Time passes quickly.

As I watch the child growing faster and faster every day, I feel a strange sense of wonder at the sight of the child growing more and more like me.

Life in a quiet countryside. There are many inconveniences and shortcomings, but we can live without any worries.

Sometimes I watch brave and reckless challengers fail in their attempts to challenge the hero, and then see those shattered challengers fall for the hero's daughter's kindness and propose to her, only to be crushed by the hero once again.

I smiled.

If this time could last forever, it would not be bad.

But human life is finite and ephemeral.

The hero's life has begun to fade away.

It is natural. The hero, who is now over 50 and approaching 60, is at an age where it is not strange for their life to come to an end.

For an ordinary person, it would not be strange to die at any time. But even at that age, the hero still moves his body without any deficiency.

Seeing that hero, I let out a small sigh.

"How long do you plan to hold your daughter in your arms? It's time to let her be independent."

"I won't let her go until dirt is in my eyes!"

"If your wife hears that, she'll really try to put dirt in your eyes, so be careful."

The hero's daughter has now become an adult. The resemblance to me has matured, and she is now at the point where people call her my sister.

Ah, the expression on her face when that clueless traveler called her my sister... It was a masterpiece, and it's a shame there was no camera.

Her hair color was a bit different, but the facial features were similar, so I can understand why the first-time traveler was confused.

Anyway, I asked that now-adult child one more time.

[I'll ask you the question I asked when you were little. Do you not need great power and longevity?]

[No, I don't need it! I still think the same as when I was little!]

Even as an adult, that child's thoughts had not changed.

Human thoughts are usually like flowing water, changing shape, but that child's thoughts were as solid as a rock.

Whether you call it stubborn, steadfast, or just plain stubborn... Well, it's not a bad thing.

Anyway, just like that, the hero's daughter's magic all sealed inside her body.

The magic intertwined with her body... Unless a life-threatening crisis comes to that child, it will not awaken.

To be honest, I'm a little worried. But since it was that child's own decision, as an adult, I should accept that decision.

"That child has grown well, and suitable suitors are coming in. Now you just have to let her go."

"But I still don't want to. Honestly, I'd like to keep her by my side until I die of old age!"

"You're such a doting father."

I slapped the hero on the back.

"Ouch!"

"If you selfishly block your daughter's future with your own desires, what good will that do? If you truly care for your daughter, you should also consider letting her go."

"But..."

"No 'buts'! You and your got married at a late age, so you shouldn't expect your daughter to follow in your footsteps."

My words left the hero without a proper response.

Well, that's understandable. The late marriage must be a complex for the hero.

The hero's daughter shouldn't have to follow in the hero's footsteps.

"And above all, if that child doesn't get married and start a family, you won't have any grandchildren to call you 'Grandpa'. Is that okay with you?"

I asked the hero a question that implied he should want the hero's bloodline to spread further.

"Grandpa..."

"60 is plenty old enough to be called a grandfather. Isn't that right?"

Nowadays, people can get married in their mid-to-late teens, so you could even become a grandfather in your mid-to-late 30s.

"If you keep clinging to your daughter, her future will be uncertain. Is that what you want?"

"That's... not what I want, but..."

"Then stop being a doting father. If parents block the path of their grown-up child, what good will that do?"

At my words, the hero could only lower his head without saying anything.

"I will arrange the marriage. I also care for that child, so I will find a good husband for her."

He should be a man who is not lacking in wealth, has good character, and is not unattractive in appearance.

It would be best if he could come and live here. If he can become a son-in-law, that would be great.

He doesn't have to be someone who lives without a single drop of water on his hands, but he should be a husband who can ensure that the child doesn't have to endure great hardship.

Such a person may not be common, but the world is wide and there are many people.

If I release all the pilgrims from the Temple of Life and search, I should be able to find a suitable person eventually.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The hero's daughter got married.

Surprisingly, the groom was the third prince of the Kingdom of Arcadia. Well, he was a member of the royal family, but one without any claim to the throne.

Ah, Arcadia had transformed into a formidable nation, incomparable to its previous state.

It seems the resolution of their food shortage through potatoes has allowed them to gradually increase their population.

I heard that one of Arcadia's neighboring countries had started picking a fight with them.

