Bound by vines and with half her body petrified, Tina was completely unable to break free and could only watch helplessly as the Emerald Leaf Witch approached her.
It looks like I'm done for this time.
The noisy crowd in the back suddenly went silent.
Swoosh!
The sound of breaking air suddenly rang out.
A slender black hidden weapon flew from behind Tina; it was a cone-shaped weapon as thick as a thumb, and it embedded itself in front of the Emerald Leaf Witch.
Clang!
The metal at the tail end vibrated against the ground, creating a humming sound.
"I can't just stand by and watch our Tina be taken away by someone else."
"The street being damaged so badly is also a real headache, sigh!" Gagaran shouldered a warhammer; her striking height and robust figure made the surrounding crowd automatically part to form a path.
Following beside Gagaran was the short Evileye, wrapped entirely in a red robe.
Crack!
Crack!
The vines that had originally bound Tina suddenly shattered and flew apart in all directions.
A figure whose appearance and clothing looked like they were carved from the same mold as Tina emerged from Tina's shadow, grabbed Tina's shoulder, and vanished from the spot in a flash.
When the two reappeared.
Tia had already brought Tina to stand before Gagaran and Evileye.
"Oh my, Tina, half of your body has turned to stone. Do you plan to become a Gargoyle Incarnation? I feel like it would definitely sound much louder when struck than striking bone."
Seeing Tina with half her body petrified, Gagaran grinned, revealing her snow-white teeth.
Tina's eyelid twitched, and she said expressionlessly: "I do not."
"Petrification magic. You're lucky; there's no need to wait to deal with it later."
Evileye briefly checked Tina's condition, raised her palm toward the petrified part, and her baritone-like voice rang out from behind her mask:
"Petrification Dispel!"
Shua!
The petrified flesh receded like a tide, returning to its original state within a few breaths.
Tina felt her body relax as her out-of-control limbs regained sensation; she swung her arm and stood up.
Looking at the wary Emerald Leaf Witch opposite them, Tina said in a calm voice: "The opponent is a demi-human who has mastered both the faith system and magic power system. Her strength is very high."
"I saw," Evileye said indifferently.
The way the Emerald Leaf Witch used magic items to change her appearance was not considered an excellent method of disguise in Evileye's eyes.
"How pathetic," Tia mocked, raising her hand to make a few gestures.
Tina's eyelid twitched again: "I was careless."
Facing the relaxed atmosphere of the four joking with each other.
Faint magic power flickered in the Emerald Leaf Witch's hands, as if she were ready to release magic at any moment; her bright yellow pupils were fixed intently on the shortest figure among the four.
Intuition told her that the opponent was extremely dangerous!
With the appearance of the four members of "Blue Rose," the noisy surroundings became quiet; the reputation and prestige of a top-tier adventurer team were fully revealed at this moment.
"Demi-human Young Miss, if my teammate's actions caused you dissatisfaction, then the result of the battle just now should have allowed you to vent your anger."
Gagaran shouldered the giant long hammer, resting both hands on the handle, a half-smiling expression on her square-jawed face.
The Emerald Leaf Witch took a step back, her heart sinking.
None of the four people opposite her were ordinary humans.
If their strength was similar to the human she had barely defeated just now, then even if she summoned her sister, she probably wouldn't be their match.
Especially the short figure wrapped in the red robe gave the Emerald Leaf Witch a feeling that made her hair stand on end.
Very strong!
She didn't expect there to be such powerful experts among humans.
Seeing that the Emerald Leaf Witch did not speak, but only looked at the four of them with vigilance and caution.
Clang!
A trace of helplessness appeared on Gagaran's face; she raised a finger and tapped the hammer's handle, producing a crisp sound.
Seeing the Emerald Leaf Witch's appearance, it was clearly difficult to communicate; if she were human, it would be one thing, but the opponent's identity as a demi-human made Gagaran unsure of how to communicate directly.
Evileye observed the Emerald Leaf Witch through her mask, and suddenly her low baritone voice rang out: "What kind of demi-human are you?"
"Ordinary demi-human races shouldn't need to use magic items for disguise, right?"
In human society, although demi-human races are relatively rare, they are not unheard of; demi-human races like Elves, Rabbitmen, and Dwarves do not need to use disguises.
Unless the opponent's outward appearance has a very obvious difference from humans, with the most representative being the Empire's "Martial King" Gagaran.
With the strength Gagaran has displayed, he is highly respected even in human society!
It could also be said that as long as one is strong.
No matter where or what race, they will not be underestimated; even in the Slane Theocracy, those "Human species supremacy" advocates would not rashly crusade against such a strong person as long as the demi-human does nothing to harm humanity.
"It's a bit suspicious," Evileye said softly, her voice then deepening: "A Genius Alchemist who makes alchemy potions using demi-human blood, with a demi-human following beside him."
