From Blade To Spell

After a refreshing bath, Aaron returned to his tent, munching on a crisp apple.

Just then, a voice called out, "Lord Aaron, are you inside?"

Aaron wiped his hands and mouth with a towel, then stepped outside. He saw Melina, and asked with a puzzled tone, "Miss Melina, is there something you need?"

Melina looked slightly embarrassed. She took a deep breath.

"Lord Aaron, have you considered trading salt?"

Aaron nodded and gestured toward the tent. "Please, come inside. We can talk."

Melina entered, her eyes scanning the simple interior. She was quietly stunned as it was too simple.

"Lord Aaron is indeed mysterious…" she thought.

Aaron sat down and pointed to a chair. "Please, take a seat."

Melina sighed internally. "His etiquette is so low… never mind."

She removed her helmet, revealing short blonde hair, fair skin, and blue eyes.

Aaron noticed, she was strikingly pretty.

"Miss Melina," he said, "please tell me, how do you want to trade the salt?"

Melina composed herself, "Lord Aaron, before we discuss trade, let me properly introduce myself. My full name is Melina Leoness, Captain of the Rose Guards. My team consists of five members. We're mercenaries based in Verdia Capital."

"We served in the Royal Guard for two years. Our contract expired last month, and now… we wish to join your territory."

Aaron was stunned. "Why? Aside from refined salt, there's nothing here that would attract you. If it's salt you want, I can allow trade, but you must keep it secret for at least a year. After that, I'll open the trade route myself."

"You don't need to join my territory for that. Also, wouldn't the Royal Guard be concerned? Aren't they afraid you'll leak their secrets?"

Melina looked at his calm expression. "Why does it feel like he doesn't want me to join…" she wondered.

She took a breath and spoke clearly.

"Lord Aaron, there are two reasons I want to join. First, I've heard about your ideals, you don't keep slaves. I hate slavery. That's reason one."

"Second… I need your help. Technically, our contract expired. But the Second Prince approached me and wants our group under his command."

"I don't want to get involved in royal politics. But I can't refuse him directly, if I do, he might have us killed."

"A normal person can't deter him. But you're a wizard, Lord Aaron. If he learns of your strength, he might back off."

Aaron didn't respond immediately. He sat in silence, lost in thought.

Saving Melina came with both pros and cons.

The pros:

He would gain a powerful mercenary group. From his map, he'd already confirmed that all her members were at the Great Knight level. Such a team could be a tremendous asset to his territory.

The cons:

He might offend the Second Prince. And right now, he was completely unaware of the power dynamics within the Verdia Kingdom. Was it worth the risk?

After a minute, Aaron looked deeply at Melina.

"What will I get in return for saving you? Offending a prince is no small matter. And if I help you, what's stopping you and your team from running away afterward?"

Melina paused. His words made sense. Her team was strong, earning his trust wouldn't be easy.

She took a breath.

"Lord Aaron, I'll give you my Knight Breathing Method and the Sword Skills I've cultivated."

She placed a scroll made of wooden bark in front of him.

Aaron's eyes widened. He knew how precious such techniques were.

He nodded slowly.

"After I return from the Wizard World, I'll give you my answer."

Melina picked up the scroll. "Okay, Lord Aaron. Until then, we'll continue living here."

"You'll still need to follow the Old Chief's instructions," Aaron added. "Of course, he won't give you impossible tasks."

Melina nodded.

Just then, Aaron asked, "Miss Melina, do you know why the undead attack us only on the 30th day of each month?"

Melina shook her head. "No, Lord Aaron. All I know is that for the past two years, they've attacked like clockwork. Before that, there were no such incidents."

"Okay then," Aaron replied.

Melina stood. "I won't disturb you any further."

Aaron nodded, watching her quietly as she left the tent.

Aaron felt the sincerity in Melina's words, but chose to set the matter aside for now.

He pulled out the wizard dictionary and began flipping through its pages, hoping the map system might assist him.

A few minutes later…

"WIZARD LANGUAGE LEARNT."

Aaron froze, then his eyes lit up with excitement.

He hadn't expected the system to actually help. "If I can use this trick again, I might be able to shorten the time it takes to gain knowledge…"

He quickly opened his stats panel and found a new entry: Wizard Language – Level 1.

But his excitement quickly faded.

It required a staggering 100,000 experience points to level up.

He sighed, glancing at his current pool of 336,400 XP.

After a moment's thought, he decided to invest.

As soon as he confirmed the upgrade, 100,000 XP vanished.

A flood of memories surged into his mind the life of a man who had studied the wizard language from childhood to old age.

Aaron didn't know how much time had passed, but when he opened his eyes, he stood there, dazed, his mind echoing with ancient syllables and arcane grammar.

Meanwhile, Melina was surrounded by her team.

Lisa, the archer, wore tight-fitting leather armor that covered her entire body. A bow, quiver, and throwing knife hung at her side. Her cloak and face mask gave her an air of mystery.

She asked sweetly, "Captain, did Lord Aaron agree to help you?"

Luna, her sister and the team's assassin, dressed similarly, added with a teasing grin, "With your charm, he probably agreed already."

Tina and Mina, the team's supporters, each carried a shield, short sword, and a backpack. They looked at Melina expectantly.

Melina sighed. "Don't think too highly of me. Lord Aaron only asked why I wanted his help. He didn't give a clear answer. He said he'll decide after returning from the Wizard World."