Chapter 4

When the legendary swordsman and the hero met after a long time, their conversation was already shaking the world.

“Alright.”

“No.”

It didn’t happen at all.

Sasaki, the swordsman, started to say, “Of course I brought the sake,” but Faido cut him off. These two, who have been close friends since their teenage years, had no reservations with each other.

“Alright.”

“No.”

Elrika also cut off Sasaki, the vagrant, who was about to say, “You brought the secret stash of sake, didn’t you?” She had also learned how to deal with drunkards during her travels and had no reservations.

“By the way, why did you come down from the mountain?”

And as Faido and Elrika knew, Sasaki, after discarding the first topic of sake, would get straight to the point.

“Because the time to meet is near. I’m going on a journey to see the faces of my acquaintances, my son, my grandson, and my great-grandson. The first one is you, who’s nearby.”

“Thanks for the kind words. Hmm? I remember the sons are...”

“On the neighboring continent.”

“That’s quite a journey.”

The aged Faido, pulled along by his old friend, explained in the tone of his youth why he had come down from the mountain.

“Well, it’s been about ten years for me.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t died from drinking. Elrika?”

“Absolutely.”

“Hahaha! There’s no way I’d die from drinking!”

Sasaki laughed, while Faido and Elrika looked genuinely exasperated. Even during their arduous travels in the past, Sasaki had always been drinking, and the amount of alcohol he consumed was enough to kill a person.

“Alright. Then I’ll join you on this journey.”

“What? Well... What do you think, Elrika?”

“I don’t mind.”

“Then, let’s go on a journey after all these years.”

“Sounds good. How about we re-form the Shining Star, including Elrika, after eighty years?”

At Sasaki’s sudden declaration, Faido’s wrinkles and cheeks twitched, and he wanted to shove a bottle of sake into his old friend’s mouth right away.

It wasn’t because he was going to join the journey. The fact that the journey to meet acquaintances would also involve meeting old party members was something Faido and Elrika were happy about.

However, the Shining Star was the name of the team formed by Faido and Sasaki when they were young warriors, and as Elrika’s gaze towards her husband indicated, it was a secret from his wife, a youthful trend.

“So, who’s next on your list?”

“Lara.”

“Ah...”

Sasaki, who had been smiling, suddenly made a strange expression as if he had been defeated when he heard the name Faido mentioned, and scratched the back of his head.

“It seems my journey ends here. I wish you luck.”

“What are you talking about, not even a step on foot?”

Elrika, who had a deadpan look, pointed out to Sasaki, who suddenly had a bright expression after shaking his head.

“Do you see her from time to time?”

“Well, yeah...”

In response to Faido’s words, Sasaki scratched his head again. His hesitation was due to a woman named Lara.

“When I die, my inheritance will go to Lara and my son. It’s just that I put on a show and feel embarrassed.”

“I see.”

As Sasaki’s head drooped, Faido had a look of understanding.

Lara was technically Sasaki’s wife and the mother of his children, but they had maintained a distant relationship for nearly seventy years. Sasaki felt embarrassed about the arrangements he had made to send his few possessions to her after his death and was unsure how to face her.

“Well, I was thinking of meeting Lara soon, so it’s good timing. I’ll prepare for the journey and let my disciples know.”

But after some hesitation, Sasaki ultimately decided to join the journey and slowly stood up.

This legendary swordsman had been sitting on the ground, holding a bottle of sake in his hand all this time.

◆

“Eh!?”

Karl, a new swordsman who had just entered the Clovis school, saw something unbelievable.

“Hey, snot-nosed Karl.”

The vagrant Sasaki was actually walking on two legs.

“Have you finally gone crazy from drinking!?”

“I’ve always walked normally, and everyone says the same thing.”

Karl shouted something very rude, but almost everyone who knew Sasaki would react the same way. In fact, Sasaki had always had similar conversations, and during the great war, when he was temporarily sober, people even thought the human race was losing and the world was ending.

“I’m going on a journey. I’ve told you.”

“Wait a minute! I’ll go buy some sake right away, so don’t die before I get back!”

At Sasaki’s sudden announcement, Karl concluded that Sasaki’s head was not affected by drinking but by the lack of sake.

“Listen, snot-nosed Karl. I’m going to meet some friends and acquaintances. I might be gone for more than three years.”

“Huh!?”

Sasaki, who usually would laugh and tell Karl to hurry up and buy the sake, was unusually serious as he told Karl his plans.

But to Karl, it was shocking to see this vagrant old man suddenly decide to go on a journey and announce he wouldn’t be back for three years.

“You’ll die out there!”

“Don’t be ridiculous. A guy who always sleeps in the street won’t die just because he goes on a journey.”

“Well, yeah, I guess.”

Karl tried to bring Sasaki back to his senses but recalled that this old man was surprisingly healthy except when he was drunk.

“But why suddenly?”

“Well, there are many people I need to see at least once before I die.”

“Yeah, I guess old people have those kinds of things...”

When Karl heard the reason for the journey, he understood Sasaki’s words, but his tone was weak.

It was sad for Karl, who was still a young boy, to see Sasaki, who had taken care of him, suddenly leave.

“I’ve decided to die surrounded by sake here, so I’ll come back.”

“Shouldn’t it be your grandchildren!?”

Sasaki, being the hopeless drunkard he was, completely ignored Karl’s sadness.

“So, I’m going on a journey. Don’t forget the reason to become strong.”

“I got it, I got it! I’ll be a reliable big brother to my younger siblings! Is that good enough?”

“Yeah, that’s good.”

“Don’t die on the journey, old man!”

“Who are you talking to, snot-nosed brat?”

Sasaki, who didn’t do anything more than inform Karl of his plans, turned around and smiled at Karl’s shouting.

This noisy young boy and the careless old man, a strange master and disciple, had a very dry farewell, not a tearful one.

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