312 - - the road leading up

"Are you saying you're not finished yet? ......"

Dadaan put the mug back on the counter with a thud and muttered bitterly.

His arms were so tense that his veins stood out.

The old man slowly relaxed his tense fingers and looked around at his fellow diners.

In the small restaurant with only five seats, there are still familiar faces.

Thor stares at us with an aloof look in his eyes.

Although he had just accomplished a great feat, the face of his beloved apprentice was filled with quiet determination.

Next to him, Sora is casually nestled in Thor's arms, happily slurping down his chilled noodles.

The girl who had risen to the highest level of adventurers in less than a year had already begun to exude a special atmosphere of genius.

Cocolara, Dadan's wife, sits beside the girl, and on her lap sits a child of the Purple-Eyed Tribe.

The old woman, who has been released from thirty years of imprisonment and responsibility, lovingly strokes Moo's hair as she crazily scrapes the frizzy noodle in her mouth.

Dadaan blinks away the tears that threaten to well up in the soft light in her eyes.

Lastly, Ulil occupies a seat by the entrance.

He looks beautiful as he calmly serves chilled old casks of sake, but the presence of unusual magical power within him overflows, making it impossible for anyone else to approach him.

Dadaan took another sip of his barley wine and nodded broadly at the appearance of the three strong men, except for Mu.

It has been one night since the abandoned underground prison's noxious gas hole was sealed.

Rumors were already circulating throughout the city.

Three days later, a ceremony was scheduled to be held in honor of Thor and the others, at which the four of them and Rummelera would be awarded the title of "heroes.

Before the ceremony, we rented out a small restaurant for a small celebration among our family members, and that is when Thor told us an unexpected story.

There were some things I didn't quite understand, so let me try to recapitulate them. First of all, you said you could see the future.

"You didn't see it exactly (・・・・・・), Master."

Thor's is reflected as a point from which future scenes are cut out.

By looking at them through the mirror, the dots increase and form lines.

And the many lines that come together lead to a huge ocean in which the transition of time is reflected.

Thor and Mu had reached this "ocean of time" once before fighting the last master of the labyrinth, the black skeleton.

I see, raindrops gather to form a stream, which eventually leads to the sea. And every stream reaches ...... in the middle."

Yes, it was cut off.

"Hmm. So you couldn't see the future. What is the reason?

This city, no, this country itself, is dying. In the not-too-distant future.

The land where everything is dead.

A swarm of monsters that not only fill the horizon, but the sky as well.

Many people fleeing from their homes.

This was Thor's glimpse of a future cut off from the rest of the world.

"I'm speculating, but I think it's been planned for this for a long time.

"You think the fixed dungeon was a trap for that purpose?"

It would be more efficient to create a large number of monsters and send them out without interruption in order to bring down the border town.

There is no need to make a complicated structure that takes time to enter and exit.

Perhaps the role of fixed dungeons is to attract good adventurers to the area and keep them there for a long time.

Thor's conclusion was that the purpose of fixed dungeons was to draw good adventurers to the area and keep them there for a long time, and then to use the time they had earned to push on through the earth and pass through the miasma to the six surrounding countries.

"Looking at the current situation in the various regions, I can only assume that this is the case."

In Zuma, the birthplace of Straccia and Ninessa, many of the oases connected to the underground labyrinth have been contaminated and are in danger.

In Gran, the birthplace of Kugase, most of the farmland has become barren due to the winds blowing down from a noxious hole in the mountainside.

The Triala archipelago, the homeland of Rammera, Licori, and Mordamo, is being swallowed up by waves of miasma from the ocean floor and disappearing one island after another.

Reginalia, the steppe country to the south, is not so conspicuous because of its large area, but Chiru tells us that its pasture lands are gradually decreasing in number.

And in Hakri, the homeland of Dadan and Kikiriri, many of the forests have begun to die because of the noxious gas holes that have been drilled in the frontier.

Only the ice-covered land of Yulil, Stora, seems to have been less affected.

The reason for this was the availability of human resources.

Even if the miasma is thin at first, it will accumulate over time, and eventually it will be generated in the affected areas themselves.

Before this happens, the holes need to be sealed, and to do so, the people who have cultivated the trees need to defeat the monsters that guard the holes.

However, there are not many people left in the surrounding countries who can deal with such a situation after sending many people to the border towns of the central region to gain new land.

Even if a large number of noxious gas holes occur in an uninhabited and undeveloped area, there is not enough manpower or organization to deal with them.

