“Yay!” Ailiya cheered loudly, celebrating the addition of another member to her team.
“This…” The wizard-robed youth seemed to want to say something more, but Douglas patted his shoulder and said, “What does it matter? She’s clearly not a bad person. What’s wrong with having another cute and pretty companion?”
The wizard-robed youth smacked his lips, “You, you’re not agreeing so readily to her joining just because she’s pretty, are you?”
“Cough—” Hearing this, Douglas, a burly man nearly two meters tall, slightly turned his head. “How could that be? Although she is indeed very pretty, you should know that I don’t particularly like beast ears or tails. I still prefer humans.”
“Tsk.” The wizard-robed youth didn’t speak anymore. Although he found Saifei'er very suspicious no matter how he looked at her—for example, her absurd speed that left afterimages just now (though she eventually crashed into a tree), and Saifei'er’s current attire. What normal thief wears high heels with a bell hanging on her thigh?
You should know that a thief is essentially a ‘petty thief,’ and it’s normal for them to be as plain and inconspicuous as possible. But Saifei'er was the exact opposite. Her clothes were overly extravagant, and combined with her extremely high attractiveness, simply standing there doing nothing made her presence overwhelming.
However, both of his teammates had agreed, so what else could he do? So the wizard-robed youth also stepped forward and introduced himself, “You can call me 【Fei】, a wizard.”
Saifei'er nodded, said ‘hello,’ and then her gaze swept over the three people. So, this squad was indeed the ‘warrior, mage, priest’ iron triangle, except Ailiya, a Holy Knight, replaced the warrior’s position, and Douglas, the priest, was quite different from Saifei'er’s imagination. It was this wizard who looked the most normal.
Saifei'er asked, “So what’s your current mission?”
After all, she hadn’t adapted to this body yet. If there was really some high-risk mission, she would have to find an excuse to temporarily avoid it.
“Current mission?” Ailiya tilted her head slightly, poking her cheek with her right index finger, showing a thoughtful expression, and then said, “We don’t have much money left. We need to go to the Adventurers' Guild to take on some quests first and earn some money.”
Saifei'er, “?”
No, aren’t you a Hero Squad? Even if you’re not fighting the Demon King, you should at least be tackling Demon King generals, or large-scale missions like preventing monsters from destroying cities, right? But judging by her tone, let alone these epic missions, is their squad almost broke now?
Seeing Saifei'er’s dazed and bewildered expression, Fei, who was beside her, suddenly wondered if his worries just now were too excessive? He sighed, resting a hand on his forehead, and then said to Saifei'er, “You don’t really think we’re some Hero Squad, do you?”
Saifei'er said, “No… we’re not?”
Fei became even more helpless, “No, sister. The Demon King has been dead for almost three hundred years. Where are there any heroes now? Both Ailiya’s status as a probationary hero and our so-called Hero Squad are just self-proclaimed by our captain.”
Hearing this, Ailiya, who was nearby, became displeased and immediately retorted, “What do you mean self-proclaimed! I pulled the stone sword out of the village according to a prophecy and became a Holy Knight at that moment! I say I’m a probationary hero just because I haven’t done anything big yet!”
“And so what if the Demon King is dead? There must be other bad people in the world! Isn’t it the same if we go and defeat other bad people?”
Then, Ailiya looked at Saifei'er again, “Sister Saifei'er, don’t listen to him talk nonsense. Trust me, it won’t be long before our Hero Squad becomes famous!”
Saifei'er, “…”
This… well, okay. Although it was a bit different from what she originally imagined, she had no intention of backing out.
After Saifei'er joined, the four continued their journey. During this time, Ailiya seemed to have endless things to say: stories about her hometown, her past experiences with companions, etc., which allowed Saifei'er to get a slight understanding of this world.
About two hours later, as dusk gradually fell, they finally walked out of the forest, and the outline of a small town appeared in Saifei'er’s sight.
After walking for another half an hour, they officially entered the small town. The first thing that caught their eye were the emaciated commoners by the roadside, dressed in ragged cloth, stooping over, forming a long line.
Saifei'er asked in confusion, “What are they doing?”
Douglas said, “Probably queuing up to receive free food from the church. This year’s grain harvest seems to have dropped again, and more and more people have to rely on church subsidies to survive.”
Saifei'er looked into the distance. At the end of the line, she could indeed see a white church. At the church entrance, there was a woman in a white priest’s robe, her hands clasped together, seemingly praying for something.
The Catgirl ears on Saifei'er’s head twitched. Although she was at least several hundred meters away from the church, she clearly heard what the priest said.
“Merciful Goddess, please bestow food upon those before you!”
Then, a soft white light flashed, and a piece of bread appeared out of thin air in the priest’s hand.
Saifei'er couldn’t help but be stunned. Good heavens, is this how the free food is conjured out of thin air?
However, the four’s destination was certainly not the church. Halfway there, they turned left and entered the Adventurers' Guild of the small town.
This was where adventurers took on quests, and it was also a bar, restaurant, and inn. As soon as Saifei'er entered, she saw several strange people.
A Black Robed Man completely wrapped up, not a single bit of skin exposed.
A bronze-skinned female warrior with muscles all over her body, her arms almost thicker than Saifei'er’s waist.
A small raccoon sitting on a chair, head down, furiously devouring food.
The most absurd thing was that these three ‘people’ were sitting together, indicating they were likely members of the same squad.
In comparison, Saifei'er looked back at her tail. Just a Catgirl, it seemed not so special anymore.
Ailiya said, “Everyone’s tired from traveling all day. Let’s buy something to eat first, then rest here for the night, and officially take on quests tomorrow.”
Douglas showed a mouthful of white teeth and smiled, “Whatever you say, little Ailiya.”
Fei said expressionlessly, “Whatever.”
Saifei'er naturally had no objections, so Ailiya continued, “Then I’ll go book two rooms.”
......
PS: Create Food (1st-level divine spell): Consumes one point of grace to conjure a usable piece of bread out of thin air.
Golden-haired Probationary Hero’s character panel, for reference only:
Name: Ailiya
Gender: Female
Class: Holy Knight · Oath of Devotion (Level 5)
(Note: There is no level setting in this world. Levels are only for more intuitive distinction of combat power on the panel. The maximum level for normal humans is 20, and the strength difference at each level is very significant)
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Attribute Values:
Strength 14
Agility 14
Constitution 12
Intelligence 8
Perception 10
Charisma 16
(The average attribute value for normal humans is 10, and 20 is the upper limit for normal humans)
(Charisma does not only refer to physical attractiveness, but also includes leadership, personal charm, etc. Fake succubus: only makes you shoot bullets at her. Real succubus: Liu Bei: Please help me restore the Han Dynasty!)
(Charisma is the Holy Knight’s primary attribute. The higher the charisma, the firmer one’s oath, and the more power one can gain from the oath)
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Holy Knight · Oath of Devotion Class Skills: Healing Light, Holy Strike · Light, Aura of Devotion
(Note: These are class skills obtained through training, usually taught by a teacher. A few exceptionally talented individuals can also comprehend them on their own)
Personal Special Ability: Sixth Sense
(Note: This is a natural talent possessed by exceptionally gifted individuals, or a permanent ability obtained after certain unrepeatable fortuitous encounters.)