At some point, Ren had woken up too, and through his blurry vision he glared at Temar’s back.

It was hard to hold himself upright, but his ears were working just fine.

Ren’s breathing quickened even more with excitement.

Brother! For my sake, you’re finally turning down somebody else’s request!?

“Hero...!”

“...I’m sorry.”

A delayed apology came out.

And it came out of Temar’s mouth.

Oh my God! Oh my God!

Ren forgot all about pretending to be asleep and jerked his head up.

Brother finally, finally changed?!

His heart pounded wildly, and his lips went dry. Wetting them with his tongue, Ren prayed that man named Dell would stop begging already and get the hell out.

Just accept it and get lost already!

Dell looked so stunned by the refusal that he couldn’t even continue speaking, as if he had never expected to hear the word no, even at the very end.

“Her—”

But there was always one last last chance!

Judging by Temar’s face, if Dell persuaded him just one more time, it looked like he might cave.

Is he going to cave?

Luman was curious how Temar would react, so he didn’t step in. It also helped that the compensation pouch Dell had given him was nice and heavy. Enduring a little discomfort for a day °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° or two was nothing. It was uncomfortable in the literal sense, sure, but honestly, Luman wasn’t especially bothered.

The real problem would be Ren. Still asleep?

‘Kgh...’

Luman bit down on his lip with all his strength.

Because Ren’s face, staring over here with such burning intensity, was too goddamn funny.

Had he heard Temar’s refusal? More importantly, when the hell had he woken up? His face was flushed bright red from the fever, but he was grinning so wide it looked ridiculous. His fists were clenched tight, which somehow made him both adorable and pitiful.

“Hero...!”

This might get dangerous.

Dell was clutching Temar’s arm now.

This side might be dangerous too... kgh....

When Luman looked back at Ren again, he had to bite his lip all over again, almost hard enough to tear it.

The face that had been smiling so broadly it looked like the air might leak out of it was gone. Now Ren’s face was all crumpled up, as wrinkled and crushed as the cloak he was clutching. His eyes were blazing like somebody had shoved glowing stones into them.

His lips were moving too. Was he mumbling to himself?

Luman narrowed his eyes, and little by little, it felt like he could make out the words being chewed up by those small lips.

“‘I won’t let this go... I won’t let this go...! Idiot. Idiot....’ Pfft...”

Quietly mouthing along with Ren’s sluggish little muttering, Luman finally buried his face in his hand.

I can’t take it. With a face like that, idiot is all he’s got? Hngh—just hit me instead. If I laugh right now, I’m screwed. Fuuuuck.... The compensation was good, but...

Luman shook off the laughter and shook his head too.

Temar narrowed his brows as though scolding him for his sudden bizarre behavior.

“Hahaha...! If fate has anything to say about it, won’t our paths cross again on the road?”

It was an awkward smile by anyone’s standards.

“Sir Luman...”

“Hahaha!”

“...”

“Luman. What’s wrong with you all of a sudden?”

Temar grabbed Luman’s arm, his face gone serious.

“Hey now! Think about your little brother.”

Luman shook his head from side to side.

“Hey now?”

Why the hell had his manner of address suddenly changed?

Temar felt like his head was starting to pound.

More importantly, why are you the one worrying about Ren?

“Hahaha!”

“Enough! Dell—!”

Boom!

Just like when she first appeared, Coco flung the carriage door open.

She swept a disdainful gaze over the group and glared at Dell.

“Who told you to beg? What, are your skills so pathetic you can’t even get out of these mountain roads on your own? If you’re that scared of them, then hang yourself from a tree right here instead! Don’t go slapping the label of ‘capable’ on some pathetic piece of trash!”

For a split second, it looked like a vein stood out in Dell’s neck.

Was it because she was a noble, after all? Her eyes were blazing. The way she stared at him, sharp as a blade, could be taken as arrogance or sheer temper—

Nice eyes, though.

That was what Luman thought.

“Dell—!”

Barking his name when he said nothing, Coco turned on her heel, her purple hair flaring like a curtain, and sat back down inside the carriage.

An awkward silence followed.

But Dell still smiled with his eyes folded gently and shut the carriage door without another word of greeting. He leaped up onto the driver’s seat, took hold of the reins, and pulled. The carriage started to move slowly. Its large wheels rolled on, leaving tracks along the mountain road.

