Equipment Printing School Mage

So he had to cast the spell again before he got a formal reply.

Although his heart finally settled down in his chest, he couldn't feel happy.

The magic power of a third-level spell was wasted while chatting and laughing, which made Emilia, who always used spells frugally, a little tired.

Mars, who was chewing on dry food at the moment, noticed Emiya's expression and raised his eyebrows: "...It seems that this communication was both smooth and not smooth. But at least the Arms of Friendship are safe."

"That depends on one thing." Emiya sighed and raised her head. "Your mentor has arrived at Friendly Arms and will stay there temporarily as agreed."

"Puff, cough, cough!" The young paladin, who had been calm and composed, suddenly spat out the dry food in his mouth and coughed repeatedly. "My mentor? Are you sure?"

"At least that's how the man revealed himself. He was wearing armor woven from red scales, carrying a two-handed giant sword, and was about your size."

Mars wiped his lips and said, "My teacher usually wears red dragon scale armor. From the outside, there is nothing wrong with it."

This time it was Emiya who was coughing: "Red dragon scale armor?! The kind made of red dragon scales?"

Mars' face showed a rare expression of pride and admiration. "For some warriors, the Red Dragon is an achievement worth bragging about for a lifetime. But for a true hero, even an ancient Red Dragon is just a minor setback in a long life."

Well, at least the Friendly Arm seemed safe—no matter how powerful Korhal was, he couldn't be stronger than a paladin who could slay a dragon.

In Faerun, a paladin like this could easily flee just by mentioning his name. However, Emya wasn't interested in this.

If there is a chance, we will get to know each other in the future.

At this moment, the temperature in the oak tree house dropped silently.

Emiya tried to grasp the hilt of the sword at her waist almost as a conditioned reflex.

The sword used as a sacrifice was originally made in a hurry in the ruins. He already had a sword that served as a magic staff... perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it a magic sword.

"...Can you take away that murderous look in your eyes? You're scaring me."

Fortunately, this oversight did not cause any serious consequences, but only scared Fenwei who had just walked into the tree house.

The druid was currently holding a thick stack of broad leaves, on top of which piled thick layers of fallen snow and hailstones—these things were naturally the culprits for the sudden drop in temperature.

Emiya unconsciously shook her hands because of the cold: "What are you doing?"

Eswhite followed in, also carrying a large stack of broad leaves soaked in ice and snow. "Isn't it obvious? We're afraid you'll burn down the sacred forest. So we're taking precautions."

Emiya was stunned, her eyes full of confusion: "...Why would I burn the woods? I don't have any particular preference for fire."

"Ah, I believe that." Fenwei put down the leaves and continued walking upstairs. "But I believe more in magic—if something goes wrong, magic will always turn into explosions and flames."

"It's pure prejudice." Mars calmly refuted the druid's disrespectful remarks.

But before Emiya could express her gratitude, the polymath from Candlekeep said the second half of his sentence, "Magic rampage has many manifestations, far beyond the scope of fire and explosions... At least we should include transformation!"

Emilia let out a sigh secretly - he shouldn't have expected Mars to speak in such an occasion.

"Alright, alright, there's also deformation." The Fenwei man was still upstairs, and the voice that came over was slightly distorted. "Anyway, at least these leaves can prevent some simple accidents - at least it can keep my tree house a little longer."

Emiya could only sigh: "I hope I won't be frozen."

"Ah, of course I have considered this." When Fenwei walked down the wooden stairs, he was already holding a large snow-white fur cloak.

She walked quickly to the back of Emilia and put it around Emilia without saying anything. "How is it? Are you still cold?"

Emilia hadn't intended to accept the gift for no reason. But before he could react, the chill in the room had been firmly blocked by the cloak behind him.

"......?" The original intention of rejection was immediately suppressed by curiosity.

Even the most well-made cloak should not have such an exaggerated thermal insulation effect.

"It's a winter wolf fur cloak, but it's too big for me. I could bury myself in it." Fenwë walked around from behind him to the front, took out a vine brooch and fixed the cloak on him. "But there's someone who can use it right now."

"Unfortunately, after stripping it, all that's left is decent insulation. It's more than adequate for winter clothing, but that's about it. It can't really be called a magical item."

"I don't need it." Emilia had just put his hand on the brooch and tried to untie it, but Fenwei had already grabbed his wrist.

"If you don't want to accept gifts from others, then think of it as a piece of warm clothing lent to you. The sooner you complete the cultivation of the sacred oak tree, the sooner you can return this cloak to me - how about this deal?"

"The Winter Wolf Cloak is certainly expensive, but compared to the position of Chief of the Circle, it is still too cheap."

Emiya hesitated for a moment, and finally could only sigh: "Well, it seems that I will have to work overtime."

He stood up and said to the old pastor, "Mr. Eswhite, I may need some moonfire next."

The bear priest, who was currently hanging frost leaves in various corners of the treehouse, couldn't help but laugh when he heard this: "Well, well, you do the brain work here, and a bearded guy like me can only do the legwork."

