Chapter 277 277 Test Test My Patience
The Colonel nodded to one of her guards, and they took out an armour plate and then activated it. Another guard activated their blade and slashed down hard on the steel plate, causing sparks to fly as the flaming blade hit the [Unholy Armor].
When the blade was sheathed and everyone\'s eyes adjusted, it was evident that the blade hadn\'t managed to harm the armour at all. The barrier had held against the full-force strike.
"It\'s more effective than our blades, Colonel." The guard assured her before placing the armour back in the crate.
"Oh, ye of little faith. I said that I would make suitable armour and weapons for the soldiers, and I kept my word. You should try out the bows as well. I\'m quite proud of them.
You can create the arrows with them if you want, and you can make them track the target in case it dodges or your aim is mediocre."
The same guard took one of the bows from the cases and lifted it into firing position, aimed over the town wall toward the forest.
She activated the full Array with a startled look, and drew back the string, causing an arrow to appear on the rests, then released.
The arrow dipped and swerved in the air as she worked with the [Paper Airplane] spell, and then it activated [Wind Blades] as it hit a tree, chopping it cleanly into four pieces and continuing on to hit the ground before dissipating.
"Impressive, right? I really like that combination, though I usually add some Gravity enhancement so that it can punch through tank armour." Wolfe told her with a smirk.
"The full array takes more mana than our usual bows, but with the ability to create and maneuver the arrow, it\'s a definite improvement. Plus, that [Wind Blades] spell is amazing." The guard agreed.
"I agree that you have filled your end of the deal, so the payment is yours, and we are even, with no debts owed." The Colonel informed him very formally, ensuring that Wolfe wouldn\'t try to hold some debt over her for the praise that his weapons had earned.
"We are in agreement. Our deal is complete." Wolfe replied, and one of the guards handed him a Prisoner Chain that he hadn\'t noticed had been attached to the five young witches.
Wolfe took it with a smile and poured mana into it, shattering it in an instant and freeing the girls from its confinement.
"You five are coming with me. Don\'t forget to bring the books with you. I think we\'re finished here for the day, so once I find our new magical engineer, we can head out." Wolfe informed the shocked prisoners, whose minds were still reeling from the backlash of the prisoner chain being broken.
"Why did you break it?" One of the local witches asked in confusion, unaware of Wolfe\'s thoughts on the matter.
"They are designed to imprison Demons by default, so I can\'t hold onto it without either overpowering it and making the prisoners my slaves or shattering the chain entirely.
Now, I don\'t have anything against witches in slave girl outfits, but these ones are too young, and I have no need for actual slaves." Wolfe shrugged.
The witch looked at him in shock for a second, then realized that he was actually serious and began to laugh.
"You\'re a strange one, Mister Wolfe. I hope we see you again soon. We might have to exchange your trailer, though. You picked up more than expected." The witch informed him.
She was right. He had enough room for all his stuff in the trailer and the engineer on the back of the bike, but he didn\'t have anywhere to put the last five witches.
"I\'ve got a truck if you want. I will give them a ride to the edge of the forest, and then you can lead them in from there." The man who brought the blade to be enchanted suggested.
"That sounds good to me. In exchange, I will show you where to meet us when you need to make a deal with the residents of the Den. We will have scouts past that location every day, so we can come to meet anyone who wants to make a deal or needs an escort into the Den." Wolfe offered.
"I should have thought of that." One of the witches muttered while the others were mostly making a mental note of who was going so that they could obtain the information from him later.
Wolfe\'s plan was to lead the man to the place where the river exited the forest in the northwestern corner, as it was the nearest spot that was convenient to access from this town and one of the few where you could conceivably drive a truck in and out of the Fae Forest, though a boat would be much better.
The man returned only a few minutes later with the truck, a farm vehicle with a stake side bed best suited to bulk cargo or livestock, and the rumbling noise seemed to break the prisoners out of the frozen haze that they were in. The reality that they had been sold to a Demon in exchange for a handful of inscriptions was sinking into their minds, and Wolfe could see that they were beginning to panic.
"Relax, we will bring you to the Den, a Witch Village in the Fae Forest to the East, and they will get you settled into school and training. Once you reach there, you won\'t be criminals or wanted fugitives anymore, and you can start your life over on even footing with any other young witch." Wolfe gently informed them.
"And how can we trust you?" One of the girls asked skeptically, clearly intending to flee at the first opportunity.
"For one, I\'ve seen your files and still agreed to take you in, and for two, you really can\'t. You will just have to take my word for it or trust the judgement of the locals that the Den is a good place to be." Wolfe shrugged.
"Great pep talk." The Magical Engineer laughed as she came over with her bags packed.
"What would you have told them? They don\'t really have a good reason to trust me, given their situation. But I can personally guarantee that it\'s better than going back to the detention center, and you won\'t face exile or death once you get to the Den."
The youngsters conferred with each other for a moment, then the spokesperson nodded and turned to Wolfe. "You can call me Jezebel, and we have agreed to give your town a chance as long as they give us a fair chance."
"That\'s more like it. Now, hop in the truck, and we will head out so that your ride doesn\'t get trapped outside overnight."