The story is simple, or at least mine is.
One day, a completely random person was transmigrated into a fantasy world, not just any ordinary fantasy world, but one that I had previously played in my past life.
I couldn't remember the name of the game for some reason, or maybe something was preventing me from knowing. Either way, it didn't matter much.
In the end, I became one of those cliché fantasy transmigrators that you would read about in a cheesy novel.
Not only that, I had become an NPC, a support NPC at best, if they even existed. But that part? It's irrelevant.
What is relevant would be the games story line. The game follows the classic hero's tale, the one who eventually defeats the Demon King.
The player plays as the hero in this open-world game, or a custom avatar in sandbox mode but that's also irrelevant, following a set storyline of quest to progress through the journey.
Of course, the hero, the player, collects all sorts of things along the way. From hidden secrets, to lore, to legendary treasures, and, most importantly, companions to aid them in their battle against the Demon King.
And eventually, I got dragged into the plot, like most people, or NPC in this case, do in these kinds of cliche situations.
But unlike most, I didn't try to go off and do my own thing. I didn't suddenly become the hero or try to rewrite the entire world to suit my needs.
I joined the hero's party and, using my knowledge of the game, helped guide them along the best path possible.
If I could prevent a few deaths, I did. If I got my hands on a legendary item, I made sure the party benefited from it. I didn't hoard anything for myself.. most of the times.
Sure, I took a few treasures here and there, but I always found a way to repay my debts in some form.
After all, I wasn't some insecure trash who was jealous of the hero. In fact, I had a better weapon than the protagonist, it was knowledge of the future.
And, why would I ruin the world by trying to take the hero's place? Why jeopardize the world's peace for some fleeting moment of fame or power? That was extremely stupid to try to attempt, so I didn't.
It was much better for the hero to achieve world peace by defeating the Demon King than for me to meddle and risk a worse future.
World peace was my goal. A peaceful life in the frontier had always been my dream since I arrived in this world.
So, I lent my knowledge, risked my life, and fought beside the hero's party.
That's my story, it really was simple, but it's mine. I was stuck in a game, but I made it my own "cliché fantasy story."
*****************
Looking up at the sky, lit by fireworks, I couldn't help but smile. The Kingdom of Clover was celebrating the defeat of the Demon King and the return of the hero's party.
But here I was, standing outside the kingdom borders, walking down a forest trail with my luggage thrown over my shoulder, leaving it all behind.
I heard a voice call my name from behind.
"Lucas!!!"
I turned, spotting a handsome, blonde-haired man running after me. It was Noah, the hero of this tale. He had noticed my absence from the festival.
"Lucas… hey man, where are you going?" he asked, out of breath from chasing me down.
"I'm leaving," I said flatly, keeping my pace.
"Leaving? In the middle of the festival? Why?"
I sighed. "Noah, I have nothing else to do."
"Nothing else to do? What do you mean? The king gave you titles, land, and money. Are you really going to reject all that?"
"Already have," I said, shrugging.
"The whole point of me joining you to kill the Demon King wasn't for fame or wealth. I just want to live in peace."
Noah stared at me, shocked. We had known each other for eight years now, that was definitely long enough to understand one another.
In fact, some of us had known each other even longer. The official hero's party had been formed eight years ago, but our individual journeys had started long before that.
I'd joined the party at seventeen, back when it was still a low-tier adventurer group.
Some of the members hadn't even met until later on.
Noah and his childhood friend Oliver, who was now the Sword Saint, had started the adventurer party.
Eventually, it grew to include six of us. The hero, the swordsman, the mage, the archer, the warrior, and the saintess.
We all had titles that would be recorded in history. The Hero of Light, the Sword Saint, the Spirit Mage, the Legendary Hunter, the Valkyrie, and the Saintess.
"Lucas, you didn't even say goodbye to us," Noah muttered, a mix of frustration and sadness in his voice.
I said nothing for a long moment.
"Haa…" he exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck.
"After all these years, you still haven't changed. But at least tell me where you're heading. In case I want to visit."
"Visit?" I raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Will the next king have time for that?"
Noah's eyes widened. "How… how did you know…?"
At the end of the game, Lucas, was supposed to become king.
The hero's soon to be fiancé, who would eventually be his wife, was none other than the Saintess, Avery Van Clover, the princess of the royal family of the Clover Kingdom.
"Are you sure you aren't a prophet?"
Noah joked with Lucas, it was a recurring joke as Lucas somehow could always predict future outcomes for most situations.
"You thought I wouldn't know?" I gave him a knowing look.
"Noah, it's not hard to guess. I can already see the diamond ring in your pocket. You're planning to propose to Avery, aren't you?"
I nodded toward the shining ring nestled in his coat pocket.
Noah chuckled nervously. "All-knowing and all-seeing. Couldn't have asked for a better archer."
He sighed, his gaze softening. "Yeah, at the end of the festival, I plan to propose."
I nodded, satisfied.
Then I shifted my luggage on my back and started walking again.
"The frontier," I said, my voice quiet.
Noah blinked, clearly not understanding.
"Huh?"
"The frontier. That's where I'm going."
"Wait… hold on, you're not telling me anything useful. The frontier is huge, like ridiculously huge. Where exactly are you heading within the frontier?"
"I don't know," I admitted, glancing back at him.
"Maybe a forest. Maybe a military city. Maybe a farming village. Who knows? But if you ever need me, I'll be somewhere out there, just living my life."
Noah was silent for a long time. I could see the confusion and maybe a bit of disbelief on his face.
My peaceful life would begin in the frontier. It would also end there, but death wouldn't come for me anytime soon.
Thanks to a strange artifact Noah and I had found in a dungeon that had forcefully changed me, my lifespan had been drastically extended by a few thousand years, around the lifespan of an elf.
I was no longer exactly human, but I wasn't an immortal either. Just a little different.
"Lucas…" Noah began, his voice tight.
"I'll see you around, okay? You better visit us sometime."
"Yeah, I'll see what I can do. Say goodbye to everyone for me."
With those parting words, I turned and took the first step toward my future.
Away from the life I had spent the last twenty-five years of my existence building. Away from the festival, the kingdom, and the people I had fought alongside.
And so, I left.
Noah's voice, faint but clear, echoed in my ears as I walked
"Take care, Lucas."
I didn't look back. I didn't need to.
My story had ended, but another chapter awaited in the frontier, far from the clamor of post-war politics and the demands of destiny and duty of a hero.
And this time, he wouldn't know his own future or anyone else's future.
It was a scary but equally liberating feeling to have.