And we’re finally at the end of Volume 1. It only took me four months to get this far. Now I will be taking a break to deal with the Light Novel version of the first volume. I will also be working on a PDF of the Web Novel version so please look forward to that soon. Now here is the chapter. Enjoy.

The Preceding Hero Goes on a Journey

「Tre-san?」

「Oh, so you"ve come Yuuya…No, it was Yuu Yashiro wasn"t it. Why didn"t you tell me that I was saying it wrong?」

As I arrive at the Train Loan Barn, what was in front of the store was Tre-san petting a grey type (plumage?) Kulkel.

「What is Tre-san doing in a place like this?」

Although she had partic.i.p.ated in the Glard Wasteland battle, since I had to run around guided by Lililuri, without making a united front with Tre-san, I needed to quickly run away once the battle was over. Since we only had a bit of small talk before going to the war, it"s been a while since I"ve met up with Tre-san.

As usual, she"s in erotic equipment………

「Fufu…Come now, wipe that drool.」

「Ah, excuse me.」

As I was fascinated by the erotic equipment, I was handed a handkerchief together with a gentle smile. ……It was a sweet handkerchief that had white as its base color.

「You know, though that"s also good, I think black would match Tre-san. A black lace design.」

「That"s none of your business. ……May I ask the reason? 」

「Because it"s s.e.xy.」

「You never change, do you.」

Maybe because my remark was really funny, Tre-san laughed with a giggle. …………What could it be, this peaceful atmosphere………Huh? Are Tre-san"s eyes looking somewhat sad? ……C, could it be…I don"t think it could but!

「Tre-san, could it be you think of me as……」

「Today, I came to see you off.」

「That was an immediate reply.」

She replied quickly enough to interrupt my words.

「Well, I do think that it"s great that I met you though.」

「T, Tre-san!」

「I don"t mind embracing you but that"ll be an extra fee, you know?」

「You"re taking my money!?」

「Of course. Good women are expensive after all.」

Saying that, Tre-san, who showed a smile, sweetly……without joking around, became charmed.

「At, at any rate, what’s with that Kulkel? ……This is the first time I’ve seen a grey type.」

「Fufu…. Going by what Master said, Yuu, it seems to be your Kulkel, you know? 」

Having become embarra.s.sed, I changed the subject, but it would seem that Tre-san figured it out.
She looked at me with a smile that was like one that which a slightly amazed Onee-san shows a mischievous child.
Guh, wh, what is with this embarra.s.sment! It feels like I’m being treated like a child even though I’m already at the age of 16.

「Wait, it"s mine?」

Maybe responding to my words, the grey type Kulkel took two, three steps closer, and rubbed its giant beak on my arm.

「…………You, are you Weiß[1] and Schwarz" child? 」

As I looked closer, since it somehow resembled the Kulkel I knew, I stroked its beak while asking, and as I did, it cried *Kukeh* with a slow voice.
It would seem that though it can’t talk human speech, it can understand it.

「Now I get it……So it"s from Sylvia.」

The awfully attached, about one-and-a-half year old Kulkel bent its legs and lowered its posture.

「You’re telling me to get on? Haha, you guys, both parents and child all together sure are eager to be ridden on. Hoitto (Here we go).」

There weren’t any reins but, as I straddle it while gently gripping the base of the Kulkel’s neck, the grey type Kulkel walked around looking delighted.

「……Nn, you really are those guys’ child. The feeling riding you is the best~.」

As I stroked its neck, once again, it cried *Kukeh* with a slow voice.

「Yotto. ……If it’s like this, you don’t need reins, huh.」

Normal Kulkel are cowardly and have difficulty getting attached to people. Therefore, there is a need to control them with reins, but, maybe because these parents and child are able to understand human speech, it seems that their fear of people isn"t that violent. Though Leo and Sylvia use reins in order to keep their balance on top of those way too fast parents.

