Sixteen years old...
[Returning to your homeland, you brought along a dwarven warrior, found your childhood friend, and invited the elves from the mountain to join your hero party.]
[To better match your new identity, you put away the staff your mentor had given you.]
[In its place, you chose that replica of the Hero's Sword as your weapon.]
[When your mentor heard of this, she scolded you furiously.]
[Not only did she take back the staff, she even declared she was severing all ties with you.]
[You tried to explain, but your mentor shut you out.]
[You know very well, it was only something said in anger...]
[Your mentor is simply afraid you will die on the road to slay the Demon King.]
...
In the years that followed...
[Under your leadership, the hero party struck deep into enemy territory, cutting a bloody path forward.]
[Even demons as powerful as the "Seven Sages of Destruction" were wiped out one by one by your party.]
[Humanity reclaimed their lost lands, and wanderers rebuilt their homes atop the ruins.]
[Every rebuilt village would raise a statue of you in its center.]
[People seemed to firmly believe that you, as the Hero, would surely bring peace.]
[Even more wondrous was...]
[It was as though your statues possessed some sort of magic.]
[Wherever a statue stood, clear springs would appear nearby, and even the soil would become more fertile.]
[Only then did people recall an old legend they'd heard years ago.]
[That you, the Hero, once received the blessing of the Water Goddess.]
[Before long...]
[People all over the world learned of this story.]
[Even some demi-human and beastkin tribes began casting statues of you, hoping to bring good fortune to their homelands.]
...
Twenty-five years old...
[After overcoming countless hardships, your hero party finally defeated the Demon King.]
[The few remaining demon tribes were scattered and weakened, no longer able to stir up trouble.]
[You saved this world and fulfilled the wish you made as a child.]
[In that moment, you became a true Hero.]
...
Twenty-six years old...
[Your hero party disbanded...]
[Your childhood friend accepted an imperial title and fief; his future is bright.]
[The dwarven warrior took his generous reward and began living a full, comfortable life.]
[The elven mage invited you to keep traveling together.]
[But you turned her down...]
[You've been away from home for too long. Now, you only want to go back and reunite with your family.]
[On the eve of parting...]
[You make a promise together: fifty years from now, you'll meet again to watch the half-century meteor shower.]
...
In the days that followed...
[You stayed by your parents' side, helping them manage the affairs of your territory, a life both busy and happy.]
[In your spare time, you continued to research magic, simplifying practical spells.]
[You knew you could accomplish nothing on your own.]
[You summoned the elf you'd traveled with and went with her to visit your mentor.]
[You shared your bold, whimsical ideas, only to be met with your mentor's ridicule.]
[But for all the harsh words, your mentor still agreed to help you.]
[The three of you formed a research team, and over the following decades, achieved brilliant results!]
[Many practical spells, once simplified, greatly improved the living standards of people around the world.]
[You lowered the barrier to learning magic; water magic became so widespread that even ordinary people could easily master it.]
[Even a common farmer could use water magic to turn parched, cracked fields into fertile farmland.]
[Perhaps because of your statues, or because of the Water Goddess's blessing...]
[The harvests grew ever richer. No one starved to death anymore.]
...
Sixty years old...
[Even a former savior of the world cannot resist the erosion of time.]
[Your consciousness grew hazy, and many of your memories turned blurry.]
[Not wanting to become a burden, you chose to leave.]
[But you had no idea...]
[That such clumsy little thoughts could never fool your mentor.]
[She watched your departing back and stood there, for a very, very long time.]
[Having lived since the age of gods, thousands upon thousands of years, she once more tasted the brevity of human life.]
[She knew...]
[Once you left, it would be farewell forever...]
...
Many years later...
[Leaving the Imperial Capital behind, you once again set out on a journey.]
[Though the demons have dwindled and can no longer threaten the world, war still rages.]
[Even with hunger gone from the world, human greed can never be satisfied.]
[To seize more profit, the Kingdom and the Empire have once more gone to war.]
[With the threshold to magic lowered, more and more mages are being thrown into battle.]
[You watch mages on both sides killing each other with the very spells you helped refine.]
[You see the villages you once saved reduced to ashes in the flames of war.]
[Only your battered, broken statue still stands in the ruins.]
[Picking through the rubble, you find the lone survivor.]
[A little purple-haired baby girl, burning with fever, sleeping deeply.]
[You took her in.]
...
Seventy-four years old...
[The years tried to crush your body...]
[Though your face is full of wrinkles, traces of your youthful good looks can still be seen.]
[The sword that once slew the Demon King has been replaced by an unremarkable wooden cane.]
[And behind you trails a little "tagalong," who never leaves your side.]
[You have forgotten many things, but in the realm of magic, you never lost your original passion.]
[Over the span of several years, you developed a new spell.]
[It is purely defensive and has no offensive power at all, created only to end war.]
[Even the most mediocre apprentices can master it with a bit of practice.]
[It needs no incantation; once cast, it bends away all malice.]
[You named it: Thops's Barrier.]
...
Seventy-five years old...
[Your spell was designated forbidden magic by the Magic Association.]
[As she did fifty years ago, your mentor scolded you.]
[A spell that can bend the will of the gods must never be spread!]
[You could sense your mentor's fear, and the way she still wanted to protect you.]
[In her eyes, you were still that genius disciple who never let her rest easy.]
[Even though your power had long since stepped into the realm of the divine, to the point that even the gods feared you.]
...
Seventy-six years old...
[Your former companions kept the promise made fifty years before and gathered with you once more.]
[The degree of your frailty shocked everyone; you had even forgotten their names.]
[You listened as they recounted the feats of your youth, yet no matter how you tried, you could not recall them.]
[After watching the meteor shower together, you realized your time was almost up.]
[You entrusted the little tagalong who always followed behind you to the care of the elf.]
[You told the two of them to eat less sweets, not stay up late, drink plenty of water, and eat a balanced diet.]
[You nagged away like an annoying old man, yet the girls only nodded obediently through their tears.]
...
One week later...
[In the company of your old comrades, you passed away peacefully in your sleep and never woke again.]
[Your death dealt a heavy blow to the elf who had spent a lifetime by your side.]
[Not long after you were gone, she set off on a journey to follow in your footsteps.]
...
(End of Chapter)
If I see that this fanfic has support, I will upload 20+ chapters to Patreon!!
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]