My reunion with Orario was the worst.
"Hold on, we need to conduct a checkpoint inspection. Would you mind cooperating?"
"Huh?"
As expected, my appearance—wrapped tightly in a black coat—was apparently suspicious enough to draw attention.
I had tried my best to keep a low profile, but slipping through the only available passage in secret... honestly, it might have been possible, but I didn't want to.
Besides, this was the Dungeon I used to frequent as if it were my own home.
Still, if I'd known this would happen, I would've just sneaked through... no, I had to stop by the Guild anyway for money, so perhaps this was inevitable.
"Um... is something the matter?"
My voice was thin and high for a man, just as it had been when I was a boy.
Personally, I preferred a lower, more mature tone, but what could I do when my voice was as youthful as my face?
Fortunately, my voice seemed to put them at ease—the men who looked like they were from the Ganesha Familia. That was a relief, at least.
Children aren't suspected, regardless of the era. Not that I'm a child at all.
I am not a child at all!
"We need to verify everyone passing through. If possible, could you show us your face?"
"Eh? U-um..."
"...What is it? Is there a problem?"
"It's not... a problem, exactly..."
Thanks to Rivira Village, Ais, and Riveria, a hypothesis had formed in my mind.
Time travel. The theory that I was currently in the past.
Honestly, it sounded absurd, but it was equally absurd to deny it given the circumstances. For now, it was best to act on the assumption that I had traveled back in time.
That created another problem: the effect my actions might have on the future.
My appearance was, frankly, eye-catching. Snow-white hair and red eyes. I really hated admitting it, but that rabbit-like look of mine stood out even more than a Hume Bunny's; it was the kind of face people didn't easily forget.
What would happen if I showed myself here? Maybe I was overthinking it, but what if someone saw me and connected me to my future self?
I doubted it was likely, but since this was my first time in such a situation, I couldn't help being overly cautious. Still, I couldn't exactly throw a tantrum here... hmm...
"If there is a problem..."
"No, no, it's fine. I'll take it off. I just need to remove the hood, right?"
"R-right..."
Since they were eyeing me with suspicion, I decided to obediently remove the hood. In any case, considering the current time period, the odds of being remembered were low.
My face was striking, but not the kind you'd remember for a lifetime. Besides, even if I ran into my future... or past? Anyway, my later self, they'd probably just think I was someone who looked similar, not a time-traveling version of myself.
In the first place, who would believe something that even I found hard to believe?
I pulled back the hood and revealed my face. My white hair, which had grown long because I hadn't been able to cut it lately, slid down over my black robe like embroidery.
I could clearly feel the guard's gaze. First on my hair, then on my empty eye socket.
A look of pity lingered in his eyes before fading. Perhaps he thought I was a child because of my youthful appearance.
As expected of the Ganesha Familia, they were overflowing with compassion. A small tear actually welled in the corner of his eye.
"Hrk... it seems you've had a difficult life. All right, you can pass."
"No, no, senior! You can't just brush it off like that!"
I agreed. I was grateful, but was it really okay for a guard to act this way? Orario's future looked bleak.
Ah, so that's why it ended up like that. Hah, what a raw deal.
"Brush it off? Can't you see the boy's pure, innocent eyes?!"
"That may be true, but you can't just let him through on that alone!"
Everything the junior said was correct.
But there was one thing he had overlooked.
"Who do you think you're talking back to?!"
"Agh?!"
This was the Orario of the present—the romantic age of whips and fists. Mutiny was not tolerated.
Of course, it was likely just their own brand of roughhousing, but watching it was a bit hard to stomach. Not for any other reason than my own miserable jealousy.
I felt a wistfulness for something already lost, something I could never reclaim, and it left me feeling strangely depressed. Honestly, this was exactly why I didn't want to come back to Orario...
"Stop fighting. I'll submit to the inspection properly."
"Hrk... Even in such a hardship, you remain so steadfast! As a child of Ganesha, I cannot simply stand by!"
"Indeed! I am Ganesha!"
