Lankas's hand on the spear paused slightly.
He looked down at Bruce, then raised his head toward the two people standing behind him. The wariness on his face was gradually replaced by surprise.
A dog that could talk.
Whether it was a beast enlightened by magic or some kind of Magic Creature wearing the guise of a canine, neither was something an ordinary adventurer could keep by their side.
It seemed these two outsiders were not as simple as they appeared.
As a native of Black Elm Town, Lankas had often seen similarly dressed outsiders in town back when the mage tower had not yet fallen completely into ruin.
Mage robes, a bearing unlike that of ordinary adventurers, and Magic Creatures following at their side.
These two were most likely spellcasters from Fernandez.
He had seen quite a few human spellcasters. Elven spellcasters were rare, but not unheard of.
But a dog that could speak was truly a first for him.
Perhaps because explaining things to a dog felt strange to him, Lankas eventually raised his head and looked at the two behind it.
"You two young..."
Lankas's gaze lingered on Flora's face for a moment.
An elf's age could not be judged by appearance alone.
"You two spellcasters from out of town, I don't mean to question your strength."
"Being able to bring a Magic Creature like this to Black Elm Town, I'm sure you two aren't unprepared novices."
"What I said earlier was only to remind you that Imps are different from the demons most people imagine."
"If you truly encounter them alone, a pack of Wild Dogs is actually harder to handle than one or two Imps."
"Wild Dogs know how to outflank and probe. They even know to pick weak targets."
"Those Imps have only the