I remained silent for a long time, thinking about what to do after obtaining the "treasure" guarded by the spirits.
"I'd better keep this,"
I said, looking at the book the spirits had mentioned earlier.
I can get a lot out of this book, but it's better to keep it for now. If anyone finds out I have this, things could get too complicated. Especially if Hyeol finds out.
Luckily, it wasn't that big or thick, so it fit perfectly in one of my pockets.
"Now I have to find a way to get them upstairs."
My gaze focused on the unconscious group beside me. Maybe there was a secret passageway to climb up.
"They were surely put to sleep by magic, so it's impossible to wake them up."
With that in mind, I began to explore the place. I'm sure the scarecrow had some way to safely go up or down; it would be very annoying to always have to fall down.
Just as I thought, after a few minutes I found a way up. Using this passageway, I dragged the group outside, carrying them two at a time.
For obvious reasons, Hwa-rak was the hardest to carry, plus I had to carry his severed arm. I seem to remember that there were healers in the city who could reattach the arm to its original place.
When we left the cave, it was still daylight.
"Should I wait for them to wake up? Or should we spend the day here?"
The forest will become more dangerous when night falls, and I have no idea when they will wake up. Sure, we could hide, but taking care of three unconscious people is not easy...
As I was thinking about what to do, I heard several screams in the distance. When I looked toward where the voices were coming from, I saw some carts heading toward the city. I had nothing to lose, so I went toward them.
I stood in front of the cart leading the way, stopping it abruptly.
"Hey, get out of the way!"
A man shouted, holding on so he wouldn't fall.
The carriage was being pulled by a four-legged creature, bigger than me, with six small eyes on its sides and, from what I could see, very strong. It's a cargo homunculus, not the first one I've seen.
"Hey, do you need guards? I need to go to the city."
Judging by the homunculus and the others pulling the rest, they are merchants. Since they don't usually accept people even if you pay for the trip, it's best to offer yourself as a free guard.
Although there's always the possibility that they already have some mercenaries and won't accept you...
"Really? We could use some help. There are usually several creatures around the forest."
Said a boy with long black hair who came out from inside.
"We are five B-rank adventurers."
"All right, then get in!"
I nodded at the man's words before going to find the others. When I brought them up, several of them looked at me in surprise.
"What happened to you?"
asked the boy from before, surprised to see them so deeply asleep. Noticing Hwa-rak's severed arm,
"They were attacked, and I saved them,"
I declared proudly, smiling smugly at him.
"What attacked them? It must have been strong to have taken down all four of them."
"They were spirits."
Hearing me, the man and the boy visibly thought about it.
"Are there spirits in this place?"
The man asked, turning to look at me.
"Don't worry, I got rid of it."
The man let out a long sigh when he heard me. Any kind of spirit is dangerous, but they are even more so if there are several of them.
"If you say so, we will believe your words."
With that said, he fixed his gaze on the road and continued on his way.
On the other hand, I had to keep my eyes open. It often happens that merchants look through travelers' belongings without permission, searching for things like hidden weapons or tools that could alert others in an ambush. I don't judge them, but there will be a lot of trouble if they see the book I'm carrying.
After a few hours, with night falling fast, the carriage suddenly stopped.
"We've arrived in the city,"
said the man, waiting for us to get off.
"Have a good trip,"
I wished them, before getting off with the others. At no point did they make any attempt to wake up; the spell must have been strong.
Leaving that aside... This isn't how I remember the city.
In front of me was just any city, very different from where I thought I was going... Oh, right, at a certain point the road splits in two. I can't believe I didn't notice.
"I'll have to pay for another inn... No, now I have to take them to a clinic or some guild where they can be checked out.
With that in mind, I left the hwa-rak group in a square and wandered around the city. It didn't take me long to find a place where they could be checked out. I entered the place and was greeted by a woman with pink hair.
"Good evening, can I help you?"
"I need some people checked out. They were attacked by high-level hypnosis magic."
"All right, just bring them in or have them come in."
With his confirmation, I went to find the group. I found them with several animals sleeping with them. The semi-human race always has a high regard for other animals, so it is not uncommon to find them in this situation.
I shooed the animals away and took the group to the infirmary, where they would be treated.
"Hmm... They've been asleep for several hours, haven't they? Their brains are under a lot of stress, as indicated by the veins in their heads. The arm is also another problem; it will be expensive."
I smiled cheekily at the woman's words.
"It doesn't matter, they'll pay."
I said, handing her a bag of silver coins. The woman smiled from ear to ear.
"They'll be fine by tomorrow."
We nodded to each other before I left.
I have to find an inn. I hope they're not too expensive...
I had seen one while walking around, hopefully it's not expensive.
"It will be 30 silver coins for one night."
It's not that expensive, but it still hurts. I gave most of the money to Anna and the others, so paying for this is a direct hit to my pocket.
I had no choice but to pay the price, go up to the room they gave me, and throw myself on the bed.
"Finally, I can rest..."
I murmured before closing my eyes. But contrary to what I thought, I couldn't sleep. I wasn't sleepy, but I was tired.
"What's going on?"