"Lord Ganesha!"
"Ah, he's here again! Didn't I tell you not to come to the checkpoint!"
Lord Ganesha himself had appeared at the increasingly chaotic checkpoint.
Ah, this is going to take a while.
*
After a series of twists and turns, the noisy, raucous, and "exciting" inspection finally began.
It took about an hour just to get through the process.
"Th-then... we'll begin the inspection. First, please raise both arms."
An impossible request right from the start. It's hard being a one-armed man.
"Um... if you could raise the other arm too..."
"I only have one arm..."
"Ghk...!"
"I... am Ganesha...?!"
At my words, the atmosphere at the checkpoint instantly turned into that of a funeral parlor.
Not only the senior, but even Lord Ganesha was shedding tears from behind his elephant mask.
That was only natural. Aside from the fact that he could only speak in the form of "I am Ganesha!", he was a god so benevolent that I respected him almost as much as my own deity.
So this hadn't changed even after all this time. It really drove home the fact that gods were immutable.
"Hrk... And even in that condition, you still venture into the Dungeon...! I'm moved, boy!"
"I am! Ganeshaa!"
"He says, 'What a commendable boy! If there is anything you desire, I shall grant it, so speak!'"
Just by raising one hand, I had somehow become, in their eyes, a "poor, admirable child who remained unbroken by tragedy."
Seeing as even the junior member—who had been so critical earlier—was now tearing up, there was no way they'd believe me if I tried to correct them. Or maybe Lord Ganesha would, since he was a god?
But there was no need to reveal the truth here. To be honest, it wasn't entirely a misunderstanding anyway.
In that case...
"Then, may I ask one favor?"
"Ganesha!"
"He says, 'Leave it to me.'"
As expected of Lord Ganesha. He was reassuring beyond words.
*
"Your accounts have been settled. Please proceed to counter three for currency exchange."
"Yes, thank you."
The Guild. The final destination for all adventurers.
Struggling in the Dungeon to gather magic stones and drop items, settling accounts at the Guild, and then heading out for a drink—it was a routine so familiar it was practically the standard path of an adventurer.
In reality, if you couldn't handle this cycle, you could hardly call yourself an adventurer.
For me, it was a sight so familiar it was almost tedious. Not that I was truly bored, of course.
She's not here...
Without meaning to, I found myself scanning the faces of the receptionists.
I had unconsciously searched for the half-elf receptionist who had always welcomed me.
But naturally, she was nowhere to be seen. Well, it made sense.
Judging from Ais's appearance, Eina was probably only around ten years old right now.
The idea of Eina being younger than me didn't feel real. To me, Eina was the person who best fit the description of an older sister.
Leaving that disappointment behind, I stepped out of the Guild. For some reason, I didn't feel like staying there for long.
How pathetic.
Even at my age, I was still trapped by the past. If other people saw me, they'd laugh their heads off.
Or maybe they'd scold me. They'd ask why I, the one who survived, was making such a pitiful face and tell me to get back on my feet.
"..."
I forcibly ignored the sticky emotions clinging to me and looked around.
The scenery was familiar, yet unfamiliar. As expected, this wasn't the Orario I knew.
And yet, the familiar sights scattered throughout still clearly proved what kind of city this was.
"Ah, [Chick's Anvil]! So it was already here back then."
I felt a surge of excitement seeing the beginner blacksmith shop I used to frequent in the very early days.
"The tavern Bell and Bete used to go to often... it's still small."
I got swept up in the nostalgia of a high-end tavern in its "newbie" days, long before it flourished.
"That's Loki Familia's... huh?! It's the home of the Hera Familia?!"
I was startled to learn that the place I'd assumed was Loki Familia's home was actually the home of the Familia I'd only heard about in old stories. I kept moving, trying my best to shake off the gloom.
It seemed to be working, as my appetite began to return. Before it vanished again, I needed to put something in my stomach—anything.
No matter what happens, an adventurer must never go hungry. That was the rule.
Before I knew it, my body had started heading toward a familiar street.
