I arrived in a city called Alto.
It was neither too big nor too small. Just the right size.
There were no particular specialties to speak of, but with both commerce and agriculture evenly developed, it was a place where one could live without much inconvenience.
Merchants eagerly called out to customers wherever I looked.
The faces of the people walking along the main street carried a sense of ease.
It was neither excessively crowded nor desolate like a remote village.
Thanks to its stable environment, anyone could settle here without much difficulty. It was a peaceful city.
“Was it here…?”
Retracing my memories, I stopped in front of a building.
It was an old structure built with darker bricks than its surroundings.
A faded sign hung alone above the entrance, and through the windows, various magic tools were on display.
This was a shop run by a witch.
My childhood friend Fran worked here.
Though it had been a year since I last visited this place, having experienced countless regressions, it felt like I hadn’t been here in an even longer time.
When I peered inside, I noticed that all the lights were out.
Was the shop closed for the day?
I walked around to the back of the building.
Standing in front of the house’s entrance, which was built as part of the shop, I knocked on the door.
“Is anyone home?”
Silence.
Refusing to give up, I knocked again.
This time, I pounded the door firmly with my fist to make sure I was heard.
After a brief pause, I heard the sound of a lock clicking, and then the door creaked open.
“…Do you have a death wish?”
A disheveled black-haired girl peeked her head out. It was Fran.
So this was her first greeting after not seeing each other for so long.
However, seeing her unchanged demeanor was oddly reassuring.
“It’s been a while. Looks like you’re doing well.”
“In what way? Can’t you see how tired I look?”
“See? You’re full of energy. Mind if I come in?”
When I pushed the door open, Fran lost her balance and staggered slightly.
Judging by her attire, she had probably been sleeping in until just moments ago.
“Walking in without the homeowner’s permission… how bold.”
Despite her words, she kindly went to the kitchen and brought back some tea.
We sat across from each other at the table.
“I know you’re not a fan of small talk, so I’ll get straight to the point. Lend me some money.”
I stated my purpose bluntly.
Fran crossed her legs, narrowed her eyes, and took a sip of tea.
“You’re making a serious mistake.”
“What mistake?”
“It’s not that I dislike minor explanations. I just don’t like wasting time on unnecessary words.”
With that, she set down her teacup.
It was her way of telling me to properly explain why I needed the money.
“If I explain everything, it’ll take at least thirty minutes.”
“Summarize it in three sentences.”
“How ruthless.”
Since I was the one asking for a favor, it was only fair to comply with her request.
After taking a moment to gather my thoughts, I spoke.
“I left the hero’s party because I didn’t like it. I have something I need to do. I need money.”
Exactly three sentences.
Even though I had followed her request, Fran still looked far from satisfied.
“Your summaries are as terrible as ever.”
“I just said it as it is.”
Though I tried to argue, I had to admit that my explanation was lacking.
With no other choice, I decided to elaborate a little.
“I have something urgent to take care of. I’m in a hurry, so I don’t have time to work diligently. Borrowing money from you and using it as a foundation to earn more would be faster and more efficient. I’ll pay off the debt as soon as the time comes.”
Fran took another sip of tea.
“I see.”
A long silence.
I wished she would just give me a clear answer of yes or no.
“Should I just stop summarizing and explain everything?”
“No, that won’t be necessary. I understand your situation.”
Fran stood up and walked over to the window.
“It feels like just yesterday that you were so happy to become a hero… And now, your era of success has already come to an end.”
She looked at me with a hint of pity.
“That’s not it. Ugh, this is frustrating. Can’t I just explain everything?”
“Maybe it’s different for you, but to an outsider, only the results matter. Since it’s someone else’s life, the process is irrelevant.”
She spoke with the kind of cold, pragmatic logic one would expect from a witch.
But she wasn’t wrong.
People usually judge based on results, not the process.
“Anyway, just lend me some money. You’re the only one I can rely on.”
I bowed my head as I pleaded.
If she refused, I’d have no choice but to start with manual labor and save up the funds myself.
