The one who said that was the girl who had gotten out of the carriage.

“...?”

“What the hell are you doing, acting like that with someone standing right in front of you?”

“Milady! Why are you doing this?”

“Let go! If you didn’t want to help, you should’ve just said so. Instead you keep talking in circles.”

“Milady, these people have their circumstances too, don’t they? We should be grateful they’re letting us stay even for a little while.”

“This land belongs to them or something? And if we’re going to talk like that—”

The girl started firing off one sharp remark after another, and the man scrambled to stop her.

All while throwing us apologetic looks over and over.

At some point Brother had already taken hold of my hand, like he was telling me not to pick a fight for no reason.

I bit my lip.

Right. I’ll hold it in. I can hold it in!

I’d been rude just now. Right, right. I nodded to myself inside my head.

“Why are you the only one saying thank you?”

“Hm?”

“That’s what I mean. You’re giving medicine to that sickly little thing over there too, so why are we the only ones who should be grateful? Aren’t I right? This is the absolute worst! Like it isn’t bad enough that I’m stuck sleeping out in a place like this—now I’ve got to say thank you to people like them? It’s pathetic. It makes me sick.”

The girl stomped her foot and glared at us.

The gem-studded shoes she wore glittered even in the dark.

What the hell?!

“You’re the one who’s way more disgusting, actually.”

“What?”

The girl’s eyes turned sharper than they had been before, not even comparable.

But what was she going to do about it?

“Why the hell are you talking down to me like that?? Wasn’t it more wrong to make an uncomfortable request in the first place? Are you really trying to show off now just because you offered kindness nobody wanted? You can’t see we were forced to go along with it out of guilt? We don’t need your cough medicine or your soup, okay?? Who the fuck do you think you’re calling beggars?”

“What? What the hell are you babbling about right now!”

“I’m saying the way you’re talking down to me is disgusting! Looks like you’re slow on the uptake too!”

“Ren! That’s enough!”

“Milady! Please stop!”

“What?! What did I do?! Listen! Coming down a rough road dressed up all flashy like that is ridiculously stupid, you know that?? You’re not expecting people to go, ‘Oh no, how terrifying, yes ma’am!!’ and treat you special just because you order them around looking like that, right? If anybody does do that, it’s because they’re eyeing the jewels stuck on your shoes!”

“Hey—!”

Hmph! Guess I hit the mark, huh?!

She hadn’t even blinked, but the second I brought up the jewels, her face flushed bright red.

Lady Gannion came stomping toward me hard enough to kick dirt up.

Yeah, come on then, come at me!!

I stomped toward her too, and then—

“Milady, please, quiet—!”

“Mmph!! Mmff!”

“Heh heh heh! Hahaha! Serves you ri—mmph! Mmmff!!”

“......”

“......”

“Haa....”

Somebody’s silence and somebody else’s sigh....

Ah, right. He told me to be quiet earlier... no, I wasn’t trying to start a fight—acho—!

She’s the one who picked one with me! Talking down to me like that!

What, just because she’s some duke’s daughter, that makes her everything? Just because she’s a noble?! 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

But Brother’s expression looked bad.

“I’m sorry.”

What the hell, why are you apologizing? I’m the one who went off, so why are you the one apologizing! More importantly, that girl deserved to get cussed out too!

Meticulous as ever, Brother had me pinned tightly against him from behind so I couldn’t flail around. The hand covering my mouth tightened even more. No matter how much I beat at him, he wouldn’t take it away.

“My little brother... is immature.”

“No, not at all. Our lady as well....”

“Mmmff! Mmff!”

“Mmph! Mmph!!!”

The girl and I both struggled and tried to talk, but neither of the two men let us go....

“I’m sorry for making such an uncomfortable request.”

The man said it while looking at me, almost like he was apologizing specifically to me.

...If you look at me like that, I start feeling sorry too....

I shut my mouth tight.

Even after I stopped struggling, Brother didn’t loosen his grip at all.

Brother! I won’t talk now. Let me go!

No matter how much I tapped the back of his hand, it didn’t help.

Achoo! Achoo! Nghh!

With my mouth blocked by Brother’s hand, I kept jolting with coughs.

“Excuse me... are you, by any chance, the Hero?”

The man’s voice dropped low, serious now.

“Hm.”

Goddamn it. Why bring up the Hero now! How did he know?! Is it written on my brother’s face? Well, maybe it is, because he’s just that handsome! He wasn’t ordinary in build either, and his face looked every inch the part. Honestly, maybe not realizing he was the Hero would’ve been dumber. I kept sneaking glances at Brother.

Luman, who had been smiling and studying the man, looked at me and held back a laugh.

No, what, is my face funny!?

When I scrunched my face up, he lowered his head with a quiet snicker.

“How did you know?”

Brother’s serious face was terrifying. W-wow, so when he made a face like that at me, he’d actually been going easy on me.

“I’m sorry. The truth is, earlier I caught a glimpse of the star attached to your cloak. I’d heard stories.”

“You have a sharp eye.”

The man had his sentence cut off when Luman interrupted, and he forced a smile before continuing.

“More than that... the war went on for a long time, didn’t it? I heard about it from my younger sibling.”

The way he said it sounded lonely.

Don’t tell me he was about to say his sibling died or something? If it’s that kind of story, I seriously don’t want to hear it! I got ready to cover my ears. Luckily, the man closed his mouth after that.

“I see.”

Brother’s tone softened. Huh—no way, Brother! Don’t tell me that line just made you go soft?!

“The war did last a long time.”

Luman agreed smoothly. The atmosphere lightened a little.

No, no, no...! Hey, I said get lost already!

“I’m sorry for recognizing you so casually just now. We truly are in a difficult position.... Hero. Would it really be impossible for us to share your camp just for tonight?”

