“Excuse me, sir.” I asked a passerby with a kind smile, “Could you spare me a few silvers?”

“Beggar? Like hell I will! You’ll probably just waste it all on tobacco!” He lectured me.

Gahhh! What the hell is a tobacco?!? Why does everyone think that, damn it?!

“I-It’s for a… a haircut.” I quieted down out of shame, which then further creeped him out and made him leave.

Damn it… Fuck bandits… Fuck the ITA… Fuck those weird-ass adventurers… As I started cursing every person who was responsible for this current situation, I started weeping as I grabbed what was left of my ponytail. Thank goodness I didn’t get too burnt. My hair could still be salvaged into a shorter cut, but I’d have to start growing it out from the beginning again. All that progress… sob…

I decided my looks weren’t that important for now, and that my primary goal is to get to the nearest ITA Base of Operations to ask for help. I’m sure they’ll do something for the adventurer they forced on this commission, right?

“D-Did you say you’re Lune Grimheart??” The ITA Agent working the booth asked me as if to reaffirm, “Didn’t your party leave to Sibirus by now?!”

“They did! And those bastards left me! I got kidnapped by some bandits because of their goddamned antics!” I told him my side of the story, “I had all my belongings burned, and if I hadn’t escaped in time, I’d get burned myself too!”

The anxious ITA Agent went Oh dear… before sifting through some paperwork and returning back to me with an angered expression.

“Get lost, poser!” he shooed me away.

“W-What?” I asked, “What are you talking about?”

“I just checked with the higher ups, you can’t fool me! The party notified us a few days ago, stating ‘Everyone made it safe and sound’!” He said, reading the letter they had sent to the base.

Those bastards…

“But they’re lying! I’m Lune Grimheart, and I’m not there! Shouldn’t everyone who ‘made it there safe and sound’ have provided a signature on the letter to verify the claim?” I said, trying to convince him.

“…Hmm, it certainly is strange how they haven’t done so…” he checked the letter once more, “Even still, unless you have any proof that you are who you claim to be, then I can’t do anything about it, I’m afraid.”

“But all my documents including my passport were burned by the bandits! All I have is…!” I said, remembering Nelly’s picture and whipping it out.

“Who is this?” He asked, “A… Girl?”

“This is my daughter, Nelly Grimheart! My girlfriend and I had her registered in the Bilgam Town Hall just recently! If I go to this place’s Town Hall and prove it’s her, you’ll have your proof that I am Lune Grimheart, no?!”

“Certainly, that would be the case…” The Agent thought about it some more, “Alright then, sir, the Town Hall is here. Good luck, I hope you’re saying the truth…” He said as he pointed to it on a map of the town he had on his desk.

I thanked him from the bottom of my heart before heading out. I didn’t have much stamina from running all day long, so I was just kinda leisurely strolling about, looking around this unfamiliar town as much as I could before heading out to Melgam. The ITA Agent claimed this place was called Angeles, a town marking a sort of half-way point between Bilgam and Melgam, but I never visited this place before, as we took a detour to get to Melgam the last time we were there.

“So there’s the bakery, there’s the bookstore, and this… Huh!?!?!” I gasped out loud once I saw it.

That large ‘A’ written in a yellow cursive font, with the building being completely covered in a specific shade of red which made you hungry just from looking at it. This was an Arthur’s! But what’s an Arthur’s establishment doing so far out here?! Did Anna already make it this far? Wait, if she did, that means she’s here!

I did say I would take it slow for now, but upon seeing this glorious visage, I had no other option but to jump into a full sprint as I ran to the Arthur’s. Practically slamming the doors open, I startled some of the customers, as well as some of the workers. Due to my… unfortunate looking appearance, I was once again confused as a beggar, so a worker had to intervene.

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave the establishment. No shoes, no shirt, no service. That’s our policy.” He said quietly.

“I came up with that policy!” I shouted back with a smile, “God, this really is the real deal! Anna’s doing well, I see!”

He looked at me a bit weird upon hearing these words, “Who the hell do you think you are? Who’s Anna?” He said.

Huh? What do you mean?

“Anna’s Arthur’s granddaughter! Don’t disrespect him!” I shouted out at this novice worker’s insolence.

