It was the smell that got me first.

　The smell of old times. Liquor and tobacco. A fragrant mixture of blood and iron that paralyzed my nose. I'd smelled it so much when I was just a kid.

　Yes, yes. This is the smell of old times.

"How long have you been lying here, you skinny dog?

　Boom. I felt a strong impact on the back of my head. I looked up as quickly as I could. Sparks were flying in front of me. I couldn't focus and couldn't understand the situation.

"Lugis. I hope you're not dredging again.

　I looked up and saw a man with gray hair and a white beard. His face was deeply wrinkled and scarred.

　Stupid. That's crazy. He can't be here. Or should I say here, or now. Because he's...

"Old Richard's ......?　Why'd you come out of hiding, you're supposed to be dead!

　Ouch. Even more so than before. It hurts even more than before, like my eyeballs are about to pop out.

What the hell are you doing killing people?

　Richard's old man, who didn't seem to be too mad at me for beating up a man, stoked his drink. Confused, I finally realized that I was lying on the table. No wonder he was hit on the back of the head and sparks flew in front of his eyes.

"You're too sleepy, Rougis. I haven't seen you in a while and this is what I get. Have you forgotten that you're under my tutelage?

　I blinked and looked back at the old man who was holding a bottle of wine and peering at me.

　Oh, yes. Unmistakable. This face I'll never forget. A tyrant, a lover of vice, a prey to the weak, an unmistakable villain. And my mentor, Richard.

　But he's dead now. He died a horrible death in the catastrophe of the last king. He's dead. And now he's just showing up, talking to me.

"Oh ......, no, I was sleeping here. I just had a hard time sleeping. See, I grew up here.

　When I joked about it, old Richard wrinkled up and scratched his head lightly. He looks at me in disgust, muttering, "I guess I hit him wrong.

"You've been sleeping here or on the floor since you were a kid. You're used to it.

　That's true. When I was under Richard's tutelage, he would go out and about and come back when he felt like it, but I was broke and spent the night prostrate on a bar table. But that was more than ten years ago.

　Immediately, I looked at myself again. My body is a size smaller. No, two sizes smaller. And the green rags I'm wearing. I used to love to wear this when I was still in my early teens. The muscles have atrophied, the limbs are too thin, the body not yet fully grown.

　--I'll give you one chance. I'll give you one chance to paint over everything and repaint the picture of your life.

　The words reverberated in my head.
　Oh, yeah. So that's it. It was all true. The one true, unvarnished contract. I said.

Don't keep acting like a fool, Lugis. I've got a job for you today. Now go wash your face.

　I'm still developing. I'm still developing. I've returned to the days when I joined the ranks of the adventurers.

I'm back.

　My mentor, of course, hadn't changed at all. He hadn't changed at all. I know this because I was sacrificed in the name of scouting.

　I stepped through the grass, trying not to make a sound as I made my way through the forest of large trees.

"That old man ......

　I can't help but complain. My hand reflexively goes to my chest to retrieve the usual object, but I can't find what I'm looking for. That's right. At that time, I was still not chewing tobacco or drinking alcohol with a stipend. I was having a hard time even getting food, so how could I possibly have any luxury items?



　Click, click, click.

　Oh, shit. I'm sure I can go back to this day over ten years ago. That's for sure. But there's a lot of inconvenience when you get back. I can't even get a real job from the guild. You're either a subcontractor for Richard's grandfather or you're doing work that no one else wants to do. I guess life doesn't work out so well just because you're back.

　This scouting trip to the big tree forest should have been done by Richard's grandfather alone. He just threw a part of it away. That's not good.

　Why would he take on the task of defeating a large hexenbiest and then ask someone else to do the dangerous reconnaissance? That old man is vicious to a fault.

　He sighed deeply as he walked deeper into the forest, and then he suddenly stopped. Bend down and stare at the ground. There are scattered pebbles and a few broken weed leaves.

　Someone's been here before me, that's for sure. It's definitely human footprints. There's some light cover-up, but it's temporary. But even with this, I wouldn't have known back then. That's how ignorant and helpless I was. I got used to doing a lot of scouting during my journey to salvation.

　But who the hell is this? Not many people would want to go into this dangerous forest with cover. From here on out, it's all backcountry. I'm pretty sure I went into this place back then and .......

"......!

　I remembered. In fact, I don't know why I didn't notice. I'm an idiot. If I'm here because I'm helping my grandfather with his work, then I must have come to this forest back then too.

　I must have seen her there. That figure, that woman.

　A beat of air, inhale and exhale. I grit my teeth and kill the trembling in my body. Then I bend down to crawl on the ground and run. Choose the ground to put your feet on, so as not to make a sound, so as not to leave a mark on the leaves.

　The woman was an apprentice in the knight's order at the time, but her ambition was stronger than anyone else's. She went into the forest to test her skills, even though it was designated as a prohibited area by the guild. To slay a magical beast.

　This is bad. This is the worst.

　I don't want to run into that woman at any cost. She's definitely the one covering up the tracks. Then we get to the target and get what we want immediately and faster. And get home without a detour. That's the best we can do.

　--gwyin--wyin--

　It's done.

　The closer I get to the large hexenbiest I remember, the more I hear a sound similar to a sword fight. He's here. It's definitely him, fighting a hexenbiest like he's no match for me.

　I quickly run up to the tree and look at the source of the sound.

　There, I see a figure I'll never forget. She is manipulating her sword, which is much longer than her body, in a silvery orbit as she battles the beast. She's still an apprentice knight, but she's a future member of the Order and a member of the Salvation Journey Party.

　Her name is Kalia Vardnick. And there she was.