“......”

Wow, I seriously can’t stand that man! He only brought that up just now to stir sympathy, didn’t he!? Why bring up the war?! Why?! And why was he putting that much weight on Hero? We already refused him, and look at him shamelessly asking again! At this rate later he’s going to ask us to hand over our luggage toooo!

I looked at Brother desperately.

No!! Absolutely not!

Brother’s furrowed brow, like he was thinking it over!

“We can make it worth your while.”

The confident voice was aimed at Luman. A bright smile spread across Luman’s mouth.

What the hell! So as long as there’s profit in it, anything goes?

If they joined us, Brother was obviously going to pay more attention to them, and I came all the way out here just to watch that happen?! Aaaaugh.

“We do need cough medicine, so it’s not the worst deal.”

When Luman grinned and changed sides, Temar nodded too.

“I’m Temar.”

“I’m Luman. As you may know, I’m a Hero too.”

Luman stretched out his hand after offering that greeting that was halfway between an introduction and something else. His narrowed eyes formed a smooth smile.

“We’ll be expecting proper compensation.”

Wow! Luman’s shameless too, not to be underestimated!

The man let go of the hand covering Lady Gannion’s mouth, then clasped Luman’s «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» and shook it.

“My name is Dell. This is Lady Coco.”

“Why are you telling them my name? They can just call me if they need me.”

She sneered and glared at me.

Aaagh! Brother, let go of me already! Let me talk too!

“Mmph!!”

“I’m sorry. My little brother is sensitive. It seems you’re in a difficult situation, and of course we should help... I’m sorry.”

“As expected of a Hero. We’re the ones who should be apologizing....”

Ha ha ha.

Ho ho ho.

I was the only one sitting there with a face like I’d swallowed shit.

“A guy being ‘sensitive.’”

You little shit!

What the fuck did you just say!

“Mmmff!!”

Do you want to die?!

“Mmph, mmff!!”

Brother, let go of meeee!

Aaagh!! I’m so pissed off!

Whether I kicked at the air or not... we ended up sharing camp smoothly.

That rude brat named Coco—the one who’d clicked her tongue at me—ended up sitting around the campfire with us too.

So damn irritating!

“Here.”

“Thank you.”

Brother held out the medicine Dell had handed him.

“Forget it. I don’t need it. Who asked for cough medicine?”

“Ren.”

Crap. I snapped again.

“Hey. If you don’t want to drink it, then don’t. It’s a waste on a brat like you anyway. It’s not like we were begging you to take i—”

“Milady... why are you like this? Ha ha. You must be very tired from the journey.”

“I’m not doing anything. I’m not tired at all.”

“No, Ren. Don’t be stubborn. Hurry.”

“......”

Tap.

I snatched the medicine and, holding my breath, swallowed it down.

Blegh.

It tasted like something that made me want to throw up.

“Good job.”

“...Yeah.”

It really doesn’t suit me at all.

“Ah. Please have some of this.”

“Thank you. Milady, please eat.”

“...How am I supposed to eat this filthy meat?!”

“Lady Coco! Really, why are you like this? You need to eat and keep your strength up.”

“It stinks, it’s filthy!”

“...Brat.”

“What?”

“Ren!”

“Calling her a brat... that’s a bit much, Ren.”

“Why? It’s true.”

I hesitated for a second, but answered shamelessly anyway.

Because that’s how she’s acting! My behavior isn’t exactly good either, but her attitude seemed even worse to me.

That look in his eyes—calling my name sweetly while glaring like he wanted me to apologize.

Yeah. Still pisses me off.

“It’s true.”

“Brat? Better than someone like you, whining and complaining when you’ve got nothing. One look at you and you seem like baggage on this trip. I don’t know what your circumstances are, but wouldn’t it be better for you to go back home? You’ve got no money, your personality’s awful, and you’ve got no social skills. Am I wrong?”

Coco sneered as she twisted her hair around and around her fingers. Her purplish hair coiled around her hand.

Baggage.

Why the hell did I have to hear that from some total stranger too?

And why was Coco wearing Brother’s cloak?

Maybe it was the medicine, or maybe it was because I was so mad, but my head felt foggy.

Why isn’t Brother saying anything? Tell her I’m not baggage.

But Brother was only looking at Coco.

“Milady, please don’t go too far.”

“I’ve never seen someone like him before.”

He acted like he was stopping her, but it almost felt like he was egging her on.

What pissed me off even more was the way this girl named Coco acted like she was the one restraining herself. After trash-talking me all she wanted, now she was acting like the victim? It was so ridiculous my nose practically clogged from it.

“Maybe if someone’s rich in a stupid way, they become stupid too.”

I smiled when I said it mockingly, and Coco smiled too, lifting only the corners of her mouth.

“You don’t know anything about rank, do you? Your head must be empty, which is why you dare act up in front of me like this. You think being the Hero’s little brother makes you everything?”

“You little fuuuck....”

Maybe it was the first time anyone had ever cursed at her, because Coco looked genuinely flustered for the first time.

At the same time, the smile vanished from Dell’s face too.

That damn Hero’s little brother again!!

“Ren. You really....”

“......”

Brother’s going to scold me again? Why? Why?

That solid, dependable heroic side of him was never for me after all. I’d known that for a long time already... but it still made my chest hurt, like clawing open a wound that had only just healed over.

“Enough, maybe?”

The one who cut through the darkening mood in a bored voice was Luman.

Wrinkling the bridge of his nose, he pointed at me.

What? What are you going to say? I wasn’t expecting anything anyway.

“Ren. You’re loud. We agreed earlier you’d keep quiet.”

“......”

“Lady Coco? You’re louder than Ren. Maybe you forgot, but it was your party who earnestly asked to travel with us. Wasn’t it? I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make a scene.”