Lorgar's heart sank at Roland's unscrupulous gaze.

She knew what she looked like. Back in Iron Sand City, she had heard many people call her lycanthrope monster, half man or the Abandoned One secretly behind her back. Fearing these names would hurt the self-esteem of the third daughter of the chief, n.o.body had ever dared openly address her in that way.

But she was currently not in Iron Sand City and was no longer the princess s.h.i.+elded by the Wildflame clan, so she had to face these venomous comments on her own.

"Are your ears... and tail both real?" The chief hesitated for a long time before eventually blurting out. "Do you have to use magic power to maintain this shape, or they've become a part of your body?"

Lorgar bit her lip. Instead of answering the question, she pushed her hair back, revealing her one side of her face where her normal ear had disappeared. "I can't tuck them back, Your Majesty. I know they look very strange, but this is what I really look like. I don't want to hide my imperfection... If you insist, I'll try to avoid going to public places so that I won't scare people out."

Although Lorgar had resolved to embrace herself long before, she still had a mean opinion of herself on such an occasion when being directly questioned. Divine Ladies were viewed as powerful and beautiful beings by Mojins, who were favored by all the clans and admired by all young warriors, but she, unfortunately, was an exception.

She had been ignored after her awakening. Her legitimacy had been questioned even by her own clansmen, which was the reason her father had decided to name her as his heir. Lorgar dedicated herself to physical training and pretended that she did not care about those floating rumors, but sometimes, it was just hard to remain indifferent when so many people pointed finger at her back.

She had certainly antic.i.p.ated these scenarios, but since she had chosen her path, she would not easily cede to her fate no matter what difficulties were awaiting her. The endless sand road in her dream had pointed where she should go. At these thoughts, the wolf girl erected herself, trying to look audacious.

The chief smacked his lips. "Strange? Why did you say that?"

Lorgar, who was prepared to receive any vicious remarks, stunned for a second. "Huh? Isn't it because..."

"They don't look like human ears?" Roland shrugged. "Ordinary men don't have magic power either, and these two ears aren't affecting your hearing or mobility. So, how can you say they're defective? They're simply a unique feature of yours, a very interesting one indeed. Don't you think these two ears look pretty?"

"Ahem, Your Majesty, please mind your language." At that moment, Lorgar heard a woman's voice behind the chief. The voice was very low and soft, but she still captured it.

Yet she was, at that time, too absorbed in the chief's comment to think about anything else.

Pretty?

Lorgar had never a.s.sociated herself with the word "pretty". For a second, she failed to come up with an answer, her cheeks burning, her brooding courage almost gone.

How is a half man pretty?

"Anyway, I don't require you to conceal your face or wear a hoody in public... You can do whatever you want." Roland went on, "Perhaps someone will point and stare at you at the beginning, but they'll get used to it eventually. One solution is to ask Soraya to draft a picture-story book about you, or you can join Star Flower Troupe to star in a play and become an idol. This would be the fastest way for the public to get to know you."

Lorgar was overwhelmed by a series of unfamiliar words like "picture-story book", "Star Flower Troupe" and "idol". She stood rooted to the ground, failing to utter a word. Fortunately, Roland returned to their previous subject just in time.

"Right, Ashes told me that you came here to defend against demons?"

Relieved, the wolf girl answered, "And also to train myself, Your Majesty. I've heard there's a witch called Miss Nana in Neverwinter who can treat any wounds inflicted during a battle. This is very important to a warrior. You must know that it's a warrior's dream to fight and gain combatting experience without the fear of getting injured. Of course, I'll not only fight against your enemies but also bear all the medical expenses incurred."

Roland nodded. "I see. If you're willing to join the Witch Union, you'll have a big chance to fight..."

"But I prefer to act alone, Your Majesty." Lorgar interrupted him quietly. "Like a mercenary, I don't want to be distracted by anything other than fighting."

She knew that was just an excuse. The reason behind her lie was that she wanted to have a better understanding of northern kingdoms before pledging alliance to the chief. Lorgar had not forgotten that she was essentially a Sand Nation. If Roland failed to keep his promise made at Land of Fire, those Sand Nations moving to the south would eventually sever all relations.h.i.+ps with Graycastle. If things really got to that point, the King of Graycastle would be her enemy. Hence, she could not make her decision without a thorough consideration.

"Really..." Roland reflected upon her words for a while and then spread out his hands regretfully. "Then I can't satisfy your demand."

"Why?" Lorgar was surprised. She thought a mercenary with exquisite combatting skills would be popular everywhere, not to mention that she was willing to provide her service for free and bear all medical expenses. No sensible people would ever decline such a generous offer. How could he refuse her?

"Because this is going to be a full-fledged war, not some minor disputes between several clans."

Lorgar felt all her blood rush to her head. She was outraged at Roland's insulting comment where he basically renounced all Sand Nations' fights as silly jokes. She perked up her tail and was about to shoot back when Roland suddenly switched the topic. "You've fought with Ashes, right? What do you think of her?"

Suppressing her anger, the wolf girl replied indignantly, "Very powerful. She would be a first-cla.s.s warrior even in the Southernmost Region."

Roland said slowly, "This is the power of an Extraordinary. There're even Transcendents much stronger than them. The latter has gone beyond all physical restrictions of the human body and possess an inconceivable power. In other words, nothing can stop them from improving themselves."

"Tran... scendents?" Roland's words completely had Lorgar's attention. She wondered how powerful that person had to be when even Ashes admired her.

"However, even with three Transcendents, dozens of Extraordinaries, and thousands of combat witches, we failed to stop demons, and a great empire thus collapsed overnight. Now, it's our turn." The chief's every single word seemed to directly go to her heart. "The reason I declined your offer is very simple. This isn't a one-on-one duel but a fatal war between two civilizations. No matter how strong you are, individual operations won't work... More importantly, I don't want you to die for nothing."