56 – Return
I set down the equipment that the Fire Lions had worn in front of the pile of stones that served as their graves.
I stood before it and closed my eyes for a moment of silence.
Shari, too, closed her eyes and bowed her head beside me.
Well, you’re a ghost anyway.
Anyway, I easily dealt with all the Fire Lions and cremated the corpses.
I did it just in case even the fragmented bodies could resurrect as creatures like skeletons.
Recalling the sight of skeletons rushing in, assembling themselves with missing parts in Daina Village, this was the only way to find peace.
With this, all the members of the expedition who had been resurrected as creatures in this place could find rest.
As I meditated, the image of Oren, who had taught me the basics of being an adventurer in the past, also came to mind.
Although there were no bodies here, I decided to pay my respects to him as well.
After finishing the clean-up of the Fire Lions, I took a closer look at the Horn Canyon.
I climbed up to the place where Milaya and I had stood, looking at the demon army.
Amidst the traces of fierce battles, there was still the hole where I had fallen.
If I hadn’t fallen into that hole, I would have been able to see Milaya fight until the end.
Where is she now, and what is she doing?
I briefly looked at the land of the demon realm, faintly visible from the high point of the gorge, and hurried my steps again towards Kubel.
* * *
“At last…”
The smell of sea breeze mixed with a tangy scent.
It wasn’t my hometown, but Kubel felt like home as I stood before it.
“You’ve returned…”
It was a truly long journey from the underground of the demon realm to here.
I didn’t expect to be so moved when I came, but now that I’ve arrived in Kubel, it felt like tears were about to fall.
No, not now.
First, let’s visit the guild and let them know that I’m alive.
Crossing familiar streets, I headed straight to Kubel’s Adventurer Guild.
It feels like I’ve been away for quite a while, but Kubel hasn’t changed a bit.
The streets were still bustling with people, and there was a delicious smell coming 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 from Einblade, once I become more familiar with controlling magic, I can aim for even higher ranks.
Like a Milay Archer, a Gold-ranked adventurer could earn a lot more money.
Imagining such a future with a flower garden, I opened the door to the Adventurer’s Guild.
Inside the guild, adventurers were bustling about.
Adventurers standing in front of the request board, choosing their quests.
Adventurers at the counter, dealing with request-related tasks with the receptionist.
There were also adventurers sitting in the waiting area, either looking for their comrades or taking a break.
It was a familiar sight to everyone.
And above all, what was most familiar was…
“Eek?! A ghost! It’s a ghost! The ghost of Unoa has appeared!”
Meruru, whose eyes widened in surprise at the counter dedicated to different species, pointed her index finger at me and shouted.
The gazes of the people in the guild all turned towards me at once.
Tina, who was busy with her work at the regular counter, noticed me and covered her mouth with one hand.
“…Unoa?”
“Ahahahaha… long time no see, everyone.”
“Is it really Unoa and not a ghost?! Is it really you, Unoa?! We have to confirm!”
“Eek!”
Meruru, who suddenly rushed towards me with great force, jumped onto my back as if diving and clung to me.
With both legs wrapped around my waist, Meruru rubbed my face with both hands as if kneading dough.
“It’s real! It’s really you! I can touch you properly! You’re warm!”
“Squeak! Squ-squeak-squeak!”
I couldn’t speak properly due to the overwhelming emotions on my face.
But it wasn’t a bad feeling.
As I was dazed, I realized that I had truly returned to Coober.
* * *
I sat in the guild waiting area, waiting for the reception desk to quiet down for a moment.
With the little demon ghost Shari still stuck to my head, I watched adventurers come and go.
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 in Coober, a familiar face appeared in the guild.
“Oh? Senpai! It’s Uniya Senpai!”
It was Silphy, a female adventurer with mushroom-like short hair.
I had encountered a race in the Demon Realm that actually had mushrooms growing on their heads, but her hair still resembled mushrooms.
As soon as Silphy spotted me, she greeted me with a delighted face and started bombarding me with 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 impossible height.”
“hahahaha… Let’s just say it was a long journey.”
Although I had only worked on two quests with Silphy, she started calling me senpai and following me.
It’s been a while, but she hasn’t changed a bit.
I suddenly realized that I had quite a few people in Coober who knew me.
“Have you been well, Silphy?”
“Hmm… I’m managing somehow. It’s the same every day. Being an adventurer is my livelihood, after all.”
Aren’t all adventurers living their lives on the line?
Even so, a silver-ranked adventurer shouldn’t have any trouble making a living.
A shadow crossed Sylphy’s face.
Is there something you’re lacking, like money?
“By the way, there’s something I want to ask.”
From Noble mtl dot com
I spoke to Sylphy, changing the subject.
