Half-Elves, a petite people, usually try to avoid drawing attention and getting caught up in unnecessary fights. It’s how they’ve managed to survive in a world filled with larger races.

But if Fromm Town itself was being surrounded and attacked, just leaving town was conspicuous enough. Any attempt to hide would have been useless.

"What about you? How did you get out?" Ron quickly asked.

"I slipped out at night. I used a Silence Technique so they couldn’t hear me," Buni explained, her face clouding over with worry. "I should have stayed with Lavinia. Then she wouldn’t have been captured all by herself..."

"If you two had moved together, you would have just been a bigger target," Ron said. "Are you able to keep going? We’ll go back and save her."

"I don’t know if we have enough time."

"There are... three days left," Buni calculated. "The kidnappers gave us five days to raise one hundred Gold Coins, or they’ll kill her."

"Why not just pay them?" Aive asked. "Lavinia is a Mage and runs an Alchemy shop. Shouldn’t she be able to afford it?"

After all, a life is far more precious than possessions.

"In terms of value, her things are worth far more than that," Buni said with a bitter smile. "But the problem is, you can’t convert any of it into cash in town!"

"Almost no one besides Lavinia knows anything about Herbalism or Alchemy. Right now, everyone is desperately trying to turn their non-essentials into coin. Who would spend money on things like that?"

"Looks like there’s no other way, then," Sera said, pulling her giant axe out from under her blanket. "Chieftain, just give the word, and we’ll go bash those kidnappers’ skulls in!"

Sera had no interest in who was kidnapped, who did the kidnapping, or who they were to Ron. All she knew was that there was a fight to be had, and that was the most important thing.

Her daily routine these past few days had mostly been hunting herbivores (other goblins were too much trouble to provoke), and she was starting to go stir-crazy.

"Victoria, what do you think?" Ron asked, consulting the last member of their party. There was no need to ask Delaford. The Hunter’s ties to his previous job were fading fast; even Klade could barely order him around anymore.

The earth goblin, however, couldn’t care less about being short one goblin, whereas Ron felt he had gained a reliable ally.

"I can leave anytime," Victoria nodded. "But we should probably let Buni rest for a bit. She’s exhausted, on the verge of collapse."

And so, two hours later, after temporarily handing over camp affairs to Klade, Ron set out with his team and Buni.

"It’s just ahead. See that smoke?"

Once Fromm Town was nearly in view, Buni raised her hand and pointed to a small highland to the west. "That’s the kidnappers’ camp!"

It was dinnertime. The highland was covered with haphazardly constructed fences, their iron wire and ropes twisted together to form a messy camp. As Ron and the others slowly approached, using the long shadows cast by the setting sun for cover, they could see the kidnappers sitting lazily around a bonfire. Emboldened by alcohol, they boasted about how many screaming, begging victims their weapons had dispatched. The interior of the camp was chaotic. A single glance revealed a complete lack of order.

"That’s strange. The Great Gobi of the West isn’t close to the town. Why would these people be here?" Victoria whispered, confused.

Being in such a remote area, Fromm Town wasn’t a particularly worthwhile target to raid.

"Remember? Ming Datiss said the thugs at the banquet that day were also from the Gobi Desert," Aive reminded them.

"You mean this is that Elf’s doing too? But why?"

"Because we have to go back and help. Otherwise, if the town falls, establishing our foothold becomes meaningless," Ron said in a low voice. "If he wants to rummage around in the Delusional Land, then we, who are also exploring it, are without a doubt his biggest obstacle."

"The longer he can tie us up, the greater his chances of finding those relics."

"But he doesn’t know that the most crucial piece of the puzzle has already fallen into our hands," Aive let out a snicker.

"Then let’s make this quick!" Sera said, having carefully observed the positions of the bandits in the camp. "We can circle around to the other side. There’s a gap in the fence there, and only two people are guarding it."

"If we can get in from there... Aive, why are you looking at me like that?"

"I’m... surprised you’re actually suggesting a tactic?" Aive stared at her in amazement. "Aren’t you supposed to suggest grabbing our weapons and charging straight at them, screaming ’WAAAAAGH!’?"

"Well, that’s not off the table. I was just considering your feelings..." Sera pouted. "Or should I really just charge in?"

"Let’s play it safe," Ron said, quickly holding back the eager Sera. "There’s still a hostage in there!"

’A Russian-style rescue is not an option. If it weren’t for saving Lavinia, we wouldn’t even be here!’

"Delaford, are you confident you can take care of those two over there?"

"No problem!" the goblin grinned. "I learned a new little trick while hunting recently!"

Delaford flipped up his hood, covering his face, then drew a pair of daggers from his waist and crept toward the back of the camp.

Goblins are naturally short, and with his deliberate and skillful concealment, the inattentive bandits on lookout didn’t notice him at all.

Only from Ron’s group’s vantage point could Delaford’s movements be seen, but then...

’Where did Delaford go?’

’Why has a thick fog suddenly risen behind the bandits’ camp?’

A change like that was impossible to miss. The bandits quickly moved toward it, and the two closest were instantly swallowed by the thick fog, never to emerge again.

"What the hell is that kid doing?!" Sera exclaimed, but her shock wasn’t because of Delaford’s "trick"—it was because he had just alerted the entire camp!

Why would a cloud of fog more than ten meters in diameter suddenly rise up on a bare hillside? Anyone would find that suspicious!

"Well, what’s done is done," Ron sighed. ’Delaford would’ve had a better chance of success just assassinating them with his own skills.’ He then gave the command, "We’re charging in from the front! Straight for that tent!"

But as his teammates rose to their feet and began to attack the bandits, a question popped into Ron’s head:

’Isn’t Delaford a Wanderer? How did he suddenly learn how to use Magic?’