“Ren. Why the nosebleed? That bastard—”

“Temar. Isn’t it because you started drawing your power up again?”

“...But you’re fine.”

“Whew. Temar. I may be on the skinny side for a hero, but I’m still a hero. I’m not the same as this ordinary boy.”

What a smug bastard.

Luman smiled with those handsome eyes narrowed and patted my shoulder.

My brother glared at his hand, but Luman didn’t care in the slightest and opened his mouth with that same pleasant face.

“So what should we do with that piece of trash? I happen to have a decent little dagger on me. Want to borrow it?”

Rummaging through his clothes, Luman pulled out a sleek dagger with a blue gem set into it and let out an exaggerated sigh.

“Though lending it out would be a waste. Just thinking about sticking it into that bastard’s body makes me sick. I swear the blade’s about to cry.”

You crazy fuck! Are you seriously going to kill him!?

My eyes went wide, and my brother stepped in front of me like he was shielding me.

“Luman! Have you lost your mind? You’re telling Ren to kill someone?”

“And who was it that was about to kill someone right in front of his little brother?”

“Brother, move. Hey!”

I shoved my brother aside and leaned forward.

“See? Murder is scary, isn’t it? You can’t just casually say stuff like tha—”

I narrowed my eyes and slammed my fist against my chest.

Thump!

“Ugh....”

“......”

“...Ren.”

Fuck. What am I doing?

Did I hit too hard? I almost stopped breathing for a second. This is humiliating.

I could feel Luman staring at me like I was pathetic, and from behind me, I could feel my brother’s sharp gaze drilling into the back of my head.

If I get embarrassed here, I lose!!

I could feel my neck and face burning red, but I pretended nothing had happened and opened my mouth again.

This time I tapped my chest more timidly. Lightly. Tap tap.

“Even so, I’m still the hero’s little brother, okay? If a hero saves people all cool and heroic, and then the hero’s little brother goes around killing people, what do you think happens? I don’t want people talking shit about my brother.”

“So murder itself isn’t the problem. It’s the gossip you don’t like?”

Luman blinked and stared at me.

“Yeah. So?”

I answered sullenly, and slowly, a smile spread across Luman’s face.

Then—

“Pwahahaha!”

He burst out laughing so loudly the whole hill seemed to shake with it.

Ow! My ears!

I clapped my hands over my ears, and then something warm—no, hot—wrapped around me from above.

It was my brother.

What is it with you, brother? Why are you suddenly being nice again?

Still... I didn’t hate it.

So I acted like I didn’t notice and stayed still.

“Hahaha! Ahahahahaha!”

“Shut up.”

Even with my brother snapping at him, Luman kept laughing for a long time.

He laughed hard enough that tears gathered in his golden eyes.

“Haa....”

He’d been shaking with laughter so much his thin hair had gone all tousled, flying every which way.

“Ren. I really like you.”

“Well, I don’t like you.”

Showing up carrying that vicious letter and all. I shot him a glare.

“Whew. What a shame. If you’d been the hero instead of Temar, the last ten-odd years would’ve been a hell of a lot more entertaining.”

What the hell?! Was he insulting my brother just now!? Do you have any idea what an amazing hero my brother is, how full of duty and conviction he is, you horse-faced bastard—?!

I started to huff and open my mouth, but my brother patted me on the back.

With that clumsy hand of his...!

Wh-what?! Brother...!!

If you do that, now I can’t even curse him out.

I swallowed the words with a sulky face, and Luman started laughing again.

This guy really laughs at everything. Hmph.

“Ha. Hah... this is killing me. Ah, right.”

“Wh-what.”

“The nosebleed. I forgot. It stopped? You okay now?”

“Whatever... it’s fine. Brother, let’s go inside.”

Luman ran a finger under my nose. It came away bloody.

I slapped his hand away and scrubbed at it with the back of my hand.

“You smeared it.”

“Brother! Let’s go.”

I turned and looked up at my brother, and for some reason, his expression looked complicated. It was the same blank face as always, but still. When I stared at him, he brushed a finger under my nose too. There was still blood on it.

“Right. So what should we do with that bastard? Bury him?”

“Forget it! Just leave him alone. It’s not like this is the first time, and it’s nothing worth dealing with one by one. More importantly, I’ve got something to give you, broth—”

“Temar!!”

“Brother? Brother!”

Ah, fuck!! Didn’t we agree you were sparing him?!

“I’m gonna die, brother!!”

Cold sweat broke out all over me and my fingertips went numb.

For a second, that vicious force crashing over my whole body made all the strength drain out of me—like I was about to black out—but I threw myself at him with every scrap of strength I had left and wrapped both arms around his waist.

Because the blue haze rising from my brother’s hand was growing, swelling, writhing like it was about to summon something.

If that thing fully took shape, it really looked like it would devour that man’s life whole.