“Luman. Why did you suddenly interfere?”

“You already went to the trouble of refusing, so what’s with you now? Watching someone reverse a decision isn’t exactly my hobby.”

“...”

“Uncomfortable?”

That was it. The feeling Temar was dealing with right now was probably discomfort.

A feeling Luman had cast off a long time ago. Maybe it was something like an occupational disease for Heroes.

“Temar, mind if I give you one last piece of advice? As a comrade who fought the battlefield with you, I mean.”

It was unusual seriousness coming from Luman.

Unlike the man who always dodged difficult questions and serious moments behind that perfectly painted smile of his.

“All right.”

He couldn’t exactly refuse just because he didn’t feel like hearing it.

“You can’t help everyone.”

“...”

Luman and Temar’s eyes locked.

They both knew that already.

“I’m sure you know it.”

Luman patted Temar on the shoulder. A Hero cannot interfere in private matters while on assignment—that order had originally been created to rein in one particularly meddlesome Hero.

“Heeey. Ren! You’re awake?”

“...Ugh... wha... yeah.”

Who the hell just talks to someone out of nowhere like that?!

Ren had been pricking up his ears, thinking they were having some serious conversation, and now his neck turned red too, embarrassed that he’d been eavesdropping all this time.

At the stupid answer he’d fumbled out after all that hesitation, Ren wanted to smack himself in the head, but he didn’t even have the strength for it.

Ah, right. Medicine.

As Ren started to push himself shakily upright, his eyes widened.

Because Luman was untying his bundle.

“Waaaiiit—!”

Where the hell had that kind of strength come from?

It was such a booming shout that every living thing in the mountain must have turned to listen. Even Luman forgot what he’d been doing for a second and just admired Ren’s lungs.

“Wow!”

“Wh-what are you doing!? Why, why are you going through someone else’s things whenever you feel like it? Can a person seriously be that rude!? Why, why, why!! You didn’t even ask first, and you’re just—huff—digging through it!”

Staggering right up in front of him, Ren snatched the bundle away with a sharp yank.

“I really can’t figure you out....”

Luman wrinkled the bridge of his nose and stood up. Both hands were raised high.

“Temar. Does your little brother happen to be a germaphobe?”

When one or two tears welled in Ren’s furious eyes, Luman became genuinely flustered. He couldn’t just pat him on the head—that would obviously make Ren jerk away and say he hated it. And it wasn’t like he knew how to comfort children. He knew that if some boy got all excited after winning a war and said, I want to be a Hero too!, you could just say, That’s great, kid. But what was supposed to help a scrawny kid who hated even the h in Hero because he had a Hero for an older brother?

There was no way Luman would know that.

Apparently Temar didn’t know either.

“Kids these days, I swear.”

Luman sighed and smiled. The way he kept smiling in circles made it obvious he was saying it on purpose just to needle Ren. Just as Ren was about to bark at him—

“Ren. What’s in the bag that has you acting like this?”

Temar cut in.

“...”

Ren closed the mouth he had opened wide to yell. His eyes trembled like he was agonizing over something.

“Ren?”

“Temar. Why are you asking that too?”

We can just search it later.

Luman swallowed the rest of that thought.

“Ren.”

Temar grabbed the bundle Ren was hugging tight.

“Let go! It’s mine! It’s mine!! Don’t touch it! What have you ever done for me that you think you can s-s-steal my things?!”

“...Ren.”

Out of nowhere, Temar remembered Ren’s face from when he’d recoiled in disgust just because Temar had taken out the tea and poured himself a cup.

So Ren really does hate me.

That must be it. Aside from when Ren was very young, they’d only spent the past year together. It would make sense if there wasn’t much affection there.

Trying to understand Ren, Temar slowly nodded.

But it left a bitter taste in his mouth. With a faint, bitter smile, Temar let go of the bundle.

It’s mine, don’t touch it! What have you ever done for me! Why are you stealing it!

Temar took that three-hit combo evenly to the chest, and it hurt like hell. He turned away and rubbed at his chest.

And Luman—

He bent over, his whole body shaking.

“What’s your problem...?”

Why the hell are you still here doing that instead of leaving?!