Fenwei quickly turned around and said respectfully, "You're joking, Mr. Eswhite. If I can win the competition, Hollow Horn will surely receive the Circle's unstinting assistance—whether it's helping expand beehives, building orchards and fish ponds, or ensuring various daily needs. All it takes is for Hollow Horn to ask."

"Honeycomb Fishpond... cough cough cough!" After only hearing the first half, Eswhite's eyes began to drift upward. Fortunately, the composure of age prevented him from drooling. "Everyone knows how to say nice things, but let me be clear: I'm not planning on walking back to Hollow Corner. It's two hundred kilometers round trip. I'm exhausted."

"Of course, I'll help you with both directions."

"That's good!" Eswhite slapped Emiya's shoulder hard. The bearman's concentrated power was dispersed by the heavy cloak, so Emiya didn't feel much pain. "Anyway, as of now, the druid's sacrifice doesn't require the sacrifice's own power. So the results will still belong to you. That shouldn't be a big problem."

"Keep going! The future of our Hollow Horn's delicious food, oh, and the mission to demonstrate the majesty of Lady Selune, all depends on you!"

Apparently, the honey and fresh fish were too tempting for the bear-man, so much so that Eswhite practically rushed out of the treehouse. Fenwei winked at Emiya, then followed the bear-man out of the treehouse.

However, just as they stepped out of the treehouse, the neighing and whining of the paladin's horse rang out from the woods. Then, the bear man's roar rang out: "What the f*ck are you doing?!"

Mars and Emilia looked at each other in astonishment, then both lifted up the frost leaves and rushed out the door.

The paladin's mount, a gray horse named Silvership, had been roaming freely through the forest these past few days, feasting heartily. However, that leisurely demeanor had completely vanished. It was now visibly furious, pawing at the grass, its head swiveling back and forth.

Behind the warhorse were two leisurely leather-armored warriors—

They are mercenaries from Baldur's Gate.

"Click it."

Mars' eyebrows instantly stood up. He bypassed the druid and the priest and rushed in front of them at lightning speed, roaring, "What are you doing?!"

Despite their size, the mercenaries were still startled by Mars charging like a tank. But they glanced at Fenwei with a sarcastic grin on their faces. "Huh? What nonsense are you talking about? It was your horse that attacked us, and now you want to blame us first?"

One of them pointed to two clear horseshoe-shaped marks on his leather armor and said, "See? Those two marks were kicked by your horse! If we hadn't dodged quickly, we would have been seriously injured! Your horse didn't violate the prohibitions of the Holy Forest. You're lucky!"

Mars refuted without hesitation: "Although my silver ship has always had a bad temper, it will not take the initiative to hurt anyone!"

"Ha!" The two mercenaries sneered. "Shameless little white face. You're talking nonsense with empty words. Your own horse injured someone, and you dare to blame others."

"Stop." At this time, Fenwei stood in the middle of the group. "Fighting is prohibited in the holy land. No matter what the grudge is, it is not allowed to be resolved here. Please stop."

"Then come outside the holy land, little brat." A mercenary rudely spat in the direction of Mars, "Let's see if the eye on your ass is as hard as your mouth."

"—!"

At this point, the situation is very clear.

Emiya was certain that these two mercenaries had come deliberately to cause trouble. The heir of Grand Duke Valakan didn't seem as magnanimous as he appeared.

Or perhaps, after failing to recruit them once, the noble had decided to support Narcissus and Korha with all his might - in this case, secular allies should of course do the dirty work for the druids.

Emiya took a deep breath and quickly communicated her thoughts to Mars using the transmission technique: "Calm down. These two are clearly here to provoke you. If you really get angry, you'll play right into their hands."

Mars took a deep breath and said, "Of course I noticed that! But being angry or not is completely different!"

After saying that, the paladin stepped forward and asked, "Would you dare to tell me your origins? Which mercenary group are you from?"

The two mercenaries exchanged a glance, then glanced at the youthful faces of Emiya and Mars. They both laughed and pointed at the inconspicuous red mark on the leather armor. "We're just a few old, weak, and sick people. What's wrong with telling you? We're from the Red Moon Group. So, come on, do you have the guts to come outside the Holy Forest?"

"Red Moon Group... Red Moon Group..." Mars repeated the word several times, looked back at Emiya, closed his eyes, swallowed his breath and gritted his teeth, "Pray, you better not do anything out of line in the future."

"Otherwise, next time we meet in battle, I will show no mercy."

"Ha, hahahahahahahaha!" The two mercenaries were stunned for a moment, then immediately burst into laughter. "What a cowardly wimp you are! I'm afraid your words are even worse than your words, hahahahaha!"

Eswhite was already furious, with his gray hair standing up like a mane, and he had already started striding forward.

Emilia's eyes narrowed.

Mars and Eswhite weren't good-tempered people to begin with. They only joked and laughed around with acquaintances, but once provoked, they were predictably furious and would throw a tantrum.

If you violate the prohibitions of the holy land, you can imagine that the consequences will be quite disastrous.

