The Hero’s party stayed in the castle for a beat after subjugating the Demon King. They needed to make sure that the Demon King is not resurrected again and that none of his generals are alive to leave the army of creatures. At times like this, there is only one thing that comes to the mind of adventurers, that is, thoughts of home and plans for the future. After all, they have ensured the world’s bright future.

“So, what do you plan on doing after this?” the berserker asked, “I for one will return to the great forest, maybe live my life peacefully there. Build a home, make a family”

“I am going home too,” replied the archer, “there is no place for me or my race in the city. And even if we have eradicated the root of evil, it will still take time for humans to forget about this.”

“Yes,” the berserker replied, “You have a point. I am pretty sure our hero here will be met with a warm welcome in the city. I won’t be surprised if he takes the place of the Emperor.”

“Right, I saw the way the princess looked at you,” the archer replied.

“Please! I will let that pass because you are my companions,” the Knight rebuked the two and continued, “But I will not hear any more of that. And I am pretty sure that the Empire and its people will at least welcome their saviours. I will make sure of that.”

“You boys keep running your mouth like a bunch of children,” the mage interjected.

“What are your plans, mage?” asked the berserker.

“Remember that abandoned village that we stayed in?” the mage replied, looking into the distance, “I will try to rebuild that with the slaves that we have freed. I want to give them another chance at life.”

“Are you sure about that?” the archer replied “that village is within the forest you know.”

“I know. And we all know that we need to watch over the forest,” the mage explained, “at least for as long as I am alive, I want to make sure that the threat is really completely gone.”

“True to her mission even after it is done,” the archer replied, “this world you just saved does not deserve you. Considering how you were treated.”

There was an awkward silence. The berserker decided to break it by turning to the hero.

“So, what about you, hero?” he asked, “What are your plans?”

“I am not sure yet.” The hero looked perplexed and they all know what the reason was, “I was given another shot at life after I thought that it was all over. I need to get to the capital first, and maybe talk to the people who gave me this second life.”

There was silence once again. It was not awkward this time. It was a peaceful kind of silence. The reality of them defeating the Demon King and finally giving another chance for peace in the world has just sunk in and they want to be the first people to bask in this silence. They deserved it. They have been fighting for months, struggled all their lives before that.

After returning to the capital with their hero’s welcome, the members of the hero’s party officially disbanded. The hero himself decided to stay in the capital and eventually got married to the princess and was blessed with healthy children who will become the next line of Emperors. The knight continued to serve as the Hero’s personal guard and had a family of his own. Their close relationship was passed down to their children.

The berserker and the archer each returned to their home villages in the forest. The berserker returned as a hero to his people and was accepted with open arms. He united all the beastfolk in the forest and became the first leader of the union. The Archer returned to their hidden valley and was never seen or heard of again.

The mage stayed true to her words and took 100 slaves with her. Together, they rebuilt the abandoned village that was located just outside the forest, far beyond the outskirts of the empire. They could see the Demon King’s castle from this distance. He met a wayward adventurer and soon fell in love. They lived a happy life in the village and they had children.

The mage lived on for years even after the emperors changed, even after the beastfolk village had news leaders, and even as the knight’s children became more of stewards and advisers. Even as her husband has died of old age, even as her children became older and had long since replaced her as the village chief. During her final years, she has merely played a role in advising her children about how to run the village properly.

Her magic has kept her old enough to see the passage of time and experience that peace that they have afforded to the next generation. Of course, the world does not change completely, there was still some degree of discrimination, some conflict between nations, and crime still existed. But she has soon understood that it is part of humanity. As long as it does not escalate to a level where it destroys the world itself, conflicts are acceptable. Besides, it is in conflict that human ingenuity shines the most.

“Are you happy with what you have done, Nana?” it was the current village chief, the mage’s great grandson.

