The Truth

Though his voice was quiet, Ronan's sharp hearing picked up some of it. Ronan's expression changed, and he quickly got up and walked over.

Sitting next to the two men, Ronan said, "Were you two discussing Ravenwood Town just now? I'm very interested as well. Could you tell me more about it?"

Seeing the armor on Ronan and the weapons on the table, the two men panicked. Just as they were about to get up, two Vargian cavalrymen pushed them back down. The two exchanged glances, their faces contorted in a grimace.

"Sir, we only heard rumors. You should ask someone else."

"Don't be afraid. I'm just a mercenary, and I won't ask for nothing." With that, Ronan took a gold coin from his bag and placed it on the table.

The two men's eyes lit up at the sight of the gold coin, and they quickly pocketed it.

"Sir, if I tell you this, please don't spread it around. If the Knights find out, we'll be in deep trouble!"

"Alright, I won't say anything."

The man who had claimed to know the gossip leaned closer and whispered in Ronan's ear.

"Sir, Ravenwood Town was attacked by foreign races a few days ago. The battle was very fierce, and many people died. The Ravenwood Town guards were almost wiped out. The guard captain and the bishop reportedly all died in battle. It was only when the knights from Shadow Garrison arrived that the situation was relieved. Otherwise, Ravenwood Town might have been completely annihilated. Moreover, I heard from a relative who works in the church that this matter is not simple. The Moran Kingdom is behind it, and I don't know what kind of conspiracy they are plotting!"

Ronan's expression changed drastically after hearing this. Many things started to connect, and Ronan realized that the situation was not simple. He took out another gold coin and handed it to the man. Ronan, without bothering to thank the two men who were profusely grateful, quickly hurried back to the inn. Ronan had many things he needed to ask Belicha.

Back at the inn, Ronan went directly to Belicha's room. Pushing the door open, Ronan found Daisy inside as well. Belicha was talking to her about something.

"Commander Belicha, I have some questions for you!" Ronan said directly.

Seeing Ronan's expression, Belicha knew that Ronan had probably already found out something.

"Daisy, you should go back first. I have some things to discuss with Commander Ronan," Belicha said gently to Daisy beside him with a smile. Daisy nodded obediently. As she passed Ronan, she secretly made a funny face at him.

Seeing Daisy leave the room, Ronan closed the door behind him and sat down on the chair opposite Belicha.

"Ravenwood Town was attacked, Knight Warren and the bishop are dead. This happened just two days after the caravan departed. The caravan departed overnight and rested very little on the way. The Bloodfang group traveled thousands of miles from their territory to attack the caravan here. Commander Belicha, you can't tell me these are all coincidences!"

"Knight Warren and Dorodamenro are both dead? The feared things have happened. Since it has come to this, I won't hide it from you anymore. In fact, our traveling merchant business is a cover; escorting Daisy to Sinterland is the real mission."

"Escorting Daisy? What is her identity that the Moran Kingdom would go to such lengths, even risking war?"

"Daisy is actually the daughter of Dorodamenro and the current Elf Queen Serena. Back then, the Queen had not yet ascended the throne. To prevent their child from being affected and to ensure Serena had no worries, Dorodamenro, who was the third branch commander of the Sword Dancer Legion at the time, led a few trusted subordinates on a arduous journey to Ravenwood Town and joined the church to become the local bishop. Daisy has also been living in hiding here. After the Queen ascended the throne, she wanted them to return, but Dorodamenro did not want Daisy to be involved in the conflict, so he refused the Queen and continued to stay in Ravenwood Town. Few people knew about this. It's likely that one of them betrayed the Queen and sold the information to the Moran Kingdom, which led to this incident. After you killed that Dragon Person, Dorodamenro became vigilant and sent you and me to pretend to escort the caravan. To ensure you wouldn't refuse the mission, Dorodamenro didn't tell you the truth!"

"The bishop trusts me that much? Aren't you afraid I'll go back on my word and sell you to the Moran Kingdom? Also, Daisy is clearly human, but the bishop and the Queen are both elves?"

"Haha, did Dorodamenro ask you many questions? Dorodamenro has a magical artifact called the Mind's Eye Crystal, which can detect a person's truest thoughts. Dorodamenro has already tested you, which is why he is willing to trust you. As for Daisy, haven't you noticed her earrings? They are also a magical artifact called 'Lie,' which can hide the user's true appearance."

"So, what do you plan to do after knowing the truth? Leaving now would be the reasonable thing to do."

"Since I've accepted the mission and received your commission, I won't abandon it. I take people's money and avert their disasters; this is our industry's reputation and principles. However, the mission difficulty has clearly increased, so the price needs to go up!"

"Haha, good, good, good. Dorodamenro was right about you. No problem. When we reach Sinterland, Her Majesty the Queen's reward will surely satisfy you!"

"However, Belik will not give up easily. They will definitely bypass Acorn Hall and intercept us ahead. Once we leave the area of Acorn Hall, we are likely to be attacked!"

"Then what should we do? We are at a severe disadvantage in numbers, and a head-on confrontation will not have a favorable outcome!"

"There is a makeshift camp built by a passing caravan on the road. Although the walls are not high, it can force them into a foot battle. This will greatly weaken their cavalry advantage and numerical superiority. Moreover, other caravans are usually present at that camp. Although it's immoral, we can only use them to help us reduce some of the burden. After leaving Acorn Hall, we need to advance at full speed and reach the camp before the Bloodfang group discovers us, and then wait for them there."

"Why don't we seek help from the Knights?"

"The Knight Commander of Shadow Garrison is Dorodamenro's disciple, so he can be trusted. However, we still don't know the attitude of the Holy Cross Kingdom, so we cannot take the risk!"

"Right, don't tell Daisy about this for now. Dorodamenro didn't tell her the truth; he just told her to go to Sinterland to see her mother. If she knew that all of this was happening because of her, she would definitely blame herself."

"I won't say anything, but you won't be able to hide it from her for long."

Having gotten what he wanted, Ronan got up and left Belicha's room.

After resting for a while longer, the caravan set off again. They had to reach the temporary camp before lunch, when the number of caravans in the camp would be at its peak.

Ronan's Hundred Man Slayer achievement mission was close to completion. It was estimated that after this battle, he would receive the title. He wondered what kind of boost the Hundred Man Slayer title would bring to Ronan. Moreover, after this battle, Ronan would be able to level up again. After this level-up, Ronan's strength attribute would exceed twenty points. For his future attributes, Ronan planned to focus on charisma. After these few battles, Ronan had a deep understanding of the insufficient number of his troops, which further strengthened his idea of recruiting local soldiers into his unit.