I'm not a Witcher anymore.

Zig tapped the bend in the river with the tip of a twig and looked at the villagers.

"The incident happened by the river, and the drag marks went all the way up the mountain—right?"

The men all nodded with grim faces.

"That's right."

"When we arrived, the person was gone, leaving only a washbasin, scattered clothes, and tracks leading into the mountains."

Zieg didn't press that point further, but simply pressed the line leading up the mountain a little deeper, and then moved the branch to a point higher up, to that small circle on the mud that hadn't yet been drawn solid.

"Is the fortress here?"

The villagers looked at each other, but no one spoke for a moment.

Finally, an old hunter crouching on the far outside swallowed hard and slowly spoke:

"almost."

He was quite old, with graying temples and a scar on his face that stretched from his forehead to his chin, standing out starkly in the shadows where the firelight couldn't reach.

I went into that place once when I was young.

The people around him were stunned when he said that.

"You really went in?"

"That happened so many years ago..."

The old hunter ignored the gasps of surprise beside him, his voice low and muffled.

"About thirty years ago. I was brave back then. I heard that there might be something left behind by elves buried in the stronghold, so I touched it and looked at it."

He touched the scar on his face.

"This cut is from that incident."

"Are those mechanisms still there?" Zieg asked.

The old hunter's face immediately darkened: "I can't say for sure if it's completely intact. But if even 20 or 30 percent of it isn't damaged, that's already deadly enough."

Even now, when he mentions that place, it feels as if the cold sweat from back then still lingers on his back.

"Behind the wall are short crossbows that can spring out, pits that collapse if you step into them, and thin ropes that trip you up on the road... as thin as grass roots, you can't see them if your eyes are not open for a second."

"There were other things inside, but I can't say for sure. I just remember that I almost didn't make it out alive that time."

"It's been around for a long time, but who knows if the things left behind by the elves are completely broken or not."

Ravenna subconsciously touched the tool pouch around her waist, and her brows furrowed.

"It's no joke to try and sneak into a place like this with a group of people."

She had previously heard Valeria mention that there might still be traps left by the elves in the stronghold, but "maybe" and "someone actually died in there" are not the same thing.

Zig looked down at the picture.

Riverside, mountain road, fortified town.

There are also unseen pits, tripwires, and crossbows.

"That's all I can tell you... Please hurry."

The old hunter stopped there, pressing his lips tightly together, and bloodshot veins rose in his eyes.

The men nearby remained silent, none of them saying a word.

But everyone gathered around the muddy field understood the unfinished sentence.

Zig lifted the branch from the mud, ran his fingertip along it, and looked at the trail that stretched up the mountain again, as if trying to imprint all this information into his mind.

He tossed the branch aside and stood up.

"I understand. I will pass these words on to the captain."

After saying this, he nodded slightly to the villagers and turned to walk towards the longhouse.

Ravenna followed.

At first, she kept her pace slow and moved a little further away from the old tree, but in the end, she couldn't resist and tugged at the hem of her cloak.

"This is troublesome."

She wrinkled her nose.

"If what the old hunter said is true, and it's full of traps left by the elves, then it's not just a matter of bringing a few more people. If there are too many people, and things get chaotic, they'll die faster than goblins."

Zig nodded.

"So we can't rush in."

Ravenna glanced at him sideways.

"You have an idea?"

"It's not decided yet."

Zig didn't stop walking, and his tone remained calm.

"Let's consolidate the intelligence first."

Ravenna didn't ask any further questions after hearing this.

She knew that Zieg wasn't the type to offer empty words of comfort. Since he said to gather intelligence first, it meant he genuinely wanted to consider the matter thoroughly from beginning to end.

As the two approached the longhouse, they could hear hushed conversations coming from inside.

A sliver of warm light from the stove peeked through the crack in the door, casting a yellowish glow on the worn floorboards by the entrance.

Zig knocked on the door twice.

Valeria's voice came from inside very quickly.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and the heat from inside immediately rushed in.

The elder sat at the table, his face even more ashen than before, the hot water in the wooden cup in front of him barely touched.

Valeria sat opposite him, her handguard resting on the edge of the table, clearly having asked him most of the questions she needed to.

Lucy and Hill are back too.

Lucy's face was pale, her eyes filled with suppressed reluctance, while Hill leaned to the side, her expression calm, her fingers still resting on her staff.

Valeria spoke first:

"What did they ask you?"

Zieg said bluntly.

"There were indeed drag marks along the riverbank, leading all the way into the mountains."

"Some villagers went into the stronghold when they were young. There are traps left behind by the elves inside. Short crossbows, pitfalls, tripwires, they're all there. Although it's been there for a long time, no one can say for sure if they're all broken."

Ravenna took over the conversation, her tone becoming less playful than usual.

"It's not meant to scare you. The risk of actually leading the team and the rescued people out of that place is too high. One wrong step and the team will fall apart."

Zieger added.

"The goblins have taken over the stronghold, and they know the roads and sentry posts better than we do. We only know there are traps inside, but we don't know where they are, how many there are, or where the people are being held."

"Forcing your way in at a time like this isn't saving people; it's throwing lives away."

The fire in the stove flickered.

Valeria tapped her fingers on the table, as if she had thought of something, and turned to face the other side.

"Elder, besides the one you usually take, are there any other paths up the mountain?"

The elder paused for a moment, then quickly recalled.

"Yes, there is another hunting trail on the other side of the mountain, but not many people know about it, and the road is even more difficult to travel. It can lead to the town, but it is a long and roundabout route."

"Which side of the city wall is that road closer to?" Zig asked.

The elder frowned as he recalled.

"If I remember correctly, it should be in the northwest."

"There used to be a stone pool for storing water in the walled city, which was also on that side."

"When the elves were still around, the spring water from the mountainside could be channeled into the village. But after they left, the irrigation ditch fell into disrepair and collapsed beyond recognition."

"The goblins in the stronghold now rely solely on that reservoir for water."

Zieg's gaze suddenly stopped.

An idea flashed through my mind, but it didn't immediately take shape.

Valeria keenly grasped this point.

"What came to your mind?"

"I have a rough idea, but I need to go back tomorrow morning to check the terrain, familiarize myself with the route, and keep watch on the sentry posts. We'll make our move around noon, when the goblins are at their most tired."

Valeria then stopped asking further questions.

"Okay, it's settled then."

Her gaze swept across the faces of the group.

"Make sure you get plenty of rest tonight. Go up the mountain tomorrow morning."

"Once we get to the mountain, I will have to rely on each and every one of you."

Ravenna's previously tense shoulders finally relaxed a little.

"clear."

Hill nodded slightly.

Lucy also let out a breath, and slowly loosened her grip on the Holy Symbol, but the worry in her eyes still lingered.

The elder's lips trembled, and finally he bowed his head deeply.

"I'm leaving everything to you."

Outside, dusk was slowly descending.

The wind swept through the village road, rattling the window cracks. In the distance, a woman's suppressed sobs could be heard, intermittent and carried further and heavier by the night.

On the mountain where the cries could not reach, the outline of the fortress still lay hidden among the trees and rocks, as quiet as a beast lying still.

But when the sky rises higher tomorrow, and the nocturnal monsters are at their most exhausted, this beast lying in the mountains will finally draw blood.