Chapter 1

I'm very sorry for the wait.

Today, Chapter 4 begins. I'll go non-stop until the end!

In the depths of a massive cave, a boy lay at the bottom of a cliff.

The impact of his fall had cracked his head, and the blood wouldn't stop. The ground was quickly turning red.

The boy no longer had the strength to even stand up. Blood flowed out, and his body grew colder and colder.

Tears streamed down the boy's face.

His parents, who had brought him into the world, could never have imagined that their son would die like this. However, his parents were no longer in this world. They had been killed by the trio that had pushed him off the cliff.

—Someone, help me.

The boy's mouth moved slightly. But that was all. His voice, faint as it was, didn't even echo.

—I don't want to die.

—I don't want to die yet!

He wanted to have more experiences. He wanted to see more of the world. He wanted to know what possibilities he had.

He wanted friends. He wanted a warm home.

He wanted to eat until he was full...

But the boy had little time left.

His wish would never come true.

—Just a little more. I just wanted to live a little longer.

The boy shed a single tear.

The next moment—

"I'll grant your wish."

Suddenly, a girl appeared before the boy. She had white hair and wore a white robe.

"In return, can I borrow your body?"

—My body?

"Yes."

—Can I live?

"That's impossible. You're already dead."

—Is that so...

"Don't be disappointed. While you can't come back to life, your body can be preserved."

—What do you mean?

"Another soul will use your body."

—So, I won't have consciousness, just a body...?

"Yes. But don't worry. Your thoughts will be remembered by your body. Your will remains in this world."

Saying that, the girl gently closed the boy's eyes.

"Don't worry. I'm sure the serious one will take good care of your body. So, rest in peace."

With those words, the boy—Ridd's soul—drifted away from his body.

○

"Wow..."

Tō, who had returned home from the capital Yustel, was speechless at the sight before him.

The living room, which had been neatly organized before he left for Yustel, was now a mess with no place to step.

The floor was covered with a large amount of paper.

"Hey, welcome back."

The culprit's tone was completely carefree, as if she had no awareness of the mess.

"Lilith, this is a shared space. It's a problem if it's this messy!"

"Hmm. I'll clean up later."

Lilith answered without looking at him. Her gaze had been fixed on the paper in front of her, which was covered with the same patterns as the papers scattered on the floor.

"Lilith, what is that?"

"A magic book."

"I see."

Lilith had previously run a magic book store. She had lost her store and the magic books due to a monster attack a few days ago.

It would be difficult to quickly restore the store. Currently, the demand for housing construction in Finris was very high, and there were no available craftsmen to be found.

So, Lilith had started by making new magic books.

"Did you keep making magic books while we were in the capital?"

"Hmm."

It seemed she hadn't cleaned up at all during that time.

Tō had a similar experience. He would get so engrossed in his work that he would leave his tools scattered around.

When he returned to his normal self, he often felt disheartened by the state of his room.

"Tō, tell Lilith to clean up. We can't eat dinner like this!"

"Food!?"

Cupin. Lilith's eyes changed color. She immediately started picking up the scattered magic books.

She seemed to be sorting them by attribute, as nine stacks of paper quickly appeared on the table.

"Tō, food."

"Ah, yes. I'll start making it now."

"Make it extra delicious, please."

"Understood."

Smiling wryly at Lilith's quick change, Tō headed to the kitchen.

Having just returned from the capital, there was almost no food in the house except for meat. It was already past evening, and the familiar shops were closed.

There might be a store still open if he looked around, but Tō had run all the way back from the capital to Finris and didn't have the energy to go out again.

"I'm sorry, Lilith..."

Tō decided to make dinner with just the orc meat and the ingredients left in the house. Still, he started cooking with all his might to meet Lilith's expectations for a delicious meal.

The dish he prepared was an orc meat steak. He served it on a hot iron plate.

Along with the meat, he also placed heated potatoes, carrots, and onions on the plate. The sauce was a secret salt glaze.

"Wow..."

Estel and Lilith's eyes sparkled at the sight of Tō's cooking.

Pino was wagging her body, eager to eat.

"Alright—"

Once all the dishes were served, Tō clasped his hands together.

"Let's eat!"

The steak melted in their mouths, releasing a burst of juice. With one bite, the meat fibers fell apart.

Lilith, who had been craving Tō's cooking, was eating the steak with tears in her eyes.

The food in Yustel had been terrible, so Tō, too, had been craving a good meal.

Everyone ate in silence. In the midst of this, Lilith pushed the carrots to the edge of the iron plate.

"Hmm? Lilith, you can't be picky about your food."

"These are roots. They're not food."

"No, no, they are food..."

Estel's shoulders drooped at Lilith's cute excuse.

Tō tried to suppress his laughter and spoke up.

"Lilith, carrots are full of nutrients. You won't grow if you don't eat them."

"Mmm..."

Lilith pouted, but with a determined look, she threw the carrot into her mouth. She must have really disliked it, as she swallowed it almost without chewing.

With tears in her eyes, she had a look that said, "How was that?"

"...I ate it. I can do it."

"There are still two left."

"Devil!"

Lilith glared at Tō.

But her gaze quickly softened.

"I was told the same thing about eating carrots before."

"Hmm. Were they your parents?"

"No, my companions. My adventuring party."

"Oh, the members of Lilith's party. What kind of people were they?"

"They taught me important things."

New work: "A Bottom-Tier Hunter Becomes the Strongest with the [Return] Skill"

Now in serial publication. (The link is below)

Please enjoy this as well.