A witch of unknown identity opened an old book.

Turning the pages slowly, she began to tell a story as if reciting an ancient fairy tale.

"Once upon a time, there were five heroes."

An era when the Demon King and powerful demons threatened the world.

Different races sent their respective representatives to face the common enemy.

Leonhardt, the human hero.

Seria, the elven archer.

Brodin, the dwarven blacksmith and warrior.

Kairi, the beastman assassin.

Lumiel, the spirit mage.

And the sixth comrade who, though not a hero, carried their weapons, food, camping gear, and countless burdens.

The porter, Guest.

These six people, differing in race, origin, and way of life, survived numerous brushes with death together.

And finally.

They defeated the Demon King.

The last night before returning to their homelands.

The six of them sat in a circle around a campfire at a small campsite.

Crackle, crackle.

Along with the sound of burning logs, Leonhardt spoke first.

"Everyone, you all worked so hard."

"Hmph! Still, my arrows made the biggest contribution! Right, right?"

As Seria laughed triumphantly, Brodin's beard twitched as he let out a hearty laugh.

"Guffaw! Everyone did great! Now I won't have to wrestle with your weapons every day!"

"...We really did it."

Kairi wore a faint smile.

"Ugh... honestly, other races are just so noisy..."

Lumiel shook her head.

However, even she couldn't hide the smile spreading across her lips.

Just then.

The eyes of the five turned toward one person simultaneously.

Guest.

Leonhardt smiled.

"...And Guest. We wouldn't have made it this far without you. Thank you for always handling the hard work in the background."

"That's right."

Seria leaned in playfully.

"Our dear porter, what are you going to do now that you'll miss your big sister? Thanks for everything."

"Hahahaha! If you ever need a job, come to our dwarven mines anytime! Someone with grit like you, Mister, is more than welcome!"

Brodin slapped Guest's shoulder heartily.

"...I was truly grateful, Master Guest."

Kairi smiled quietly.

"Geez... everyone's making such a fuss. Well... I was thankful too."

Lumiel also glanced away while smiling.

The six of them looked at each other for a long while.

The small campfire was burning more warmly than ever.

After a moment, Leonhardt spoke.

"The Demon King is fallen, and now we will each return to our homes."

He looked slowly at his comrades.

"But let's promise this one thing."

"No matter where we are, we are comrades for life."

A brief silence followed.

Seria was the first to laugh.

"Oho, our Hero has quite the sense of loyalty, doesn't he? Well, it's not bad."

"It's great! Isn't it only natural for people who have shared life and death together!"

"...Comrades for life..."

Kairi muttered softly.

Her cat ears twitched slightly as if she didn't dislike the idea.

"Ugh... who said they wanted to be comrades for life with kids like you?"

Lumiel crossed her arms.

Yet, she was smiling.

"Well... if you're asking that much, I suppose I could."

"Good!"

Leonhardt pulled a small piece of paper from his breast pocket.

Then, like a child who had thought of a fun prank, he began to write.

[We are each other's lifelong friends and comrades, who have shared life and death together.]

Leonhardt wrote his name first.

Seria.

Brodin.

Kairi.

Lumiel.

One by one, the names of the five were engraved on the paper.

And one last empty space remained.

Leonhardt looked at Guest.

"What are you doing? Guest has to sign too!"

"...Me too?"

Seria chuckled.

"Why are you zoning out? It's obvious. Who do you think carried all our luggage? It'd be even better if you kept doing it in the future."

"Guffaw! Hurry up and write! You are undeniably our comrade!"

"Of course...! Master Guest is with us too."

"Just write it already..."

Lumiel shook her head.

"Just play along with these idiots for once."

Guest finally burst into laughter.

And wrote his name in the last empty space.

All six names were gathered.

Leonhardt looked at the paper with satisfaction and then handed it to Guest.

"You keep this."

"Me?"

"Isn't the porter the one who keeps the Hero's Party's precious items?"

Leonhardt laughed playfully.

"So, I'm counting on you for this too."

Guest folded the paper carefully.

And tucked it deep into his chest pocket like a very precious treasure.

That night.

The six of them truly believed.

That this promise, at least, would last forever.

The witch slowly turned the next page.

"But..."

The smile that had been on her lips faded faintly.

"They didn't know back then."

"How the world would change."

And so.

Ten years passed.

Everyone believed that peace would come to a world where the Demon King had vanished.

But the reality was the exact opposite.

Once the enemy they all looked at together was gone, the blades that had been pointed at the demons slowly began to turn toward one another.

Humanity expanded in search of new territories and resources.

Under the pretext of reclaiming land lost to the demons, they continued to widen their borders, eventually beginning to threaten the domains of other races.

Change also came to the elves' forest.

When the demons and monsters disappeared, the ecological balance that had been maintained for so long actually collapsed.

The forest began to sicken, and the elves, losing their homes, gradually became hostile toward other races.

The dwarves discovered powerful metals and rare minerals in mines that were once demon territory.

It brought unprecedented prosperity.

But at the same time, it gave birth to numerous new weapons, and those weapons flowed into wars and conflicts all over the world.

The beastmen shed more blood than anyone in the war against the Demon King.

They believed that when the war ended, the long-standing discrimination and inequality would also end.

But even after 10 years, the world had not changed.

Finally, their suppressed anger exploded, and the beastmen rose in rebellion to reclaim their rights.

The spirit race changed as well.

When their natural enemy, the demons, vanished, the spirits, who no longer needed to hide their strength, unleashed the vast magical power they had been suppressing.

But the release of magical power, which was freedom to them, became a disaster for other races.

Conflict bred misunderstanding.

Misunderstanding became hatred.

And.

Hatred called for blood.

Races that once joined hands to defeat the Demon King were now pointing blades at each other.

And there was one more cruel change.

Leonhardt, the human hero.

Seria, the elven archer.

Brodin, the dwarven warrior.

Kairi, the beastman assassin.

Lumiel, the spirit mage.

The five people who laughed together 10 years ago had now become representatives leading their respective races.

They no longer had the freedom to make choices solely for themselves.

They had people to protect.

Responsibilities to bear.

And convictions they could not give up.

Friends who once entrusted their backs to each other had now become enemies threatening their own races.

The promise shared in front of the small campfire 10 years ago.

"No matter where we are, we are comrades for life."

That promise was scattering like the ashes of a campfire extinguished long ago.

Humans and elves point swords and bows at each other.

Dwarven weapons head for the battlefield.

The anger of the beastmen swallows the borders.

The magical power of the spirits shakes the earth.

Friends who once defeated the Demon King together have now begun to move to kill each other.

However.

There was still one person left between them.

Not a king.

Not a hero.

Not a representative of any race.

The sixth comrade who walked with them, carrying their burdens 10 years ago.

And the person who still holds the old promise with the names of all six written on it.

The porter, Guest.

The witch turned the final page.

But nothing was written there.

Staring at the stark white final page, the witch slowly raised her head.

And she smiled as if looking at someone beyond the book.

"From here on, it is a story yet to be written."

"Will you bring your friends back together?"

"Will you stand by someone's side?"

"Or will you choose a completely different path?"

The witch held the book out to Guest.

"Because I am not the one who writes the next story."

"From now on..."

"It is your adventure."