To The Last Journey

Author’s Note(AN) :

Chill posting.

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(How old am I this year? Was it ninety? I’m getting up in age...)

When a petite old man woke up in bed, he looked at the back of his hand, covered in wrinkles, and smiled cheerfully.

It's truly remarkable to have lived this long. During the dark times, he had stood on the brink of death more than once. His short hair had turned completely white, his back is now hunched back, and his skin had become wrinkled, but he had managed to live all these years, so hooray for him.

(I probably have about ten years left...)

Because of that, he didn't have many years of life left. But to the old man who had lived thinking that his life was as good as naught, it didn't matter at this point and his smiling face remained unchanged.

"Good morning, Ferad."

"Good morning, Elrika."

The petite old man, Ferad, directed a smile at Elrika, his lifelong companion, who was lying next to him.

Elrika was also about ninety years old, her back had hunched, her long hair had turned completely white, and her once world-renowned beautiful face was now covered in wrinkles.

They had been together for nearly eighty years, so they had grown old together without even realizing it.

◆

"Today's weather is nice, isn't it?"

The petite Ferad, while holding a hoe, murmured while looking up at the blue sky. Every day, rain or shine, he felt deep sentiments.

Eighty years ago, the sky had been red. Not symbolically, but literally red, with brownish clouds drifting around, and the world was covered in darkness.

Born from the darkness and the world's principles changed by the being who proclaimed himself the Great Demon King, the demon’s kin rampaged whole, and all that remained was death, despair, and lamentations.

But all that sided to the righteous rose up.

Humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, fairies, merfolk, beastmen, and various other righteous beings confronted the Great Demon King and emerged victorious.

The blue sky returned. Peace returned.

"...Hmm."

Ferad, who had devoted “almost” his entire life to the earth and the fields, looked at his lonely field, where he had harvested recently, and set down the hoe.

(What has become of the village where my family lived? Is it still abandoned, or has it been revived?)

As he considered the remaining years of his life after waking up, Ferad recalled a distant memory of his hometown.

As the third son born in a poor village, the treatment he received was not good. Being the spare of the spare of the firstborn, he lived on leftovers, and there was little to call his own possession due to the lack of resources.

But even so, that was fine. When Ferad was still a boy, the village was engulfed by the forces of darkness, and his family and everyone around him perished, which made the past treatments he had seemed much better compared to the later.

(My son... well, he must be doing well.)

The next thing Ferad thought of was his son, who was born between him and Elrika. Their son, who set off to find interesting things, was apparently doing well in the neighboring continent, and the occasional letters he received from him hadn't changed much.

(It seems my grandchild is doing fine too... But I haven't seen my great-grandchild's face yet.)

Ferad's lingering regret was not knowing his great-grandchild's face. The child was still young, and the intercontinental journey was too arduous for the child, and he wasn’t in a position to move so easily, so if things went on like this, Ferad might not live to see his great-grandchild's face.

"Phew..."

Ferad let out an unintended sigh as he stabbed the hoe into the ground but there was neither intention nor strength behind it he just swung it down.

(I'd like to see everyone's faces...)

The last thing that came to Ferad's mind was the faces of his companions who had shared joys and sorrows together. His youth had been a chaotic time, and the only brilliant memories were the days he spent with his companions, including Elrika.

"Hmm."

Although he swung the hoe, with power this time, his consciousness was still not directed at the field.

◆

"Hey, granny."

"Yes, what is it, grandpa?"

After finishing dinner, Ferad called out to Elrika while sipping hot water.

"I think leaving this place won't likely to cause much trouble."

"Well, it has been well over seventy years, and most of the relevant parties, apart from the long-lived races, have passed away."

"I see."

Elrika, having known Ferad for a long time, could sense what he was trying to say. However, she didn't rush for an answer and simply stated the facts.

"In that case... Shall we go and see everyone's faces?"

"Yes. Yes, that sounds good."

To Ferad's sudden words, Elrika smiled. Perhaps she had also been wishing for the same thing.

"Alright then. I'll send letters to those acquaintances we have, so they won't be absent when we arrive. It would be a shame to have come all the way and find them not at home."

"Shall we summon our old familiars after such a long time?"

"Yes, let's do that."

With the plan settled, Ferad decided to use his bird-shaped familiar to deliver the letters and inform the few acquaintances they had about their upcoming journey.

There was no need to notify the nearby residents, as there were hardly any in their secluded mountain dwelling. Ferad and Elrika had been living quietly and peacefully.

"We should bring out some of our old equipment too."

"Ah, the good old days..."

Their wrinkled hands moved busily, reminiscing about the past as the night grew darker.

◆

"Now that I think of it, it seem slike like we've been with this house for a long time."

"We did make some modifications along the way, but it's been almost seventy years."

A few weeks later, after finishing their preparations, Ferad and Elrika looked nostalgically at the small house they had lived in for so long. It couldn't be called luxurious, but it was filled with memories and had a certain attachment.

"But that appearance... brings back memories."

"Indeed, Ferad."

"Hohoho"

"Fuhuhu"

Ferad, holding a sword and shield in an utterly unadorned sheath, and Elrika, holding a pure white robe and a white wooden staff, smiled at each other's appearance.

