Inside the village of Bloomy, the atmosphere was different this time. Smiles spread across most of the residents' faces. Everyone was happy with the news that the wyvern nest had been cleared out. Children played wildly without worrying about any dangers, and adults chatted comfortably under the trees and inside the taverns. The flowers kept blooming proudly, and the mushrooms stood slightly tilted. It was a beautiful, peaceful atmosphere—one that anyone in Bloomy used to dream about.
"The village has changed," Rose murmured as she stood next to Laos, both of them gazing at the villagers.
"Really?" asked Laos.
"What do you mean, really? Can't you see their new faces?!"
Laos tried to hold back his smile, wanting to look like a seasoned veteran—or as he liked to say, "tough." But the truth he saw now wouldn't let him. A wide smile broke out on his face, making him look like the happiest person in the world. Still, he made sure Rose didn't notice it. As he kept smiling, Rose stepped closer to him and murmured:"Thank you."
"We all worked together on this mission. No need for too much thanks," Laos replied coldly.
"Worked together... You're crediting this victory to teamwork?"
"Of course. I could never have cleared that nest alone."
"But sometimes, teamwork fails. My father used to believe deeply in cooperation and moving forward as a group, but I realized some time ago it's nothing but a bad idea. The only thing you can rely on is yourself."
"I get what you mean. Some people prefer to do things on their own. I guess it's because they don't want to blame anyone else—they'd rather take full responsibility for everything that happens," said Laos, as he picked a red apple from one of the fruit trees.
"What? So there are people who actually want to blame themselves and take on all the responsibility?" Rose asked, surprised by his response.
"Ha... That phrase, 'there are people'—you might as well drop it. Sixteen years of life experience taught me that every type of person exists. There's everything... Just like there are those who love teamwork, there are those who love solitude. Just like some people love helping others, there are those who love being helped. The world is big, and the behaviors and preferences of its creatures are endless."
"My goddess, you're wise too," Rose whispered.
"..."
"Ah... by the way, Rose, why is your skin less green than the other dryads?" Laos asked after a moment of silence.
"Seems like you don't know much about dryads. Well, I can't blame you—we're one of the least common races in the kingdom. Actually, I'm a half high-dryad. There are three types: dryads with green skin like the ones you've seen, half high-dryads like me with lighter green skin, and high-dryads with fair skin like humans."
"So the only difference is skin color?"
"No... Actually, dryads die when the plants in their hair wither. For regular dryads, their plant life lasts between thirty to fifty years. For me, it's between sixty and ninety. And for high-dryads, it ranges from a hundred to a hundred and twenty. They can also control plants using a kind of spiritual power similar to that of elves. That's why some of us have ears that resemble theirs. Some say the god of creation mixed a bit of elf essence into the dryads... and then we came to be," Rose explained patiently.
"That's extremely valuable information," murmured Laos.
"I doubt it, honestly. You're not the only one who doesn't know this. Many people don't. The dryad race has been erased from attention, and we might go extinct in this kingdom. No one cares. Even the news about sending Gaziel was a lie. And here we are, relying on random adventurers instead of official soldiers from the kingdom's forces," Rose said, this time with a sad expression.
"You mean that sleeping dragon?"
"Who else? The one luring all the wyverns... But the real disaster will be if it wakes up. We'll all be doomed."
"..."
"Laos... can you keep protecting our village?" Rose asked as she turned to look straight into Laos' eyes—eyes that were still watching the village.
At that moment, unlike before, Laos felt a terrible feeling. A feeling where someone needs you, but you don't have enough confidence to meet their request. You might succeed and raise your standing, but just as success exists, so does failure—and that could cost you your life. This time, Laos didn't feel happy when he heard the request. Confidence—it was something this NPC still lacked.
"I—"
Just as he was about to speak, a familiar voice called out from afar. When he looked toward the source, he saw someone he knew well. It was Foxen, dressed in leather armor and orange fur. He approached them while waving from a distance. When Laos saw him, he felt a huge wave of relief. He had thought that Ponier abandoned him and fled from the Dark Eye, but here he was—his party comrade.
"Sir Ponier, welcome back!" Rose said.
"You took way longer than me," murmured Laos.
"Wasn't my choice. But I've got divine news!!" Ponier shouted, his yellow eyes wide open.
After that, the two of them went to the tavern, where Laos and Ponier sat alone to discuss the news. Ponier looked excited—and that sparked Laos' curiosity too. But before getting into it, Laos remembered something important, something he had been waiting to ask ever since Ponier arrived. After they ordered their meals and sat at one of the tables, Laos asked: "How's Maris?"
"She's fine. She's living a good life," Ponier replied.
"Awesome. So what's the news?"
"The world of adventurers is about to flip upside down, man!"
"What? How?!"
"Yesterday, Ralce and his party reached the final floor of the western dungeon. And guess what..."
"They managed to clear it?"
"Exactly!"
"Daaamnn!!!"
"And that's not all. He and his party got promoted one rank up—he's now a Platinum-ranked adventurer. Officially, Ralce is the number one adventurer in the town now—not Etomi," Ponier said, chugging his drink and slamming the mug down.
"Number one adventurer..." murmured Laos.
