Chapter 84 – Royal Road Dragon Item (22)

[Request: Finding missing people in Aselen Forest]
[Request: Investigate Aselen Forest]
[Request: Aselen Forest Herbalist Escort]

Sure
Madam’s words that something had happened in Aselene Forest were true.
The other adventurers didn’t seem to pay much attention yet, but
Whether it was a disappearance, an investigation, or a need for an escort even though it was a forest close to the city, all the circumstances told me that there was a problem in Aselen Forest.

Shall we go then?

I once again sold the name of Goddess Arya and told her companions her to head to Aselene Forest, and they believed me as always.
Goddess is a complete cheat… Deus Ex Machina-class activity.

“Now, is everyone ready?”

I finished self-examination and bought staff for Sophia.
I ate a hearty breakfast and finished checking my inventory.
All that remains is to complete the main quest.

‘Finally… It’s a start!’

Her heart pounded at the thought of starting a full-scale adventure with the warrior party.

***

“Ah…! Oh, here it is! This is the herbalist I entrusted, Brutus.”

“Nice to meet you. Deokbae is a level 6 adventurer. And this is Sophia and Siu, who are also level 6 adventurers.”

We undertook the ‘Medicinal Herbalist Escort’ request from the guild.
I could have investigated Aselen Forest without a request, but… Why?
If you accept the request, you can earn money and get a free guide to guide you through the forest like this?
It was a waste to miss the opportunity to get the best of both worlds.

Herbalist Brutus looked at us and said that he hadn’t thought that the three of us would come as an escort, so he was taken aback.
Since there was no need to pay more for the request anyway, there would have been no reason for Brutus to refuse.

Aselen Forest was an ordinary forest that looked no different from other forests on the outside, but once you entered the forest, you could feel that the atmosphere had changed.
As if something had definitely happened, the faces of the people coming and going were endlessly serious, and there was no laughter to be found.

“Brutus-sama, do you usually take an escort like this to buy herbs?”

“Oh, that’s not it. But… Rumors have been circulating these days…”

“Can I hear what the rumor is about?”

“That is… Not one or two. A seasoned woodcutter gets lost, a pile of bones is suddenly found, a lot of mysterious bloodstains appear, and… That, going missing.”

Umm… What is this mystery all of a sudden? At this point, it’s a joke.
It’s not a scary story you hear on a midsummer night, it’s a story about bones and bloodstains that is too unrealistic.
So the rumors didn’t even spread to the city.

However, there is also a story of a madam who is a reliable source of information, so it must not be just a rumor… What is this, is there a demon in the forest?

“Brother…Will it be okay?”

Sophia listened to Brutus and she clung to me in terror.
However, she seemed to ask for skinship as an excuse that she was afraid that she was not shaking.
Yeah, it’s not Sophia who should be afraid of something like this.
I responded to Sophia and wrapped her arms around Sophia’s shoulders pretending to comfort her.

“Are you all right, Brutus? Wouldn’t it be dangerous according to rumors?”

“Haha! There are adventurers, so what’s scary! And thanks to that, there are fewer competitors, so shouldn’t we make a lot of money in this gap?”

Brutus says he plans to take this opportunity to go deep into the forest and pick up herbs that he doesn’t usually pick up.
There would be no competitors, there would be escorts, it seemed like they were thinking of picking mulberries.
We didn’t turn down the plan. In the first place, even if Brutus didn’t enter, I was thinking of forcibly taking him, but it worked out rather well.

***

“But brother… Isn’t something strange?”

I was walking along with Brutus to my destination, exchanging stories with Sophia, when Siwoo started talking to me from behind with an uneasy voice.
As we talked, it seemed that we had discovered something we hadn’t noticed.
A warrior too! I believed you!

“Shi, Siu! Don’t say scary things!”

“Why? What is it?”

Sophia pretended to be weak by hugging my arm again, pretending to be at this time, and I also hugged Sophia pretending to comfort her and demanded an answer from Siwoo.
But really, this level of skinship doesn’t seem to matter right now, right? Boy… All grown up All grown up

“I feel like I keep going around the same space… I’m not sure, but don’t you think you’ve seen that tree a few times already?”

“… Is it?”