“Are you crazy? Arthur isn’t a real person, dumbass! Get the hell out of here, you nutjob!” He tried forcefully shoving me out of the building, before he got stopped.

“Larry! What the hell are you doing to a potential customer! And stop it with that ‘Arthur isn’t real’ crap! I’ve met him and he’s a delight-” The man stopped as soon as he saw me, “Big Bro?”

“C-Carl?” I said, trying to hold back my surprise (but failing).

“What the hell has this world done to you?” He asked me as he got that novice worker off of me.

“Carl…” I started weeping as I barely clung on to him, “It’s b-been rough…”

***

“So,” Carl started talking as he sat down with me, “you started drinking coffee?”

“I quite enjoy Lattes.” I said as I took a sip of the drink, “I see Arthur’s is doing well, is this Anna’s doing?”

“Yes, Little Sis suddenly informed all of the branches that we’ll be turning Arthur’s into a worldwide establishment.” He explained, ”It was tough at first, but a sudden visitor came by and sped things up noticeably. He’s a miracle, I’ll tell you what, there’s no signs of timidity in him at all anymore.”

“I see, then is she here now?” I asked just in case.

“No, she’s at Trivis Numerica currently, but I heard she’s making plans to go even as far as Meridia now.”

These words made me remember the promise her, Ed and I made on the day we all parted ways:

“I like it! A couple years down the line I wanna see an Arthur’s all the way in Simpleton, y’hear?”

“Yeah! We’ll eat together in an Arthur’s all the way in Meridia!”

So she’s still working on her side of the plan, I’m glad…

“In any case, Big Bro,” Carl spoke up, “what are you doing here, and for Prylos’ sake why are you in such a rough shape?”

“Prylos!” I shouted back, “I haven’t heard anyone mention his name in years! No one worships him in Great Hiana, even though he’s the God of Meditation…”

“I know!” He shouted back, “Seriously, since Great Hiana is home to many diverse peoples, you’ll hear all sorts of Gods’ names being spoken, but for whatever reason I feel like I’m the only one who still calls for Prylos!”

Apparently, Carl was working in Station Arfa for a couple more months before being dispatched to work here. He bought the building, worked his butt off on making the interior as lustrous as possible, but since he was bad at making connections, he didn’t really have a workforce. This made the Arthur’s here not really well known, that is until this “Miracle” he spoke of showed up and helped him get the place bustling in just a month before heading to Secundis.

“Big Bro, stop avoiding the question,” Carl suddenly stopped our fun, “why are you in such rough shape? What’s going on?”

I sighed before explaining to him my side of the story, starting from about the point where I was dispatched to Sibirus. I omitted the whole gang war thing in Great Hiana, as I’d probably scare the nosy customers who were listening in on us into permanently leaving Arthur’s. I do feel bad about not mentioning Cecily and Nelly, though…

“… So I’m currently on my way to the Town Hall to prove my identity and hopefully get another copy of my passport. Then I can take the boat from Melgam to Sibirus and join up with my party.”

“What!?” He shouted out once more, “Why would you want to join up with those assholes!?”

Thank God I’m not crazy for thinking they’re all assholes.

“I’ve no other choice, I need to finish this. It’s better to have a party than to challenge the dungeon alone.”

“… I guess.” He slumped back on his chair before suddenly remembering something, “Ooh! Wait there for a sec!” He said as he ran to the backroom.

I waited for about 5 minutes before he ran out with a small pouch, “Here, a present for you, Big Bro.” He said.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Check for yourself later. For now, this is all I can offer, good luck!” He said as his novice coworker repeatedly told him off for keeping me here for so long.

“Thank you, Carl, goodbye!” I said, walking out of the Arthur’s.

Curiosity finally got the best of me, so I slowly opened the bag and…!

“This is… 100 Gold Coins?!?!” I said with a shock sent down my spine, “Hmm? There’s something else…?”

Upon further inspection, it was a lunch bag. Food’s always good, I thought, so I opened it up and…!

“Sob…sob… Mom’s… recipe?” Tears started trickling down my face, “Carl…! He remembered my favorite dish!”

I sat down on a nearby bench as I partook in the dish. It reminded me of mother, and that very thought made me rethink even going to Sibirus in the first place. But after finishing it, I remembered why I was going in the first place.

