The Warmth Left Behind
Clatter, clatter. The daily clatter of tableware had increased from two sets to three. And while meals used to be eaten in a quiet, subdued atmosphere, they were now quite lively and warm.
"So, I'm telling you, this kid..."
"Alan did? Really?"
Although the ones doing most of the talking were the innkeeper and Wyss, the atmosphere was incomparably better than when it was just the innkeeper and me. Watching him chatter away so excitedly made me wonder how he had managed during the month I was away.
"Yeah, that Alan was always such a coward..."
The stories the old man brought up were about the original Alan, not strictly mine. However, since Alan's memories still remained with me, I couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed myself.
"Please, stop..."
I was just about to put the brakes on the old man's runaway train of stories when Wyss spoke up.
"He was a coward? I can't even picture that now."
Wyss stared intently at me. What? Why is she looking at me like that?
"Come to think of it, he does look a bit delicate."
I scowled as hard as I could. Instead of being intimidated, Wyss burst into laughter. This isn't how this was supposed to go.
"Exactly! A delicate-looking fellow like him suddenly went up the mountain one day and beat a wolf to death. But after that, the boy changed completely." The innkeeper's eyes suddenly grew deep and thoughtful. "It's like he became a different person. Even more so now that he's back from his travels."
I quietly swallowed hard. I had occasionally suspected that the old man might have realized I was a possessor. But this was the first time he had spoken of it so directly.
"Well, I suppose that's just how boys grow up!" He let out a hearty laugh. Was that a relief? I offered a sheepish smile of my own for now.
"By the way, what was that story you were going to tell earlier about him being a coward?"
"Ah, that! Well, Alan..."
Seriously, you two.
Still... I watched the two of them chatter away happily. With things like this, I can leave with some peace of mind.
Spin, spin. Several coins spun freely in midair. Now that my Wind Authority had reached B-rank, manipulating multiple coins at once was well within my capabilities. It required a significant amount of mental concentration, but cooped up in the inn, this was about the only thing I had to pass the time.
"Anyway, my arm feels almost completely healed..." I muttered, staring at the floating coins. "It's about time to..."
Just then, a voice spoke up from beside me.
"Oh, you can float quite a few of them now."
"Whoa!"
The coins suspended in the air clattered to the floor all at once. When had she slipped in? Even though I knew she wasn't a Demon King anymore, moments like this still genuinely startled me.
"W-what is it?"
"There's something I wanted to say. Would you like to go get some fresh night air? Just right outside."
If it was just right outside, I had no reason to refuse. I stood up and stepped out of the inn with Wyss. Perhaps because it was still early spring, the air was quite chilly. I was fine, but Wyss, who was wearing rather thin clothes, looked a bit cold.
"Wyss, aren't you cold?"
"This is nothing. The Ice Valley is colder than this even in the middle of summer."
So it was that cold. In the game, the Ice Valley had already been destroyed by the time the story began, so I had rarely heard any details about it. Suddenly, I was curious.
"What was the Ice Valley like?"
It wasn't information I needed immediately, but it would surely be helpful to know.
"It's a bit hard to describe what kind of place it 'was'... Having lived only in the Ice Valley, it was simply the only home I knew."
"Ah, that makes sense."
"If I had to describe it, it was a harsh place, frozen and surrounded by ice all year round. The areas where humans could survive were limited to the vicinity of the flowing hot springs. But still..." She pointed a finger toward the sky. "The sky there was just as beautiful as the one here."
"The sky?"
I looked up. It was a sky perpetually covered by a reddish barrier, day and night. Perhaps that was why the Basil Region was nicknamed the 'Land of the Setting Sun.'
Currently, every region where humanity lived was enclosed by its own barrier. And depending on the attribute of the barrier stone—the core that generated the barrier—the color of the sky differed. Basil's red barrier was one example, but more extreme cases were the Reim Kingdom and Sak.
The Reim Kingdom's barrier stone possessed the light attribute. Because of this, it was bright all day long from the barrier's light. On the other hand, Sak's barrier stone possessed the dark attribute. In stark contrast to the Reim Kingdom, the darkness of Sak's barrier blocked out even the light coming from the outside, leaving it perpetually dark.
What was the Ice Valley like?
I knew nothing about the Ice Valley's barrier. I only knew that the region had been destroyed when its barrier collapsed. Wyss provided the answer to my unspoken question.
"The Ice Valley's barrier was a white, transparent color, like pristine frost. Thanks to that, when night fell, the moon and stars would bleed through the barrier, shimmering softly."
