(This part might be a little boring for some since I'll be talking about some events before Kaio arrived, but believe me, it will be important. And sorry for the delay, work is hectic here.)
Shortly after I woke up, Cali also woke up, as expected. I imagined she would be the first, because of how much she was moving in her sleep. Whatever she was dreaming about, it was something she really didn't like.
In the time it took Mr. Bern to return, the only one still sleeping (unsurprisingly) was Mav. Still snoring and occasionally scratching his stomach.
Anna even considered that we take the blanket off him to see if he would wake up quickly, but I said it was okay to let him sleep. We had all practically passed out after the fight and needed all the rest possible.
Especially if, as planned before, we went directly to the supposed second floor.
–Anna, do you really think it's a good idea to continue?. Don't you think it would be better to go and see how things are at your house? – Max asked.
Some might think it was an excuse not to continue, but it was in fact a legitimate concern. Even if we hadn't seen it, the fact that we were still using the cabin near the river was already an obvious indication of what had happened to the group the Baron sent.
I may be slow, but I'm not stupid enough to understand this kind of social cue.
With another group funded by him, again with mages, having been completely (or almost completely) lost. While our group, composed of villagers, mercenaries, and members of a traveling circus, was almost unscathed in comparison (losses were still inevitable), it wasn't hard to see what the Baron would do to try to balance his own accounts.
Whether he knew that Anna, heiress of the merchant who owed him money, was with the group that survived the fight with the goblins, I couldn't say.
But if he does know, he will certainly use that as justification to involve even the higher nobles and the royal family in this mess. And that's not something anyone wants to see.
–....Let's wait until all the leaders are ready, then Connor and I will check out the state of things. If they're not too bad, we'll continue. – she said after thinking. – At least to get an idea of what this new floor will be like, without straying too far from the 'safe zone' after the entrance, just to check the... air of the place."
She added shortly after, and I let out an internal sigh of relief. I really don't like the idea of exploring a new place unprepared, much less when I'm still exhausted from a hunt.
We may have slept for hours, but that only physically recovered us. The mental strain of fighting for hours at night, with low light, and constantly looking over our shoulders to make sure there wasn't a sneak attack from behind (whether from the goblins or the Baron's knights) persisted, and I don't doubt that everyone, especially Anna, felt it.
–I think it's the best decision, but one of us should still go back to warn them of the possibility of something happening. Or ask someone from the other groups to warn our families. – Mav said after eating some soup; it was a normal soup without any of the Trial ingredients. But it still helped to disguise the hunger and provided nutrients.
–I agree, not to mention I still have to warn the temple about the meat dolls the goblins are capable of making. – Cali said with the most sober expression I've ever seen her make.
–WAIT!, Cali, do you know what they'll do if they find out about this? Not only will my family's business be affected, but Connor's village too!!
–I KNOW!!! But I can't leave this blank, you know that very well, Anna. – Cali said, both irritated and, I think for the first time since I met her, with a strong tone of vulnerability and even fear in her voice.
Obviously I didn't know what she was talking about, but Ana did, immediately replacing her surprised and irritated face with one of pity, guilt, and apology.
–I, I know, Cali, it's just—
–It's okay, I know too.
Well, I didn't know, and apparently neither did Mav. But even without knowing, I had an idea of what they were talking about. And honestly, I didn't like any of the possibilities.
Leaving that aside, we all went back to eating the soup that Mr. Bern had brought. It was quite rich, pork broth with some pieces of carrots, beans, potatoes, and onions, just the kind an inn would have. The difference was the medicinal herbs in it, which gave the soup a different bitterness, but not exactly bad, just... different.
Even the smell of the soup wasn't enough to wake Max. I immediately remembered the first time I brought it here, and Max had been one of the first to enter the kitchen when Cali made the rabbit with red fruit sauce for the Trial.
From what I could see, I wasn't the only one who thought about it; both Mav and Anna were also smiling, glancing slightly at Cali and Max. She, in turn, was eating the soup with a slight grimace.
Not because of what she and Anna had said, but because of the soup itself. Even from a distance, I'm sure I could hear her murmuring things like, 'Not quite cooked' or 'It needed more salt when curing the meat,' etc.
I watched this scene and couldn't help but smile to myself. This time we had succeeded, we had won, and I could enjoy what was to come with my friends without problems...
Well, not too many problems, I hope.
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POV 3rd person
Far from where Kaio's dungeon and Connor's village were located, there was a large city, a really large one.
One of the only ones in the kingdom, if not the continent, with a population that easily reached over half a million. Competing with the capital in prosperity, health, and security.
This city was called Caiavas. There lived a nobleman who, despite being born with as many advantages as other nobles, still reached the top through his own merit, starting from a small family.
Even though his family were barons, that was only on paper. They were, nominally, the lords of a small town almost on the border of the kingdom. But in reality, the only land his family truly possessed was just a house, only slightly better than that of a commoner with more income.
Seeing how things were, their newly crowned leader, at 15 years old, bet all the money the family still had on himself. Buying cheap armor, a "good" sword, and a small mercenary entourage, he went to one of the many battles that always took place in the kingdom.
This was nothing unusual. The easiest way for a nobleman to gain renown was, is, and always will be through war.
This story, of the head of a family of minor nobility going to war in search of money and glory was nothing new. And it wouldn't be new either if he ended up dead at any moment. Whether it was one of the "kingdom's enemies", or some greedy mercenary who wasn't too keen on taking risks.
But obviously that's not what happened; he not only survived but also prospered greatly.
After only one year, he had managed to advance the war and establish several control points in enemy territory, in addition to discovering a safer route for merchants, who, even with their limited resources, could be easily protected and monitored.
With the "toll" from this route alone, he not only managed to fully pay his mercenaries but also integrated them into a semi-official order of knights. With many being former knights or full knights who had been expelled from their orders due to political maneuvering or feeling inadequate, organization and discipline were not a major problem.
The problem was the envy he attracted due to his martial, strategic, and commercial capabilities. There were many times when nobles joined forces to make this small baron "know his place," and even more who regretted it shortly afterward.
Three years after establishing the route and consolidating his hometown as one of its main points. Now that he firmly controlled the inflow of capital into his barony and one of the kingdom's main sources of income, this nobleman dedicated himself to improving the situation of his barony. He improved the infrastructure (roads, city organization, etc.), health and security, even using his sword when necessary.
And in just more three years, what was once a barony on the edge of the kingdom became, almost overnight, one of the central points of the economy and military power. Thus guaranteeing an exceptional level of security for the city.
Never lowering his sword was one of the best decisions the nobleman could have made, because in one of the battles in his territory he ended up saving two members of the royal family by pure chance.