Read Adventurer Tale of Pouring 25 Years of Life into a Useless Skill, and Now After All That Time is the Strongest | 325 -

325 - - the story of the man who fled afterwards

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　Expectations always fail.

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　So the only thing to do is to run away before it happens.

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　Looking up at the sky through the bars, Likan suddenly remembered the past.

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　The first time he ran away desperately was when he was sixteen years old.

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　Back then, Rikan had a boy whom he could call his best friend.

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　Khalsa was one year younger than him, and they always went everywhere and did everything together.

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"I can't wait to get out of this little village ......"

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"Yeah, let's go to the border town and be adventurers!"

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　Days were filled with nothing but boredom, and we talked about nothing but trivial matters.

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　Khalsa is a scout with a wind spirit tree and knowledge of monster ecology.

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　Rikan, who is not so big but can already use the skill of the lower branch of the Tree of Earth Protection.

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　The two boys, who recognized each other as good companions, were filled with longing for adventure.

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　Their expectations came in an unexpected way.

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　The village was attacked by a large number of monsters.

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　Amidst the roars and screams, the two run out of the house in their undressed clothes and dash through the mountain paths at night.

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　But, mercilessly, the sound of countless feathers is coming from behind them.

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"d*mn!　They're chasing us everywhere."

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"Can't you put out the scent ....... Oh yeah, they're on fire ......!"

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"Just let's get the hell out of here!"

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　As Khalsa pondered this with the torch in his hand, Likan shouted in frustration.

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　It was only a matter of time before the two of them would be preyed upon by the pack of monsters.

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　As if he had made up his mind, Khalsa stands up as Rikan rushes him frantically.

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"...... See you later, Likan."

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　Suddenly, a voice whispered in his ear, and before he could respond, Ricão's body was lifted into the air.

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　It was not until he fell into the bushes that he realized he had been kicked in the back.

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　He looked up in a panic and saw the torch fire moving away from him.

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　I tried to chase after him, but the chorus of the terrible sound of wings was very close to me.

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　--We were being used as bait.

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　Rikan curls his body like a stone and shrinks back, his teeth shaking with despair and fear.

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　Seconds, minutes, hours...

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　It is hard to say how long he has been doing this.

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　Before I knew it, dawn had broken.

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　The monsters were already gone, and so was the boy who had been his best friend.

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　For the next year, Likan wandered from place to place.

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　He finally found a job as an adventurer in the border town of Dadan, which had just been established and was looking for a few people.

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　No one was willing to lend a helping hand to a boy with no relatives.

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　Likan accumulated skill points by running around alone in the forest of kobolds.

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　The turning point came in his second year as an adventurer.

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　He was invited to conquer the ogre's cave by a party that was recruiting shieldmen.

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　Rikan joined the party with great enthusiasm, but his expectations were once again disappointed.

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　The party he joined already had a regular shieldman, and Rikan's role was to attract the hobgoblins except for the chief.

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　Forced in front of four hobgoblins without any support, Likan manages to buy some time by running away as hard as he can for the second time in his life.

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　He runs away for the second time in his life, believing that they will come to his rescue as soon as he defeats the master of the labyrinth.

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　But the party had originally intended to abandon Likan.

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　Maybe they skimped on the reward, or maybe they were afraid of the notoriety that would come with it.

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　It was not until they saw that Lycan had fallen down and was motionless that they put their swords to the hobgoblins.

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　Leaving the boy lying on the ground like a rag, the decoys quickly pull away.

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　After witnessing this, Likan stood up and headed for the exit.

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　He had used his to endure the last part, secretly pretending to have fallen down.

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　Rikan barely survived and rushed to the Adventurers' Bureau to expose their evil.

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　From this incident, Likan deeply understands that he must rely on his authority.

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　Rikan's rank was raised and he came to the river of blood, but what awaited him here was still the task of running away from the authorities.

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　It is no wonder that a small shieldman is only expected to play the role of a decoy.

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　From that time on, Likan stopped expecting anything.

