“Brother?”

“.......”

“What are you doing?”

Without a word, Temar took off Ren’s shoes.

“B-brother! What are you doing?! My feet stink!!”

Ren nearly died of shock and tried to yank his feet away, but there was no way he could win against Temar’s strength. With practiced ease, Temar caught one of Ren’s ankles in a gentle grip, turned it this way and that, and succeeded in stripping off even his socks. Ren’s pale, slender ankle was so thin Temar could hold it in one hand with room to spare.

“Stay still.”

His voice was stern, but incredibly gentle. Ren had been writhing to get free, but when he noticed that all his flailing had soaked the front of Temar’s clothes, he went limp.

“Uuugh.......”

The moment the hot water touched his feet, his face loosened on its own. Watching Ren melt bonelessly into the warmth, Temar let out a small laugh.

“In the capital, they even have public bathhouses.”

“Hwaaaah.”

Between the hot water and the massage, it didn’t seem like Ren was hearing a word Temar said. Temar laughed again. It was the kind of short, vanishing laugh that popped and disappeared like little bubbles rising when someone dives underwater. Delighted, Ren unconsciously gave a little wiggle of his shoulders.

“Want to go someday?”

“Huh? Go where?”

Ren lowered his head. Their eyes met. Temar looked into those clear green eyes, swallowed down a bitter smile, and shook his head.

“No. I was just thinking we should hurry on the road to the capital.”

“Yeah. Brother, I’m sorry.”

“No, Ren doesn’t need to apologize.”

After carefully washing Ren’s feet, Temar dried them with a towel and even put his socks and shoes back on for him himself. Ren said several times that he could do it on his own, but Temar wouldn’t listen.

Rising with the basin in one hand, Temar looked down at Ren, who was staring up at him with a red face and awkward eyes, and stroked his head. It was a casual hand, just resting on top of his head and petting him any which way, like he was petting a puppy. Ren’s eyes went round, then folded into two pretty half-moons. That day, for the first time, Temar realized something. When his little brother smiled wide, his mouth turned into the shape of a heart.

***

They decided to stay in Tempesto Village for three days.

The village festival lasted a total of seven days. On the final day—two days from now—there would be fireworks to close out the festival.

“You sure about this?”

Avoiding Ren’s gaze, Luman quietly asked Temar. Delaying the schedule was inconvenient for him too, but for Temar, who had received the king’s command, it had to be even worse. Even if they started racing forward now like their asses were on fire, they were already behind schedule. So since they were late anyway, were they planning to be even later? Temar wasn’t the kind of man to think like that, but Luman still wore a sly smile.

“......Just this once.”

“Fine.”

Luman thought he understood what kind of meaning was packed into that this once, so instead of pressing the matter, he ended the conversation there with a short answer. It left a bitter taste in his mouth for no reason.

Ren had brought over the flowerpot, saying he was taking it out for a walk, and had been staring at it for quite a while.

“Ren. What is it?”

“There’s something weird about the pot.”

“Weird how?”

Ren’s finger traced over the smooth surface of the clean flowerpot. To Jepeto’s eyes, it looked perfectly fine.

“I feel like it’s cracked somewhere. Or maybe not? Don’t you see it?”

Lifting the flowerpot up, Ren tilted his head, trying to decide whether it really looked strange or not. Holding it up with both hands, he narrowed his eyes and slowly spun around in place, trying to inspect it more closely.

Jepeto leaned in too, like he was trying to see it with him—then his face turned white.

“Hmm. Ah! Um. Hm. Ren, did you take your medicine? Ha. Ha. Ha.”

“I took it earlier, didn’t I?”

“Ah! Right, then. Um. Maybe I forgot to take mine!”

“Jepeto, do you take medicine too? Are you sick??”

Ren, who hadn’t cared at all about what Jepeto was saying, immediately looked at him the moment he heard the word medicine. Seeing Ren’s startled expression, sweat started pouring down Jepeto’s face. No, that’s not it, I just want to get the hell out of here! Jepeto’s pupils shook violently.

“What hurts? You should ask a doctor—”

Ren got as far as saying doctor, then stopped. Jepeto was the doctor.

“Does your stomach hurt?”

After thinking hard for a while, Ren finally asked that while looking at Jepeto, who had gone pale and was sweating cold. As if that was exactly the answer he needed, Jepeto immediately agreed and then vanished at top speed.

Watching Jepeto’s retreating figure disappear like the wind, Ren frowned with concern.

Ah! Is it because he suddenly needs to shit? But the gladiator match is about to start!

“Ren, what’s wrong?”

Luman, swallowing down his own bitter feelings, called out to Ren, who was staring toward the inn.

“I think Jepeto’s stomach hurts.”

“Really?”

“He ran off. Do you think he’ll make it back before it starts? The event’s about to begin. What’s he supposed to do? He was really looking forward to it.”

Ren frowned seriously, worrying it over. In his pocket was a crumpled piece of paper Jepeto had gotten for him, listing the festival schedule.

“We can just watch it and tell him all about it in detail later.”

