A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

"Too weak."

That's right, Bray is too weak right now. He's helpless against any slightly stronger enemy.

Without the potion provided by Eric, it's uncertain whether we could have ultimately killed the severely wounded Corruptor.

Bray has now returned to Risak's side.

Bray walked to the door of a seemingly ordinary house and stood there for a long time.

Bray was afraid of something.

Finally, I knocked gently on the door.

This is Sass's home, the home of that great bard.

"Creak—" The wooden door made a melodious sound.

A woman peeked out from inside the door and looked Bray up and down.

The woman had beautiful brown hair and delicate features.

And this exquisite face, with its contours, was all too familiar to Bray.

"Who are you?" Marlene asked, puzzled.

Upon hearing Marin's question, Bray paused for a moment, then fell into a long silence.

Bray's eyes dimmed.

What was about to be said was swallowed back by Bray.

Bray stood there, at Marlene's doorstep.

"Um? Sir?" Marlene tilted her head, her face full of confusion.

“Bray…Brayclas.” Bray’s voice was somewhat strained.

"Mr. Bray... your voice sounds a bit off... are you feeling unwell?"

"No, my throat is just a little dry," Bray said casually.

"I knocked on the wrong door."

Then the sky darkened and the wind turned cool.

“Sir, it looks like it’s going to rain…” Marlene said.

"Okay, I'll be going now." Bray nodded slightly, his face expressionless.

"No, you can come in and sit down. Didn't you say your throat was dry? I'll get you a glass of water."

I don't know why Marlene would invite this man into her home.

Even Marin herself was startled.

Marlene felt comforted and familiar from the man.

After Marin finished speaking, it started raining heavily.

"Come in quickly, it's raining," Marlene said hurriedly, "It's not good to get soaked like this."

But Bray just shook his head and let the rain soak him.

“Mr. Bray!?” Sass’s voice rang out at that moment.

Because her sister took so long to open the door, Sass couldn't help but come out to take a look.

I didn't expect it to be Bray.

"Sass, your friend?"

Sass pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“She’s my friend.” Sass looked at Marlene with a complicated expression, then glanced at Bray.

Marlene lost all her memories of being a vessel, including those of being with Bray.

Strictly speaking, Marlene Weiss and the real Marlene are two different people.

The silver-haired little girl and the brown-haired mature woman in front of me are not the same person.

The confused Marlene is no longer here.

“Mr. Bray, please come in and have a seat,” Sass urged.

The rain is getting heavier.

"It's nothing, I just came to take a look." Bray waved his hand.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Bray's hand reached for his fanny pack.

He pulled a coin from his fanny pack; it was a 1-gram coin.

Raindrops fell on the coin and bounced off.

"Here you go. You're Sass's sister, right?" Bray said, seemingly not recognizing Marlene.

"Huh?" Marlene was a little confused, but she still subconsciously took the coin.

"Why did you give me this coin?" Marlene couldn't help but ask, even though it was impolite.

“You and the person who gave me this coin look a lot alike,” Bray said nonsensically, then turned around and waved his hand.

"Goodbye."

“It’s raining so hard, sir, you can come in and rest for a bit,” Marlene called out, extending her hand to Bray.

But Bray didn't answer, as if he hadn't heard Marlene's voice.

Before turning around, Bray glanced at Marin almost imperceptibly.

Rainwater streamed down Bree's long hair, blurring his vision.

The goggles were also soaked by the rain, with water seeping out from the bottom edge.

Tears mingled with raindrops and fell from her right eye.

But Bray remained calm, even as he shed tears.

Marin touched the coin, which was covered in rainwater.

I found Bray very strange, so strange that I couldn't understand him at all.

“Eh…that’s strange…” Marlene touched the corner of her eye.

Her eyes welled up with tears without her even realizing it, but Marlene herself was completely unaware.

Why can't I stop crying?

Marin suddenly knelt on the ground, tears streaming from her eyes like a broken dam.

Why... am I so sad? My heart aches so much...

Tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped onto the rain-soaked threshold.

---

Ingrid Bergman once said, "Only those who have tasted sorrow can truly appreciate the sweetness of happiness."

Only those who have tasted sorrow can truly understand how heavy that bitterness is.

Of course, this has absolutely nothing to do with Capras, because the quote did not come from Capras.

"Why do people pursue tragedy?" Bree murmured in the rain.

Bray raised his head, letting the rain wash over him. The tavern in Risak was as bustling as ever.

The patrons here, besides gulping down their beer, are also there to hear stories.

Because the bards at Risak's tavern are famous.

Yes, that bard is the one who left Sass some time ago.

The stories about SARS, especially the dirty jokes, are very captivating!

Sometimes even those self-important fellows would sneak over to listen to Sass's story.

An interesting story.

It can even be compared to those widely circulated books.

Alternatively, if you were to connect the stories told by Sass, you could compile them into a very thick book.

"Hey!! Sass, you're finally back!" a half-drunk guy shouted.

"Get out of here, you piece of trash who gets drunk after just half a glass! Don't pay any attention to this drunkard!" The person being leaned against by the drunkard looked disgusted.

"Sass! Telling dirty jokes!"

"Yes! Dirty jokes! Lewd jokes!"

The drinkers cheered; nothing attracts rough men more than dirty jokes.

The tavern owner beamed with delight at the sight.

There are many more people coming to drink; today is another day to make a lot of money.

Sass sat in the center of the patrons, took off his large hat, revealing his somewhat scarred face.

"Sass, what have you been doing? You have scars all over your face!"

"Tsk tsk, it's a bit shallow, but it'll really affect how you find a wife in the future!"

"Pah! Only men have scars on their faces!"

Listening to the comments from the other drinkers, Sass unconsciously touched his scar.

The scar isn't deep; you have to get very close to see it.

These scars were caused by the turbulent flow of the void.

Of course, this result was excellent, much better than being strangled by the turbulence, and Sass did not complain about it.

"Yes, we took a slight risk."

"Then I suffered some minor injuries."

"However, I've discovered that I'm not cut out to be an adventurer," Sass said with a self-deprecating laugh.

"I guess I'd better stick to being a bard."

"Hahaha! That's for sure, look at your fair and delicate skin!" one of the drinkers laughed loudly.

"Did Nassas see anything interesting? Tell us about it!"

"What a terrible idea! Using dirty jokes! SAS!"

Many drinkers feel restless if they don't hear jokes for a day; this is the sentiment of many drinkers.

Sass smiled.

"jingle--"

The tavern door was pushed open, revealing a woman with tea-colored hair.

“My sister’s here, so I won’t be telling jokes anymore,” Sass shrugged.

“Sass, you really are here.” Marlene brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at Sass with a helpless expression.

“Yes, it’s been so long since I’ve been here, it’s time to come,” Sass said.

"Sister, sit down and listen to the story."

“Okay, I’d like to know too. What stories do you have to tell?” Marlene smiled and found a place to sit down, not very close to Sass.

“You’ll want to hear it.” Sass sighed deeply.

“Alright, let me tell you the story I made up based on what I saw on this adventure,” Sass said.

"This is a story about an adventurer who is blind in one eye."

"A legendary story."

---

The protagonist of the story of Risak has already left Risak in a railcar.

A few days later, Clinton arrived.