"How grave are the injuries?"

Observing the pained expression on his teammate's face, Avi's concerns deepened.

Pain had a knack for eroding one's resolve, which could, in turn, dampen the morale of the entire group.

Moreover, tending to the wounded would deplete their already scarce food supplies and slow down their progress.

Avi couldn't shake off the worry that their provisions might not last until their return to the city tomorrow.

If food became scarce, morale would plummet rapidly, and Avi shuddered at the thought of the consequences.

For now, he was grateful that he had upgraded his team to mercenaries; it meant they could endure a bit longer.

"It appears to be a broken arm..." The teammate winced, his words barely audible amidst the pain.

"C-Captain... I fear I may struggle to walk; I'll need someone to carry me..."

"I'll make the necessary arrangements. Don't worry; we won't leave you behind."

"T-Thank you..."

Only upon hearing these words did the two injured soldiers finally relax, allowing themselves to recline on the grass. Their labored breaths weighed heavily on the hearts of the other team members.

Continuing the mission was out of the question. Dragging the wounded to Wesmond for payment was impractical. Avi decided they would return immediately; as long as they made it back before curfew, everything would be fine.

After assigning the care of the wounded, he led his team back towards the city.

"Boss."

As they marched, Rafe approached, his face wrought with guilt.

"What's the matter?" Avi's tone betrayed his anxiety.

Rafe nervously tugged at his hair. "I thought we could take down a few more of those greenies, but I didn't expect some reckless idiot to charge in—uh, uh..."

Avi immediately covered Rafe's mouth, speaking softly, "Quiet down; we don't need any more hits to our morale."

Seeing the remorse on Rafe's face, Avi couldn't help but sigh.

"For now, let's focus on this. We'll return to the city and address other matters once we've regrouped."

"But what about the job the weapons dealer gave us? Won't we be chased for debt if we go back now?"

Avi was momentarily taken aback—indeed, they would need to purchase equipment from him in the future. It would be embarrassing to default on their first collaboration.

"We'll deal with that later. I'll improve my eloquence and attempt to negotiate with him. Hopefully, it will suffice."

With that, Avi opened the panel on his horse and began to allocate the remaining skill points to eloquence.

"Boss, wait!" Suddenly, Rafe pointed ahead and exclaimed, "What's that thing?!"

Avi, deeply focused, was almost startled off his horse by Rafe's cry. After regaining his composure, he followed Rafe's gaze and saw a dark shadow approaching.

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The rhythmic clattering of hooves and the distant whinnying of horses indicated a sizable cavalry force. The clashing of armor suggested that this was no ordinary group of mercenaries.

"Damn it..." Avi cursed under his breath, "When it rains, it pours. What rotten luck!"

Armored cavalry—this was a force unmatched by goblins and orcs. If their numbers were sufficient, they could easily trample the entire mercenary group with their mounted charges.

Fortunately, their numbers were not large, only about a dozen men. If they were to fight with all their might...

They would still lose.

"What do we do, boss?" Rafe drew his iron sword with a 'whoosh', "Fight them? Or run?"

Running away, perhaps that was the best option...

An idea suddenly surfaced in Avi's mind.

"Every territory belonging to the Empire has its own provincial army, hired professional soldiers under the command of the Elector. In addition to serving as a standing army to defend against external threats, provincial armies also assume the responsibilities of guards, firefighters, and law enforcement officers."

This was the effect of the 'Erudition' skill.

"It seems upgrading the knowledge skill was the best decision of my life," Avi thought.

It appeared that the opposing force belonged to the provincial army of Midden, which was actually good news. At least it meant they wouldn't attack indiscriminately.

"Do you think we can win?" Avi glared fiercely and forced Rafe's sword back into its sheath. "You and everyone else wait here; I'll go speak with them."

"Be careful—"

"Shut your crow mouth!"

Avi urged his horse forward, his grip on the sword hilt tightening with nerves.

Each meter he advanced seemed to amplify the risk of being mistaken for a bandit and shot down.

Yet, as the leader of the mercenary group, he had no choice but to press on.

Negotiation offered a chance of survival; rashly engaging in battle or fleeing blindly would only lead to a dead end.

Fortunately, the opposing party hadn't resorted to firing arrows or shouting loudly.

With the sun setting, only twilight remained on the grassland, obscuring the two groups' vision.

They could only discern each other's movements through shadows and silhouettes.

Approaching to a distance of about thirty meters from the other party, Avi lacked the confidence and courage to get any closer.

At this range, he could vaguely make out their attire—unmistakably that of Imperial knights.

Figures he had looked up to countless times in his childhood, clad in plate armor and riding magnificent steeds.

The other party initiated the conversation. "Who are you?"

As expected, they spoke with the accent of Midden's territory.

"I'm Avi, a... mercenary."

"Summon your captain."

Their tone was harsh and commanding, filled with authority.

"I am the captain. We are mercenaries en route to Middenstang.

May I ask what this is about?" Avi asked cautiously.

He had intended to gauge their intentions, but their attitude suggested that asking pointless questions would only escalate hostility.

Avi decided it was best to appear honest.

"This is too humiliating," Avi thought, "If only our forces were a bit stronger, we wouldn't have to swallow this insult. Damn it..."

"On behalf of Midden's authority, we demand that you truthfully answer our questions."

However, since it was confirmed that the other party was a well-trained regular army, Avi had no thought of resistance.

"Feel free to ask any questions. There are wounded soldiers in my team, and if they do not receive treatment soon—"

"Silence," the other party commanded, "We ask, you answer.

If everything goes smoothly, you will naturally be released as a legitimate citizen of the Empire.

But for now... in my eyes, you're just a criminal."

"Alright, alright... I'll cooperate with you," Avi said helplessly.

"A sword." The knight spoke, "Have you seen a longsword decorated with a wolf's head and engraved with runes?"

Decorated with a wolf's head, engraved with runes... Wasn't that the sword the weapons dealer asked him to deliver to a village?

"I know about it, he—"

Just as Avi was about to spill the beans, he suddenly realized a problem: he was currently the one responsible for transporting stolen goods.

If he confessed, he would likely be taken as an accomplice and dealt with on the spot.

But the words had already left his mouth; not speaking would also arouse suspicion.

"You know what, tell us everything!"

Avi had a moment of inspiration; he remembered the skill point he had kept for himself.

"If I add a point to eloquence now, I can persuade these guys, then sneak back into the city and convince the weapons merchant. It's a seamless plan!"

After making up his mind, he immediately began to operate the panel to add the eloquence skill to himself.

"Mercenary!"

The sound of a drawn sword was particularly harsh in the silent grassland, indicating the knights' dwindling patience.

"Don't rush, I'll tell you everything..." A sly smile appeared on Avi's lips.

Because he had a brand new "good" idea.