The Farewell

Standing on a large stage in front of millions of people from so many different races was Kiyo, Marcus, and Arthion. It had been a week since the death of Jinn and the disbursement of her army. The World of Ihari was finally free from the wrath of the Demon Lord and everyone——humans, elves, dwarves, fairies, halflings, giants, and many other races gathered to the grand parade in Lydio where the three heroes were given medals for their efforts.

“In Honor of your strength and unending will, Marcus Vorion of the Lioness House, you are hereby given the golden metal of “The Defender”! You will forever be remembered as the hero who stood tall against the great foes!”

The Head Priest put a beautiful necklace with the sigil of a shield on Marcus’s neck. The muscular man nodded his head softly while smiling confidently. Next, the Head Priest went over to Arthion, who was darting her eyes around like a confused lost puppy.

“And to you, dear Arthion, Daughter of the Wood. I hereby present to you the medal of the “Saint”! May you forever be remembered as those touched by God’s hand!”

Arthion accepted the medal of the golden cross and bowed politely to the Head Priest.

“T-thank you, sir!”

“And to you…Kiyo Hoshi, the Chosen Hero…”

The Head Priest then went over to Kiyo and put a necklace of a golden eye around his neck.

“A warrior from another world who saved us from doom——without you being here, the war with the Demon Lord would have gone on forever! But now an era of peace has finally come for us! Your name shall never be forgotten, Kiyo Hoshi! Our children and their children will pass on the legacy of God’s Chosen Hero!”

At that moment, the Head Priest bowed before Kiyo. The teenage boy was shocked by the sudden display, but soon after, everyone in the audience followed suit. People of every race put their heads to the dirt as they offered respect to Kiyo Hoshi.

“Thank you,” The Head Priest said, his voice cracking due to him crying. “Truly…thank you!”

Kiyo could not help but smile and helped the old man back onto his feet.

“And thank you, for bringing me to this world and giving me the chance to live out this life that I never wished I could live. This world…this world is important to me. I’ve learned to love it with all my heart!”

Kiyo then turned to the ground and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“THANK YOU——EVERYONE!!!!”

And then the crowd let out a mighty cheer that could shake the earth. And then the parade officially began.

Kiyo, Marcus, and Arthion sat on the float of a giant phoenix, waving at all the people as they rode by. The parade continued with music, games, and food. The night fell like an eternity of joy that nobody wished could end. But the moon set, and the sun rose to make way for a new day.

Early in the morning, Kiyo and his companions returned to the Grand Cathedral where the Head Priest and all the other servants of God were waiting for them. In the center of the church was the same gigantic magic circle that summoned Kiyo into Ihari all those months ago. And next to it was a dwarf at a table cracking away at some black cores.

“Are those…”

Kiyo pointed at the dwarf, ready to ask his question but the Head Priest quickly answered.

“Yes Hero, those are cores! Almost a million in fact! It should be enough to send you back to your world!”

“Huh!?” Kiyo shouted in shock. “But I thought you said gathering that many codes could take years!”

“It usually would,” Arthion spoke up. “But all the cores you see there belonged to Jinn. They were sources for her armies to utilize magic.”

Marcus cackled.

“And now that the demon is dead they don’t have need for them anymore! With this, you can go home if you wish!”

Kiyo looked back at his friends, letting off tears of unspeakable happiness. He then ran up to them and captured them in a tight hug.

“Thank you guys! Thank you so much!”

“This is the least we can do!” The Head Priest stated with a smile. “You saved our world, now it’s time to return you to yours!”

“B-but what will happen if I return?” Kiyo asked. “Will I still keep my powers? I know the Sword of Mane is destroyed but what about my basic levels?”

The Head Priest thought for a moment before responding.

“In all honesty, I am not sure what will happen. From what you have told us, magic does not really exist in your world so I am not sure if the mana in your body will just fade away as you return.”

“Okay…but if I return…will I not be able to come back?”

Kiyo looked around solemnly.

“I mean, I do want to go home! I have family and people I care about over there! But…I do see this place as my second home! I don’t want to say goodbye to you guys forever…”

The heavy but reassuring hand of Marcus landed on Kiyo’s shoulder. The teenage boy turned to his teammate who grinned.

“Don’t worry about it Kiyo, I’m sure this will not be the last we see each other! I’m certain we will find a way to meet again! Heck, maybe we might even find a way to come to your world for a visit!”

Kiyo chuckled in response.

“I hope not! From how big you are you might scare some people in my city half to death!”

“Ha! You cheeky little bastard! I hope that smart mouth of yours never leaves you!”

“K-Kiyo!”

The young man turned to his elf friend who was looking down shyly with a red face and fiddling with her fingers.

“When we see each other again…I should be able to finish that amulet I promised to make you…back from when you and I trained together.”

“Yeah,” Kiyo smiled. “The training was tough, but when you were by my side Arthion, I felt like I could take on anything.”

Arthion’s face got redder.

“S-stop it!”

“I’m…I’m really gonna miss you guys…”

Kiyo gave his friends one last hug.

“The crystals are finished!”

The dwarf by the desk shouted allowed and gave the bucket of crushed cores to the nearest priest. They then sprinkled the fragments of the crystals all over the open parts of the summoning circle.

Once that was done, twelve of the priests surrounded the circle in every corner.

“Alright, everyone!”

The Head Priest held his arms up in the air.

“Channel all your mana into the sections of the crystal and speak the tongue of God! It’s time to send Kiyo home!”

The twelve priests did as instructed and the red magical circle began to shine with golden color. At the very center of the circle was a white portal which Kiyo knew was his way home.

The excited teenage boy ran to the center of the circle and immediately began to fly up to the top of the church. As he got higher and higher Kiyo stared down at the world below him and waved at Marcus and Arthion.

“MARCUS! ARTHION!”

Kiyo then gave them a thumbs up.

“I LOVE YOU GUYS!!”

And then the light at the circle became brighter and the sight of Kiyo Hoshi was no more. A second later, the magic circle returned to normal and the Japanese high schooler disappeared as if he never existed to begin with. Everyone in the cathedral looked up to the ceiling when they last saw the chosen hero, Marcus placing a comforting hand on Arthion who was beginning to sob.

“We will…we will meet again, Kiyo…”