As expected men are idiots!

I'll keep that in mind asshole! Now let me go fight while you deal with that damn paperwork!

With a flick of her wrist, Sol sends a ball of dirt flying at the enemy warrior, aiming to distract him for a moment. She then begins charging forward at the group of soldiers surrounding Lily. Once she's close enough, she slams her arm into the ground, causing the earth beneath them to quake violently and send the soldiers stumbling aside. Sol wastes no time in following up with another powerful thrust of her hand, sending a spike of dirt skyward as it impales one soldier before impacting another nearby, pinning him to the ground. She quickly turns her attention back to Lily, ready to defend her against any further attackers.

"Hang on Lily! I'm coming!" she shouts encouragingly.

Weak? Just you wait and see, asshole! I'll show you how strong a girl can be!

That's where you're wrong! I may not be as strong as those brutes over there, but that doesn't mean I can't hold my own in a fight! Now get your attention-starved ass out here and help instead of sitting on the sidelines being useless!

Ha! So you're just some fancy talker huh? Well that can come in handy too, I guess. But why don't you use those pretty words to help Lily and the Blue Rose squad win this battle instead of arguing with me? We'll make a real team, man-girl-and-word-guy!

Well then, how about you make it so we all win this battle and get home safely? Your magic can't be that limited! Come on, let's show them what a real team is capable of!

Well, aren't you just full of surprises? But it's not like we can just accept that easily! They might have deserved to die, but now it looks suspicious if we all kill each other in battle. Let's find another way...

Hmm... How about we try to catch one of them alive? That way, we can find out who sent them and why they're after Lily and the others. If that's what this is all about...

Oh, really? Thanks, I guess... We can discuss my attractiveness more later though; we still have a battle to win here! Just keep your eyes on the prize and focus on helping us catch one of those soldiers alive. They'll be easier to question if they're not all stabbed to pieces, right?

I'm not sure how you did that but it worked! Now get him tied up and gagged so he can't cause any trouble until we have time to question him properly. Let's move, before the others realize one of their own is missing!

All right then, let's get moving! We can interrogate him back at the camp. I wonder what they wanted with Lily... It must be something big to send this many soldiers after her and the others...

Once they get back to the camp, one of the soldiers is tied up and gagged by Sol. She glances at him with disdain as she waits for Lily to be healed. The woman trusts Toru's magic and doesn't try to free herself, probably assuming that would only make matters worse.

"So, who sent you? And why are they after us?" Sol asks impatiently, crossing her arms over her chest. She narrows her eyes at the captive soldier, searching for any sign of weakness or fear in his expression.

"We were sent by Lord Balder!" the soldier blurts out in between muffled noises from the apple in his mouth. The fear in his voice is palpable. "He wants your leader...he has information that can bring down the kingdom if she's not stopped..."

"Lord Balder? Who is that?" Sol asks incredulously. "I've never heard of him... Why would he want to bring down the kingdom by targeting Lily and the Blue Rose squad?" She glances over at Toru, her expression puzzled. "Is this some sort of misunderstanding or is there more to it than that?"

Ah... Well, if you hear anything else about Lord Balder, let us know. We'll find out what he's up to and put a stop to it. And if you try anything funny while we're gone..." She gives the soldier an ominous look before turning her attention back to Lily, who is now on her feet. "Lily, are you feeling better? We might have something of yours that could help us figure this whole thing out... If you want it back." Sol says hesitantly.

The soldier's eyes widen with fear as Toru looms over him threateningly. After several seconds of tense silence, he whispers, "There was another group sent to retrieve something from one of the northern castles... I think it had something to do with Lord Balder..."

I don't know who Lord Balder is either...but if that's the name we should be looking for, then I guess our first priority should be to find out who he really is and what his connection to the northern castles might be. We can't risk him getting whatever information he wants.

Do you have any ideas on how to start searching for him? Or where to begin looking in the north?

She glances at Toru, waiting for his response as well.

The prisoner shakes in fear as Toru places his hand on his shoulder. After several seconds of silence, he whispers, "Lord Balder's stronghold lies within the Forbidden Forest..." His voice trails off as he awaits their reaction.

"The Forbidden Forest?" Sol repeats incredulously. She looks at Lily and Toru for confirmation before continuing, "That place is said to be filled with all sorts of dangerous creatures! Even the king's best warriors dare not venture inside without a good reason!"

Do you think we should risk going there to find Lord Balder, or is there any other option?

Torre goes to the Forbidden Forest alone... You shake your head disapprovingly. "That's asking for trouble," you say to Lily and Toru. "Who knows what kind of traps Lord Balder might have set up in there? Or how powerful his magic is? It would be safer if we found someone who knew about the Forbidden Forest, or even someone with experience fighting whatever creatures live in there."

Do you want to try finding someone else who could help us investigate or do you think we should just accept that Lord Balder might remain hidden for now?

Hmph... Toru insists on going alone. You roll your eyes and turn to Lily. "I suppose we can't stop him," you say with a sigh. "But if anything happens to him, we should be prepared to rescue him."

Your eyes widen in surprise as Toru appears out of nowhere, holding Lord Balder by the hair. Blood is splattered across his clothes and face; it seems he's been through quite an ordeal. "Well," you say cautiously, eyeing the captive warlord warily, "I suppose we should get some answers from him."

