322 - - Time goes by...

A woman gets out of the carriage and stretches out her arms.

It was already nearly dusk.

The coach stop was located just below the city walls surrounding the town.

The outer wall, which is now sinking into the dusk, has been worn away here and there over the years and is covered with thick cracks and dark green moss in every corner.

The house has probably not been well cared for, as the danger of being attacked has been greatly reduced.

"Yeah. It's changed, but it hasn't changed.

The woman who speaks nostalgically seems to be at least in her thirties.

She has short, clear black hair and large eyes that are both curious and calm.

Even with her advanced age, she is still an eye-catching beauty that anyone would be unable to help but gaze at her.

Perhaps it is her outfits, which are not feminine at all, that arouses our interest.

Her slender body under an old gray cloak is wrapped in a set of used dark blue leather armor.

A slender sword sheath hangs from her waist.

Also strapped to his back was a well-worn backpack and a flat metal plate that was noticeably damaged.

The way he carried himself was very graceful, and his appearance suggested that he had been through a lot of hardships.

The woman with a straight back stepped lightly into the open gate and looked around the plaza with ease.

"I guess there are about the same amount of people. "Well, no, there are a lot more people.

The city of Dadang is close to Hakkuri and Grand in the west and is the gateway to the New Central Province, where people and goods flow in as a transportation hub.

Thanks to this, even in the late afternoon, the town was crowded with many people coming and going.

There is another big reason for the large number of people.

This town was very famous as a certain place of interest.

The woman walks briskly, pleased with the heavy traffic.

The magic stone lamps that used to line the plaza are rarely used anymore, as magic stones have become precious.

Instead, the lamps connected to the magical power bottles, which contain magical power, cast a dim light.

It is not only the lights that have changed.

The menus of the food stalls have also been renewed.

"Mmm, this smells good again.

Floating in the aromatic cauldron are what appear to be deep-fried beef intestines.

Next to it is a pile of freshly made colorful pastries.

There is also the sound of dried fish being roasted on a net, and the delicious sound of thick noodles being stir-fried.

Perhaps it is because the supply of monster meat has run out, but it seems that flour-based dishes and raised livestock are the main ingredients.

"Yes, yes, it's good for my empty stomach. But I have to be patient here.

Muttering to herself again, the woman deftly slips through the hustle and bustle and ends up at a large building at the end of the square.

It used to be a gathering place for many adventurers.

Even now, there is a large crowd, but there are very few people wearing armor or weapons.

This is not surprising.

A sign at the entrance reads

The Great Hero Memorial Hall.

This is the reason why many visitors from neighboring countries come to the museum to see this building.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is a collection of items left behind by Thor, the greatest of all the heroes who is said to have saved this world.

From the sword and armor he used to his everyday clothes to his underwear.

In addition, the large scales of the lake dragon he defeated, and a part of the staff of the legendary Witch of the Swamp.......

In addition, the history of Thor and the expedition that challenged the "Coma Hole"-the conquest of -are described in detail in the book.

In addition, there is a section praising the achievements of Mumeme, the little hero, and the great holy tree Yurir.

Among them, a stuffed Moo doll in a fuzzy white weasel fur is said to be a hot-selling item.

In the room of Sora, the miraculous magician who supported the great hero Thor, there was even a poor doodle left on the bulletin board, which made the woman's cheeks redden involuntarily.

Moreover, for some reason, there was even an annotation by a famous painter.

After looking around with nostalgia for a while, the woman suppressed her desire to take a closer look at the exhibits and talked to the staff member in charge of information.

Excuse me. I have an item to give you.

"Oh, if you want to bring in your own items, please go to the counter outside.

"Yes, sir."

Once out of the building, the woman follows the path her feet remember and arrives at the spot where the assessment counter used to be.

There was no line, however, and a young female employee was alone, looking bored and polishing her nails.

"Excuse me, did you hear that the donated items are here?"

"Yes, come in."

The woman presented a large board she was carrying to the window in a casual manner.

Perhaps because it was older and shabbier than expected, the young employee asked bluntly, sticking out her lower lip.

"What is this?"

"Well, is this the carrying sled that Moo-chan used to use? I've used it a lot, but you can display it if you like."

"Huh?　Is that the famous Ohanamaru?　How could you insist on such a dirty little sled?"

"Hey, Erica!"

A reprimand came from behind, and the young staff member shrugged her head in panic.

A voice appeared from the back of the room, belonging to a woman in her forties with a face similar to that of the receptionist.

A customer is a customer, no matter who you are. We teach you to be respectful, don't we?"

"But, Mom, ......"

