Chapter 63: Farewell

There's an old saying that rings true: the more you give, the more you'll cherish.

Sean had a neighbor in his hometown in the Baharuth Empire—a middle-aged man who had retired to the countryside after years of fighting on the battlefield. His personality was eccentric and reclusive. When Sean was young, he was just as unruly as any other child his age, which made him detestable to the neighbor.

One day, when Sean's parents were away and a gnoll tribe from the nearby forest attacked the village, Sean found himself unable to lock the doors in time. He was seized by the gnolls right at his doorstep and dragged into the forest.

In that critical moment, the neighbor, who had never shown Sean any kindness, took up a long sword that had been gathering dust in his wardrobe, used a round table as a makeshift shield, and single-handedly charged into the gnoll's spear formation to rescue Sean.

From then on, the neighbor, who had risked his life to save Sean, treated him like his own son.

When Sean turned twenty, he decided to leave the longbow unit and become an adventurer with an uncertain future. 

His biological parents had no strong opinions about this, but the neighbor was furious. After all, he had risked his life to save Sean, and now Sean was seemingly squandering that sacrifice.

Thinking back to that eccentric old man who could no longer wield a sword or shield, Sean felt a pang of warmth. But he had no choice but to become an adventurer. 

His father had failed in business, and the family's farm and dairy cows were mortgaged to the mill owner. With just a meager salary given by the commander of the knight order, they might have to mortgage even their old house.

Fortunately, Sean had a talent for archery. Without years of daily practice, he had already reached the level of never missing a shot.

His companions joked that he must have elven blood, but he knew he was just the son of a failed farmer. After earning his first bounty and barely managing to save the old house, he set out on the path of an adventurer.

With his exceptional archery skills, he eventually rose to become a platinum-level adventurer, placing him at a solid middle tier among the vast adventurer community. The years of rain and wind, and the harsh life of an adventurer, had transformed him from a youth into a hardened young man, his heart tempered by the fires of the mundane world.

Sean thought he would continue wandering endlessly, just like the senior adventurer Barrett he admired, becoming a calm and reserved high-tier veteran adventurer.

Then he met Stella, a gentle and pure silver-level cleric. Sean couldn't quite pinpoint what drew him to Stella—was it the hint of sadness in her light brown eyes or the serious expression she wore while casting her healing magic?

Sean didn't know. He just quietly followed her, got closer, and went to great lengths to join her adventurer team.

The young archer dared not confess his feelings. He knew that Stella came from a fallen noble family, with a gambling-addicted brother, and carried a debt even heavier than his own.

He couldn't offer Stella a stable future yet, so he meticulously groomed himself, abandoned his smoking habit, and strove to present himself as a reliable and upright man.

He quietly saved money, secretly planned their possible future together, and worried that Stella might accept another's declaration of love.

After some trials, he and Stella joined the current adventurer team known as "The Last Defender of the Way."

The team had a truly steady and reliable senior adventurer, Barrett, and a captain named EeDeChi, who always had a stern face, an odd personality, and was difficult to get along with. Though the captain was only orichalcum-level, Sean believed her fearsome strength had already reached the highest tier, adamantite-level.

Despite her formidable power, the captain was fixated on one dangerous goal: to defeat the Sorcerer Kingdom's king—Ainz Ooal Gown.

But Ainz was no one to trifle with. A few years ago, when Re-Estize was about to go to war with the Sorcerer Kingdom, Ainz Ooal Gown unleashed an unprecedented Super-Tier spell, effortlessly annihilating the Re-Estize's hundreds of thousands of troops.

Other adventurers spoke of how Ainz Ooal Gown's subordinates had slaughtered tens of thousands of Quagoa in the north, leaving their population devastated. The Baharuth Empire, Re-Estize Kingdom, and the Dwarven Kingdom had all submitted to Ainz Ooal Gown.

With a captain holding such an unrealistic goal, Sean's past adventuring experience told him he should leave quickly to avoid being dragged into a pit of despair by a deluded leader.

However, the captain was also generous and never hesitated to spend gold. She always managed to land high-paying orichalcum-level missions.

The money Sean had earned recently amounted to what he'd made in the past year. With a few more tasks, he could save a substantial amount to return home, redeem the farm and land, and even open a water mill in town.

Most importantly, Stella had no plans to leave. She seemed to share Sean's goal of earning more to pay off her family's debts.

Sean glanced at Stella, who was staring blankly at three fading figures on the cobblestone road.

On the road, a blonde adventurer girl was walking with a twin sister on each side. The twins occasionally waved at Stella, but their steps never faltered. Gradually, the trio of figures—one large and two small—disappeared into the distance.

These figures were undoubtedly Arche and her twin sisters. Years ago, Arche had been killed by Ainz, and her two younger sisters were left in a brothel due to their irresponsible parents. Later, EeDeChi had set the brothel on fire and rescued the twins, and had been determined to find Arche ever since.

Unfortunately, EeDeChi only knew how to rescue people, not care for them. They had traveled from the capital of Baharuth to the capital of Re-Estize, enduring hardship and rough conditions along the way. It was Stella who had painstakingly cared for and treated the twin sisters throughout their journey.

The twins, who had been abused and were physically and mentally exhausted, were rejuvenated under Stella's careful care. The kind-hearted young cleric poured all her tender maternal love into Kuuderika and Ureirika, treating them as if they were her own sisters.

Now that the twins' real older sister, Arche, had appeared, she took the twins away, along with a warm piece of affection from Stella's heart.

Stella continued to gaze into the distance until the well-behaved, golden-haired twins were no longer visible. She crouched down, hugging her shoulders, with a look of deep disappointment in her eyes. Sean understood Stella's feelings but didn't know how to comfort her. Though not tongue-tied, Sean couldn't find the right words of solace at such a farewell, unlike a bard with his poetic expressions.

The young archer could only sit beside Stella, trying to share her sorrow.

As for Barrett, a member of the same adventurer team, he had long wanted to be rid of the burden of the twins. Though he said nothing, he was quite pleased internally at their departure.

EeDeChi, who had gone to great lengths to rescue Arche, sighed in relief as if completing a mission. The adventurer captain gave Arche three hundred gold coins and told her to quickly leave with the twins.

...

The young cleric buried her chin in her arm and stared at a withered clump of foxtail grass on the ground when a black figure approached her and gently patted her shoulder in encouragement. Stella and Sean looked up to find their captain, EeDeChi.

EeDeChi crossed her arms, glanced in the direction where Arche had left, and said with a warm smile, "Still thinking about Kuuderika and Ureirika? They are indeed quite adorable."

Stella, caught off guard by the perceptive comment, stood up, her head down, unable to speak. Sean also quickly stood up.

EeDeChi patted the cleric's shoulder again, but her eyes were on Sean: "When you get married, just have a pair of twins. After all, now it is encouraged to have two children these days, haha."

"Captain... don't joke around…" Stella's face turned bright red, looking extremely cute. Sean quickly averted his gaze, looking somewhat flustered.

EeDeChi stroked her chin and added, "But you'll need to submit a marriage application to me first. It'll need my approval..."