Finally, you're back.

　I felt a strange sensation as I saw the royal city through the morning mist.
　I felt myself somewhat relieved by the familiar scenery.

Yes. You've been through a lot, and you're a little tired.
"Yes. It was a short trip, but a lot happened.

　We stopped at an inn with hot springs in a town in the mountains, spent the night there, and left the town early the next morning. 　
　It wasn't far from the city to the capital, and soon after we left, we reached the capital and passed through the gates of the city.

　At that moment, I had a nostalgic feeling as if I had come back to my home after a long time.
　It seemed that I was beginning to think of this city as my own.

"So, can I get off here?
"...... Yes.

　Once inside the city, I stopped my horse and got out of the carriage immediately.

Finally, my work is done.

　The request I received from Leanne was to leave King's Landing and work with the girls until they returned.
　So now my request from her was complete.

　When I got off the carriage and stepped on the soil of King's Landing, I felt a sense of relief that I had completed a task, but also a fresh sense of accomplishment that was indescribable.
　I wonder if this is what it feels like to go on a journey and come back.
　I've rushed halfway down the road to Mithra and returned, and I've ridden a dragon to the Imperial Kingdom, but ...... I feel as if I've never experienced this feeling before.
　You will find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier. 　

...... Yes. Thank you very much for your time. Thank you so much for your help.
"No, it's been a valuable experience for me too.

　I looked at Lean, who was looking down at me from the carriage, and smiled.

　I've had a lot of experiences on this trip to Mithra.
　I have seen and heard many things and learned many things that I did not know.
　The battle with the skeleton made me realize how much I had grown, but it also made me realize once again how inadequate I was.
　It will give me more energy for my life and self-discipline from tomorrow.
　I think it was a really good trip.

　The carriage ride home was fun, and I wonder if I should be paid for such a thing.

──── So long, Dr. Noor. Would you be willing to come with me to my home again?

　Leaning on me, who was deeply moved, he said.

"......?　You've already returned to King's Landing, and I thought your request was completed here.
Yes. So, thank you once again for this time.
──── Again, thank you?

　...... I'm pretty sure you've already been paid in advance.



　I have a bad feeling about ──── something.

I thought you'd already been paid for .......
Yes. The adventurer's guild will soon pay you the remainder of the fee for accompanying me to Mithra, in addition to the amount I gave you in advance.
That should be enough.
But, ......, I've had to ask for more help from you this time than I originally expected. Perhaps my father would like to give you something in person as well.

　...... Leanne's father, after all. A cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

No, no, no. ──── It's okay. I appreciate the concern, but I don't want anything. Tell him I'm sorry.

　I feel a little bad for Leanne to say no before she's even said anything like this.
　But I have a feeling that if I go along with her, Lean's father will try to force land, buildings, and other unwanted treasures on me again.
　I can't be sure, but I have a feeling.

So, but this time, it's not a good idea.
"No, I don't need ....... It's really okay.
But, but ────!

　"But !" "After all, Lean won't budge either.
　Well, that's as far as I got.
　I've gotten used to this culture.
　Now I just need to figure out how to say no to .......

"────?　That's Noll.

　Just as I was thinking about this, I heard a familiar voice behind me.
　When I turned around and looked at the voice, I saw that it was a familiar colleague who used to work at the same construction site as me.

Oh, it's been a while.
"Oh, it's been a while. The master was depressed for a while, saying, "He went off to ...... pursue his dream, but he's back already?
"Yeah. Yeah. I'm done with my business. Here's a souvenir.
Oh, thank you for coming. ...... What's this?　A carved wooden doll ......?　Is it a demon or something?
No, it's a bear.

　On my way back home, I kept my eyes peeled for something to bring back to my colleagues, but I was intrigued by a street stall selling many small wooden bears.
　The bears were small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand, with their arms outstretched in a threatening pose.

　I heard that the statue was meant to ward off evil, and since it coincided with a memorable scene in my trip, I thought it would make a good souvenir, so I gave the owner all the money I had and got all the bears I could find.
　Now that I've bought a lot of bears, I have to distribute them to all the people I know.



"Oh, oh. Yeah, ...... well, thanks. The kid might like that. I'll keep it.
Take care of it. It's an amulet.
...... Oh. Oh, by the way... Speaking of children, Noor. What happened to the promise?
...... promise?
Oh, come on, you forgot. I told you before ...... that my kids loved the story of the big goblin.　They want to hear the story again. Then you said you'd think of another story.

　I do remember that we made such a promise. It had completely slipped my mind.

"...... Speaking of which. I'm sorry, I completely forgot.
I'm sure that's what you meant. ...... My kids have been looking forward to it ever since, you know?　They're still looking forward to it. So now I'm going to go home and let them play "Goblins" with me for hours on end. ......?　It's the same one every single time. ...... I'm off duty today, and it's my day off. It's okay because I'm having a lot of fun too. But this is the seventh ...... day ...... that I've completely lost my ...... day off?　No, maybe the eighth day. ...... Hahahahaha.

　As I spoke, I could see the man's eyes grow darker and darker.
　I feel a little bad thinking that it's partly because of my story and promise.

"I'm sorry, ......, but I'm going to go talk to him now, okay?
"......?　Is that okay?
Yeah, I promise. I'll be right there ──── now.