I was steeling myself for that possibility when Fran suddenly stepped closer.
“Lift your head.”
Her voice, for once, was unexpectedly gentle.
When I did what she said, her large chest filled my vision.
When I lifted my head a little higher, I could finally see her face.
“It was inevitable. That hero party was put together too hastily. The team composition wasn’t right for you, either.”
Fran had once been a candidate for the hero’s party as a mage.
She seemed to have a general idea of what had happened.
“You’re not wrong, but Claria was the biggest problem.”
“That bit*h… Just hearing her name pisses me off.”
“You went to the same academy, didn’t you?”
“Don’t remind me. It’s infuriating.”
If I remembered correctly, Fran and Claria were from the same class.
She had never told me the details, but it wasn’t hard to guess.
Claria had probably acted sly and constantly gotten under her skin.
Some things didn’t need to be said aloud to be understood.
“Like it or not, I’m going to stand in Claria’s way. Believe in me and invest.”
“How much do you need?”
“Three hundred gold coins.”
“Pocket change.”
Fran pulled out a coin pouch from somewhere and tossed it to me.
“Make sure my investment isn’t wasted.”
“Leave it to me.”
The pouch was heavy and filled to the brim with gold coins.
I should’ve brought up Claria sooner.
Either way, securing the funds meant I had cleared a major hurdle.
***
With the money I borrowed from Fran, I headed to the general store.
“Did a war break out or something…?”
On the counter sat twenty vitality potions, thirty small explosives, and various other supplies, including lantern oil.
It was an amount that would be overwhelming even for a porter in a large-scale party to carry.
Most adventurers typically bought only the bare necessities in small quantities.
Lantern oil could be found in other towns, and many people didn’t use explosives at all.
It was an excessive shopping list, to say the least. Not just well-prepared, but over the top.
It was only natural for the shopkeeper to look puzzled.
“It’s something like that. I need to head to a rather unusual dungeon.”
I placed a few gold coins on the counter.
After finishing the transaction, I opened my subspace storage and began storing my purchases.
“Oh… I’ve only ever heard about this in rumors…”
A black fissure formed in midair.
Beyond it stretched an unfathomable void that was impossible to measure in depth.
No matter how many items were placed inside, they never reached a bottom or filled up.
That was the defining trait of a subspace storage connected to another dimension.
It was one of the perks I had gained when I found myself inside this novel’s world.
Even exceptional mages struggled to create such a phenomenon, though it wasn’t an outright overpowered ability.
I simply used it as a substitute for a bag.
Thanks to that, I could transport items with ease. And as a bonus, I got to enjoy people’s fascinated reactions, just like now.
After gathering the essentials, I headed to an antique shop.
I browsed the display shelves carefully before picking up an item.
“I’d like to buy this.”
What I had chosen was a crystal ornament whose purpose was unclear.
The old shop owner whose hair was streaked with gray stared at it for a long moment before pushing up his gold-rimmed glasses with his middle finger.
“Five hundred gold coins.”
He stated the price bluntly.
Five hundred gold coins were enough to fully equip someone with high-quality armor and weapons and still have money left over.
By any reasonable standard, the price was absurd.
“It’s just a crystal. Isn’t that way too expensive?”
“It came from the treasury of a fallen royal family. I have to charge at least this much to make a profit.”
“Just because it was there doesn’t mean it’s valuable. A hundred gold coins should be more than enough.”
“How do you know what kind of treasure this is? At least make a reasonable offer.”
The antique shop owner refused to budge an inch, but I couldn’t back down so easily.
“Does a crystal turn into a diamond just because it came out of a royal treasury? Quit being ridiculous.”
“You’ve got no eye for these things, kid. Look at the craftsmanship here. Hardly anyone today can match this level of skill!”
As he said, the crystal was engraved with a unique pattern.
That pattern was proof. This was the item I had been searching for.
To someone who didn’t know its true use, it was nothing more than a cheap gemstone. But to me, it was special.
“Two hundred gold coins. I can’t see it being worth more than that.”
