"It's been a while, sis."

The Red Witch, Scarlet Bellucci's eyes widened.

Clang!

The tray she was holding fell to the floor with a loud noise and rolled away.

Until the tray rolled and finally hit something and fell over, Scarlet was frozen, staring at me. Is this what a ghost-seeing expression looks like?

"What? What's wrong?"

A gruff voice was heard from the kitchen, and then a muscular man came out. He was so big that the door seemed narrow, and he had a fierce impression that would make you immediately lower your eyes if you met him on the street.

For some reason, a smile automatically formed on my face when I saw his still messy beard.

The leader looked at Scarlet, who was frozen with the dropped tray, and after confirming her shocked expression, he naturally shifted his gaze to me.

I lightly touched the brim of my hat and greeted him as well.

"It's been a while, leader. You're still ugly."

"...!"

Was I a magician of ice? The leader also froze on the spot. Dilated pupils, a stupidly open mouth.

It was rare to see the leader so surprised, so I smiled and watched him.

His moving lips finally spat out a hoarse word.

"You...!"

The leader glared at me with bloodshot eyes. This guy was also seeing a ghost.

I grinned and replied.

"What are you looking at? Have you never seen a handsome man before?"

And then I picked up the container with the fork and spoon on the table and threw it at him. A rain of forks and spoons poured down. But the leader, even in his surprise, swung his hand and easily deflected it.

Clatter!

The utensils scattered on the floor with a loud noise.

I raised the corners of my mouth, meeting the leader's glare.

"Leader. How did you feel when you found out I had fallen from the cliff? Were you sad? Were you in pain? Were you surprised? Were you secretly happy? Did you try to jump after me? I hope you didn't do such a foolish thing."

"...."

"You ugly magical beast. Did you miss me? You're not seeing things. I am Ashuban. I came back from hell, you bastards!"

"...."

"The man who survived even after falling from the cliff, that's me. The man who committed suicide with a magical beast from a cliff and then was resurrected in three days, that's also me. Do you understand? Face reality. Don't look at me like you're seeing a ghost. Before I gouge out your eyes."

"...."

"How dare you make someone a dead person? Do you really want to die? I'm alive and well, and I'm on my way back from writing a new legend in the Blake Kingdom. I became the owner of the Ophosis legacy, and I put the arrogant Black Prince on the throne. I crossed swords with many great knights, and I even exchanged sword strikes with the best of them, the Knight of Frost, on equal terms. Got it?"

"...."

"Throw away that old-fashioned prejudice that you'll surely die if you fall from a cliff. You foolish fool. That's why you're no good. How rustic."

"...."

"Falling from a cliff is death, but rising from it again is a new birth. Anyone who wants to be reborn must break the world they knew before. Just as I did, and as Mad Linda did. So you, raise your head and look at me. Do I really look dead? Do I look like a ghost?"

"...."

"Look at me! I'm standing proudly before you! If you have a mouth, answer! If you have something to say, don't just gape like a fool, speak your mind like a man!"

The leader, who had been staring at me blankly with bloodshot eyes, finally uttered a single word after a long silence.

"...Son of a bitch. It's real?"

I grinned.

"Did you think it was fake?"

Red hair swayed in front of my eyes.

"Ashuban!"

Scarlet hugged me tightly. I felt a warm warmth. I must have finally returned.

I gently wrapped my arms around my sister's trembling back and muttered.

"I'm back, sis. I came back from hell to save you from the dirty hands of that heinous magical beast. I'm not too late, am I?"

Scarlet answered in a tearful voice.

"...Yeah! You're not late. Thank you... thank you for coming back alive. I'm so glad. I'm so glad..."

My sister hugged me tightly, as if she were afraid I would run away again. I was slightly suffocated, but I decided to endure it.

I took a long breath, smelling my sister's acrid cigarette smoke for the first time in a long time.

The leader was staring at the scene foolishly with his hands hanging down, and on one side, the girls who were stuck to the window were watching with bright eyes.

***

After closing the restaurant, we sat around two tables that had been pushed together. In fact, since there were no customers, it didn't seem to matter much whether it was closed or not.

