Chapter 35 On The Same Road （1）
As Sir Gallagher and the remaining soldiers finally reached our location. The moment he saw the condition of Daito and the others, he didn't waste a second.
"Men! Carry them-carefully!" he barked.
The soldiers immediately moved, lifting the wounded heroes onto stretchers made from cloaks and spare shields. As they were carried away toward safety, I let my eyes wander-making sure we hadn't missed anything in this cursed place.
That's when something on my right caught my attention.
A cage-half buried into the rocky wall, its iron bars rusted and cracked.
My chest tightened.
"Sir Gallagher!" I shouted. "You need to see this!"
He turned sharply. "What is it?"
I pointed toward the embedded cage, and the second he saw it, his face hardened. He already knew what it meant.
We hurried over.
Inside the cage were people-men, women, even teenagers-chained in place. Some sat with hollow eyes, barely breathing. Others lay motionless in the back, their bodies unnaturally still.
Possibly already dead.
I glanced at Sir Gallagher.
His expression was carved in pure rage. His jaw clenched, eyes burning with a mixture of fury and grief. Without hesitation, he drew his sword and slammed it into the lock.
CLANG!
The rusted metal snapped in two, and the cage door creaked open.
Sir Gallagher stepped forward, voice rising into a commanding declaration meant to restore hope.
"People of Morlinda! You will no longer suffer at the hands of those who took you!
The heroes of Aldoria have come to save you from this hell!"
But no one moved.
No shouting. No crying. No relief.
Not even a glance in our direction.
They just sat there-eyes empty, hope long extinguished.
Sir Gallagher tried again, louder.
"Hey! Is anyone listening?! I said we're here to save-"
"That's enough, Sir."
He turned to me, confused.
I stepped forward, lowering my voice.
"These people... They've been down here for gods know how long. Beaten. Starved. Tortured. Look at them."
My voice grew heavy. "They don't need a speech. They don't need names. They just need to be saved."
Sir Gallagher looked at the prisoners again-really looked-and understanding slowly replaced the confusion in his eyes.
"...Yeah," he muttered. "You're right."
He turned back to his troops and raised his voice with authority.
"Men! Gather all survivors immediately!
Anyone too weak to walk-carry them!
And the dead... bring them as well.
Everyone is returning to the surface. Now!"
The soldiers moved with renewed urgency.
And for the first time, the people inside the cage slowly shifted-some lifting their heads, others blinking weakly-as if realizing their nightmare was finally ending.
A few hours later, after what felt like an endless climb through the tunnels, we finally emerged back to the surface. Cool night air washed over us, replacing the suffocating stench of blood and dust from below.
All around the camp, I saw the rescued prisoners lying on blankets. Some were being wrapped in bandages, others fed warm soup or water. Even those barely clinging to consciousness were handled gently by the soldiers and healers.
I looked toward Sir Gallagher.
"Those people... Are they-?"
He nodded. "Yes. They're the ones my men found in the other tunnels."
I exhaled slowly. "Then the ones we found earlier... They were about to be sacrificed or something?"
"Most likely," he replied grimly. "Some cults offer blood to gain more power. Others drain life force. Whatever their intention was... it would've ended badly."
Before I could respond, a voice echoed across the clearing.
"HEY!!"
We turned and saw the Guild Master approaching with a group of guild staff and town volunteers, all carrying bags of supplies-blankets, medicine, food.
Sir Gallagher crossed his arms. "Looks like the Guild Master is here. You should rest. I'll handle it from here."
I gave him a tired smile. "Sure. Thanks, Sir Gallagher."
He nodded once, already striding toward the arriving group.
---
Hours passed before everyone was stable enough to move. By the time the convoy returned to the city of Morlinda, the sun had already begun to rise. Exhausted knights escorted prisoners, while guild staff walked beside the heroes, checking on their condition.
As we entered the city, the Guild Master approached me with heavy steps.
"Well done, kid," he said.
I raised an eyebrow. "Oh-it's you, Guild Master."
He huffed. "I heard everything from Daito. You did good. Really good. I appreciate you saving them."
I shrugged, forcing a tired grin. "Don't mention it."
He clapped me on the shoulder. "You go rest for now. You deserve it. You can let us handle it from here you can claim your reward later when got enough rest."
"Sure thing."
---
A few minutes later, I finally reached my assigned room at the Meldin Inn. The moment I stepped inside, exhaustion hit me like a wave.
I peeled off my boots, gloves, and dusty cloak, letting them fall onto a chair. Then I collapsed onto the bed face-first.
"Wow... what a rough night..."
I barely finished the sentence before my eyes closed and I slipped into unconsciousness, the weight of exhaustion finally dragging me into sleep.
---
Warm light pressed against my eyelids, coaxing me awake. When I finally opened my eyes, the sun was already high-it was afternoon.
I pushed myself up from the bed, only for a sharp pain to stab through my skull.
