Aras Auto-11

Spent two or three days holed up in the library researching, but turned up nothing remarkable about the hero who existed four hundred years ago.

"Hey, Taro. There's nothing here at all... I've never been to a national library before, but is this really such a barren place?"

Ril and Coil, who had gained entry to the National Library as my companions, had initially been amazed by the sheer volume of books, but were once again astonished by the scarcity of conflicting hero-related information.

"True, this town's library does feel a bit light on content, but it's not exceptionally so. It's as if, in every country, stories specifically about heroes are strangely scarce..."

"How about this one?"

With that, Riruka brought over a thin, magazine-like book labeled "Reflection."

Despite its slimness, the contents were remarkably valuable.

As the title suggested, it documented the physical statures of the group of heroes.

Though unverifiable, the heroes appeared to be ordinary high school students. Yet, two peculiar things stood out: a massive sword, as tall as their own height, and fine, impressive armor.

They looked just like the heroes seen in typical games.

Their appearance truly evoked a sense of being Japanese-born.

There was also a woman resembling a nun, voluptuous and striking; a man carrying a large bow; a tall woman equipped with multiple swords.

A man who seemed to be using magic, along with several others—forming a complete hero party.

Since the written descriptions were extremely brief, flipping through the pages quickly, a single sheet of paper emerged.

The paper in my hand was exactly what I had been searching for.

——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ———

[Month] [Day]

Today is the day of reckoning.

I've prepared meticulously for this moment.

To be honest, I'm strong.

But I don't want any of my companions to die.

That dragon-like monster must still be hiding something.

But if we're together...

——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ———

His determination toward the monster was written in detail afterward.

But really, a dragon!?

Could such a creature actually exist?

Yet the hero from 400 years ago—chances are, he was from Japan.

If so, he should know exactly what a dragon is.

Then, does a dragon-shaped monster really exist?

"What's written there?"

Lilka peeks over from beside me.

A sweet, feminine scent arrives a little later.

Rilka and the others use a language similar to Japanese, but though it resembles Japanese, one can't read it without knowing the language.

"It's written in Japanese—a language from the country I once lived in. It seems to describe the days before the hero fought the ancient monster."

"Hmm, it looks like I could almost read it, but not quite. There's something written on the back too."

Just as Rilka said, the back was densely covered with writing as well.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Month Day + 10

I failed. It's my fault.

I should have investigated him more thoroughly. I should have jumped in without hesitation.

Takumi would've survived if we had done that. Everyone got injured too. They say they're not bothered, but that's definitely a lie.

In the end, they failed to defeat the dragon, and the town was left in ruins.

What was I even fighting for...

──────────────────────────────

After that, it was nothing but words of repentance.

It was painful to watch.

In the end, the only things I learned were that the dragon was a powerful monster, the battle was brutal and didn't result in its defeat, the dragon had fled northwest from this town, and our comrades had been killed or wounded in the fight.

Moreover, the deceased appeared to be someone from Japan, judging by their name.

In the end, we learned nothing further, only deepening our confusion.

We copied the documents and left the library.

"By the way, where do we head next?"

On the way back from the library, Coil asked in a clearly exhausted tone.

"I suppose we should head northwest, following the events described in the hero's diary."

"If we head northwest from here, we'll reach the United States of Nihon. It's a closed-off country, so there's not much I know about it..."

Coil spoke with a slightly troubled expression.

Indeed, we've never heard any rumors about that nation.

Yet its name is clearly reminiscent of the world we once came from.

Given the route described in the hero's diary, we can't simply avoid it.

It's quite a distance away, and we'll need to prepare thoroughly before heading there.

"By the way, Coil. Are you sure you can keep coming with us like this? Honestly, you could probably make a good living right here in this town."

"What are you talking about? Don't be so lame. I've come this far already. Let me help you find that legendary hero you're searching for too!"

Besides, as a info broker, I'm also interested in heroic legends that are completely different from fairy tales. And most importantly, being with you inevitably turns a profit—financially... and in terms of information."

"Yeah, I guess. The journey ahead might get even more intense! If you're still okay with that, then I'll count on you from now on."

A few days later, having settled on a plan, we were preparing for our next adventure.

"Taro, the next town is quite a distance away. We should probably buy some water and supplies accordingly."

Coil spoke while reviewing the order list written on the parchment.

"Understood. But can we really gather that much? The prices here are pretty high—after all, we've used up a lot of supplies fighting monsters."

Packing the belongings into the wagon.

With the funds earned from this battle reward, I purchased a larger wagon.

Now I can carry much more cargo.

The main concern is that the weight my magical three-wheeled cart can pull is already nearing its limit.

I’d really like a more powerful magical three-wheeled cart.

After heading to the next Nihon, I should consider visiting the Empire to either upgrade the current model or place an order for a new one.

Thinking of the familiar faces I met in the old Empire,

"Let's eat together, shall we~"

Rilka, seemingly without a care in the world, comes carrying her belongings.

"There's a solution to that matter, isn't there? Care to join?"

A voice speaks, not ours—but one I distinctly recognize. That voice...

The man with one arm missing from his sleeve—the one and only Ian.