“I’m talking about that expedition I disappeared on. Do you know what happened? What about Mileya?”
“Hmm… I don’t know the details exactly…”
“Just tell me what you know. I don’t know anything that happened during that time.”
“Well then…”
Sylphy slowly explained to me what had happened during that time.
The expedition that had left for the Horn Canyon had eventually returned victorious, but the atmosphere was gloomy, she said.
It wasn’t just because there had been more casualties than expected.
It was because of the appearance of Bloodstain, known as the Lord of Blood, and the scale of the attack was much larger than anticipated.
Among the returning adventurers, the incompetence of the kingdom that had ordered the gathering of the expedition was the hottest topic.
When demons and monsters attack, it’s only natural to send a force capable of countering them.
But in the Horn Canyon, they had been deceived by the demons and sent an expedition with an absurdly small force.
The adventurers who participated in the expedition said it was a miracle that they all returned unharmed.
“Hmm, I see.”
As expected, Milaya didn’t lose.
Just by looking at the number of Immortals remaining in the Horn Canyon, I knew that the punitive force hadn’t been wiped out.
And because I was there, I knew better than anyone that the punitive force was significantly inferior to the demons.
“So, it’s better to avoid the summoning order for the demon punitive force from the kingdom… That’s what people say. It’s not like you can completely avoid it, but at least you have to protect your own life.”
“What about Lady Milaya? Any news from her side?”
“Well… I’m not sure. I haven’t seen her since that day. There are rumors that she went to the capital, Piphnelo…”
The kingdom’s capital, huh.
Well, if it’s her, she would have more things to do going to the capital than staying with Kubel.
She is an incredible woman, as strong as an adventurer.
Still, I hope I can meet her someday if the opportunity arises.
Milaya must also think I’m dead.
But I didn’t have any immediate plans to go find her myself.
Milaya relied on me to the point where it became burdensome, so honestly, I felt uncomfortable.
If it weren’t for her in the first place, I wouldn’t have had to go through such a thing in the Horn Canyon.
“Yunoa, can I talk to you for a moment?”
While I was having various conversations with Sylphy, Tena called me from the reception desk.
Finally, it seemed like I had some time to talk to her after finishing up my busy work.
I got up from my seat and headed towards the counter where Tena was.
In the time I hadn’t seen her, Tena’s dark circles had become even darker, making her look like someone I wouldn’t believe even if she confessed to being a former saint.
“How’s your condition these days? You look really tired for some reason.”
“Ah… Yes. It’s only been a day or two, so congratulations on returning safely. But there is one problem…”
Tina suddenly pulled out a bunch of documents on the counter.
“A problem?”
“As you know, Miss Yunoha is listed as deceased in that punitive force. So, there’s a problem that has arisen…”
Tina’s words made me slightly uneasy.
It was only natural to think that I was dead.
Even I thought I would die without a hitch when I fell into that hole.
But a problem arose because of that?
And they brought out the documents at the guild?
A troubling premonition…
“What…is the problem?”
When I cautiously asked, Tina pointed with her finger at a part of the documents.
It was none other than a part of the adventurer registration form that I had filled out when I registered as an adventurer.
But on top of the document, there was a creepy stamp that said ‘deceased’ in red letters.
“Miss Yunoha, your adventurer registration has been annulled because you are considered deceased.”
“Eh?!”
Without realizing it, I let out a strange sound in response to the unexpected news.
What is this nonsense again?
“The guild is an institution that operates based on paperwork, so once it’s annulled, there’s nothing we can do…”
“Didn’t we have to treat them as missing since there was a possibility of them coming back?”
“All the witnesses said that it was certain Yunoa had died.”
Everyone seemed convinced that I had died when they saw me fall into that hole.
No, well, I can understand why.
“So, what happens now? Does that mean I can’t take any more requests from the guild starting tomorrow? What about my rank?”
“I’ve never dealt with a situation like this before. It’s beyond my authority… Maybe if you register again with a new identity?”
Tina said with a perplexed expression.
Well, there are always cases like this.
What happens to my adventurer rank that I’ve built up until now if I register with a new identity?
“Ha… hahahahaha… hahahaha…”
As I let out a hollow laugh, Tina seemed to have thought of something.
“This is not something a mere receptionist like me can handle. I’m sorry. How about meeting the Guild Master? They have all the authority in this adventurer guild, so maybe if you directly consult with them…”
The Guild Master.
Of course, when a problem arises in a place like this, you have to call upon the higher-ups! Is that the only option?
I think shouting “Bring forth the higher-ups!” anytime something goes wrong is ridiculous, but now I believe I have the qualifications.
To think that they would take away my adventurer status just because I’m alive and well on paper but considered dead.
I absolutely cannot accept that.
…Guild Master, come forth!
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