Chapter 29: A Return to Routine: New Beginnings and Old Connections

Was it because the Dungeon Core was gone? The traps inside the dungeon no longer functioned, and the undead that had been wandering the hallways were nowhere to be seen.

After wandering through the complex corridors for a while, I finally managed to exit with Isollin.

“Ha…”

“It’s been a while since I’ve breathed fresh air.”

The outside air was hot and humid, but it was far better than the air in the dungeon, which had been filled with the smells of mold and dust.

I leaned against a large rock and slowly caught my breath.

“Wow… it’s night…”

Isollin, who had emerged later, looked up at the sky and spoke.

As she said, the forest was covered in darkness.

The flight of insects in the air was quite striking.

The creatures that emitted their own light sparkled like starlight in the night sky.

It was like fireflies.

It was a pretty impressive sight.

I slumped down to the ground, using the bag on my back as a pillow and resting my body.

The tension had left my body, and I felt exhausted.

“Should we set up camp?”

“Please do.”

Since I couldn’t move, Isollin began preparing the camp.

She used magic to cut a long tree and secured it to the ground, then draped a cloth over it to make a simple tent.

The ground was covered with large leaves, which were easy to find around the area.

Before going to sleep, I used the magic stone I had found in the dungeon to absorb Kalvain’s mana again.

The next morning.

I had spent the night with my eyes wide open, so my eyes felt heavy and stiff.

Isollin had kept watch, but I couldn’t sleep well due to the strange cries of monsters that occasionally echoed through the night.

I packed up and looked toward the entrance of the dungeon.

Even though the dungeon’s functions had stopped and the undead were gone, Luna and her group still hadn’t returned.

“What are you staring at?”

“Nothing. Let’s get going.”

It was painful not to have received the payment for the request, but what could I do?

The client had gone missing inside the dungeon, so there was no one to blame.

I turned my gaze away and stood up.

The early morning forest path was covered in thick fog.

When I waved my hand through the mist, water droplets gathered on my hand.

It was only natural that my clothes became soaked.

The fog grew thicker as we moved away from the forest.

When it became so dense that I couldn’t see an inch ahead, Isollin began using magic.

The mana gathered at her fingertips, and a faint wind began to blow, pushing the surrounding fog away.

As the fog cleared, the path through the forest started to reveal itself, and the small monsters hiding in it scampered off in alarm.

“Seris, are you going straight to the Magic Tower?”

“No.”

“Hmm… The mission isn’t over yet?”

“Sort of.”

I walked alongside Isollin toward the edge of the forest, engaging in conversation.

Having mistaken me for a mage affiliated with the Magic Tower, Isollin treated me more warmly.

The sense of distance between us had diminished significantly compared to before.

Finding the path was easy.

The cold winter mana flowing in from outside the forest guided us like a beacon.

As soon as we emerged from the forest, I took a deep breath of the refreshing air.

The cool wind blowing gently dried the clothes dampened by the fog.

Before entering the forest, one of the swordsmen had stayed outside to tend to the horses and carriage.

He was still waiting outside the forest, and upon spotting us, he quickly stood up.

“Did everything go well? But the rest of the party…”

Isollin and I briefly recounted what had transpired inside the dungeon.

Of course, we omitted the part about taking any special items from within.

The swordsman let out a small sigh and nodded in acknowledgment.

“And the payment for the request…”

“We probably won’t be receiving it.”

“Ah, I see…”

Disappointment washed over his face, and he slumped back into his seat.

He sighed deeply and said, “Still, we should wait for at least another day. If we didn’t confirm they were dead, there’s a chance they might return, isn’t there?”

In the end, Isollin and I had no choice but to spend one more day at the forest’s outskirts.

Even after another day passed, Luna and her group did not return.

“We’ve wasted our time…”

The swordsman glared at the forest with resentment and began packing up his belongings.

It seemed he was deeply upset about not receiving the request payment.

As I climbed onto the carriage, I spoke up.

“Then doesn’t this carriage become ours?”

“The carriage…?”

“The client disappeared, didn’t they? We’ll just take this as payment instead—along with the horses.”

I glanced at the carriage and horses as I spoke.

Though I wasn’t certain of their exact value, selling the carriage and horses and splitting the money among the three of us could potentially yield more gold than the original payment.

“That’s not a bad idea… It’s actually…”

The swordsman began laughing at my suggestion.

At that moment, Isollin shook her head and replied, “I don’t need it. You two can split it.”

“Really?”

In the end, the money from selling the carriage and horses was divided between the two of us.

The swordsman, delighted by the increased payout, began humming a cheerful tune as he headed toward the coachman’s seat.

