[Sinseki Era – Year -21]
[Central Lands · Wille Region]
By the time the group arrived in this city, six days had passed since they left the small town.
Along the way, the four had crossed the Riegel Canyon and passed through the Fortress City of Waal.
There, the party received a warm welcome from everyone, from the city lord to the common townsfolk.
The enthusiastic people persuaded the Hero Himmel to stay for two whole days before allowing him to leave.
After departing from Waal, Himmel repeatedly apologized to his companions for delaying their journey.
But the well-rested trio didn't mind. If anything, the younger companions Gut and Mut were more curious about why the Hero was so well-loved in that city.
Under their persistent questioning, Himmel finally relented and revealed the reason behind such treatment.
The story wasn't particularly complicated.
The Fortress City of Waal sits within the Riegel Canyon, marking the boundary between the Northern Nations and the Central Lands, and has long endured attacks from demons and monsters.
Periodically, monsters gather in large hordes and launch organized assaults on Waal. Rogue demons often hide among the beasts, reaping human lives en masse.
And whenever such beast tides occurred, Himmel would always arrive in time to help, greatly reducing the losses among the city's defenders.
Thanks to his overwhelming strength and heroic feats, not only did the monsters fail to ever breach Waal, but the mounting casualties eventually thinned out the beasts in Riegel Canyon altogether.
The safety of passing merchant caravans dramatically improved, and the interWaal between monster tides lengthened significantly.
Because Himmel had offered his help a few years prior, not only did the townsfolk still recognize the young man from the statue, they could even identify the now-middle-aged hero himself.
That was the whole story—and the reason why the people were so enthusiastic in welcoming Himmel.
Both Gut and Mut nodded in understanding after hearing it.
Indeed, just as the Hero described, even before they entered Waal, the guards patrolling the city gates had already recognized Himmel the moment they lifted the curtain on the carriage—and soon, people came flocking.
At that point, even though Himmel had hoped to stay low-profile, it was too late.
Raised on tales of the Hero's adventures, Mut couldn't stop cheering for his idol.
As for Gut, it reminded him of something from the future.
Roughly fifty years later, when Frieren would once again set out on her journey with Fern, Waal would be one of the few cities where even commoners and nobles alike could still recognize Frieren as a member of the Hero's party.
They even voluntarily held a send-off ceremony for her.
So, the reason behind this special recognition—the seed of it all—was planted now, wasn't it?
Gut looked over at the Hero Himmel beside him.
Even three decades after death, the legacy he left behind still sheltered his beloved, providing convenience and care…
Himmel, you bastard…
...
After bidding farewell to the coachman, the four strolled through the city.
The next leg of their journey would take them to the Voll Basin, in search of the hidden place that Mut was pursuing.
That meant they'd have to camp in forests and mountains for days—so they needed to stock up on supplies while still in Weilei, the last major town before departure.
Especially antidotes for common local poisons and insect repellents—essentials that couldn't be skipped.
Without a priest in the team, the former could easily prove fatal, and lacking the latter could mean poor sleep and recovery during the night—dangerous conditions for adventurers the next day.
Danger, my ass.
Listening to the vendor's impassioned pitch on insect repellent, Gut glanced at his so-called "adventuring companions."
Legendary Archmage Serie,
Demon King-slaying Hero Himmel,
And bringing up the rear, the lucky freeloader Mut.
These supplies were more for peace of mind than real necessity.
Except maybe antidotes—they could still come in handy. Everything else? Pretty useless.
During wilderness rests, Serie's Barrier Magic would keep mosquitoes at bay no matter how determined they were.
And in close combat? Even if Himmel skipped sleep entirely, Gut couldn't imagine anything in the Voll Basin posing a threat to the still-not-quite-past-his-prime Hero.
So after fully stocking antidotes, the rest of the luggage space was treated more casually.
Only Mut silently stopped in front of a stall where the vendor was loudly boasting about his wares—and purchased several packets of insect repellent.
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Powerstones?
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