Reincarnated as a step-dad in a fantasy world

Chapter 143 : Virax race

"The ones the Night group kidnap are in the most case nobles" informed Amelia with a solemn tone.

"Nobles?!" exclaimed Alex and Cedrix in surprise.

"More precisely, they focus on kidnapping noble children. This has been going on for years," she continued.

"How can it be that a group that focuses on kidnapping nobles has been allowed to exist?" wondered Alex, aware that nobles would normally do anything to raze such a group to the ground.

"There are two reasons they've managed to persist. Firstly, they don't harm the kidnapped individuals; instead, they demand a ransom from the family. If paid, the child is safely returned. Secondly, their hideouts are nearly impossible to locate. They're meticulous and leave no traces, explaining why, even after a couple of years of doing evil deed, nono one has uncovered their whereabouts," Amelia explained.

"Umm, I think I can locate them" said Cedrix.

"How could you manage that?" questioned Amelia, looking skeptical.

Knowing that many nobles had tried but failed to locate the group, Amelia found it hard to believe that an elderly man at level 2 could accomplish it.

"It's not the kidnappers I can track, but my daughter. My ability lets me place a tracker on someone as long as they're not two levels above me. Since my wife passed away, I've kept a tracker on my daughter. Honestly, this ability was always useless for a simple farmer like me living apart from others. However, since my daughter's kidnapping, it has become my most valuable asset," Cedrix confessed with a sad smile.

'This ability of his is really a good one, although I must agree that in the hands of a farmer it's a useless one' reasoned Alex.

"Do you have an idea about the range at which you can sense the one on whom the tracker was placed?" Amelia inquired.

"Sorry, but I don't know. The only ones I placed a tracker on are my wife and daughter, and I always try to remain close to them. So, I don't have an accurate range; I only have a rough estimate that lets me know if I'm near or far from my target," Cedrix explained apologetically.

"No need to feel sorry, old man," assured Amelia with a smile.

"So, do you feel like your daughter is near here?" Lilia asked.

Cedrix fell silent for a moment, concentrating on feeling the distance separating him from his tracker. He then shook his head with a dejected face. "She is not near from here," he shared.

"Don't take it the wrong way, old man, but how do we even know if she is alive at all?" Alex asked.

The moment he said this, he felt the three women next to him glare at him.

'I know my words may sound insensitive, but I need to understand before deciding whether to help him,' reasoned Alex.

"She is alive," Cedrix asserted confidently.

"And how are you so certain?"

"I can't track dead people," replied the old man with a firm gaze.

"Fair enough."

The room fell into silence as the girls and Cedrix observed Alex, waiting to see his decision on whether to help the man or not.

After a moment, Alex spoke, "You know, there's something bothering me in your story."

"W-What is it, my lord?" stammered Cedrix.

"Why would your daughter be kidnapped? I don't mean to say she has no value, but for bandits specializing in kidnapping nobles, I can't see any reason why they would target the daughter of a farmer."

Hearing this, Cedrix fell silent, his expression hesitant.

From Cedrix's conflicted expression, Alex realized he was onto something. There had to be a reason for kidnapping Cedrix's daughter, and until he knew that reason, there was no way he would help the old man, despite his father's promise.

Seconds passed in silence as Alex and his wives waited for Cedrix to speak. Eventually, Cedrix exhaled a resigned breath.

"The reason these lowlifes kidnapped my daughter is because she is a Virax, a half-Virax to be precise," revealed Cedrix.

As the words left Cedrix's mouth, Alex and his wives' eyes widened in surprise.

"Your daughter being a Virax means your wife was one too, right?" Alex inquired.

Cedrix nodded.

Alex whistled in astonishment. "How did you manage to catch one of those, old man?" he asked, interested.

"Haha, I was lucky to stumble upon my wife at a moment when some people of her race were chasing her, and she was wounded. I allowed her to hide in my house and healed her wounds, the rest is history," shared Cedrix with a nostalgic smile.

"You seem to have a knack for saving others, old man," chuckled Alex. "Anyway, I now understand why they kidnapped your daughter. Being a half Virax, she holds significant value."

The Virax were a race that looked exactly like humans, the only difference being that their eyes often shone when they felt strong emotions.

Although they looked like humans physically, the Virax were a race entirely different from humans in terms of power. Similar to the elves, the Virax were closely connected to nature and mana. In fact, their affinity with mana might be even more pronounced than that of elves since they could do something the elves couldn't—manifest pure mana out of their bodies and manipulate it.

They had the capability to manipulate the manifested mana in various ways, using it to enhance the potency of their abilities or even giving it a shape and a solid structure. However, only the strongest among them could achieve such feats.

Another reason their race was considered dangerous was their staggering mana reserves. They could store a vast amount of mana in their bodies, enabling them to use their abilities many times and for extended durations.

However, the Virax had a very glaring weakness: they had weak bodies.

Despite their powerful mana and abilities utilization, the Virax possessed bodies so frail that the moment their mana reserves were depleted, they could become even weaker than a normal human being.

"Still, the Virax or even a half one like your daughter has a lot of value, so her kidnappers would most likely..." Amelia's words trailed off, not wanting to continue and upset the old man, though everyone present understood the situation.

'If his daughter isn't rescued very soon, she will be sold on the black market.'