The day after the defensive battle.
Crossroad had fully regained its usual peace.
The citizens who had evacuated returned to the city, and the streets bustled as if they had never been emptied by monster invasions.
While the citizens enthusiastically resumed their daily lives, the heroes who had endured grueling days on the back of Jormungandr were utterly spent.
After a hearty dinner at the Lord's mansion, each one of them collapsed onto their beds and fell into a deep sleep.
Even with the sun high in the sky, they remained knocked out, unable to move.
Thump. Thump.
Only Damien, who hadn't climbed on Jormungandr, was up and about early in the morning. With bandages tightly wrapped around both arms and donning a large cardigan, he left the mansion. He quickened his pace and exited through the city's west gate.
Beyond the western outskirts of the city lay a graveyard.
Damien paused as he passed the countless stone monuments, finally stopping in front of a tall communal tombstone.
"..."
The tombstone had been erected for soldiers who had not been properly buried following the battle against the Black Spider Army at the forward base.
Some had died horrifically, while Damien had cremated her at the base.
It was a promise they had made to each other in life: to cremate, not bury, each other should one of them die.
That's why there was no separate tombstone for her in this graveyard.
A blue sacred flame burned in front of the communal tombstone. Damien silently stood in front of it, gazing into the fire.
"More than half a year has passed since you died," Damien spoke softly.
"I still can't believe it, Ban."
Damien's bandaged hand slowly caressed the tombstone.
"It feels like we were together just yesterday."
If he closed his eyes, it felt like he could grasp her smiling face.
For a moment, Damien recalled his memories with Ban. The days they had spent together, from his childhood up to the present. And perhaps, the future they couldn't experience together.
"Since becoming a sniper, I've learned something," Damien slowly opened his eyes.
"Life is like an arrow that has left the bow, or a bullet that has left the gun barrel."
The boy looked down at his bandaged hands.
"Once the arrow is in the air, you can't go back to the moment before it was shot. No matter how much you want to turn back time... you can't."
No matter how much you regret the past, or relive memories, you can't return to the moment before the trigger was pulled.
Life has already been shot into the void.
"So, I have to decide," a faint smile appeared at the corners of Damien's mouth.
"Where I'm going to land."
Damien looked back at the tombstone.
"Ban, I looked up to you. I wanted to be strong like you... yes, I wanted to be you."
That's why he had followed in her footsteps.
Imitated her bravado, acted like a stronger version of himself.
Hoping that by doing so, the current painful moments would pass.
But he was wrong. He realized the futility of pretending to be her.
Ban was strong not because she put on an act, but because she faced her life without running away.
"Remember when the orphanage director pressured us to become his son Willer?"
A faint smile hung on Damien's lips, gradually becoming clearer.
"You, Ban, never once tried to become Willer. You always wanted to live as yourself."
Life is like an arrow that has left the bow.
"Admiring you, I tried to abandon myself and become you. Isn't that laughable?"
Either you're shot toward someone else's target, or you aim yourself toward your own future.
An arrow must make a decision.
And Damien made his choice.
"I won't chase after you anymore."
There was no longer any hesitation on the boy's face.
"Because I am neither Willer nor Ban, but Damien."
Not someone else's life,
Nor following someone you admire,
By my own will. By my own beliefs.
"I will exist as me."
He decided to live.
Damien had made his choice.
"Even if it takes a long time, I promise to keep it."
Not because of a promise with Ban, but entirely of his own will.
Damien resolved to set off on an adventure to the ends of the world.
"So, Ban, you too... be yourself."
Damien slowly lifted his hand from the tombstone and stepped back.
"Stay beautiful within me."
The graveyard was tranquil.
The eternal flames quietly burned, and the dead remained in their silent slumber.
However, at that moment, Damien felt as if he heard a girl's laughter tickling his ear.
'Come back.'
It must be an illusion.
A hallucination.
As if he had dreamt of spending a lifetime with her.
Damien turned away from the tombstone. With a bandaged hand, he roughly wiped away the tears from his eyes.
After smiling warmly with his reddened eyes, the boy began to walk toward the city.
Toward the life's target he had set for himself.
Without faltering, straight ahead.
***
"Uuuuugh."
I let out a zombie-like groan.
"Uuuuuuh."
"Keeeeek."
"Gwaaah."
All the heroes sitting around the table were making similar noises.
The day after the defense battle, past noon.
Aider forcibly woke us up, insisting we must have lunch, and herded us into the dining hall.
We were all zombified because the fatigue from three days of continuous labor had not yet lifted.
If it were up to me, I'd sleep for a week, but the damn aide said things like, 'It's bad for your health!' and shoved food into our mouths.
This is what's bad for my health! Just let me sleep!
"Gwaaaah."
Whether the food was going into our mouths or our noses, or even oozing out, I didn't know. Somehow, the meal was over.
The heroes sluggishly crawled back into their guest rooms and passed out, and I, lacking the strength to return to my room, stayed at the dining table and barely sipped on some cold coffee.