Especially Ferad, who had aged and become petite, holding a sword and shield, looked like a child playing dress-up with mismatched attire.

"Shall we go, then?"

"Please watch your step."

"I'm not that frail, you know. In fact, you should watch your step."

"I'm not frail, either."

With a light banter between the elderly couple, they descended the mountain.

Heading towards their final journey.

◆

◆

◆

(Did I pick up some weirdoes...?)

Herman, the coachman of a magical golem carriage that connect between cities, turned his gaze behind to catch a glimpse of the strange people he had picked up on the way.

"Hey, granny, this must be the cutting-edge magic technology, right?"

"Yes, that's right, old man."

The wizened old man and the elderly woman, with her wrinkles and shining blue eyes, were observing the golem carriage from outside.

(Old folks like these, walking together on the road, thought they had been kicked out to reduce the number of mouths to feed or something, but they had money. And they are not aware of golem carriage that has existed since I’m born. How far was the countryside they come from?)

Middle-aged coachman Herman scratched his rich red hair and reminisced about his encounter with these two.

◆

"What is this...? Are they children?"

As Herman drove the carriage with passengers to the next town, he squinted his eyes and saw the backs of two small figures.

At first glance, they seemed like children, and Herman hurriedly increased the speed of the golem carriage to catch up to them.

"Hmm? Are they elderly?"

But as he got closer and the faces of the two people turned into view, Herman realized that they were not children but a small old man and an elderly woman.

"Grandpa, grandma, is there something wrong?"

(I haven't heard of any crop failures recently. I hope it's not a case of being kicked out of the village...)

As Herman caught up with the two elderly people, he called out to them, but he couldn't help but have doubts in his heart.

This is a part of the Lynn Kingdom, a large country, and the streets are so well maintained that there are almost no thieves or monsters. Even so, it was unusual to see two old men walking around here and there. That’s why I wondered for a moment if they had been kicked out of the village to cut down on the number of mouths they could feed.

"Good day. We thought to say our final goodbyes to our acquaintances and friends. We've just started our journey, you see."

"I see..."

While the explanation of the clearly short-lived old man made sense to Herman, he was still a bit uneasy about leaving them here.

"You'll die if it rains now. Do you have any money? If not, I can take that sword of yours as payment and give you a ride."

Herman thought of the hooded guy who had paid to sit in the carriage would be dissatisfied if he let the two elderly ride here for free. So if they don’t have any money, he’ll just let them ride the carriage in exchange for that obviously cheap sword based on its shabby sheath.

"Thank you for your concern. But we do have money. Look here."

"Alright, that should be enough for the two of you. Get on."

“What do you think, granny”

“Since we are offered, let’s take the ride.”

"Indeed, we’ll take on your offer. We will trouble you."

The grandpa glanced at the scabbard and took out a few silver and copper coins from his purse.

Herman then took old man Ferad and the old woman Elrika as his customers....

“Eh? Gramps and granny don’t know about golem carriage?”

"Adi, don’t be rude!"

"Oh, don't worry about it. Gramps and granny came from a really remote place. We’ve never seen one before."

In response to the puzzled look from the child, Ferad turned his head and waved to the reprimanding mother, honestly telling the truth.

About forty years ago, golem carriages powered by copper and magic, shaped like horses, began to be used and were now indispensable for those who traveled along the roads with people and goods. They could tirelessly traverse the roads, making them an excellent mode of transport in peaceful times, unlike the chaotic era when monsters roamed the lands.

Not knowing that, they could only state that they were from a very remote area.

In fact, Ferad and Elrika were completely left out of the flow of the world, and in a sense, they were foreigners to the present time.

(A carriage for travelers on the roads, huh? The world has come a long way.)

Ferad smiled as he compared the chaotic era with the current peace.

During the Great Magic War that involved the entire world, the idea of a carriage with passengers traveling on the roads would have been a sign of a desperate escape, even if they knew they would be attacked by monsters. It was an era like that.

Comparing that image with the unfamiliar sight of the golem horse might be strange, but inside the spacious carriage, there is peace, and the passengers’ face were not distorted in fear.

Of course, this was because the Lynn Kingdom was a major power and had paid attention to maintaining the roads. Carriages in remote areas would need to be heavily armed and under a more alert state.

"But speaking of it, is Sazaki still around?"

"Well, he's probably still here. He’s still drunk when we left there last time."

Elrika, who was also reminiscing about the times, tilted her head, wondering if the person they were looking for was present at their destination, but Ferad, who was confident in his friendship with that person, was convinced that he is present.

The place they were heading to was called Leonardo.

Despite being a wine-producing region, it was known as a place where various kinds of liquor gathered, and their purpose was to meet someone who would most likely be there.

A man named Sazaki.

A man who, when given the choice between water and alcohol for the rest of his life, would undoubtedly choose alcohol.

Despite what he didn't know, Herman had his eye on something extraordinary.

It slayed countless monsters,

ancient dragons,

true giants,

creatures lurking in the abyss,

mechanical gods,

and, finally, even the darkness itself.

A sword that no price could purchase, and if it were to be put up for sale, the major powers of the world and the Great Temple would be willing to go to war to obtain it.

If they were to give it a name, it would be known as the Sword of Hero Ferad.

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They will not be rejuvenated. Because they are grandpa and grandma.

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