If you don't want to just drift through life, you have to go through time.

Tonight's dinner is mixed rice.

Frillie looked at the steaming, fragrant mixed rice in front of her. "So all those mushrooms aren't going to be used."

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. It's just that I've been eating mushrooms every day in the forest, and even though Truman makes them very well, I'm tired of them."

"I'm really sorry I couldn't find any other ingredients." Truman rolled his eyes, then shoved a mouthful of rice into his mouth with annoyance, before exclaiming in surprise, "This is delicious!"

"...Really, it's delicious." Frillie exclaimed after taking a bite.

Haita chuckled and said, "I can guarantee Philon's cooking skills. Of course, I didn't teach her, since I can't cook."

"Then what are you so smug about, you stinky monk?"

Frillie snapped at him.

Philon silently served everyone rice and ate his dinner in silence, without showing any pride or happiness despite the praise he received.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that her plain little face hasn't shown any obvious expression so far.

After dinner.

Frillie couldn't wait to study the spellbook. Although she said it was just to repay a favor, Truman thought she was enjoying it.

Philen was cleaning up the mess.

The little figure kept stepping on chairs, running back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room, appearing very sensible and virtuous.

"How is it, Truman?"

"...What?"

"Philon is very sensible and independent, isn't she? I didn't teach her any of these things. It's more like she's taking care of me, this centenarian, than taking care of her. That way, even if I'm gone, she can live on her own without any problems."

Haita looked at Truman.

His eyes were slightly cloudy, his temples were completely white, his face was full of wrinkles, and he looked somewhat tired.

Truman paused for a moment. "You're playing the wrong card, Haita. The one who made this decision was Frilian, not me. Or rather, I'm only half-baked myself."

"Hehe, is that so?"

Haita didn't try to argue; he just smiled.

This is probably the old man's composure; even if he's seen through, he can handle it maturely and even act as if nothing happened. Of course, more importantly, he has already taken into account Frillie's relationship with him.

Philon then served the two of them black tea.

"Thank you, little Philon." Truman picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Speaking of Haita, I... I should say, my future self will be your companion."

"That's right. We supported each other and fought against the Demon King... Those 10 years were really... really... a very boring, but also very fun trip."

"Oh, really?"

Truman remained noncommittal. Without experiencing it firsthand, he couldn't possibly empathize.

"But what is my role?"

"What?"

"Look, the team has Simmel (hero), Haita (monk), Aize (warrior), and Frilian (mage), which is already a very standard four-person team..."

Even Truman would have to ask himself a question.

Master, what do you do for a living?

"Hehehe, don't underestimate yourself. At least in our eyes, Truman's role was far more important than ours." Haita leaned back in his deck chair, swaying back and forth, and recalled, "For example, helping us scout the way, finding suitable hotels, and guiding us when we lost our way..."

"What? So you're just a menial worker."

Truman was not interested.

Although it's true that he gained fame and merit by defeating the demon king, he's just like Sha Wujing from the four-person group on the journey to the West. Apart from occasionally saying, "Elder brother, Master has been captured," all he does is silently carry a shoulder pole and do manual labor.

"That's not the case."

Haita slowly shook his head.

I don't know if it's because of his age, but he was very slow in both his movements and speech.

"Truman, you are very strong. It is precisely because you are strong that you are able to do these tasks with ease, so as to help us to better carry out our adventures."

For example, we once got lost in the dungeon, and that was really dangerous. We ran out of water and food, and our supplies were all gone. If we didn't get out soon, we might all be left there.

Truman, you used magic at that time.

"magic?"

"Black sheep wall..."

Haita slowly uttered the incantation.

Truman's brain went blank for a moment, then he slowly exhaled, "I have to admit, it's definitely very much my style."

Those unfamiliar with the term might mistake it for a nonsensical translation like "Black Goat's Wall." However, this phrase is actually a cheat code for a classic game.

The effect is to fully reveal the map.

"Thanks to Truman's magic, we were able to escape when we were on the verge of disaster."

However, although this magic was convenient and useful, Simmel didn't like it. He said that such magic would make exploring the dungeon meaningless and make the exploration extremely boring, so he stopped using it after that...

By the way, I'm very much in favor of using this magic, because I'm all about efficiency.

"I can tell."

But Simmel is the kind of person who likes to explore every corner of every floor when exploring dungeons; she's the type who thinks, "Maybe there's some lost item in the corner, I have to find it!"

He enjoys not only the pleasure of collecting, but also the pleasure of exploring the unknown.

The 'Black Sheep Wall' marks all items and the shortest route, which undoubtedly makes dungeon exploration less interesting, which is probably why it's no longer used.

"What other magic did I use besides that Haita? Of course, I'm just curious, there's nothing more to it..."

"Huff... huff..."

"Haita?"

Turning my head, I found that Haita had fallen asleep at some point. He was sleeping peacefully with his eyes closed and making soft breathing sounds. He really was an old man.

"Lord Haita is asleep."

"...You're here, Philon." Truman was startled by Philon's sudden appearance. "No, it's my fault. I didn't consider the old man's schedule; he really needs to rest. Alright, where's Haita's room? I'll carry him there."

We couldn't let Haita sleep here like this, and Philon couldn't move him at all, so we had no choice but to send Truman.

"Please come this way."

Truman carried the sleeping Haita on his back, followed Philon, and took him back to his room. After covering him with a blanket, he came out again.

"Let me take you to your room to rest."

"Thank you, little Philon."

Frillie will be deciphering the magic book in the basement, and there's a place to rest there, so there's no need to worry.

The two then went to the guest room of the cabin.

The room was clean and tidy.

Besides a bed, there was only a table and chairs, making it seem rather shabby. The mountain cabin wasn't as comfortable as I had imagined, but it was much better than being in the middle of nowhere, so I couldn't ask for more.

Looks like I'll be able to get a good night's sleep tonight.

Just as Truman was about to go to bed, there was a sudden knock on the door.

"Is that Frilian? You... Philon?"

When he opened the door, it wasn't Frilian who appeared, but Philon.

She was wearing pajamas and hugging a pillow, her face slightly raised without much expression, but she still asked, "Uncle Truman, can I sleep with you?"

……Um???