A hero who killed a civilian? Of course that wouldn’t be forgiven!! It’d be a disgrace! I won’t allow even a speck of dust to settle on the medals I keep displayed in my brother’s room!!

“Temar.”

Even at Luman’s cold warning, it was like my brother’s ears had been slammed completely shut.

Dragging me along where I clung to his waist, walking toward the unconscious man—he looked like death itself.

Golden haze, the same color as Luman’s eyes, rose and wrapped around his whole hand too.

No. No, this is bad! At this rate something terrible is really going to happen!

“If you’re not an honorable hero, I’ll never forgive you! I’ll hate you! I’ll never see you again! No—I won’t look at you ever again—!!”

If someone completely spotless gets even the tiniest flaw—

people only ever stare at the flaw!

Just like the people who envied my perfect brother had always tried to grab hold of me—his flaw—I couldn’t let him go through that too!!

“.......”

“.......”

“.......”

Silence for all three of us.

A sharp wind cut across the hill.

The surging blue power burned in the air like flame. It kept forming and scattering into shapes like wild beasts, over and over again, like it was putting my brother’s heart on display.

And at some point, a golden spear had appeared in Luman’s hand.

I could barely breathe with the two of them facing off like that.

“Ah....”

I think I’m gonna pass out.

The blood wasn’t just dripping from my nose anymore. I could feel it running down.

I’m gonna die! I’m dying, brother!!

For a second I was actually jealous of the unconscious man. It’d be easier to just black out! No, wait, no! I can’t pass out while my brother’s turning into a murderer! It even looked like the foam in that man’s mouth had gotten worse. W-wait, he isn’t already dead, is he?!

I tightened my grip around my brother’s waist harder—

and then, like a sandcastle collapsing in an instant, the blue light blooming from his hand vanished.

At the same time, Luman’s spear scattered into light.

“Temar. Are you insane?”

“Ren.”

Even with Luman calling to him, my brother’s eyes stayed on me.

“Ren....”

“?”

“The nosebleed! He’s going to collapse at this rate. Hey, are you even listening to me?”

When I covered my nose with my palm, my brother took my hand away. He pressed my nose shut himself to stop the bleeding, then spoke again. A second later, I heard Luman sigh.

“You’d hate it if your brother stopped being a hero?”

“Obviously.”

“...So that means, Ren, you like your brother because he’s a hero?”

“Obviously. Brother. You have to be an honorable hero.”

Why was he being so serious all of a sudden?

I stopped answering in that bratty tone and looked up at him with completely serious eyes.

Actually, I hate it. A hero for a brother? I’d rather he quit a hundred times over. To me, he’s just my brother!

For a second, emotion surged up so hard I thought I might cry, but I bit my tongue and forced it down.

Telling him to quit being a hero would never work. He’d never accept it.

Yeah. He has to be an honorable hero. If my brother has to be a hero even if it kills him, then of course he has to be an honorable one!

Fighting down the urge to throw a tantrum, I muttered to myself inside my head.

If he stops being a hero, then what were all those years I endured for? They turn into nothing. My pride in him being a hero! His sense of duty—that was my pride too. That’s why I endured being lonely. That’s why I waited.

Otherwise, would I have had any reason to stay in a village that expected the hero’s nice little brother to smile and work for them all the time?

So what, now there’s going to be a stain on my brother’s honor?

I’d rather die first.

Ah. Well, I’m probably going to die soon anyway.

Fuck!

My mouth tasted bitter.

Don’t think about it. That’s all later. My brother’s going to the capital anyway. And if things really do get worse, then I can just leave on my own. If I say I’m leaving to chase my dream, he’ll probably buy it.

By the time I’d thought through all that, my head had dropped.

So I didn’t see my brother’s face.

Didn’t see the way he looked shocked.

When I lifted my head, what I saw was a face with eyes that looked like they’d swallowed down too many words, and a smile that seemed empty and sad at the same time.

Of course, that vanished «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» in an instant too.

And my vision was too blurry to study his expression closely anyway.

“Right, Ren. If what Ren wants is a brother who’s a hero, then that’s what I should be.”

“? Yeah, brother. Let’s go now. I’ve got something to give you—”

“Ren. Go inside first. This man needs to be seen by a doctor.”

“Huh? Th-that bastard?! Why...??”

You’re taking the guy who groped me to a doctor?!

Thud!

What the hell! Brother!! I told you not to kill him, not to treat him like some honored guest—

“That’s right, Ren. A hero can’t just ignore someone who’s collapsed.”

“Well, yeah, but—!”

Sure, maybe, but even for some sexual-assaulting piece of shit like him?!

God! I stamped my foot all by myself. I was so pissed off!! Suddenly I thought of that woman with the orc arms too!! She saw me staggering around and still just left me there and told me to go by myself! That was this very afternoon! And you’re doing this again, brother?!

“That’s the kind of brother Ren wants, isn’t it? A hero for a brother.”