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 beastkin assassin.

Lumiel, the spirit mage.

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

Guest, the porter.

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

And finally.

They defeated the Demon King.

The last night before returning to their respective homes.

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 boisterous laugh.

"Gwahaha! Well done, everyone! Now I won't have to wrestle with your weapons every single 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! A man with grit like you is more than welcome!"

Brodin slapped Guest on the shoulder heartily.

"...I was truly grateful, Guest-nim."

Kairi smiled quietly.

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

Lumiel also smiled, slightly averting her gaze.

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

The small campfire was burning warmer 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 moment of 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 going to ask that much, I suppose I could."

"Good!"

Leonhardt pulled a small piece of paper from his tunic.

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

[We are lifelong friends and comrades to each other, having shared life and death together.]

Leonhardt wrote his name first.

Seria.

Brodin.

Kairi.

Lumiel.

One by one, the names of the five were etched onto 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 spacing 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."

"Gwahaha! Write it down quickly! You are undeniably our comrade!"

"Of course...! Guest-nim is with us too."

"Just write it..."

Lumiel shook her head.

"Just play along with these idiots for once."

Guest finally burst into laughter.

And wrote their 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 party's precious items?"

Leonhardt smiled mischievously.

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

Guest folded the paper carefully.

And tucked it deep inside their tunic 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.

"However..."

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 elven forests.

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

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

The dwarves discovered powerful metals and rare minerals in the 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 beastkin 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 ten years, the world had not changed.

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

The Spirit race changed as well.

Once their natural enemy, the demons, was gone, the spirits, who no longer needed to hide their power, unleashed the vast magical energy they had been suppressing.

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

Conflict gave birth to misunderstanding.

Misunderstanding became hatred.

And.

Hatred called for blood.

The races that had 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 beastkin assassin.

Lumiel, the spirit mage.

The five people who had laughed together ten years ago were now 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.

The friends who once watched each other's backs were now enemies threatening their own races.

The promise made ten years ago in front of the small campfire.

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

That promise was scattering like the ashes of a campfire that had gone out long ago.

Humans and elves point swords and bows at each other.

Dwarven weapons head for the battlefield.

The anger of the beastkin swallows the borders.

The magic of the spirits shakes the earth.

The friends who once defeated the Demon King together have now begun to move to kill one another.

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 ten years ago, carrying their burdens.

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

Guest, the porter.

The witch turned the final page.

But nothing was written there.

Looking at the blank 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 not yet written."

"Will you bring your friends back together?"

"Will you take 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."