“I am more than happy,” the mage replied, “I never imagined myself surrounded by people who love me like this. I have once given up on my life. So were the very first people who came to this village with me. I only wanted to help them, you see. Give them a second chance at life. A did not expect that they will save me too.
“And then I met your great grandfather. And life has never been the same for me again,” the mage continued, “he showed me the true meaning of love, and of family: Something that I have never known since I was a child. And he may have already departed, my children might have already departed; even the people who came to this village with me – the ancestors of your people – but this village will remain their home, and your home for as long as it stands. Promise me one thing,”

“What is it, Nana?” the village chief asked, he already knows where this is going. He knows what is going to happen next. He can feel it. After all, the blood of one of the strongest mages in history flows through his blood.

“I am about to meet with your great grandfather, and your parents.” The mage began her explanation. There was no regret in her voice, “but I want you to promise me that you will keep the village the way it was meant to be; to honour the reason why we built this village in the first place.

“Welcome the lost souls who seek refuge, let everyone live peacefully and happily. Let the villagers be content with their lives. And, most of all, make them feel glad that they are alive. This is not just another village in the forest. This is a sanctuary for the lost and the needy. This is our victory over death.”

“I Promise, Nana,” the new village chief replied. Some tears are already around his eyes. He has been so close to the mage since his parents died when he was younger. All his life he thought that he would not see his day. He has already accepted the fact that he might die before her. “I Promise that i will make this village even greater, so that we can save even more lost souls. So that your legacy lives on even after . . . after you. . .”

The village chief could not continue after that. He knows that to keep the balance in the universe, all things must soon end to make way for new ones to bloom, and that applies to the mage’s life as well. She died at the ripe age of 300 years old and left the care of the village to her great grand-child and to the great-grand children of her companions. And for about 200 years after that, the village has become a thriving place. Pretty much a small nation of its own recognized the by the empire.

The village traded with the empire and some larger towns and villages. Tourists from the capital and even from other nations would visit the village that was built by one of the heroes that defeated the Demon King – Especially during the season of the founding festival. Because of this, the village has become known far and wide. 500 years after its establishment, the village has become one of the wealthiest in the world.

The promise of wealth and having that for oneself, of course, is too tempting eve for the descendant of the mage. And so the new village chief took advantage of the village’s popularity and the bountiful harvest every year. He has restructured the leadership of the village so that only those with like-minded greed as him would be his council members. Having secured his position and his plans, the village chief began his plans.

Of course, he did not want the village to become impoverished. Without the income of the village and the villagers to help him, he will not be able to keep money from flowing in. So he disguised development plans and projects. He would propose new developments in the village almost every month and would take most of the budget for himself.

Of course, maintaining this kind of lifestyle will never be successful if he just depended on what he can steal from the village’s coffers. So the village chief started to deal with the black market. He soon found contractors that would give him building materials and labour for practically free while they distribute the income of the village to these people. With the village development and the high rate of people transferring, the village actually become more progressive.

The village chief soon thought that it was time for him to build his family. He married one of the villagers’ daughters and they had a comfortable life. The Mage’s Village has become the talk of the town. For the common people, it was the village built by one of the heroes: A symbol of man’s success over darkness. The Village was one of the Empire’s symbols of pride – A village that has only grown throughout the years.

On the other side, the Mage’s village has also become known in the underground world as one of their biggest sponsors. The Chief has not only built his empire among the common people, he has also built a name in the black market. For the longest time, the Mage’s village has become even more powerful even among the Empire’s largest towns. And it was the legacy that was left by the current chief.

It may be true that his original aim was to become rich while using the fame and the wealth of the village, but he has indirectly improved the village itself and the lives of the people in it. That is one of the reasons why the gods left the village chief alone. He is even hosting large festivals for almost every god regularly, and he has the most donations to charity. Of course it goes without saying that these charities were run by shady people.

The Village chief was satisfied. He would not want anything else in the world. The village is thriving, he makes a lot of money because of it, and his wife has just announced that she is with child. A new chapter of the village chief’s life is about to come and he knows that there are things that he needs to do about it as well.