Once Sakimi, Marigold, and I returned to Mechanicsville, I entered the Guild Hub while the other two waited outside to watch over Vortigern.
Upon entering the building, I went to the receptionist and collected my loot for completing the quest: 4,000 Szerath and a decent amount of experience points.
Now, I was level twenty-seven, and I chose the skill upgrade to increase my mana capacity by ten percent.
Finally, I thanked the receptionist and met up with the two other girls. I appreciated the convenience when it came to the quest system in this world since I didn't have to go through the effort of bringing proof that I completed the task. All I had to do was visit the Guild Hub, and I could automatically claim everything. The game did all the checking for me.
Oh, right. I forgot something.
I handed both Sakimi and Marigold a sack of coins filled with 1,500 Sz each.
"Let's split up our earnings," I said.
"Oh. Thanks!" Sakimi said.
Marigold nodded. "Likewise."
Sakimi's brows furrowed. "Wait! Ares, you only get 1,000 Szerath for yourself!"
"It's fine. You can't really split 4,000 evenly among three people. Besides, you two did more work than me."
"But—"
Marigold placed a hand on Sakimi's shoulder and said, "Allow me to give you some advice: when someone gives you money, you accept it."
"Alright, then."
I smirked, nearly calling Marigold sleazy, but I would have kept the money as well.
I don't know why, but I've completely forgotten to split my Szerath with the people I had been adventuring with. Ayame never mentioned money, so I just took all the rewards for myself. I figured that I was the main character, so I would get everything from quests and dungeons, but it had slipped my mind that everyone in this world functioned as a human. They would need to make a living some way. It was only natural that the three of us in the party would have a stake in the spoils.
"What's our next job, boss?" Sakimi asked.
"We've gotta get the Skyfire Helmet."
"Where's that?"
I took out my map and pointed to an unlabeled section.
"This is the Whispering Woods, and we need to travel through it."
Then, I pointed at a tiny clearing that was colored pale blue. There seemed to be a blurry structure in the center.
"After entering the Whispering Woods, all we need to do is follow the road, and we'll eventually find this dungeon."
"Why is it called the Whispering Woods?" Sakimi asked.
"Because it whispers."
Sakimi frowned. "Duh."
Marigold gave a better explanation, saying, "Certain ghosts, known as snesir, haunt the trees. They sing seductive songs, and anybody who hears them will become mad, running straight into the forest where the snesir will devour their souls."
"Epic!" Sakimi exclaimed.
"This is a perilous path," Marigold said. "Ares, do you have a countermeasure?"
"Of course. This nothing that a little magic can't solve."
I took out "Chariot's Guide to Flashy Magic! From Beginner to Advanced" and flipped to the spell called Blessing of Purity. It was a holy spell that granted an aura to its target, preventing them from becoming affected by debuffs.
I'm guessing that Chariot—the author—just wanted an excuse to add more pages to the book, so she added spells like Blessing of Purity that weren't actually that flashy.
I swapped out Chromius with the new spell, and we were ready to set off.
Now that we had Marigold, Sakimi and I didn't have to worry about taking a wagon since Vortigern could be our free Uber ride. Additionally, Marigold's saddle was large enough to fit up to four people.
Although the ride was rough, spinebears were surprisingly quick. We made it just outside the Whispering Woods in less than an hour.
I cast Blessing of Purity on each of us one by one, creating halos above our heads. The buff lasted for twenty seconds, so I would have to recast it after counting fifteen, just to be safe. Luckily, I was proficient enough in holy magic that the spell barely used up any of my mana.
Marigold flicked the reins, urging Vortigern to trot forward. Once we passed the tree line, an ominous fog crept around the ground, and the sky became overcast. I heard muffled noises, but the snesir weren't able to penetrate the Blessing of Purity. As long as we stayed within the Totems of Warding, we should be safe.
We continued on for some unspecified distance. I continued to reapply the debuff immunity, but I was starting to get tired from doing the same thing over and over again. Eventually, the trees thinned out, indicating that we were leaving the woods. Our destination was getting close.