"Oh, God!　When you're on the job, call me by my name. I beg your pardon, sir, but you're not ...... supposed to be here?"

"It's been a while, Marika-san."

Miss Marika opens her mouth and stares at the woman standing behind the counter.

Then, after a pause, she again raised her voice in a crazy manner.

"What, what, what, what, what!

"What's wrong?　Mom!"

Marika turned on her heel with a bubbled face, not responding to her daughter's impatient call.

Then, with a gasp, she quickly returned, dragging someone with her.

"Come on, director, come on, come on!"

"I know. It's the best I can do."

The third person to appear was a brown-horned man nearly sixty years old with a fine mustache.

When the well-dressed man, who was called the curator, saw the woman with the sled, he opened his eyes wide and stopped moving.

Then he bowed his head deeply and muttered sincerely, as if he could not bear to lose his feelings.

I was skeptical when I received your letter, but I never thought I would actually meet you. It's been twenty-five years, Mr. Sola.

Yes. It's been a long time, Mr. Sargon.

At the mention of her name, Erika, the receptionist, alternately looked at her boss and the woman in front of her, then screamed in a voice that sounded just like her mother's.

"Eh, eh, eh, eh!"

After a polite apology in the reception room, Sora was invited to Sargon's house, which had been his original plan.

Walking side by side, they reveal the paths they have taken so far.

Twenty-five years ago, thanks to the expeditionary force led by the chiefs of the western border towns and the efforts of Thor and his men, the "Coma Hole" was obliterated.

The people of the region now have a rich and vast land, free from the miasma.

The surviving chiefs then established a new central state, and Sacco was appointed as the first chief.

The establishment of the new central state was a difficult time due to the interference of the six neighboring countries and the problem of immigration, but it was even more difficult after that.

The most serious problem was that the monster population stopped growing.

Although this was a welcome news, it also meant that the sources of materials and magic stones were cut off.

The loss of the infrastructure that has supported our lives up to now has naturally brought about many more problems.

The biggest of them all is the mass unemployment of adventurers and their associates.

The problem of materials is easily solved by the discovery of untouched forests and mineral deposits in the central part of the country.

The only thing that remained to be done was to change the direction of what they had been making.

However, adventurers who have no one to defeat are helpless.

When the remaining monsters are hunted down, some of them turn to crime and others to policing.

Most of the adventurers who are neither of the above are scattered to the six surrounding countries where the miasma and monsters are still alive and well.

Sora was one of them.

I have heard of your activities. I heard that you single-handedly kicked out a thousand Minotaurs, or that you vanished the Wraith Lord who had destroyed two villages with a single swing of your sword. He is indeed a hero who saved the world.

"It's embarrassing to hear it again. ....... I just happened to be there."

"You were also rumored to be a savior who traveled around the six countries helping people in need."

"Oh, the monsters dwindled quickly, so I had to go from one hunting ground to another. Yes, it was quite difficult.

I see. You've been alone for a long time, haven't you? The name "Solitary Saint" echoes all the way down here.

"Yes, I have all the skill points when I'm alone."

Sargon couldn't help but smile at the frankness of her words and actions, which were much the same as when she was a girl.

There was no doubt that she had become a skilled adventurer, but it seemed that she had retained the same charming temperament.

"Mr. Sargon, I was surprised to see you as the director of the museum.

"Oh, that's a bit of a situation.

At the time of the conquest of , Sargon had just become the head of the Adventurers' Bureau's sub-branch at the Bloody River.

When the big hole was lost and various problems occurred, he was recalled by Siecka, who had been appointed director of the Adventurers' Bureau, and made to sit in the deputy director's chair.

After five years of work, the Adventurers' Bureau was decided to be closed.

After taking a breather, he was given a new position as the director of the Great Heroes Memorial Hall.

"The reputation of adventurers in those days was pretty bad," he said.

Adventurers have always put their bodies on the line to protect the peace of the people, but in times of peace, the need for their services is greatly diminished.

Because they are a hard profession, it is difficult for them to change jobs, and the number of jobs is decreasing rapidly.

Many of them are in poverty, and if the situation is left as it is, it will surely lead to bad results, so special allowances have been provided, but the conflict has deepened even more because it is a waste of taxpayer money.

If the deteriorating relationship is left unchecked, there is a strong possibility that the Central Council, the majority of whom are former adventurers, will be repulsed by the governance of the Central Government.

The people who came to their attention were Thor and his friends who sacrificed their own lives to save the world.

A heroic tale of courage and tragedy.

There is no better subject to gain public support.

As part of a public relations campaign to restore their image, a museum was built in the city of Dadaan, where Thor and his friends were active, and Sargon, who was well acquainted with their personalities, was appointed as the first director of the museum.