「……Yosh, then I guess we should get going.」

When I light hit the base of its head, replying with a *Kukeh*, the Kulkel"s feet went *Clip-clop* and………No, since it"s not a horse, is that the wrong way to say it?
Well, the sound doesn"t matter.
While it"s stretched out tail swayed, it began walking to the Royal Capital"s west gate.

「……See you later. I’ll be coming back again after all.」

「See ya. ……I’ll be waiting in antic.i.p.ation.」

While lightly waving her hand, the brown beauty Tre-san answered so.

「I wonder if I should have met with Pretty Boy-kun and the others?」

The idea that came to mind after leaving a bit from the gate, was rejected in the next moment.
The reason was because even though I finally left the city as an ordinary person, if I were to meet with those guys that now became celebrities in Luxeria as Heroes, that would make Baba-chan"s unseen under the table hard work and the feelings of Sylvia and others that kept quiet and gave me a single Kulkel all meaningless.

Well, it should be alright to leave it to them to bring the world peace as Heroes.
The Demon Lord won’t be able to revive after all.

「Now~ then, where to go………?」

Opening the map, and deciding on a good looking place to go to, in my ears, I hear footsteps running towards me.

There"s a festival right now, so if they were heading towards the Royal Capital I wouldn"t have minded it but running towards the outside is probably a lot less likely.

Ah, no. They might be in the middle of running to a relative"s wedding just like Melos[2].

And as I was thinking of such unnecessary things, I heard a young lady"s voice.

「Yuu!」

Only a little over a month had pa.s.sed since I came to this world, but it was a voice that I had surprisingly gotten used to hearing.

As I turn around, the young long eared Elf girl with short emerald-like green hair, Lililuri"s breathe was ragged. However, trying to put it in order, she inhaled a deep breath and repeated that breathing.

「Ou. I heard that you wouldn’t be able to come and see me off but………so you came.」

「Haa……Haa…っ. Obaa-chan told me “Go on”.」

Even her clumsy words, when compared to when we first met, it"s gotten a lot better.
It has been less than a week since Lililuri became Baba-chan"s disciple, but she has already endured "several years" of studying, and then for this girl that learned all that, while still in a childish body, her mind has already begun to mature.

Her mental age had increased.

「I see. Baba-chan sure does make some difficult directions.」

Even as I showed such a smile, Lililuri didn"t show any reaction of casting her eyes down from me saying that.

Having become Baba-chan"s disciple, unless something rare happens, Lililuri is unable to be separated from Baba-chan"s side.
After all, though she is an apprentice, she can use the same Time Magic as the "Witch of Time".
If it were to be abused, she"d be a Joker[3] that would be capable of changing even the world structure.
Naturally, an idiot seeking that will come out. Therefore, thinking of that worse case, I decided to entrust Lililuri to that absolutely safe Baba-chan (though the idea came from Baba-chan herself).

You could think of it as her not having much freedom until she becomes a full-fledged "Witch of Time".

Although it was a future that she chose herself, included in the foundation of that was an atonement to me, that"s what Baba-chan told me.

In order to become my strength, Lililuri sacrificed her life.
……At the very least, I wanted her to live in a safe place.

「………It"s not a final farewell or anything. I"m in the same world that you"re in. In that case, we"ll be able to meet up immediately.
After all, it"s not like trying to return to a "different world".」

The words of someone who"s experienced it are heavy, you know?

After all, during the three year gap, without returning even though I wanted to go back to this other world so, so badly that I couldn"t help myself, when I thought that I finally got used to the "normal", I once again came to this other world.
……The two years until I gave up were tough.

However, if you"re in the same world, if think about meeting up, you can simply meet up.
Since it can restart by chance on the roadside, it can be a funny story how the small the wide looking world is.

That"s why, I wasn"t the least bit sad.

「I"m not trying to look cool or anything, but we don"t need a goodbye.
You can just say "See you later".」

Although it was from on top of the Kulkel, as I lightly patted her, Lililuri made a deep nod.