That was when I noticed Sakimi's horrified expression. Her fingernails were on her face, and it seemed like she was about to gouge out her eyes.
"Sakimi!"
"What's going on?" Marigold asked.
I pulled down her hands and checked to make sure that her debuff immunity was still active.
"I'm...sorry," she said. "It was faint, but I heard a voice. I could make out some words. The stuff they said was...horrible."
That was strange. Have the snesir become more powerful?
"It'll be fine," I reassured Sakimi. "Just ignore it."
"Okay."
Unfortunately, that ordeal caused me to lose my count.
Shit. How much more time do I have until our buffs go away?
I made sure to cast Blessing of Purity on Marigold and Sakimi first. Then, I prepared to cast the spell on myself.
"You won't dump me, will you?" a voice asked. It felt like a lifetime since I recognized that same tone and timbre.
It was Grace.
"Huh?" I said.
"Yeah! We're boyfriend and girlfriend now!"
"Oh...sorry, but I don't want to rush things," I replied.
"It's okay if you feel that way," Grace said.
I looked down. "I'm just not ready to start dating or anything. I hope you understand."
"Um, Ares," Sakimi said. "Why are you talking to yourself? And what's this about dating?"
Marigold said something too, but their voices gradually muddled out, as if my head had been dipped in water. Grace's voice was the only thing I could hear clearly.
I jumped off the spinebear and ran into the woods to look for my first friend.
"Yeah...I understand, alright," Grace said with venomous ire.
"What are you trying to say?" I asked.
"Is it because of how I look?"
"What?"
"Am I not pretty enough for you?"
"It's not that—"
"All boys are the same!" Grace screamed.
"Look, Grace," I said. "It's not that I don't find you attractive. It's just that I don't want to date you. But I'm okay with staying friends!"
The girl started sobbing. "Why? Why are boys all the same? They only like girls for their looks. Why can't I find anybody that will love me for who I am!"
"But Grace! I...I do love you!"
"Liar!"
I finally found Grace, standing by a torn tree.
"Come back to me, Grace! Don't leave me! Please!"
"You're a dirty liar!"
"It's true! I love you!"
I ran up to Grace in an attempt to hug her.
"Please! I'm begging you!"
But I was pulled away before I could get close enough. Grace's voice faded, and somebody else started talking.
"Sakimi! Grab his grimoire! We don't have much time!"
"I found the page! Here I go!"
Somebody dragged me away from my first love. The further I went, the more Grace's face distorted until it seemed like something out of a nightmare. The ghastly face contained a perpetual scream, and its eyes were pitch-black voids.
The ghost screeched. Then, another one roared. More and more voices added up like a chorus from hell.
In the midst of it all, a young voice rang out like a bell.
"I must abstain from all harmful vices. With my virtues, I will guide all those to the path of harmony. Blessing of Purity!"
I snapped back to reality.
Ope, there goes gravity.
I fell over, face-planting into the dirt.
Ah, shit.
I messed up earlier.
"Quickly, Sakimi," Marigold said, still dragging my body. "You need to cast it again!"
"I don't think I can perform the incantation fast enough!"
"Blessing of Purity!" I said, reapplying Marigold's debuff immunity. I said the spell again for Sakimi.
Then, I got up and rushed back to the protected path, with the others followed closely behind. The snesir glided from the trees, chasing us as we ran for our lives.
Luckily, the three of us managed to make it to the Totems of Warding in the nick of time. Some of the snesir tried to push themselves past, but it was as futile as a bird slamming its head on a window.
"I'm sorry, guys," I said, panting.
"You idiot!" Sakimi yelled.
Marigold got back onto Vortigern and beckoned for us to climb on too. "Let's go. The snesir are way too creepy for me to stay here."
Even as we rode off, I could still see Grace amidst the crowd of snesir. She kept staring at me with that dead look in her eyes. Just as she went out of visible distance, she flashed a fang-filled grin.