"How’s the situation?"
Antalya glanced at Greg, checking the dwarf’s pulse and quietly exhaling in relief before asking.
"I ssed up, Lilianne was taken by Red Eye."
Ali glanced at Antalya, her pale blue artificial pupils betraying no emotion.
"I chased after them but couldn’t catch up, then I found Greg on the ground... he must have been knocked out by Red Eye."
"I’m very sorry, it’s my responsibility."
Ali’s voice carried self-reproach, but that wasn’t the answer Antalya was looking for.
"Look up at !" Antalya suddenly said loudly.
"The Ali I know isn’t soone so fragile! We still have a chance, and your punishnt will co after you’ve made ands for your mistake through your actions!"
"A chance?" Ali paused, "We still have a chance?"
"You should be able to see even this!" Antalya responded.
"Red Eye’s ultimate goal isn’t Lilianne herself but the role she plays. He chose to abduct Lilianne to restrain Harry, making him the easiest among Lorinda’s leaders to break."
"Red Eye acts this way to gain the upper hand in the upcoming negotiations.
Not seeing this earlier was my mistake."
Antalya paused.
"I will explain to Harry, but let make this clear to you first: we have no room for further errors. If our next move fails, I shouldn’t need to spell out the consequences."
"Go back, return to the inn, and check on Greg’s condition. I’ll take direct responsibility for Harry’s safety."
With that, Antalya waved her hand, signaling for them to leave.
Ali opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing.
Howard helped her support Greg, and the three of them departed.
Monts later, Antalya, standing at the entrance of the small building, saw Harry rushing back in haste.
His usually sowhat chubby and affable face now bore an uncommon ferocity, his light brown eyes filled with blood vessels.
He gave Antalya a cold glance, his voice erging as if squeezed through clenched teeth.
"Where’s Lilianne!"
"I’m terribly sorry... we failed," Antalya t Harry’s gaze squarely.
"But I assure you, we will rescue Lilianne!"
"Assurances, assurances... What use are your promises to ! Lilianne is my only daughter! She’s my only family! If anything happens to her... I’ll see you ruined!"
Harry’s deanor was nearly frantic, but his threat was far from empty.
No one wants to commission an incompetent adventure group; reputation is the lifeblood of such groups.
Without a good reputation, there’s no stable source of quests, aning the adventure group could disband at any ti, an outco Antalya absolutely could not accept.
"Before the negotiations..."
Harry’s face inched closer, his facial muscles twitching with anger and shock, he said, "Before the negotiations, before Lilianne’s safety is no longer at risk, I need to see her safely returned to ! Otherwise, prepare to pay for your failure!"
With that, Harry didn’t wait for Antalya’s response, walking past her and straight into the building.
Red Eye would surely initiate contact within the next few days; he needed to prepare early to seize the last opportunity to rescue Lilianne.
Although he appeared furious, he had not lost his reason.
Currently, only Antalya and her team had the capability to contend with Red Eye and rescue Lilianne.
As his only trump card, he had to fully leverage their strength.
Threats were indeed threats, but he wouldn’t resort to such asures unless driven to desperation, as it would essentially an severing ties with Antalya and her team.
Such impetuosity would obliterate the last sliver of hope for Lilianne’s rescue.
"Gobi, fetch Gazel for . I want him and the militia here in front of within half an hour! Also, keep Lilianne’s disappearance under wraps, seal off any leaks!"
His icy gaze swept over the butler Gobi, Harry articulating his commands clearly.
Gobi shuddered slightly, well aware of Lilianne’s importance to Harry.
To put it bluntly, as Harry’s only remaining kin, there was nothing he wouldn’t do for Lilianne.
If Antalya and her team failed to rescue Lilianne, Harry wouldn’t hesitate to betray Lorinda to ensure her safety.
It was hard to imagine the dire state Lorinda would fall into under Red Eye’s clutches—a devil who took pleasure in cruelty and murder.
Seeing Gobi’s hesitation, Harry’s gaze sharpened, "Go!"
"Yes, sir!"
Without further hesitation, the current Harry was devoid of emotion, and any further delay could provoke unforeseeable actions from him.