Just like her actions are indirectly helping me even now, my current actions will one day help Nelly. I’m sure of it! I… need to get going.

Just like that, I made my way to the Town Hall and requested a copy of both mine and Nelly’s picture. The lady working the booth asked me what I needed, and I had to answer a few quick questions to prove who I was. My hair was quite burnt, so I didn’t quite match with my picture that was in the register, but this surprisingly worked in my favor. The lady immediately realized I was attacked by bandits, as apparently these sorts of cases aren’t too rare, sadly. Even still, she wasn’t at all obtuse with how she handled the situation, instead choosing to side with me and give me a copy of both mine and Nelly’s pictures, as well as a signed document from the Town Hall stating I am Lune Grimheart.

I ran back to the ITA to get my passport reissued, and the Agent there accepted the documents I provided in full, apologizing for the inconvenience of me having to prove my identity. I said it wasn’t an issue, though, as this way there wouldn’t be a fake Lune Grimheart walking around (that’s bound to spell trouble!)

He apologized once again, saying I’ll have to wait a couple hours for my passport to be made, and told me to check back again later. I decided to take the time to fix up my appearance and get kitted back up.

First stop, the barber’s! I proclaimed as I entered the fanciest looking barbershop I could find. The barber working there took one look at me and immediately skipped the pleasantries before having me seated. I was never one to fear barbers, but this aren’t his cuts a bit too close to the skin!?! Especially near the nape!

“And… Done! Have a look at your new, modern appearance!” He said as he proudly spun me around to the mirror.

A-Amazing…! I thought as I took a gander at the new me. He gave me a complete overhaul, choosing to fade my hair out from the top to the bottom, but leaving the top almost untouched (safe from fixing up the burnt bits). He called this hairstyle an ‘Undercut’. I quite like it, it’s novel! 5 stars!

Walking around the city now felt amazing, people weren’t silently judging me for my appearance! I’ve never felt this fresh!

I still had quite a lot of money on me, as the cost for this god tier cut was only a mere 60 silver. What a steal! In any case, I went to get some new winter clothes and a new sword, as I was going into a dungeon located on the North Pole, after all...

“Good day, sir!” The merchant welcomed me, “Do you need anything?”

“I’m looking for a replacement sword. Oh, and some winter clothes would be nice.” I instructed him as to what I need.

“Certainly, pick out any sword you want from these while I get the selection of coats ready.” He said before heading to the back.

In front of me were 10 swords, each being crafted masterfully, but each being made of different metals. I wasn’t really picky, a sword is a sword after all, but I still chose to think this through a bit more carefully. Don’t want it breaking in the heat of battle now, do we?

As such, I ended up choosing the one made of Titanium (definitely because of it’s durability and resistance to rust and not because it had all sorts of colors anodized on it)

As I checked out my colorful new blade, the merchant gave me an option between 5 outfits. The first three didn’t at all seem practical for dungeon clearing, as they were far too hard to move around in. The last two were interesting though.

“This green one is easy to move in, but it doesn’t have as many pockets as the red one…” I commented on both of them.

“Well yes,” added the merchant, “but the green one offers much more layers, you see!” He said as he showed me the inside of it.

“Hmmm…” I thought it through some more.

The green one will be warmer, and is most certainly less bulky, even by a small margin. Oh, but the red one has a lot more space to hold important and handy items, plus all the added size of it lays in the hood, which is detachable… Alright, I’ve made my choice!

Finally, thanks to me meeting Carl, I had gotten back on my feet and gotten back to ground zero! Once I came back to the ITA, the Agent there gave me a bright smile as he complimented my new look.

“I see you’ve gotten all prepped up for the occasion, Mr. Grimheart!” He continued, “That red coat really suits your hairstyle!”

“Thank you, is my passport ready?” I asked.

“Sure is, here you are!” the Agent stopped to wish me good luck, “You’re out pride and joy, Mr. Grimheart, if your party manages to find the teleportation relic, you’ll go down in history! I’m sorry all this responsibility was placed on you, but we had no other choice.”

“No worries, this is what I signed up for, anyways!” I said as I waved him goodbye.

Just like that, I took the nearest path that lead to a transport wagon, and in the coming days I hopped from one transport wagon to another, until finally making it at Melgam. This is it! I thought as I boarded the boat to Sibirus, Sink or swim!