Reunion
A pile of stones on a hill untouched by water.
Del Roan read the words written on the slip of paper aloud.
He looked up at his two companions.
"Do either of you know where this is?"
Jane shook her head first.
"I don't know much about geography. I spent all my time cooped up in the Magic Tower."
Belgard then cast his gaze downward.
"...If it's a pile of stones on a waterless hill, there are far too many candidates."
He knew too much, which was a problem in its own right.
"Then what do we do? We can't just visit every single place we can think of."
"True. It would be a waste of travel time."
"Are we just going to let this go, then?"
"No!" Roan quickly shook his head at Belgard's suggestion.
He couldn't do that.
This was an opportunity he had secured by taking a completely different path than in his past life.
"Let's start with the closest one. Since he was a lord, he might not have been able to go very far."
"The closest one... the Grey Hills?"
"Exactly!"
"...Didn't we hear some rumors while investigating that place? They said it's quite dangerous."
In truth, Jane felt a bit strange even as she spoke.
She had survived so many absurd ordeals, yet here she was, hesitating. But she couldn't help it.
...I feel like I'm not being very helpful lately, she thought.
Belgard could talk to corpses and even cast defensive barriers. He might be physically weak, but his utility was undeniable.
If the arrogant Jane of the past had heard her own thoughts, she would have been shocked, but she was entirely serious now.
Roan gave her a thumbs-up.
"Why worry about that? I'll block, Belgard will support, and you can burn everything to ashes, Jane! We can handle anything!"
He was a man who always stayed true to his feelings.
His validation hit home. Whether he meant it lightly or not, it brought her immense comfort.
"...I suppose so." Jane let out a soft chuckle and followed behind him.
***
The Grey Hills.
It was a vast territory teeming with wildlife, making it a frequent battleground for monsters. Completely barren of trees, the desolate hills lay fully exposed to the harsh sunlight.
"...It looks like someone has already been here," Belgard noted.
Just as he said, there were clear traces of human presence.
"Monster corpses and scattered piles of stones..."
"Looks like someone had quite a fight here."
"Indeed. They must be highly skilled. Didn't you say this is an area where high-ranking adventurers take commissions?" Jane asked, and Roan nodded in agreement.
"We don't need to worry about them. We didn't come here to fight monsters anyway."
They were only here to investigate what the former lord had left behind. If anything, a cleared-out environment was actually better for them.
"Hmm... the piles of stones..."
They scattered to deduce where the original pile of stones might have been.
Claw marks gouged into the earth, scrapes that looked like iron armor brushing against rock, shattered boulders that had been crushed by a powerful grip...
"...Wait a minute."
Jane, who had spotted all of these clues, called out to Roan.
"What is it? Did you find something?"
"No... isn't this that?"
"What do you mean by that?" Belgard asked.
"Ah, Belgard, you wouldn't know. There was a guy we tried to recruit as a comrade before you joined."
"A guy... you tried to recruit?"
Jane began her explanation.
Cedric Rowell.
An uncooperative, arrogant knight.
She had graciously educated his sentient armor when it dared to try and devour her, only for him to knee her in the face and run away.
"...It sounds like you two didn't get along very well."
"I don't think highly of him at all. He ran away after we helped him."
"Hey, don't be like that."
Talking behind a comrade's back was a no-go. Even if they didn't get along, it was much better to fight face-to-face.
Roan smoothed over the tension and surveyed their surroundings.
Sure enough, Rowell's traces were scattered all over the place.
Had he taken a commission? Or had he just cleared them out on his way through? Whatever the reason, it was good to know he was alive.
"Let's start searching. The former lord wouldn't have buried it too deep."
Just as Roan was about to dig into the ground, a metallic clanking sound echoed in his ears.
A moment later, something landed with a sharp clang right in front of him.
"Huh?"
It was a sword. And not just any sword—it was a razor-sharp blade forged from high-quality steel.
Roan looked up.
Standing before him was a figure clad in black armor that seemed to swallow the sunlight.
"Rowell?"
"You."
At the sound of his voice, Jane's eyes snapped wide open.
"It's... it's him! Him! Belgard! Get ready to fight! He blindsided us and ran away last time!"
"I-Is that so?"
"No. There is no need for that," Rowell said.
"It seems you've gathered more companions. How many do you intend to recruit?"
"Why? Want to join? Including you and me, we're aiming for seven in total."
"Then there is even less reason for me to join. I prefer to work alone."
He tapped his armor, eliciting a clear, metallic ring.
"So, what's with the sword? Did you prepare it as a thank-you gift for me?"
"As if."
Rowell picked up the fallen sword.
"One of the monsters here had it hidden away. I was resting after dealing with it when I spotted you."
That was why he had shown them the sword.
"I simply wanted to show you that I can manage perfectly fine on my own."
"Wait a minute, Cedric Rowell."
"...What is it, mage?"
"Which monster did you get that sword from?"
Rowell thought for a moment before replying.
