Kays Translations

Chapter 133

“From around here, I used magic to harden the soil so that weeds wouldn’t grow. But I didn’t have the time to do the same for the village further away from the house, so I think it must be full of weeds by now.”

“I see. So… are you going to go take care of that?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure. I have so many memories there. But no one who used to live there will ever come back. So maybe… letting it return naturally to the forest we live in now might be the best thing to do.”

“I understand… I’ll leave it up to you, Melt.”

“Yeah. If everything can slowly, naturally return to the forest… then I think I’ll be fine with that.”

Leaving Melt’s house, we set out toward the village, moving deeper into the forest.
Along the way, she shared her thoughts—thoughts that, in a sense, meant “parting with the past.”

…That might not be a bad thing. She wasn’t erasing it all at once. Rather than forcing herself to preserve it, she chose to entrust it to nature, allowing it to fade together with her memories. It felt like a natural flow.

“There’s actually a big tree in the village. It’s not exactly a cemetery, but I used magic to grow it as a kind of memorial for everyone. I’m planning to pay my respects there.”

“I see. Then I’ll come too. Maybe as an offering… I could bring the curry I made yesterday.”

“Eh?! That would be such a waste! I want to eat it!”

“Hahaha, fair enough. Then let’s just go and give our greetings.”

She laughed naturally.
It made me realize that Melt really had begun walking forward, toward a new life, a new path.

The Silver Fox Tribe’s village was about the same size as the abandoned village we’d seen while crossing Golda.
There weren’t any particularly distinctive buildings, just scattered houses, a big pond in the central plaza, and even a small park with playground equipment.
It was an ordinary village—one that could have existed anywhere.

Yes, an ordinary village… and yet, its people were sacrificed for someone’s selfish reasons.

I knew then that I could never forgive King Golda, nor the shadowy figure Hūs who had provided him with information.

“The weeds have grown so much… Over here. This way. At the very back of the village, there’s a flower field. I took the tree that was already there and used magic to make it grow really big.”

“Yeah, I can see it from here already.”

A towering tree rose above the village, so tall it could be seen from anywhere within.
It stood as if to watch over the abandoned homes, as if to carry every soul upward to the heavens.

At the base of the tree was an altar, neatly arranged with many items—probably personal belongings of all the villagers.

“Someday, all of this might be swallowed up by the tree too.”

“Yeah. I think it’ll take it all in and keep reaching higher and higher into the sky.”

“Yes… I hope it does.”

Melt pressed her hands together in front of the altar.
Even across cultures and worlds, the act of prayer was the same.
I followed her example, joining my hands and offering prayers to those who had been sacrificed.

“It’s all over now, everyone. We defeated the bad ones, and we defeated the Dungeon Master too. This place… this village now belongs only to you again.”

Melt spoke softly to the tree.

Leaving her at the altar, I took Rent and walked a little ways away from the flower field, giving her space for her thoughts.

As we explored the village with Rent, she noticed the playground in the central plaza, and I set her on one of the swings.

She didn’t seem to know how to swing, just sitting there quietly, so I gave her a gentle push. Watching her sway back and forth—it was oddly surreal and kind of funny.

“…If we keep tackling dungeons, I suppose we’ll eventually run into Hūs’s group.”

They seemed obsessed with dungeons and dungeon cores.
I also wanted to keep challenging dungeons.
If so, then maybe one day, we really would cross paths again.

“…There’s only one dungeon left on this continent, right? I get the feeling they’re not here anymore.”

It was as if they had instigated a war between two nations for some kind of experiment.
Regarding artificial dungeons, they probably thought it easier to obtain dungeon cores that way, transforming them by some means.

That would mean they didn’t have the strength to conquer natural dungeons on this continent.

“…I see. So that’s why they forced a Hero Summoning. The dungeon transformations were just preparation…?”

Which meant they had been preparing for at least ten years.
With that much time, they could have gathered strength from abroad—but they hadn’t?

