I am the Enchantress!

Chapter 81 An Encounter

"Association headquarters? Is it far from here?" Wilder asked.

"The association's headquarters is in Danube City in the central part of the continent of Edland, which is at least six or seven hundred miles away from here."

Martha said, "I didn't expect them to move so quickly. How did they get here from so far?"

"Horse riding, what else can you do?"

Gru was leaning against the counter, and Martha couldn't even see where he was, but his voice was very loud:

"The fastest Gasconyma is said to be able to travel 100 miles a day."

"That would take at least a week, wouldn't it?" Lyle questioned. "But the association headquarters only received the news two or three days ago, didn't they?"

"That's a faster horse!"

Gru waved his hand. "What good things doesn't Danube have? I heard that the farmers there use golden hoes to cultivate the land."

"I think..."

Wilder interrupted their conversation, "They must have come through a portal, right?"

He then told them about how he had used a portal on the second floor of the Magic Merchant Guild to go to the Mage Capital for an event.

"There's actually something like that?"

"Incredible..."

"interesting."

Wilder was also somewhat surprised, not expecting that they didn't know about the existence of the portal.

However, this is easy to understand.

Commoners usually choose the dangerous profession of adventurer, while nobles are the majority who choose the path of mage.

The two are not in the same social class, so they inevitably do not understand each other's world.

A commoner mage like Wilde is rare, yet he unexpectedly connects the perspectives of two different social classes.

"However, I have a word of advice for you."

Martha changed the subject, "If you encounter people from the association headquarters in the forest, it's best not to have too much contact with them; they're said to have a bad temper."

"What? Is your bad temper a bloodline inherited from Danube City?" Cyrion scoffed.

“She’s from a big city,” Martha shrugged. “It’s normal that she looks down on our little place.”

"Yeah, if you see it, just pretend you didn't."

Cyrion said nonchalantly, "They didn't give me any money anyway, I'd have been better off with a kobold!"

After chatting for a few more minutes, Cyrion and his companions prepared to leave to receive their mission.

Before leaving, Martha called out to Wilder:

"You and Talia live together, right?"

"They stayed at the same hotel," Wilder corrected.

"So it's all the same." Martha smiled, pursing her lips. "Her reward for providing intelligence to the association has arrived. Are you going to give it to her, or are you going to notify her to come and collect it?"

Wilder considered for a moment whether he might have to take the risk; it wasn't safe to carry the money.

"I'll let her come and pick it up herself tomorrow."

Okay, don't forget.

……

The team circled the bulletin board for a while but didn't find a suitable mission.

In the end, they decided to hunt down the kobolds.

Due to the surge in the number of kobolds, the association has switched to a free-hunting mode, where participants can register directly at the counter without needing to obtain a mission list.

The advantage of this is that the association saves on intelligence costs and accounting workload.

The downside is that the association no longer provides specific coordinates, so whether adventurers can find the kobolds depends entirely on luck.

Some squads, fully equipped and well-equipped, set off in a grand procession, only to find themselves completely exposed to the kobolds.

Some stragglers only wanted to kill one or two kobolds to get some money for drinks, but they didn't expect to slip into the kobolds' underground lair and end up becoming the beasts' snacks.

After registering their mission at the counter, the team decided to set off immediately.

As summer begins, temperatures gradually rise.

If you set off in the morning, you will arrive at the forest at the hottest time of day.

Therefore, it's better to set off in the afternoon, as the forest is much cooler in the evening.

The only problem is that they have to walk at night on the way back, but considering that they only operate in Area A, the danger level is not very high.

"Since it's a free hunt anyway, we'll head back as soon as it gets a little dark."

At the association's entrance, Cyrion agreed to meet at the town gate in 25 minutes, and the team disbanded.

Wilder returned to the Colt Inn, took the crudely made dagger and staff with him, picked up his backpack, and that was it, he was ready.

After closing his room door, he knocked on Talia's door next door.

I knocked several times, but no one answered.

Are you out?

The rooms at the Horse Colt Hotel are small, and the windows are small too, so it can be quite stuffy inside during the day.

Wilder wasn't in a hurry; he planned to tell her about going to the association to collect the reward after he finished the mission.

……

At the entrance of Ironweave Town, several teammates had already arrived.

It was very hot, and they were sitting in the shade of a tall oak tree, avoiding the scorching sun.

Looking ahead, there is still a long way to go before reaching the dense forest, and this part of the path is sparsely wooded and directly exposed to the sunlight, making it the most difficult to walk.

Unfortunately, the "Quick Friendship" skill can only be used on living creatures, so you can't make the tree above your head your companion and help them protect themselves from the scorching sun.

It would be great if there were a spell like that of a tree spirit that could turn trees into monsters.

Wilder thought to himself.

The team sets off.

As usual, Lyle set off first to scout the way.

Cyrion held a round shield to block out the sun, while Wilde walked alongside him, getting some shade in the process.

Gru walked behind them, and thanks to his superior bloodline, he was completely overshadowed by the shadows of the two in front of him.

After walking for about 15 minutes, they finally reached the dense forest.

The dense foliage overhead formed a sieve, blocking most of the sunlight and leaving only dappled light spots on the ground that swayed in the wind.

Although it wasn't as noticeable as the cooling effect of air conditioning, the group's condition had clearly improved considerably without them even realizing it.

The most obvious sign was that Gru started talking more.

"What do you think happened in the heart of the forest? Did a dragon really come?"

"I wonder what those guys at the association headquarters look like. I've heard that adventurers in Danube City are all incredibly wealthy."

"Will we see dragon's breath today?"

"..."

"Quiet!"

Cyrion interrupted him, and Gru's incessant babbling only made him more irritated.

Just then, they both heard a rustling sound coming from the bushes ahead, getting closer and closer.

Something is moving inside.

More than one.

It has a fishy or musty smell.

"alert!!!"

Cyrion shouted and held his oak round shield in front of him.

Gru stood beside him, gripping his long-handled battle axe tightly, while Wilder stood at the very back, already preparing a spell within the crystal.

Sure enough, a dark brown kobold staggered out of the bushes a short while later.

"superior!"

Cyrion drew his one-handed sword from his waist, took a step forward, and prepared to pierce its throat with a [forward thrust].

However, the bushes behind the kobold rustled twice more.

A black shadow suddenly appeared and quickly approached the kobold's back.

"Waaah..."

It had barely let out a terrified scream when a sharp dagger slit its throat.

Seeing this, Wilder loosened his grip on his staff.

"Geoffrey?"