"Where are we?" Mom asked, looking around in confusion.
Lily and Dad were equally disoriented, scanning their surroundings. But they weren't alone. People nearby had already begun to turn and glance their way, eyes wide with curiosity—and something else. Recognition?
**Central Street Market.**
I was back. Summoned here in the exact same spot as before. Still sitting—but this time, not at the dining table. I was perched on the fountain at the heart of the market plaza.
Looking around, I noticed the difference immediately.
The city had been rebuilt.
The crumbling walls, broken stalls, scorched roads—all of it was restored. Market stalls buzzed with activity, and the central fountain shimmered with flowing water again.
_I must've been home for about an hour… so that means…_
A year must've passed here already.
Mom turned back to look at me—but her breath caught in her throat before she could say anything.
I followed her gaze, glancing behind me at the fountain I was sitting on.
There it was.
A statue.
Not just any statue—it was **the Hero Party**, immortalized in stone. But standing beside them... was me.
That version of me.
A cloak. Blade drawn. A look of determination carved into stone.
"Can't they just fix the place without adding that statue? And even me... really?" I muttered under my breath.
Whoever thought of that idea—we need to talk.
"Why is your statue here, brother?" Lily asked, eyes locked onto the stone likeness as she pointed.
Mom and Dad moved closer, concern and disbelief painted across their faces.
"Is this… really you?"
But before I could answer, murmurs spread like wildfire.
The people around us began to whisper, their eyes lighting up as realization struck.
"Blue eyes? Sir Alve?"
"It is really Sir Alve! He's back!"
The crowd's reaction answered everything.
**Sigh...**
This is going to be hard to explain later.
I stood up, the sound of my boots echoing softly across the cobbled plaza. The moment I moved forward, the emerald pendant swung into view from beneath my shirt.
A moment of silence passed—and then, they knelt.
One leg down. Heads bowed.
"Welcome back, Sir Alve!
We are glad to have you back—**White Knight!**"
The same greeting… the same reverence.
The way I used to bow to King Leontius.