For now, we moved to the common room adjacent to the entrance hall, where I decided to talk to Roy.

　Me and Garnett sat next to each other at a table for four, and Roy sat down in front of me.

'It's been two years since I've seen you. I could tell at a glance because you haven't changed at all.'
You're like a different person. Have you grown a couple of heads?
''Well, it was like I had a growth spurt all at once after I was on my own. It was difficult because all of a sudden I couldn't get my equipment in anymore.

　Roy scratches the back of his head in an embarrassed manner.
　This habit hasn't changed since I knew him as a boy.

　Garnett, who is sitting next to me, looks at me as if he wants me to explain what the relationship is, so I introduce Roy to Garnett for now.

'This is Roy from the Hundred Beast Plain. I took care of him for about a year when he was just starting out. As usual, he overtook me in a flash and we parted ways around this guy's rise to the C-rank.
'It was only after that that I rose to an A-grade. If Luke-san hadn't picked me up, I wouldn't have even run out and died in the wild.

　It was roughly three years ago that I met Roy. I guess we can't go back four years.

　When he was still a boy, Roy was lying dead in a corner of a certain town when I happened to pass by.

　He was banished from his hometown for breaking the law of his hometown and arrived at the town, falling apart, where he ran out of steam.

　Incidentally, the claw marks on Roy's face were already there then.

'He encouraged me to become an adventurer, took care of my life for the time being, and drilled the basics of adventurer earning ...... into me, he's a benefactor, really.
'I told you it's give and take. It's easier to fulfill requests and earn more money when you're around, so it's a win-win in that sense.

　Garnett watches the exchange between me and Roy with a loose mouth from the side of the room.

　If you have something to say, you can say it, but being watched in silence makes me feel somewhat itchy.

'At ......, this guy's a garnet. He's an employee of the weapons store I run in Green Hollow Town, and he's also my escort when I have to dive into dungeons.
"In Green Hollow Town, at ......, oh!　I'm sorry about that section!

　Roy suddenly poked his hand on the table and bowed deeply.

'I had a call from Mr. Luke, but I had a job that I just couldn't put off ...... and that job isn't finished yet.
You don't have to worry about it. I just wanted you to come along when you're free.

　Shortly after I escaped the Thousand Year Corridor of the Abyss and came to live in Green Hollow Town, a dragon and wyvern appeared in the nearby dungeon, the Sundial Forest.

　A dragon and a wyvern appeared in the nearby dungeon, Sundial Forest, and it was discovered that there was a hidden passage directly to the Demon King's Castle Realm, which was ruled by the Demon King, causing the town's residents and adventurers to be in turmoil.

　A young adventurer tries to get away from the danger.
　The town's inhabitants fear the loss of the economic benefits that adventurers generate.

　In order to overcome this situation, I chose to 'call on the high-ranking adventurers I know and use them as a deterrent to the young adventurers.

　Travis of Black Sword Mountain, Dustin of the Two Spearman and Theodore of the Dragonslayer were the A-ranked adventurers who responded to me, and Roy was one of the adventurers who did not.

It's a good thing that Bruno even went out of his way to send me a sarcastic letter of refusal.
'No, no!　That man would be better off not coming!

　Roy shook his head, not hiding his disgust.

''That man was blatantly disrespectful to Luke-san, you know. He seems to have lost some of his skills as an adventurer lately, and he hasn't been doing much of what seems to be an A-rank.
...... He's got that going for him: ......

　Like Roy's stature, the gap between the knowledge in my head and the current state of affairs is still growing as the time since we last saw each other grows into years.

　I know I need to update the information regularly, but I don't always have the time to do so, which is a problem.

　While vaguely thinking about this, I turn my gaze to Garnett, who is sitting next to me.

I'm sorry, we were just having a good time with each other from the past.
I'm not bored. I'm not bored.

　Garnett smiles and waves her hand in a fluttering manner.

　I hope he's not bored, but I have a feeling it's not a pleasant conversation to listen to.

　Roy seems to have seen our exchange and realized that our previous exchange had left a third party (Garnett) behind, so he suddenly changes the subject.

'Speaking of which, what's wrong with him(s) woman(s)?'
What about ......?

　However, he went on to a topic he had no clue about.

'Huh?　Wasn't there a woman who lived with you?
No, wait. I haven't had to deal with any frivolous talk since I picked you up. What the hell are you talking about?

　I didn't dare to check Garnett's reaction, and only looked straight at Roy in front of me and asked him a question.

　However, I could tell that he wasn't just laughing and not listening because Roy was letting his gaze be influenced by the confused look he was giving him.

''You see, I visited you once to say hello to you when I was about half a year out on my own, right? At that time, I was staying at the same inn as a young woman, so I thought it was her.
Last time I saw you in person. That's two years ago. ......

　Hastily, I haul in the threads of my memory.

　If I take it easy, I'm going to get a strong kick under the table.

　Two years ago ...... the same room in the inn ...... the young woman ...... the same room in the inn.

'...... I remember!　That's probably Alexia!
Is that the Alexia from my store?

　Garnett let out a dumbfounded and surprising voice.

'Didn't I tell you before that I took care of a lot of things for that guy when he was just starting out?　That guy once ruined the interior of my room with a chemical mixing error, and he was rolling into my room until I reimbursed him for the cleanup.

　It's a convincing misunderstanding when I think back on it. It even makes me feel kind of refreshed.

　Of course, I had no such relationship with Alexia at all, but looking at that scene alone, it's no wonder that I was misunderstood.

I'm not sure if that's what happened. It's both good and disappointing.''

　Roy scratched the back of his head and smiled with a mixture of a smile and a wry smile.

'Actually, I've always felt bad that I couldn't find a partner because of taking care of someone like me. I was finally able to have a girlfriend after I became independent.

　It's a terrible misunderstanding, but I don't feel like getting angry at all just because of the reason.

　It was as a result of you taking care of me in your own way.

''Even so, you were helping a fledgling adventurer after me, weren't you? That's still great: ......

　He gave me a straight look and I couldn't help but look away from both Garnett and Roy.