“You think you can take it for free? I won’t go lower than four hundred.”
The antique shop owner held firm.
But I was used to haggling with him.
“It’s pretty. I was thinking of buying it for my lover, but it’s way too expensive. Never mind.”
I spun around and headed for the exit.
Just as I reached for the door handle, acting as if I had no regrets, the shop owner called out to me.
“Wait…!”
– Smirk.
Everything was going exactly as I planned.
I wiped the expression from my face and turned back.
“What is it?”
“Even royal treasures can vary in price. I’ll give it to you for three hundred and fifty gold.”
“Still too expensive. Let’s make it two hundred and fifty.”
From here on, the game was mine.
I dove into the negotiation without hesitation.
“A treasure is still a treasure. Three hundred and thirty!”
“Two hundred and seventy.”
“Three hundred and twenty!”
“Let’s settle at a clean three hundred.”
“…Haa, I lose.”
The antique shop owner let out a sigh as if he had no other choice.
And just like that, the three hundred gold coins I borrowed from Fran was completely spent on the ornament.
***
Since I had borrowed exactly three hundred gold coins, my pockets were once again empty.
If I had known this would happen, I would’ve borrowed just a hundred more.
Not that I didn’t regret it at all, but too much is as bad as too little.
Instead, to save on lodging costs, I crashed at Fran’s place for the night.
“You’re really shameless, you know that?”
Morning.
As I was preparing a simple meal with the ingredients in the house, Fran emerged from the bedroom and gave me a look of exasperation.
“Want me to make some for you too?”
“No thanks, I’ll pass.”
Fran opened the front door and picked up the newspaper lying outside.
She might seem like someone who shut herself off from the world, but in unexpected ways, she was surprisingly diligent.
“I’m heading to the dungeon today. Should take about a week.”
“Just disappear for good while you’re at it.”
“Isn’t that a little harsh? I’m going somewhere dangerous, you know.”
“That’s true. If you go missing, I won’t be able to get my money back. That’d be a problem.”
“Hey, shouldn’t your first reaction be concern for my safety?”
It might sound like an argument, but for us, this kind of bickering was practically a greeting.
Fran might seem cold, but she actually took good care of people.
If that weren’t the case, she wouldn’t have lent me three hundred gold coins so easily.
…Or maybe it was just because of her grudge against Claria.
“Hmm.”
Fran let out an intrigued sound as she read the newspaper.
Her eyes were fixed on the front page.
“Something interesting?”
“Yeah. Probably the most interesting thing I’ve read all year.”
“What is it? Let me see.”
When I stepped closer and peered at the newspaper, an illustration on the front page caught my eye.
It depicted three adventurers, seemingly setting off on a journey.
Beside it, a bold sensational headline printed in black ink read: “The Kingdom’s Chosen Mistake. The Hero’s Cowardly Exit.”
“Well, looks like I became famous in just a month.”
I snatched the newspaper from Fran’s hands and began reading the full article.
It detailed my departure from the party with surprising accuracy.
Though it appeared to be an objective report, words like “cowardly” and “deserter” were carefully sprinkled throughout, subtly painting me in a negative light.
The article emphasized how my departure had weakened the party but made no mention of the reasons or circumstances behind it.
It was blatant, one-sided reporting.
“There’s only one person who would pull something like this.”
Claria. That bit*h.
I couldn’t believe she was already using the media to turn me into a villain.
“If you’re going to do something about it, you’d better hurry. Your reputation is sinking by the second.”
Fran was right.
If I left things as they were, the negative image would spread, and I’d be dealing with a massive headache before I even had a chance to act.
I wasn’t about to sit back and take this.
Even if I had given up my regression ability, my experience still far outstripped hers.
And with Claria’s starting point continuously pushed back, this wasn’t an entirely one-sided fight.
“…So this is how you want to play it?”
I had planned to live peacefully this time, just for myself.
I was even willing to let things slide, within reason…
But she had thrown the first punch.
Mercy was no longer an option.
Let’s see who comes out on top.
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