Chapter 105 - 104: Lady Rose

Chapter 105: Chapter 104: Lady Rose

To Hesia’s surprise, when Fevik emerged from her room with disheveled hair, she didn’t have the look of fury he had expected.

She merely glanced at the shallow dent on the door. Seeing that Hesia had packed his things and was ready to slip away, she kindly offered a piece of advice:

"There are many kinds of Wand Tips. For you, consider getting a Demon’s skull to make do with for now. I recommend one from a Goblin Shaman; that was my first Wand Tip. It’s how the shop got its name."

’A Goblin Shaman...’

Hesia remembered the one he had encountered in Print. Back then, he had no concept of the value of materials from Demons. However, Captain Cardan had apparently taken the Shaman’s corpse.

It was for the best, though. After all, without Kadan, he wouldn’t have been able to kill that Shaman.

...

After leaving the Pulsating Goblin Head, the sky had completely darkened.

The night wind carried a chill, and Hesia instinctively rubbed his arms.

Though his Physique was far beyond that of a normal person, the low morning and evening temperatures of Rose Town in November still left his skin feeling a bit chilled.

’The depths of the Gray Mist Forest are bound to be even colder,’ he mused. ’I should add another layer of clothing before setting out tomorrow.’

He jogged all the way back to 122 Feipu Lane, hastily devoured the meat pie Lady Cassandra had left for him, and then returned to his room.

Bruce immediately trotted over, wagging his tail. He first sniffed around Hesia, then his gaze fell on the long, black staff Hesia carried on his back.

"Hesia, did you finally... satisfy her?"

Hesia couldn’t be bothered with the dog’s strange notions. Right now, he just wanted to rest as soon as possible so he could be well-rested for the long journey ahead.

However, as he approached the bed, he found several neatly folded bundles of beige fabric lying on it.

Hesia picked one up and unfolded it, running his fingers over the fabric.

’A wool lining?’

"Zoya brought those over this evening," Bruce said from the side. "She said she bought several different sizes because she didn’t know which one would fit you."

The distinct warmth of the wool spread from his fingertips, and a warmth bloomed in Hesia’s chest.

...

「The next morning.」

The baker, Martin, yawned as he pushed open the main door to his bakery.

He was wearing only a thin linen shirt, getting ready to shovel out the ashes left in the oven from the previous night.

As the weather grew colder, many Adventurers chose to head for towns farther south, and his business had slowed considerably.

As he shoveled the cold ashes from the previous night’s hearth, he mulled over whether he should start opening later in the day.

Just then, a booming and slightly urgent voice called out from the doorway:

"Haha! Martin! Look how early I am!"

Martin looked up to see the married couple, Belte and Laila, already standing outside the shop.

Belte wore a hearty smile that couldn’t quite hide his guilt, while Laila stood beside him, shaking her head in resignation.

"Belte! You rascal!" Martin grumbled. "I kept the shop open an extra half hour just for you last night! And you were a no-show!"

Laila sighed and added, "I reminded him to be sure to pick it up last night right after I ordered it, but the moment he turned around, he forgot all about it. It’s a good thing I checked our supplies this morning."

Belte quickly pulled out forty copper nails and handed them over. "My bad, my bad!" he urged. "Quick, let’s go! If we dilly-dally any longer, the captain will chew us out!"

Muttering, "I should’ve sold this to someone else last night," Martin still efficiently wrapped the bread and handed it over.

The pair took the bread and hurried off toward the large tree at the town’s entrance, their designated meeting spot.

From a distance, Belte spotted the two people and one dog waiting there. He picked up his pace and shouted a greeting:

"Galen, my friend! Zoya! We’re here!"

As he got closer, he noticed Hesia was wearing a more trim outfit. The conspicuous long, black staff on his back was especially eye-catching.

"Whoa! Galen, my friend, that’s some sharp-looking gear! Just what I’d expect from someone I, Belte, give my stamp of approval to!" He slapped Hesia’s shoulder forcefully, his gaze landing on the Black Ebony Staff Material. "Is that the Magic Wand from the shop Hain told you about? It looks intense!"

"Yeah, it’s just the base. I haven’t fitted it with a Wand Tip yet."

Laila’s gaze, however, lingered on Hesia for a moment. "Have you learned new Magic, or have your existing spells just improved?"

Hesia knew she must have noticed the change in him from his recent level-up.

He answered frankly, "I learned two new spells: [Greasy Skill] and [Mage’s Hand]."

It was essential to keep his teammates informed of his capabilities.

He then discreetly used [Assessment Skill] and confirmed that Laila and Belte were level 14 and level 13, respectively.

"Two new spells?!" Belte’s eyes widened in astonishment. "Galen, my friend, it’s only been a few days! You’re really pushing yourself!"

Laila shot Belte a look. "Do you think everyone is like you, spending all day just drinking?"

"But I was injured a few days ago..."

"I didn’t see you working that hard when you weren’t injured, either."

Belte was about to argue further, but then he saw Captain Hulk approaching, leading two tall Land Birds.

"Everyone’s here. Let’s move out."

...

The group had just left Rose Town and set foot on the dirt road leading to the Gray Mist Forest.

CLOP, CLOP, CLOP...

A crisp, rhythmic clopping of hooves sounded from up ahead, shattering the morning tranquility.

The group immediately moved to the side of the road to make way for the approaching procession.

Soon, a troop of riders appeared in the distance.

Hesia’s gaze was immediately drawn to the mount at the very center of the formation.

It was a tall, magnificent warhorse with a coat as black as ink. Its breed seemed similar to that of ’Dark Night,’ the horse he had seen before.

The black horse was pulling an enclosed carriage of a rather simple design.

The side of the carriage bore the emblem of a rose entwined with thorns.

The armor worn by the other riders bore a similar emblem.

"Wow! What a magnificent horse!" Belte exclaimed.

Laila’s gaze fell on the emblem on the carriage: "That emblem..."

"It is the carriage of Lady Rose," Captain Hulk answered calmly, apparently familiar with it.

Belte’s eyes widened. "Seriously? I’ve been in Rose Town for ages, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen Lady Rose’s carriage."

Then he added, puzzled, "I thought it would be more lavish. This carriage looks so plain. I guess Lady Rose isn’t as illustrious as the rumors say..."

Hearing this, Hulk gently shook his head and spoke in a cautionary tone, "Belte, you cannot judge a noble simply by the splendor of their carriage. Selena Nightthorn is no ordinary hereditary noble."