Luman said that as he casually slung an arm around Ren’s shoulders. The hand that looked like it was going to settle there only hovered close, almost touching but not quite. If he’d just grabbed him properly, that would’ve been one thing, but the cautious, careful touch only made Ren more aware of it. Pretending not to notice, Ren slipped away from the hand and nodded.

“I still hope he comes back soon.”

“Ren, keep your hat on properly.”

“Okay!”

“What were you looking at so hard?”

“Huh?”

At Temar’s question, Ren’s face brightened. Beneath ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) the hood, his smiling mouth showed clearly.

“This. The flowerpot. Doesn’t it look cracked here?”

“Really? I can’t tell.”

“Look here. Doesn’t it seem like it might break? Or maybe not? Jepeto said he couldn’t tell either.”

Urging him to look more closely, Ren lifted the flowerpot high again, just like before.

The expressions on both Luman and Temar’s faces stiffened for an instant.

“...It’s starting.”

At Temar’s words, Ren’s attention shifted. Luman lightly smacked Temar on the shoulder and gave him a wink. Temar turned his head away.

“Oh? You’re right!”

Boom, boom, boom.

With the pounding of drums announcing the start of the event, singing voices filled the square.

The first event opening the fifth day of the festival was the gladiator tournament. It was a festival contest to choose the village’s best young swordsman, and the winner wouldn’t just receive grain and livestock, but also the chance to go on a date with the village’s greatest beauty.

The final duel between the top contenders who had risen from the first day onward was held on the fifth day.

“Ren, the flowerpot might break, so let’s leave it at the inn.”

“I’ll put it back real quick!”

Luman grabbed Ren before he could run toward the inn and took the flowerpot out of his hands.

“Stay with your brother. I’ll go.”

Before Ren could tell him to stop teasing him, Luman had already gone far off in a flash. Damn it! I’m not calling him brother anymore!

“Brother. Want to watch?”

“Yeah.”

Temar, who had been looking down at Ren in thought for a moment, held out his hand. Ren’s eyes went huge.

My brother is acting weird!

Ever since the Blue Dragon Inn, he’d just kept being so damn gentle.

When Ren hesitated, Temar’s cheek stiffened.

“Ah! Wow! Brother, let’s go closer!”

Woooooah!

The crowd’s cheers snatched away Ren’s attention from Temar’s hand. Ren dashed forward with a bright face. Temar shoved back the surging crowd and stayed firmly at Ren’s side.

That bright smile should have made his heart feel warm, but for some reason, all he felt was complicated and heavy.

Temar looked down at Ren, whose eyes were sparkling as he watched the gladiator match. To Temar, it was nothing but a trivial little contest, but for Ren it must have been exciting, because every time the crowd cheered, he shouted right along with them. Seeing the cheeks under the hood flushed red, Temar thought that even so, it had been the right decision to force the schedule longer.

He knew this was wrong, and the weight of that sat heavy on his heart, but he had a feeling that if not this time, a chance like this would never come again. He couldn’t stop himself from being stubborn.

“Waaaah! Woooo! Seka! Seka!”

“Yaaahhh!”

“Hoooooh!”

“Seka! Seka!”

“Richard! Put some strength into it!”

“Richard!”

“Kyaaaah!”

“Waaah—!”

The stage was high enough that even short people could see the match.

This was the final. A man named Richard and a man named Seka were locked in a fierce battle, one armed with spear and shield, the other with sword and shield. The moment the spear’s quick thrust struck the shield and bounced aside, Seka’s sword slashed in toward Richard’s heart. When the sword glanced off the shield, Richard instantly widened the distance without giving anyone even a moment to breathe, then drove the spear in again, and Seka barely managed to block that overwhelming force with his shield. If either one of them made even the slightest mistake, the whole match would be decided.

As the overheated crowd pushed farther forward, Ren got jostled up on his toes and trapped among them.

“Ack!”

“Ren!”

Before he could even stagger, Temar swept him right up into his arms.

“Huh— Brother?”

The moment the young man suddenly lifted up the boy, people’s eyes turned toward them.

“Ah!”

The young men burst out in admiration at Temar’s striking features and broad, solid build. The women did the same. But Temar, as if he hadn’t even noticed those looks, only stared at Ren, held tight in his arms. His heart was pounding like an axe striking into wood.

Temar pushed back Ren’s hood just a little and checked his face. Ren’s eyelashes were trembling in shock.

“Are you okay? You didn’t get hurt?”

Startled by being lifted so suddenly, Ren had instinctively grabbed a fistful of Temar’s chest. He barely managed a nod.

“I-it startled me. If you’re gonna lift someone all of a sudden, y-you can’t just do that. And I’m not a little kid, so if you pick me up like that.......”

Embarrassed, Ren started rambling excuses under his breath.

Ugh, this isn’t how I want to say it! I sound exactly like a little kid!

Frustrated, Ren bit his lip.

Whether Temar understood how Ren felt or not, he bounced him once in his arms and said,

“I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt.”