While travelling through a pathway inside a forest near the foot of a mountain, Alecsia was walking way ahead of the others. Jaegar and Brittanya walked side by side, while Kryllo and Leonze walked behind them. They were surrounded by thick trees and lush bushes.

"Hey, is it really okay to let her walk ahead of us? She's getting further away from us, you know?"

Leonze lowered his voice as he spoke.

"Let her do what she wants. I bet she just runs away when there is danger. That's how she's able to survive this long, no doubt."

Jaegar smirked as he watched Alecsia's back.

"Even if you say that, it seems that you trust her."

Brittanya stared at Jaegar beside her.

"What are you talking about?"

Jaegar raised his eyebrow as he looked at Brittanya.

"We don't even know the way to Mount Havenero. Yet we're just following Alecsia like it's the most natural thing. So, you must trust her to know the way, right?"

Brittanya blinked several times as she stared at Jaegar for a while longer.

"Huh? I thought this scammer knows the way. He said he'd be useful to us."

Jaegar pointed at Leonze behind him.

"Well… I think we're going in the right direction…"

Leonze looked away as he forced a laugh.

"I guess she really does know where to go. She even told us that she's been with several parties that tried to go to the volcano. We can leave it in her hands."

Brittanya smiled as she then looked toward Alecsia in front of them.

"Hmm… Something's off here."

Jaegar held his chin and looked at the ground.

"Aside from letting the healer walk ahead unprotected? What else is there?"

Leonze raised his hands at his sides and shook his head.

"If she had already been out here a few times… And her party always got killed… then that means she knows it's dangerous here… And yet she still led us through here."

Jaegar then glared at Alecsia.

"There's… something… in this… place…"

Kryllo turned his head toward different directions and looked at the trees surrounding them.

Suddenly, the bushes around them rustled heavily. Then, shadowy figures simultaneously jumped out of the shrubberies and circled around Jaegar and the others. They were half the size of normal humans, with the legs, arms and snout of a canine. Their whole bodies were scaled like that of a gray lizard. It stood on two of its legs and held a spiked club in one hand.

"K-Kobolds?!"

Leonze stood closer to Jaegar's back.

"What about Alecsia?!"

Brittanya immediately looked at Alecsia's direction. The healer was also surrounded by a group of kobolds. There was also a taller kobold among those near Alecsia.

"What… is that…?"

Kryllo pointed at the tall Kobold.

"A kobold chief?! What is that monster doing being this near a town?"

Leonze stared at the kobold chief near Alecsia. Then, another one showed up behind their group.

"Oh… So, she lured us here, huh? Well, let's play your game, Healer of Death!"

Jaegar smirked as he glared at the kobolds around them. The smaller kobolds were snickering to themselves as they inched closer and closer toward the party.

"We've got to help Alecsia—"

"We don't have time to worry about her. We're not required to protect her! Worry about these guys."

Jaegar cut off Brittanya. She could only grit her teeth and clench her fists. Brittanya then looked at the kobolds that surrounded them.

"Finally, some monsters!"

Jaegar kicked and punched the kobolds that jumped toward him. The small kobolds flew toward the trees. Some kobolds got crushed due to the impact of the hit.

"I missed casting my spells! Wall of Earth that Sends Them Flying!"

Brittanya kicked the ground in front of her. A chunk of earth protruded from the ground and hit several kobolds, sending them flying high in the air. When they fell back on the ground, sounds of bones getting crushed echoed.

Meanwhile, Kryllo took his Diamede bow from his back and held it in the lower limb. He swung it around and hit any kobold that jumped toward him.

When Leonze saw an opportunity, he ran toward the forest to hide behind a tree. Unbeknownst to him, there were kobolds on the branches of the tree he was hiding at.

Before the kobolds could jump down and attack Leonze, they all bled in the neck and fell toward the ground. Leonze shrieked as he heard the dead kobolds hit the ground.