I'd already craved iced Americano while repelling Jormungandr, and now that I had some, I felt a bit revived.
"Ash."
Just then, someone stood next to me and called my name.
I lazily lifted my eyes to see who it was. Who dares to carelessly call the name of their lord?
It was a woman with snow-white hair cascading down her back.
Deprived of sunlight, her pale skin was just as fair as her hair.
Eyes clear and blue as a lake, a well-defined nose, and slightly closed lips of a lighter shade.
"…"
This was the first time I had ever encountered such an astonishing beauty—a literal doll-like figure, as if not of this world.
Yeah, she was extraordinarily beautiful, but...
"…Who are you?"
I was taken aback because I had never seen this person before.
I rubbed my eyes, thinking perhaps fatigue was playing tricks on my sight, but there was no mistake. This was someone I'd never met.
"What the hell? Who are you? How can you just waltz into my home and call out someone's name?"
Startled, I nearly knocked over my coffee cup. The woman frowned as if baffled.
"What are you talking about? It's me, Nameless."
"Ah."
Only then did I realize who she was.
She was Nameless, a merchant NPC from Lake Kingdom.
…But she had changed so drastically! From tattered robes to guest attire, and a wash(?) had completely transformed her appearance.
"Weren't you the one who insisted I stay for a day?"
Nameless grumbled.
Right, that was true. She had initially planned to return home immediately.
But I forced her to stay at my place for a day, thinking I should at least offer her a meal after all the hardships we went through together.
Then I realized, this brat had entered through Jormungandr's mouth and exited from its rear(!).
I told her she couldn't enter my home in that condition and ushered her into the mansion's bath.
And apparently, chaos ensued.
The maids assigned to Nameless' bath screamed that 'water as dark as centuries-old filth' was coming out.
Nameless' 'bath' took several hours, and she couldn't join us for dinner.
Right after dinner, I, along with everyone else, practically passed out and went to sleep.
So, this was the first time I was meeting her post-bath.
"Wow, you look like a different person after a bath! You should've been doing that all along!"
I couldn't help but admire the rejuvenated Nameless.
In other words, just how dirty had she been? Do all people in Lake Kingdom lack basic hygiene? I was somewhat disappointed deep down.
"The people of my kingdom are suffering in a hellish condition. How could I alone indulge in luxury?"
Nameless shrugged her shoulders.
No, luxury or not, you're supposed to maintain basic hygiene, you resident of this fantasy world! Just wash regularly!
"Anyway, I was thinking of heading back."
Clean-Nameless stretched her long neck and looked around.
"Do you know where my stuff is? I can't see my clothes or my sword."
"Your stuff…?"
I felt a momentary pang of anxiety. What if the maids had thrown them away because they were too filthy? It was a definite possibility.
That's when it happened.
"All your belongings have been stored here."
Aider appeared, holding a clean bag.
"Your clothes and robe have been washed. And your sword is here, placed in a new sword sheath."
"Ah, thanks for that."
Clean-Nameless gratefully took the bag and slung the sword sheath over her back.
Aider, who had been inspecting the long, trailing white hair on the floor, cautiously asked,
"If it's not too impertinent, may I tie your hair for you?"
"Huh?"
"I thought it might get in your way while you walk. It will be much more manageable if I tie it up a bit."
"Ah, please do. I've had moments where stepping on my hair threw me off balance while swinging my sword."
Aider walked behind Nameless, pulled out a long red cloth from his pocket, and meticulously braided her long white hair before tying it up.
I didn't know the first thing about how he did it, but Aider's skills were impressive enough to prevent Nameless's hair from dragging on the ground any longer. Although it was still long and wavy, it now draped like a cloak behind her.
"Thanks. This is much more comfortable."
"You're welcome. Then."
Aider nodded his head and prepared to step back. Just then, Nameless tilted her head and hesitantly asked,
"By any chance…"
"Yes?"
Nameless seemed unsure, but she asked anyway.
"…Have we met before?"
Aider blinked a few times behind his bangs and glasses, and then let out a wry smile.
"No, we haven't, my lady. You must be confusing me with someone else."
"…"
Nameless, who had been standing blankly, eventually offered a crooked smile.
"Right. Of course not. It's been centuries since I've ventured into the outside world; I must be getting careless."
Nameless scratched her cheek awkwardly, then gave Aider a subtle smile.
"Thanks for tying my hair."
Aider bowed deeply in return.
"It was my pleasure."
***
Flash-!
Nameless teleported back to Lake Kingdom.
There was no need for a grand farewell since they were going to see each other again soon. They simply waved their hands.
As soon as Nameless disappeared and the magical particles subsided, I asked,
"What's the relationship between you two, Aider?"
Aider immediately responded,
"No comment."
"This guy…"
Spoilers, please, for the love of God!
"Don't you have plenty of other questions for me?"
Aider spread his arms wide, smirking mischievously.
"How about the long-delayed interview with the director? Let's do it now."
"…"
"I'm always eager to hear from our players!"
The moment I heard that, I couldn't help but think,
...Why do the operators of failing games always say things like that?