episode_0056

I place the equipment used by the undead in front of the tomb made of piled stones.

I stand in front of it, close my eyes for a moment, and meditate.

Sharie, beside me, also closes her eyes and bows her head.

But you’re a ghost, aren’t you?

Anyway, I easily take care of all the undead and burn all the bodies.

I was worried that even the fragmented bodies might come back to life as skeletons or other monsters.

Recalling the skeletons in Dyna Village, piecing together missing parts and attacking, this is the way to be at ease.

With this, all the undead who were resurrected as monsters here can find peace.

As I meditated, I also remembered Oren, who taught me the basics of an adventurer in the past.

Although there are no bodies here, I decided to wish him peace as well.

After finishing cleaning up the undead, I explored the Horn Canyon a little more.

I also came to the place where I stood with Mileia, looking at the demon troops.

Among the traces of fierce battles, there was still the hole where I fell.

If I hadn’t fallen into that hole, I could have seen Mileia fighting to the end.

Where is she now and what is she doing?

I briefly looked at the land of the demon realm from a high place in the canyon, then hurried my steps back to Kubele.

***

“Finally….”

The smell of salty sea breeze mixed with nostalgia.

Kubele, which was not my hometown, felt like home in my heart, and it was finally in front of me.

“You’ve returned….”

It was a long journey from the underground of the demon realm to here.

I didn’t expect to be so moved on the way here, but when I arrived at Kubele, I felt like tears would fall.

No, not now.

First, let’s visit the guild and let them know that I’m alive.

Crossing the familiar streets, I headed straight to the Kubele Adventurer Guild.

It seems like I’ve been away for a long time, but Kubele hasn’t changed at all.

The streets were still bustling with people, and the scent of delicious food wafted from the stalls.

I wonder if Tina and Meruru are doing well.

From now on, I’ll return to a peaceful adventurer’s life.

With the power I gained in Einblad, once I get a little more familiar with controlling magic, I can aim for a higher rank.

If I become a gold-ranked adventurer like Mileia, I can earn a lot more money.

Imagining a future where a flower garden unfolds, I opened the door to the Adventurer Guild.

Inside the guild, adventurers were bustling around.

Adventurers choosing quests in front of the request board.

Adventurers at the counter dealing with request-related tasks with receptionists.

Adventurers sitting in the waiting area, looking for companions or taking a break.

It’s a welcoming sight.

And most of all, what’s welcoming is….

“Eek?! A ghost! It’s a ghost! Yunoa’s ghost has appeared!”

Meruru, with wide eyes, pointed at me from the counter for different races, shouting.

All eyes in the guild turned to me.

Tina, who was busy at the regular counter, saw me and covered her mouth with one hand.

“…Yunoa?”

“Ahaha… it’s been a while, everyone.”

“It’s not a ghost, is it?! Is it really Yunoa?! We have to confirm!”

“Eek!”

Meruru suddenly rushed towards me with great force, diving onto my back and clinging to me.

Wrapping both legs around my waist and rubbing my face with both hands like kneading dough.

“It’s real! It’s real! I can touch it properly! It’s warm!”

“Bebu-bup! Bube-bubup!”

I couldn’t speak properly with her rubbing my face so much.

But it’s not a bad feeling.

I was immersed in my thoughts, realizing that I had truly returned as a Kubele.

* * *

I sat in the guild waiting area, waiting for a lull in the reception desk.

With the little demon ghost Shari still clinging to my head, I watched as adventurers bustled in and out.

The receptionists were always busy, but the mornings were especially hectic with adventurers coming in to take on quests.

As I sat there, savoring the feeling of being back as Kubele, a familiar face appeared in the guild.

“Oh? Senpai! It’s Yunoa senpai!”

It was the adventurer, Sylphy, with her mushroom-like short hair.

I had encountered a race in the demon realm with heads resembling mushrooms, but her hair still resembled a mushroom.

Sylphy, upon spotting me, greeted me with a happy face and sat down opposite me, starting to ask various questions.

“What on earth happened? Everyone thought you were dead!”

“I almost died.”

“Where have you been all this time? They said you fell from an unbelievable height.”

“Haha… I guess you could say it was a long story.”

Although Sylphy and I had done two quests together, she now called me senpai and followed suit.

It’s been a while, but she hasn’t changed a bit.

I subtly realized that I had quite a few acquaintances in Kubele.

“Have you been well, Sylphy?”

“Uh… I’ve been doing okay. It’s the same every day. Being an adventurer is my livelihood, after all.”

Aren’t all adventurers living their lives as adventurers?

Still, being a Silver-ranked adventurer should have no problem with making a living.

A shadow crossed Sylphy’s face slightly.

I wonder if she’s having money problems.