I didn’t know… I didn’t even know how big the enemy was, or where they really were.

“…If those who were summoned through Order Summoning actually had wills of their own… and if there were one more I could summon… Still would probably be the most suitable.”

I felt guilty, thinking of burdening him with the role of confusing and cornering the mastermind.
But… Still would probably accept it.

…Even though I’d been wary of him, here I was trying to shove the harshest role onto him. I really was something else.

“Heyyy, you two—”

Just then, Melt came back from the flower field.

“Sorry to keep you waiting! You had her on the swing?”

“She seemed curious about it.”

“How nostalgic. These playgrounds have been here since long ago. I used to be put on the swing too.”

Talking about old memories, we made our way out of the village.

It seemed like this was it. She must have finally made her peace.

“Alright then! Shall we head back to Lindblum? Or stop by Golda’s royal capital first?”

“Hmm… I don’t think we need to? We still have to go to that town—what was it, Izbel?—to pick up Melt’s light armor, right?”

“Oh, that’s right! I’m so excited for the new armor. Having proper equipment really makes me feel like an ‘adventurer’!”

“You’re already Ruby Rank, you know. That’s the cream of the crop, Melt.”

“Ehh?”

Pardon our intrusion, villagers.

I’ll be taking your last survivor with me, out into the world beyond.

I’ll make sure this place won’t be desecrated by others.
So please, rest easy.

“Shizuma?”

“Hmm? Oh, I was just saying goodbye.”

At the village entrance, I bowed my head toward the settlement one last time.
Even if no one was there, it felt like everyone still was.

“I’ll copy you, then.”

She gave a small bow as well, and at last, we left the village behind.

On the way through the Forest of Dreamhill, we foraged for mushrooms as planned, before finally reaching the edge of the woods.

Once outside, I shifted from Shizuma’s appearance back into Same’s.

“Hmm… I wasn’t planning to go to the capital, but there might be a carriage leaving from there. Let’s stop by just in case?”

“Oh, right. But… will I even be allowed in?”

“It’s fine. Golda’s effectively finished as a nation now. Besides, you’re an adventurer these days, Melt.”

That’s true. Someone I knew might also still be working at the guild here.
It would be worth stopping by, if only to show my face.

And so, we set our next destination as Golda’s royal capital.

By the time we arrived, the sun was already beginning to set.

The red glow of the evening sky only seemed to emphasize the devastation the capital had suffered from war—though perhaps that was just my guilt, since I was the one who caused it.

“Excuse me, may we enter?”

The ones guarding the gate were not royal soldiers, but guild staff in uniform.

“Pardon me, are you citizens of this country?”

“No, we are adventurers from Lendia. We were granted permission to enter this territory. Since it’s getting late, we were hoping to stay here for the night.”

“Then please present your guild tags.”

Melt and I showed ours, and once they confirmed they were genuine, we were let through—though not without another step.

“Forgive me, but we’ll need to have the guild conduct a more thorough check. As you understand, it’s wartime, and we must remain on high alert.”

“That makes sense. Understood.”

Of course. They were surely wary of looters, opportunists, and worsening crime after the war.

Accompanied—escorted, perhaps more like—by another guard, Melt, Rent, and I were led toward the Adventurers’ Guild.

“It feels strange… being inside the capital like this.”

“Oh? This is your first time entering, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. But… the smell is awful. Even though they’ve cleaned, the whole city still reeks of blood.”

“…That’s probably true. Silent carried out a massacre here.”

“…I see.”

Melt didn’t say anything more, perhaps out of concern for me.

Soon we arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild, where our tags were brought to the reception for inspection.

Apparently, guild tags had the ability to store short memos, and the guild had ways to read them.

The details weren’t public knowledge, since they tied into guild administration, but mine apparently read: ‘By authority of the Continental Guild, the bearer is permitted free movement across the continent.’

