84 - The King's Way (22)

[Request: Find the missing person in the Aselen Forest]

[Request: Acelen Forest Investigation]

[Request: Escort the herbalist in the Asselen Forest]

That's for sure.

Madame's words that something had happened in the Asselin Forest were true.

The other adventurers didn't seem to care much yet,

The disappearances, the investigations, and the need for escorts despite the forest being close to the city - all the circumstances indicated that there was trouble in the Asselin Forest.

Then should I go?

I once again sold the name of the goddess Aria and told my companions to head to the Aceline Forest, and as always, the two believed me.

The goddess is a total cheat key… Deus ex machina level performance.

"Okay, everyone ready?"

I finished my self-inspection and also purchased staff for Sophia.

I had a hearty breakfast and finished checking my inventory.

Now all that's left is to complete the main quest.

'Finally… it begins!'

My heart was pounding at the thought of starting a full-fledged adventure with the warrior party.

**

"Ah…! Hey, here it is! This is Brutus, the herbalist I entrusted you with."

"Nice to meet you. I am Deokbae, a 6th-grade adventurer. And this is Sophia and Siwoo, also 6th-grade adventurers."

We took on the 'Herbalist Escort' quest from the guild.

I could have investigated the Acelen Forest without a request… but why?

If you take on a commission, you can make money and get a free guide to show you around the forest?

It was a shame to miss this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

Brutus, the herbalist, was taken aback when he saw us, saying that he had never expected three people to escort him, but he soon laughed heartily, saying that he was relieved, and led us into the forest.

Since there was no need to pay any more commission anyway, Brutus would have had no reason to refuse.

At first glance, the Acelen Forest looked like an ordinary forest, no different from any other forest, but as soon as you entered the forest, you could feel the atmosphere had changed.

It seemed as if something had definitely happened, with the expressions of the people passing by looking extremely serious and without a trace of laughter.

"Lord Brutus, do you usually go out collecting herbs with an escort like this?"

"Oh, that's not it. It's just… there's been some bad rumors going around lately…"

"Could you please tell me what the rumor is?"

"That's… not just one or two. A seasoned lumberjack getting lost, or a pile of bones suddenly being discovered, or a bunch of unidentifiable bloodstains appearing, or… uh, a person going missing."

Hmm... What is this mystery all of a sudden? At this point, it's a ghost story.

It's not a scary story to hear on a midsummer night, it's a story full of bones and blood and it's so unrealistic.

So the rumor didn't spread to the city.

But there is also a story from a reliable source, Madame, so it can't be just a rumor... Is there a demon tribe inside the forest?

"Brother… Are you okay?"

When Sophia heard Brutus' story, she became very frightened and clung to me.

But it seemed like he was using fear as an excuse to ask for skinship, even though he wasn't shaking.

Yeah, Sophia isn't the type to be scared of things like that.

I responded to Sophia and pretended to comfort her by wrapping my arm around her shoulder.

"Is Lord Brutus alright? If the rumors are true, isn't he in danger?"

"Haha! What could be scary with adventurers here! And thanks to that, there are fewer competitors, so shouldn't we make a lot of money?"

Brutus said he plans to take this opportunity to go into the forest and gather herbs that he normally wouldn't gather.

There would be no competitors, there would be escorts, it seemed like they were going to have a blast.

We didn't reject the plan. We had originally planned to take Brutus by force even if he didn't want to go, so it turned out well.

**

"But bro… don't you think something is strange?"

While I was walking towards my destination with Brutus, chatting with Sophia about this and that, Siwoo spoke to me from behind in an anxious voice.

From what we heard, it seemed like he had discovered something we hadn't noticed before.

As expected of a warrior! I believed in you!

"Siwoo! Don't say scary things!"

"Why? What's going on?"

Sophia thought this was the moment and pretended to be weak by hugging my arm again, and I pretended to comfort her and hugged her as well, demanding an answer from Siwoo.

But really, now this level of skinship is nothing to you? You little punk... You're all grown up, you're all grown up.

"It feels like I keep going around the same space… I'm not sure, but doesn't it feel like it's the umpteenth time I've seen that tree?"

"…Is that so?"

Looking at the tree that Siwoo was pointing at, it was definitely a tree I remembered.

