Hans unfolded the newspaper.
It was filled with all sorts of commotion. The radio would be no different.
This was a world where new events erupted every single day.
A new continent beyond the giant’s spine.
A massive dragon occasionally sighted above the clouds.
The trade agreement between the Elven Kingdom and the Empire.
Yet no matter how carefully he read each article, there was not a single word about the execution of the Demon King Heathcliff.
‘Well, of course. Who would talk about a Demon King in times like these?’
Back then it had been noisy news, but even that was quickly forgotten.
A year later, the incident itself barely circulated even among gossip lovers.
Hans suddenly felt a dull heaviness in his chest.
‘Brother.’
After the Holy War ended, when Hans heard news that he might be able to find Ludger, he spent every coin he had to fund dimensional magic.
Ludger did return, in truth.
But Hans could not meet him face-to-face.
Hans, too, was an indispensable war criminal tied to the Holy War three years ago.
No one connected him to the Beast of Jévaudan, but the moment he moved, people would become alert.
‘Seriously. It’s not even like I’m planning to do anything.’
One year after the Demon King’s death, the world was still peaceful.
Hans folded the newspaper and set it beside the table.
The rocking chair he sat in swayed on its own.
His gaze drifted past the wooden railing.
There, the golden wheat field he had dreamed of stretched endlessly.
Hans picked up the chilled beer glass beside the newspaper, droplets beading on its surface.
The cool drink refreshed his throat.
The sun setting in the west burned brightly, dyeing the wheat field orange.
Yes. This was it.
This was the sight Hans had longed for in his dreams.
A peaceful countryside, a house built with his own hands, and quiet old age spent drinking beer.
At last, he had achieved that dream.
‘But why... why does it feel like there’s an emptiness inside me that I cannot fill?’
Hans missed the old days.
When he worked alongside his comrades in Owens.
It had been hard—exhausting, stressful, at times even life-threatening.
Really, if he were being honest, it should have been something he trembled just remembering.
And yet... why?
Why did the scenes of those days flicker so vividly before his eyes?
‘Maybe what I truly wanted wasn’t this dull, almost boring peace.’
Hans set the beer glass down and leaned back, letting out a self-mocking smile.
Still, what could he do? He had to live like this.
He was trying to steel his wavering heart when—
Kwaaaang!
From the secluded storage shed came a thunderous explosion, the sturdy door blown clean off and rolling across the ground.
The sudden chaos made Hans flinch.
His eyes snapped toward the shed—and then his expression twisted endlessly.
“Unbelievable. I warned you so many times, and you couldn’t even go a single day!”
Now he couldn’t hold it in!
Hans jumped up from the rocking chair and strode toward the shed.
Black smoke poured out from beyond the shattered door.
“What did you do this time!”
When Hans shouted, a small shadow slowly walked out from inside.
“Cough. Ugh, I really thought it would work this time. Weird.”
Brown skin, white hair, a petite frame covered in oil stains, wearing greasy overalls—
Seridan Ironfeet wiped soot off her face with a handkerchief and grinned.
“But see? I didn’t die, so it’s fine, right?”
“Fine my foot! Can’t you see the shed door just flew off? I’ve already had to repair this shed more than triple digits!”
Seridan pouted.
“That’s because the shed’s too weak. Next time, build a bigger, sturdier one.”
“And what exactly is the purpose of the shed! It wasn’t built for your explosion experiments!”
Hans raged, but Seridan didn’t listen at all.
“Tch. You have plenty of money anyway. Stingy.”
“You have money too! You got a massive retirement payout!”
“I’m broke! I spent it all!”
“Wow, congratulations!”
“So give me money! Or I’ll blow everything up!”
“Now you’re threatening me!”
Hans shut his eyes tight.
This infuriating dwarf girl had followed him all the way here.
Not only had she followed him—she had shamelessly remodeled his shed into an explosion lab and even made a nest inside it.
Yes. Hans was not living alone in his dreamlike paradise.
He had one parasite called Seridan stuck to him.
‘Dear God. Why such trials for me—ah right, God is dead.’
Hans let his shoulders drop.
Well, what could he do? It was all his karma.
Just then, a window from inside the house swung open and someone shouted loudly:
“Dinner’s all ready! Come inside!”
It was Arfa, sticking his head out.
Seridan wasn’t the only one living with Hans.
Of course Arfa was also staying here under Hans’s care.
And not only Arfa.
“Oppa, those two bickering is nothing new. Just ignore °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° them.”
Betty’s voice rang clearly in Hans’s ears from beside Arfa.
There was no need for her to speak loudly—she was doing it on purpose so Hans would hear.
When he once asked her why, Betty had said she was annoyed watching the two stir up trouble every single day.
‘Damn it. She’s Arfa’s younger sister and still a kid, so I can’t even scold her.’
Betty—Arfa’s younger sister—had finally regained all her memories.
She had suffered immense confusion because of it, but thanks to Arfa’s devoted care, she returned to normal.
Betty quit working as Casey Selmore’s assistant and chose to live with Arfa.
Casey had readily let her go.