“...”

“What are you even doing over there by yourself!!”

Ren glared murderously at the back of Luman’s head.

“What, are you sick or something?”

Still gripping the bundle tight, Ren staggered over toward Luman.

“Hey!! I asked if you’re sick....”

Ren grabbed Luman by the shoulder and leaned down.

“Kgh... pff—”

“...You fucking asshole!!”

Luman was wheezing with laughter!

He wasn’t sick at all. He had bent in half because he was laughing!

Humiliated that he’d been worried for even a second, Ren stamped his foot in fury and shoved Luman with his whole body.

Bang!

But sadly, Ren’s paper-thin little body got pushed back by the recoil instead, and he went tipping backward.

“Khk—”

Luman shot out a hand and caught Ren lightly. One look at Ren’s face, twisted like he was dying of rage, and he lost the battle completely.

“Ahahahahaha—”

“You’re seriously so fucking irritating!”

Ren slapped Luman’s hand off him like he was shaking something dirty loose, then stormed off toward the carriage with heavy stomping steps. It took Luman quite a while before he could finally straighten back up.

“Hoo—”

He wiped away the tears gathered in the corners of his eyes.

Temar was heating the soup, lost in thought, and Ren had gone inside the carriage and shut the door behind him, doing who knew what in there by himself.

How long had it been since he’d laughed that simply?

Seriously, being a Hero was no way to live.

“Kgh....”

At the sight of Ren coming back out of the carriage, Luman turned his head away.

He’d thought the laughter had finally stopped, but one look at Ren’s sulky face and it all threatened to burst out again.

Ren came out huffing, his face red from either fever or anger, and the way he was swaying made it obvious he still felt awful today too. Luman kind of wanted to go over and steady him, but figured Ren would probably just get pissed, so he settled on planning to catch him if he fell.

No, wait! More importantly, why the hell are these brothers taking this so seriously? What exactly is so serious about it?

From Luman’s perspective, it was nothing. And also...

just funny.

Maybe it only felt serious because they were the ones in it... ahem.

Gathering himself, Luman scratched at his cheek.

Communication, huh. That’s the problem. Temar’s clumsy, and Ren’s clumsy. Should I help? Or should I watch a little longer, since this is entertaining? It was a surprisingly difficult question.

“Hm. Maybe I laughed too much.”

Seeing the look in Ren’s eyes—the kind that looked ready to kill—Luman regretted it a little. He figured it would take time before Ren warmed up to him again. He should’ve stuffed his fist in his mouth and forced himself not to laugh.

“Come on, let’s hurry up and eat the rest of the meat, then get moving. Ren, can you walk?”

Even when Luman deliberately spoke gently, it didn’t seem like his gentleness was worth anything to Ren.

“Can’t you see?? Are your eyes broken? What, do I look like my legs are snapped? Can’t you tell by looking at me walk around?”

The problem was that Ren was swaying and trembling all over as he said it.

“Mm.... Right.”

Well. His eyes weren’t broken, but sure, let’s go with that. Ren said so, after all.

Luman nodded and jabbed Temar in the elbow. Temar still looked like he hadn’t fully come back to himself.

“You gonna burn it all? If you keep zoning out, there won’t be anything left to eat.”

“Right....”

“What do you mean, ‘right’?”

Kgh. If I laugh again this time, Ren really might end up hating me.

Luman hurriedly lowered his head.

Hold it in. I have to hold it in.

And so Luman found himself in the middle of a completely unasked-for challenge to stop laughing.

The three of them went about their separate business in awkward silence.

Temar tried to forget what Ren had said to him. Ren hugged the bundle he’d tied back up tightly, his legs braced so he could run for the carriage at any second. And Luman kept his head lowered, struggling to suppress his laughter—

when an unsettling wind rose.

Kiiiiiiiiiieeeeee—

A wind that sounded like a woman crying.

It was the noise of air whipping between the cliffs.

The look in Temar’s and Luman’s eyes changed. Standing near Ren as though shielding him when he flinched at the sound, the two of them focused on it.

“Kyyaaaaaaah—!”

Riding on the sharp wind came the sound of a woman screaming.

Temar looked at Ren.

“Brother...?”

And then, in an instant, he was gone.

“Brother! Brotheeeer!!”