Chapter 290: Just in Time

"Dragon Cub, you! You can't just make such malicious accusations!"

The Beastman Priest was shocked. "My Lord, it's a Black Dragon! You can't just believe its side of the story! We truly didn't do such a thing!"

"If your only defense is to discredit the witness, you might as well be dead." Ron crouched down, tilting the priest's chin up with his hand, his eyes fixed on Zandia. "It doesn't even matter if you did it or not anymore. After both your groups arrived in my territory, bandits who look exactly like your people kidnapped one of my men. And you're telling me you have nothing to do with it?"

"Who would believe that!"

'This was a world where many races coexisted, and neither Centaurs nor Beastmen were common here. What were the odds of such a coincidence?'

"Lord, my Lord, please listen to me! I have a theory!"

The Beastman Priest shot a look of pure exasperation at Zandia, who was crying so hard she could barely breathe. Just a few minutes earlier, she would have relished the sight of a rival chieftain looking so weak. But now, they were in the same boat. The old priest wished the centaur would show some courage and find some evidence to clear their names.

But now, she had no choice but to brace herself and argue the unarguable. "Lord, I did, in fact, witness the Centaurs launching an attack. Miss Annie was rescued, wasn't she? You can have me speak with her to confirm this. Besides, at the banquet, they told me themselves that the Dwarf named Rurik had been taken. At the time, they thought it was just common bandits and were sending their militia to track them down."

"But Zandia and her people also witnessed Beastmen attacking... Could it be possible that from the very beginning, two separate Beastman Tribes and two separate Centaur Tribes entered the Delusional Land, one right after the other?"

Ron stared at the old beastman, his face devoid of expression. "You mull that over for a second. If someone told you that story, would you believe it?"

"...But you see, you've captured all of us, and we clearly don't have the people you're looking for!" the Priest said helplessly. "The Centaurs might need a blacksmith; that's not so far-fetched. And Beastmen need women; that's also plausible—though we generally wouldn't take a disabled one. But neither of them are disposable resources. Why would we kidnap them and not keep them with our main party?"

"I think there's only one explanation. As much as I hate to admit it, neither the Centaurs nor the Split Teeth did this. The real culprits must be someone else!"

"Ron," Jilannis, who had been listening from the side, suddenly spoke up. "I think what she's saying isn't without merit."

"But let's think about this. If that's really the case, the real culprits are still at large. And if they plan on striking again..."

"The residents here have almost all moved away," Ron said, a glint in his eyes, "and Mazarino and his companion are out tracking the culprits..."

'Doesn't this whole scenario feel like a classic diversion tactic?!'

"Green Swamp Town! They've most likely gone there!" Ron shot to his feet. "Jilannis, I'll have to trouble you to teleport us one more time. We need to get—"

"I'm sorry, I can't use the Teleportation Technique again," the Grand Mage said with a wry smile. "I'm not at full strength right now. I didn't sleep a wink last night, so my magic hasn't replenished. You'll have to give me at least four hours to meditate."

"This is a matter of life and death! Where are we going to find four hou—"

Ron let out a long sigh. 'He never would have imagined that his most powerful asset would fail him at such a critical moment. Did they really have to do a forced march to New Green Swamp Town? By the time they got there, it would be far too late!'

"Oh my, it seems I've come at an inopportune time?"

Abruptly, accompanied by a round of applause, a graceful figure with pitch-black wings and pointed horns strolled out from behind the trading post's courtyard wall, clapping. The potent stench of sulfur immediately filled the nostrils of every creature present.

This scent was too strong to come from a single infernal creature. Behind the Desire Demon—a familiar sight to Ron and the others—trailed several Little Devils and two or three Kambions. They were either shouldering sacks or pushing wheelbarrows, looking for all the world like they weren't here for a fight.

"You're... Kao Jia?" Staring at the demon, who was magnificently dressed yet seemed to be wearing nothing at all, it took Ron a moment to recognize her. After this high-level demon had reclaimed her heart, her former succubus-like ways hadn't improved in the slightest; in fact, they seemed to be growing even more pronounced.

"Old habits die hard," Kao Jia said, tilting her head as if she had read Ron's mind. "It's only been a few days. How did your place get so deserted?"

"Don't tell me you couldn't mine enough Abyssal Silver, so everyone ran off to dodge their debts."

'Just as he'd thought, the Desire Demon was here to make a trade. No wonder the demons behind her—each one terrifying enough to give a child nightmares—were dressed like common laborers.'

"If that's the case, what a shame," the Desire Demon said as a heavy coin purse materialized in her hand. "The Duke specifically instructed me to use real money for this purchase. But now, it looks like I'll have to take your soul back to settle the account instead."

Everyone had witnessed the Desire Demon's power back in the underground labyrinth. If the Chief Grand Mage were at her peak, she might have been able to fight her to a standstill. But as things were, if a fight broke out now, the best chance of winning would be for Ron to perform his "invoking the god" trick again and let the Final Lawgiver have a go at her.

"I'd love to trade with you right now," Ron said with a sigh, "but as you can see, our mining and metallurgy consultant has been kidnapped. He's vanished without a trace."

"Oh, darling, don't try to put me off with one of your mortal Civil Servant excuses..." Kao Jia began to retort, but then she realized he didn't seem to be lying. "Wait, you're serious?"

"I must have some kind of special curse. Every time I leave home, my base gets raided," Ron said, spreading his hands helplessly. "That's the situation right now."

"Alright, then. Perhaps I'll just wait here until you've resolved the problem," Kao Jia said after a moment's thought, then turned decisively and started walking toward the house. "Don't worry, I'll watch the place for you this time. You can go solve your problem with confidence."

"And this service is completely free, you know~"

There was nothing Ron and the others could do about the demon's decision to remain a bystander. They had no way to force a group of demons to help them—not unless they were prepared to sell their souls.

'So, was there a reason that didn't come with such a heavy price?'

"If you knew who was involved in this, you wouldn't be walking into that house to sit down." Ron decided to take a gamble. Although the current clues weren't enough to support his conclusion, he was at least eighty percent sure. To catch up with those "bandits" in time, those were odds worth betting on.

"Oh, my dear Lord, and what brilliant insight might you have?" Kao Jia paused, turning her head with a flirtatious smile.

"Besides Rurik, who was in charge of the Abyssal Silver, one other person was taken: the Last Queen of Farama," Ron said in a low voice. "Now let's think. Abyssal Silver, Farama... Besides me and you folks from the Inferno, what kind of power would have a connection to both of those things? Common bandits and robbers wouldn't be so specific as to kidnap only those two, would they?"

The answer was practically screaming itself.

"The dregs of the Abyss!" Kao Jia's expression instantly went from a warm spring to the dead of winter. "I take back what I said before—it seems I've arrived at the perfect time!"