Episode 1

On a clear morning after the rain.

I rode past a lake that shimmered serenely like jade.

The Holy Sword attached to the saddle jangled with the movement of the horse.

I am currently heading to a small town I briefly visited during my days as a hero.

It’s a city called Rosens, known for its beautiful surrounding scenery.

I had marked it as the place where I must open an inn when I retire.

The city was in poor condition back then; I wonder how it is now.

As I was lost in thought, I noticed something up ahead.

It was a cart filled with boxes in the cargo space.

Since this road leads only to Rosens, the cart was surely heading there as well.

I sped my horse up to ride alongside the cart.

“Hello.”

The middle-aged man sitting on the coachman’s seat looked back at me.

He scrutinized me suspiciously, his gaze eventually settling on the Holy Sword on my saddle.

“If you’re planning on robbery, be prepared. The people waiting for these goods might just kill you for them.”

“I’m not a robber. I’m a traveler.”

“And I’m not a merchant. I’m a king.”

I smiled at the man’s words.

“I’m really not a robber. If I were, I would have already taken your neck and your cart. Why would I bother talking like this?”

“Ha! If not a robber, then what are you doing on this lone road? There’s nothing but Rosens ahead.”

“I’m on my way to Rosens.”

“What for?”

“I’m going to open an inn.”

The man looked at me as if I were mad.

“Are you mad?”

“Not at all. I cook well, have enough funds, and am fully prepared to start an inn.”

The man stared at me for a moment, then burst into laughter.

“You are mad, indeed!”

After a hearty laugh, the man introduced himself.

“I’m Mollo, a broker who trades between Vue and Rosens.”

“I’m Bertrand.”

“Nice name. You seem like you might have been a mercenary or something similar?”

Mollo asked, looking at the Holy Sword attached to my saddle.

“I was just an ordinary adventurer.”

“Ah, an adventurer. A romantic profession. But why set up an inn in Rosens?”

“The air is good, the water is clear. There’s no better place.”

“Then you should have gone to Montreux or Lausanne instead of Rosens. You’ll only be disappointed. Better go back to Vue and look elsewhere.”

“Thanks for the advice, but I’ve already made up my mind.”

Mollo clicked his tongue.

Like his reaction, anyone who tries to run an inn in Rosens now would be considered mad.

But Rosens is definitely a city where one can strike it rich by exploiting its current situation.

“I don’t know what reasons you have for such a misguided decision, but let’s go together. I was getting bored alone, so this is good.”

We walked side by side, discussing the situation and the political climate of the surrounding areas.

Being a merchant, Mollo was very sensitive to rumors.

The lords of the Kusobo region have conspired and declared independence.

A naval defeat faced by the Kingdom of Elion.

The massacre of demons and the death of the Demon King in the northern demon castle.

“Can you guess which crazy fool stormed into the demon castle and overturned it?”

“Haha… Who knows.”

“Rumors say it was the deed of Bluudragon Lurtzog, who just woke from hibernation.”

“Why would Lurtzog attack the demon castle?”

“How would I know what that giant lizard was thinking? Maybe it just woke up to find some young fool strutting around and decided to squash him.”

“It would be more believable to say that the Revenge King Blavani resurrected from his grave to mete out punishment.”

At my words, Mollo burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! That sounds plausible.”

It feels strange to hear about my own deeds from someone else’s mouth.

But I can’t speak of it carelessly.

It’s because of a confidentiality agreement with the royal palace.

The royal palace made tremendous efforts to keep my existence a secret.

They were concerned that people might support a hero who saved them, rather than the rulers themselves.

An entity more popular than the king is a serious obstacle to the maintenance of royal authority and order.

The width of the seemingly endless lake gradually narrowed.

The narrowed lake water poured into a river, forming a small waterfall.

Following the river, the coniferous forest gave way, revealing Rosens in the distance.

Rosens is a city clustered like a group of mushrooms, with buildings topped with bright orange gabled roofs.

Behind the city, the rugged Buern Mountains loomed like a folding screen.

