After he finished speaking, Little Smo fell silent.
"...Maybe we should stay out of it?" he said hesitantly.
"Why?" Lame Bob gave him that gentle smile again.
"Ize Bay killed so many of our companions. They deserve this... Once the plague spreads through Ize Bay, we'll be able to get inside easily..."
"Have you considered that the nobles and the rich won't die? Only the common people will."
"You're right. Every common person oppressed and deceived by the Rikaner Kingdom is our brother or sister. We have to warn them..."
"What foolish thing are you planning?" Howler asked.
Little Smo turned to him and said earnestly, "Mr. Howler, the plague you encountered in the Orc tribe is heading for Ize Bay. There are still many people like us there. We can't just watch it approach."
"So?"
Howler looked at the frail human before him and wondered: Did Annan have some kind of magic? Why was everyone around him willing to give their life for him?
"We have to warn Ize Bay."
"How do you know they don't already know?" Howler asked.
"A hunch," Lame Bob said. "Or rather, I know the Kingdom... We're still within Ize Bay's territory, but it's too quiet."
There were no mages patrolling the skies around the city. Not even a messenger pigeon flew overhead.
Before sending word, Little Smo gathered everyone and told them what had happened.
"You may not understand why we're doing this, but that's all right. Uncle Babu and I traveled all the way to Ize Bay to save you. One day, you'll do the same."
It was dangerous, and the fewer people who went, the easier it would be to stay hidden. So only Howler took Little Smo and Lame Bob.
Traveling through the Forest Mountains would take days. Going by