「……Well, see you later.」

「……Un. See you later, Yuu.」

While lightly waving my hand at Lililuri who showed a smile at the end, I left the Royal Capital behind me.

「Gusu (Sniffle)…Ugu (Ugh)………っ」

「If you cry that much, Yuu will laugh at you, you know?」

While dirtying her clothes with tears and a dripping nose, the sobbing little Elf girl"s head is gently stroked by the brown beauty.

「Besides, you want to be Yuu"s partner, right? In that case, I don"t really think that you have the time to be crying, you know? 」

「……っ」

At the provoking words, with her face still dirty, Lililuri faced up and nodded.

「I want to, become Yuu"s partner!」

「That so. ……Well then, let"s go.」

Being influenced by the eyes full of motivation of the young girl that made a deep nod, Tre also again, by herself, became motivated.

(I guess I"ll also………try working a bit harder.)

While thinking "At the very least, enough to not drag him down………I want to show him that I can be that strong", she pulled the young girl"s hand and walked towards the crowds.

As if they were like parent and child, like they were sisters, like they were friends……like they were rivals in love, the two walked side by side.

「Was that alright?」

「Fuwah?……What was -jya? 」

Norn, who had just finished coaching over "several years", had replied to the busty receptionist while getting her to stick a compress on her back where she couldn"t reach.

Being the only miko that had faith in Norn, she was the person in charge of a.s.sisting Norn as well as the receptionist that was the face of the Guild.

Having been informed of the contents of Norn"s letter by Norn herself, this was the first time she had questioned it.

「Parting with an existence such as his…And then sending him to a place such as the Gehl Archipelago.」

One could say that her question can be well understood.
There"s no good reason to let the war potential called a Hero take care of themselves.
Even if the Demon Lord was sealed, the Demon Lord Army itself, was still continuing its existence.

「……Kakaka, you are also still only half way there -jya. At that rate, you will not be able to stand above others, you know? 」

「I acknowledge that from the beginning. The one to stand above others is not the Preceding Hero or the Pope, nor is it something like G.o.d. The one fit to stand above all others is none other than you. "First Hero"-sama」

At the miko-looking receptionist"s words, Norn cheerfully laughed.

「Kaka, I cast aside that name a millennium ago. The current me is the Witch of Time, nothing more and nothing less.」

「My apologies for my rudeness, Norn-sama.」

At the woman that respectfully bowed her head, Norn showed a bitter smile.

「About the answer to your question -jyaga, that fellow will not head south to the Gehl Archipelago, you know?」

「……Ha? 」

Having replied in an unadorned fashion to Norn"s words, who could blame the miko-looking woman?
No one should have.

「The meaning of what you had said……You had recommended the Gehl Archipelago, correct? 」

「Umu. ……That certainly is what I wrote. However, a fellow like that will not go. No, he cannot go.」

With a smile like that of a child that had successfully made a prank, Norn continued.

「That fellow that altogether experienced hardships from my "recommendation" three years ago, should have read too much into that postscript of mine -jya. He was also trained about that preference joke after all. ……Reading deeply into it, he will probably think that something will happen in the Gehl Archipelago. And then, reading between the lines, he will continue on in the complete opposite direction. ……And then, while he is headed towards Galarie, 」

「Magic Academy City "Lizwadia" huh. ……Since there are still a couple of months until the prizefighting tournament that is said to be held in Galarie……Yosh, I"ve decided on this place! 」

The free city located on the northern side of the map, Galarie.

While keeping an eye on that place, it"s been decided that the first destination is Lizwadia.

It"s a bit disappointing about the swimsuits, but this one has uniforms, so I"m looking forward to it.

While straddling the still nameless grey Kulkel, without rushing or being in a hurry, I slowly continue little by little.

What I"m aiming for is a different world slow life. Without rushing or wandering, let"s go straightforward.

 Translator Notes:
[1] p.r.o.nounced “Weiss”
[2] Reference to the story "Run, Melos!"
[3] Joker in the sense of cards.