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“As you’ve already heard, Finis, a Hero Summoning did occur.”
“So it really was true. But why not make it public? Not announcing it to other kingdoms, I can see, but even your kingdom…”
“I don’t know why they chose to do that. I can make an assumption, but…”
“Would you mind sharing those assumptions?”

Even if they were to only announce it within the kingdom, the other kingdoms would hear word of it. There were several reasons I could think of like the heroes not being strong enough or not being accustomed to this world.

Fujiwara looked hesitant to continue as if he were at a loss for words, yet he suddenly spoke clearly after a brief pause, as if he had been wanting to discuss this subject since it was brought up.

“It seems like a huge drama happened amongst the heroes. They even ended up fighting, and one of them was killed. So I believe that right now they’re re-educating the remaining heroes. It’s probably really tough.”
“You’ve done quite a bit of research. Are you an intelligence broker or something?”
“I had connections in the castle. Additionally, their training has become more rigorous, and it looks like they will be divided into units for the upcoming several months. I definitely wouldn’t want to participate in that, but I guess they’re reaping what they’ve sown. Being heroes does not make all of them good people.”
“So you’re saying they won’t be active for a while? That’s a relief. I can have myself a leisurely hero sightseeing tour.”

I couldn’t be certain if Fujiwara was sharing all of this data voluntarily or if there was another reason. I could understand that just talking about this could help him relax, so I decided to give him a pass.

I couldn’t help but be amazed that he’d been able to gather so much information on the heroes.

Fujiwara’s words, while showing a bit of his true feelings, were deceiving in many ways, but they gave me a good insight into the heroes’ situation.

Although Fujiwara called it re-education, I was sure that he wasn’t referring to studying.

And the training becoming tougher meant that a situation that required it to change had presented itself.

There were two options. Either they’d threatened the heroes to hold them down or they’d made them into slaves. If one were to view this as reaping what they’ve sown, then this meant that my revenge had been fulfilled.

Fujiwara had nothing to gain by lying to me here. If he could lie, he probably would have managed to get around the permits and leave the kingdom sooner. For better or worse, these two were Japanese.

But what did that make me? Although I considered myself Japanese, there were some differences in my thinking compared to when I was actually living in Japan.

Although my mind was still Toriyama Makoto, my body was that of a person in this world. In the end, I was a Demigod.

(That aside, isn’t just a few months of training too soft? Like, way too soft? If they were to try and match my training intensity, they’d probably break mentally. Though I guess for me there was also the bullying.)

I decided to think about it when I saw them. Luckily, I had the time, and I wanted the heroes to become stronger. Although I went with the flow and was reincarnated, I still needed to consider what I wanted to do next.

The heroes weren’t likely to act for a few months, so I could take my time going to the capital. I was also curious to test how long it would take me to get there with my current abilities.

After all, I had yet to test the extent of my full strength.

“Finis, are you listening?”
“What? Um, no. I wasn’t. I was thinking about something.”
“I see. I was just telling you to be wary of the Fraus Kingdom. It just smells fishy.”
“Thank you for the warning.”

I said this while thinking that he was quite naive for giving such advice to someone he’d met quite suspiciously. I wondered if I should warn him as well, but I gave up on it.

‘Failure, young man, is how one grows.’ (Finis, Age 0)

In other words, it would be better if he didn’t have any expectations from people. After all, you could still get bullied by people you believed were your friends from the same world. That was the truth.

“Well then, we’ll be heading off. We’ll be crossing the border and heading to Aquilus tomorrow.”
“I suppose you do need to pack some things. Though if it’s you, you’ll probably get there in 5 days empty-handed, no?”
“Hahaha. We plan on using a proper route this time around.”
“That’s good. We’re heading in opposite directions, so I don’t know if we’ll see each other again, so take care.”
“You too.”

All three of us were wandering travelers with no place to call home. If we parted ways here, it would be difficult to meet in the future.

If they decided to pursue one of the spirits, then we could meet again. At that time, I could just say, “So long, Fumi,” and run away. But I suppose that they wouldn’t get it.

(I can try and pass it off as a joke to Fumitsuki. But isn’t Fumi short for Fumitsuki? Wait, I can’t call them by their surnames. Then how about Yu or Me?)

I just didn’t know what was going on anymore. As the random thoughts were filling my head, the two of them had already left. I guess that’s what their meeting with a mob character was bound to be like.

◇◇◇

“So you’re leaving the town too, Finis,” the receptionist said.
“Why say it like that? Those two didn’t leave just the town; they left the kingdom.”
“For the town, it doesn’t make much of a difference whether you’re going to the capital or another kingdom.”
“I’ll let the king know that when I see him.”
“Please don’t. Besides, do you think you’ll get to meet the king?”
“I guess you’re right. One doesn’t usually get to meet him.”

As I talked with the receptionist, I was hoping that those two would end up causing a bit of a stir after leaving the kingdom.

Fujiwara wasn’t likely to stand out due to his skill, but Fumitsuki was a completely different story. Her Jack of All Trades definitely could create waves. Although she couldn’t become a master at one thing, she could mix and match different things to completely change conventional thinking.

For instance, integrate alchemy and blacksmithing to achieve the dream of a Magic Sword. I didn’t know if Magic Swords existed in this world, but I did know that they could be made.

“We will miss you. Though I guess it’s not unusual for adventurers to go from town to town and kingdom to kingdom, It can’t be helped. However, I must warn you to be careful when you’re leaving this town.”
“Why?”
“It’s the same in every kingdom, but the closer you get to the royal capital, the safer you are.”
“Oh, that…”

(Well, yes, they’re abusing the spirits after all.)

“Additionally, the towns near the border are also seen as part of the safe zone.”
“Why? Aren’t they far from the capital?”
“Precisely. Towns at the border are more likely to suffer attacks from other neighboring kingdoms. But it’s also because of it that we receive supplies with increased priority, and the Collegium and its adventurers are stationed here, guaranteeing one’s safety.”
“I guess that makes sense.”

I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d encounter more monsters after leaving the town’s area. I finally understood that those two had actually threaded quite a dangerous path coming here.

The Stealth skill had definitely helped them. If anyone other than those two had tried to escape the capital, they likely wouldn’t have gotten very far.

“By the way, what would you say about taking on an escort mission?” The receptionist asked.
“I use a bow; how would I escort someone? Besides, there’s also the problem with my Grade, no?”

My stats were the equivalent of those of an E Grade adventurer. It would be strange for me to pick up a request that would encounter increasingly stronger monsters.

The receptionist seemed a bit down when she heard my reply. It would seem like she’d thought quite highly of me. However, I couldn’t concern myself with what others thought of me.