"Gah-dammit..." I braced myself with one hand against the mattress, the other clutching the side of my head. The room spun for a moment, forcing me to grab the small wooden table beside the bed for support. I stayed there, breathing slowly until the throbbing calmed.
When the dizziness finally faded, I let out a shaky sigh and looked around the room. My gaze landed on the small mirror standing in the corner.
Curiosity-and worry-pushed me toward it.
The moment my reflection came into view, my eyes widened.
Another chunk of my hair had turned white.
"What the...?" I leaned closer. "Another part turned white? What the hell is happening to me?"
Before I could panic further, a familiar voice suddenly echoed inside my mind.
-Hello? Are you there, Eiji!?
I blinked. Goddess?
-Oh good, you can hear me. For a moment I thought your headache was so bad you'd ignore my call.
I let out a small laugh despite myself. "Of course not. Is something wrong?"
-Not really. I came to check on you.
Her tone softened.
-I saw everything that happened last night and wanted to see how you and your friends are doing.
"We're fine," I replied, lowering myself into the chair by the table. "No one died. They're all recovering."
-That's a relief.
I could almost imagine her smiling.
-I knew you'd look after them.
"Well... I try." I scratched my cheek, then took a breath. "Before you go, can I ask you something?"
-Of course. What is it?
I glanced back at the mirror, lifting a strand of white hair between my fingers. "Do you know what's happening to me? Why my hair keeps turning white?"
There was a brief pause before she answered.
-It's most likely because of your Nonstop Cultivation skill.
I froze. "Wait-you know about that?"
-Of course I do.
There was a teasing pride in her voice.
-That weaving skill of yours... creating your own gifted skill? Even among the gods, that's unheard of. We didn't even know that kind of ability could exist.
I felt a chill. "So... are you going to take it away from me?"
-Oh, heavens no. She sounded amused by the very idea.
-When a god grants a skill, we cannot take it back. It's a divine rule.
I exhaled in relief. "Good... that's good to hear."
-Anyway, as I said, the white hair is likely from your nonstop cultivation.
Her tone turned instructive, almost like a patient teacher.
-When you first arrived in this world, your body didn't have a shred of mana inside it.
So I used my magic to help your body absorb it.
Because of that, your body began to change-to support, contain, and allow you to use mana.
Small physical changes like white hair aren't unusual.
I nodded slowly. "That makes sense..."
-Cultivation in this world normally requires people to sit still and focus for hours, even days, to slowly nurture their mana.
-But your Nonstop Cultivation.
.. it strengthens your mana constantly, even while you walk, fight, or sleep.
Your body is simply adapting to keep up with it.
The more your mana grows, the more it changes.
"So the white hair is... a side effect."
-Exactly. Nothing dangerous. Just your body evolving.
"Alright," I said with a small smile. "Thank you. That clears up a lot."
-You're welcome, Eiji. And... go get something to eat. You haven't eaten since yesterday.
Her voice grew playful.
-And remember-I'm always watching.
I chuckled. "Of course you are."
With that, her presence faded from my mind, leaving only silence-and a strange mix of comfort and unease.
I looked at my reflection again, touching the white strands.
"...Adapting, huh?"
A short while later, I found myself walking through the streets of Morlinda.
The sun was warm, the air filled with the distant chatter of townsfolk and the clatter of carts and boots.
My headache had mostly faded, but I still felt a strange heaviness behind my eyes-probably from everything that happened yesterday.
As I rounded a corner, a wooden sign caught my attention.
"Wolf Prey Diner."
I tilted my head. "Must be a restaurant."
My stomach growled loudly enough to answer for me.
I pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Warm air rolled out, carrying the scent of spices, roasted meat, and freshly baked bread.
The place was lively-adventurers in armor chatting loudly, merchants counting coins, locals sharing meals with their families.
For the first time in a while, the atmosphere felt. .. normal.
"Sir Raito!"
I blinked and turned toward the voice.
Daito was sitting in the far corner, waving at me with the biggest grin on his face-though it was hard to tell if he was happy to see me or just excited about the food in front of him.
I walked over and took the seat beside him. "Hey. You're already here?"
"Yeah," he said with a smile. "Are you here to eat too?"
"Yeah. Haven't had anything since last night."
Before he could respond, a waiter approached-balancing a steaming plate of food in both hands.
"Here you go, sir," she said, placing the dish in front of Daito. "One Red Bird Curry, as requested."
A rich aroma filled the air, a mix of spicy peppers and savory meat. My stomach practically roared.
The waiter turned to me. "Is there anything you'd like to order, sir?"
I smiled. "Yeah. I'll have the same as him, please."
"Understood. I'll be right back." She hurried away.
When I glanced back at Daito, he was already attacking his curry like a starving wolf-shoveling spoonful after spoonful into his mouth as if the food was trying to escape.
I couldn't help but laugh. "You're eating like your life depends on it."
He paused only long enough to gulp down a mouthful. "After everything that happened? I'm eating enough for a week!"
I shook my head, amused, as the scent of his curry continued to tease my empty stomach.
looks like one thing did change about them.