CH 230

“…Huh? The same place as before?”

“No, it’s different. Similar, but not the same.”

Where we landed was deep within a forest. At first glance, it closely resembled the world we had just been exiled from. However, upon closer inspection, there was a well-trodden path a short distance away. There were only animal trails in the dense jungle where Donatella and the others were, so that alone made it clear that this was a different world.

When we reached the path, the view blocked by the trees suddenly opened up. Far in the distance was a place surrounded by impressive stone walls. It was most likely a town where people lived.

“Wow, such a great wall! So, it’s a town within the forest?”

“Yeah, it seems so. Well, let’s go in.”

There were guards at the entrance, but as long as we paid a small entrance fee, there seemed to be no problem entering. As we walked down the bustling main street, we found a large square plaza along… Ah, I see. This is that place.

“Hey, Tia, I figured out which world this is.”

“Really? What kind of world is it?”

“Well… We have plenty of time, and it would be faster to show you than to explain. This way.”

With that, I started walking towards the square. There was a grand stage set up there, surrounded by a crowd of hundreds.

“It’s so lively. But what are they doing?”

“Hahaha, that’s the highlight of this world. Excuse me, let us through…”

I started pushing through the crowd, pulling Tia’s hand. There were some annoyed faces, but if we weren’t assertive we’d just end up watching from the back.

After making our way through, we reached the front of the crowd, right at the metal barricade separating the audience from the stage. From here, we could clearly see the stage. On it, three girls in their late teens, dressed in sparkling costumes, were waving and smiling.

“Everyone, thank you for your support! Now, let’s move on to the next song!”

“””Wooooooo!”””

“Wait, what is this? Street performance?”

“Well, close, but not quite. They are idols.”

“Idols? Like, people who serve the gods?”

“No, not like that! You know how different worlds have different names for jobs like adventurers? It’s like that. In this world, they call people who sing and dance and perform in public like that idols.”

“Oh, that sounds fun.”

Tia watched the girls singing and dancing on stage, sweating profusely, with an interested look. Most of the music we heard was from bards, so hearing proper songs like this was indeed refreshing.

“Well, it’s not all fun. Idols in this world are treated like heroes. To stand on a stage in such a large town, they must have put in a lot of effort, competing against countless others in their field to earn this opportunity.”

“Oh, I see, there’s competition involved. But I can see why kids would aspire to become idols. It looks fun.”

“Yeah. Oh, and by the way, idols aren’t just young girls. There are male idols, older ones, and even grandma and grandpa idols. They’re seriously talented.”

Regardless of the field, running at the forefront for decades was no ordinary feat. Even if the swords and magic were replaced with songs and dances, their achievements remained undiminished.

After enjoying their songs and dances for about an hour, we went back to the bustling main street. Both Tia and I had flushed faces from the heat of the crowd.

“Haah, that was fun! This world is well-developed in terms of entertainment, isn’t it, with people like them all over.”

“Yeah. Did you notice how the town looks? In this world, most of it is covered by forests, so armies can’t move around, meaning large-scale wars rarely occur. Instead, battles are mostly fought through trade and diplomacy, and ‘idols’ exist as part of that. If you can have an idol who’s hugely popular among the commoners, it means you can gather that many people.”

Where people gather, money gathers, and where money gathers, goods gather. The presence of an idol that attracts people is a symbol of this nation’s strength.

“Hmm. Sounds peaceful. Oh! So does that mean this world’s heroes are…”

“Fufu, exactly!”

With sparkling eyes, Tia exclaimed. Yes, in this world where not strength, but talent speaks, of course the heroes would be outstanding in that aspect.

“Wow, I wonder what kind of person it is. A boy? A girl? Older? Or younger?”

“That’s for you to find out when you meet them.”

With a gleam of excitement in her eyes, I let Tia remain in that state as I recalled my previous visit to this place. I remember… and a slight pain tugged at my heart.

(Back then, I didn’t have any other choice. But now…)

“Ed?”

“Hm? Nah, it’s nothing. Let’s get a place to stay first, then kill some time.”

“Got it.”

I lead Tia through the town. Fortunately, we managed to find a decent place to stay, so afterwards we spent our time browsing the stalls and eating, then, when it was time, we headed back to the stage…

“…Huh?”

“What’s wrong, Ed?”

“No, he… the hero isn’t there.”

The one supposed to be standing on this stage was the hero, Rain. But the ones in front of us now were three completely different girls, not the hero I was looking for.

(What’s going on? Has the flow of the world changed again?)

“Sorry, Tia. I need to step away for a bit.”

“That’s fine… but what are you going to do?”

“Of course, I’m going to search.”

Ordinarily, my meeting with the hero would be determined by my [Flag Maker] skill. But if I couldn’t meet them at the predetermined location, all I can do is go and search for them myself.

I activated my [Akashic Compass] skill and searched for the hero. Thankfully, there was a reaction, so at least the worst-case scenario, that the hero was already dead, didn’t seem to be the case.

So, I chased the hero’s signal through the town. Turning off the main street, continuing in the opposite direction of the crowd…

“Hey Ed? Are you sure they’re around here?”

“They should be…”

We ventured into a back alley, a heavy and dark atmosphere starting to permeate. The sun hadn’t set yet, but in another half hour, it would be too dark to walk without a light.

“Hey, Rai… Someone! Is anyone there?!”

Calling out the name of the hero I’ve never met felt odd. Imagining the smiling face of the hardworking, bright hero, I corrected myself and called into the labyrinthine darkness.

But, no response. It’s to be expected. No stranger would respond to someone yelling “anyone” in a place like this. Worst case scenario, they might mistake me for a kidnapper and become even more cautious. It’s a bad move.

I know. Even though I know, I want to call out his name. The anxiety is mounting. The ominous feeling won’t leave my head. I forgot to check if Tia was following me and hurried towards the direction indicated by my [Akashic Compass] at a fast pace.

No one’s here. No one’s here. No one’s… wait, is that…?

“……………………..”

In the corner of the alley, a girl sat, knees drawn up to her chest, next to a heap of garbage. Seeing the shabby figure of the hero Rain of the 73rd world, I bit my lip hard…

“Ugh, I’m so hungry… I haven’t eaten anything in six hours…”

The murmur, which seemed to be more cheerful than expected, almost made me shudder, but I was relieved and patted my chest