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　After three years of living by the river, Likan gave up on himself and volunteered for the Guard of the Adventurers' Bureau.

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　The next ten years were reasonably uneventful.

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　But just when he had become accustomed to his duties as a gatekeeper, a brash-looking junior colleague joined his ranks.

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"Take care of him for me, Rickan."

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"You're Mr. Rickan, right?"

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Don't worry about the details. You smell like an old man."

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　Carles was a cheerful and loud man.

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　But even though they were business associates, they were also the first friends I had made in a long time.

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　They talked about trivial things and sometimes drank together.

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　Perhaps it was because they were both people who had been betrayed by expectations that Likan, who never trusted others, got along with Carles, who was the complete opposite.

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　But the young man from the purple-eyed tribe, who had lost one of his arms, still had hope for life.

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　Rikan learns this during an altercation with a mud fisherman whom he had underestimated as being more miserable than he was.

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　And the day of the outbreak.

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　Remembering the tragedy that struck this town and his village nine years ago, Rikan is driven by fear and overreacts.

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　He is blamed for his actions, and his career is expunged and he is exiled.

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　What awaited him when he left the jail with a depressed look on his face was an event that he had not expected at all.

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"Let's go. Likan's old man."

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"............ Why are you here?"

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"Don't worry about the details, buddy."

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　Likan's eyes widened at the uninteresting exchange, and he simply let out a silent sob.

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　　　　§§§§§

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　Six months later, the two had settled down as adventurers in the border town of Sier in the east.

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　Starting over at the age of forty is no easy task.

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　But Likan, who had many thoughts on the matter, gritted his teeth and persevered.

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"An old man's shield is light, isn't it? Do you know why?　That's because only the old man himself is protected."

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　Carles' words were harsh but to the point.

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　But the young man grinned at Likan, who nodded, and continued.

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"But I like that. You don't have to defend me. Instead, just keep running away from me.

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　Lycanthropes tugged and dragged their prey around, and when they were exhausted, Carles would finish them off with a spear.　

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　With this strategy established, the shieldmen, whose only advantage was their ability to run away, finally showed their full strength.

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　In a short period of time, the duo killed one big fish after another, and they were now highly esteemed.

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"Shall we stop by again today?　Carles."

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"Yeah, of course, old man."

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　They are so familiar with each other that they even have a favorite restaurant.

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"Welcome, Mr. Rickan, Mr. Carles.

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　Irma, the proprietress of the Moon Drop Pavilion, beamed with happiness when she saw their faces.

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　She had once interrupted them when they were being harassed by a bad drunken customer at this restaurant when they first arrived in Sierra City.

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　They have been regular customers ever since.

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　Irma was a widow with two young children and her husband was an adventurer like Rikan and the others.

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　She runs this small store with the money her husband left her, even though she is still a young woman.

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　She is somewhat inept and clumsy, and perhaps Rikan liked her because she reminded him of himself.

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"It's me and my brother!　Tell me a story!"

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"Where did you go today?　Pops."

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　As they take their seats, the younger siblings run up to them and cling to the knees of Likan and Carles.

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　Kirme and Rivka.

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　They dream of becoming adventurers and helping their mother's store, just like their father.

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　They too are familiar with each other.

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"Hey, you shouldn't interrupt."

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"No, it's fine. A cold barleywine and some snacks are fine. All right, what do you want to talk about?"

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"Let's see, a story about a big boar!"

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"Oh, good choice. You'll have to hear what I've been up to."

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　The pleasant evening passed in a flash.

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　The next day, the two of them head for Abuk Swamp, southeast of the city, at the request of the Adventurers' Bureau.

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　It is said that recently there have been some unfamiliar monsters appearing in this swamp.

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　They set out to confirm this information, but after a day of mud, they came up empty.

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"What do we do now, old man Likan? Should we call it a night?"

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"No, some monsters come out after dark. Let's stay the night."

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I guess a cold one's on the house.

