I had a terrible thought.

Don’t tell me these people—heroes—just go around without eating anything. Is that it!? I’m actually hungry!! I haven’t eaten a damn thing since last night! The only things I had were the hot chocolate the old man gave me and the snacks Luman gave me! We left early this morning after all that chaos, and now you’re telling me there’s nothing to eat?!

My whole body started trembling.

No. No, no. I need to take my medicine too....

The second I thought there was no food, the hunger came crashing over me even harder.

"There’s really nothing to eat? Not even snacks??"

"Sounds like you’re pretty hungry."

At Luman’s troubled voice, Temar knocked on the carriage window again.

"Ren."

"There’s nothing??"

I looked up at him desperately, my eyes shining.

I’m hungry! Brother!! I could literally pass out from being hungry!

His brows pulled together.

"I think you’ll have to hold out until tonight."

"...O-Okay! Of course I can hold out."

"Right. It’s not like Ren’s a little kid. Of course he can hold out, don’t you think?"

"Why are you picking a fight with me??"

What the hell. Where’d the guy handing out macarons earlier go? Why are you starting shit now!

I glared at Luman as he smiled and mocked me, then shut my eyes.

Better to save my strength instead....

Until tonight. I can hold out until tonight.

Ah! My medicine.

I cracked my eyes open, quietly shut the window, and secretly took out my medicine and chewed it.

Yeah. Let’s think of this as a snack, a really delicious—my ass. It tastes fucking awful! It was the kind of harsh, bitter medicine that made me want to scrape my whole tongue raw. Harsh enough that on bad days, my lips would swell and split from it!

Shit.

Still, I thought of the old apothecary and kept chewing the herbs down.

***

By the time we’d gone along the narrow road for a while, the day had already faded into dusk.

Maybe because I’d taken my medicine without eating, my stomach burned. But I couldn’t show it. More than that, I’d already said I wouldn’t be a burden, and here I was whining about food. I’m seriously an idiot. What am I, a kid? I need to get it together.

To clear the medicine haze out of my head, I smacked my own cheek.

"Hm? What’s that?"

Something moved beyond the carriage window I’d cracked open for air.

What was it? I leaned out to get a better look.

But instead of brush, what I saw was a firm chest. My eyes traveled up from there and landed on Brother, wearing a stern expression.

"Brotheeer?"

My voice came out rough and sleepy, and Temar pressed a hand to my forehead.

"Ren."

That voice was strict as hell.

"Why?"

What did I do?!

My voice came out tight and nervous.

"Don’t stick your head out while we’re moving. It’s dangerous."

"Okay. Sorry."

I answered meekly.

His face seemed to ease a little.

"We’re staying here tonight. I’m going to go hunt something we can eat, so stay with Luman. Got it?"

"Okay! But, Brother, just now I—"

"Right."

Without listening to another word, he swung down from his horse.

"Brother!"

That’s not what I meant—I think I just saw something!

"No, seriously... shit!"

I shook my head hard.

Sometimes I swear Brother just can’t hear me.

I glared at his back as it disappeared into the mountain woods before I could even really see it anymore, huffing to myself.

"Temar can be kind of a one-man army sometimes."

The carriage door flew open.

Luman grinned and held out a hand.

"Shall we take a little break?"

"What am I, your girlfriend?"

"This is what people call manners, kid."

Ugh! What’s with the wink?!

"Then do whatever you want."

I pushed his hand away from a distance and hopped down.

Like I’m some loser who can’t even climb down by himself!!

More importantly—

"And Brother’s good at taking the lead, okay? He is not some one-man dictator or whatever the hell you were implying?? Don’t you know they say if you talk behind someone’s back when they’re not around, your ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) tongue gets cut out??"

What a ridiculous man.

"Hm."

Making a little humming sound, Luman grabbed me one-handed just as I nearly pitched forward and planted my face into the dirt.

Fuck. I really am a loser.

Why the hell did I have to step on a rock right when I was getting down and lose my balance?! As I glared murder at the innocent rock, Luman poked my cheek with his finger.

Shit. How humiliating.

Luman was snickering to himself.

Was this guy even listening to what I was saying? I wanted to call him out on it, but I was too embarrassed.

Maybe he and Brother were actually closer than I was with him....

"What are you doing?"

I smacked his hand away and rubbed at my cheek.

"Making sure your eye didn’t pop out."

"I’m fine, okay?? I can take care of my own eyes!"

"Hm. Really?"

"Yes!! Mind your own business."

Why do you keep staring at me like that?!

Luman’s gaze felt heavy.

It wasn’t unpleasant, exactly. It wasn’t annoying either.

But....

It felt like he could see right through me. Like he was looking way too deep inside. From what I’d overheard when he talked with Brother, he seemed like the kind of person who moved according to profit and loss.... So what was this kindness he kept showing me? Was he trying to use me somehow through his relationship with Brother?

Nobody’s nice for free in this world!!

Yeah, I’d gobbled up those macarons without thinking, but... still. I’m not an idiot. No matter how sneaky and unreadable he felt, I could tell this man had at least a little interest in me.