Watching the middle-aged man’s retreating figure, Harry narrowed his eyes, a cold laugh escaping him: "You should be aware that we have a traitor among us."
"It’s undeniable. Otherwise, Red Eye couldn’t have understood our intel so precisely and made such targeted arrangents in such short order," Antalya replied calmly.
"Mr. Harry, do you have any suspects?"
"In these circumstances, everyone is under suspicion!"
Harry didn’t elaborate further, rely letting out a cold laugh.
In the face of threats and temptations, no one can keep their loyalty, not even subordinates who have been with him for nearly a decade.
"This ti, we must be fully prepared. Until the traitor’s presence and identity are confird, our communication must be covert," Harry stated, pausing slightly in his steps.
"I’ll give you one last chance. This ti, you don’t need to report your action plans to . As long as you can rescue Lilianne, I will bear any responsibility!"
"The Silverwind Rangers won’t fail your trust," Antalya said, her expression softening.
"You’ve already failed once," Harry retorted with a sneer, dismissing Antalya’s assurance.
"Vivia, how is Greg doing?"
Inside the inn, in the room where Howard and the others were staying, everyone available had gathered around.
Howard, Ali, Vivia, and Jelia were all there, attending to Greg lying on the bed.
Although Vivia wasn’t a magus, Howard was surprised to find that she was quite a skilled physician.
Howard had learned that while the most reliable healing thods in the depths of the New World ca from the Spirit Church’s divine techniques, if one had a sufficiently skilled physician, most problems could still be resolved.
Vivia was such a physician.
Although her dical skills might not achieve miracles such as regenerating limbs, she could handle most injuries and diseases with ease.
This was one reason Antalya hadn’t sent Vivia back to Breeze City; another was concern for Vivia’s safety.
Even in the relatively safe environnt of Breeze City, a journey alone for a girl of sixteen or seventeen wasn’t without risks.
Without soone to look after her, who knew what could happen.
"Everything looks normal; his breathing, pulse, and heartbeat are all regular. Aside from a few bruises, there are no significant injuries. However, it’s strange; he just won’t wake up," Vivia explained with a furrowed brow, summarizing Greg’s condition.
Howard asked, "What about his internal organs?"
"Could there be internal injuries?"
Vivia shook her head.
"It’s unlikely. There are minor internal injuries, but they’re not severe, and certainly not the kind that would cause unconsciousness."
"Although Greg can’t wake up for now, I can assure you that there’s no significant danger to him. However, this reduces our combat effectiveness."
As one of the more experienced magi in the group, Greg’s importance was undeniable; one might even say that Greg alone was more valuable than both Howard and Ali combined at the mont.
Greg’s unexplained coma was undoubtedly bad news for them.
"Such unexplained comas are usually related to the soul or spirit, and purely relying on dication is unlikely to be effective in these cases. However, if we return to Breeze City and seek treatnt from a divine magus of the Spirit Church, it shouldn’t pose a significant problem," Vivia offered so reassurance to the group.
While it didn’t change their imdiate situation, it eased their concerns sowhat.
"Speaking of which... what exactly happened to you? Why is Greg unconscious? And where is Antalya? Weren’t you supposed to be protecting Harry and his daughter?"
Packing away her diagnostic tools, Vivia finally voiced her confusion.
Howard and Ali had rushed Greg back, and she had been preoccupied with assessing his condition, not having had the chance to ask about their ordeal.
"We were attacked by Red Eye and his group; we couldn’t protect Lilianne, and she was abducted by Red Eye!" Ali clenched her fists tightly.
"It was my dereliction of duty."
"It’s not solely your fault," Howard patted Ali’s shoulder, "Greg and I should have reacted quicker. If I hadn’t been held up, I might have at least been able to warn you. Even if the warning hadn’t worked, facing Red Eye with the two of us together might have given us a better chance of holding out."
"This mistake isn’t one person’s fault; we all share the bla."
Although Howard said this, it didn’t seem to have the desired effect.
Ali simply shook her head, turning to Vivia.
"Lilianne was taken on my watch; I have to be the one to get her back! Vivia, check over, please. I don’t want to go into battle with any underlying issues."
"Okay," Vivia nodded, then turned to Howard, "Howard, you should get checked too!"
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