The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 625 - 649: Team Members

Chapter 625: Chapter 649: Team Members

The Fiends eyed the two with suspicion, and none of them showed any intention of standing up. The actual casting ability of a Third Circle magician was nothing remarkable; several who could cast Fourth Circle magic had already appeared. Adding in an individual who clearly fell below the average was like dragging an oil bottle along, making the pair seem like an unprofitable deal.

“I’ll take them,” said Lancelot, who had been silent until now, as he suddenly stood up. “That won’t be a problem, will it, Lady Solheim?”

His action sparked a buzz of whispers, but Bruto and Alamir were not surprised. Both knew very well what kind of character Lancelot was, he was strange if he picked the strong ones. In the end, he was sure to gather those whose strength was feeble, who were in a pitiful state, and who looked unlikely to survive.

‘Of course not, Sir.’ The six-armed Serpent Demon glanced at the Human Knight, ‘I doubt there’s anyone more suitable than you. Next!’

Lancelot left his seat, took two of the metal emblems from the chain, and handed them to the Tiflin siblings, who looked on guard.

“Human?” The female magician, sporting pale red skin, took the metal piece and cautiously asked in Common Tongue, “What’s your name? How did you become a captain?”

“My name is Lancelot, I’m a resident of this town,” Lancelot replied with a shrug. “And you?”

“I am… Musk; he’s Glory,” the sister glared covertly at her brother. “We come from…”

“Since I didn’t ask, there’s no need to rush into making up lies,” Lancelot interrupted her. “I still need to recruit eight more members. You two can wander around the town for a while. Stay out of trouble, we’ll talk later.”

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“…Alright.” After a brief silence, Musk finally spoke, “Thank you, Sir Lancelot.”

“Don’t mention it.” The Human Knight nodded, then sat back down, while the Tiflin siblings turned and walked out with the other mercenaries.

“Did you notice that boy?” Alamir next to him began, “Though his body shook incessantly from fear, his gaze was always firm.”

“Of course,” Lancelot smiled, “He seems like good material for an Attendant, don’t you think?”

Soon, Solheim reactivated the Array, and batches of mercenaries arrived from various parts of the Multiverse, displayed for the surrounding Demons to pick, much like auctioned goods. The only difference was that there was no bidding involved. The six-armed Serpent Demon directly assigned the mercenaries to their new masters, and certainly, the decisions were not influenced by the volume of the captains’ shouts.

Lancelot’s squad steadily grew: first were three miners dressed as desperate Dwarves who, upon seeing Bruto, excitedly burst into tears on the spot. Bruto left the scene early, taking his three compatriots to tour this unique town; next was a man wearing Plate Armor, a Human with grizzled hair, emitting the unique aura of a Holy Warrior, his expression akin to a sheriff off duty walking into a tavern full of pirates, for some inscrutable reason.

No demon wanted such a fellow to join their team: to them, a Holy Warrior was nothing short of a madman. Even though that person seemed to have forsaken his vows, it only made him all the more dangerous. Common demons delighted in killing, destruction, and watching others’ pain; but causing a pure Holy Warrior to fall? That was a game for Lord Level bigwigs.

When Lancelot agreed to take in this Holy Warrior named Ivendell, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The Holy Warrior himself was surprised to find a human captain willing to take him in, but he didn’t ask any questions. He took the emblem and left straight away.

The arrivals continued with a female shape-shifting demon, about the same age as little Isa and apparently a monkey in her original form. From the terrified look on her face, she might have been tricked into coming here; two Dwarf brothers with their beards dyed ink-green, Valen Belen and Rein Belen. Even though the brothers flexed their strong arms and showcased their large hand crossbows, the demons couldn’t overcome their prejudice against short stature.

Lancelot reserved the last spot for a female half-elf with white hair and red eyes, Tanya Irilina. She was a little over five feet tall, wearing a pitted half-suit of plate armor, with a dagger at her waist and a light crossbow on her back. Aside from her delicate features and pointed ears, she didn’t possess an ounce of the typical elf demeanor.

The mercenary teleports continued until dusk, declaring an end. By Lancelot’s estimate, the final number exceeded two thousand. Thirteen were grouped together under the command of a captain from Twin Bridges Town, and for every thirteen captains, one was designated as a standard-bearer by Solheim, taking orders directly from him. In battle, the standard-bearer would carry Twin Bridges Town’s flag on their back, responsible for guiding the other squads to launch their attacks.

In addition, four squads would serve as Solheim’s personal guard, entering the battlefield alongside the Serpent Demon General—the squad led by Lancelot was one of them. Incidentally, the captains of the other three squads were Succubi. Lancelot could have tried to blend in a bit more, but unfortunately, his skin wasn’t thick enough.

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“Hmm, this restaurant is really quite nice.” Musk, a Tiflin Magician, took a sip of the red wine that accompanied the meal and smiled at Lancelot, “But, even though you’re human, why did all the demons in that room today call you ‘Prince’?”

At this question, everyone at the long table turned to look at him, clearly curious about the answer. Lancelot and his team were dining at a restaurant called ‘Bone Crunching Marrow Sucking,’ which mainly catered to merchants, and everyone was quite pleased with the food. Of course, Lancelot had paid a substantial bill, but the well-off Human Knight wasn’t bothered by this.

“Well…”

Lancelot glanced at Tijana, who was sitting at the other end of the long table, and she was giving him a wicked smile. Of course, the Succubus Lord wasn’t appearing in her original form; she had transformed into an enchanting and mysterious black-haired human woman, attending the banquet as the humans’ knightly sponsor.

“Well… let’s save that for last. First, answer some of my questions,” Lancelot shook his head with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the people present, “Who are you? Where do you come from? Why did you take the contract? What are you good at in battle? Do you have any requirements for your comrades?”

“Those are good questions, but since you brought them up, you should set an example for us,” the white-haired, red-eyed half-elf Tanya challenged him with a provocative look, “You wouldn’t want to be last in everything, would you?”

“No problem,” Lancelot shrugged with a smile, put down his knife and fork, and began to speak, “My name is Lancelot, born into a small rural noble family. In my homeland, everyone believed that Fiends and Angels were just creatures of myth, and magic was just a trick that only children would believe in…”