Ren ignored the fearful gazes of the elf children, who remained wary of him. Instead of explaining further, he turned his attention to Alfred, the male tiger who had long been his traveling companion. Despite being just an animal, Alfred possessed remarkable intelligence, capable of understanding commands and conversations with surprising clarity.
"Is the area clear? No more enemies?" Ren asked in a calm yet firm tone.
Alfred let out a low growl, his deep voice vibrating in the cold night air. Then, he flicked his tail slightly before nodding his head.
"Grauugh."
Ren narrowed his eyes, processing the response. "Mmm… so there are no other troops?" he muttered. "Alright… In that case, that means they were either split up, or…"
He paused for a moment.
"Or they've already been taken to the royal fortress," he continued, his voice turning more serious.
As those words left his mouth, Shua suddenly stiffened. Her thoughts immediately raced to one person—her mother.
