Translator: Haruto.

Ten Years After the Slaves I Picked Up Left on a Journey,
I Somehow Became a Legend.

Volume 1: Lulune, the Forester of Beginnings.

I picked up some slaves. Five of them, all in one swoop.

They must be in their early teens.

At least that’s what their young appearance lets on.

Actually, rather than young girls, they look like children to me.

The problem is, I can’t just say, “Okay girls, you’re free! See ya!” and send them packing.

It seems they don’t have any relatives left, or the skills to make it on their own.  

If I leave them alone, I’m sure they’ll just be turned into slaves again because of their beauty. And then, what would have been the point of taking down that wicked slave merchant?

“Haa… I guess I’ve got no choice but to take them in,” I mumble after letting out a deep sigh.  

Having spent so much time on the road, I’ve got no idea of how to raise children.

And it’s always hard to throw yourself into something you’re not accustomed to.

But well, that’s just how fate works sometimes… I’ll have to give it the best I’ve got.

I take a good glance at the girls while such thoughts cross my mind.

Their eyes are devoid of life. They’re shaking, trying to stay close to each other.

…Yeah, first things first, I need to find a way to get them to open up to me.

Chances are that we’ll be together for a long while, after all.

And so, I act as friendly as I can and talk to the girls.

“Hey there! It’s okay, I’m not a bad guy.”

***

“It’s time for us to leave.”

Five years have come and gone since the day I picked them up.

And in those five years, they’ve all grown into wonderful young ladies.  

Lots of things happened.

We had happy, sad, difficult, and just all sorts of experiences together.

However, today marks the beginning of their own journey.  

“…Be careful out there.”

“We will. Alize-san, we’re adults now, remember?” said Ayesha, the most mature amongst them, with a sweet smile on her face.

Yeah, she’s right. They’re all adults now, huh…

Only after hearing it directly from one of them, and seeing them pack their things, did the realization finally hit me.

“Yeah, you’ve become such amazing girls. Honestly…”

“Good grief, please don’t cry, Alize-san. It’s not like we’ll never see each other again.”

Akane, whose skill with the sword surpasses that of most men, tries to console me as she pats my shoulder.

She’s obviously fighting back tears, too.

I take a look at the girls around me; tears are welling up in their eyes.  

Prolonging this would be a bad idea.

It’d just make parting ways all the more difficult.

That is why I turn around, and without letting them see my face, I say, “Bye and be well.”

I hear their footsteps, and a moment later, they’re gone.

I just know how mature, how valiant they must look walking away.

I don’t even have to turn back around to confirm it. I can see them clearly in my head.

I cried a whole lot after they left.

But no matter how much I cried, I didn’t feel any better.

That’s why, trying to soothe the loneliness, I moved to a rural village where I lived for no less than 10 years.

***

“You’re really leaving, Alize-san?”

“I have to. My whole body has gotten kind of rusty in the time I’ve been here, you know?”

This village has been my home for the past ten years.

A young girl stands in front of me. Her name is Ruin and I first met her when she was only five. Time sure flies fast.

I mean, when I picked up those girls I was about twenty-five, and now I’m about to reach my forties.   

My body is not the same as it used to be when I moved into this peaceful village, isolated from the rest of the world, ten years ago.

Which is why I figured I should at least try to recover my battle sense.

Besides, no information regarding the outside world ever reaches this village. I can’t help but be a little curious about the current state of the world.

All the villagers have gathered to see me off.

There are no more than 20 people here, though.

Patting the head of the girl trying her best not to cry, I say, “We’ll meet again. I just hope you’ll grow stronger in the meantime.”

“You betcha. It’s all thanks to you that I’ve become strong enough to protect this village, but I still have a long way to go!”

“Glad to hear that. The day that you think you’re ready to beat me, leave the village and come see me.”

“If that day comes, you’ll fight me without holding back?”

I nod.

Needless to say, I have never fought her at full strength during our mock battles, even though she always insisted on me doing so.  

…Huh, so this is how they must have felt that day.

I can’t help but think of those five girls who were nothing short of family to me.  

They were as talented as Ruin.

Perhaps they’ve become incredibly famous now… Hmm, no, I have to be realistic.  

This a big world we live in. I’m sure there are countless other geniuses out there.

“We were lucky to have you in our village, Alize-san. We’re now able to fend off even monsters because of your teachings.”  

“I see. I’m glad I was of help,” I say while scratching my cheek to answer the village chief who’s bowing in gratitude.  

“Well then… Bye.”

“Yeah, see you, Alize-san.”

I turn around and begin walking away from the village without looking back.

I hear a few sniffs coming from behind me.

Being a traveler means learning to say goodbye as often as you say hello.

But, no matter how much time passes, I doubt I’ll ever get used to this feeling.  

***

A grand castle floats in the sky.

It belongs to the great heroes who defeated the Demon King, and who are known to almost everyone across this large continent…

The Brave of Might: Akane.

The Witch of the Abyss: Nina.

The Saint of Benevolence: Mia.

The Forester of Beginnings: Lulune.  

The Princess of the World: Ayesha.

Once a month the five great heroes hold a meeting.

With the Demon King defeated already, it’d be normal to assume that there aren’t any issues important enough to warrant the presence of the five heroes.

Albeit, to them, there’s still one immensely crucial problem that must be resolved at all costs.  

“So none of the kings has been able to find him still, Ayesha?” Mia the Saint asks Princess Ayesha.

Surprisingly enough, Ayesha isn’t wearing a fancy dress while sitting at the round table. She’s just wearing a set of plain clothes.

According to her, she feels much more at ease in them than when she’s wearing a dress…

A serious expression appears on Ayesha’s face in response to Mia’s question.

“That is correct. His whereabouts are still unknown. We haven’t even heard of any sightings.”

Hearing that, Akane the Brave stands up and begins getting ready to depart.

“I think I’ll just have to run all over the continent looking for him, then.”

“…That’s not a good idea. I don’t even want to imagine the damage you’ll cause to all the nations across the continent,” warns Lulune of the elven race, visibly exasperated, and Akane reluctantly returns to her seat.

It seems they’ve been at each other’s throats for the past fifteen years, but lately, they’ve started getting along a little better.

“Still, if not even the kings have been able to find him, where in the world could he have run off to?”

“Hmm, at least I’m sure he’s still alive. I mean, it’s him we’re talking about,” said Nina the Witch, completely expressionless, following Lulune’s question.

“Like I said, just leave it to me! I’ll—”

“Didn’t I just tell you it was a bad idea?”

Akane and Lulune begin glaring at each other.

Ignoring them like it’s the most natural thing in the world, Mia says, “I’ll enlist the help of my followers.”

Ayesha nods approvingly.

“Thank you. I appreciate it. Now then, it is time to bring today’s meeting to a close.”

Hearing that, the heroes leave the round table of the sky castle, except for one.

Mia has stayed behind. Standing all alone near the round table, she whispers, “I hope we can find him soon. I want to thank him for everything he did, and have him pat my head one more time… Honestly, where did you go… Alize-san?”

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