"I see, so the popularity of the museum was forced to be created.

"You're a fool, Mr. Sola!　Oops, excuse me. But as you can see today, people keep coming back to visit this place even though it happened more than 20 years ago. It is a proof that you are all so interested in this event. And at least we are very honored by this work.

"Thank you for ....... I'm sure all three of you will be pleased to hear."

"Oh, and Erica, the receptionist, she's a big fan of Mummeme's. But there are more and more people who bring in blatant fakes to take advantage of the popularity of Mummeme.

"Hmmm, if Moo-chan heard that, she'd be so proud she'd flip over."

Sora's happy laughter prompted Sargon to bring up a point that had been bothering him.

"By the way, Sora-san, why are you suddenly going back to Japan again?　In your letter, you only mentioned that you would be returning soon, but did you ask about the explorer?"

"Are you an explorer ......, sir?"

The problem of the lack of monster outbreaks was as big as the unemployment of adventurers: a serious shortage of magic stones.

Although we had a good stockpile, it was not enough to last for years.

However, it would be too inconvenient not to be able to use the magic stone tools that had taken root in our daily lives.

Therefore, the new central country is searching for a new power source to replace the magic stone.

The Central Council has focused its attention on the remnants of many cities of the old Central Kingdom that appeared after the disappearance of the Great Hole.

When they searched the site of the old Central Kingdom, which had boasted of its excellent civilization, they found a large number of relics as they had expected.

Many of them were of unknown use, but not a few of them were useful.

Among them, the most notable one is a magic bottle, which was used for the lamp mentioned earlier.

Although not as powerful as magic stones, these bottles can store individual magic power and cause unique phenomena, and are currently used in various aspects of daily life.

For this reason, Shin-Ohkoku has been making efforts to excavate ruins in various places for the past ten years, and in some places, huge buildings have been found underground.

However, there are many troublesome inhabitants roaming around the ruins.

They are creatures created by the old central government.

The players must eliminate these vicious creatures while passing through dangerous traps and bringing back valuable relics from the depths of the ruins.

This was the new profession of the explorer.

It sounds very interesting. But not this time. I've come to fulfill a promise. It's a little late for that.

"You promised ......? Ah, here we are. You must have missed this one.

It was a place that Sora knew well, Yuril's lodgings.

This famous house where the great hero Thor and others lived is now preserved as a memorial.

Sargon and others are living in the house next to it, and they are taking care of Ulil's house and giving tours of the house.

Please come to the dinner table for more details. I'm sure my wife is working hard today.

You, wait!

Sargon's hand on the door handle is interrupted from within.

But he is too late, and a white shadow leaps out of the slightly opened doorway like an arrow.

The small ball of fur with four legs slips past the feet of the astonished Sargon, and Sora quickly ducks behind him.

For some reason, as if it had hit an invisible wall, it suddenly bounced into the air.

Strangely enough, he stopped in mid-air.

Bending down and stretching out her arms, Sola picked up the doll that had come flying out of the house and lifted it up to her eye level.

I wonder if he wanted to go outside to play. "Well, well, you look pretty tasty, don't you?

The white-furred kitten, whose nose was lightly flicked with a finger, shrugged its head and meowed back.

Then, a woman's voice echoed over.

"Really ......, it really is Sora-san. ......"

"Yes, how are you?　Mr. Enna."

Standing on the other side of the door was the receptionist who had taken such good care of me when I was in town.

Her face was wrinkled and her hair was white, but her gentle face had not changed at all.

Enna ran up to Sola and hugged her with the kitten and put her hands on her back as if she was trying to help her.

Then, with a sob, she spins her words.

"Sola,...... you have been alone for a long time,...... and it must have been hard for you. I've been ...... worried about you for a long time."

"I'm sorry, I should have contacted you sooner."

"No, no, no, no!　I know you've been through a lot. I can tell by your outfit. You're already a seasoned adventurer.

Up close, Sola's face and body were covered with what appeared to be old, whitened scars.

Wiping away her tears, Enna smiles and points her palm toward the door that has been left open.

The house was filled with the most delicious smells.　

"Come on, the feast is ready. You must be hungry. You'll have plenty of it.

"Yes. Thank you, Miss Enna. I'm so hungry my stomach and my buttocks are about to stick together.

"Well, you can say that about your back and your stomach, Miss Sola."

That day, after eating and drinking until they were full, the Solas talked until midnight to make up for the time they had spent apart.

Then they took a bath to wash off the grime from their trip, and snuggled down into the gluey sheets with the kittens.

And after a long time, I slept soundly until morning.