"Hah? Hey, are you sure you want to just turn me down like that? I mean, sure, I told the kid to scram, but he might end up getting himself hurt."

The thug tried switching to outright threats, but that wasn’t going to faze us. Still, dealing with these guys was becoming a chore.

I began channeling magic and activated a gravity spell on the trio, starting with a barely perceptible increase. Gradually, I intensified the pull.

"Is that all you have to say?" Rio asked, clearly aware of my actions as she steered the conversation toward an end.

"Heh, not quite. I could take my time teaching you the finer points of adventuring," the man sneered, his expression oozing sleaze.

"Yeah, no thanks. You think I’d ever go along with someone who says something so gross while wearing such a repulsive look on their face? I'll have to decline. Goodbye," Rio retorted bluntly, stepping past the three as if they were beneath her notice.

"Well, there you have it. Guess I’ll go ‘scram’ now," I said, turning to follow Rio.

By now, the gravity spell had increased to the point where the men’s movements were sluggish.

"Hey! Wait, dammit! What the hell’s going on? My body feels so heavy!" the leader grunted, struggling to even lift his arms.

Glancing back, I watched as they checked themselves over in confusion. It gave me an idea.

"Phew, didn’t expect to get harassed like that," I sighed, catching up to Rio and maintaining the spell.

"Me neither. Still, do you think they had Appraisal?"

"Probably. I doubt the guild would leak that kind of information. They’ve got a reputation to uphold, after all."

The Adventurer’s Guild spanned multiple nations. Trust in its operations was fundamental to its existence.

As we chatted, we made our way toward the north gate. The spell’s range seemed to stretch about a kilometer, as the effect only dissipated when we were well past the central plaza.

Along the way, I noticed a familiar sign—a picture of a person in a bath. Unlike the inn, there was no bed symbol accompanying it.

"Wait... isn’t this..."

The bathhouse cleaning request from the guild flashed through my mind. The location had been listed as “north of the central plaza.” This must be the place.

"Could it be a public bath?" Rio wondered aloud.

"Let’s check it out later on our way back."

A nearby sign displayed the pricing—50 flons per person, cheaper than the inn’s bath.

"Not bad," I said.

"We should compare," Rio agreed, and with that, we resumed our journey down the north avenue.

The northern avenue wasn’t much different from the eastern one. Shops selling odds and ends or magical tools lined the street, though with our limited funds, browsing would have to wait until after our task.

"Looks like horse-drawn carriages operate even in the city," Rio noted.

"Yeah, they’re like public transit here. Faster than walking, but since we’re window-shopping as we go—and broke—it’s not really an option for us right now."

"I see. How much does it cost?"

"10 flons per trip, with stations at each of the city gates and the central plaza."

"Let’s try it sometime!"

"Sure, why not?"

By mid-morning, we arrived at the north gate, a bustling hub of activity despite leading directly to the Demon Forest.

"Forgot any essentials? Last chance to buy before you go!"

"Only three spots left on the next carriage to the Demon Forest! Departing soon!"

The lively chatter of merchants and adventurers filled the air.

"Huh, they’ve even got carriages heading to the Demon Forest," Rio observed.

"One-way only, though. Guess you’re on your own for the return trip."

The carriages couldn’t linger in monster territory to fill up for the return journey.

"Want to take one?" Rio asked.

The fare was also 10 flons per person, but...

"We’ve got 110 flons left. If we take the carriage, we won’t have enough to hit the baths on our way back."

"Let’s walk."

Her answer was immediate.

Few adventurers opted to walk to the forest. As we approached the gate, we showed our guild cards to the gatekeeper.

"Hold it. You two look new around here. You know there’s nothing past here but the Demon Forest, right?"

He scrutinized us, his tone more concerned than accusatory.

"We know," I assured him.

"All right, then. Be careful out there," he said, though his gaze lingered as if he wanted to say more.

Dressed in leather chest pieces made from monster hide and equipped with weapons forged by our master, we looked no different from any other adventurers. Still, something about us seemed to catch his attention.

With the gatekeeper’s reluctant blessing, we stepped through the north gate, leaving the city behind as we headed toward the Demon Forest.