When I arrived at the big fountain in the center of the city, I saw my friends gathered around it, all of them looking quite well, unharmed. We were so happy to see each other and they were looking at me with pride in their eyes, as if they knew I was going to make it.

Lezlie was the first to speak. "Ryuu, you did it! We knew you could do it," she exclaimed.

I smiled and said, "Yes, I did, but I didn't do it alone, I had some help along the way."

Lezlie then said something that caught me off guard. "That's right," she said.

Confused by the sudden change of subject, I asked her what she meant.

Lezlie quickly rummaged through her bag and pulled out my map. "The map flashed again while we were waiting for you," she explained. "But this time the route it showed was through the woods towards here."

I nodded my head in understanding and finished her sentence for her. "So someone came to town from the forest and that's who we're looking for. Is that right?"

Lezlie continued her speech. "Yes, it wasn't long ago that the map showed the sign. And if you have recently left the forest, then the person next to you is most likely our next member," she said.

Shou slowly took a few steps forward and turned his head to look at the map and then at me. "Ryuu, have you seen it?" he asked.

I nodded. "I have felt his strength and seen it with my own eyes. She is very strong," I replied. "But I don't know if she will join our fight. She is a paladin and doesn't seem to give up her kingdom easily. She also seems to have lost hope in the war."

Lezlie didn't like what I said. She showed me the map again and told me what we should do. "If the map has chosen her, then there is hope for her," she said. "As long as we show him what we have achieved and what we can do."

Lezlie was right, as always. It wasn't going to be easy, but as long as we had hope, it was worth a try. I wanted to ask and say a few more things, but belatedly something caught my eye. There seemed to be one person missing from our team. I had only just noticed his absence.

I stopped thinking about the incident in the forest and the paladin and asked: "Where is Hiroshi? I don't see him."

Mila, who had been silent throughout the conversation until now, answered my question. "We don't really know," she said. "When we arrived at the square two hours ago, we knew we had some time before you arrived, so we decided to split up and look for you separately. Hiroshi said he would stay at the square and wait for you. We were supposed to meet back here at noon, but Hiroshi was nowhere to be found."

......(2 hours ago town square)......(Hiroshi)

It was an unbearably hot day. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, casting its scorching rays on the town square. Sweat poured down my face as I sat on a bench in the middle of everything, watching the people around me. They were scattered around and looking for Ryuu.

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Ryuu's situation was not easy at all. But I had seen what that boy could do. I had witnessed his strength and determination first hand, so I knew he would succeed.

I was sure of that.

To calm my nerves and pass the time until the others arrived, I reached into my pocket for my cigar. But when my fingers touched nothing but empty space, a sinking feeling settled in my stomach. My Cigar was nowhere to be found.

My pockets were as empty as a hungry horse's belly. I had nothing to pass the time or distract me from the heat. Normally I would have kept my cool and waited patiently for Ryuu to arrive, but two hours was a long time to sit around doing nothing.

As I scanned the square, something caught my eye. It was a cigar shop located between two buildings on the far side of the square. The thought of browsing its shelves and perhaps finding something to fill my time was too tempting to resist.

I knew I shouldn't have left the square unattended, but it couldn't hurt to take a quick look around the shop, could it? Even for a short while.

I had a plan. I was going to take my cigar and go back to the square. The large windows of the shop would allow me to keep an eye on those approaching from outside. With this thought in mind, I eagerly started moving towards the shop.

My steps were slow but determined as I crossed the square. Soon I found myself in front of the entrance of the shop. I pushed the door open and went inside.

To my left was the cashier's stand, manned by a friendly clerk. Everywhere else in the shop there were rows and rows of different cigar's.

In addition to cigar's, the shop also sold canned food and even a few pounds of gunpowder, which was legal in this town. As I browsed the shelves, memories flooded back to me. The scene reminded me of the shop I had once owned.

Meeting Ryuu had been a turning point for me. He had helped me realize that running a shop was not my true calling. With this thought in mind, I selected a few packets of Cigar and made my way to the cashier.

The last of my gold jingled in my pocket as I approached the counter. It was clear where it would be going. Without hesitation, I placed it on the cashier's desk and completed my purchase.

As I lifted my head slightly from under the brim of my hat and peered out the window, everything seemed calm. The square was empty and there was no sign of anyone approaching. But just as I was about to lower my gaze, a figure caught my eye.

It was a person dressed in a black cloak. The cloak obscured their body, leaving only their head visible. But even that was difficult to see from where I stood. The figure seemed to be moving forward with their head down, making it hard to discern their features.

I had to be careful. This person's appearance was quite conspicuous and it was important to figure out who they were. So I watched them closely, trying to glean any clues from their movements.

In a moment of clarity, I finally caught a glimpse of the person's face. My heart skipped a beat as recognition dawned on me. It was her. The face I had seen years ago was once again in front of me.

Without thinking, I sprang into action and headed towards her. She continued to walk ahead, seemingly unaware of my presence. But I knew she would recognize me if she saw me. So I called out to her, shouting for her to stop.

My voice echoed across the square as I ran towards her, hoping that she would turn around and see me.

"Hey, you wait.I shouted.

When she heard my voice calling out to her, she turned her head. But instead of stopping, she took off running as if she had seen a ghost. I was confused and didn't understand what was happening. All I wanted was to catch up with her and talk to her.

If she was the person I thought she was, I didn't know what to do. All I knew was that I needed to speak with her. So I took off after her, chasing her through the town.

People turned to watch as we ran past them. They looked on in confusion, trying to figure out what was going on. But all that mattered to me in that moment was catching up with her.