Rosalina opened all the cages with the key she had picked up from one of the bandit corpses on the first floor.
After all the cages are opened. She gathered all the prisoners and said that she was only a peddler and adventurer who stopped by.
Rosalina reasoned that she came here after finding traces of looting on the road she passed.
Considering the area is a place that the guild has declared in the last few months as an area to watch out for due to a group of bandits. Rosalina, as one of the adventurers, decides to scout and provide information about the bandit to the guild.
But who would have thought, she found many people being held in the bandit base. Therefore, Rosalina decided to take action.
The reason that Rosalina made is a bit less believable when you think about it logically. Because, who would dare to act as a hero to fight a group of bandits in their base? Not to mention, her rank is low.
Fortunately, the prisoners' minds are currently still shrouded in despair so that Rosalina's reasoning was immediately believed and considered as a hope sent down by God.
Rosalina couldn't help but smile wryly at that.
Next, Rosalina briefly checked the condition of the prisoners. After believing that everyone is still in not too bad condition. Well they mostly lacked nutrition. She asked the prisoners to come out of the basement.
Go upstairs, then look for decent clothes to wear.
The prisoners were still afraid to walk. They were afraid that there were still bandits up there who would catch them.
With all her might, Rosalina assured them that all the bandits had been taken care of. Even their leader, Cray, had been killed. Rosalina showed Cray's halberd in her hand.
With slightly ignited courage, the prisoners finally had the courage to step up.
Jabbar, who was behind the prisoners, didn't say anything. He did look gloomy, but to Rosalina the old man's eyes seemed to be contemplating something.
The man approached Rosalina and thanked her for the rescue. Then he introduced himself as one of the owners of a large company in Amberley.
"Oh~ I didn't expect to meet Mr. Jabbar here! O God, who would have thought that I, as a small peddler, could meet a great person like you."
Flatter Rosalina with a smile and a friendly tone. Theo who was listening to this from his cellphone immediately smiled stiffly, as did Jabbar who felt that Rosalina's reaction was too much.
Jabbar seemed to be different from the other prisoners whose mentality was already at a low point.
Jabbar can still think normally. So even though he saw Rosalina as his savior and he was grateful for that. This old man was unable to shake off the feeling that Rosalina might have done her heroic deed because she already knew that he was inside the bandit's base.
Jabbar felt that Rosalina's original goal was not to save the prisoners. Rather to have a connection with him.
It must be admitted that what Jabbar feels is absolutely correct. Fortunately, though it was right and Jabbar was able to prove it. He still couldn't deny that Rosalina's actions had saved his life.
So all the thoughts about Rosalina's original purpose, Jabbar buried deep in his heart, and he also felt that it was not a loss to have a relationship with Rosalina. Someone who can raid the bandit base alone.
Rosalina, who knew nothing about Jabbar's thoughts, just put on a big smile then asked the old man to get out of the basement with him.
After that, Rosalina left Jabbar and the other prisoners as she wanted to go to Cray's private room.
Based on the information provided by Theo. There should still be one more person trapped in there.
While waiting the prisoners looked for new, proper clothes. Rosalina immediately went upstairs, went to Cray's room, opened it and found a room with a large bed, a sofa, several cupboards, and a pile of used dining tools in one corner of the room.
There too, in one other corner there was a cage with the silhouette of a small child in it.
The room inside was a bit dim, because only two lumens were lit.
"Who is there?"
A little girl's voice was heard asking, as Rosalina stepped into the room. The voice sounded cute and clear, but there was a hint of nervousness in it.
Rosalina picked up the Lumen stone hanging on the wall and walked over. It didn't take long before she finally saw the figure in the cage.
A figure whose success made Rosalina gape.
[An elf?]
Even Theo had no idea that there was an elf in the bandit base. In his Map feature, there is no other data than Cray and Jabbar.
Rosalina frowned. Elves were rare to see but at least she still saw one or two that stopped by at Altira. So, this wasn't the first time Rosalina had seen an elf.
There's only one problem. The elves that were usually seen roaming the world were the grown elves. Not a child like the one in a cage.
Rosalina could only think of two possibilities. First, the elf was a descendant of an elf family that was outside the Halam Elves Kingdom. Or secondly, she was an elf kidnapped from Halam.
If the second possibility is true, then this will be a fairly complicated problem. Rosalina's face wrenched.
"Hey, I'm a peddler plus adventurer from Altira, Rosalina."
The woman introduced herself while opening the cage where the elf is. The little elf watched Rosalina with sparkling eyes, she didn't feel any threat from the woman who had just arrived. After she looked at Rosalina's face, her tension was gone.
After the cage was opened, the elf immediately jumped up and hugged Rosalina. Making the woman stammer, not knowing what to do.
"Hi, Rosalina. My name is Metis."
"Okay, Metis. May I ask, where are you from?"
"Miljar Forest!"
"…Is that in the Halam?"
Metis nodded cheerfully. While Rosalina's face grew darker, even though the woman still gave a big smile.
"Can you walk?"
Metis nodded again, released her arms and stood beside Rosalina while still holding her hand.
[Is the elf's existence so troublesome?]
Asked Theo who didn't understand the situation at hand. But he could still see the troubled face of Rosalina, so he could deduce that may be a complicated situation.
Rosalina told Metis to wait for her outside the room, while she wanted to search Cray's room. While searching for something valuable, the woman replied.
"Elves have very rigid rules. They do not allow their people to marry other races. The blood of elves must always be pure, if anyone is seen committing such a taboo marriage, then that person and the family will be killed immediately."
That was why there were almost no such thing as half elves in Etheria. Because of this rule, the elves took great care of their people outside of Halam.
If they want to marry, then they must return to Halam. If a child is born, that child will stay in Halam until they are a hundred years old.
That was the reason, there shouldn't be an elf child like Metis hanging around outside the Halam like this.
Even if there is, it is most likely because there is one party who kidnaps and trades elves illegally.
The law in Amberley forbids slavery. With Metis, not only does it show the existence of slavery on the black market, but Metis also shows that there is one party in Amberley who carried out the kidnapping of the Halam people.
This can make the relationship between the two kingdoms bad, it can even trigger a war.
[That bad, huh...]
"Yeah, Metis' current existence is like a ticking time bomb. The problem is, we don't know what kind of bomb will be explode later. And again… there is a problem to deal with now, I don't think Cray was the one behind Metis' kidnapping."
[Well, I agree with that. I don't think he's strong enough to do something like this. Which means, whoever or whatever is behind Cray, they will know what you did and will come after you, right?]
Rosalina was silent.
"Shit..."