Looking at the tree Siu was pointing at, it was definitely a tree in his memory.
It was a tree that leaned greatly, so I thought the dragon was holding on without collapsing…
No, wait. Now then, are we lost?

“Poetry, I hate it!”

Sophia was genuinely scared this time and burrowed into my arms.
Unlike before, it was clear that he was really scared.

“So was it real? What should I do! Are we still trapped here?!”

“Calm down, Sophie… “

The frightened Sophia was really cute too, but it broke her heart to see her expression her as if she was about to cry. I hugged her Sofia and tried to calm her down.

“I… I’m lost! Then the rumor… Oh, no!”

As if Sophia was n’t the only one who collapsed mentally, Brutus also knelt down with a devastated expression on his face. Isn’t that the person who threw money with coins?

“Brutus-sama, wake up!”

“Yes, actually… Oh, I already knew… I hoped not…”

Who is this? If I had known, I should have told you earlier!
I was dumbfounded when I heard it. If Siwoo hadn’t noticed, wouldn’t she have wandered around for a while longer? I almost wasted my energy for nothing.

“… Brother! What now?”

Siwoo, is it you too?
Siwoo was also very flustered that he had a panic, and he didn’t know what to do.
It was like a child who lost sight of his parents in a department store and was in shock.
No, no one else knows, but you, the hero, have to stay calm!

‘Ha… ‘

Everyone relies on me more than I thought.
Sophia is entrusting everything to me, and Siwoo is asking me for an answer rather than trying to solve it himself.
It’s not good, it’s really not good,
What if the bus driver asks me for directions…

‘Ehh.’

“What the heck? If you get lost, you have to find your way.”

I turned my head away from Siu, let out a big sigh, and used observation.
And,
I found the cause as easily as eating a cake.

‘Indeed… Did this happen?’

“Brother! Did you find something?”

As I progressed to a certain place, Sofia seemed to have seen her hope her, and she smiled broadly again and followed me.
I stroked Sofia’s hair and stood in front of the tree Siu pointed out earlier.

“There is a barrier.”

***

“A barrier?!”

“Yes, there is a barrier on this tree here.”

I can’t see it. Can’t even feel
But observation told me. There is a barrier here.
If so, what is there?

“Oh! I really feel a faint magic here!”

… Are you real? After all, she is not a saint for nothing.
Sophia easily felt the magic that I couldn’t even feel.
As expected, he praised me as an older brother.
That… I’m a little embarrassed.

“It’s real… That’s great bro!”

Upon hearing the news that he had found the barrier, Siwoo, who had regained his mentality, also approached.
After briefly confirming the magic of the barrier, he looked at me with the expression that he believed.
Oh, I feel weird.

“Gee, that’s real!”

No, even you, Brutus?!
The herbalist followed Siu and stood in front of the tree, amazed.

“Did Brutus feel the magic too?”

“No, that’s what everyone is doing.”

“Ah yes.”

… This guy is a real goofball guy.
I thought I was the only one who couldn’t feel what the herbalist felt!

“If you break the barrier, will you be able to find your way again?”

“That’s right. But… The space hidden by the barrier will also come out.”

“Hee! What if there are a lot of monsters inside!”

What to do
Fight and kill

Not much to worry about.
Siwoo, like a warrior, will receive the main character buff at the moment of crisis
Sophia also has a staff with a shield function. It’s worth 5 gold.
I’ve become strong enough, and if I have to, I can use my inner strength as a trump card.

However, I was a little concerned about creating a barrier.
Are there real demons? Or maybe there are monsters with that much intelligence… It’s going to be a tougher fight than I thought.
I felt it when fighting the remodeled goblin, but the difficulty here is harder than I thought.

“That’s fine. We will take care of the monsters, so when the barrier is lifted, Brutus-sama, please return to the city and ask for support from the guards.”

“Ah, I see!”

“Then everyone gets ready!”

We put Brutus on the back and get ready for battle.
Each of them took out their weapons and formed the formations they practiced yesterday.

How do you unlock the barrier?
We have a warrior with a holy sword.

“Chew!”

“Yes! I’m going!”

– Kwaaang!

When Siwoo swung the holy sword toward the barrier, the tree cut down with a loud sound, distorting the scene in front of him.
And with it came a dark, musty smell that bothered his nostrils.

-Quyeek?
– Quiik!

Why are orcs here?