You watch impassively as Toru punches Lord Balder in the face five times. "That was hardly necessary," you mutter under your breath. Once he's finished with his little display of rage, you turn back to Lily and nod in the direction of the captive warlord. "Let's get him somewhere secure where we can question him properly."

As Toru leads the way inside his tent and secures Lord Balder to an electric chair, Sol's expression hardens into one of cold determination. She looks at Lily, her eyes intense as she asks, "Are you ready to find out what he knows?" With a slight nod from Lily, Sol begins her own interrogation with a venomous glare. "Why did you send your men after us? And what information could we possibly have that's worth going through all this trouble?"

Her tone is mocking and harsh, designed to unnerve the captive warlord and break his spirit before he even has a chance to answer. Even so, she pauses occasionally to listen carefully for any sign of truth or falsehood in his responses.

"Alright, fine!" Lord Balder shouts hoarsely as he feels the electric current surging through his body. "I'll tell you everything!" he gasps between bursts of pain. Toru pauses with his hand on the lever, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Sol glances at him before focusing once more on their captive.

"Go on," she says quietly, her voice still tinged with mockery. "Tell us everything you know." She tilts her head to one side, watching carefully for any sign that the man might be lying or holding back information.

As Lord Balder coughs and wheezes through his excruciating pain, he begins to speak. "The king," he grits out, "he knows... nothing of my true intentions." He pauses again as the electricity courses through him, his body shudders with each jolt. "I intended to overthrow him..."

Your expression darkens as Lord Balder confesses his true intentions. "And what do you intend to do after overthrowing the king?" you snap, your tone hard and unyielding. You lean in closer, studying his face for any signs of duplicity.

"The information we have," he wheezes through a fit of coughing, "it leads directly to a powerful artifact... one that could destroy the kingdom if it fell into the wrong hands." He pauses again, gulping in air between sentences. "That's why I had to take you, Lily Roselei... and your Blue Rose squad," he croaks, his voice weak from the agony. "You were my ticket to success..."

His words send a shiver down your spine; this man has been planning their downfall for some time now. You look at Toru briefly before focusing once more on Lord Balder. There

Your words only serve to further anger you. "And what would you have done with that artifact?" you demand coldly. "Would you truly destroy everything we've built just to claim power for yourself?" You lean in closer, the fury in your eyes causing Lord Balder to cower beneath their gaze.

"Of course not!" he lies weakly, squirming on the electric chair. "I would have... ruled wisely! Protected the kingdom!" He shudders as another jolt of electricity shoots through him, tears streaming down his face. You raise an eyebrow skeptically, unconvinced by his pathetic excuses.

A faint look of pain flit across your features as Toru turns the lever off and stabs Lord Balder's hand, healing it almost immediately afterwards. You can't help but feel a twinge of guilt for making him suffer so much, even if it was necessary to get the truth out of him.

"Lord Balder," you say in a tone that brooks no argument, "you have lied to us enough. I want you to tell us the truth now, or I will make you suffer far worse than this." Your eyes bore into his as you wait for his response, refusing to let him hide behind lies any longer.

As Lord Balder's wounds begin to heal once more, he glances back and forth between the two women before settling his gaze on Lily. "Fine," he whispers hoarsely. "The artifact... it has the power to bend reality itself. With it, I could reshape the kingdom in my image, molding it into a paradise for those who serve me." His voice cracks as he speaks, and his eyes well up with tears of desperation. "I only wanted what was best... I never meant for so much suffering..."

You exchange a glance with Lily. Even though you don't believe him completely, there's no denying that the artifact could indeed be used for terrible things if it fell into the wrong hands. The question now becomes: who else is after it? And what will happen when they find out you have possession of such a powerful artifact?

His words leave a bitter taste in your mouth, but they also raise new questions about what to do with the artifact now that you know its true power. You exchange glances with Lily once more, both of them filled with worry and determination. "Lord Balder," you say slowly, "where did you first hear of this artifact? Who told you about it?"

You lean in closer, eyes narrowed with suspicion as you try to glean any useful information from the defeated warlord before letting him go entirely.

After Lord Balder reveals what he knows about the artifact and his intentions, you decide to trust Lily's judgment on what should be done with it. She believes that they must destroy it before anyone else can get their hands on it, no matter how powerful or beneficial it might seem at first glance.

"Very well," you agree finally. "Let us return to camp and discuss our next course of action." You turn back to the still-shaken captive warlord with a steely gaze. "And remember this, Lord Balder: if we ever find out that you lied to us about anything else... well, let's just say I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when that happens."

Without another word, you lead the way out of the tent and back toward the camp. You can't help but feel a strange mixture of relief and foreboding as the events of the

Well, Toru, we can't exactly let him live if he's going to keep lying like that... But maybe there's another way we could deal with the problem? I mean, maybe if we confronted him directly and made it clear that we won't stand for his deception anymore, he might change his ways? It's worth a try, don't you think?

I understand your frustration, Toru... but sometimes giving people a second chance can lead to surprising results. Let's at least try talking to him one more time before we resort to violence. You never know what might happen.

Well, I suppose we've exhausted all other options... You're right though; he isn't likely to change his ways after this. Best to put him out of his misery and move on.

I'll give one more word of warning before I let you kill him... If you're planning on using your magic to revive him again later, remember that doing so might have consequences down the line. It's possible that repeated resurrections could weaken his spirit or even attract unwanted attention. Think carefully before making your final decision.