Chapter 27: Onward to the Forest of Enchantment
“Huh? Hey, are you sure it’s okay to refuse? I told you to stay out of it, but that kid over there might end up in some serious trouble.”
The trio didn’t just rely on intimidation this time; they threatened us directly with their words. We weren’t the type to be scared off so easily, but it was becoming a hassle to deal with them.
I slowly gathered my Magic Power and activated Gravity Magic against the three of them. I started by applying a barely noticeable amount of gravity, just enough to go unnoticed.
“Is that all you wanted?”
Rio seemed to have caught on to what I was doing and was quickly steering the conversation toward an end.
“Ha! After that, I’ll take my time teaching you all about the ins and outs of being an Adventurer,” one of the trio said, his face twisted in a way that made my skin crawl.
“Do you really think I’d just follow along because you said that with such a creepy face? I’ll have to decline. Excuse me now.”
With a firm rejection, Rio brushed past the three of them and continued on her way.
“Well, since that’s settled, I’ll just stay out of it,” I said, casting a heavier gravity on them as I followed Rio.
“Hey, wait up! …Damn it, what’s happening? My body suddenly feels so heavy…”
They turned to look at us with sluggish movements, but they didn’t pursue us, instead checking their own limbs. Oh, right, I might as well use this opportunity for an experiment.
“Wow, I really didn’t expect to get tangled up like this,” I sighed as I caught up to Rio, easing the gravity just a bit while still maintaining it.
“Yeah. By the way, do you think those guys have appraisal skills?”
“I think so. I’d like to believe the Guild wouldn’t leak that kind of information.”
After all, this was an organization that spanned multiple nations. I wanted to trust them.
As we chatted idly while heading toward the North Gate, the Gravity Magic I had been maintaining finally wore off. It seemed I could keep the spell active even at a distance of about a kilometer.
Just past the central plaza, I spotted a familiar sign on a building to the left. It depicted a bath. The absence of a bed in the illustration suggested it wasn’t an inn.
“Wait…? Is this…?”
Suddenly, the request for bath cleaning I had seen at the Guild popped into my mind. I recalled it mentioning the location was near the North Plaza. Could this be the site for the bath cleaning job?
“Could it be a Public Bathhouse?”
“Now that’s interesting,” Rio said, her curiosity piqued.
As we approached the entrance, we noticed a sign displaying the prices.
“It’s fifty Fron per person. That’s cheaper than the inn’s bath,” Rio remarked.
“If it’s a Public Bathhouse, I can see why it would be a bit cheaper,” I replied.
“Hmm…”
“Should we try this bath on our way back?”
We wouldn’t know which bath was better until we tried them both.
“Let’s do that.”
Deciding to stop by after our request, we passed the Public Bathhouse and continued along the North Main Street. I hadn’t been this way before, but it didn’t seem too different from East Main Street. There were intriguing shops selling miscellaneous goods and Magic Tools, but we didn’t have any money, so we’d have to wait until after finishing our request.
“Looking at it this way, there are carriages passing through the city like it’s nothing,” I noted.
“They say it’s a Shared Carriage going through the city. It’s faster than walking, but we’re checking out the shops, and besides, we don’t have any money,” Rio replied.
“Really? That’s interesting.”
“There are stations in the north, south, east, and west, and they charge ten Fron for a ride,” I added.
“Let’s try riding one next time!”
“Oh, right, I haven’t ridden one yet.”
“Yeah!”
By midday, we arrived at the North Gate. The only path from the North Gate led to the Forest of Enchantment, and it was bustling with activity.
“Did you forget to buy any essentials?”
“There are three spots left in the Shared Carriage! It’ll leave once it’s full!”
Various voices echoed in front of the North Gate. Even though it was the Forest of Enchantment, the entrance and the shallow parts of the forest only had weak monsters, so I could see a few novice Adventurers around.
“Wow, they even have Shared Carriages going to the Forest of Enchantment,” I remarked.
“It looks like it’s one-way. They expect you to walk back,” Rio noted.
In a world where monsters roamed, it made sense that while they could wait for the carriage to fill up in the city, returning would be a different story.
“Are you going to ride?”
It seemed the fare to the Forest of Enchantment was ten Fron per person. Unlike the city, I didn’t think there would be anything interesting along the way since it was just a road. However…
“With only 110 Fron on hand, if we ride, we won’t be able to take a bath on the way back,” I pointed out.
“Then let’s walk.”
Her response was immediate.
“Alright.”
There were few Adventurers heading out through the North Gate. As we approached the gatekeeper to show our Guild Certificate, he stopped us.
“Hold it right there. …I don’t recognize you. You know this path only leads to the Forest of Enchantment, right?”
He scrutinized us, clearly concerned. I didn’t think we looked particularly suspicious, though.
I took a moment to assess our appearance. I was wearing a breastplate made from monster leather and had a short dagger crafted by my master at my waist. Rio looked like a typical mage, and I didn’t think there was anything that would raise any red flags compared to other Adventurers.
“I know,” I replied.
“Oh, is that so? …Well, that’s good then. Just be careful.”
With the gatekeeper watching us with a lingering concern, we stepped through the North Gate and began our journey into the Forest of Enchantment.