“Temar. I didn’t realize you were this bad at understanding what people say.”

He shook off the old memory that had surfaced—bloody once, dull now. It meant nothing to him anymore.

Not even Luman’s incredulous voice bothered Temar.

He simply passed him and opened the shack door.

Luman was getting offended on Ren’s behalf at this point.

“Temar, why the hell did you put it away?”

Do you have any idea how much care it must’ve taken to get something like that in a tiny village like this?

Whether he noticed Luman’s crumpled brow or not, Temar said nothing. Luman followed him in and grabbed his arm. Temar stopped without resistance.

“Luman.”

“?”

“Is Ren asleep?”

“Ha. Yeah. He fell asleep.”

Was he seriously this kind of man?

Quiet, yes, but the sort who always handled what needed doing, never hesitated to help others, and led the heroes by example—and this was a man this hopeless at communicating?

Luman was dumbfounded.

So just because someone’s exceptional as a hero doesn’t mean he’s good to be around.

Luman wasn’t exactly in a position to talk either, but at least he felt like he could’ve been a better older brother than Temar.

At this point, it looked like trying to clear up the misunderstanding between the two of them was a lost cause.

“I have to take him.”

“Do you think Ren will want to go?”

“......”

Watching Temar’s face darken was honestly satisfying.

“He was sobbing earlier, saying, ‘My brother’s a stupid shit idiot!!’”

Repeating what he had somehow managed to make out through Ren’s mangled crying, Luman smiled maliciously.

“Ren cried?”

Temar’s eyes went wide.

As if he genuinely couldn’t believe Ren had cried.

“Yeah. He was bawling.”

“In front of you?”

“That’s right? Cried so hard he practically passed ou—”

Thud.

Crk.

When Temar stamped his foot, dust and powder drifted down from the ceiling.

Well, now.

The floor had caved in in the shape of Temar’s foot.

“...t.”

“......”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“......”

“I’m starting to think your hero evaluation needs to be redone. Your communication skills are absolute garbage.”

Temar flinched at Luman’s words, then shoved a hand back through his hair.

The shadow over his impassive face looked darker than when he’d entered a dragon’s lair to save a princess.

His thick lips twitched. Then Temar slowly spoke.

“I’m not someone he can rely on.”

“What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Luman rubbed the back of his head in annoyance.

Gold strands tangled around his fingers.

“Because I’m lacking as a hero.”

“......”

“......”

Night had come fast, and the shack was dark.

When Luman opened his palm, yellow light drifted out like fireflies and cast a cozy glow through the shack.

“I have absolutely no idea what you mean.”

“......”

Temar’s mouth opened and closed.

As if even he couldn’t explain what he meant, his deeply furrowed brow looked almost angry.

Poor Ren.

Can’t believe I’m going this far trying to understand a man I only met today. Guess when retirement’s close, even I can end up like this.

The two of them stood there facing each other in silence.

Luman was the first to break it.

“Has Ren never cried in front of you?”

Temar only nodded.

Now that I think about it, are your eyes bad too?

When Luman had brought the letter, when Ren flew into a rage and stormed outside after hearing he had to come along, when Temar had nearly taken the life of that worm of a man—wasn’t Ren crying every time? Crying doesn’t only count if tears are streaming down your face.

“......”

“......”

It would take too long to explain.

And it wasn’t really Luman’s place to explain it.

More than anything... even if he did explain, it didn’t seem like Temar would understand.

“So your conclusion is: Ren doesn’t cry in front of you because you’re lacking as a hero?”

“That’s right.”

“......Could it be that putting the gift away in the shed was part of that same, what, line of thinking?”

Luman gestured vaguely in the air, as if he couldn’t quite find the right words. Yellow lights drifted around his hand like gnats.

“That’s right.”

“Huh.”

Luman only shook his head and swallowed back the rest. There was no point saying more. With a head like that, Temar wouldn’t understand anyway. Rather than waste his breath, Luman decided to achieve his actual objective.

“Ah. If you’re done packing, we leave at dawn at the latest. If you’re taking him too, wake him up. You were told not to delay.”

Luman’s face turned cold again, the same expression he’d worn when he knocked on the shack door.

In truth, that was the face the two of them knew better.

When Temar went in to wake Ren, Luman breathed mana into the crystal orb he had borrowed from him earlier.

There was a message telling him to return as quickly as possible. Luman left a brief reply, then walked toward the room where Ren was.

***

“...Ren. Ren. Wake up.”

I’m tired.

It feels like the bed is reaching out and dragging me back in.

Uuugh.

“Ren.”

Who keeps calling me.

My head was pounding, and my throat hurt too.

Ah. Come to think of it, I didn’t take my medicine. If I have an attack like this, I’m screwed. My mind was swimming.

