and body.
“Is it made of agricultural tools or axes? You must have a body that can’t be created without practicing swordsmanship for a long time. The calluses on the palms even resemble the grip of a sword.”
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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