Four hours after Alex returned to the town of Thaloria...
Heated discussions about the battle in the Floating Forest could still be heard over the whole town, and there were even a handful of people who believed that this might be the prelude to something bigger.
Cairo and the rest of the Adventurers who responded to the emergency mission returned to town.
Despite their best efforts, they had failed to completely push back the Hobgoblins, who had seemed to have decided to go all out against them.
If not for the fact that some of the Hobgoblins had suddenly retreated for reasons unknown, the Adventurers might have suffered more casualties during the battle.
In the end, all of them decided to withdraw and regroup in the town of Thaloria.
'I hope Alex didn't go too deep into the forest,' Cairo thought as he headed towards the Cat Tail's Inn.
Things had happened too quickly, so he hadn't had time to look for his apprentice the moment he joined the battle.
Although he was quite confident in his sword skills, there had simply been too many enemies.
He even suffered some minor injuries during the battle, which forced him to go into the defensive.
Knowing that staying would only increase the number of casualties, the leaders of the various Adventurer Parties asked the others to retreat alongside the injured people.
Cairo was one of the Adventurers who bought time for the others to escape.
Only after they had become certain that the Hobgoblins wouldn't pursue them anymore did the rest of the defenders slowly retreat until they were out of the forest.
When the Catkin entered the inn, he immediately noticed that the atmosphere inside had become quite tense.
The regulars were discussing what was happening in the Floating Forest with worried looks.
The forest was the source of livelihood for many people, especially hunters of the town who hunted prey to feed their families or sell the meat on the market.
Herb gathering was also one of the most common professions among women because there were plenty of herbs and mushrooms that grew at the outskirts of the forest.
As long as one didn't go any deeper, safety was mostly assured.
Of course, this day was an exception.
Clearly, the Hobgoblins had picked the right moment to catch everyone by surprise, deliberately kidnapping the ladies who often gathered herbs in the forest.
Since there were plenty of Hunters, and Adventurers at that time, some had managed to flee to the town to ask for help.
The Adventurer's Guild hadn't hesitated to issue an emergency quest, which the Adventurers had accepted without a second thought.
One thing led to another, and now, the Town of Thaloria was on full alert.
Guards manned the ramparts, and no one was allowed to leave the city.
The Mayor of Thaloria also declared that once nightfall came, the gates would be fully closed, and everyone was advised against wandering the streets at night.
The Adventurer's Guild and the Captain of the Guards were also holding a meeting, and they were discussing the possibility of a monster outbreak.
As Cairo scanned the faces of the crowd, he immediately spotted Alex, who was waving in his direction.
The Catkin finally sighed in relief because his apprentice was safe and sound.
"Did you enter the forest?" Cairo asked.
"Yes, Master," Alex replied. "Dim Dim even found the girls who had been captured by the Goblins. The two of us rescued them."
"Oh?" Cairo arched an eyebrow because he didn't expect that the young man had found the captives so quickly.
"Unfortunately, we didn't manage to rescue them all." Alex sighed.
He then told his Master about the situation back then, and the condition of the ladies that had been violated by the Goblins.
Those who were near their table also stopped talking to listen to Alex's tale.
Some didn't believe his story, while others were quite impressed by how the events turned out.
"You got lucky there, boy," remarked one of the drunkards who was a regular at the tavern. "I know Elaine and Efa. Both of them are in the same party, and they are quite competent Adventurers."
"Do you really believe this brat's nonsense?" another drunkard demanded. "Maybe he's just making things up?"
"Oh, right! How about that girl, Annie?" asked Dora, who was currently serving the guests of the tavern. "Did you manage to save her too?"
Unlike the drunkards, Dora had a very good impression of Alex because he looked like a hard-working and sincere person.
"Yes," Alex answered. "Annie is safe, and has reunited with his father."
"That's good to hear," Dora replied before glancing at the drunkard who didn't believe that the young man was telling the truth. "Old man, if you are just going to cause trouble, you should just look for other places to drink."
"Hah! Missy, why are you believing that boy so easily?" the drunkard retorted. "Maybe he just saw someone save those girls, and decided to take credit from it."
"Well, as one of the girls that the boy has saved, I can tell you that he's not just making things up."
Elaine had just entered the tavern. She heard the old man's words, which pissed her off a little.
Efa, who was right by her side, grinned. However, her smile didn't reach her eyes.
The scout was very tempted to beat the crap out of the drunkard, but since she didn't want to cause trouble for the owner of the tavern, she just smiled and pulled Elaine towards Alex's table.
Both of them looked very different compared to when Alex had last seen them.
Back then, the two ladies looked disheveled. But now, they looked quite stunning.
The drunkard immediately shut up when he saw the ladies, whom the young man had saved, appear inside the tavern.
He then hurriedly paid for his drinks and left without a backward glance.
The moment the man left the inn, the laughter of the patrons spread like wildfire.
"Serves him right. That guy is so arrogant."
"I know, right? He's always been like that."
"Always looking down on others. Can't he stop being a crab for once?"
Elane and Efa smiled as they joined Alex and Cairo at the table.
Dora came to take their orders before heading to the kitchen in haste.
Since she could only hear bits and pieces of what had happened in the forest, she wanted to return as fast as she could, intending to eavesdrop more on Alex's table.
"Master, this is Elaine. She is a swordsman," Alex introduced. "This is Efa, and she's a scout. Elaine, Efa, this is my Master, Cairo."
The two girls eyed the Catkin, who gave the two of them a nod of acknowledgment.
"Your Master is the real deal, Alex," Elaine commented. "I can tell from a glance that he is stronger than me."
"Indeed." Efa smirked. "If he had been there with us, those Dire Wolves wouldn't have stood a chance."
Alex nodded in agreement. "That's right."
Cairo didn't say anything and simply sipped the mug that Alex had filled with wine earlier.
Just as the group was about to have a chat with each other, Cynthia and Seren also arrived at the tavern, inviting whistles from the male patrons as the two of them were quite beautiful as well.
"I think we need a bigger table," Elaine said as she looked at their surroundings.
"You can use this table over here!" Dora offered, pointing at a table where four people were drinking together.
"Awww, you can't do us dirty , Dora," one of the drunkards said with a smile.
"Old man, just swap with their table," she replied as she placed her hands on her waist. "There are only four of you, yet you're hogging this table. Let the ladies have it."
"Well... why not?" One of the drunkards seated on the table grinned. "We're gentlemen, so we don't mind letting the ladies have this table."
The patrons gave a cheer of approval for the drunkards who knew when to back down when needed.
After swapping tables with the drunkards, Cynthia and Seren ordered some food and wine.
They then thanked Alex for saving them and told him about the latest news about the incident that had happened earlier.
"According to a good friend of mine, there's a possibility that a monster outbreak will emerge from the forest," Cynthia said in a solemn tone. "The mayor is considering issuing an evacuation order once the scouts have confirmed that the monsters are going to attack the town."
The faces of everyone in the table, as well as others who heard Cynthia's words, turned grim.
A monster outbreak was a very serious matter, and if what the archer was saying was true, the Town of Thaloria was facing a level of danger that could potentially wipe it from the face of the Kingdom of Avalon.