“Wake up, Ren. We have to leave.”

Go where. This is home. We only just settled dow... leave? Leave? Brother!

“Brother!”

My eyes flew open and I jerked upright.

The moment I did, everything spun with dizziness.

“Brother!!”

Don’t go! Don’t go, damn it!

I threw my arms around his upper body, and felt heat and solid muscle under my hands.

Thank God. He hasn’t gone yet. He’s still, still beside me.

“Ren. Let’s go.”

“Where do you keep saying we should go...”

My brother slowly peeled my hands off him.

As my swimming vision cleared and I saw his face, the situation right before I collapsed came rushing back.

Fuck!

The brother who took that bastard to the doctor without even asking me once if I was okay!!

“Ren. Let’s go to the capital.”

Like nothing had happened, he calmly told me to come with him.

How can you do that? Brother! What the hell was that earlier?! No matter what, shouldn’t you have at least let me get one hit in on that asshole?

“I don’t want to!”

My throat was wrecked, and the words came out thin and shrill.

My brother’s eyes went wide. Just seeing that face made some of the blockage in my chest ease a little.

“Ren! Why won’t you listen for once!!”

“...!! What do you mean, why won’t I listen? Have you ever listened to me even once!?”

“What are you talking about, Ren.”

Brother Temar has no idea!

Every time he got drafted off as a hero and left for the kingdom, he never knew how desperately I clung to him and begged him not to go.

“Forget it. There’s no point talking to you. You never understand anything anyway.”

“Ren! What’s gotten into you today?”

“......”

There was a faint trace of hurt in Temar’s voice, though he always sounded about the same. His face was still hard as a rock. The startled look from earlier had already vanished.

He seemed to be trying to deal with me patiently, like he was calming down a disobedient younger brother. Like some village elder scolding me! It was the exact same expression! He looked just like the old apothecary too. The old man had made that same face when he tried to persuade me to tell my brother about my illness.

What a joke.

“I can’t leave you behind. We have to go, Ren. Even if you hate it, I’m sorry, but I can’t listen to you on this. After what I saw today, there’s no way you can live here alone.”

When I met my brother’s eyes as he looked at me and said it firmly...

“...Shit.”

I had nothing to say.

Hearing him say so firmly that I had to come with him... pissed me off how happy it made me. Happy! It made me happy!!

My face burned with frustration, but I couldn’t say no.

I didn’t want to say no!

Yeah, I wanted to follow him wherever he was going too! I just couldn’t say it because obviously I’d only get in the way, so all I ever did was grab onto him and beg him not to leave.

My chest swelled up.

But could I really go? Wouldn’t I just be baggage? No! I definitely would be baggage! My body’s fucking trash!!

Could I... hide it well enough?

The old apothecary had warned me to be careful, said my heart could shatter and kill me at any time. He said if I wanted to live long and thin and stretched-out, I had to be as careful as possible.

“Ren.”

My brother’s hot hand closed around mine.

It was a cautious touch, unusually careful for him.

“Fine!! Fine, okay!”

I answered fast before he could change his mind, then bit my lip.

So annoying! I’m annoyed, but I’m happy! And this is ridiculous! I can handle my own problems by myself, you know? Just wait, brother. I’ll be useful too. I swear I will.

I’ll show you I can be reliable too.

I clenched my fist under the blanket and made myself that promise.

“All done?”

“!”

Ah, shit.

That guy still hasn’t left?

Couldn’t he have gone ahead first?!

...How humiliating.

Before Luman could look at me, I hurriedly dropped my gaze.

I cried like an idiot in front of someone I’d just met. I’m hopeless.

“We have to go, Ren.”

“Ren. Don’t be rude. Answer him properly.”

“Why should I!”

“Good. Better to see you lively. Pack your things. Hm. But can you even leave looking like that? Your face is gray as dirt.”

“Are ordinary people always this weak?”

As if he’d been waiting for the chance, my brother asked Luman that.

While doing that, he kept grabbing my forearm and wrist over and over, and his hand still had plenty of room around them.

“Let go! Why are you grabbing someone else’s arm like that!”

“......”

“Hm. Like I’ve ever seen an ordinary person before. Your forearm is abnormally huge, Temar. More importantly, are you okay?”

Unbelievable. Are all heroes like this? I guess it was nice he said it like it was no big deal, but...

Why do you ask so casually like you’re worried about me. It’s not like you actually are.

I kept my mouth shut tight. Yelling again after earlier felt too embarrassing.

Because the room was so small, Luman crossed it in two steps and ended up right in front of me. Before I could pull away, he covered my forehead with his hand, then ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) touched his own forehead too and tilted his head like he was comparing the two.