"I'm sorry, Stanley. I should have realized sooner! I let you down."
Tears streamed down Hans's face as he pounded the ground with his fists in remorse.
Ellin watched in silence. She did not stop Hans.
She knew Hans had already understood Stanley's wishes.
Now, he was simply regretting his years of ignorance, regretting how he had failed to live up to his friend's hopes.
He was merely letting his emotions out. Once he was done, he would face reality.
After some time, Hans stopped crying.
"Well? Have you cried enough?" Ellin asked with a smile.
"Thank you, Miss Ellin!"
Hans sat slumped on the bridge.
"Without your guidance, I might have spent the rest of my life trapped in regret, never finding release."
Hans was more than thirty years older than Ellin, yet now he willingly addressed her respectfully as "Miss Ellin."
Clearly, Ellin had risen considerably in the elderly adventurer's esteem without him even realizing it.
"I'm already old... I'll never become some brilliant, celebrated adventurer."
"But Stanley sacrificed himself to save this life of mine."
"My life doesn't belong to me alone. It belongs to Stanley, too!"
"This is the last time I'll cry. From now on, I won't lose my way again, and I won't let myself sink into despair!"
"Is that so... Congratulations on finding yourself again!"
Ellin's expression was warm with relief.
"And everything you've done over the years hasn't been meaningless."
"Just as Stanley sacrificed himself to protect you when you were a novice..."
"Now, under your influence and the influence of Stanley's stories, Jack has become a rising star among adventurers!"
"Stanley never truly died. His spirit has passed from your generation to Jack's."
"In the future, Stanley's spirit will be passed down from generation to generation, igniting even more sparks!"
"Jack