"Have you noticed something? These people don't know each other at all!" Belaque said.
"I've been wondering about that too. Logically, that shouldn't be possible. Winterfort covers a large area, but you said its population is very small," Uchiha Madara said.
"If that's the case, then they should know each other even more," Uchiha Madara said.
"Then that means something really has gone wrong in Winterfort." Belaque said to Uchiha Madara, "Our luck is truly terrible. We went through so much trouble to get here, only to find Winterfort like this."
"After everything we've encountered along the way, I'm already used to it. Whenever the two of us are together, something unusual always happens—and it's never anything minor," Uchiha Madara said.
"Since we're already here, let's uphold our usual style and solve Winterfort's problem while we're at it." Belaque smiled at Uchiha Madara.
"I can help you with that, but afterward, you'll have to help me get the Magic Stone," Uchiha Madara said.
"This isn't helping me. You're helping the entire Elzeran Continent. The people will be grateful to you, and that's more precious than any reward," Belaque said to Uchiha Madara.
"First, I'd like to thank the people. But in the end, I really want something more tangible, like a Magic Stone," Uchiha Madara said.
Uchiha Madara knew Belaque would definitely help him. After traveling together for so long, he had come to understand her somewhat. Though she was a thief, she was warmhearted and someone who cared about the Elzeran Continent.
Before the two had decided what to do, hurried footsteps suddenly came from upstairs. A man walked down the stairs.
Uchiha Madara looked at the man coming down. He appeared to be around forty, and unlike ordinary people, he carried himself with the air of a leader.