This direction is...
A path I could never forget. Probably the place I'd spent the most time in, aside from our home.
The luxurious restaurant run by a Level 6 dwarf heroine: The Hostess of Fertility.
"..."
In the place where it should have been, there was instead a completely random decorative shop. It probably just hadn't been built yet.
I felt utterly deflated. I'd been looking forward to it, and in the end, it was all for nothing.
Ever since I time-traveled, my luck really hadn't been on my side. No, I knew the absence of a shop wasn't really a matter of luck, but still.
"Haa... huh?"
Just as a sense of disappointment I couldn't hide was about to take over, a familiar scent drifted in from somewhere.
"Sniff, sniff... This savory, plain, greasy smell... could it be?"
I started walking toward the source of the scent. Rather than a conscious decision, my body seemed to move on its own.
The place I arrived at was...
"All right, final discount before closing! Three Potato Balls for only 5 valis! Cheap, cheap!"
Potato Balls, you again?
*
I bought all the remaining Potato Balls. I simply couldn't resist them.
They were just a simple food made by mashing potatoes, mixing in a few ingredients, and frying them, so why didn't they taste the same outside Orario? It was enough to make me seriously consider returning to the city just for this. Potato Balls were truly legendary.
"Still, did I buy too many..."
In a fit of nostalgia, I'd bought a huge pile, but right now there was only me to eat them. It wasn't that I couldn't finish them, but eating them all might be a bit of a trial.
"..."
To hide my gloomy mood, I quickened my pace. My destination was the church where I'd once lived alone with my god in the early days. Since it was the kind of place you'd miss unless you looked closely, it was the best choice available to me.
After walking a little further, I reached my destination.
The former Hestia Familia home, completely destroyed during the conflict with the Apollo Familia.
Back when I lived here, my god and I had worked hard just to survive day by day. It was a simple, faithful life sustained by the kindness of the residents.
Lost in nostalgic memories, I stepped into the church. Unlike when we first acquired the home, the inside was cleaner than I expected.
Surprising. Honestly, I thought it would still be a mess.
The age of the gods had begun, and faith had long since lost much of its traditional meaning.
That didn't mean reverence for the gods had disappeared; it just meant that when a god was right in front of you, why bother going to a church to pray? If you were going to pray, it was better to do it directly before the deity.
In that sense, a building shaped like a church was truly rare. Considering the hidden room, perhaps it had been built as a decoy from the very beginning.
I kicked lightly at the corner of the church, searching for the hidden door. It had been a while, so I was a little unsure. Probably around here... ah, found it.
I entered through the hidden door as it creaked open. It was the moment I truly felt like I'd flown back into the past.
"Ooh..."
The secret base revealed beyond it was far more orderly than I'd expected.
There wasn't much furniture, but there was a bed, a sofa, a desk, a lantern... everything you'd expect was there, giving the place a surprisingly lived-in feel. I couldn't help but admire it.
Was someone already living here... no, more importantly, wasn't this a better environment than the Hestia Familia had before the War Game?
For some reason, I let out a meaningless groan of defeat and sat down on the sofa, then took out a Potato Ball.
Ah, this is the sofa we used. Did the owner of this place put it here?
When this place became our home, the sofa was already worn down, but it was still soft enough that we used it instead of a bed.
I used to sleep on the sofa so my god could have the bed. Somehow, she often ended up climbing on top of me in her sleep, so it was an uncomfortable sleeping arrangement for both of us—but now even that was just a cherished memory.
"..."
I hadn't wanted to remember it, but in the end, I did.
The lingering echo of a time I could never return to.
How many memories had felt like an unextinguished sacred flame?
How many memories had vanished like a trembling candle flame?
How many times had I collapsed while staring at the embers left behind?
In my gloomy mood, I suddenly looked up at the sky. Through the one small window, there was only a single moon hanging there all alone.
That moon looked just like my own situation, and before I knew it, I was sniffing back tears. Feeling sorry for myself as I cried alone, I ended up sobbing for a long time.