Even though it was an ancient ruin with a completely different architectural style, the streets were normally cobbled.
　In the middle of a mere street, with nothing out of the ordinary or marked, Cain's remains were scattered about. On the cobblestones, unable to return to the dirt, along with his dry sword and armor.
　After defeating Kentrion, he was finally able to sit down and find them.

"I'm sorry, Cain.... I'm sorry, Cain........

　Ramsey said, carefully picking up the remains of the boy who had once been his friend, one by one.
　He didn't let us get to them.
　Ramsey didn't sob, just a single drop of tears in the corner of his right eye. That profile was terribly impressive.

　After the recovery was over, he immediately opened the 〈Town Gate〉. We can explore these ruins again at a later date, and that's exactly what we can do, sit back and do it.
　For now, he could finally deliver his belongings to Cain's mother. I can give him a burial in his hometown.
　We watched Ramsey as he headed alone to Cain's birthplace, and we watched in silence as he took up lodging and waited for him to return.

　The next day, Ramsey returned.

"Thanks for everything you guys have done for me," he said.
Have you gone through with it?
Nothing will ever be settled. But it's settled for now. Particularly Mr. Magnus, thanks to you.

　Ramsey bowed deeply and said

Ramsey bowed his head deeply and said, "You've taken care of me this far. And now, goodbye....
Mm. So....
Yes. You are the guide to explore the ruins, aren't you?　I'll take care of it. I will show you everywhere you go. And I will bring you back alive.
Thank you, Master Ramsey.
Hmm. Hmmm, no, let's not do that to each other, shall we? That's what you do to this old lady, right?　From now on, let's be friends, and let's not hold back. Magnus.
Okay, Ramsey.

　We shook hands firmly.

　Then Crim started to speak.
　Pushing Ted and the other triplets out of the way.

Well, then, I guess these kids are officially one of us.
"Hey, hey, old lady, are you okay?
Shut up, old man. I can vouch for your character, don't I? But it's up to you to get these chickens back home in one piece, Returner.
.........
'And we'll bring you back alive'?　No need to get fancy. A wizard as good as Magnus would do just fine without you. Isn't that right?　You're a legendary adventurer, Ramsey, if you're going to turn these chickens into top-notch adventurers!

　I understood what Krim was trying to say, and I understood what he was trying to say.
　Ramsey had tried to make Cain his successor and failed. He lost him. It was so traumatic that the adventurer retired as well.
　Now, at my request, Ramsey is going to make a comeback. But it was only in return to me, and it didn't wipe out Ramsey's trauma.
　That's why Krim is telling Ramsey to try and raise him this time. Only then will he be able to do the real thing, the real punishment for Cain.

"Ted. "Ted. Ted." "Mud. Of course, if you're afraid, you can't tell me about this. The old bastard failed to raise a boy once. What's to keep you from going along?
No, Mr. Krim. If you can, please include us in your group. We know we're not good enough, but we'll do anything!
We're in love with you guys!　I'll follow you to hell!
It's not my intention to make you grow up.

　That was the moment when the six of us (and one of us) became a real party.

The legend of Ramsey wasn't over, because together, we were going to create a new legend. Because together, we're going to create a new legend!　We're all going to be legendary adventurers!

　The most bossy of the triplets, Lad, said this to me in a jubilant manner.
　But I had a feeling that these words would come true sooner or later.

　　　　◇◆◆◆◆◆.

　Our search for the ruins began.
　We began with the ruins of Tabla, where we easily made it to the deepest level, defeated the Boss Guardian and obtained the Spirit of Efreet.

　Likewise, in the ruins of Membes we got the Absolute Air, in the ruins of Tartar we got the Book of Enhancing Magic Amplification, and in the ruins of Corinth we got the Long Robe of Gale and Hazy Wind.
　All of these were rank A or higher rare items. In order to get the remaining Eight Demon Generals or to defeat the Demon King, I had to use my "strategy book" to find what I wanted, and then I aimed to excavate the ancient ruins where they were lying dormant.

　It's a difficult group of ancient ruins that require a second-class search permit to enter any of the ruins, but we didn't have to.
　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one, but I'm not the only one.

　What was particularly surprising to me was the effectiveness of the triplets at the party.
　They were the real mood-makers. Thanks to them, we were able to continue our exploration of the ruins with a smile on our faces, even if it was just hard, hard work.
　It's a far cry from the cushy parties we spent with Eugene, Hilde, and Misha every day for several months.
　It was a refreshing change for me, since that was all I knew about parties.
　Even though we had the "Strategy Guide," if it weren't for this group of people, we wouldn't have been able to achieve such great results in such a short period of time.

　Of course, the tremendous value of the information in the guidebooks is unchanged.
　Thanks to the perfect map, we can explore every hidden room in the book.
　In fact, we can even search for entire undiscovered ruins with the help of this book.
　We have discovered one after another a group of ruins that had been buried under the sand and left for 500 years without anyone finding them, and reported them to the present Ministry of Archaeological Explorations in Alabana.

　There are various privileges for the first finder.
　Otherwise, no one would report it and try to monopolize it, or worse, they might lose their lives during the search. In that case, the remains that were discovered might end up being hidden and abandoned for hundreds of years again. As the current Alabana, it is obvious that we want to avoid that.

