Inside the underground bathhouse of the Jade Dragon Inn, wisps of warm mist curled lazily through the air.
A sweet, intoxicating fragrance drifted through the steam and into Orum's nostrils, like an invisible hand gently kneading away the tension coiled in his mind.
Orum lay submerged in the jade-green pool, the medicinal water's gentle energy slowly washing through every ache in his body, dissolving his exhaustion without a trace.
As was his habit, he tilted his head back to gaze at the grand mural above: the magnificent image of Bahamut, the platinum dragon god, standing sovereign atop the peaks of the heavenly realm.
This was his second visit to this bathhouse, and each time, the supreme majesty radiating from the dragon in the painting filled him with a deep and wordless awe.
Yet compared to his first visit, his state of mind was entirely different now, and the things weighing on him were entirely different as well.
"Maybe I should just cut my losses and run."
Orum reached over to the plate resting at the pool's edge and picked up a piece of dried fruit soaked in honey, placing it in his mouth.
The rich sweetness spread instantly across his tongue, sharpening his thoughts and setting his mind racing.
Since the kingdom had dispatched a Legendary Archmage, it was clear the situation at the Black Gate had escalated far beyond anything Orum's current level of strength could handle.
If something went wrong on the Archmage's end, even the shockwave alone would likely be enough to level all of Blackwater Town.
So to be safe, he needed to leave as soon as possible, and the further he went from the direction of Rock Village, the better.
Fortunately, the location of his current mission happened to be several hundred kilometers north of Blackwater Town, heading away from it entirely. It fell within the territory governed by Viscount Malvord.
Blackwater Town, as the southern frontier fortress of the kingdom, held considerable strategic importance and had always been under the direct command of royal troops. The vast stretches of land surrounding it, including the Misty Forest, the Death Desert, and other desolate and largely uninhabited regions, had nominally been granted to various nobles, yet those nobles rarely possessed the means to extract any real wealth from such barren holdings.
Since the land belonged to the nobility, any hunting of wild animals within it required prior authorization through a lord's decree. To hunt without permission was to commit the serious crime of poaching, punishable at its most severe by hanging.
That said, in the monster-plagued southern reaches of the kingdom, a modest processing fee was all it took to register at the Adventurers' Hall as a Copper-ranked adventurer, the lowest tier, which granted the holder the right to hunt freely across the southern territories, or to mine rare minerals and resources without needing to hire others.
As for dangerous monsters, any commoner had the legal right to kill them and claim whatever spoils the creature carried. This was kingdom law, and it held precedence over any local lord's rules.
The mission destination was a full five hundred kilometers from Rock Village, a distance that gave Orum a solid sense of security. Even if disaster did strike, he would have ample time to flee further north to safer ground.
Beyond that, the mission itself ranked among the easiest in the category of emergency assignments.
For Orum as he stood now, it would be straightforward enough.
About a month ago, near a village called Kadia on the eastern side of the King's Road, a small dungeon had appeared without warning.
The villagers of Kadia discovered in horror that the dungeon was home to more than a dozen savage goblins, which had made the place their nest.
The villagers wasted no time requesting aid from the Adventurers' Hall. A party called the Mountain Shields accepted the commission and set out promptly to deal with the goblins.
But once the Mountain Shields entered the dungeon, they vanished like stones dropped into deep water, never to emerge. After several days passed, everyone understood: the entire party had been wiped out.
At first Orum had thought he was misreading the notice, but when he saw that the leader of the Mountain Shields was named Torvald, he suddenly realized that the annihilated party was the very same group he had happened to meet at the Adventurers' Hall some time before.
He still remembered their composition: one shield guard, one swordsman, one archer, and one cleric. Among parties without any professional-class members, that was a well-balanced and capable lineup. Yet they had been wiped out in a goblin nest, almost as an afterthought. It was a stark reminder of just how dangerous the life of an adventurer truly was.
During the days of relentless downpour that followed, similar grim reports kept arriving. The Adventurers' Hall, sensing something was wrong, immediately issued urgent notices to every adventuring company, re-evaluating the missions that had resulted in full party wipes, sharply raising their danger ratings and reward amounts, and reassigning them to more capable elite teams.
To prevent members of the Ice Hawks Company from noticing the strange brand on his shoulder, Orum had already cut away that piece of branded flesh and used the power of the Ancient Heart to fully restore the wound.
The status indicator for the Benzara Brand remained in his system panel, but there was nothing visible on his skin to betray it.
Beside him now, Ronald, who was usually cheerful and outgoing, was out of character, looking visibly troubled and arguing with Felix:
"The Black Gate is going to open again, and they've even called in a Legendary Archmage. Could Blackwater Town actually become the frontline of a planar war?"
Felix shook his head, his tone as measured as ever. "Perhaps. But the more likely scenario is that the war won't begin for another fifty years, and by then we'll all be old."
"It might be fifty years from now, but it could also be tomorrow." Ronald pressed his fingers against his temples, his face creased with worry. "What kind of age have we been born into? I haven't even made it to the Dawn Spire in the northern reaches to receive the Supreme Radiance, and now war is already coming?"
For the faithful of Lathander, fighting evil and upholding justice was a matter of honor, but mindless, chaotic war was something else entirely: it only destroyed the precious fruits of peace. Lathander's followers preferred to walk the lands of civilization and root out whatever darkness had taken hold there.
Felix lowered his voice and spoke quietly to both Orum and Ronald. "Truthfully, I also believe Blackwater Town is extremely dangerous right now."
"The arrival of the Legendary Archmage is not a secret to those with the right connections, and some of the town's more influential residents have already begun slipping away quietly."
"Once this mission is finished, the Ice Hawks Company will temporarily withdraw to Rowan City to regroup and wait for the crisis in Blackwater Town to pass before taking on new commissions. I've already notified the other members."
Orum turned this over in his mind. So it wasn't just him. Many people in Blackwater Town had sensed the shift, as though a great storm were gathering on the horizon.
After bathing and changing, all four members of the Ice Hawks Company assembled and set out, boarding their wagon to push on through Blackwater Town.
The wagon did not head straight for the King's Road at the northern edge of town. Instead, it turned and rolled toward the northwestern outskirts.
Felix worked the reins and explained to Orum as they went. "For a dangerous job like dungeon exploration, a skilled Wanderer is absolutely essential. We're going to look for one of our company's own right now."
"She's an exceptional Wanderer. She normally lives alone outside town, but about half a month ago she cut off contact with the team without a word, and no one has heard from her since."
"Half a month with no word. Could she be in danger?" Orum asked, frowning.
"Hard to say, but it's not especially likely." Felix shook his head. "She's a genuine professional-class adventurer. Whatever trouble comes her way, she has the skill to walk out of it."