-- The day after the battle with Bran.

　Erica, who had come to work as usual without knowing anything about it, was speechless with her mouth hanging open when she saw the changed scene in front of the store.

　The ground in front of the store is rough as if it had been heavily plowed, and traces of large slashes and blackened craters that gouged deep into the ground are clearly visible.

　More than a dozen knights are examining these with serious faces, carefully searching for clues left at the site.

　And furthermore, the employees of the Spring Wakaba-tei led by Sylvia set up a small tent to offer herbal tea and snacks to the knights.

'Wha...... what is this, what......?　Oh, hey, Sylvia, what's wrong with you?
'I haven't been given the details yet either. Maybe you should ask Mr. Luke about it.
Yeah, that's true.

　Erica carefully moved to the front of the store in a roundabout way so as not to interfere with the field inspection, and then jumped into the store with her eyes black and white.

'Store manager!　What is that thing!
"Good morning, Erica. I'm sorry, but we're going to be closed for the day. It's not going to be easy for customers to get to you.

　For now, I stopped displaying the goods and greeted Erica.

　The traces of last night's battle extended to the road leading to the nearest dungeon, the 'Sundial Forest', and more than half the width of the road was partially closed to traffic.

　Whenever an earthling was created, a human body's worth of soil was gouged out of the ground.
　And each time it was destroyed, the same amount of soil was scattered in its place.

　As a result, large areas of the ground are dug up in an uncontrolled and chaotic manner, making it difficult to just walk around.

　It was a nuisance for adventurers heading to the dungeon.

　I wanted to restore it to normal as soon as possible, but the Golden Fang Knights had stopped me.

　They want to collect as many clues as possible, but I can't help but think that they should consider the residents a little bit.

''I understand that our guests won't be able to get close to them, though!　What the hell happened?!
That's a long story to tell: ......
Let me do it, please. ......

　I was about to explain the situation to Erica when Noir appeared from the back of the store.

　Noir had just made a painful breakup with his immediate family, but at least from the side, he seemed to be maintaining the same atmosphere as usual.

'Are you sure, Noir?'
...... is my job, I guess. Let me take care of it, please. ......
Well, if he wants to, I don't see why he shouldn't.

　Rather, it might be helpful to give an objective explanation to someone else as a party, to help you put your feelings in perspective.

Thanks, Luke: ......

　The smile Noir had on her face was very calm, and she certainly felt a sense of calmness in her heart.

　I'm sure Noir will be fine--that's the thought that naturally came up.

　I left the explanation to Erika to Noir, and walked over to the store's warehouse to get the next item.

　When I casually open the door, there's already one customer there ahead of me.

　Sakura was using an empty wooden box as a foothold and stretching out her arms to explore the top shelf.

'What are you looking for?'
I believe there are some fine grinding stones around here, do you know of any?
"The grindstone is on the next shelf to the right. If your blade is broken, I'll [restore] it.
No, it's been a while since I've practiced sharpening. I'm afraid I'll forget the tricks of the trade if I'm relying on Luke-dono to do it for me.

　It's probably not my imagination that my voice seems to be more bouncy than usual.

　I wait for Sakura to find the grinding stone and get out of the crate before I try to strike up a conversation about my good mood.

'I'm glad you succeeded, gods down,'
'Thank you!　Now I can proudly report to your father and everyone in my hometown.

　Sakura smiles with a picture-perfect expression of joyfulness.

　I can't say that we've known each other for a long time, but this may be the best smile I've ever seen from Sakura.

'So, since you've achieved your goal for now, are you going back to your hometown after all?
'No way!　My warrior training is my top priority, and if I don't learn to use the god's descent, I won't be able to return very soon.

　Sakura stated emphatically and clearly.

'I don't mind going back to my hometown, at least.
'No, sir. Even Lord Luke hasn't been home for a long time, has he?　I'm not going to return home until I'm satisfied with my decision.
...... It's foul to say that.

　It's been fifteen years since I left my hometown.
　Come to think of it, I wasn't in a position to point out how Sakura was returning home.

　Now that I've found a new role and a place to live, I feel like I can show my face in the White Wolf Forest without hesitation, but on the contrary, I'm too busy with work to find an opportunity to return.

　When things aren't going well, you don't return to your hometown with willpower, and when things are going well, you can't afford to return - it's something that just doesn't fit together.

　I was vaguely thinking about this when Garnett came from the shop to call me over.

'The white wolf. A guy who hasn't been here in a while wants to see you.
'......?　Who are you talking about?
I'm sure you'll remember your face soon enough.

　When I returned to the store, blurring the important details, I found a face I hadn't seen in a long time waiting for me, as Garnett had said.

　A young knight with a somewhat female face, but not much taller than me.
　The Vice Commander of the Silver Wing Knights--

Hey, isn't that Mr. Felix?
It's been a long time, Master Luke.
'I was told that the Silver Winged Knights would not arrive until later.
We'll get back to the main team at a later date. I'm here today as an advance team to meet with the town hall.

　Felix asked me to shake his hand and we shook.

　As usual, Felix is a humble and soft-spoken man, despite his high position as the Vice Commander of the Order.

I've been asked to take on the role of commander of the Green Hollow garrison. I may ask for your cooperation in any way.
Of course I'd be happy to oblige. You've been a big help to me for a long time now.

　When he had done so, and had finished his duties, Felix turned his attention to Garnett, who was leaning against the accounting counter, and spoke in a voice that could not be heard outside the store.

'Garnett. I hope you haven't caused any trouble for Master Luke.
Of course not!　I'm doing it right!　Hey, white wolf.

　With a pretense that reminded me of a bad boy suspected of a prank he didn't remember, Garnett asked me to agree.

'It's all right. He's always helped me.'
'Right?　You're too attentive.

　Seeing Garnett smirk, Felix rolled his eyes in surprise and gave a deep, emotional smile.

　The surprise was not directed at my response, but at Garnett's smile.

'...... You could smile like that too, couldn't you? I couldn't have imagined it when we first met.
'Oh, really?'

　To be honest, it was a surprising statement.

　Garnett always seemed to be smiling like this, but I wondered if that wasn't true for Felix, who had known Garnett for a while.

　When I turned to ask if it was true, Garnett had already turned away and shut his mouth.

　I was about to resume my conversation with Felix when the door to the shop opened without warning.

Welcome to the--

　I thought it was a guest and tried to respond, but the person there was a Knight of the Golden Fang Order.

　He was clearly different from the average knight in terms of equipment and atmosphere.

　I had once witnessed that expressionless face, which made me feel even cold-heartedness, only once.

　Before I can even say it, Felix speaks to the Golden Fang Knight.

'Isn't this Sir Gilbert? How is the Knight Commander of the Golden Fang Knights?