I took a sip of the warm tea and then looked at the person opposite me. Opposite me, the Red Witch, Scarlet Bellucci, was staring at me with her chin propped on her hand. As if she couldn't believe it no matter how much she looked.

Hair as red as fire. Alluring eyes. A faint, acrid smell of cigarettes.

On the outside, she maintained the appearance of being in her early to mid-thirties, but no one knew her actual age. Because she looked the same now as she did when I was a child.

My sister is quite sensitive about her age, so my guess is that she probably burned to death anyone who knew.

She looked a little haggard, as if she had suffered from being caught by a magical beast, but I was glad that she seemed to be doing well. Except for her slightly swollen eyes from shedding a few tears of emotion at my return, she was exactly as I remembered.

"You're the same."

Scarlet nodded.

"I am. What could have changed in that short time?"

"Well, from your perspective, it might have been a short time. Time is relative, after all."

Scarlet narrowed her brow.

"What do you mean?"

"...I don't know."

My sister's eyes suddenly sharpened, so I slightly avoided her gaze.

"I'm kidding."

Scarlet finally relaxed her eyes. She returned to her characteristic languid eyes and looked at me, saying.

"You... seem to have changed a lot."

I nodded.

"A lot has happened."

The leader interjected.

"Explain your appearance. What's with the eyes?"

I pointed at my eyes and grinned.

"Can't you tell by looking? It's a sign of resurrection."

"Nonsense..."

Scarlet looked at Mary, who was politely holding her teacup with both hands.

"Mary, you guided Ashuban?"

Mary nodded.

"Yes. I went to the cemetery, and he was standing there blankly with a flower. I didn't recognize him at first, but I realized it while we were talking. It was hard to believe, but it was Sir Ashuban."

The leader snorted.

"What's with the 'sir'? Just call him 'mister'. As if that guy is some great hero."

I also agreed.

"That's right. A kid is a kid, and a mister is a mister. Call me mister."

"Yes."

Scarlet then looked at Shushruta, who was sipping her tea and then sticking out her tongue as if she had burned it.

"Then what about this one? A lover you made in the village below?"

I shook my head.

"A younger sister I met below the cliff. To think that I had a lost younger sister."

"A younger sister?"

My sister tilted her head and looked at Shushruta.

"A praiseworthy girl who saved my life several times."

I tapped Shushruta's shoulder and instructed.

"Hey, younger sister. This is a good opportunity to introduce yourself to those who will become your comrades. Introduce yourself."

Shushruta cleared her throat and then introduced herself confidently.

"As for me... I am the most beloved disciple of the master of the Thieves' Guild, the princess of the underworld, the child of the wolf who howls at the moon, the strongest thief on earth who can steal anything, the great merchant who buys and sells information under the moonlight, the ruthless assassin whom even a shadow cannot catch, the Shadow Phantom Shushruta."

A round of applause naturally followed her excellent self-introduction.

Clap, clap, clap—

Starting with me, the applause gradually spread to Mary, Linda, and Scarlet.

Look at that proud expression on Shushruta's face. Her self-introduction was quite successful. I had corrected or added a few sentences for her one-on-one, but to think that she did so well. I was also proud.

She had practiced several times in the carriage on the way, and it was paying off.

The leader, who was the only one who hadn't clapped and was listening with his arms crossed, said bluntly.

"So you're a thief."

"Leader."

My sister glared at him. Our pathetic leader showed his palms and expressed his intention to be quiet.

Scarlet smiled warmly and looked at Shushruta.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Shushruta. Shall we shake hands?"

"Alright!"

Shushruta, not intimidated even in front of the Red Witch, shook her hand vigorously.

My sister said with a smile, muttering softly.

"...How cute."

"Red Witch. I am not cute. I am the fearsome Shadow Phantom."

"Yes, yes. I understand."

Perhaps because she was quite fond of the bold Shushruta, a smile never left Scarlet's lips as she looked at her.

"And this one?"

Scarlet looked at Linda, who was putting something in her tea. Her tea was already a dead black color.

Linda, who had been making her tea, glanced at me. For some reason, our Mad Linda was very dejected.

