Even before the speaker appeared, Roland recognized him just from that exaggerated, lilting tone.

While reuniting with a partner was a joyous occasion, still...

"Galvis..."

Roland lifted the tent flap. He gently picked up Tress, who was in his waist pouch nibbling on a piece of bread, and spoke with a sense of resignation.

"I assume... you’ve already met Tress, haven’t you?"

"Roland! You’re back!"

"Mr. Roland!"

The first to stand and greet him was Avril.

Thanks to Graham’s thorough arrangements before his departure, along with the help of Mason and Freddy, the Elf Maiden was clearly doing well. At least she no longer looked as overwhelmed as she did when she hastily took on the role of temporary commander.

But her petite frame was quickly pushed aside by a taller figure.

"THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!"

Accompanied by the muffled thud of leather boots on the ground, a flash of bright silver hair flew through the air, tracing a dazzling arc.

And then...

"BAM!"

A soft body crashed straight into Roland’s sturdy chest.

Taking in the faint, pleasant scent, Roland scratched his nose, a bit flustered. He looked down at Teresa’s bloodshot eyes and the unconcealable exhaustion on her face, then gently patted the top of her head.

"Uh... Teresa, what’s wrong?"

"It’s nothing, Mr. Roland. I was just..."

The silver-haired woman then realized she might have been a bit too emotional. She quickly released her arms from around Roland’s waist and took a half-step back.

She twirled a strand of hair by her ear with her fingertips, her voice sounding a little faint.

"It’s just... so good to see you’re safe."

"Same here, Teresa."

The atmosphere in the tent fell into a brief silence, but it was broken a moment later by a faint sound, like teeth grinding.

Before Roland could find the source of the sound, Galvis, who was standing to the side, strummed his harp and opportunistically stepped in front of him.

Catching a glimpse of Avril behind him—her eyes downcast, her expression slightly sullen—the Minstrel’s gaze toward Roland held a trace of pity.

But then he remembered that the young man before him was his "destined hero." He took a deep breath, a brilliant smile spreading across his face, and said loudly.

"Of course, Roland! I mean... of course I’ve met this Miss Pikachu. Her name is... Tress, right?"

He waved at the Pikachu, whose mouth was stuffed with bread, and then pressed on.

"But I heard... you went to meet the Fairy Queen of the Pikachu this time? Roland, quick, tell me, what does the Fairy Queen, who only exists in legends, actually look like?"

"Uh... she’s about waist-high, with incredibly refined features, and as for her presence..."

Drawn in by Galvis’s sudden question, Roland began to answer subconsciously, but he caught himself mid-sentence and shoved the Minstrel away.

"Galvis, now is not the time for this!"

With the Minstrel’s interruption, the delicate atmosphere in the tent instantly vanished.

Noticing this, Galvis let out a long sigh of relief.

However, Roland didn’t notice the fleeting change in his expression and simply stepped forward to ask.

"Avril, what happened at the camp? Also..."

His gaze shifted to the silent, silver-haired woman beside them.

"Teresa, why are you and Galvis here?"

Just as Roland had expected, the soldiers in the brand-new blue and white armor were indeed the reinforcements sent by Derek.

However, the way they arrived in this Land of Mist...

"You’re saying..."

Roland’s brow furrowed slightly as he looked at Galvis.

"A platform that can ascend and descend vertically over the towering mountain range?"

"Hey, Roland! Stop looking at me like I’m an idiot!"

The Minstrel chugged a mouthful of ale and, forcing back the rough, burning sensation in his throat, explained.

"I heard it’s the latest creation of the Dwarf Kingdom! The energy source that powers it... is their independently developed ’Magic Energy Core,’ tsk tsk tsk..."

He clicked his tongue.

"After a few hundred years, the Forging Skills of those short guys are still as terrifying as ever."

"Magic Energy Core?"

The term reminded Roland of something Hobbit had mentioned.

The Magic Energy Cannon on Trevor’s ship also seemed to be powered by a "Magic Energy Core" built by the Dwarves.

Thinking of this, he immediately asked Teresa about Hobbit’s safety. He breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that his Half-Elf partner was unharmed, and his gaze drifted toward the distance through a gap in the tent flap.

"But this is just..."

Compared to when he first arrived, the mountains surrounding the Land of Mist seemed even more majestic and perilous, their peaks looking as if they would pierce the very heavens.

And for a creation of the Dwarves to so easily cross such a natural chasm and safely deliver such a massive army...

It was simply unbelievable.

Roland let out a soft breath, suppressing the shock and doubt in his heart.

No matter how exquisite the Dwarves’ skills were, the existence of this lifting platform meant only one thing.

He could finally leave this place safely!

Realizing this, he suppressed his excitement and revealed all the information he had learned in the Star Dew Forest.

"Magic City Jiles?"

"Treasure Tools?"

Seeing the bewildered looks on his partners’ faces, the cloud of suspicion in Roland’s heart grew thicker.

It was normal for him and Bronson to have never heard of it, but Avril and Galvis...

Those two had lived for at least a century, and the Elf Race in particular had a long and storied history.

If even they had never heard of this Magic City’s existence, then there were only two possibilities.

Either Estelle had deceived him, or...

...the existing historical records were wildly inaccurate, or someone had deliberately erased all traces of the city.

But none of that had much to do with him anymore.

Roland shook his head gently, announcing his decision to the group.

To leave this land of trouble as soon as possible.

As the saying goes, a wise man doesn’t stand under a crumbling wall.

Regardless of whether the rumors of the Magic City Jiles were true or false, it was definitely the right move to get away from this treacherous region.

His current status was merely that of a student at the Knight Academy. He had neither the obligation nor the ability to solve the Land of Mist’s problems for the River Domain.

Especially when his opponent was a Transcendent on par with Graham.

No one objected to his proposal.

"Lord Derek will be sending a new commander to replace me soon."

Avril said, stretching lazily as if she could already feel the call of a soft bed.

"Then I can go back to the Royal Capital with all of you!"

"Same for us, Mr. Roland."

Teresa replied.

"Roland!"

Galvis stood on his toes to sling an arm around Roland’s shoulder, a mischievous smile on his face.

"We risked our lives to come all the way to this godforsaken place to find you! So? Aren’t you moved? Touched?"

"Hmm... more than moved,"

Roland said, raising an eyebrow as he voiced the question on his mind.

"Galvis, how were you so sure that I would survive my ordeal in the Wailing Gorge, and how did you know I’d ended up in the Land of Mist?"

"Haha, well..."

The smile on the Minstrel’s face froze instantly.

"You’re my destined hero, how could you possibly die in obscurity? As for... uh... the Wailing Gorge is really close to the Land of Mist, so we just came to try our luck..."

"Mr. Galvis."

Teresa’s eyes narrowed, her voice turning icy.

"Lying is a bad habit."

"Back then, you swore to me that Mr. Roland was in the Land of Mist. And after we got off the lifting platform, you didn’t even search. You came straight to this military camp."

"Th-that’s..."

Under Roland’s increasingly sharp gaze, Galvis awkwardly released his arm and retreated step by step toward a corner of the tent.

Seeing Teresa’s expression grow colder as her hand quietly came to rest on the hilt of her sword, the Minstrel’s face flushed red, and he finally cried out in surrender.

"Alright! Alright! I’ll tell you!"

He glanced uncomfortably at Roland, then lowered his head, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"I used... the great power bestowed upon me by the Goddess of Love Shuni..."