"And, you haven't appeared for so many days, so... where is your leader?"
Gagaran's eyebrows arched; she understood the meaning in Evileye's words, as if she suspected the possibility that the leader of "Free Will" was being coerced by this demi-human Magic Caster.
"That's none of your business," the Emerald Leaf Witch snorted coldly.
The air went still.
The atmosphere that had just relaxed became tense once again at this moment.
Step! Step!
The sound of running footsteps.
Enri jogged over from behind and stood beside the Emerald Leaf Witch; though clearly very nervous, she plucked up the courage to shout loudly at the four people in front of her:
"Miss Emerald Leaf is a good person, you're not allowed to say that!"
Enri pursed her lips, incredibly serious.
There were four people on the opposite side, while Miss Emerald Leaf was all alone; although she had no strength, she didn't want Miss Emerald Leaf to face them alone.
Her clear and firm voice gave the four members of "Blue Rose" a start.
An ordinary person?
Evileye looked at Enri through her mask and suddenly remembered Gagaran once mentioning that there was an ordinary girl in "Free Will."
The suspicion that had just risen in her heart dissipated a lot upon seeing Enri, but more doubts welled up within her.
An adventurer team of three people in total: an ordinary girl, a demi-human Magic Caster, and the leader is an Alchemist who uses demi-human blood to make potions.
A completely incomprehensible combination.
Truly too strange!
Evileye had always been uninterested in most things, but at this moment, she inexplicably felt a surge of interest in that leader.
She felt he might be an interesting person.
"I already said, that's enough for now." Seeing that Evileye was no longer speaking, Gagaran felt relieved and raised her voice a bit.
This sentence was not only meant for the two opposite them but also as a reminder to her own side.
"Hello, my name is Gagaran. My teammate's actions caused a misunderstanding. I wonder if you could sell us that set of magic items you're wearing?"
Gagaran tried her best to put a friendly smile on her coarse face as she spoke to Enri.
"I can't."
Enri looked soft and weak, but her tone didn't have a hint of hesitation as she said categorically:
"This was a gift from the Master; I can only do so if the Master agrees."
The Master?
Is it the leader of "Free Will"?
Gagaran understood; since they were fellow adventurers and not enemies, there was naturally no need to use forceful measures, so she waved her hand sheepishly: "Alright then."
Tina stood to the side; even without looking up, she could feel Gagaran's gaze on her.
She wouldn't be able to avoid a lecture once they got back.
Tina sighed; as for that set of magic items, she would have to find another way to get them back.
And Tia, who had remained silent, was now looking at Enri with satisfaction in her eyes.
As a Lily Enthusiast.
Enri was by no means exceptional, but the display of her character was something Tia appreciated.
"Your name is Enri, right?" Tia suddenly spoke.
"Ah, yes."
Suddenly being called by name, Enri answered subconsciously, for a moment not knowing whether to look at Tia or Tina.
The two looked exactly the same.
Clang—Clang—
The clanking sound of armor rubbing and colliding gradually rose from both the front and back of the street; the surrounding crowd quickly dispersed, and fully armed soldiers poured in from the path opened by the crowd.
In an instant!
They completely surrounded the Emerald Leaf Witch and the "Blue Rose" group.
There were at least 20 of these soldiers, each holding a silver-tipped spear nearly two meters long, wearing leather armor on their upper bodies, with silver protective gear on their chests, shoulders, elbows, and knees.
Judging by their equipment alone, they were already elite soldiers of the Kingdom.
The commotion and destruction caused by the battle just now were already beyond what ordinary patrolling guards could handle; clearly, someone had reported it, bringing in this unit of elite soldiers.
Seeing this, Gagaran didn't show any surprise, but merely shrugged her shoulders.
She hadn't immediately left with her people after dealing with Tina's situation precisely because she knew this matter couldn't be settled so simply.
Even with their current adventurer Rank, or even by bringing up their captain's noble status, they would at least have to go through the motions.
Enri trembled with fear; the courage she had just plucked up to face the Aura of "Blue Rose" vanished instantly, replaced by a face full of panic.
As an ordinary person, Enri naturally felt fear and dread when facing the soldiers of the state.
After the soldiers surrounded everyone present.
Immediately following that, cheers and excited whispers came from the crowd.
A male figure wearing very simple light-gray clothing stepped out from the crowd; describing him as lean and powerful would be perfectly apt.
The eyes of most of the citizens looking at this figure were filled with an emotion called "excitement."
Even with his appearance, the spears held by the many soldiers surrounding the Emerald Leaf Witch and the others became even steadier.
"Even he came?" Gagaran also showed surprise on her square face upon seeing the man.
The champion of the Imperial Tournament!
A mere commoner, "Warrior Captain" Gazef!
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