"Friend, don’t listen to the nonsense these monsters are spouting!" the Caster among the bandits said hurriedly. "We’re all human, aren’t we? We’re natural allies. You should be protecting us!"

"I’m human, that’s not the issue. But as for protecting you, I’m not so sure," Ron said, ignoring the Caster and continuing to question the butler. "You said they stole your Deity’s treasure. Do you know what it looks like?"

"It’s a shimmering, blue-purple stone sphere. It was lodged in our Deity’s eye stalk," the butler replied quickly.

"Nonsense! We’ve never seen any stone sphere!" the humans flatly denied.

"Alright, then let me ask you," Ron said, turning to face them. "You’re a... Mage?"

"A Sorcerer," the Caster said, nodding at Ron.

"Oh, impressive. If you don’t mind my asking, what’s your bloodline heritage?"

"My power originates from a distant ancestor," the Sorcerer said frankly. "She once roamed the chaotic Sea of Elements and forged a bond with a powerful Fire Elemental Lord that transcended mere friendship. The power of fire Magic appears from time to time among her descendants."

In this world, this was nothing to be ashamed of. Getting intimate with a Fire Elemental Lord and leaving a Sorcerer bloodline for your descendants... plenty of people wished for that kind of opportunity.

So when the Sorcerer described his lineage, even Sera shot him an envious glance.

"So, have you tried to explore powers outside of your bloodline?"

"Why would I do that?" the Sorcerer asked, giving Ron a baffled look. "I haven’t even fully tapped into the power of my own bloodline. Why would I seek power elsewhere?"

Ron nodded. "Then, are there any other Casters in your group?"

"Nope! There isn’t another Caster for two taverns’ worth of distance around where we operate," the Sorcerer said, puffing out his chest proudly.

’That’s strange. The butler said the Mire Throat Monster was killed by lightning, but how could a Sorcerer with a Fire Element heritage possibly use lightning? Not even the Electric Claw cantrip?’

’Besides, a Mire Throat Monster is a genuine giant beast, definitely not something a group of bandits could handle—let alone removing a treasure from its eye stalk and then killing it, all while it’s immune to electricity.’

’This is simply not something ordinary people could pull off.’

"Is it possible for us to see the victim—I mean, the victim ’Deity’?" Ron asked, turning back to the butler.

"Oh, of course! Please follow me—and don’t you thieves and murderers even think about running off!"

Following the Mad Frogman butler, Ron and his companions ducked into a half-submerged cave. They waded for some time through knee-deep, murky water before the firelight revealed a huge and lavishly decorated nest.

"Watch out!" The bandit who had tried to flee earlier was behind Ron. With a quick tug, he pulled Ron back. "There’s a pit here."

"Thanks." Ron paused for a moment but simply offered his gratitude and said nothing more.

"Here we are," the butler cried out mournfully, pacing before the nest and raising his torch to illuminate the scene above.

The corpse of a giant monster lay slumped over the nest. Just as Ron had read, it was a fully grown Mire Throat Monster.

This monster, however, was charred black. It didn’t emit the fragrant aroma of roasted meat; instead, its corpse was shrouded in a pungent, putrid stench.

’Just like the books said. This creature probably isn’t a product of a normal world, but originates from another Otherworld.’

"Gross! I wouldn’t eat this thing even if you paid me!" Sera exclaimed, pinching her nose and waving her other hand furiously in front of her face to dispel the stench.

"A Deity’s body is not for your consumption," the Mad Frogman butler said, its tone turning serious (or so Ron inferred). "The only one qualified to partake is, of course... another Deity."

Perhaps sensing the commotion, another monster poked its eye stalks out from beneath the dead Mire Throat Monster’s corpse.

It was also a Mire Throat Monster, though still a juvenile. While its appearance was nearly a carbon copy of the larger one, its body was several sizes smaller.

"Mire Throat Monsters can lay a fertilized egg without mating, and the young can grow to adult size within a month through ravenous hunting..." Aive murmured.

’It was hard to imagine. A month from now, would they be neighbors with a monster like that? It was far too dangerous!’

"I suggest we eliminate both groups," Victoria said, looking at Ron earnestly. "Let’s not waste time judging who’s right or wrong. Leaving them here is a danger to everyone else."

Seemingly sensing the Priest’s hostility, the Little Mire Throat Monster let out a screech and threateningly brandished its maw at Victoria.

"What a disgusting monster. Vile and powerful," the bandit Sorcerer said, frowning at the nest. "Even if I knew there was treasure here, I’d never set foot in this place. It’s just too dangerous!"

The other bandits quickly agreed. They wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like this.

"Oh, right," Ron said, as if a question had just occurred to him. "You came here with Ming Datiss, didn’t you?"

"Ming Datiss? You mean that rich, arrogant Elf?" the Sorcerer asked after a moment’s thought. "Yeah! We came with him. Didn’t he go get reinforcements? We thought he brought you here."

"No," Ron said, shaking his head. "To be perfectly honest, we’re actually rivals. We have a score to settle with him."

"Tsk!" The Sorcerer glanced around anxiously, and it was hard to tell if he was preparing for a fight to the death or looking for an escape route.

"Looks like he ditched you and ran," Aive said with a sardonic laugh. "Don’t worry, this is the second or third time we’ve seen him pull a stunt like this. The man’s a real scoundrel."

"Four times!" Delaford corrected.

"Looks like we picked a real winner for an employer!" the Sorcerer spat out, grinding his teeth. "You know what? I’m fucking done!"

"Let me give it to you straight! This whole ’getting captured’ thing was his plan from the start. He said the Mad Frogmen wouldn’t kill us right away, so we’d pretend to be prisoners to find their camp. Our job was to create a diversion while he stole something—but the plan was that he’d come back for us to retreat together after he got it!"

"And now? He ran off by himself and left us here to take the fall! That’s the whole story!"

"So, you’re saying that Elf defeated the Deity by himself?!" the butler cried, aghast. "That’s impossible!"

"No, it *is* possible," Ron suddenly interrupted the butler. "He just had to get the treasure first."

"And he never left. He’s hiding in this crowd. Whether you fought each other or teamed up to find him, he could have slipped away in the confusion. But our sudden arrival disrupted his plan. In his panic, he made a bad move, and just now, he gave himself away again."

"Am I right, Ming Datiss? Is it fun, hiding behind us for a second time?"