But unfortunately, both paladins and priests are at a disadvantage in this kind of thing.

So……

He grasped the hilt of the sword with his hand hidden in his robe, and while Eswhite attracted the attention of the two mercenaries, he gently swung it twice behind them.

At this moment, Eswhite had already begun to utter obscenities, cursing at the two mercenaries from a distance. At this moment, Emiya raised his sword and walked towards the two mercenaries.

Even Mars and the other two couldn't help showing expressions of surprise on their faces.

The fragmented sunlight that filtered through the gaps between the leaves was reflected by the sword's edge into the two men's eyes. The two mercenaries were startled and jumped back almost as if it was a conditioned reflex.

And this was the shock Emilia wanted.

The ground they landed on should have been soft dirt, but the already slippery surface had somehow become coated in a thick layer of grease. Their hasty retreat turned disastrous. They instantly lost their balance and fell heavily backwards.

Unfortunately, behind them, a yellow, foul-smelling cloud of gas was already waiting quietly, and the two of them fell right into the range of the gas cloud.

A fierce stench filled their mouths and noses, instantly sending the two men, caught off guard, into a fit of coughing. The intense coughing made it impossible for them to rise from the slippery ground. Consequently, they were unable to leave the cloud's range. As the cloud slowly settled, the coughing became increasingly intense, ultimately turning into even more brutal vomiting. Their undigested breakfast began to erupt from their mouths and noses, and the disordered breathing caused by the coughing and retching sent the food scattering throughout their mouths.

Just as the two men were about to choke to death on their own vomit, the greasy and smelly cloud finally dissipated slowly. Emilia walked up to the two men who were still lying on their backs and coughing, holding a sword, and tapped their cheeks with the blade of the sword.

"You guys are so careless. How could you walk around in a place with grease spells and stinking cloud spells? You almost lost your life."

"Tell your employers and comrades - if you want to survive, stay away from us."

"If you're not careful, you might accidentally lose your life—since it's not a deliberately chosen target, it's not called a fight."

"Do you understand?"

The two mercenaries, who were already out of breath and whose lives were hanging by a thread, still nodded vigorously with their last bit of strength.

Emiya frowned and dodged the dirt that was blown from their faces, and raised her head into the distance: Get out.

The two mercenaries staggered to their feet as if they had been pardoned, and ran away on their knees. They even bumped into a tree heavily because they were dizzy.

Seeing the two mercenaries almost crawling away, Emilia sighed.

It seems that this competition involves both on and off the field.

Aimiya clenched her fists. "I'm sorry, Mr. Eswhite, Miss Fenway, but it looks like we don't have time to waste. We don't know how many malicious people will come knocking on our door."

"Everything must start now, and everything must be done quickly!"

Thirty iron ingots ground into needles

"I really didn't expect the situation to deteriorate to this extent so quickly."

Inside the tree house, Fenwei showed visible worry for the first time.

She bit her finger between her teeth and paced like the wind, circling the tree house. "Generally speaking, competitions don't allow outsiders to interfere. Theoretically, attacks between members of the same ring are forbidden. So, any means of disruption have their limits."

"But now..." She sighed worriedly, "I'm afraid the situation is about to deteriorate to an unprecedented level."

Secular forces were openly allowed to intervene. Outsiders naturally would not abide by the druids' unspoken rules.

The result is that apart from the explicit rules, the implicit rules are all thrown out of the window.

Emiya was sitting in the corner of the tree house at the moment, thinking with her head down.

He observed everyone's reactions silently.

Mars stayed outside the tree house. Both he and his warhorse were breathing heavily. It was obvious that the master and servant were still immersed in anger and waiting to vent.

And Eswhite, who theoretically had the least involvement in this matter, now had a wandering look in his eyes.

In just a few minutes, the bear priest's eyes had met Emiya's several times, but each time he glanced away.

"..." Emilia pondered for a moment and said, "Mr. Eswhite, there is something that is difficult to talk about."

"Ah?" The old pastor was stunned for a moment before reacting. Then he burst into exaggerated laughter. "As long as you don't want to marry my granddaughter, everything else is fine!"

Emiya shook her head, ignoring the old priest's joke: "After all, I just learned how to use the moonfire not long ago, so the consumption may be quite large..."

The old pastor didn't react at first and shouted, "You're asking for too much!!"

"That's not what I meant," Emilia said calmly. "I'm saying that the moonfire we have in the church might not be enough. Could you please make some more in the church?"

"Hey! Do you know how much moonfire that is? How could you possibly use so much—" The priest jumped up in anger, but his voice broke off in the middle of his shouting.

The bear man's voice suddenly dropped. "Do you know what you're talking about? I can't stay here while the Moonfire is being made. This kind of thing can only be done in the Lord's Cathedral."

Emiya said as if it was a matter of course: "I already knew about this kind of thing."

Eswhite took a breath, his eyes trembling, and finally said, "This time, I'm afraid the church's canals will have to be refilled from scratch."

"I also know how to use short messages. If you use up the first wave of moonfire, remember to inform me in time—of course, if I make any progress."