Chapter 78

"Wh-what do you mean, 'everyone'?"

To Erika's half-dazed question, Kisa stated firmly.

"Of course, it includes your sisters who are being held captive!"

"But, how?"

This time, she asked with a faint glimmer of hope. Erika didn't want to throw herself into the hands of the bandits willingly. If possible, she truly wanted to go to the city of Borinis with everyone, including her captured sisters.

However, Kisa's response was not what Erika had hoped for.

"We'll figure that out later!"

"Huh?"

Kisa's irresponsibility was so refreshing that Erika was utterly flabbergasted, and she let out a deflated sigh.

But Kisa, paying no attention to Erika's reaction, began to ask herself.

"Now, how do we rescue the captured Elven women?"

The easiest way would be to get the people who would come searching for her to help. If everyone cooperated, even the most vicious bandits would be no match.

But the problem was when they would arrive.

It would take at least a day or two for the news of her predicament to reach the city of Borinis from those who had been with her until just before she was stranded, even if they used fast horses. It was likely that the news of her being stranded would reach them tonight or tomorrow, and only then would the commotion begin.

Thinking about this, Kisa's spine was drenched in cold sweat as she imagined the face of the person who would undoubtedly be at the center of the commotion.

"...This is bad. I'll get scolded because I left without saying anything."

Kisa's face turned pale as she imagined the woman, whose hair would stand on end in rage. The thought of how to calm her down made Kisa feel more desperate than fighting the bandits.

However, she quickly shook her head and focused her mind on how to rescue the Elven women from the bandits.

At the very least, once the news of her being stranded reached them, everyone would send out a search party. At least, the woman she knew well would come flying over, whether to help her or to interrogate her.

But even if they rushed, it would take another day or two from the city. This meant that the search party would not reach this area until three or four days from today. It was questionable whether this would be in time for the deadline set by the bandits.

"Besides, how we communicate with everyone is also a problem."

In this region, which borders the territory of the Holmea Kingdom across the river, moving a large force would unnecessarily provoke the Holmea Kingdom. Therefore, the search party would have to be small. In the current situation, where a wide area needs to be searched for someone who had been swept away by the river, even if everyone was elite, it would not be easy to meet up.

Even if it took time, there would be a way to communicate, but the crucial time was not available.

The bandits probably set a three-day deadline for Erika and the others to prevent them from seeking help.

Kisa touched the collar of her clothes. Inside, she could feel several hard objects about the size of coins.

These were signal flares sewn into the collar for emergencies. When thrown into a fire, they would produce colored smoke.

If she timed it right and released the signal when the search party was nearby, they would come to her aid immediately.

However, the bandits would also see the signal.

Even if they didn't think it was a signal from an escaped Elf, they would realize that someone was trying to communicate with someone else.

The bandits were cautious, having escaped capture many times. They were unlikely to take risks to capture the Elven children and would probably flee with the Elven women.

Even if they didn't, the people searching for her would come in a conspicuous, armed group to make it easier for her to spot them. If such a group appeared, the bandits would flee without a second thought. If they crossed the river, there would be no way to stop them.

Kisa resolved that they had to do it with just the people present.

"Think, think! First, what's our combat strength?!"

Kisa suddenly shouted, startling Erika. But Kisa, ignoring her, was lost in thought.

"We only have one crossbow!"

How could they fight with just one crossbow?

Kisa asked himself.

"What about sniping?"

Sniping from a place where the enemy couldn't see them.

Fortunately, the crossbow made by the dwarf was both accurate and powerful. Moreover, it would be used by an Elf, known as a master archer, even if she was a girl. Both the weapon and the user had the capability to achieve their goal.

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

"No, it's not that simple."

If the bandits knew their comrades had been shot, they would realize that the escaped Elf had come to rescue them. If they used the captured women as shields and demanded that Erika come out, she would have no choice but to comply.

To prevent this, they needed to secure the safety of the Elven hostages first or eliminate all the bandits before they noticed the attack.

"Since we're struggling to rescue the hostages, securing their safety is impossible from the start, and it's even more impossible to incapacitate all the bandits without being noticed."

Kisa scratched his head vigorously.

"If we're going to be noticed anyway, why not surprise them? If we can cause confusion, we might be able to disguise our attack and maybe even avoid a fight?"

Kisa touched the signal flares again.

If thrown into a fire, they would produce a large amount of red smoke. Could this surprise the bandits?

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

"No, that won't be enough to cause panic. At best, they'll just find it eerie."

To make the bandits, who were rough and tough, so frightened that they would abandon their valuable Elven captives and flee, something more shocking was needed.

Something that would truly terrify even the bandits.

But did such a thing exist?

To rally his faltering spirit, Kisa urged himself.

"Think, think! Is there anything that can surprise the bandits?!"

But no matter how much he racked his brain, nothing came to mind. His head began to throb as if his brain was boiling from the heat of his frustration.

Seeing Kisa's state, Erika gave a small, bitter smile. She was glad he was trying so hard for their sake, but she knew the situation was not that simple.

"You don't have to worry so much. I know that nothing can be done unless a god appears."

She said this out of concern for Kisa's struggle.

But Kisa was taken aback by the words of Erika, whom he was trying to help.

He stood motionless, and as Erika grew increasingly worried, he finally spoke.

"...Unless a god appears?"

Erika tilted her head, wondering if she had said something strange.

"Ah, yes. It's that desperate a situation... But isn't that a common expression?"

She wondered if they didn't say it where Kisa was from.

But Kisa, seemingly not hearing her, muttered to himself.

"Speaking of which, isn't the Elven god of wind a large tree?"

Erika frowned at the seemingly trivial question about the appearance of the seven deities, which even children should know.

"It's not that the god resembles a tree. The tree is shaped like the god of wind."

It didn't seem like a significant issue, but when it came to their deity, there was no room for compromise.

"A god will come to help... A god will appear..."

Kisa repeated the same words in his mind for a while, but then his vacant eyes suddenly sparkled with determination.

"That's it!"

Kisa exclaimed and began to check his belongings.

Each item in his possession seemed unrelated, but in Kisa's mind, they were forming a picture like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

"Can I do this...? This and this... No, that won't work. Wait, what about... Ah, right, Nal said..."

The missing pieces fell into place one by one, and finally, the picture was complete.

"Can I do it? I can! No, I will!"

Kisa, as if convincing himself, turned on his heel and started running.

"Let's hurry back! There's something I need to check!"

Erika, overwhelmed by Kisa's sudden sprint down the hill, snapped out of her daze and hurriedly called out to him.

"Hey, idiot! That's the wrong way! The direction is different!"