Apparently, it was related to the first beast that was being raised like a pet in Arcadia.

When this first beast suddenly appeared and defeated a monster, the truth was revealed, and rumors spread that it was an extraordinary animal, even to the point of being called a deity. These rumors eventually led to the belief that Arcadia's rapid prosperity was due to the blessing of this beast deity.

The neighboring country of Arcadia... What was its name again? Hmm, well, since it no longer exists, there's no need to remember it.

Anyway, it seems that neighboring country had been constantly picking fights with Arcadia.

At first, Arcadia tried to avoid war by treating the envoys who came to pick fights with hospitality.

But human greed knows no bounds.

The patient Arcadia and the neighboring country that kept demanding they surrender the deity - war was inevitable between the two.

Arcadia's national power was clearly inferior. Moreover, the neighboring country had a history of conquering its surroundings through war and was a powerful nation.

Lacking in population, food, territory, resources, and military, Arcadia fought valiantly.

And they emerged victorious.

Well, I initially thought it was natural for them to win, since they had been blessed with that flag.

But I didn't expect them to capture the neighboring country's capital in just 7 days!

Apparently, they lured the neighboring country's main forces deep into Arcadia's territory, engaged in minor skirmishes in the front, and then used the flag's command to indirectly lead their cavalry, successfully attacking at the perfect timing.

As a result, they completely severed the enemy's supply lines from the rear.

The neighboring country's army, deprived of food, tried to requisition supplies from the nearby populace, but Arcadia was a nomadic nation.

The residents of the dangerous areas had already been evacuated, so there were no people left for the enemy to requisition from.

Furthermore, Arcadia's main food source was potatoes.

The neighboring country's army, unaware of the existence of potatoes buried underground, fought with empty, growling stomachs, not knowing that food was right beneath their feet.

Needless to say, they were utterly crushed.

Arcadia, having captured the majority of the enemy's main force, quickly advanced and swiftly attacked the neighboring country's capital.

During this process, it was evident that the Arcadian king was trying to avoid the flag's penalty as much as possible.

Instead of directly attacking the neighboring country's capital from Arcadia, they went through the land of Arcad, which had become a wasteland and belonged to no country.

This was possible because the neighboring country's capital was slightly farther from Arcadia, but much closer to Arcad.

Additionally, they had thoroughly surveyed Arcad's geography and were familiar with the shortcuts to quickly reach the neighboring country's capital.

Hmm... Could it be that the Arcadian king had planned this from the beginning? The patrols sent to the barren land were a bit puzzling, but if it was to prepare the invasion route, it makes sense.

And I had said that the flag's penalty would weaken them if they stepped on another country's land, but if it was a wasteland, then it was considered acceptable.

And it did indeed work out that way.

I was a bit annoyed, but... it must have been the result of their efforts in using their heads.

This time, I'll turn a blind eye.

Anyway, the Arcadian cavalry that quickly marched to the neighboring country's capital through the wasteland of Arcad swept in like a storm.

On the other hand, the neighboring country had not even considered the possibility that the majority of the invading forces would be captured as prisoners, and since the distance to Arcadia was considerable, they were negligent, thinking that they could respond slowly if anything happened. They crumbled like a sand castle in front of a wave.

Well, it's only natural. The overwhelmingly inferior Arcadia couldn't have imagined that they would capture all of their forces as prisoners and launch a counterattack on the capital. It's no different from David knocking down Goliath with a single punch.

In the end, the capital was occupied without any countermeasures, and the king of the neighboring country was captured as a prisoner by a horse-human hybrid named Epona.

The king of Arcadia, having conquered the neighboring country, entered the capital together with the forces that had been left behind in the wasteland of Arcad, beheaded the neighboring country's king, severely punished the king's retainers, and took good care of the impoverished people who had suffered from the war, or so I heard.

As a result, it was the completion of the powerful nation of Arcadia, which had swallowed the neighboring country whole.

I heard that the moment they crossed the border of the neighboring country to enter, the flag lost its power, but the time when the flag's power was needed had already passed, so it was fine.

In this way, the king of Arcadia regained the crown, which was the treasure of the Arcad royal family, and although it was slightly smaller than the territory of Arcad, he acquired a considerable expanse of land, becoming a great power.

And now, the third prince of this great nation has married the hero's daughter.