Leo sighed and replied, "Look, if you start that training and finish it, I'll take you to a place where anyone can become strong by training there."

  Zack’s face lit up with joy. "What! Really?! Take me there now!"

  Leo shook his head. "Nah, first you need to finish this training and prove Balzock wrong. Prove to him that his training isn't trash and that you can master it in no time."

  Zack nodded eagerly. Without wasting a second, he rushed back and jumped into the river.

  Balzock watched the exchange, then walked over to Leo and thanked him. Leo smiled and told him not to mention it. Balzock then shouted toward the water, "Hey, don't come out yet, Zack! I’ll be gone for a moment with Lord Leo." Zack’s right hand popped out of the water with a thumbs-up.

  As they walked away, Leo asked, "By the way, what is Sara doing?"

  Balzock smiled. "Oh, Sara..."

  They walked along the sandy bank with bushes to their left and the river to their right. Leo thought to himself. 'It’s been a month since I was last here. I only visited at the start of the month to make sure everyone was okay, and once I knew they were fine, I stopped coming. I wonder what they think of me now. It seems Balzock and Sheron have recovered from their injuries, and Zack has too.'

  Thinking about Zack reminded him of the day he arrived at the beginning of the month. He had fixed the temporal disruptions, though those only occurred at dusk. The actual attack had happened much earlier that morning, before the disruptions even began. That day had truly been a long one for Leo.

  Leo stood alone until Lili connected with him via telepathy. Her voice echoed in his head like a trumpet blast.

  "What is it, Lili?" Leo replied irritably. "I'm here. I’ve reached the village."

  "Then why didn't you tell me sooner!" Lili shouted.

  "I just did," Leo replied.

  Lili sighed. "Look, Leo, stop being shocked. What happened has happened, and we can't change it. We need to think about the future."

  Leo hesitated. "Yeah... anyway, why aren't you letting these people heal you?"

  She replied mockingly, her voice full of confidence. "Heh, I don't need them. I can heal myself with my own magic."

  "Then shouldn't you heal our friends too?" Leo asked.

  There was a long silence on the other end. Finally, she muttered, "Well... I don't have that much mana left."

  Leo stared at the ground. "It’s risky then. Just come here and let them heal you. Just don't tell them you're a witch."

  "No, I’ll handle it. You just go meet the others," she said, before cutting the connection.And then a sound came of disconnection of telepathy.

  —Telepathy Disconnected—

  Leo continued through the camp. To his right, many female adventurers—some with black hair, others with green or white—were busy working. Most wore long white skirts, almost like a uniform for this mission. They were focused on healing the humans. Leo’s thoughts drifted to the goblins; they weren't here, but were hidden away in the cave where he, Lili, and Lyra had spent their childhood.

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  He walked deeper into the village. The wooden houses were gone, replaced by black ashes and lingering smoke. He reached a large camp where adventurers were constantly moving in and out. He approached a tired-looking man with a black beard and swept-back hair to ask what was happening. The man wore a red shirt with a small black waistcoat that served as light armor.

  "Hey, can you tell me who's inside this camp?" Leo asked.

  The man turned. "Wait, are you Leo?" When Leo nodded, the man continued, "It’s Sheron. His condition was bad, but don't worry, our healers are doing their best. Just hope—"

  Before he could finish, a girl ran out of the tent. "Captain! Good news, he’s out of danger."

  Both Leo and the captain sighed in relief. "He’s saved. Congratulations," the man said.

  "Thanks," Leo replied. "Can I meet him?"

  The woman hesitated. "I'm sorry, but it's a mess in there right now..."

  "I won't take much time," Leo promised.

  She nodded and stepped aside. Leo entered the tent and saw the grim reality. The beds were stained red with blood, and the floor was littered with crimson bandages and cotton. On a table sat various potions and medicines. A girl with long black hair and a white hat sat by Sheron’s bed, her eyes closed as she held a wooden staff topped with a glowing green emerald. The green light washed over Sheron’s bandaged chest.

  "Hey, Sheron?" Leo whispered.

  Sheron opened his eyes slowly. He looked incredibly weak and tried to speak, but only a faint sound came out.

  "Hey, buddy," Leo said with a soft, forced smile. "I'm not very good at knowing what to say in these situations. But... you can rest for a while. We’re all waiting for you."

  Leo closed his eyes as he spoke, hiding the miserable, lost kid behind the fake smile. He hated giving people false hope, and he felt responsible for everything that had happened. He felt he had to pretend for the sake of the others, even though he was still deeply confused and hurting inside.

  After leaving Sheron, the Captain told him he could find Balzock and Zack easily since their injuries weren't life-threatening. Zack was already acting tough despite being covered in bandages. Balzock was sitting up, recovering well from what the healers said was mostly exhaustion due to his age. Leo told Balzock how Zack was pretending to be strong. To ease Balzock’s worries, Leo suggested they actually start training Zack to be as strong as he wanted to be. Balzock agreed, and it seemed to give the old man some peace of mind.

  Back in the present, Leo and Balzock reached a clearing where the bushes had been cleared away. The ground was sandy and covered in pebbles, but the center was a clean, open arena surrounded by trees.

  Sara was leaping from tree to tree, and the goblins were trying to copy her. Some were struggling to climb, while Sara fired ice arrows at anyone who stayed on the ground. The goblins were throwing knives back at her. Suddenly, an arrow flew straight toward a goblin. Leo lunged to intervene, but Balzock grabbed his wrist.

  Before the arrow could hit, it stopped mid-air against an invisible force.

  "How?" Leo asked, breathless.

  "It was Sara’s idea," Balzock explained. "She told Lili about this training, so Lili taught her a magic circle that creates a barrier around the participants. No one actually gets hurt."

  Leo let out a long breath. "You nearly gave me a panic attack."

  Balzock burst out laughing. Hearing the noise, the goblins and Sara spotted them. Grok was the first to run over. He was wearing pink ear pins and looked noticeably taller—about the height of a ten-year-old human. He wore a brown waistcoat and a white shawl.

  "Oh, Grok," Leo said as they emerged from the bushes. "It looks like your evolution is complete."

  Grok smirked. "Yeah, it is."

  "When did this happen?" Leo asked.

  "It's been two weeks since we last met, right?" Grok replied.

  Leo looked around at the cleared arena. "Yeah, but... how did this area become so clear?"

  Grok interrupted him, "Actually, this happened because of my evolution. And did you know? From now on, I’ll keep growing just like a human."

  Leo was stunned for a second. "I didn't know goblins could evolve like that."

  By then, the rest of the group had reached them.