The World After Leaving the Hero’s Party

“It’s been a while, Dex.”

One of the blacksmiths was someone I knew. He was a man I had relied on quite a bit during the progression of the main story.

The bearded man handed me the sword he had been sharpening, managing a strained smile.

“With your skills, I can trust you with this.”

He wasn’t wrong. While I wasn’t a professional blacksmith, I was still better than most skilled craftsmen.

And since equipment repair contributed to achievements, I decided to fix as much as I could while I had the opportunity.

—

Seated at the workstation, I began sharpening the sword on a whetstone. After finishing it, I moved on to a spear. I replaced the spearhead, mounted it on a new shaft, balanced the weight, and set it aside.

Next was a bow. The string was damaged, and the tips of the bow were cracked. I repaired it and placed it next to the other finished items.

Other soldiers came by with gear for me to fix. As I continued working through the repairs, a shadow loomed in front of me.

Looking up, I saw the owner of the shadow flinch in surprise.

“…It really… it’s really you…”

Greaves covered in blood and mud. Full plate armor enveloping her body.

A sword, still sticky with the blood of monsters.

And her hair—a striking silver-blue—framed her beautiful but tear-filled eyes.

Leventia Shuma, the knight, stood there staring at me blankly before opening her trembling lips.

“I… I never thought… I’d see you again like this…”

I silently watched as tears welled up in her eyes.

—

– Hm… admirable. A protector of the weak and seeker of justice, even without divine blessings. Sage, there is much I could learn from you.

– Will it not be too much for you? If you desire, I could help.

– Oh, you repaired my sword too? Thank you. Here, a small token of appreciation—some sweets from the village.

– Your cooking is excellent as always. Much better than plain jerky.

In the beginning, my relationship with Leventia wasn’t so bad.

But as the main story progressed, she changed. She began nitpicking and arguing over trivial matters.

—

– What kind of repair is this? You shouldn’t have bothered if this is the result. I should’ve taken it to another village instead.

– Sigh. You’re hopeless. Follow me. If you can’t even carry this much, how do you plan to join the journey?

– Why don’t you just go back? Or become my squire and undergo proper training.

– This tastes awful. I’d rather eat jerky.

– We lost them because you were so slow! How did you handle the healing? What the hell were you thinking?!

…

Thinking back on those memories left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I thought I had let go of the scorn and blame she heaped upon me, but it seemed those wounds still lingered deep inside me.

I understood her reasons. I accepted the outcomes. The results were good, after all.

Though, the process had been anything but smooth.

—

“S-Sage… Hyun Woo. H-have you been… um… I mean, I…”

“Sword.”

“…Huh?”

“You came to get your sword repaired, didn’t you?”

“Th-that’s not… I just… I heard you were here and…”

“Hand over the sword.”

I briefly considered venting my pent-up feelings by giving her a piece of my mind, but…

Nah. What’s the point?

Might as well focus on earning repair points.

Leventia hesitated for a moment before carefully handing over her sword.

The Shuma family’s treasured sword was in terrible shape. No matter how well-crafted, it wasn’t indestructible like the Hero’s sword and required regular maintenance.

Unlike when I used to manage it, the blade was now in poor condition.

Had it not received proper upkeep all this time?

Fine by me.

The better the equipment, the more points I earned from repairing it.

—

“S-Sage… I, back then… I mean, I…”

She fumbled her words, avoiding eye contact while standing awkwardly in front of me.

I didn’t even glance her way. Once the sword was partially restored, I called for Dex.

“This should do, right?”

“Huh? Oh… yeah, it looks good. But hey, are you okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“Uh, Lady Leventia.”

“Ignore her.”

Dex pointed at Leventia, who was on the verge of tears. A single droplet had already streaked down her cheek as she hung her head low.

She wanted to say more but didn’t press the issue. After checking the Shuma sword in my hands a few more times, she pointed out a couple of additional areas that needed repair. I fixed those too before handing it back.

“Next.”

The knight standing behind Leventia glanced between the two of us, then awkwardly left.

Damn it.

She’s making it hard to focus on repairs.

“Hey.”

“Y-yes? Yes, Sage! D-do you have something to say to m—”

“Leave.”

“…What?”

“You’re in the way. Go.”

Her pretty face twisted with confusion, which quickly crumbled into sorrow.

Her shoulders trembled as tears streamed down.

I could hear her soft sobs as she hung her head, but I only had one thing to say.

“Our relationship is over. I don’t see any reason to prolong this. So leave.”

“…S-sniff… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… I… I…”

She kept repeating her apologies like a broken record. I let out a sigh, stood up, and gently moved her aside before addressing the others waiting awkwardly nearby.

“Next.”

—

Despite the interruption, I earned a decent number of repair points. Should I just stay here and finish the equipment repair achievement?

For now, I have completed all the repairs for the day. Time to switch to earning cooking points.

After wrapping up the requests at the forge, I headed toward the mess hall where the cooks were stationed.

Step. Step.

Leventia followed close behind, shoulders hunched and still sniffling, though I paid her no mind.

When we reached the mess hall, I turned to look at her.

Our eyes met, and she gasped, hesitating as she froze in place.

“S-Sage, I…”

“What is it?”

Looking her in the eyes, I calmly said,

“I’m currently teaching the princess. I have no intention of becoming your squire, so go back. That’s all.”

“W-wait! Please wait! Just listen to me for a moment! Sage! Hyun Woo! I-I’m not asking you to be my squire, I just—just let me explain—”

I brushed off her hand as she tried to grab mine.

Even just standing near her made my chest tighten unpleasantly. It wasn’t good for my mental health.

“No need.”

If I had time to deal with her, I’d rather chop onions for more cooking points.

Without a backward glance, I stepped into the mess hall.

I heard a faint sound of her collapsing outside, but it had nothing to do with me.