Not for filthy reasons like the baker’s son, obviously.... But still. There had to be some reason for this.

Even though I kept glaring at him warily, Luman didn’t seem to care much.

For a guy who’d twisted my arm so hard the first time we met, what the hell kind of change of heart was this?

"Sit."

Luman spread his cloak out over a rock for me.

"I’m fine."

I plopped down right on the dirt instead, and for a moment Luman just stood there in silence.

Then he left the cloak where it was, dropped down beside me, and opened one hand.

A tiny light, like a firefly, bloomed in his palm and spread around us. The glittering little lights were small, but they made everything feel bright and warm.

Actually, it didn’t just feel that way.

The night air outside was so cold my hands should’ve been freezing, but a gentle warmth really was spreading around us.

"What is that?? Is this magic too? Is it the same thing as what you showed me before? Is it?"

"Are you interested in magic?"

"...Not really."

Shit! Why did I lean in like that!!

I straightened back up after pitching half my body toward Luman and turned my head away.

The mountain night was unbelievably dark, but tonight the moon was bright, so it was okay.

Our village really is way out in the middle of nowhere.

The village itself sat on a wide plain, so I’d never had any reason to go out and realize it. But had Brother always gone through roads this dark and winding every time he headed for the capital?

The second I imagined all the roads Brother must’ve walked over and over again, my chest tightened so hard it felt like I might cry.

What the hell is wrong with me! I’m not some puberty-struck kid! I’m grown already. I need to act like it. I can’t be dead weight.

Ahem. I cleared my throat to myself, and Luman gave me a strange look.

"If you call it magic, then it’s magic. If you don’t, then it isn’t."

At a flick of Luman’s fingers, the little cluster of lights drifted around like bugs.

"If you don’t want to tell me, then just say that. It’s not like I’m gonna force it out of you."

"When we get to the capital, ask Verdi. He’s good at explaining things."

"Is he another hero?"

One of Brother’s companions?

"Yeah. He’s sharp. He’s good at explaining even complicated things."

Verdi. Verdi.

I engraved the name Luman gave me into my mind.

The truth was, when I was little, my dream was to become a wizard! A wizard who’d help Brother, defeat dragons, and rescue princesses! A hero’s companion, standing shoulder to shoulder with him!!

It wasn’t like I’d ever really hoped or imagined it could come true, not with this shitty body of mine.

But seeing something like magic with my own eyes made the curiosity I’d buried deep down jump right back up.

Sometimes people discover their talent late, right? So maybe that could happen to me too!

I was fiddling with my hands, imagining all the things I could do if I became a wizard, when Luman suddenly grabbed my arm.

"What are you doing?"

Smack!

I flinched and knocked his hand right off me, and Luman nodded.

"What was that for all of a sudden?"

Why the hell was he suddenly grabbing my wrist? Did he want to fight?

I was just about to start revving up, but Luman smiled in a strangely reassured way. The second I saw that face, I was so dumbfounded the anger drained right out of me.

What the hell, seriously? What does he even want with me?

"Maybe it’s a good thing you’re prickly."

"What does that mean? Why are you muttering to yourself like a lunatic?"

If you’re gonna talk to yourself, do it where I can’t hear you. When is Brother coming back? This is awkward as hell...!

"Hey."

"...?"

Even in the middle of the night, Luman’s face looked like it was glowing.

More than a hero, he looked like some highborn nobleman who had everything going for him.

He stared at me with those dark amber eyes like he was trying to seduce me.

"Say... what you’re going to say."

I swallowed hard.

Wait! That makes me sound like some kind of pervert! Don’t swallow like that!

I forced myself to keep my breathing under control and waited for Luman’s answer, and then a voice came out that was absurdly light and cheerful compared to how serious his face was.

"Want me to kill him for you?"

"Kill what? Who?"

"That man."

Luman said it quietly.

His eyes were sparkling with mischief.

"...?"

What the hell. Was he joking?

"From what I saw earlier, it doesn’t look like his hands have only been a problem for a day or two. So maybe...."

"Maybe what?"

"No. Men like that are better off not existing in that village, don’t you think?"

"Not really."

I answered flatly, completely uninterested.

Whether that guy lived or died, what did it have to do with me?

"But you hated it earlier. Don’t tell me he’s a man you’ve had your eye on?"

One of Luman’s brows knit slightly. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

He put on a look like he understood perfectly.

"What the hell? Why would I like some moron like that?? Is there something wrong with your head? Why are you picking a fight with someone who was just sitting here minding his own busi—... self?"

Whew!

No matter what, he’s still Brother’s friend, so I couldn’t exactly say "bullshit" to his face. I’d just scream it in my head instead! Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit! I didn’t like that mocking tone of his either! I fumed inwardly.

Good job, Ren!! You held it in, Ren!

Something about Luman’s expression changed.

"You were the one cursing him out and telling him to get lost."

"And that’s the same as killing him?"

That was so ridiculous I could barely process it.

"If someone commits a crime, they should be punished."

What?

I blinked slowly.

Coming out of a face that was absurdly beautiful, the words sounded calm.

And completely sincere.