Volume 1 Chapter 2 The Town Of Beginnings
Demon Lord Army.
A group led by 5 fierce monsters known as the Five Great Beasts.
The Dragon King Dorane leads the 'Dragon King Army' of the Dragon Tribe.
The Spirit King Vamph leads the 'Spirit King Army' of the Undead Tribe.
The Sea King Orochi leads the 'Sea King Army' of the Sea Tribe.
The Forest King Garu leads the 'Forest King Army' of the Forest Tribe.
The Rock King Goliath leads the 'Rock King Army' of the Rock Tribe.
The ultimate goal for all adventurers is to completely subdue these 5 Demon Lord Armies.
And the forces believed to have the greatest potential to achieve this are the 4 adventurer parties led by heroes from various regions.
"Feels like it's been forever."
It's been 2 months since I was kicked out of 'Peace Sign,' led by the Eastern Hero Dahlia.
Finally, I've returned to my hometown, the starting adventurer town 'Hyamars.'
If I remember correctly, it's been about 6 years.
The town hasn't changed much at all.
Two circular towns sit side by side across a river, connected by a massive stone bridge.
From above, the town looks like a short-handled "dumbbell."
The two towns are referred to as the West District and East District, and together with the giant bridge, they are considered one town (Hyamars).
"Still a lot of newbie adventurers around."
As I walk from the West Gate toward my family home in the East District, I pass by many young adventurers.
This town of Hyamars is famous for being a gathering place for newbie adventurers just starting out.
The reason so many beginners gather here is simple: there are a lot of weak monsters around.
There are plenty of affordable monster zones near Hyamars, and many related adventurer requests come in.
Hyamars town is a pretty lively place, with lots of craftsmen who can forge weapons and armor, and merchants who sell useful stuff for adventurers.
Most importantly, the food and drinks are delicious.
For newbies who just registered as adventurers at the guild, there's probably no better place than this.
I've been taken care of by this town since I was a kid, all the way until I became an adventurer.
Here, I can live quietly and comfortably.
"Hey? Aroze?"
"Huh...?"
As I was walking through the town, feeling nostalgic, I suddenly heard my name called from the side of the road.
When I turned around, I saw a wooden bench with a familiar woman sitting on it.
She looked around 16 or 17, with a clear and fresh vibe. Her brown hair was shoulder-length, slightly curled at the ends, giving her an elegant look.
Wearing a collared white shirt and a black jacket reminded me of the past, and I was taken aback as I responded to her.
"Is that you, Ms. Terra...?"
"Yep, you remembered! It's been a while."
She was the receptionist, Ms. Terra Blune, who often helped out at the guild when I was just starting out.
Now, she seemed to be on her lunch break, relaxing on the bench with a sandwich in hand.
It's been about 6 years since I last saw her, but she hasn't changed at all, which surprised me.
"Ms. Terra, have you been working at the guild in this town all this time?"
"Yeah, that's right. I've had offers from bigger towns, but I've gotten used to it here."
I've heard that the pay for receptionists in larger towns is better.
But it seems Ms. Terra chose comfort over money, continuing her job as the receptionist in this town.
She's been working as a receptionist since she was ten, and although she's actually around 20, 2 years older than me, her soft, youthful face makes her look younger.
"It's rare to see you in this town, Aroze. Weren't you supposed to be with the hero Dahlia's party? Is the hero party here in this town too...?"
"Ah, no, that's not it..."
I felt awkward and stumbled over my words.
But I decided to gather my courage and confess.
"I got kicked out of the hero party."
"Huh..."
"My role was over, and they said I'd just be a burden from now on, so I had to leave. Well, I didn't really have anywhere else to go, so I came back to this town, my hometown."
Ms. Terra's eyes widened in surprise.
I thought my explanation was pretty vague, but it seemed like she understood.
"...I see, you're a 'Trainer' class, right?"
"You remembered?"
"Yeah, I remember well. Back then, I had just started my job at the reception, and I saw little Aroze struggling up close."
"..."
That reminded me of those times.
At the same time, a bitter memory suddenly resurfaced in my mind.
'You want to join the party as a Trainer? Ha! Before you can make others strong, you need to get strong yourself first.'
Now I could provide decent combat support, but back when I was just starting out, I was useless.
At my age, adventurers usually registered around 15, but I had been an adventurer since I was 6.
So, I couldn't get into any party, and even when I did, I was kicked out right away.
Staying in this town didn't just mean good memories.
Ms. Terra, who often helped at the reception, knew my situation better than anyone.
"But, I see. You got kicked out again."
"...Yeah."
"I heard you got really strong and were invited to join the Sword Saint Dahlia's party, so I thought you'd be fine..."
I didn't expect things to turn out like this either.
Even after my party members matured, I thought I could keep doing my best as a support role, but I never imagined I'd be kicked out for such a reason.
"So, are you going to look for new party members again? There are a lot of rookie adventurers gathering parties, so I think you'll find someone soon."
"No, that's not why I came back to this town. Now, I don't want to form any parties with anyone."
"I see. So you plan to go solo from now on?"
"Well, yes. It looks like that..."
With a vague answer, Ms. Terra gave a wry smile and continued.
"Well, after being kicked out of a party, I can understand why you wouldn't want to team up with anyone. But I think you could totally shine in another party, you know? If you lend your strength to another group, you might just achieve your goal of defeating the Demon Lord someday."
"I'll leave that to the other adventurers. It's not something I have to do, and honestly, I don't want to go through that kind of experience again."
"...I see."
From that exchange, it seemed Ms. Terra picked up on a lot.
She understood why I was kicked out of the hero party and how I felt about it.
"Well, if you change your mind and want to team up with someone, just let me know right away. I'll make sure to put up a big announcement about you on the bulletin board!"
"I'm a bit scared that weird rumors might start, but if that happens, I'd appreciate it. Oh, and I have another request──can I re-register with the adventurer guild?"
"Re-register?"
I lowered my voice and continued.
"I lost my adventurer's notebook, and I was thinking of getting a reissue, but then I thought maybe I should just re-register and change my name..."
"It's not impossible, but if you do that, your adventurer rank will drop back to the lowest level, Rank 5. Are you okay with that?"
"Yes. I'm not planning to take on any tough quests anymore, and I don't want anyone to recognize me as 'Aroze' from the hero party."
Soon enough, the news of my expulsion from the hero party would likely spread.
It might already be known in bigger towns, but it was only a matter of time before it reached Hyamars.
One of the members, Aroze Fullō, was said to have fallen behind in battles due to lack of strength.
So I want to change my name and keep going.
It's not like news about who got kicked out of which party spreads around all the time, but if it's a famous hero party, that's a different story.
I was the least noticeable in the hero party, but if I got kicked out, that news would definitely spread.
"Well, if you say so, Aroze, I won't stop you, but what are you planning to use as your new name?"
"Ah, right. Since it's Aroze... how about just 'Roezé'?"
"That sounds kinda lazy."
And then Ms. Terra giggled, asking if it even made sense to change it.
I mean, I just wanted a fresh start, so as long as I could re-register, anything would be fine.
"Alright then, let's get the paperwork done right away. I'll help you, so let's head to the guild together."
"Wait, aren't you on your lunch break right now?"
"Yeah, but re-registering isn't that much work, and I want to chat with you a bit more, so it's totally fine. If you're up for it, I'd love to hear about your travels and stuff."
"Sure, if my stories are okay, I'd be happy to share."
So, I decided to change my name from Aroze of the hero party to Roezé, the rookie adventurer, and start fresh.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)