A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

At that moment, Mila's outstretched hand was unable to grasp Bray, who was being dragged to the underworld by Dizok.

However, Bray helped himself resolve the conflict between the cemetery and the underworld.

In the end, whether the cemetery stabilizes or the underworld stabilizes, all the deceased can find peace.

That side isn't actually that bad.

The only difference is whether the gravedigger will disappear.

For Bray, that's probably the biggest difference.

From this perspective, this little rest stop on his journey was truly important to him.

"Even when you're too old to walk, I'll still be here waiting for you," Mira murmured to herself, watching Bray's figure disappear completely.

"So don't worry, I won't disappear first."

Time should be nothing to the gravedigger.

But with the addition of the word "waiting," time takes on meaning for the gravedigger.

---

Following the familiar path, Bray easily left the gloomy forest.

The road was somewhat unfamiliar when I went there, but the road back was as familiar as it used to be.

Unfortunately, after leaving the "Wandering Tomb," Bray was no longer facing the outskirts of the town, but a desolate wasteland.

Perhaps the forest behind us, belonging to the dead, has more vitality than this barren land.

However, no matter what, everything here is much better than in the Underworld.

The atmosphere in the underworld was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe, but after arriving in a sunny place, his mood brightened considerably.

"The weather is really nice."

Bray stood at the crossroads, facing the wind, and took out an unfamiliar pocket watch from his pocket.

After Mira woke up, she said that someone had given her a pocket watch.

But isn't this a place where the dead linger? Where else could anyone come from besides myself?

"Who gave it to me?"

—"Someone you knew, but who is now dead."

"Many people I know have died. Can you be more specific?"

"It's a secret," Mira said mysteriously, touching her lower lip with her finger.

So Bray could only leave dejectedly with the gift the deceased had given him.

How should I put it? It feels rather ominous.

If Beatley knew that Bray had said his important pocket watch was unlucky, he might consider coming back to life for a few seconds and smashing Bray's head over.

It seems that for Beatrix, who was proficient in divine magic, this was really not a miracle.

However, Bray had no idea that the pocket watch was a gift from Beatrix.

He only remembered Mira telling him that this thing was meant to work when he was about to die.

Mira had no idea what its function was.

"This is a real pain," Bray sighed deeply, feeling utterly overwhelmed.

Despite the watch's various unreliability issues, Bray accepted it obediently and placed it inside his coat.

"It always feels cumbersome to hang it around my neck," thought Bray, who carried his broadsword every day.

So, how to get back to the Imperial Capital Safe Zone is also a problem now.

Bray cleared his throat; his mouth was a little dry...

“Nicholson Bollas!!!!!!!!!” Bray shouted, hands on his hips, towards the desolate landscape ahead.

Anyway, there are no people or even monsters around, so there's no shame in shouting like this.

It's more like a bit of a relief.

No wonder so many people like to shout at the sea; it really relieves stress.

But ten minutes passed and Nicolaes still did not respond.

Bray frowned, wondering if he should unleash a roar imbued with magic and inner energy.

"Ni, Ko, Bo, La, Si—" Bray used his prosthetic eye and his inner energy very seriously, shouting out the name of the Ancestral Dragon with great momentum.

It even dragged out the last syllable.

He had to call out Nicol Bolas no matter what, otherwise he wouldn't be able to go back.

Bray had no desire to wander the desolate land.

Although it sounds cool, it's actually a very tragic situation; he might die of thirst in a few days.

Having already crossed the Yellow Springs, yet still dying of thirst... it couldn't be more real.

Bray took a deep breath, ready to keep going.

But a small, dark figure fell from above like a meteorite.

Bray nimbly dodged to the side.

"Boom!" The small figure smashed a crater in the ground.

"Why are you yelling so loudly?" Nicol Bolas said, jumping out of the pit with dissatisfaction.

He was so displeased that he jumped up and slapped Bray hard on the chest.

"..."

“Do you think I wouldn’t know when you came out? I set off the moment you came out,” Nicol Bolas said to Bray, arms crossed.

"Have you forgotten the risks involved in my brazen use of magic to travel through the area?"

When comparing teleportation to flight... it feels a bit incongruous to describe teleportation as swaggering.

