Bonus 1: It’s All Over, So Time for a Reward

The night of the day we defeated the “Demon Dragon.”

I told Raiga everything the goddess had said to me.

Not holding anything back.

I’d had more than enough of keeping secrets while dealing with people.

Raiga wouldn’t meet my eyes.
Not that I could blame him—it was only natural, considering what I’d done.

He fell silent for a while, as if mulling something over.

“…I see.”

That was all he said, and that was the end of the day.

On Karen-san’s recommendation, we decided to return to the royal castle of Elgrand.
Simply put, to report our victory.
Our group numbered four.

…Though Myudy bowed out right away.

“No way am I going back there. …Tell Risharl I said hi.”

Apparently, there was some deep grudge involved.

The journey back was surprisingly uneventful.
Nothing tried to hinder us.

What became of the monsters driven mad by the miasma, I couldn’t say—we never saw a single one.
Maybe they’d been buried along with the “Demon Dragon,” or maybe they’d shaken off its influence and returned to their original forms.
We could only guess; it wasn’t as though we could see everything.

Along the way, we stopped by Elna Village again, and the trip was far more peaceful than when we’d first come.

The throne room.

When the four of us knelt,

“Heroes, thanks to your deeds, our nation has been saved. Raise your heads.”

King Risharl urged us.
Just as Karen-san had explained beforehand—a bit of a formality, really.

“In recognition of your accomplishments, I will grant you any reward you wish.”

And here was the real point.
If we were to live on in this world, we needed compensation.
Our time as “heroes” was over; we were returning to being ordinary people.

Service to the crown.
A fortune beyond measure.
A noble title.

Those were the three main rewards King Risharl offered.
Of course, we could choose all of them, or even request something entirely different.

The first to answer was Rizel.
She gave the name of a certain woman and asked that her family be found.

It was probably her mother’s name.
She had come to this country to search for family members taken from her and separated long ago.

Next was Karen-san.
She requested a position in service.
Until now, as a “Saint,” she hadn’t worked, spending her days training instead.
She said she wanted to promote education-related projects to advance healing magic.

Considering her position, she didn’t need to ask here and now, but that was just like her.

Then it was our turn.
Naturally, our wishes were different.
Raiga no longer had any obligation to stick with me; he was free to live as he pleased.

So I spoke first.

“I’d like to live in Elna Village.”

King Risharl looked surprised.

“We are grateful that you wish to reside in the kingdom, but not in the capital?”

A fair question.
Even if the “Demon Dragon” was slain, its scars remained.
The village had been spared thanks to its barrier, but few would want to live in the southern region of Elgrand.

“Yes. The south will need help to rebuild. That’s why I wish to go there.”

Besides, I had no desire to live in the capital.
Given what the goddess had said, and the political hassle my presence would cause, it seemed even less appealing.

King Risharl looked a bit disappointed, but he granted permission.
He even said he would send word ahead to prepare for my arrival.

Finally, it was Raiga’s turn.
He spoke just one sentence.

“I want Galatine.”

That was it.
Once again, King Risharl looked taken aback.

“That sword can only be wielded by a Hero to begin with… but are you sure that is all?”
“Yeah. …There might still be monsters near Elna Village, and I want the power to protect it.”
“…Wait, you mean—”

Realizing what he was implying, I couldn’t help but let the words slip.

“Yeah. …I’m coming with you to Elna Village.”

Raiga declared it plainly, right to my face.
…The fact that his face looked a little blurry to me must have just been my imagination.

The day after the grand banquet held at the castle.

Early in the morning, when there were few people around the castle gates, we were there.

We hadn’t brought much luggage to begin with, so we decided to head to Elna Village right away.
It was perfect, really—I didn’t want some flashy send-off anyway.

In the end, we kept the mithril cooking set we’d used during the journey.

“A parting gift for the unusually modest Hero,” King Risharl had said—though I didn’t miss the slight twitch in his smile.

“Karen-san, Rizel, thank you for everything.”
“Stop by the village sometime, okay?”

When we said that—

“…See you.”

Rizel squeezed the words out.
Her voice sounded on the verge of tears again. It was strange not to hear her usual quirky tone, but since I felt the same way, I didn’t say anything.

“Raiga-sama, Yuto-sama, truly… thank you for everything…!”

Karen-san bowed deeply.
That was probably as a noble of Elgrand.

And then—

“I’ll definitely come visit the village!”

This time as a friend.

“Of course. You’ll be welcome.”
“Ah, that’s not fair! I’m coming to visit too, definitely!”

Her almost desperate tone made everyone smile.

—That’s right.
The journey was over, but that didn’t mean the bonds between people would end.
The connections we’d made during this less-than-a-month-long journey would continue.

Back on Earth, back when I was still a man, I’d never even noticed something that simple.

And that’s exactly why—

“Sorry, Karen-san. Could I talk to you for a minute?”

I brought it up with her.

“What is it?”

We’d stepped away from Raiga and Rizel when Karen-san asked.

“Uh… I just thought… I should tell you.”
“…Alright.”

Just thinking about what I was about to say made my face feel like it was on fire, but I had to tell her properly.
It was only right.

“Sorry, but… I don’t think I can give up Raiga after all. …After saying all that before… I’m sorry.”

“…”

Karen-san stayed silent.
She was probably exasperated with my stupidity.

—Or so I thought, until—

“Fu… fufufu…”

What came from her lips was laughter.

What could be so funny?
No—maybe the ridiculous one here was me.

“I already knew.”
“…Huh?”
“That night, I confessed to Raiga-san. And he turned me down, just like that. …I knew from the start I didn’t have a chance.”

That came out of nowhere.
When had that even happened?

“So please… go ahead and be happy without worrying about me. I’ll be fine.”

“…Thank you.”

That was all I could say.

After saying our goodbyes once more, Raiga and I began the walk south again.
I would miss them, of course, but knowing we would surely meet again someday made it easier.

The cheerful sunshine that shone down on us was nothing like the day we first set out on our journey.