“Verification complete. Both of you are recognized as having official permission. You are free to enter and leave the city at will.”

“Good. Then, we’d like to stay the night in the city. Would that be a problem?”

“Currently, all inns within the city are closed. However, the guild is able to accommodate you overnight.”

“That’ll be fine.”

Apparently, most of the city’s residents had already fled abroad, and only a handful of shops were still in business.

“By the way, are there any carriages running? We’re thinking of heading for Lindblum tomorrow.”

“Well… currently no public carriages are in operation. However, since there are quite a few people seeking to travel to Lindblum, you may be able to ride along as escorts. The problem is, very few adventurers remain in Golda, so there aren’t many people available for guard duty.”

“I see. Then we’ll do that, please.”

So, the adventurers who had belonged here before the war had mostly relocated to Lindblum as well, huh? In that case, how exactly is law and order in this city being maintained?

“Oh my!? Wait a second—aren’t you Same!?”

It was at that moment a woman’s voice called my name from deeper inside the guild’s reception area. When I turned my gaze toward it, I saw—

“Well, isn’t this nostalgic. How did you end up coming here?”

It was the very guild clerk who had overseen my practical exam back when I first registered as an adventurer under the name Same.

“It’s been a while, miss. Actually, I’ve been making a fair contribution to the guild over in Lindblum, so with a special permit I was able to cross into these lands. With the war, I got worried about the people who once helped me, so I came to check on them.”

“Oh, I see… could it be that those children are the ones?”

Apparently she thought not only Rent, but even Melt, were connected to those benefactors.

“No, she’s an adventurer from Lindblum too. Though she was born in this country.”

“Oh, is that so… then, this child?”

“Yes. Unfortunately… we couldn’t find anyone else besides her. Luckily, I have acquaintances in Lindblum who take in people who’ve lost their families, so I plan to entrust her to them. Until then, we’re traveling together.”

Certainly… it was convenient that Rent was in child form for situations like this. Rent, Still, and Hash really did play their roles well.

“I see… dear, what’s your name?”

“…”

“I’m Melt!”

“Haha, yes, I should be asking for your name too. And you?”

The woman laughed at Melt’s response. Honestly, even I nearly burst out laughing.

“She seems to be in a state where she can’t speak, perhaps from some trauma. You could say her heart is closing itself off…”

“Oh no… but yes, I suppose that’s true. War always creates victims like this… I knew that, but still…”

I felt guilty for deceiving her, but in reality, there probably were children like Rent. No—if anyone had witnessed Silent’s massacre, or if soldiers I had killed had families, it wouldn’t be surprising if they ended up like this too.

…But I don’t care. That doesn’t matter. Anyone who joined the war should have been prepared for everything. I will never apologize. I will never regret it. I hardened my heart in a selfish, self-righteous resolve.

“So then, what brings you here?”

“Ah, tonight we’ll stay here, and tomorrow we’ll escort a carriage for those hoping to move to Lindblum.”

“Oh my, what a coincidence! Those people are employees from the local branch of the Pigeon Trading Company—the caravan you owe so much to—and their families!”

“What? Really? That’s quite the coincidence… actually, I’ve continued to be on good terms with Pigeon Trading Company ever since then.”

“I see, you’ve been maneuvering well. Then, I’ll be counting on you for tomorrow’s escort mission.”

With that, she disappeared into the back of the guild.
Man… that was really nostalgic.

“Was she an acquaintance of yours, Same?”

“Yeah. She was the receptionist who made me an adventurer.”

“Oh, wow! She’s incredibly strong—you know, probably even stronger than me!”

“…Huh?”

Wait. Seriously?

“I can tell from her presence. Amazing… if someone like her is around, this guild will be just fine.”

…You’ve got to be kidding me. She was that strong? Then during the test she must have been holding back a lot…

And so, after this nostalgic reunion, we rested up in the guild’s lounge to recover from our travels.

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