Nicol Bolas's entrance was definitely more eye-catching no matter how you looked at it.

"I only use magic when I'm being lazy by myself."

"When it comes to matters involving you, I have no choice but to fly."

"Oh, I see." Bray suddenly realized.

The monster didn't arrive for more than ten minutes, and he thought it was because his voice wasn't loud enough.

"But does that mean you arrived in just over ten minutes?" Bray frowned, realizing that things were not so simple.

It took more than half an hour for Nicholas to send himself from the capital.

"Is there anything strange about that? When I don't need to give you a ride, I can go full speed."

Nicol Bolas felt it was necessary to make this ally understand that Silver rarity was actually quite good.

"Alright—" Nicol Bolas's girl form disappeared, replaced by a majestic dragon.

He stretched out his claws, gesturing for Bray to climb up.

Bray easily climbed onto the dragon's claw and sat down cross-legged.

"Hold on tight, I will safely take you to the vicinity of the safe zone."

“As payment, you’d better tell me all about what you’ve been through.” Nicol Bolas looked at Bray with great interest.

After he finished speaking, the giant dragon soared into the sky.

“Would you like to hear the story of ‘Lord of the Underworld,’ Dizoka, and the mortals under His command?” Bray closed his right eye and said softly.

"I'd like to hear the details." Weary from his journey, Bray slumped into the Imperial Capital's safe zone under the watchful eyes of the guards.

In the distance came the roar of a dragon that echoed through the sky, and the gradually shrinking figure of the dragon.

The safe zone remained tense for quite some time after that dragon's roar.

Bray knew exactly who was making the noise.

But why did Nicol Bolas let out such a joyful dragon roar after leaving...?

Did you feel particularly happy after hearing what you said?

However, it seems that He is indeed particularly interested in His experience in the underworld.

Both Dezoca and the stability of the Underworld are things that Nicol Bolas longs to understand.

He will probably dive right in and study it thoroughly once he gets back.

But this is not something Bray can control.

Bray yawned and skillfully navigated the intricate paths to his little wooden cabin.

Even though the road in the safe zone was piled with a lot of debris and crowded with stalls.

For Bray, this was not a sign of crowding, but a symbol of vitality.

Even a crowded place is better than the deserted ruins that Bray had seen.

"Mr. Bray, would you like some fresh vegetables?" an older woman asked quickly upon seeing Bray.

"Don't lie to me, there are no fresh vegetables here."

"Hey buddy, I have some good knives here, treasures I picked up from the wasteland!" A street vendor was trying to sell his wares to Bray.

"I've bought three."

As he walked along, Bray was eventually stopped by various people.

Just as he remembered that everyone in the safe zone looked familiar, everyone else also recognized most of the people in the safe zone.

Not to mention someone as distinctive as Bray.

However, what makes him most memorable is his identity as an adventurer.

He's probably the only legitimate adventurer left in the capital.

Many people also owed favors to the people of Bre.

Bray wasn't good at handling these kinds of situations, so he unconsciously quickened his pace.

Therefore, he quickly returned to his own doorstep.

A simple yet comforting little wooden cabin.

Bray stood at the door, intending to knock, but hesitated for a moment.

He scratched the back of his head a little sheepishly before quietly pushing open the door.

"Creak—" The wooden door, which had not been maintained for some time, made a hoarse sound.

When Bray pushed open the door, he was greeted by three things.

However, he had already noticed it—even though all three of them thought they were well hidden.

One Naruko, one Levy, and one Nia.

Why was Nia also described as "one"... I don't know, but Bray subconsciously used "only" to describe his own daughter.

Nia, who was a head shorter than Levy, was hugged from behind by Levy, and they stood together at the door.

Naruko then pretended to be well-behaved, placing her hands on Levy's shoulders and standing at the very back.

"Bray~" Levy called Bray's name in a soft voice.

"Beep beep, welcome home!" Nia greeted Bray with a strong, resounding voice.

Then Naruko just smiled and looked at Bray.

“…” Bray pondered for a long time before slowly speaking.

"Aren't you... going to say something?"

"Eh, do I want one too?" Naruko paused for a second.

"Well..." She rubbed her temples and began to organize her thoughts.

"Bree~ do you want to eat first, or eat me first~?" Naruko said to Bray in a charming voice.