"Well, turns out you can talk after all!"
Seeing the Hero respond, the Arcane Marksman, who had been pushed aside by the Foreign Soul Messenger, remarked in surprise.
"When I saw you writing on the carriage, I thought you were some sort of Arcane Automaton!"
Although the Hero knew that the other's words were unfiltered and not malicious, she could only reply with an embarrassed smile, unsure of how to respond.
"Yes, yes, that kind of flawless quality, just like the ones Nobles often buy to use in bed—"
"Take this idiot away," sighed the Foreign Soul Messenger.
"Got it," the Shadow Assassin tossed a scroll of parchment with one hand, using the other to grab the Arcane Marksman's collar and throw her aside.
"Sorry, although she's reliable in battle, normally... she's got some issues."
Catching the spoils recovered from the Goblin Priest, the Foreign Soul Messenger pointed to her head.
"Anyway, don't mind her."
"Yeah, I know, she just helped me," the Hero nodded.
"Thanks, then do you want to exchange some information?" The Foreign Soul Messenger smiled, tossing the parchment in her hand.
"After all, since we've fought side by side, you must have noticed that the situation on this Highland is very unusual.
"Exchanging information is for everyone's benefit."
When they first shared a ride, they suspected the Hero of having ulterior motives, but seeing her undeniable disdain for the Evil Goblins, they let their guard down.
From the conversations between a few Female Adventurers earlier, the Hero, having discerned their profound backgrounds, naturally nodded eagerly.
"This... this kind of thing actually happened."
Hearing the Hero's words, the Foreign Soul Messenger couldn't remain calm, and her mouth gaped in astonishment.
"You're incredible, even though you look so small." The Arcane Marksman marveled as she sized up the Hero.
"If you don't want to get beaten up, you'd better say less," the Shadow Assassin spoke in exasperation.
After leaving the battlefield, they found a relatively dry spot on the ground, sat down without fuss, and began their exchange.
The Hero also learned that the three came from an Ancient Village, said to be the birthplace of an Ancient Hero who had suppressed Demons with his own life.
And the token passed down through the generations in their village, signifying a pact with the Holy Snake, had emitted a signal. This meant there might be some unusual activity from the ancient Great Demon beneath the volcano.
8. Anchor, Crystal Adornment♛
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
So they hadn't taken on any guild missions but had come to the Highland in pursuit of these signals.
Originally still unsure, they were convinced upon seeing the undeniable evidence of Demonic Goblins.
Originally, the Foreign Soul Messenger intended to persuade the Hero to leave the Highland, suspecting her initially, but once assured of her innocence, she couldn't watch her walk into danger.
The truth of the polluted water source was the handiwork of the Great Demon. Even for Adventurers, upon hearing the truth, the logical action was to leave the Highland and return to the city.
However, unexpectedly, the Hero's understanding of the situation was clearer and more detailed than theirs, even communicating with the Holy Snake, a sight they had never seen.
Seeing the Hero produce a somewhat worn Scale belonging to the White Snake, the three looked on with grave expressions.
"Army, Church, Sect Followers, so many forces entangled..."
The Foreign Soul Messenger bit her nails, visibly shocked by the chaos.
"No, considering it's the Great Demon, perhaps this is normal. Maybe our thoughts were too simplistic."
She spread the parchment recovered from the Goblin Priest in the center where the group sat, using a cylindrical Crystal Adornment to weigh down the upper left corner as a paperweight.
Intricate engravings adorned the interior of the Crystal, suggesting a special purpose, though the Hero couldn't discern it.
Shifting her gaze away to examine the parchment, the Hero discovered it depicted a strategic map of the Highland's terrain.
"Goblins looking at maps..." she murmured in puzzlement.
"The Shaman probably could; it could still chant with its head nearly falling off."
"Whether or not it could look at maps is irrelevant. Even if it could, this map clearly wasn't made by Goblins."
The Arcane Marksman and Shadow Assassin also leaned in.
[With the Central Volcano as the focal point, each map's distribution (distance D100, direction D36)]
[Ice Heaven Lake (Hideout distance +30)]
D100+30+d36=d100(28)+30+d36(31)=89
[Location of the Snow Woman (Above the distance, then arrived)]
[True Saint Disciples' stronghold]
D70+d36=d70(40)+d36(13)=53
[Ancient Hero's Sword Tomb]
D100+d36=d100(76)+d36(32)=108
"Is it the Black Gate again?"
Spreading the map, the Foreign Soul Messenger temporarily set aside her inner turmoil and joined in the discussion.
"Yeah, this might be their mark, and maybe their stronghold or something. The map was probably given to the Goblins by them."
The Shadow Assassin pointed to a semi-open Gate symbol exuding a distorted aura on the map, raising an eyebrow.
"But what is this sword-shaped mark? The two marks just form a line with the Central Volcano..."
"Isn't that the Great Demon's Sealing site? The direction those black-skinned Goblins were heading was over there,"
The Arcane Marksman pointed with her finger, drawing a straight line.