Chapter 3

The first thing he felt was the smell.

A familiar smell. Of alcohol and tobacco. A pungent mix of blood and iron that numbed the nose. A smell he had sniffed to his heart's content when he was still a brat.

Yes, that's right. This smell is nostalgic.

"How long are you going to sleep, you scrawny dog?"

Bang! A strong shock ran through the back of his head. He lifted his face instinctively. Sparks flew before his eyes, and he couldn't make out the situation.

"Rugis, if you look like that, you must have been cleaning ditches again, haven't you?"

He looked up to see a white-haired man with a white beard, deep wrinkles, and scars on his face.

What the hell. This is strange. He shouldn't be here. Or rather, he shouldn't be now. Because he,

"Grandpa Richard...! Why are you here? You were supposed to be dead, dammit!"

It hurt. Even more than before. The pain was so intense that he felt his eyes might pop out.

"How can you just kill people like that?"

While delivering a powerful punch, Grandpa Richard didn't seem particularly angry as he drank his alcohol. Confused, Rugis finally realized he had been lying face down on the table. No wonder, with a blow to the back of his head, sparks would fly before his eyes.

"You've been oversleeping too much, Rugis. I came to check on you after a long time, and this is what I get. Have you forgotten that you are under my tutelage?"

Blinking his eyes, Rugis looked back at the old man's face, who was peering at him while holding a bottle of alcohol.

Ah, yes. There's no mistaking it. A face he could never forget. A ruthless, evil man who preyed on the weak. And my teacher, Richard.

But he was supposed to be dead. He died in a disaster during the reign of the previous king, in a way that was out of character for him. He was supposed to be dead. Yet there he was, calmly standing before him, talking to him.

"Yeah... No, I was just sleeping here. I just had trouble falling asleep. You know, because I was raised well."

Saying this with a joking tone, Grandpa Richard deepened his wrinkles and scratched his head lightly. He looked at Rugis with a bemused expression, muttering something like, "Maybe I hit the wrong spot."

"Since you were a kid, your bed was either here or on the floor. You got used to it, didn't you?"

That was indeed true. When he was under Grandpa Richard, who would often travel and return only when he felt like it, Rugis would spend the night face down on a table in the tavern due to lack of money. But that was over ten years ago.

Suddenly, he looked at himself. His body was smaller, not just by a little, but by a lot. The green rags he was wearing were something he had liked and worn in his early teens. His muscles were atrophied, and his limbs were thin, a body that had not yet fully matured into adulthood.

—I will give you one chance. A chance to erase everything and redraw the painting of your life.

Those words echoed in his head. Ah, I see. That's what it is. All of that was real. An undeniable contract. I,

"Stop being an idiot, Rugis. I brought you a job today. Go wash your face quickly."

I have returned to the time when I was still a novice adventurer, still developing.

*

My teacher, as expected, showed no signs of change. I realized this fact through my solo reconnaissance mission, which was essentially a sacrificial offering.

I moved through the forest of tall trees, trying not to make a sound, stepping on the grass.

"That old man..."

I couldn't help but let out a complaint. I instinctively reached for my chest to retrieve my usual item, but it wasn't there. Right. At this time, I hadn't even started drinking alcohol, let alone chewing tobacco. Given that I struggled to get food, it was impossible for me to have such luxuries.

I gritted my teeth.

Damn it. I definitely returned to this day over ten years ago. That's for sure. But once I got back, I found it full of inconveniences. I couldn't take jobs from the guild seriously. I only got subcontracted jobs from Grandpa Richard or tasks no one wanted. Returning didn't make life go smoothly as I had hoped.

This reconnaissance mission in the forest of tall trees was a job Grandpa Richard should have done alone. I was just given a part of it. It wasn't a good deal.

Most importantly, he took on the job of slaying a large monster and then made someone else do the dangerous reconnaissance. That old man was as ruthless as ever.

I took a deep breath and continued deeper into the forest, then suddenly stopped. I crouched down and looked at the ground. There were scattered pebbles and slightly broken leaves of weeds.

Someone had been here before. This was definitely the trail of someone walking. There were light attempts to cover the tracks, but they were only temporary. Even so, I wouldn't have noticed them back then. I was that ignorant and powerless. During my journey to save the world, I had been forced to do reconnaissance so often that I had become accustomed to it.

But who could it be? There shouldn't be many people who would enter this dangerous forest, let alone try to hide their tracks. Beyond this point was the deep wilderness. I remember, back then, I had entered this area...

"..."

I remembered. Rather, why didn't I realize it sooner? What an idiot I am. If I'm here to help Grandpa Richard with his job, then I must have been in this forest back then.

I must have seen her. That figure, that woman.

I took a deep breath and exhaled. I clenched my molars and suppressed the trembling in my body. Then, I crouched down and moved along the ground, carefully choosing where to place my feet to avoid making noise or leaving traces on the leaves.

Back then, she was a novice knight but had a stronger drive to improve than anyone else. Despite the guild designating this area as a forbidden zone, she had entered the forest on her own to test her skills, to slay the monster.

This is the worst. The absolute worst situation.

I must avoid running into her at all costs. The hidden tracks are definitely hers. If that's the case, I need to reach my goal as quickly as possible and complete my mission. Then, I must return without any detours. That's the best strategy.

—Clink—Clink—.

It's over.

As I approached the large monster's lair, the sound of clashing blades grew louder. He was there. He was definitely there, fighting the monster with the confidence that he had no equal.

I quickly climbed up a tree and directed my gaze toward the source of the sound.

There, I saw a figure I could never forget. She skillfully wielded a sword that was disproportionately long compared to her body, drawing silver arcs as she faced the monster. She was still a novice knight, but she would become a distinguished member of the knight's order and a member of the party on the journey to save the world.

Her name was Celia Bardonic. She was there.