"A Digdag."
A monster that dug through the earth and crushed minerals to reinforce its claws.
Jane asked a few more suspicious questions. After a brief back-and-forth, she finally reached a conclusion.
"That's ours."
"...What do you mean?"
"The lord of the city back there told us to take it."
"Nonsense. I found it, so it is mine. The slow are simply left behind."
What an incredibly obnoxious thing to say.
Jane gnashed her teeth in frustration, unable to refute his logic.
Unlike her, however, Roan completely understood his perspective.
If you're late, you're late. In my past life, there were countless times I faced disaster because I was too slow.
Letting him keep the sword wasn't a bad idea either. Rowell needed to grow stronger, after all.
Roan readily accepted it and stepped between Jane and Rowell. Even with physical distance between them, the glaring contest they held was quite a sight to behold.
Once Rowell went on his way, Jane ground her teeth and glared at Roan.
"I can't take this anymore."
"About Rowell? Well, I've already decided to make him my comrade—"
"Not Rowell. You."
Roan pointed at himself in surprise.
"Del Roan, just how many comrades did you have in that damn past life of yours? At this rate, you'll end up giving away your own organs!"
"U-Um, Jane. I think you're getting a bit too worked up..."
"We got that information through our own efforts! It makes absolutely no sense to just hand it over so easily!"
Even as Jane vented her anger, Roan remained silent. Or rather, was he silent? His shoulders were trembling.
Ugh... did I go too far? Jane thought, but she had no intention of backing down. No matter how good-natured a person was, this was crossing the line.
Actually, this is for the best. It's better to hash it out now than to have a massive fight later.
Jane took a deep breath, preparing to raise her voice and confront him properly. But contrary to her expectations, Roan wasn't upset at all.
She's saying all this because she cares about me...! I'm so touched...!
In fact, he was deeply moved.
She's right. I have comrades right here beside me, yet I was focusing too much on others.
"Who should I recruit next?" "What rumors are circulating about other potential comrades?"
Lately, his mind had been consumed by those thoughts. It was time to pause and reflect. He needed to show his gratitude to the people who were already walking this path with him.
"Jane."
"What... why are you crying...?"
"You're absolutely right...! Yes, I was paying far too much attention to a distant friend...!"
"I-I wasn't asking you to pay attention to me. I just didn't want you to keep letting people walk all over you!"
"Exactly! We can't let ourselves lose out! Because we're all comrades!"
Hearing Jane's blunt grumbling and Roan's overly positive response, Belgard let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew... I'm glad you didn't fight, but... it really is a shame. We lost a sword that you could have used, Roan."
"Exactly. That's what made me so angry."
"But we can just do better next time. If we use this as a learning experience to grow together—"
"No!" Roan interrupted.
"There is no next time. We have to make it right now."
Acknowledge your mistakes and correct them immediately. That was the behavioral code Roan had set for himself upon his regression.
The other two, however, looked utterly bewildered.
"What are you talking about? What are you going to do?"
"We're going after him."
"...The knight?"
"Yeah. And we're taking the sword back."
Even if it led to a clash, he would accept it. Rowell was someone who grew through conflict, after all.
"Wait. Do you even know where he went? You said yourself that he wanders all over the place."
"Exactly!"
But!
"I have a pretty good idea of where he's heading."
He had spent plenty of time chasing after Rowell in his past life while trying to get close to him.
"Alright, let's think. You've built up your skills and obtained a great item. What's the next logical step?" Roan posed the question like a riddle.
"...To put it to use?" Belgard guessed.
Close, but incorrect. Rowell valued his armor far more than any sword.
"He's going to sell it. And there's a perfect place for that. Plus, we have our own reasons to go there."
"Our reasons... does it have to do with that 'destruction' or whatever you mentioned?" Jane asked.
"Yes. I'll explain the details when the time comes... but for now, let me tell you our destination."
Bebelhon.
The city of blacksmiths.
When Roan revealed the destination, Jane nodded in approval. Roan looked surprised by her reaction.
"Oh? That's unexpected."
"What is?"
"I didn't think you'd like the idea, Jane. It's a place known for weapons and armor, not books or magical artifacts."
"I don't look down on things just because they aren't magical, you know. Besides, there's something I want to do there."
"What is it?"
She didn't answer, and Roan didn't press her. He had his own secrets, so he respected hers.
"Alright... let's head out! Our goal is to retrieve the sword Rowell took! Destination: Bebelhon!"
Just as Roan was about to set off in his usual energetic fashion, a hand suddenly shot out in front of him.
"Huh? Belgard? What's wrong?"
"We can't just leave immediately. We must prepare thoroughly. We never know when or where danger might strike."
Clean water was an absolute necessity.
A skinning knife to secure food would be highly beneficial.
They needed to pack camping gear.
How on earth had Roan even survived traveling until now?
And so on.
A barrage of nagging washed over him. Listening to it, Roan found himself once again deeply moved by his comrades.