　I was about to say, "Let's go right now," when I saw Leanne's face.
　As soon as I remembered the other side, I forgot about this side.

"Leanne. I'm sorry, I forgot that I had a ...... appointment.
"A ...... engagement?
Yeah, you may have heard me, but I've been waiting quite a while because I promised ...... to tell the kids a story. It's been, like, three months.

　Yeah, I think it was about three months.


　I've been keeping you waiting for quite a while now.

I'm sure you'll understand.

　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. 　

Are you sure you want to go to ......?
If you have a prior commitment, then yes.
I'm sorry. Tell your father I said hello.
Yes, sir. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a ──── thank you story to tell you.

　I waved goodbye to Leanne and Ines as I left with the carriage.
　I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. ......　I'm not sure what to make of it.　I'm sorry if I disturbed you in any way.
Yeah. But it's okay. I've just finished a job.

　In fact, ...... I can honestly say that I'm grateful for your help.
　I don't want to say too much about it because I feel bad for Lean.

"I see. ......?　That's good.
So, this is about the deal?
Yeah. Well, I wonder what ...... would be good to talk about. Do you have a recommendation?　Something new?

　I don't know if I can recommend anything, but I'm not sure if it's ...... new or not.
　Oh, there's a story I've just seen.
　I think that would be easy to talk about.

"Well, how about a story about ...... 'Skeleton'?
Skeletons?　Skeletons are bone monsters, right?　Is that funny?
Yeah. I think you'll find it quite interesting.
...... Oh. What's it like?　Let me ask you something.
Sure.

　I remembered when I met the skeleton and decided to give a brief, abbreviated account of what had happened just yesterday.

I remembered the day I met the skeleton, and I decided to give a brief, abbreviated account of what had happened just yesterday. ...... The skeleton, a monster, is really a lot different than what you hear and see.


"Huh.
"I thought I was just a skeletal monster, but I was wrong. First of all, it was dozens of times taller than me.
"──── is suddenly huge. Well, that's standard for your story. And?
So, the skeleton is a demon that eats people like it's swallowed them whole. Then it turns the flesh it eats into its own, and more and more flesh is added to the bones.
"...... skeletons and meat?　...... Oh well. And then what happens?
And then the skeleton became a huge piece of flesh on bone, with countless arms, hundreds ...... or even thousands of eyeballs jiggling like a living thing, and creepy mouths opening all over its body.
"....... Is that a scary story?
Yeah. To be honest, it was pretty scary. To be honest, that was pretty scary. And the scary thing is that the skeleton floats in the air with its huge body, emitting lightning and fire. That was really amazing.
"...... flying, thunder and flame ......?
And finally, it transforms and flies through the air at a ──── lightning speed.
...... Hey, is that really a skeleton?

　I'm not sure if it's really a skeleton or not.
　I thought it was because Astila, a self-proclaimed veteran adventurer, had told me about it. ...... But she's like that, so maybe not.
　But bones are bones. ...... Maybe it's something skeletal.

I heard that you are.

　When my colleague heard my reply, he shrugged his shoulders with a dumbfounded expression.

I'm sure you'll be able to tell me more about it. ......
It's a good thing.　I think this could be quite interesting to talk about.
Yeah, it sounds interesting, but ...... it's still a pretty scary story, isn't it?　I mean, some of my kids are still little.
Yeah, I guess so.

　I'm sure you'll be able to understand why I'm so excited about this.

I'm sure you'll be able to tell me about the time I fought a dragon in King's Landing by myself.　Then we can talk about it right now.

　The man looked a little delicate when I suggested this.

...... Oh. That's a good idea.
What's wrong with that?
You probably don't know this, but yesterday, the Demon Dragon of Misfortune suddenly flew near the royal capital. It was really powerful. But when the children saw it, they got scared. ...... It was quite a challenge.


I see.

　The dragon flew over... Rolo and Lala.
　It seems that they had already returned to the capital yesterday.
　I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.

"Then why don't I tell you that the dragon is not that scary?

　When I said that, the man's expression brightened somewhat.

The man's expression brightened somewhat as I said, "...... Haha, that's good!　I'm sure you'll be able to laugh at your story.
That's right. I'll tell you that after I fought the dragon, it became very quiet.
Yeah. Tell them an unrealistic, ridiculous and flashy story like you always do. It'll make the kids happy.
No, ......, just so you know, it's a real story, okay?
"Yeah, I know, I know. "I know, I know, I know." "You always start with 'This is a story I actually saw, heard, and experienced. I've learned that part long ago. That's what I tell my kids, so it's okay.
"...... Really?

　I'm not sure this guy believes me, but ...... he seems to like the story itself, so that's good for now.

And how many of them are there?　"So how many kids do you have who listen to stories?
"Three in my family, I guess. But if we call out to the neighborhood, we might get more. At least fifteen is a solid number.
...... Is that it?
Yeah, the story of the 'big goblin' is going around a lot, and it's becoming a bit popular. When they find out you're coming, they'll probably come.
Well, that's exciting.

　I remember when I was a kid, I used to look forward to hearing stories from my father about the unknown world. It seems strange to me that I'm now in a position to talk to him like that.
　But I don't feel bad about it at all.
　Rather, I feel that talking itself has become a great pleasure for me.

"Well, let's go. I know you're keeping me waiting.
Yeah, sorry.
I'll give you this bear, too.
...... I don't know about that .......

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