The rocky Buern Mountains were layered horizontally, gradually becoming snow-capped towards the peaks, which were entirely white.

Above the peaks of the mountains, the sky was piercingly blue, with clouds like torn cotton drifting by.

In front of the city, backed by mountains, a river flowed and the surrounding flatlands were cultivated fields.

In the cultivated fields, tall conifers that had not been cut down stood, and wildflowers blooming in spring were scattered everywhere, like a colorful blot.

It was a breathtakingly beautiful scene, both then and now.

“It really is a beautiful place.”

“Um… I’ll admit, the scenery is good.”

Mollo followed me around to take in the surroundings for a moment.

But he quickly returned to reality and urged his old horse on.

“Let’s go.”

People were out in the fields, plowing with their plows.

However, the usual draft horses or oxen were nowhere to be seen.

Seeing this, Mollo clicked his tongue.

“This year’s farming is doomed too. With that going on, when will they plow the fields and sow the seeds?”

Crude barricades appeared, zigzagging across the road.

Men armed with crude knives and scythes looked at us with grim expressions.

“These are local militia members. Everyone’s on edge, so try not to collide with them.”

As we passed them, Mollo spoke in a low voice.

We entered the city along a road paved with broken cobblestones.

The city was quiet.

The wide paved road was deserted, with broken furniture and trash occasionally visible along the roadside.

The buildings along the road were silent, with lights out and doors not properly secured.

A skinny dog looked at us, then tucked its tail and ran away.

Even under the warm spring sunlight, Rosens felt chilly.

“Doesn’t it just feel like a ghost town?”

Mollo, with a bitter look in his eyes, spoke as he surveyed the city.

“This place used to be quite bustling. It’s on the road that connects Vue to the south and Furibur to the north. Without passing through here, one would have to take a long detour around the mountains.”

He spoke coolly, looking towards the northern edge of the mountains.

“But everything ended when those Golruk bastards settled in the northern area.”

Mollo clicked his tongue as if in pity.

“The Legion’s punitive forces came to protect the Royal territory, but… they were all annihilated. Since then, neither the Legion nor anyone else dares to tread the northern road.”

Golruk are humanoid monsters living in the mountainous area, with males averaging three meters in height.

Because they live in groups of dozens in the rugged mountains, they are very difficult to eradicate.

These troublesome creatures blocked the northern road to the city a few years ago.

Because of this, Rosens suddenly lost the advantage of being a mid-city and became isolated.

This is why Mollo tried to dissuade me from opening an inn here.

However, I already know about the situation of this city, Rosens.

And that’s why I’m even more determined to start an inn here.

We headed towards the City Hall.

Mollo had to unload the goods he delivered there, and I also had business at the Hall.

The Hall was a two-story brick building with a gabled roof and an attached public warehouse.

The warehouse doors were wide open, and several laborers were checking the quantities of boxes and sacks.

“Hello, Mr. Mollo. You’ve arrived quickly.”

“Were you cleaning up the warehouse? I’ve arrived just in time.”

The laborers saw me dismounting and asked,

“Who is this? Are you together?”

“Ah, this person plans to settle here.”

“Settle… here…?”

The laborers looked at me as if I were mad.

“People are even fleeing, and yet… what on earth…”

“It’s none of your concern; just unload the goods.”

The laborers walked to the cargo space, still puzzled.

We passed them and entered the Hall.

At a desk in front of an extinguished fireplace, a woman was engrossed in calculating accounts with an abacus.

She was so focused that she noticed nothing until I approached.

“Excuse me.”

The woman looked up, startled.

She was a woman with sharp features, her blonde hair tied back tightly, wearing glasses.

“What is it?”

“I’m looking to settle here.”

At my words, the woman adjusted her glasses and looked me up and down.

“Hmm… you look fine on the outside…”

“My head is fine, too.”

“Alright. Then please show me some identification.”

I handed her my identification.

Upon reading it, the woman suddenly stood up from her chair.

The chair fell backwards as a result.

However, the woman, pale-faced, looked at me without noticing the fallen chair.

“I’m… I’m sorry… I didn’t recognize you…”