After all that chaos, no one visited him for the next few days except the maids… and maybe Ashima a few times.
Though, despite Shyam's countless rejections, she still didn't give up on flirting.
But just a few days of rest gave him enough strength to now move away or shove her off whenever she tried to make a move.
He even tried to defenestrate her once but failed—because she could fucking wall climb. Only for a short duration though. That was good… otherwise, he might never have a good night's sleep again knowing Ashima was on the ceiling watching him like a ghost.
Now, after a good seven days of rest, he was well-prepared and fully healed to continue his journey.
Though he did try to leave three days ago, the Mayor was just too stubborn to let him go.
But he had no reason to stay here any longer.
During his recovery, the carriage driver too visited him once before saying final goodbyes—and then left for Taralaya again.
What a cool, adventurous life the carriage driver had lived.
Well, maybe not anymore after this incident… but I'm sure he'll forget about it—after he dies, probably.
His old clothes were all torn up—slashed, cut, and whatnot in that fight. So the Mayor, for some reason, made a new one for him.
It looked more like gear than an outfit, but Shyam accepted it anyway. He was short on cash, so of course he would.
"Okay, time to get my D-rank card now," he whispered as he left the Mayor's house.
The Mayor's house was built at the center of the entire city so that people had accessibility and so that the Mayor's home could be protected in case a monster rampage ever happened.
The Adventurer's Guild was built just a few kilometers away. It didn't take Shyam long to reach the guild. The place hadn't changed—and he doubted it ever would.
Maybe guilds in cities had better facilities, but they didn't have good people management.
People would often bully anyone who looked weak.
He didn't care much about what happened around him, but he did get annoyed a few times when a few D-rankers made jokes about him.
He ignored them.
But the D-rankers didn't seem to like Shyam's reaction, so they followed him—waiting until he left the guild so they could finish him off without any trouble.
Shyam reached the place where adventurers could collect their updated or upgraded guild cards.
A blue stone shone, and a yellow light flickered as it scanned Shyam's face, as if verifying his identity.
Suddenly, a card came out from the small hole made probably for that exact purpose.
Shyam picked up his card—brown wooden texture but made with stainless steel.
Finally. A D-rank card.
Now he could skip villages and go straight to cities—but not the kingdom yet.
To enter the kingdom without any entry fee, he still needed a C-rank card.
It was now grinding time.
Just as he was about to smile seeing his newly shining guild card—
A familiar voice almost yelled, "Congratulations, darling!"
Excited and joyful.
It was none other than the person Shyam had to avoid—Ashima.
"What are you doing here?" Shyam said, almost having a small yet vital heart attack.
The D-rankers?
Ran like their lives depended on it.
They had no problem killing a fellow D-ranker…
But if they touched someone whom Ashima personally called 'darling'?
Their heads would be chopped off in a public execution if they even thought of doing something like that.
"Well, I'm also an adventurer, so of course I'd be here!
Anyway, enough about me. Can we have a small party in celebration of your upgrade?"
Her eyes sparkled with hope, hands behind her back like a true wifey.
NOT BETTER THAN PALLABI!
But her cute face didn't do shit to Shyam.
Though his tendency to accept most invites stopped him from saying no.
If only Ira didn't cry so much…
He might have never picked up such a regretful habit.
"Sure," he said, as he looked upwards with a face that screamed, "Say no, bro!"
But Ashima only cared about his yes, not his face.
"Yay!" she jumped—
And the next moment, he found himself sitting at the dining table of the Mayor's family.
The Mayor too was there, sitting just beside him.
While Ashima sat on his—
MOTHERFUCKER!
Why is she sitting on his lap?!
Damn, Shyam… you got the author jealous!
I might give you the same treatment Reiji Miyajima gave to Kazuya Kinoshita!
In front of him was luxurious—too luxurious—food.
Chicken and soup made with expensive herbs.
I can't focus on the writing as Shyam is getting the "Oh, I love you, now let's cuddle" treatment!
Let's get her off first, shall we?
"Can you get off? It's hard to eat this way," Shyam said, faking the struggle to reach the plates.
Ashima took a few seconds to think—
Something.