At her timid glance, I gave her a slight nod.

Linda looked at the leader and Scarlet with very timid eyes, and then muttered softly.

"I'm... Linda."

It was a barely audible voice, but my sister smiled and accepted it.

"Hello, Linda. I'm Scarlet. It's nice to meet you."

"Yeah... hello..."

Linda timidly raised her hand slightly, and then immediately lowered her head and just sipped her tea.

Scarlet smiled and looked at me.

"Linda is very quiet. She's like a puppy."

"Hmm."

In fact, the loudest and most chaotic one here was Mad Linda, but for some reason, she was acting like a kid who had been thoroughly scolded by strict parents.

I couldn't quite understand the thought process or behavior of madmen, so I was also troubled. Why is this girl being like this again?

Is she scared of my sister? I thought that might be the case. Come to think of it, she had also been quiet in front of the Knight of Frost. Does she have a very sensitive sense of danger, so she can distinguish between those she can mess with and those she can't?

Anyway, after everyone had been introduced, a silence fell on the table for a moment. It wasn't a heavy silence. It was a silence that had crept in while everyone was thinking about where to start, as there was much to say.

In the end, just as I was about to decide on a starting point and open my mouth, a loud rumbling sound was heard from someone's stomach.

I drew my sword and looked around with a sharp gaze, as if swinging it in all directions, and said.

"Who is it? Who made that rumbling sound?"

Shushruta looked at me blankly.

"It came from your stomach."

"Ah, really?"

I glared at the leader, who was sitting with his arms crossed.

"Leader."

"What."

"I'm hungry."

"So what."

"What do you mean, so what? Give me some food, you bastard."

The leader replied with a dumbfounded face.

"Did you leave it with me?"

"You can't even make a meal for a family member who has come back from the dead?"

The leader, as if he had nothing to say, grumbled and stood up from his seat.

"...That bastard only picks on me."

The phantom thief, who wanted to steal her comrade's heart as soon as possible, followed him.

"I'll help."

I grabbed the scruff of the neck of the girl who was about to follow the leader.

"That's enough."

Shushruta, with her scruff grabbed, turned to me.

"What's wrong?"

"Food-Wasting Shushruta is not allowed in the kitchen. Entry is strictly forbidden."

"Just because of one mistake!"

Whether she was being unfair or not, I made Shushruta sit back down.

My sister asked with a puzzled face.

"Food-Wasting Shushruta?"

"What happened was..."

The story naturally began.

***

It was a hearty dinner. Gustan brought out all sorts of dishes, as if showing off the cooking skills he had honed over the years, and soon the table was filled with various dishes. Gustan's expression was indifferent, but the hearty dishes that made the table legs bend clearly contained a meaning of welcome.

Ashuban and his party ate and drank the plentiful food and cheerfully unraveled their stories. The restaurant was noisy and warm for the first time in a long time.

"So I said that. 'Spit it out. Before I beat you with a pipe'."

"Did you? Why don't I remember?"

"Why? Because you were sleeping soundly at that time."

"Ah."

Gustan watched the scene silently and tilted his glass. It was strong liquor, but today it felt quite sweet.

As Ashuban's story continued, the night grew deeper.

How many glasses did he drink?

At some point, Ashuban called him.

"Leader, are you listening? I'm telling you. I stabbed the heart of one of the Eight Sword Masters, Frost."

Gustan nodded his head roughly.

"Yes, I'm listening. You're very brave, very brave."

Ashuban grinned and continued his story.

Honestly, more than half of it was probably bluff, but listening to the braggart's story was not boring.

Gustan listened to the story of the braggart Ashuban, who had miraculously returned alive, and tilted his glass... and then quietly stood up and went into the kitchen.

It was because the girls were eating too well. Especially the one Ashuban had introduced as his lost younger sister, who was eating with relish, exclaiming in admiration, despite her small size, and it was going in endlessly.

"Good grief."

Gustan smiled and hurriedly moved his hands before the food ran out.

Then... at the sound of the guy's laughter from behind, his hands stopped.

"...."

Gustan stood there for a long time.

(End of Chapter)