"And now for the big surprise! Ralce and his party are coming to Yavan—and so is Etomi—with the goal of slaying the sleeping dragon. After what happened, Etomi wants to reclaim her top rank, and this is the only way... So a huge number of adventurers will be moving to Yavan."
"What will you do then?" Ponier asked.
"By the way, I cleared the nest... And they're still relying on me. They asked me to keep protecting the village," said Laos.
"We came here so you could kill the bosses. Don't forget your goal."
"But it seems the wyverns are doing the job just fine."
"So you're going to keep protecting the village, Wyvern Slayer?"
"I don't know... What do you think?"
"You're really ridiculous. Listen to me, Cloud-Hair. We are creatures that think. We move because our desires push us forward. If you have no desires, you won't move, and people will keep advancing without waiting for you. These desires are what people call goals or ambition. An ambitious person is simply someone who has desires. So don't ever ask me—because what drives you in this life are your desires. The real question is: what is your desire?"
"My desire… is to become stronger."
"Wasn't it to buy a house?"
"No, that's my second desire. Right now we're talking about the first."
"You're right. Then you have to keep fighting powerful monsters—like wyverns and bosses. And by the way, I brought a guide from the guild. It's the first edition, and something Alis just created. It's called the Yavan Guide. It's a booklet that includes maps of forests, secret areas, even monster locations and types."
"Actually, I don't know… because Rose asked me to keep protecting the village."
"Imagine if the sleeping dragon woke up and attacked. Would you be the one to protect them?"
"That's the question. That's why I want the answer to be yes. I want to become stronger and be able to defeat that dragon."
At that moment, Laos felt something strange. A feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time. A feeling he was familiar with in his previous world and in the palace—being lost among too many choices. After a while, they left the tavern and went to sleep as night settled over the area. The moonlight spread across the sky and faintly under the trees, where darkness covered Bloomy, with only some soft light from glowing insects.
◆ ◆ ◆
In the middle of a vast green area, medium-height trees stood in a long row. The lighting was gentle, with soft sunlight filtering through. The grass was a bit tall, and flowers of various colors were spread everywhere. It was a cheerful sight, warmly lit by the sun. Elsewhere in this beautiful land, there was a tree taller than the others, with orange leaves instead of green.
Beneath the shade of that tree sat a young man with white hair and leather armor—Laos. But this time, he didn't have either of his swords. He was unarmed, sitting and staring at something that he couldn't believe with his own eyes. In front of him stood a young man in familiar clothes. He was of average height, with black hair, a white shirt, and black pants. He was staring off into the distance and paid no attention to Laos sitting behind him.
"Are you happy with this life?" the black-haired young man suddenly asked.
"At least it's better than any past life," Laos replied calmly.
"Better? Are you sure? I don't remember you risking your life in the past… like you are now. Any mistake or a bit of bad luck could kill you. I don't see any happiness in that."
"No, no. Setting that aside, I can earn money, I got married, and I… I made friends. It's much better."
"But you're still risking your life. Remember your true self—you're someone who's terrified of death. Don't let these distractions blind you to who you really are: the coward who preferred staying in his room."
"You're right… but that doesn't mean I'm distracted. It's called change."
"And what good is change if it's for the worse? You lived a good life in your previous world. Then fate gave you a better life in a princess' palace. But you kept rejecting all the good things given to you. Always complaining and whining. Why? Because you're just someone who doesn't appreciate what happens to him. You always want more and more. Greed will destroy you."
"Huh? You want me to go back to the palace and give up this life?!" Laos shouted from under the tree.
"Yes… Look at those dryads. They rely on you way too much, and they don't know that all your victories were just lucky flukes. Imagine your luck runs out—then you'll die, and your name will be remembered in the past as a failure."
"Why not just go back to the palace? At least you lived a normal life there… or at the very least, a life without risks that could kill you. Do you understand?"
After that, the black-haired man—standing under the sunlight—finally turned around. His features were now clear. His skin was light, and his eyes were green. He was just another version of Laos. The two versions of Laos stared at each other in silence for a long time. Then finally, the white-haired Laos spoke: "What was your first question?"
"Are you happy with this life?"
"Yes… much happier than you, you fucking dog of Tiana."
"I'd rather be a dog than be driven by shallow desires like money."
"And I'd rather be driven by my desires, not other people's." the white-haired Laos replied, standing up and walking out of the shade.
"Dumbass! I said you're going to die!!" the servant suddenly yelled.
"But that's my desire! Do you hear me?! To hell with being afraid of death! I'm not like you anymore!!" the adventurer shouted back even louder.
Then they started fighting, each trying to knock the other down. After a while, the adventurer Laos managed to overpower the servant, and he stared down at him. Suddenly, water began forming at Laos' side. It kept taking shape until it became a sword with a cold blue blade and a very elegant design.
"You should come back to your previous life!" the servant cried as he tried to push the adventurer off him.
"Never."
"What about your dream?! I heard you want to become stronger—are you insane??!! You'll regret it!!!"
"Who said that? My dream is..."
At that moment, Laos drew his sword and stabbed the servant lying beneath him. The servant started fading away, little by little, until only one Laos remained, sitting on the grass, holding his sword while the soft sunlight shone down on him. Then, in a quiet voice, he muttered: "To buy a house for her."