Yeah, she has a brain, guys!
"I'll feed you!"
…yeah, she doesn't.
Someone tell this girl the author is getting jealous.
She had to get off eventually after a continued glare from her father.
After that, they finally started eating the food.
Shyam hadn't eaten anything like this since he came here.
In fact, even in his previous world, he couldn't remember a moment when he ate something this delicious and refreshing.
"Anyway, where are you planning to go next, Shyam?" D. Chandrapal asked as he finished his food faster than I finish mastur—
Ashima looked at Shyam like a kid looks at their favorite cousin before they leave.
And the saddest part?
They don't even know the cousin is leaving until they actually do.
"You're leaving…" Ashima said, sobbing like a little kid who didn't care about the situation—only about themselves.
I HATE KIDS.
AND I WAS ONE ONCE.
But Ashima looks cute when she sobs, though.
"Yeah, I'll depart tomorrow. Gotta continue exploring," Shyam said as he too finished his food.
UNLIKE ASHIMA, WHO STILL HAD PLENTY ON HER PLATE.
"Is that so… Well, I can only offer you this before you leave, as a sorry for what I did and as a thanks for saving my daughter," Chandrapal said as he slid a sack of coins toward Shyam.
He opened it and instantly gave it back—10 gold coins?! Without doing anything?!
Shyam wasn't the type to accept something like that without a valid reason.
But Chandrapal insisted.
Didn't give up until Shyam finally took the sack and put it in his storage ring.
"Well then, have this from me too if you've already made up your mind," Ashima said as she gave Shyam an orange cloak.
Made of pure cotton, it looked fancy.
"It's enchanted to handle heat!" she said as she placed it on his lap—giving no chance for refusal.
"But I haven't given up yet though. My body's all yours whenever you feel like it," Ashima said as she spread her hands.
"…I might want to avoid that.
Anyway, thanks for all of these, Sir Chandrapal… and crazy Ashima!" Shyam said and left the room.
"What did he mean by crazy?" Ashima whispered, trying to finish her food.
"Probably a compliment," her father said, standing up as well.
"He has the potential to grow stronger," he whispered, staring at the door.
"Of course he does! My crush can't be normal!" Ashima mumbled as she tried to chew the food she had in her mouth.
"Yeah, right…" Chandrapal said and left the room too—leaving only Ashima and her maids behind.
"I want you to keep an eye on Shyam until he reaches his next destination—safely," Ashima ordered one of her maids.
Or… that's what others thought of them.
Though not all, many of them were trained spies—meant to protect the Mayor's family.
Which, for Chandrapal, meant only his daughter.
The maid disappeared into the shadows like an assassin.
After finishing her meal, she saw Shyam sitting on the balcony, watching the sunset.
She sat beside him and took a sip of the tea she had brought—made especially for digestion.
"The sunset is beautiful, isn't it?" she whispered.
Her words carried not a compliment… but a hidden message.
A message Shyam knew too well.
"Yeah," he said, staring at the setting sun.
"It is."
---
{ The Next Morning }
"Well, I'll be off now," Shyam said as he stepped out of the big gate of Taralaya—towards the capital of Vyomsetu.
Slowly but surely, he would reach Rajarka.
But he had a long road ahead before he could reach the kingdom's capital.
He was ready to tackle down any obstacle that stood in his way of becoming an A-rank adventurer.
Because only then could he explore freely—with no worries.
"Take care!" Ashima shouted, as small drops of tears streamed down her mouth.
They slowly became big—big enough for anyone to notice.
She had never looked so sad before.
"It's time… let's head back," Chandrapal said as he hugged Ashima.
"He has to grow.
We can't stop him.
We hold no power… to do so."
He had tried his best to give Ashima everything she ever desired.
But emotion was something even he—as the Mayor—could not control.
And he knew it.
The feeling of losing someone you loved so dearly…
But the only difference this time was—
Shyam hadn't died.
He had just disappeared from Ashima's life…
To become someone even greater than he already was.
It wasn't the end—
But a new beginning.
It was shyam's journey, which we can only witness through the end...
---
Shyam: Journey Through The End – Vol 1 / Rajarka Arc i – End