Of course, Yua was shocked, too shocked that she didn't want to believe what Yuuta told him. She blankly stared into space as she tried to recall how the Minths were acting back then... and how the Sacred Stones came to their rescue.
'Wait, I never told Yuuta how the Sacred Stones happen to be there? Nor did I tell him that they were the ones who saved us? How did he know? Did somebody else tell him?' Yua asked herself in confusion. Somehow, Yuuta's words were convincing and she began to doubt whether what she perceived was wrong or not.
"You two, we can have this conversation later. Let's get out of here for now! Remember what we came here for, Yuuta."
"Right," Yuuta muttered. That's when he heard the faint sound of a scream emanating from the deepest parts of the cave. As soon as he heard that, he remembered the familiar presence he felt before entering the room where the Prince of the Minths was located.
"Follow me!" Yuuta said with urgency.
Since Miki and Yua have no idea where the way out was, they blindly followed Yuuta deeper into the cave. They have no idea that they were going deeper though, and that's because they can't see that well in the dark. It should be mentioned that the three of them were linked with their hands so none of them would get lost. Well, even if someone did, Yuuta is sure to sense it because he's like a bat in a cave.
After a few minutes of walking, the cave became narrower. That's when Miki and Yua realized that Yuuta was leading them deeper into the maze. "Yuuta, where are we going?" Miki cluelessly asked.
"Yuuta?" Yua asked, her voice shaky.
"We're almost there."
The narrow passage then led to a metal doorway that was locked from the outside. From a distance, Yuuta could already hear the pounding that came from within. Prisoners, there were prisoners inside the cave!
Yuuta didn't think twice about removing the lock with his bare hands, which surprised Miki and Yua even more. There was a good chance that whatever's trapped within the prison is either be a powerful foe or a prisoner of the Minths. But Yuuta could sense that there were two prisoners and that they felt familiar. So he didn't hesitate.
"Everyone all right?" He asked pushing the door out of the way.
"Yuuta?"
It was Ashuril and Lorraine.
"What are you two doing here?" Yuuta asked, already prepared to fight them off in case they were plotting with the Sacred Stones and the Minths. But based on the aura they gave, Yuuta could tell a hint of dread in them.
"We'll tell you everything. For now, let's get out of here."
Ashuril and Lorraine didn't waste any time telling them about the false propaganda of the Sacred Stones about the Minths. Apparently, they thought that something was weird with the whole thing and they decided to follow their leader Aldunn into the cave. Ultimately, they were caught and imprisoned inside one of the cave rooms. When Yuuta told them that it was already nighttime, they were shocked. After all, they've followed Aldunn into the cave twenty-four hours or so ago.
As for Yua, she remained speechless while they were on their way out. She couldn't believe that the Minths were actually somewhat innocent, and it was the Sacred Stones that annihilated the faeries of their tribe. She wanted to tell her mom about it as soon as possible but after contemplating things through, she knew that it would just hurt her mom all the more. In the end, she decided to prepare herself first before telling her mom everything.
When they finally got out of the cave, Yuuta heard a familiar notification in his head as a window appeared in front of him. He didn't bother checking what his rewards were since they were already running out of time as it is. After closing the window, he then turned towards Ashuril and Lorraine. "Do you have any quests in progress?"
"At the moment? No, we don't have any. Why do you ask, Yuuta?" Ashuril was a tad bit confused since the question was out of the blue.
"Oh, well then,"
Ashuril and Lorraine were still confused but they accepted the invitation right away. With a satisfied expression on his face, Yuuta removed the party window in front of him before telling Ashuril and Lorraine what would happen next. Meanwhile, Yua and Miki already had an inkling as to why Yuuta invited them.
"Ashuril, Lorraine, you're both proficient in the Holy Element, right?" Yuuta asked rhetorically. "We're actually heading to the Beginner Village... but a lot of Minths have surrounded their entire forest. Could the two of you help us out? I'll pay you decently, just please think of this as an adventurer quest of sorts."
"You're serious?" Ashuril exclaimed before Yuuta could explain anything to him. "But even with our current level, we can't even cross the entire forest. They're filled to the brim with Evil Spi— Minths. How do you plan to get there and back unscathed?"
"Remember, he has the Black Grsrzy Scarf... but I don't think that would work either, Yuuta. There are simply a lot of Minths out here. It'd probably be best if we retrace our footsteps and go back to Revalia City."
"No, but we already have taken their acting leader out, shouldn't it be a lot easier? Besides, we managed to get this far because we have a Holy Sword Maiden with her Holy Sword with us." Yuuta proudly extended his hands towards Miki, who was supposed to be the said Holy Sword Maiden.
"Wha— "
"Sweet Master?!"