Chapter 5: A Provisional Invitation and the Shadow of the Past

“But why is there such a vast difference? I mean, I…” Agnes fell into an endless stream of murmurs.

A difference? Votila glanced at Agnes’s chest, then lowered his gaze to Mulee Hua’s. Ah, indeed. It was a disparity as vast as a basin compared to a mountain peak.

The atmosphere suddenly grew awkward. Whether it was his imagination or not, Votila felt the surrounding air grow eerily quiet. Turning his head, he saw a dark-skinned middle-aged man standing silently behind Mulee Hua.

The man was bare-chested, revealing formidable muscles, and a hammer was tucked into his belt. With furrowed brows and wide eyes, he stared down at the black cat perched on Mulee Hua’s shoulder.

What now? What did this brute want? Was he trying to pick a fight with me? Votila lifted a paw to scratch his ear.

The middle-aged man remained silent.

“Uncle Odur.” Mulee Hua quickly stood up.

“Commander Odur.” Agnes snapped back to attention as well, turning to face the shirtless man.

“Pets are forbidden in the office, don’t you know that?” Odur declared loudly. Though his tone was stern, there was no discernible anger in his voice.

Mulee Hua met his gaze with unwavering resolve. “Rinna isn’t a pet; they’re a companion!”

Odur’s face remained impassive as he stared coldly at Mulee Hua. Yet, those nearby could almost feel a palpable pressure emanating from him.

Mulee Hua looked up at Odur, their gaze not wavering in the slightest.

Agnes peeked between the two clashing figures, instinctively shrinking her head. ‘The shop owner actually dared to talk back to the commander.’

Ding-a-ling… Rinna shook their head, the small bell on their collar breaking the silence between the two.

“Nonsense. Do you intend to become a beast tamer?” Odur spoke first. “However, you do have your father’s shadow about you.”

Mulee Hua’s father had been the previous commander of the Doremie Militia. Odur had only taken over the position a few years prior, and he and Mulee Hua’s father were old acquaintances.

Mulee Hua remained silent. She didn’t believe Odur had simply come to make small talk.

Sure enough, Odur paused before continuing, “Mulee Hua, are you interested in joining the Doremie Militia as a provisional member of the Doremie Militia Guard?”

At these words, the attention of everyone else in the office was immediately drawn to the two in the center. They all turned their gazes towards them.

“Huh… huh?” Agnes instinctively clapped a hand over her mouth.

The Doremie Militia, though small in scale and not comparable to the regular armies in larger cities, nor as stringent as grand legions, was still the highest military and political authority in the town.

Every member had to undergo a certain level of review and testing to join.

Even Agnes, the youngest member of the group and a mage, had to demonstrate her abilities before everyone to successfully join.

Thus, when they saw their commander personally invite someone, everyone was astonished. Moreover, the commander was inviting a seemingly delicate young woman.

Though he didn’t quite understand what was happening, Votila decided to settle onto the young woman’s shoulder and enter spectator mode.

Facing Odur’s invitation, Mulee Hua was also quite surprised. “But I don’t meet the requirements to join the militia.”

“That’s why it’s only as a provisional member, not a full-fledged one.”

Mulee Hua fell silent. She had only come to deliver goods to a client and had never expected such a turn of events.

“Commander, I have a question about this.” A young man’s voice rang out. Everyone looked in its direction to see a young man dressed as a hunter, whom they all recognized.

He was a new member who had joined less than a year ago, named Gusede. He had previously been known as the town’s Hunter King, his hunting skills renowned far and wide.

Odur held this man in relatively high regard. Though very young, he was quite skilled and an excellent hand in the militia.

Gusede stepped forward, a flicker of something unusual in his eyes as he looked at Mulee Hua. He slowly stated, “Commander, the militia never takes in useless individuals. Moreover, she is just a frail young girl with no power whatsoever. So, please give us a reasonable explanation.”

Odur showed no expression in the face of the challenge. He knew this decision was too hasty and would provoke many questions, but he trusted his own judgment.

“The previous commander of the militia, Oz Apocalys, was a high-ranking mage and a seasoned alchemist. When he was still in office, I witnessed the power of alchemists.

And Mulee Hua is Oz’s daughter. Oz told me that his daughter’s talent for alchemy was even greater than his own.”

Gusede frowned. He had naturally heard of Commander Oz’s deeds; he was the hero who had protected the town during the last monster attack.

However, Mulee Hua was a girl not yet sixteen. Gusede wasn’t very familiar with alchemists, but what power could a girl under sixteen possess?

For example, Mage Agnes, despite being a formal mage, had little combat ability. During battles, she could only provide support from the rear.

While her support magic was indeed formidable, it didn’t possess the kind of raw power he imagined.

Thinking this, Gusede added, “Miss Mulee Hua, as an alchemist, may have some talent, but she ultimately cannot compare to her father, Oz Apocalys.

More importantly, Miss Mulee Hua is still underage. When did our militia fall so low that we must recruit underage girls?”

Odur did not directly answer Gusede. Instead, he scanned the surroundings and asked, “Gusede’s opinion is against it. What are your opinions?”

No one spoke up directly, but Odur generally understood the sentiments of the members.

The militia had a precedent for recruiting underage boys but not underage girls. Even Agnes had joined only after various proofs of her adult status. After all, boys generally had a physical advantage over girls.

With this in mind, Odur had no choice but to explain to everyone, “I understand all of your concerns, but I still want to speak with you all.

Everyone knows the recent predicament of our militia, don’t you? Several wolf pack encirclements have cost our group nearly half of its fighting strength.

From an original guard of over fifty, more than twenty are now recovering at home. The threat of the wolf pack has not been eliminated, but we now lack the manpower even to guard the town entrance.”

Mulee Hua remained silent. She knew the militia’s situation was dire recently, but she hadn’t realized it had reached such an extent.

“The mayor is already preparing to request mage support from Rochester. I know the efficiency of those scoundrels in the big cities; it’s impossible for anyone to arrive in less than ten days to half a month.

The wolf pack could attack the town at any moment, and with our current manpower, how can we defend the village?”

“We are short-handed. Tell me, besides temporarily recruiting members, what other options do we have? The group hasn’t seen fresh blood in a long time.”

Odur seemed somewhat agitated now.

“Do you think an underage girl joining the group will embarrass you? But how many adults with combat strength do you think are left in this town?

Lately, young people in town prefer to run off to the big cities, leaving mostly the old, weak, women, and children. We even lack sufficient labor for farming.

And what if she is underage? With an alchemist’s knowledge and combat strength, she is no weaker than any of you.”

Combat strength? Votila tilted his head, looking at Mulee Hua. This girl? Possesses combat strength? In the past month, Votila had never seen Mulee Hua display any such ability.