CH 144

“… And back. Ha, It was quite busy this time.”

Having safely returned to the [White World] I let out a big sigh of relief. However, since our return was quite irregular this time, I was not without any worries. The same seems to be true for Tia, who was standing next to me, her expression slightly clouded.

“I guess so. I wanted to at least say goodbye to the village head and Eleas-kun, but ……”

“I understand how you feel, but it’s impossible, you know?”

There was only a 10-minute time limit until the return was initiated. While this would be sufficient if all we wanted to do was simply leave, it was far too short a time for a case such as this.

“If we were to do it, It would be like looking for the Eleas and the others who would be in a festive mood and testing their skills, then unilaterally yelling ‘We’re leaving right now!” and then run away, right?”

“That’s… it’s better not to say anything.”

“Right?”

Our disappearance will cause more than a little confusion among the elves, but still, it was much better than to dampen the festival and sow the seeds of further confusion and then run away. If I had to say so, I’d at least leave a note …. but no. I still feel that walking away without saying anything would have the least impact.

“… That’s right. Even if we think about it, we can’t return to that world, so let’s change topics!”

“Yeah! Well, let’s read it right away.”

Tia patted her cheek lightly and said, I nodded with a smile as I walked towards the usual table. There was {Records Of The Hero’s Story}…..?

“What’s up?”

“There are two copies?”

On the table, for some reason, there were two copies of {Records Of The Hero’s Story} on the table. At a glance, they looked almost the same, but the one labeled “First Volume” was almost twice as thick as the previous one, while the one labeled “Second Volume” was so thin that it made me feel uneasy.

“Hmmm? Because there were two brave men, there were also two copies of {Records Of The Hero’s Story}? If put that way, it makes sense. … Well, that’s okay. Well, let’s read the thin one for now. Maybe it will tell us what happened after we left.”

“Yeah”

It was needless to wonder which {Records Of The Hero’s Story} was for. The book that was opened was mostly made up of its cover, and the contents were so thin that it was sad.

“Wow, there aren’t many pages!? Let’s see…”

Reading the book while bracing myself, I found that the story began with my capture by the Demon King, and frankly speaking, there was nothing of note in the book. Since the story was written from Eleas’ point of view, I could understand a little about his feelings at the time, but I knew that from seeing his face and from the conversations we had afterwards, so I was not surprised.

So, as I read the book quickly, I flipped through the pages and reached the last part of the book in no time.

— 008th World {Records Of The Hero’s Story, Vol. 2} Epilogue: The Ancestor is With the Hero

The two companions who had trained and guided him disappeared without a trace. The Hero Eleas and his compatriots searched not only in the village but also in the surrounding towns, but they could find no trace of their departure.

One day, they suddenly appeared, guided the Hero to save the spirit tree, and then disappeared after completing their mission. The way they were, some people wondered if they had been sent by the spirits to save them. But Eleas laughed it off and denied it.

He said, “Those two people are not such uncertain entities, they certainly traveled with me. Please don’t treat those memories as if they were dreams or illusions.”

Although Eleas became a hero in his later years and created many legends, the names of the duo always came up in his childhood memories as he spoke of them from time to time, and he always said, “They were my mentors and friends for the rest of my life.”

“Uh …… Well, That’s how it feels, huh”

“Yes. That’s how it feels.”

I gave a faint-smile that I couldn’t quite put into words and met eyes with Tia, who wore a similar expression, and said. While I feel apologetic for causing trouble, I can’t help but feel happy that he seemed to hold me in such high regard.

Also, since the Demon King had already been defeated, Eleas’ activities as a Hero were already over at that point, and as a result, there was really nothing we could do about the fact that the contents of the {Records Of The Hero’s Story} were thin. At any rate, it’s enough to know that he didn’t make a bad decision like continuing to look for us all the time.

“Well then, Next one.”

“This is the Elder’s book, right?”

“Maybe. Then let’s read it. ….”

I set aside Eleas’ {Records Of The Hero’s Story} on the table and opened the thicker {Records Of The Hero’s Story}. As expected, this one was filled with more than 300 years of the elder’s life, and Tia and I read it slowly.

“Heh, Elder’s name was Galgadore? I didn’t hear that.”

“A forbidden love beyond race with a princess from a foreign land!? But the princess’s fiancé is a friend of the elder, and he wavers between love and friendship while heading alone to defeat the black dragon for the sake of ‘justice’… Ed, next! Turn the page quickly!”

“R-Right.”

Although the Demon King did not appear in the book, Tia was so excited by the Elder’s repeated valiant actions that she was more than compensated for, and I was also reading the book with great interest. Lost in the absence of any desires, I immersed myself in reading the thick book… and finally reached the end

–The 008th World {Records Of The Hero’s Story,Vol.1} Epilogue: And the World Continues

The great hero Galgadore created countless tales of valor during his life. However, he could not reach the Demon King, and his life ended halfway through his ambition.

For the last time, the Hero, Galgadore, who was too old to regret it, dreamed of the journey of his youth. The hidden feelings were left unspoken as they parted as friends with a fleeting heart. Yet, they were tossed about by the rough waves of fate and led to the next hero. At the moment his life was about to expire, the image of the young hero, with the shadow of his two precious friends was dwelling in his mind.

The spirits will continue to bring flowers to the garden where he sleeps. A hundred years later, the Young Hero who succeeded him will simply love them peacefully, without knowing anything about them.

Even if they do not tell, even if they do not convey, their hearts will remain and their aspirations will be carried on. The liberated souls will return to the world through the radiant tree, and one day they will return to their loved ones.

Life goes around. Thoughts will revolve. And the world will continue.

……………………”

After reading the whole book, I gently closed it and fell into silent contemplation. My life experience seemed to be more than a little inadequate to put into words the feelings that were going through my heart.

“Sniff….”

I heard Tia sniffling quietly. When I slowly opened my eyes, I could see that her jade green eyes were filled with tears.

""

“What is it, Tia, Crying?”

“Yeah. I’m overflowing with various feelings…”

“I see.”

The time we spent with the Elder was not even equivalent to a whole day. However, the 300-odd years of the Elder’s life were certainly etched in our minds as well.

“What can I say, it makes me want to do my best”

“That’s right. I feel like I really want to do my best right now! Hey Ed, let’s go to the next world!”

“Okay, okay. We’ll go to the next one after We’ve done what you have to do.”

While I carefully placed away the books, Tia put her hand on the crystal ball, gained new powers and then ran toward the door.

“I don’t think I ever asked you what kind of abilities you acquired last time, is it still a secret?”

“Is that so? Well, I’ll tell you when necessary.”

“What? Depending on what it is, it might affect our future plans, you know?”

“Nope! There is a right time for everything. I’ll tell you when necessary, so just be patient until then.”

""

“Urghhh”

Tia poked me on the nose with her index finger while smiling. When put that way, I feel it would be tactless to pursue it any further.

“Can’t help it.”

I was no match for a crying child, an old man, and Tia. I opened the door to the next world with a wry smile on my face, thinking that I had so many opponents to defeat.