* * *
‘A Celebrity?’
“Do you know him?”
“I recognize his face, but we’ve never worked together.”
I expected an answer like, ‘How am I supposed to know? There are tons of people named Gaspar.’
But surprisingly, he knew exactly who I was talking about.
Does that mean among all the adventurers with the same name, this one is the most well-known?
Well, it makes sense.
He is the mentor of that Hero, after all.
If you’re even slightly aware of him, you’d know about Gaspar too.
But still—
“I had no idea who he was.”
Sure, I never really cared about hero-related gossip before, but it’s strange that I wouldn’t know someone that famous.
I like getting to know people.
Plus, Gaspar is known for being sociable, isn’t he?
“Raul, you usually operate around Swindlin, don’t you? That’s where you form your parties and everything. Gaspar mostly stays up north.”
So, we just work in different areas…
That explains why I don’t recognize him, but it’s still odd that an adventurer wouldn’t come to Swindlin often.
Most high-paying, prestigious requests go through the reputable adventurers’ guilds here.
If he wanted to make money, he’d have every reason to come.
“He’s a noble, so his family is probably based up north. If he can secure requests through his connections there, he wouldn’t need to go through the adventurers’ guild.”
Arthur answered stiffly, as if reading my mind.
That does make sense.
“Anything else? Any more info?”
“I don’t know him that well either… But he does seem quite sociable. Generally… uh, he, um… seems to get along with a lot of people.”
…Damn it.
This bastard refused to go to the infirmary, insisting he was fine, but now he can’t even finish a sentence without groaning.
Clutching his injury while talking like that makes it seem like I’m forcing a wounded man to work.
“You guys are staying here until you recover, right?”
He nodded, still pressing on his wound.
“Then I’ll stop by again later. I’m staying nearby, too.”
“Vasco will probably come looking for you.”
“Tell him to stop running around and stay in bed. I’ll check in on him.”
Even if potions heal wounds, they don’t instantly restore stamina.
All that fatigue still adds up, so proper rest is necessary.
As I stood up, Arthur hesitated before following me.
Despite his personality, I guess he’s still grateful enough to see me off.
“…Thanks.”
No need to mention it.
“If you’re that grateful, why don’t you tell me more about your love life?”
SLAM.
The door shut with force.
Cold bastard.
If you keep this up, I might just stop helping and start interfering instead.
But I had far more important things to do than meddle in someone’s love life.
He probably doesn’t even realize just how big of a request he’s made of me.
‘What should I do next?’
Should I go to the infirmary and ask Vasco to investigate, too?
Having two people look into it would be more efficient than just one.
But I also need to figure out where the Hero is.
I told him not to follow me, but enough time has passed—would it be okay to find him now?
I could always ask Vasco later.
Right now, resolving things with the Hero takes priority.
If I run into him while wandering around, I can just say it was a coincidence.
That way, he won’t get mad at me for breaking my promise not to follow him.
‘I need to make up with him.’
I saw with my own eyes today just how dangerous the world is becoming.
Vasco’s condition—I heard from his party members what happened.
That giant skull-headed monster we encountered?
The ones that normally roam alone?
Not only had they grown in size, but they were now hunting in packs.
The beasts are evolving rapidly.
The demons are getting even stronger.
I know this world is in danger.
Only I know.
That’s why I have to do something.
If I don’t—then I’ll never atone for abandoning the Hero and returning to the past.
Suddenly, I recalled the Hero’s trembling hands.
‘How do I make up with him?’
I can’t say anything for certain when it comes to Gaspar.
On one hand, I don’t want to do anything the Hero would hate.
But on the other, if this is all part of fate, then maybe—just maybe—it’s actually for the Hero’s own good.
I feel completely torn between the two thoughts.
I can’t even decide what to do next.
God, I wish I could just dump this regression business onto the Hero!
Not that it’d make a difference, since time has already been rewound!
“Hey, you. Handsome adventurer.”
Footsteps.
I doubted my ears.
“Mind if we talk for a moment?”
I’d heard that voice a few times before—I recognized it now.
“Gaspar…?”
Of all times to run into him, now?
Seriously, is this some kind of divine intervention?
At least he didn’t seem too badly hurt, despite the fact that the Hero had really tried to obliterate him.
…Or maybe, since Gaspar was his mentor, the Hero subconsciously held back, and I just failed to notice.
That’s possible, too.
“Come on, don’t be so formal. Just call me by my name. You wouldn’t have used honorifics if I weren’t Bati’s mentor, right?”
Bati…
“Sorry if I startled you. I was actually looking for you.”
Ah.
So that’s how it is.
This meeting was too convenient to be a coincidence.
If he’d been searching for me, then I could guess why.
If someone rejected a request for a conversation that firmly, of course they’d try to reach out again.
He probably wants me to arrange a meeting with the Hero.
That’s what I want too.
The problem is whether the Hero will agree to it.
He literally told me not to meet his old mentor at all.
Even standing here talking to Gaspar might piss him off.
‘But…’
I’m sorry, Hero.
I really am.
But I cannot let this opportunity slip by!
Meeting him while I was briefly apart from the Hero—it has to be fate!
I won’t force a meeting between you two, okay?
But at the very least, I’ll hear him out.
The adventurers are dropping like flies.
Humans are in danger.
“The world is small, huh? Imagine my surprise when I found out that the kind adventurer who helps beggars is also my student’s friend.”
Gaspar smiled, seemingly unbothered by how humiliating it must’ve been to be dismissed by his own pupil.
He was just as shameless as I’d first assumed.
Honestly, I still don’t get why the Hero dislikes him so much.
“I don’t know what you think of me, but to be honest, I was relieved. You probably already know, but Bati… He’s been through a lot.”
“Wounds?”
…I really shouldn’t be hearing this from someone else.
But I don’t know when—or if—the Hero would ever tell me himself.
And I only have five months left.
I have no choice. If this can help me understand the Hero, I need to listen.
“Bati isn’t great with people, so he’s not the best at expressing himself, right?”
That’s… true.
I don’t want to badmouth him, but the guy barely speaks.
There are plenty of times I’ve had to spend ages deciphering what he even meant.
“He’s also pretty expressionless. So even when he does want to get close to someone, people tend to misunderstand him.”
Yeah.
That… makes a lot of sense.
* * *
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