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　At midnight, the sound of countless wings grates on their ears, and they peek through the cracks in the tent to get a glimpse of each other.

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　Flying over the surface of the swamp were a tremendous number of winged insects.

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"What the hell is that?"

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"...... That's a blood-sucking moth. They're small, but they're numerous and troublesome."

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You know about this?　Pops."

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"Yeah, I know exactly what I'm talking about. Don't turn on the light. They'll come to you."

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　Some monsters have a rare migratory habit.

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　Blood-sucking moths are one such species. Every few decades, they begin to migrate in huge herds to change their habitat.

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　Naturally, the settlements along their route are severely damaged.

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　Rikan gritted his back teeth as he recalled the village where he was born.

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"What are we going to do ......?"

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"I don't think the city can handle it this suddenly. And it's the middle of the night. ...... but we're definitely in trouble if we don't."

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　Even at midnight, the Temple of Liberation in Boundary City will never cease to burn.

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　It was not hard to imagine that sooner or later tonight, those winged insects would find Sie's border town.

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　Likan's mind is filled with faces.

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　Irma, smiling and pouring him a drink.

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　Two little children innocently beckoning to me.

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　The girl who came to him when he closed the gates in Dadan.

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　And the little best friend who disappeared without even saying goodbye.

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"You must inform the city at once. Then build a fire in the windswept fields off to the east. We'll all kill them as they gather there."

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"............ what are you going to do about the old man?"

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"It's obvious. ....... We've got to get out of here!"

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　Saying this, Likan grabbed the magic stone lamp and rolled out of the tent.

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　Then he ran on the mud, shining it to the fullest.

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"This way!　Follow me, you d*mn bugs!"

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　The man's screams roared through the sea of mud.

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　At dawn, when most of the work was done, Carles hurried out of the battlefield.

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　Thanks to Lycan's stalling for his life, the guards were ready in time to destroy the monster without letting it get too close to the city.

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　However, the adventurers, who were the greatest contributors to the success of the battle, were not .......

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　With a sad face, Carles rushed to Abuk Swamp, but what he saw was Rikan sitting in his tent with a face of calmness.

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"What the ....... He's alive! ......"

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"Don't kill them on your own. How's it going over there?

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"Yes, the city is safe. And seriously. How did you survive?

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"You didn't know what I'm good at. Read at https://w w w . m t l r e a d e r.com

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"What the hell is that? I'm so worried about you.

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　Despite his lighthearted words, Carles' eyes were sharply fixed on him.

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　There was no way he would be safe in the face of that horde.

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　Although he was not badly injured, Likan's body was in a terrible state.

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　His face was covered in scratches, and there were many streaks of fresh blood sticking to it.

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　He must have been dying.

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"Thanks to you, we made it just in time. Thanks for everything, buddy."

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"I see. That's great. Can you stand up?"

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"Yeah, I guess so. ......"

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"Let's go home, old man. I'll buy your hero a drink for saving the city.

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"Hero. "Hero. That doesn't sound so bad.

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　The city's residents had already heard about last night's incident due to the massive fire that had been set.

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　In the midst of the flurry of people coming and going, the two of them head for a familiar restaurant.

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　The door was not closed, but Carles senses the presence of someone and opens the door.

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　Irma, who was sitting in front of the counter, looks up as if she had been hit by a bullet.

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"......Oh, thank God. You're safe."

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　Irma stands up with tears in her eyes and runs over to them.

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　She jumped into Carles' chest and began to sob.

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　Ricão let out a small gasp at the sight of her.

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　Expectations always fail.

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　So the only thing to do is to run away before it happens.

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　Well, this time it's too late.

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"I'm a little sleepy, I'm going to go take a nap. You take care of the rest, Carles.

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"Hey, hey, wait a minute!"

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　Ignoring his partner's cries, Likan turns on his heel and leaves.

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　The remaining Carles scratches his head in exasperation and talks to the widow who is still sobbing unawares.

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How can you hug the wrong person? You two are really clumsy!

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