The reparations have already started around Ourals city, workers can be seen running around with wooden beams and logs, shovels and axes. The hydra have left a massive try of damage as she made her way to the city.
It will take some time but the city was healing up, seeing the damage Cain questioned himself, ‘Who will think it a good idea guiding such a monster this close to a city, with people living in it?’
After taking the short walk, they finally reached the gate and before they could ask the guards to open it, they heard someone screams.
“It’s the slayers, open the gate!” Someone shouted from atop the gate, and it slowly cracked open.
The girls looked at Cain in confusion, he as well didn’t have an answer to what was going on.
Inside rows upon rows of guards lined up to greet the returning heroes, People stared from the windows to get a glance at returning braves.
“Sir, glad you’re safe. We thought lost you in the mine!” One of the guards who was wearing fancy armor approached them, Cain recognized him as the same one who tried to talk to them after the hydra’s fight, and he must be a leader of some kind.
“The cave just collapsed on us so we had to find another way out,” Cain replied as he looked around, what was this? Some sort of celebration going on?
“Oh, to think such an unfortunate thing happened!” his jaw dropped at the thought, Cain could hear the guards whispering in the distance.
“Surviving a cave collapse? And making it back unscathed?”
“He didn’t say anything about the dungeon…!”
“Were they that unfazed by it? The hydra, the dungeon, and then a cave collapse?”
As he heard their words Cain could easily piece out what happened. As soon as the monsters stopped coming out the city was overjoyed, they didn’t know who did it but they could guess it was the party who slew the hydra. But, those heroes never returned, and after days they must have assumed that they died.
“The city lord had ordered to send you his way if you ever returned, please follow us.” The head guard stomped with a grin, leading the parade to the lord’s mansion.
Cain and the girls watched him walk ahead of them with his head up as the people cheered, Were they expected to follow?
Cain started walking as if nothing happened, the girls followed him with worried faces. Sofia kept close to him while Selena and Alice walked to the side in quick steps.
As they reached the first turn where the Iron Gate inn was, Cain kept walking straight ahead without any change to his pace, soon he opened the door and entered with the girls in tow.
“Is it alright to ignore the parade?” Sofia asked, looking out the door at the guards walking straight without noticing their disappearance.
“I don’t have time to play with people who can’t notice me walking out, they are too focused on pleasing their lord’s orders to the point that I can’t trust them.” Cain walked inside looking around for the Innkeeper.
Crack! Sofia slowly closed the door sighting, silently listening to the guards slowly starting to freak outside. “Where did he go?”
“I swear to god they were here a second ago!”
“Don’t just stand like that, go find them. Don’t forget to be careful, the party we’re dealing with is strong enough to clear an A-rank dungeon!”
…
In one of the Innes corners, a man with a bushy beard gulped down a bottle of beer. Cain’s eyes burned from the alcoholic stench.
“How…It was me…this dammed…” The man mumbled curses under his breath, occasionally spitting to the tableside.
“You stink!” Cain pinched his nose and squeeze his eyes as he slightly nudged the man’s table.
The man’s eyes rolled up toward Cain with spite, slowly opening wide as the beer in his mouth leaked out.
“You mother****er!” The man flipped the table at Cain, throwing the bottle of beer at him, panting like a crazed dog.
As if with magic, the bottle rested in Cain’s hand. Stopped the table with his leg, “This is more like it!” Cain smiled as the man tackled him, crying his eyes out.
“Don’t squeeze me too hard or I won’t return next time.” Cain struggled to breathe, his injury and Dolrig’s strong arms leaving him helpless.
It took a few minutes for him to calm down.
“Thank you.” Dolrig thanked Sofia who just handed him a handkerchief to wipe his face with. “What happened down there?” Dolrig’s voice shakes as he tried to speak calmly.
Cain recited all that they went through, excluding the incident with adventurers of course. The girls stayed silent the whole time, each of them preferred to let Cain handle Dolrig as they stayed a fair distance away, the alcohol smell was a bit too much to handle for a long time.
“Thank god you’re alive, I almost lost my mind waiting.” Dolrig finally showed his teeth, “All that matters is that you lot survived!”
Cain looked at the girls and then back at Dolrig, “Well, I have bad news to tell you all…” Cain closed his eyes as spoke, telling about the curse (Blaming it on the succubus) and how he only has nine days left.
Bang! Cain’s body rolled across the room as Selena punched him in the face crying, “I know I should have chased that thing-gaw!” Everyone who was there stood as they heard the loud noise, veteran adventurers pulled their swords as they felt the bloodlust seeping from her.
“Killing her won’t break the curse, I didn’t tell you so you won’t waste time chasing her!” Using the wall to stand up, Cain spitted the blood that formed in his mouth, glaring sharply at Selena.
“Calm down, fighting will only make it worse.” Sofia patted Selena on the shoulder, helping her to a chair nearby.
Alice rushed toward him with her hands extended, [Holy healing]. Cain’s sour mouth quickly calmed as he leaned on her shoulder.
“What are you going to do now? I doubt her magic would help you!” Dolrig glared at Alice, as he walked toward Cain.
“You’re right, it won’t help. We need to get back quickly and meet with the Dragon’s fang healer.”
“Get ready then, we will move immediately!” Dolrig turned heels as he was about to run out of the inn to get the carriage.
“Don’t empty the wagon, you old bastard!” Cain called to him, and Dolrig immediately turned back to face him. “You talk as if you know me for decades,” Dolrig brushed his hair, “Fine. If you died I will burn your corpse in my forge.” Dolrig stormed out like a violent wind.
As the Inn calmed down, Selena approached Cain with her ears dropped down, her tail was as limp as dangling rope.
Cain patted her head, “It’s okay,” Cain dragged her from her hand to the counter where he bought her a white drink.
Selena silently stared at the cup of milk for a couple of seconds. “This is a bad joke-nya.”
“Well you have to deal with it, take it as a form of me getting back at you for punching me!” Cain lifted the cup for her to drink. Despite her looking like a cat, Selena didn’t like milk.
After a few minutes, Dolrig called them from outside, he seem to have brought the carriage and is ready to go.
The carriage was fully loaded with ores, almost leaving no space inside. Cain quickly climbed into the driver’s seat while Alice and Sofia crawled inside with rocks and ores. As it was uncomfortable they had to sit on their bags.
Selena quickly climbed to the top, to get a better look.
Dolrig pulled the reins and the four horses painfully dragged the heavy wagon down the street. They were quickly stopped at the gate by a guard who recognized them.
The guard approached Dolrig with shaking legs and some papers in hand, “We have orders from the lord to see you to his mansion. We can’t let you leave the city before that.”
Clench, a hand grabbed him from his helmet and lifted him. Selena started him directly with her glowing golden eyes. The man could feel her claws digging through his chainmail and into his neck, “Don’t kill him.” Cain said calmly looking up, Selena quickly dropped the terrified guard back to the ground.
“Op-Open the gate!” The guard shouted as his leg barely supported his weight, the armor he wore for years doubled in weight on him.
The Wagon slowly jerked out with the horses neighing, the guards hurried to help their friend who could barely stand up. They all look out at the wagon leaving.
“How are we supposed to stop them?” One of the guards sighed as he wandered back to the days when an S-rank adventurer passed by the town. People like this are just too strong to arrest or order around, to deal with them you need to bargain.
“If the lord only told us to promise them something like a house or money to get them to stay.”
And just like that, Two days passed by and they finally reached Forberg.