When all of the kobolds that were attacking Jaegar and the others were wiped out, the kobold chief near them suddenly moved. It previously just stood there and watched as the smaller kobolds got obliterated. The kobold chief was holding a larger wooden club with bigger spikes on it. Both Jaegar and Brittanya looked at the larger kobold.

"Can I take it? Since we're in a hurry."

Brittanya frowned as she stared at the kobold chief.

"I wanted to let out some more steam, but sure. Go ahead."

Jaegar relaxed from his stance and then stood up straight.

The kobold chief then took a step back as it swung its giant club sideways. As the club was about to hit Brittanya, she punched the wooden club.

"Wood Magic Counter Surprise Attack!"

Brittanya's punch shattered the club by its handle.

A large chunk of the wooden club flew up in the air. She quickly jumped up toward the loose piece of the  spiked club. She then kicked down the remaining piece of the club toward the kobold chief's chest. The spiked club chunk pierced through the chest of the kobold chief. It first fell down on its knees and then continued to fully fall down on the ground.

"Well, that was new. But your naming still sucks."

Jaegar smirked as he watched Brittanya land.

"Wait, what about Alecsia?"

Brittanya quickly turned around to look at Alecsia's direction. Jaegar and Kryllo also looked.

They then saw that the kobolds and the other kobold chief were all wheezing heavily with their tongues hanging from their mouths. They were just standing there surrounding her and staring at Alecsia, who hadn't moved even a little bit from her initial location.

"What's happening there…?"

Jaegar furrowed his eyebrows as he watched the scene before him.

"Ask questions later. We have to help her!"

Brittanya then dug her hands on the ground and picked up a large chunk of earth from the ground. She threw it toward the kobold chief. All the other kobolds got swept away by the chunk of earth until it hit the kobold chief. The larger kobold flew together with the piece of earth, and then got crushed by it when it landed on the ground.

Jaegar, meanwhile, dashed toward Alecsia and quickly got rid of the kobolds near her by punching and kicking them away. In a matter of moments, there were no more kobolds surrounding Alecsia thanks to both Brittanya and Jaegar.

Alecsia had her eyes closed the whole time. She then decided to open her eyes. She noticed that all the kobolds disappeared. Alecsia looked around her as she furrowed her eyebrows.

She saw Jaegar standing beside her, his back turned on her. She then also saw Kryllo and Brittanya walking toward her. Finally, she noticed Leonze walking out of the bushes while he was scratching the back of his head.

"W-what happened here…? You're still alive…? Where are all the monsters…?"

Alecsia's eyes were wide open as she spoke slowly.

"Did you think monsters of that level could kill us? You've underestimated the wrong party, woman."

Jaegar turned around to look at her. He smirked as he condescendingly watched the surprised face of Alecsia.

"Were you really trying to kill us, Alecsia?"

Brittanya innocently looked at Alecsia as she placed both her hands behind her.

"And using kobold chiefs too? How did you do it? They usually stay away from human towns and cities."

Leonze finally was able to catch up with the rest of them and stood in front of Alecsia.

"You're… you're alive!"

Alecsia then started to smile. It got bigger and bigger by the moment.

"Huh…? You seem a lot happier for someone who just failed to kill your targets."

Jaegar raised his eyebrow as he watched Alecsia.

"I… I didn't plan to kill you… I just wanted to find people who can help me…"

Tears started to form in Alecsia's eyes. She clasped her hands tightly together.

"Help you? Help you with what?"

Leonze tilted his head as he waited for Alecsia's answer.

"You don't honestly think that we're going to fall for your sob story or whatever plan you had?"

Jaegar placed his hands on his waist as he intensely glared at Alecsia.

"You noticed that the kobold chiefs were near town, right? And you found it weird? Well, because it is. One of the first party I was in accidentally stumbled upon the kobold's camp near here. A monster was leading them. A Kobold Lord. And they were preparing to invade Equasulle."

Alecsia earnestly looked directly into the eyes of Jaegar.