In the first place, the country was founded because it was a safe place far from the "coma pit," and it is no wonder that there is little awareness of the danger.

As a result, except for Stora, which was not actively involved in the recovery of the miasma, the five surrounding countries were facing destruction.

People who have lost their homes due to the contamination of their frontier lands are gathering further to the border town.

However, the deeper one goes, the more difficult it becomes to conquer the "Coma Hole," and the more people are caught between the inside and the outside, leaving them with nowhere to go.

And in the end, we will be helplessly overrun by the hordes of monsters.

Can't we do anything about it?　Was the future of the world completely as it was supposed to be?"

Thor shook his head gravely at Dadan, who frowned.

Thor shook his head gravely. There were some that didn't, but only a few.

"I see!　I'm glad to hear that."

"However, it cannot be said with certainty ......,"

"Hmm. Then look into the future until you're sure--"

"No, you can't!　Tall and Moo-chan will disappear."

Sola suddenly interrupted me, as if she had heard what I was saying.

Thor shakes his head again regretfully as he soothes the girl clinging to his arm.

"I tried several times, but it was impossible for me to see the detailed passage of time in the distant future.

It is impossible for a tiny human being to perceive the huge ocean of time.

If we forcefully approach it, our very existence is swallowed up and shaken.

This was the reason why Thor and the others seemed to blur and almost disappear during the in the underground prison.

"We have no proof whatsoever. "I don't have any proof, but I have no doubt that this will be the end of us. There is really only a small chance left, but please help us, master. I want to go further and further with these guys.

As Thor showed the passion burning at the bottom of his resolve, Dadaan remained silent and looked once again at the profile of his wife laughing with their child.

Then he said once and for all

"All right, I'll take care of the arrangements!"

The face that floated there was not that of a weary old man worn out by long time, but that of a man with the pride of a warrior.

Two days later, the city was in a great commotion.

Since the morning, heart-pounding music had been playing incessantly, and many people were coming and going in the streets.

The streets were filled with children dressed up in their best clothes, flower petals were flamboyantly strewn about, and the food stalls were loudly calling out for people to come to them.

Most stores were closed except for those related to food and drink, and the square in the center of the inner city was packed with people.

Although the miasma still lingers in the surrounding areas, it gradually fades away with the passage of time, and the monsters soon cease to exist.

The inhabitants are happy to know that their days are finally coming to an end, and they drink and eat the food served to them.

Most of the adventurers have also taken the day off from work and are eagerly awaiting the noon ordination ceremony.

It has long been known that the miasma has been sealed.

However, the name of the head of the new border town is still kept under wraps, so that is the only topic of conversation.

Will they move on to the next town? Or go to a different city.

The treatment and so on will depend on the mayor, and a new town in particular is a great opportunity to make a name for oneself.

However, some of the adventurers were being solicited by people from other cities who had already arrived in this town, and the adventurers were in a state of confusion.

The bell rings at noon, and a large number of people dressed in formal attire come out of the town hall.

When one of them, a particularly conspicuous lady in blue, appeared, there was a great commotion.

She was dressed as a high priestess with a crown of water, the highest rank in the temple of almsgiving, which has its main building in the Federation of the Triara Archipelago.

The fact that she was present at the ordination of this great man was a testament to one thing.

The next mayor of the city would most likely be a member of the temple.

A trumpet blows loudly and a beautiful golden-haired dancer unexpectedly leaps onto the stage.

The vivid dance was the beginning of the celebration.

Each temple announced its own words, and various songs and performances were performed, creating a great excitement.

The crowd grew even more excited as Licori, a priest, emotionally sang about the battle to seal off the miasma.

Finally, the names were called out and the solemn ceremony of anointing them as heroes began.

The blessing was given by the crown priestess of the Sourin tribe.

Yuril, Sora, Mu, and Thor.

Sighs of disappointment escaped from all around that Thor was not the last.

It seems that many people had high hopes for Thor, who was from the center of the country.

Ram Merulla was called as the fifth person and was given a round of applause that shook the plaza.

The next town was allowed to bear the name and the inauguration of the new boundary town was announced.

Just when it seemed like the end was in sight, Dadan, the mayor of the city, stepped out with a slow and steady gait.

After looking around carefully at the residents who looked up at him with a question in their eyes, the old man turned around and called Thor and the others next to him.

Then he said one simple word.

A few seconds of silence.

The crowd erupts into the biggest cheer and frenzy of the day.