"How are you feeling? Is your body okay now?"

At the Master’s words, I checked my condition again. Well, I didn’t feel anything wrong in particular. If I had to say, maybe…

"I’m just hungry, I guess."

"Haha, if you can joke around like that, you must be fine."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Still, it’s lucky you had that poison resistance skill. Without it, things could’ve been pretty bad."

"Wha— so that really was poison?"

"Good thing you ate those DeathMeg Fruit, huh?"

"Not exactly good… but I’ve never been more grateful for them than now."

I let out a deep sigh and forced a wry smile. Life is unpredictable. I suppose this is proof that no experience in life is truly wasted.

"Thanks to that, you’ve also gained skills like Paralysis Resistance and Instant Death Resistance."

"I- Instant Death…? So, it was that dangerous…?"

Beside me, Rio muttered angrily, her large eyes brimming with tears, her fists clenched tightly.

"Unforgivable... making Shu go through that... I’ll never forgive them."

It warmed my heart to see her angry on my behalf, but she needed to calm down. When I reached out to touch her cheek, she blinked, snapping out of her rage, and looked directly into my eyes.

"Do you have any idea who they might be?"

The Master’s quiet voice resonated through the room. Did I have any leads...?

"They said something like ‘So there was another hero?’ So, I think they’re from the Arklight Kingdom, but beyond that, I don’t know."

"…They must’ve wanted us dead if they sent us to the Demon Forest," Rio muttered softly.

She was probably right. But why didn’t they just kill us at the summoning site? Was it because not everyone involved wanted us dead? I hadn’t been thinking about the circumstances behind our summoning, but maybe it was time I started.

"I see…"

The Master stroked his chin, lost in thought. After some time, he emerged from his musings and told us we’d continue this discussion tomorrow.

"I’m sorry, but it’s time for the two of you to go."

"Huh?"

The next morning, after breakfast, the Master abruptly announced our parting.

"What do you mean?"

I’d had a vague feeling that we couldn’t stay here much longer, but I hadn’t imagined we’d part ways with the Master. Still, looking at it another way, it made sense. Over the last four months, we’d received endless support, and on top of that, we’d gotten him involved in our mess, destroying his house. Even if the Master himself wouldn’t think that way, I still felt guilty.

"I’m so sorry… because of us, your house got destroyed," Rio apologized.

"Ah, it’s not about that," the Master replied.

"It’s not?"

"Don’t get me wrong, I’m furious at the ones who attacked us. But I don’t think you’re to blame."

His words eased my guilt slightly, and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Besides, you haven’t been gaining new skills much recently, right?"

"That’s true."

The last new skills we’d acquired—Paralysis Resistance and Instant Death Resistance—had been four days ago.

"Even with a boosted growth rate, practical experience doesn’t grow on trees. Maybe this is a good opportunity for you to go out into the world without me."

"Where are you going, Master?"

"I’ll be returning to the demon nation, Bergstein."

Bergstein was a country that the Arklight Kingdom seemed to be preparing to wage war against. I didn’t understand international politics, but I’d heard that ordinary humans couldn’t enter Bergstein right now.

"I see..."

I’d wanted to visit, but if that was the situation, it couldn’t be helped. I didn’t even know much about the Arklight Kingdom, so wherever I went would be new to me.

"Well, this is a chance for you. You could explore other countries besides the Arklight Kingdom."

Other than Bergstein, though, there was practically no option but the Arklight Kingdom. The other nation bordering the Demon Forest was far too distant from the Master’s house.

"Alright," I nodded.

"I’ll look forward to seeing how many skills you’ve gained when we meet again."

"Haha..."

I could only give a wry laugh at his usual words. More skills would never hurt, but still.

"Oh, right. About the equipment you’re using—consider it my parting gift. Use it or sell it as you like."

We had borrowed various types of equipment from the Master to try out different skills. It was such a typical Master-like reason.

"Huh? No, I can’t accept that. It’d be too much."

Some of the items were rare and valuable, like the Ancient Red Dragon Shield. Its dazzling appearance screamed luxury.

"Don’t worry about it. It’s just old stock gathering dust. Better for it to be used. In fact, take this too."

From his dimensional storage, the Master began pulling out item after item. It felt excessive. Was he just using this as an opportunity to declutter?

"Um, Master, isn’t this a bit much...?"

"Nope. Oh, and feel free to take anything from the storage room as well."

"Uh, okay..."

"Well then, I look forward to the day we meet again. Take care!"

With that, the Master left abruptly, as if he had somewhere urgent to be.