“By the way, I have something I want to ask.”

I said to Sylphy, changing the subject.

“About that expedition that I disappeared on. Do you know what happened? And Milaia?”

“Well… I don’t know exactly, but…”

“Just tell me what you know. I don’t know anything that happened during that time.”

“Then…”

Sylphy slowly explained to me what had happened during that time.

The expedition that had left for the Horn Canyon had ultimately returned victorious, but the atmosphere was somber.

It wasn’t just because more casualties had occurred than expected.

The appearance of the Bloodstain, known as the Lord of Blood, and the scale of the attack were much larger than anticipated.

Among the returning adventurers, the incompetence of the kingdom that had ordered the expedition was the main topic of discussion.

When demons and monsters attack, it is natural to send a force to counter them.

However, in the Horn Canyon, they were deceived by the demons and sent an insufficient force to counter them.

The adventurers who participated in the expedition said it was a miracle that they returned safely.

“I see, I see.”

Indeed, Milaia did not lose.

Just by looking at the number of undead left in the Horn Canyon, I had expected that the expedition had not been completely wiped out.

And knowing that the expedition’s power was far inferior to that of the monsters, I was well aware of it.

“So, after that, there have been a lot of talks about avoiding the kingdom’s summoning orders for monster expeditions… It’s said that it’s better to avoid them if possible. You can’t always avoid them, but at least you have to protect your own life.”

“What about Miss Milaia? Any news from her?”

“Uh… I’m not sure. I haven’t seen her since that day. There are rumors that she went to the capital, Pifnelo…”

The capital of the kingdom.

Well, if it’s her, she probably has more to do in the capital than in Kubele.

She’s a remarkable woman, as strong as an adventurer.

Still, I hope we can meet someday if the opportunity arises.

Milreya probably thinks I’m dead.

But I had no intention of going to see her right away.

Milreya relied on me to the point where it became burdensome, so I honestly felt uncomfortable.

If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have had such an incident at the Horn Canyon in the first place.

“Miss Yunoa? Can I have a moment?”

While having various conversations with Sylphy, Tina called out to me from the reception desk.

It seemed like she finally had some time to talk to me after finishing up her busy work.

I got up from my seat and headed towards the counter where Tina was.

In the time I hadn’t seen her, Tina’s dark circles had gotten darker, making it hard to believe that she used to be a former saint.

“Is your condition okay these days? You look really tired.”

“Ah… yes. It’s just been a day or two. Congratulations on returning safely. And there’s one problem….”

Tina suddenly pulled out a bunch of documents on the counter.

“What problem?”

“As you know, Miss Yunoa is listed as deceased in the extermination team. So the problem is…”

I felt a little uneasy at Tina’s words.

It was natural for them to think I was dead.

Even I thought I was going to die without a chance when I fell into that hole.

But did that cause a problem?

And they had to bring out documents from the guild for that?

A troubling premonition…

“What… problem?”

As I cautiously asked, Tina pointed to a part of the document with her finger.

It was none other than a part of the adventurer registration form I had filled out when registering with the guild.

But at the top of the document, a sinister stamp with the word ‘deceased’ written in red ink was stamped.

“Miss Yunoa’s adventurer registration has been revoked because she is listed as deceased.”

“Eh?!”

I unintentionally made a strange sound at the unexpected news.

What is this all about?

“What do you mean? My adventurer registration revoked? I came back alive and well!”

“Well… the guild is an organization that operates based on documents, so once it’s been revoked, there’s nothing we can do…”

“Shouldn’t I have been listed as missing at least since there’s a possibility of me coming back?”

“Everyone who witnessed it said without a doubt that Miss Yunoa had died.”

It seemed like everyone was convinced that I had died after falling into that hole.

No, that’s not it.

“So what happens now? Can I not receive requests from the guild starting tomorrow? Can it be reinstated?”

“I’ve never encountered a situation like this before. It’s beyond my authority… Maybe you could re-register under a new name?”

Tina said with a perplexed expression.

There are all kinds of situations, indeed.

If I re-register under a new name, what will happen to my adventurer rank that I’ve worked so hard to build up?

“Haha… hahaha….”

As I let out a disappointed laugh, Tina seemed to have an idea.

“This is not something a receptionist like me can handle. I’m sorry. How about meeting the Guild Master? Since he holds all the authority in this adventurer guild, if you talk to him directly, maybe something can be done…”

The Guild Master.

When a problem arises in a place like this, the only solution seems to be to call upon a higher authority.

I don’t usually believe in shouting for a higher authority whenever something goes wrong, but I think I have the right to do so now.

To have my adventurer qualification taken away just because I’m listed as dead on paper?

Absolutely unacceptable.

…Guild Master, come forth!