That Tiffling!

Ron recognized him the moment he noticed the pair of small horns on the "stranger’s" head.

The crimson skin and the long, thin, pointed tail were hard to forget.

"How did you get in here?!"

Aive had clearly recognized him too, her brow instantly furrowing. "Did that Inspector start believing Tifflings can be respectable citizens?"

"Heh heh, you can’t put it like that," the Tiffling said with a grin, rubbing his hands together. "I really did have urgent business with the town master. Once I explained my situation, they naturally let me pass."

"Then why aren’t you with the town master? What are you doing wandering around the streets?"

The Tiffling grinned. "I’m already done, of course. But then I noticed something very interesting seems about to happen here, so I thought I’d look for some companions. You wouldn’t mind an extra hand, would you?"

"After all, that’s the Delusional Land! A land that has never been truly conquered!"

"You want to join the Pioneer Corps?" Aive sounded scornful. "Why don’t you just go to the banquet yourself?"

"My beautiful lady, that’s where you’re mistaken," the Tiffling said, shaking his head. "You don’t know yet, do you? There’s a lot more going on with this banquet than you think."

"Some of the refugees outside the city have made a temporary deal with a certain faction inside the city—I can’t say who. They’re planning to pull some terrible stunts during or after the banquet. Their goal is to gain complete control over the Pioneer Corps."

"To swallow the Delusional Land whole?" Ron frowned. "Isn’t their appetite a bit big? Aren’t they afraid of biting off more than they can chew?"

"Of course not," the Tiffling said with a small smile, his gaze landing on Delaford. "Didn’t your partner here also eat his fill yesterday?"

"You were spying on us?!" Aive’s hand was already on the hilt of her sword, but this Tiffling was clearly no pushover. His hand shot out, moving after hers but arriving first. Aive felt her right hand sink as if into a swamp, unable to draw her blade no matter how she tried.

"Shh, shh," the Tiffling said with a sinister grin. "Drawing a sword in the street will attract the guards. Making a scene wouldn’t be good for anyone, now would it?"

"Why are you so set on choosing us?" Ron asked. "I’m sure there are plenty of people here planning to conquer the Delusional Land."

"It’s simple. Because you tolerate... him," the Tiffling said, pointing a claw at Delaford. "He’s not as simple as he looks, is he?"

"So I think you’ll be able to accept me as well."

"A Tiffling?" Aive sighed and turned to Ron. "Forget it. You decide."

"Then what can you offer us?"

Ron posed a second question. "The three of us came together for a reason. Without any one of us, we wouldn’t have survived or even made it to this city. So forgive my bluntness, but what use are you?"

"Me?" The Tiffling reached into his satchel, pulled out a small, palm-sized booklet, and handed it to Ron. "A little introductory gift. Take a look."

"’Someone’s... Guide to Learning Cantrips’?"

Ron opened the book. Inside were instructions and learning techniques for various cantrips. He had heard of some of them in his past life, like Dancing Light Magic and Acid Splash. Others, however, were completely new to him, some without even an official name—like cantrips required for Alchemy.

"You need this, don’t you? You wanted to learn Magic just yesterday."

"You... not only did you follow us, you can also perform Mind Reading?!" Ron was dumbfounded. ’This world is way too dangerous!’

’In my past life, people complained that having cameras on every street corner was an invasion of privacy. They should be thrown into this world to see what real danger feels like!’

’This is too much!’

"It’s not that bad, is it? I don’t mean you any harm."

The Tiffling looked at Ron with an innocent expression. "Isn’t this what you wanted?"

"Well, yes, but this is just..." Ron sighed. "Thank you, but I really don’t like your methods. How about you go home and wait for us to contact you?"

"No, don’t do that! The big day is tomorrow!" the Tiffling said hurriedly. "How about this? Are you short on cash? Especially you—you need to practice Magic now, and that’s no small expense. I can fund you!"

As he spoke, the Tiffling pulled a handful of Gold Coins from his pocket, about twenty or so. "How about it? Deal?"

Ron truly wanted to stand firm and refuse him, but...

’A member who’s an expert tracker and can perform Mind Reading... that’s incredibly useful, isn’t it? Not to mention he’s coming with his own funding.’

"In that case, let’s be frank. What do you really want?" Ron asked, accepting the book and coins.

"You don’t seem short on money, and you’re clearly capable. So why are you doing this?"

"Well..." The Tiffling seemed to have trouble saying it. "I can tell you that I do need something from someone, and I’m betting on you to be those people."

"But I can’t tell you the specific reason right now, nor can I let it show. You just need to know that I hope to see a sufficiently open-minded individual become the Lord of the Delusional Land. That’s all."

"Honestly, I’m sick of running shady errands for Lords in one city-state after another. I want a place where my life isn’t so exhausting."

"Is that reason enough?"

"We Half-Elves want that too, but it hasn’t happened yet," Aive muttered. "As for Tifflings... yeah, dream on."

"Fine, I agree. Then we’re teammates," Ron said after a moment of consideration, finally accepting the Tiffling’s story. "But I need to make one thing clear: I can’t make you any promises. Our own survival is an issue right now. You still want to throw your lot in with us, even knowing that?"

"All investments carry risk. I was prepared for that," the Tiffling nodded. "I just hope that you’ll be able to keep a promise when the time is right."

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Quest. I was previously a Dark Scout and Messenger for a Lord. My contract is complete, so I’m a free man now."

"However, professional ethics prevent me from revealing my former employer or the contents of the messages. But if you’d like to acquire some... ’other’ intelligence, perhaps we should find a place to talk in detail."

With Quest’s sudden appearance and induction into the group, their morning stroll came to an abrupt end. Ron immediately went to purchase a batch of Casting Materials to start practicing. Meanwhile, Quest pulled Aive and Delaford aside, saying he had some intelligence and evidence to show them.

Since he was an acquaintance of Lavinia from the Little Cat Alchemy Shop, he managed to get a considerable discount. The materials he bought were enough for him to practice three cantrips.

"Ready to step into the world of Magic?" Lavinia asked conversationally as she packed the materials for Ron. "I’m sure this is the best decision you’ve ever made. You’ll definitely become a true Alchemist one day!"

"Don’t forget about me when you make it big!"