Since we had decided on a plan for the future, we left the Arkwright Bridge and changed our course to the White Wolf Forest.

　Of the people stranded by the collapse of the bridge, most of the travelers who chose to take the long way around had chosen to take the route across town, and there were few groups that went the same way we did.

''Anyway, the White Wolf Forest was surprisingly close to the royal capital. I had the impression it was farther away from the city. But even if it's close, it's still a few days away by carriage.
That's right. That's because they're so close together.

　We have quite a bit of time before we arrive, so I tell Garnett a story I've never told him before.

　--More than twenty years ago, a time when the continent was divided into numerous countries that were fighting each other.

　His Majesty Alfred, still a mere adventurer, was ordered to acquire an artifact as a condition for obtaining the throne of the country that would later become the predecessor of the Kingdom of Westland, which would unite the continent.

　His Majesty spent the night in the nearest village to the White Wolf Forest, and this conversation became the source of my admiration for adventurers.

'You weren't born yet, so you may not realize it, but back then, every single country was smaller than it is now, and it was difficult for adventurers to operate outside of their own country and allies.
I know it's a knowledgeable one. But the thing is, when I was old enough to remember, the Westland was the only country in the world. It's hard to imagine that there were dozens of equal countries.
Ha ha ...... It's a reminder of how big the age difference is between you and me.

　What was a strong memory for me was a past figure that Garnett had only learned about as knowledge.

　The inevitable difference in perception between generations 《Generation Gap》 shakes me inwardly, and I am careful not to realize my turmoil as I continue.

''Anyway, that's why the trial to select the heir to the throne was not held in a distant land, but in a neighboring country of alliance. That was the White Wolf Forest.
''I see. Certainly, that long ago, even a distance of about the White Wolf Forest from the royal capital was 'foreign'. I can't believe it now, though.

　This continent, which was once a small(ish) division, has almost united under the name of His Majesty Alfred and the Kingdom of Westland, and the people's sense of value has certainly changed as well.

　The so-called concept of 'near' and 'far' is the best example of this.

' ...... That's right, White Wolf. I'm sure you've never been to the royal capital, right? I'm sure it's a good idea for you to be able to get to the White Wolf Forest if you work hard enough.
'We didn't even have this road back then. The only city that was connected to the road from the village was the capital of the former (...) country of the former (...) country on the other side of the village from the royal capital, and I registered as an adventurer in that town.

　Fifteen years ago, five years after His Majesty ascended the throne, the neighboring country where the White Wolf Forest was located had been merged into the country led by His Majesty.

　However, the infrastructure was still incomplete and there was no way for me, a fifteen-year-old who had left the village, to go straight to the royal capital.

I was guilty of running away from the village, so I moved farther and farther away from the location of my activities. At that time, the kingdom was continuing to expand its power, and there was a lot of demand for adventurers in the new territory.''
And you found yourself a long way from home and King's Landing.
The so-called Adventurer's Guild was originally an organization of the predecessor state of the Westland Kingdom, so as the territory expanded, the guild's territory would expand, and adventurers like me would move into new territories, like .......

　It would be easier to understand if I told you that this was a time when the same phenomenon that attracted large numbers of adventurers to Green Hollow's "Sundial Forest" and "Demon King's Castle Realm" was occurring all over the continent.

　As I was reminiscing about the past while talking about the past, I noticed Garnett looking at me with a smile on his face.

...... what's wrong with you?
No, it's nothing. Oh, I see a lake!




　Lake Titania. It is one of the largest lakes on the continent.

　It is an area of water and greenery where one of the branches of a large river that flows near the capital flows into the lake, and is surrounded by a large dense forest, which is said to be an ancient natural area.

　However, it is not surrounded by forests in all directions, the part opposite the royal capital is open land, and the village where I was born and raised is in this area.

　In the past, the forest and the lake prevented us from going to the royal capital, so it was quite a long journey, but now the road along the lake has been opened up and it should be much easier - I tell Garnett while unfolding the map in the car.

'Hmm?　Is there a castle in that place? No, is it more of a mansion than a castle?

　Out of the corner of Garnett's eye, there was a large building standing by the lake.
　It's a brand new building that I don't remember.

''It's probably a villa built after the city road was built. The traffic has improved, so it's no wonder that some people are thinking of using it as a vacation home.
'Indeed. It's the kind of scenery that a f*cking serious aristocrat would love. For some reason, those kinds of people want to be near a remote, spectacular view.

　After more than half a day of leisurely conversation, they were rocked in a carriage and spent more than half a day on the road between the forest and the lake to reach a land with a clear view.

'Oh, it's a village, isn't it? Is that your home?　I mean, now that you mention it, was the forest of white wolves earlier?
'No, they're both different. There's a place on the edge of the forest where the vegetation is different from the rest of the forest, and that's the only place they call the 'White Wolf Forest'.

　Even as I was explaining this, Gosha was pointing the carriage towards the White Wolf Forest without hesitation.

　As I drove the carriage along the outer edge of the forest for a while from there, a landscape that I couldn't help but feel nostalgic about jumped into view.

It's still the same here. No, it's just a little livelier than before.

　At the end of a village road, which branches off from the street, there is a plain and peaceful village with no distinctive features, but it is not deserted.

　It's not particularly distinctive, but it's not deserted either.

　It's very conventional, and that's why it's my hometown that I miss.

　I got out of the carriage with Garnett and was standing in front of the village, lost in nostalgia when a soft voice shakes the recesses of my memory.

'Oh?　Um, are you by any chance ...... Luke?　Is it Luke?

　When I turned around, I saw a woman who was more noticeably older than she was 15 years ago, but who I will never forget, with her hand over her mouth and her eyes rolled back in her head.

　What to say at a time like this - the wishy-washy excuses I'd been thinking of beforehand have already disappeared and the words are just what they are.

'I'm home, Mom.'