It sounded truly beautiful. Though it was a sight that could never be seen again.
"...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought up the Ice Valley."
"It's fine. I've already accepted it."
Wyss offered a bright smile. I had thought so before, but Wyss was remarkably resilient. As I stared blankly at her smile, she spoke again.
"By the way."
"Yes?"
"Are you planning on leaving this place, Alan?"
It was a somewhat startling question. Of course, I intended to leave, but I had never mentioned it in front of her.
"How did you know?"
"The owner told me. He said you wanted to leave."
I realized the innkeeper would definitely have known. Seriously, though, how does that old man manage to talk so much, even during meals?
"Yes, that's true."
I didn't want to lie. There was no need to, either. I would have to leave eventually.
"I have to leave. There's something I need to do out there."
Of course, the peaceful daily life here was wonderful. There was a reason Gwen clung so desperately to a normal life. Perhaps there was no greater happiness than this. We had even repelled the invasion of the 71st Demon King. In the original game, Alan usually left the village after its destruction, but that was no longer the case. If I wanted to settle down here, I easily could. But...
"I have something to prove."
I had to prove it. If I hadn't given up, could I have become something? If I don't give up, can I become something? I had to prove that through Alan. That was the very reason I had raised Alan for the 101st time.
Become a Hero
For now, becoming a Hero was the priority. But I wouldn't stop there. I wouldn't give up, and I intended to go as far as I possibly could.
"That's wonderful." Wyss smiled at me. "I envy you for having something you want to achieve."
"No, it's nothing to envy..."
"I suppose I didn't need to worry after all."
"Pardon?"
She pointed back toward the inn. "The owner asked me for a favor. He said you wanted to leave but were hesitating, so I should help push you out the door."
"Why would he make such a meddlesome request..." I trailed off, shaking my head. "No, actually... thank you, Wyss."
It was true that I had been putting off my departure day after day, lulled by the comfort of this familiar routine. But my conversation with Wyss just now had solidified my resolve to set out once more.
"Well, personally, I would have preferred it if you stayed—the more family, the merrier. But since you've made up your mind, I won't try to stop you." Wyss wore a bittersweet, slightly wistful expression. "In return, please do me one favor."
She slipped a bracelet off her wrist and held it out to me. "If you happen to meet Finn somewhere else, please give this to him."
I hesitated. I couldn't accept this. After all, Finn had given it to Wyss.
"Why? Can't you even do that much for me?"
"No, it's not that. I just think it's better for you to keep it, Wyss. If Finn comes back and sees you don't have it, he'll probably be disappointed."
"That's true." Convinced, she slipped the bracelet back onto her wrist.
"Then, since it can't be helped, just pass along a message from me."
"A message?"
"Yes. Tell him I'm waiting."
This, too, was an impossible request. But lies had a way of snowballing, and since I was the one who had spun the web, I had to take responsibility.
"I can do that much. I understand."
Only then did Wyss smile again. At that moment, a gust of wind blew past. Shiver. Wyss trembled slightly.
"See? I told you it's cold."
"It is a bit chilly."
"Let's head back inside before you catch a cold."
And so, my last night at the inn passed.
"He's fast."
"Too fast. It's almost hurtful."
"Me too."
The innkeeper and Wyss stared blankly into Alan's room, which had been emptied overnight. They hadn't expected him to bolt the very night they told him to go.
"He left without even saying goodbye."
"I told you, the kid's a coward."
"A coward?"
"He probably didn't have the courage to look us in the eye and leave. That's why he chose to slip away in the dead of night."
In a way, the old man knew me all too well.
"He'll come back, right?"
"I don't know when, but he'll return. He still harbors the ambition of inheriting this inn, after all." The innkeeper let out a dry chuckle. "Besides, he won't be able to forget his life here. He looked so happy."
This tastes awful.
As expected, the food in this world was terrible. I thought to myself as I spooned some watery stew in a shabby diner in the neighboring village. Wyss's cooking was definitely out of this world.
I turned my head to look back in the direction of the village. The sunset was painting the sky over there.
I already want to go back.
I missed Wyss's warm, delicious food. I missed the soft, cozy bed. I even missed the strict but kind-hearted innkeeper.
But I couldn't turn back now. I had enjoyed my rest to the absolute limit. Now, it was time to run again.
This is enough to fill my stomach.
Leaving half of the stew behind, I stood up from my seat.
Shall we go?
I had to move diligently.
To Sak.