—Yes. I knew this moment would come someday. Now live the life you want.
That was what Casey told her when she left.
Of course, Betty did not shed any touching tears.
—Don’t just send me away! Give me my severance pay! Pay me for the work I did!
...Anyway, she was bold enough to end up taking the role of head of the household.
Even Hans, the actual homeowner, sometimes had to watch Betty’s mood.
“Yay! Food, food! Today’s a feast, a party!”
Seridan, apparently done dealing with Hans’s nagging, ran straight into the house.
A moment later, from inside echoed Betty’s sharp voice:
“Don’t just barge in! Go wash first!”
Hans gave a wry smile and walked toward the house.
His dream home.
It wasn’t the small, cozy two-story house he originally imagined, because he didn’t live alone.
But he didn’t mind the bustle.
After all, today there were guests invited.
Hans opened the door and stepped inside, glancing at the bulletin board nailed beside the entry hallway.
Betty had made it when she moved in, saying she would write down the house rules everyone must follow.
But as time passed, that purpose faded, and the board’s use had changed.
Now, it was filled with photographs.
“Well, look at that.”
Hans couldn’t hold back a small laugh.
Across the huge board, dozens of pinned photographs covered every inch.
Color photographs, they called them.
There had been photo-like things before, but in black and white, where you could hardly tell people’s faces.
But now they were in color, clearer and sharper—made not by magic, but by science.
Faces of many people filled the variety of photographs.
“He sent a whole bunch again.”
Hans checked the package left beside the board.
Opening it revealed more newly sent photos.
The sender was Aidan.
“That kid who learned under Brother... look how far he’s come.”
After graduating from Seorn, Aidan had become a traveling explorer.
Of course, it took him a long road with many hardships, but with unyielding determination and boundless passion, he achieved it.
Young as he was, he traveled the world, photographing unexplored magical regions with his newly obtained camera.
His fame had grown rapidly.
Naturally, by his side was the noble girl Taishy Friad—now practically inseparable, almost like a true partner.
The dream Taishy had—to restore her fallen family—had come true.
She, too, had been one of the most exceptional talents in Seorn, and with her brilliant resourcefulness and fiery personality, she contributed immensely to the restoration of her family.
And when she finally gained some stability, she began traveling the world with her now-husband, Aidan Friad, to support him.
Hans moved on to the next photo.
“Oh. They went there this time?”
The sea bordered by the harsh fjord terrain of the northern lands.
In the picture, the broad back of Phantos was visible, harpoon in hand.
After the war ended, Phantos had declared he would go hunting again and ventured deep into the northern regions.
And at last, he achieved his dream.
This photo was proof of that.
Phantos no longer rode a small rowboat. Instead, he rode across the sea astride a massive whale-like being.
The Lord of Water’s Elements.
A supreme elemental spirit so powerful it could raise tidal waves merely by existing.
After a bloody battle, the two had become friends.
‘Well, he was always more monster than man anyway.’
Hans flipped to the next photo.
There, Alex was holding a newborn baby, while Enya Joinas sat beside him in a hospital bed, recovering after childbirth.
Their newborn was a healthy baby boy.
Born to knight parents, the child, too, would surely grow up strong and without trouble.
For reference, Alex was now serving as an instructor at the Knight Academy.
The Knight Academy itself had changed drastically. After the war, Lutus Wardot chose a date, dug up every trace of corruption, and completely rebuilt the system.
Hans gently pinned the photo in place and checked the next one.
It was Bellaruna, and beside her stood Chris Bennimore, the Seorn instructor.
“Ugh. Just looking at them makes my skin crawl.”
Even though it was only a photo, the two looked so sorrowful and intense it gave him goosebumps.
Perhaps it was because he was used to Bellaruna’s gloomy, corpse-like appearance—now seeing her all beautifully dressed for the man she loved was shocking enough to be terrifying.
He felt a wedding invitation might arrive any day now, and he agonized over whether he should accept it or pretend not to notice.
Hans hurriedly moved to the next picture.
There, seated in the mayor’s office, was Violetta.
Though gravely wounded during the Holy War, after becoming the Mage of Empty Color, she shook off her injuries and returned to Royal Street.
She had always been competent, but becoming the Mage of Empty Color seemed to have pushed her through some kind of evolution—because she took over the entire surrounding business district almost instantly.
Enormous amounts of money poured in, and her influence grew day after day.
Eventually, she even ran for mayor of Rederbelk.
Her background as a woman from the underworld shocked many, but Violetta ignored all slander and won confidently.
Now, as a respectable mayor, she devoted herself to the city’s development.
If one were to judge purely by success, she might be the greatest among the Owens members.
Hans checked the next photo.
There was a young boy with green hair, wearing traditional beastkin ceremonial garments, sitting quietly.
It was Leo—Aidan’s friend and one of Ludger’s students.
Beside him, dressed in similar attire, sat Iona.
Only then did Hans realize it.
These garments were those worn during beastkin wedding ceremonies.
Leo and Iona had gotten married, and Leo had entered the beastkin clan as the son-in-law of the next clan chief.
And those were not the only photos.