I thought it was because the tree was leaning heavily that it was holding up without collapsing…

No, wait. So now we're Mia?

"Poetry, I hate it!"

This time Sophia looked genuinely scared and snuggled into my arms.

It was clear that he was genuinely scared, unlike before, as he was shivering.

"Then that was real? What should we do, Oppa? Are we stuck here forever?!"

"Calm down, Sophie…"

Although Sophia was really cute when she was scared, it was heartbreaking to see her expression as if she was about to cry. I held Sophia tightly and tried to calm her down.

"I… I'm lost! Then that rumor… Oh, no!"

It wasn't just Sophia who had a mental breakdown, as Brutus also fell to his knees with a bewildered expression. Isn't that exactly what a person who lost money with coins looks like?

"Brutus, come to your senses!"

"T, actually… Ah, I knew it all along… but I hoped it wasn't true…"

This guy? If you knew, you should have told me in advance!

When I heard it, it was ridiculous. If Siwoo hadn't noticed, I would have wandered around for a while longer. I would have just wasted my energy.

"…Brother! What do we do now?"

Siwoo, is that you too?

Siwoo also panicked and didn't know what to do.

It was as if he had suffered a great shock, like a child who lost his parents in a department store.

No, I don't know about other people, but you, a warrior, need to stay calm!

'ha…'

Everyone depends on me too much, more than I thought.

Sophia is leaving everything up to me, and Siwoo is asking me for answers rather than trying to figure things out on his own.

This is not good, this is really not good,

What if the bus driver asks me for directions?

'Ugh.'

"What should I do? If you're lost, you have to find your way."

I turned my head away from Siwoo, sighed deeply, and used observation.

and,

Finding the cause was as easy as eating a cake.

'Is this really how it happened?'

"Hey, did you find something?"

As I walked towards a certain place without hesitation, Sophia saw hope and followed me with a bright smile again.

I stood in front of the tree that Siwoo had pointed out earlier, stroking Sophia's head.

"There is a boundary."

**

"A barrier?!"

"Yeah, there's a barrier on this tree."

You can't see it. You can't feel it.

But observation told me that there was a boundary here.

Well then, it exists.

"Ah! I can really feel a faint magic here!"

… Is it true? She is not a saint for nothing.

Sophia simply felt the magic that I couldn't feel.

He praised me, saying, "As expected, you are my brother."

That's... a little embarrassing.

"It's true… You're amazing, hyung!"

Siwoo, who had recovered his mentality after hearing the news that the barrier had been found, also approached

He briefly checked the magic power of the barrier and looked at me with an expression that said he believed in me.

Oh, I feel so ashamed.

"Oh, it's true!"

No, even you, Brutus?!

The herbalist also followed Siwoo and stood in front of the tree, looking surprised.

"Did you feel the magic too, Brutus?"

"No, it seems like everyone is doing it."

"Oh, yes."

… This guy is really a tough guy.

I thought I was the only one who couldn't feel what the herbalist felt!

"If I break the barrier, will I be able to find my way again?"

"Yes. However… the space hidden by the barrier will also come out."

"Eek! What if there are a lot of monsters inside!"

What should I do?

We have to fight and kill.

I'm not really worried.

As a hero, Siwoo will receive a buff from the main character in times of crisis.

Sophia also has a staff with a shield function. It costs a whopping 5 gold.

I have become strong enough and can even use my internal energy to strike back at the enemy if necessary.

However, I was a little worried that a barrier had been created.

Are there really demons? Or are there monsters with such high intelligence? It seems like this will be a harder fight than I thought.

I felt it when I fought the modified goblin, but the difficulty here is harder than I thought.

"That's fine. We'll take care of the monsters, so once the barrier is lifted, Brutus, please return to the city and request support from the guards."

"Oh, I see!"

"Then everyone get ready!"

We pulled back from Brutus and took up a fighting stance.

Each person took out their weapon and formed the formation they had been practicing yesterday.

How do you break the barrier?

We have a warrior with a holy sword.

"Siwoo!"

"Yes! I'm going!"

Kwaaang!

As Siwoo swung his holy sword toward the barrier, a tree was cut down with a loud noise, and the sight before his eyes became distorted.

And along with it came a gloomy and musty smell, tormenting my nose.

Queeeek?

Quiick!

Why are there orcs here?

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