The sword is held in front of the midline.
　The tip of the sword is aimed at the demon in front of you - the golem.
　A stone figure with a destructive intent, struck by the miasma that pervades the area. Its massive form requires you to lift your chin to see the whole thing.
　It possesses both offensive and defensive abilities.
　The light in its head's eyes glowed with pure murderous intent toward me, the intruder.

　I want you to kill the golem that has appeared in the hills outside the city.
　That's the C-ranked mission I've been assigned by the Adventurer's Guild.
　I had originally turned my back on being an adventurer.
　But...

"We don't have enough people right now. I don't have anyone else willing to go out there and take them down. So will you ask my dad?

　When Anna, the guild master, asked me to do so, I couldn't say no. Besides, if I left it unattended, the people of the city would be in danger.

I have to prepare dinner. I'll have my work done.

　We'll be facing the golem from across the distance.

"Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

　The golem ran with a speed that defied its massive frame.
　It swings its right arm wide open.
　Because it has no joints, it has a wide range of motion.
　It carried more than a few tons of weight and slammed its hammer-like fist toward my brain.

　I leapt straight up and ducked.
　The ground where I'd been standing just a few moments before was driven deep into the ground.
　If I'd been hit properly, I'd have died instantly.
　I was stuck in midair...and the golem's inorganic eyes caught me. It unleashes an uppercut with an arm opposite to the one it had just unleashed.
　A roaring fist slices through the air.

Ouch!　You're a stone puppet and you're a smart fighter!

　I opened the palm of my other hand opposite the sword. I unleash my wind magic. The pressure of the stormy wind shifts my body's position.
　An uppercut from the golem cuts through the sky.
　I ran my sword toward its unprotected arm.
　The severed arm of the golem's arm fell almost simultaneously with my landing on the ground. I immediately turned around as if I'd been hit.
　The golem that had lost an arm stood there as if confused. Its gravity is off, and its center of gravity is off balance.

　This was my chance, I cut straight to the ground.
　I dove into the bosom of the golem and unleashed a blasting blow. The tip of the sword tore through the stone body as if it were a knife in butter.
　The body of the golem was cut in half diagonally. I managed to sever the core of magic embedded in its heart.

"Goooooooooooooooooh!

　The golem shattered into pieces as it raised a decapitating cry .
　I made sure there was no magical reaction to the stone remnants scattered at my feet and then I put my sword away. I huffed once.
　Pressing down on my shoulder, I turned my head. You heard a crackling sound.

It's no good. I didn't know it would take this long against a golem. Back in the day, I would have killed it on the first shot. I knew you were old, ......?

　Is it true that you can't beat the waves of the changing years .
　...... No, that's not it. I was tense back then. I had an uncanny desire to become an S-ranked adventurer at any cost.
　That's why I was able to outperform my size.
　I was filled with the versatility of youth.
　That sense of urgency from then had vanished from me now.

So I guess that means I'm old after all.

　I concluded with a bitter smile and looked down at the city from the hilltop. The red of the setting sun pouring out from the mountain's ridge line enveloped the city.
　People still work at that place.

Well... It's time to go back. I have to start supper.


　As I walked through the gate of the Adventurer's Guild, the receptionist near the entrance noticed me.
　Bright blonde hair with a loose perm. Stylish and refined appearance. She was Anna's assistant, a receptionist named Monica.

Oh!　Mr. Kaisel, he's already back!

　Monica came to me with all the papers she had in her hand.

"Golem, did you defeat it safely?
"Well, you know. And here's proof," I said, pulling out a core from my leather pouch. It broke in half and glowed dully.
"Mmm. ......!


What's going on?　You look doubtful.
''Golems are C-level demons, you know?　Is it possible to defeat it in such a short time?
You mean, I'm probably misrepresenting myself, right?
I don't want to say everyone. That's why Monica-chan was wondering.
No, he said everything. Obviously.

　I chuckled.

'Isn't this golem's nuke here evidence of that?
As a matter of fact, you bought it from a peddler!
"A golem core is useless, and I don't think anyone would sell it. Besides, it wouldn't be long before they'd find out if you were to make a false report.
Yes. Monica. I don't believe that you would lie about something like that," said Anna, appearing behind Monica.
"Oh, Anna!
Dad. Hi, sweetheart. You're home early.
I've got to start supper. But I'm getting old. I didn't think it would take so long to take down the golem.
This much is too early ......? And Monica.
Monica. My dad was a child prodigy when he was younger. I heard it was a sure bet that he was going to be the youngest S-rated adventurer in history.
'Yeah!　Kaiser-san, you were such a great guy!
That was a long time ago.
'I had no idea!　You should have told me.
'I used to be an adventurer, a child prodigy, right?　...... It's too painful . Isn't that your uncle telling you the saga of your youth?

　I don't want to be a middle-aged man who can't update his past forever .
　...... But Monica doesn't know me at all .
　It's not just the glorious part, but also the shady part - the failure to defeat the Ancient Dragon, which resulted in you being stigmatized and half exiled from King's Landing.
　Is it just that Monica is too young to know?　No, but none of the people I've met in King's Landing so far have realized who I am. .......

The first thing that comes to mind is, Monica, what happened to the documents you asked for earlier?　Why did you leave it out there in the dust?
'Oh my God!　I was just about to do that!
To tell you the truth. You're not coming home today unless you get that out of the way?　You don't want to spend the morning in the Adventurer's Guild, do you?
'Hi!　I'll do my best!

　Monica rummaged through the papers in a panic and retreated to the back of the room. She smiled, always a fidgety kid.

"Just keep your rewards for mission accomplishment to the usual. All right, well, I'm going home. You stay here, Anna, and you'll get the rest of the work done.
Oh, yeah. Dad.

　I was about to turn on my heel when Anna stopped me.

'Hmm?　What's going on?
Someone just came to the guild looking for my dad.
Me?　Do you know him?
'I don't think I've ever seen you before. The man pointed his large sword at the receptionist and said, 'Where's Kaisel?' And asked me point-blank if I was on a mission. I told him I was on a mission, and he just walked away quietly. But there was something different about that atmosphere.

　Anna looked at me with worried eyes.

"...... I know my dad wouldn't worry about it. But you have to be careful. Maybe he'll bring bad things to you.
Okay. Thanks for the heads up.

　...... You're the one who's looking for me .
　From the way Anna reported it, it doesn't sound like she's going to bring good news. I'll have to be very careful.