Many others were still left.
Hans carefully pinned them all onto the board.
Seeing the once-large board now crowded with pictures filled him with satisfaction.
“Hans! Come carry these plates!”
Betty’s voice echoed from the kitchen beyond the hallway.
What kind of tenant orders around the homeowner like this?
Hans trudged toward the kitchen, already used to it.
By then, dusk had faded fully into night.
The lights in the kitchen glowed warmly, and guests for the feast began arriving one by one.
“It’s been a while since we’ll get to eat something delicious.”
“Let’s go inside, Sedina.”
“Oh, wait. Since I’m here, let me do this first.”
Sedina Roschen and Julia Plumehart fixed their photos to the board.
After they entered, more guests arrived.
“Senior, welcome.”
“Mmm. Rine, I’ve already graduated, you know. Calling me ‘senior’ feels strange now. Just call me ‘unnie.’”
“Ahaha. Really? I’m just so used to it.”
“......Well, calling me senior isn’t bad either.”
Rine and Erendir von Exilion.
They, too, placed their photos on the board before entering.
Rine had become a proper magic researcher, and Erendir, pushed by her older sister’s pressure, was studying hard to carve her own path.
“Oh, what? Looks like we’re a bit late. Flora, I told you to hurry.”
“Hmph! It’s only natural for a noble to need time to prepare, Sheryl.”
“And yet you spent ages agonizing over what to wear today.”
“B-be quiet.”
Flora and Sheryl also hung their pre-taken photo onto the board.
“Heh heh. To think I’d ever be invited to a place like this. But more importantly, are you all right, Wolf Prince?”
“Please don’t tease me like that, Duke Kadatushan. My head already hurts with all the succession education I’m receiving.”
“Kkrek. You’re complaining for nothing. Still, isn’t it nice to have a dependable friend by your side? Yes, your name was Henry, right?”
“Yes. Henry Presto. It is an honor that you remember me.”
“Bah, what honor? Kids these days are worse than we ever were. Nothing’s easy anymore. Come on, let’s go in. Duke Lumos is already inside—won’t do for us to arrive late.”
“......Yes, I understand.”
Heibach Kadatushan, Freuden Ulburk, Henry Presto.
After the three went in, more guests followed.
“My, it looks like quite a crowd already.”
“Well, it’s a rare feast. There are special guests coming too.”
“That’s true. Oh, look at these photos. So many familiar faces.”
“Even though you still see more than half of them regularly.”
“Oh, Wilford, honestly. I just meant the photos are nostalgic. Do I pin mine here?”
Elisa Willow and Wilford.
“Merilda! Hurry up! We’re late!”
“Selina, you look especially happy today. Hm? And your outfit—you went all out.”
“Well, we haven’t seen everyone in so long! Of course I did.”
“Hm? Is that so?”
“What’s with that reaction! Anyway, hurry! Oh geez, I almost forgot. Here, my photo!”
Selina and Merilda.
“H-hehe, it’s been a while here.”
“Hm. Honestly, I’m not sure I should even be included.”
“Don’t worry. It’s a gathering for everyone.”
“I do not worry. My love. Because you are with me.”
“Oh, Chris...”
Bellaruna and Chris Bennimore.
“Hm. Already lively, I see. Now, let’s see how well my dear Betty is doing.”
“Casey, stop being so dramatic. Behave.”
“Ugh, unnie. I am behaving.”
Casey Selmore and Marias Selmore.
“Aidan! What are you doing! Hurry up! Everyone’s already here!”
“Taishy, calm down. We really did come as fast as we could.”
“Honestly, Aidan, your laid-back nature... I thought you’d change after getting married, but you’re even worse.”
“Haha. Leo, you too? And you, you’ve changed a lot. You’re more honest now.”
“That’s right. Leo’s surprisingly needy.”
“Iona! Stop saying weird things! Anyway, Aidan—what are you doing?”
“Hanging photos. I mailed most of them ahead of time, but a few didn’t get sent yet.”
Aidan pinned up his photos.
One was of a dragon flying above the clouds.
Rumor said a woman with half-white, half-black hair had been seen atop a dragon—an urban legend whispered throughout the city.
The photo was too blurry, taken from far away, to confirm anything.
Another showed Catherine working in the village fields.
She had returned to House Unsho and was living a bright, energetic life helping the villagers.
“All done!”
“Come on! We’re the last ones!”
“No way.”
With the four of them arriving last, the kitchen grew even noisier.
Naturally so, given who the guests were.
Everyone thought all the guests had arrived when—
The front door opened, and a man stepped inside, his shoes sounding against the floor.
“Hm?”
He looked at the photos on the board, then let out a faint chuckle.
Then, in the center of the board—where a single empty space had been left as if reserved—he placed the final missing piece.
The man who had once been Heathcliff, but who was now Ludger Cherish.
His once long hair had been cut short.
The photo captured him smiling gently under the sun, looking back over his shoulder.
“Perfect.”
Muttering that, the man headed toward the dining room where everyone waited.
Moments later, the door opened, and the sound of joyful welcomes filled the air.