　The first of the perks is an enormous favor.
　Me, Krim, and Ramsey aren't particularly happy about it, but the triplets were overjoyed. Of course, as usual, it was a fair head split.

　Secondly, for three months only, we would be able to gain command of the other adventurers who would be exploring the ruins.
　Of course, that doesn't mean we can't have the magic item all to ourselves. The other adventurers would be gone, and in the end, the command authority would be useless. That's why we need to make sure that everyone in the group is satisfied with the leadership.

　But this was a great perk for me.
　After all, undiscovered ruins are already a danger zone full of guardians. And there's not a lot of "magic items" lying around.
　I can't afford to explore every single one of those places carefully!　--So, we're going to take command of the sixth and seventh levels, and we're going to exterminate and subdue the guardians at once with a sea of men and women.

　The magic items we gain in the process will be distributed fairly, under the supervision of the Ministry of Ruins Exploration. The adventurers who participated in the operation were all beaming.
　While they lost their motivation to work for the time being, we would set out to search the remaining depths of the ruins and get the rare item I wanted.
　I've gathered a bell of sea breeze, Angel Hairou, Demon's Stone, Demon's Vase: Empty, and more.
The grimoire, Shade IV, Acid IV, Petrification II, and many other lost magic items that I wanted to get my hands on. I quickly learned Wind IV and Manabort IV, which I had reached a level where I could learn them.

　The third perk was that the ruins would be named after the discoverer.
　This is the most unimportant.

''--That's why, let alone 'Crim's Ruins', is it okay to say 'Ted's Ruins' and 'Lad's Ruins' and 'Mud's Ruins'...?'''
I'm only finding them because of the books Magnus has with him.
I have to admit, I'm flattered.
That's all right. Otherwise the whole of Aravana would be the 'Ruins of Magnus'.
'Haha!　That's going to get a lot of travelers lost!

　Crim laughed outright, but it wasn't a laughing matter to me.
　By the way, Ramsey had a ruin bearing his name long ago.
　It's also the most difficult site to enter without a "special permit".
　Whenever we do this, we have to attack it, and if we don't, we can't.

　　　　◇◆◇◇◇◇◇

　Of course, in between continuing to explore the ruins, I was also taking "days off".
　I couldn't have my friends working so hard, either.
　Every time I had a day off, I would use the Town Gate to go see Aria.

　But first we'd meet and talk business.
　Of the magic items we obtained, we'll be supplying all the unused items to her Malm Trading Company.

My father is overjoyed that Magnus-san has allowed us to receive an ample supply of amazing and that we can't help but make money!
I'm telling you, just this once.　I plan to stop exploring the ruins once I've collected everything of note.
I know that. I know that. I make sure my father knows that. But that's besides the point. A good merchant never lets a business opportunity pass him by.
Yeah, business is tough.

　I nodded greatly.
　We were walking hand in hand through the streets of the royal capital, Laxtia.
　I don't actually know where we were going, leaving it up to Aria.

By the way, where is this going?
By the way, thanks to Magnus-san's wholesale business, my sales have been skyrocketing lately. My father gives me a generous bonus.

　Instead of answering the question, Aria spoke as if it was irrelevant.
　No, it was too soon to think it was irrelevant.

'Yes, we've arrived,'

　Saying that, Aria directed me to a nondescript, detached house with a garden.

''A ... private house style restaurant?''
No, sir. It's our house. Last day, I wanted to buy it.

　Even I was appalled.
　With my hand in hand, Aria shows me around the interior.
　She is the daughter of a wealthy merchant, Marum, and she is a good judge of what to expect from a skilled merchant in her teens. It was a wonderful property.
　But I had a Buddha's smile on my face the whole time they showed me around.

'Guess what Mr. Magnus has in mind?

　Aria chuckles in amusement.

''A new house before we were married, seriously...''
You are correct.
''That's fine. It's just like Magnus-san said, it's a 'now only' stirrup.
Well that's one way to think about it.

　Aria is a very dainty girl, but there is a part of her that is stiff or half-bold.

''Of course, I haven't changed my mind. And that I'll wait all the way until Magnus-san is clear and dies the demon king. But--''
But?
Can't you at least have a taste of honeymoon first?
I'm not a match for you at all...

　Thus, we had one more date spot where we could relax every "holiday".
　It's certainly an oopsie to have Aria serve you a home-cooked meal and to be able to make out without worrying about being seen.

　　　　◇◆◇◆◇◇

　The next day, Alavana uses the Town Gate again to travel to the town of Bevel, where her friends are waiting for her at an inn.
　There, her friends are waiting for her at an inn.

Did you have a good time last night?

　Rudd teases me, and I give him a glare.
　The reason I didn't take a big bite out of it was because it wasn't worth it.
　We've been using this inn as our base for a week when a secret messenger appeared out of the blue.

You are accompanied by Magnus-sama, aren't you?　As a matter of fact, my Lord wishes to invite you to join him.

　Even Ramsey and Krim were blindsided as the name of that "Lord" was carefully overheard.
　Who was it - it was His Royal Highness Princess Farah.