Thanks to his good care of the horses, the carriage moved quickly along the road.

I looked back at the forest, my hand resting on my chest.

The lingering heat from the forest seemed to burn deep within me.

Even with the cold wind blowing, the fire in my heart would not be extinguished.

I smiled faintly and turned my body away.

It had taken two weeks to reach the forest where Kalbine lay, and another two weeks to return to the Karma Empire.

After a grueling round trip of over a month, we finally arrived back at the Karma Empire.

We headed straight to the Adventurer’s Guild to give a brief report on what had happened.

When a client who had accompanied an expedition went missing or was presumed dead, it was treated as a highly serious incident, often requiring lengthy investigations.

Such cases could suspend an adventurer’s credentials for anywhere from a week to a month, depending on the severity.

However, our investigation concluded in less than an hour, all thanks to the mage Isollin.

Without any formal procedures, the three of us were released from the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Thanks to you, Mage, things wrapped up quickly. Thank you!”

The man bowed deeply to Isollin in gratitude.

Isollin had managed a lot in a short amount of time, including the sale of the horses and carriage, which she facilitated with ease.

A hefty coin purse always lightens the mood.

The man walked off, wearing a blissful smile.

Watching him disappear into the distance, I turned to Isollin and spoke.

“You didn’t reveal my true identity, did you?”

“You’re on a secret mission, aren’t you? Since we’re both part of the Magic Tower, it’s only natural to help each other.”

“Hmm…”

The cold winter wind blew, causing Isollin’s large witch’s hat to sway.

It was time to say goodbye.

Clearing my throat, I said, “Ahem… Well, see you later.”

“Yeah. Don’t forget to look me up when you return to the Magic Tower, okay?”

“I won’t.”

“Promise!”

With that, Isollin quickly walked away, leaving her words lingering in the air.

At last, I was alone.

I let out a sigh and headed toward the inn.

After spending an entire month away, I longed for the comfort of a soft bed.

The moment I rented a decent room and lay down on the bed, I fell asleep immediately.

The next morning, early at dawn.

Having returned from the trip and fallen asleep without even washing, my body felt utterly awful.

I immediately ordered someone to prepare bathwater and began cleaning myself.

The hot water turned into a murky, dark red sludge almost instantly.

“Ugh…”

After the bath was over.

I stood in front of a large mirror to check my appearance.

The dark brown-dyed hair had returned to its original color—a vibrant, shining blonde.

As I ran my fingers through my hair, the golden strands slid through my fingers like honey.

Having crossed the sea and arrived overseas, there was no longer any need to bother with dyeing my hair.

I smiled lightly at the girl in the mirror.

A bright smile spread across her face.

After putting on simple outdoor attire, I stuffed my tattered ogre leather equipment into my bag.

The gear was in dire need of repair.

I left the inn and headed toward the leather workshop I had visited before.

It had been about a month since my last visit.

The interior of the workshop was still filled with the pungent smell of leather.

While one could get used to it, the overwhelming stench often made first-time visitors grimace.

I approached the same staff member I had met previously.

“Hello?”

“Hello…?”

The staff member tilted his head in confusion as he answered my greeting.

He stared at my face for a moment before his expression lit up as if he’d just remembered something.

“Oh! Mage!”

It was amusing how slow he was to recognize me just because my hair color had changed a little.

I touched my hair and nodded.

“You remember me, right?”

“Of course! How could I forget?”

“I’m here to get the equipment you made repaired.”

“Repairs? Let’s take a look.”

Following his words, I opened my bag to show the state of my gear.

The jacket and pants were tattered from sword slashes, the cloak was torn, and the bracers were damaged from the force of extreme impacts.

The staff member sighed softly as he examined the heavily damaged items.

“This is…”

“Do you think it’s repairable?”

“They can be fixed, but don’t expect the same level of durability. Repaired areas tend to tear again more easily. For something like the cloak, it might be better to repurpose it into new bracers.”

“Hmm… Then it’s probably better to make everything new except the bracers, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Alright, let’s do that.”

I nodded in agreement.

I still had plenty of ogre leather left. With those, I could make two or three more sets of leather armor for my use.

After disposing of the tattered leather gear on the spot, I headed to the guild to retrieve the ogre leather.

When I handed over the leather, the staff member asked, “Shall I use the previous measurements for the size?”

Looking at my arms and legs, I shook my head.

Children grow quickly, and though it had only been a month, I figured I might have grown taller.

“Measure me again.”

At my request, the staff member brought out a measuring tape and began taking measurements of my arms, legs, and chest circumference.

After about three minutes, he announced, “It’s the same as before. I’ll proceed with the original measurements.”

I frowned at his words.