Ferzan muffled, "But that's kinda stupid. Having [Personal Storage] gives you a ridiculous amount of versatility. With the right planning, you could be a walking warehouse. Able to store months' worth of rations."

  I had a feeling this [Personal Storage] had a weight limit, and if I got it, I would need to upgrade it a couple of times before I would be able to store months' worth of rations.

  But I understood the point he was making. It wasn't like I didn't think about the pros and cons of [Personal Storage] before making my decision.

  Kaen responded, "Well... I wouldn't call it stupid. It's just very short-sighted. Sure, the boost in mental focus would be useful in combat, but being a Monster Fighter is so much more than combat, especially when you start dealing with the evolved ones. You must think days ahead, dear."

  I sighed, saying, "I appreciate the concern. But what's done is done. I do not regret my actions."

  Ferzan sighed, and the old man shrugged.

  They surely thought my actions were stupid, so I said, "Last night I killed a Broken's monster. Yet he was still alive. I could be wrong, but I believe that was due to him being linked to two monsters at the same time, so the damage was split into two. If I'm correct, then my decision will make it much harder for me to be killed."

  Ferzan pulled his lips to the side, and he seriously contemplated what I said.

  He struggled to admit I had a point. "You're not wrong..."

  Before he could say anything else, I raised my voice, claiming victory. "Then that's done!"

  Sir Kaen lightly smiled, "Well, if it makes you happy, who are we to say otherwise?"

  Ferzan made an ugly expression, like that was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.

  He grunted. "We're talking about Personal Space here," he emphasized the vowels of the words. "Personal space..."

  I suppose it made sense for him to be so hard-headed when it came to this. He was being trained and taught every day to be the best at... being a vlandos. He wanted to be reliable, strong. All that must've made him narrow minded, in the context of gaining powers.

  Hm. No, perhaps [Personal Space] was superior. But just because people generally saw something as better didn't mean everyone would also share the same views.

  "You heard her, she has made up her mind. Be more supportive. You're older, set the example," Kaen said.

  Ferzan's lips moved from right to left in distaste, then he forced the edges of his lips up, resulting in a strained smile.

  That ghoul smile was shared between the siblings? Interesting.

  Kaen waved his cane around, which led me to believe the cane was merely for show, "I'm bringing the young Starworth to the Poisoned Monster Hills. It'll be somewhat of a challenge to bring you."

  He arrogantly puffed up his chest. "I would say if I were a weakling!"

  I thought I was supposed to watch them train here. I guess he had a change of mind.

  He laughed boastfully. Then a bolt of white flew from under his shirt and struck the ground near me.

  The bolt of white energy grew massive, taking on the shape of a narrow ball. Then that white cleared away, revealing a massive, green-shelled centipede-like bug coiled up.

  The creature's black pupils flicked towards me, staring at me with little interest.

  It wasn't just two eyes, but every single eye that was laid from the back of its head, on each shell segment, to the end of the tail.

  At least its massive size was shading me from the Silo. But I didn't appreciate being near a monster so big you would need three dump trucks stacked together to compare their size.

  I said while stepping away from it, "I thought monsters couldn't be used on this estate."

  "There are small exceptions. Like the training fields. You forgot you used a monster to fight near the house?" Ferzan asked.

  "Ah... I did. I did." I continued to eye his giant of a monster

  Kaen noticed my caution and said, "It gives poison immunity, so—"

  A faraway voice interjected, "That wouldn't be necessary, Kaen. She's currently banned from monster zones. She's supposed to be trained, actually..."

  From the silver-colored concrete porch, its balusters adorned with emeralds, Abella leaned over the railing with a neutral expression. "I recall informing your brother of this," she said.

  Kaen rapidly bowed and said apologetically, "Miss Abella, Good day! My brother... has taken a trip to the Vumion Islands. I gave him your message, but... well. You know how it is."

  I heard they actually had a developed tourism sector. A big one, actually. Peaceful and beautiful. Hm. Perhaps Kaen was a fan of them, too, seeing his cane. It was the only thing that made sense to me, since fashion canes weren't a trend in Terrafall.

  It was a major part of Vumion’s male fashion culture, much like the hair scarves worn by men in Terrafallen.

  I think the women used umbrellas that were clearly designed for fashion, but I had never seen a Vumion woman.

  Abella responded, "Is that so. I see."

  And so, she made her way to us. The purple veins on her forehead grew bigger, but she paid no attention to them.

  Once she reached us, she stood in a simple black dress that would have vanished into the dark, making her seem like a disembodied head and pair of arms.

  She said to the two, "May Starlight shine on your training." Her eyes drifted towards me. "I suppose I'll train her."

  Ferzan appeared surprised and said, "Take it easy on her. She's not a Starlight."

  His mother didn't respond, acting like she hadn't heard a thing, and that kinda made me worried. I wasn't planning on having broken damn arms!

  'But oh, you can heal Vernisha.' How did that change the fact that pain is pain?

  Anyway, Kaen and Ferzan left, leaving me with the sometimes nice-ish, often times... strange woman.

  She said to me, "I didn't think to ask it this morning, but why did you not kill the Broken?"

  "He could be saved."

  "Why not get the power?"

  "I'm not so twisted that I would do anything for power."

  She accepted my answer and asked, "I see... Are you upset that you couldn't go with them?"

  "I'm upset at my freedoms being limited." I paused, then said after pulling my lips to the side. "Also, respectfully, what do you think?"

  "I suppose I think exactly what you think."

  "Is that so?"

  Her chin tilted up, and she gazed at the thin clouds in the blue sky, now tinged with green, and said, "If you had to save other Brokens or kill monsters, which would you prefer?"

  I cringed at the question before asking, "What kind of question is that?"

  "I'm just curious, is all."

  "Well... I like both, but... killing monsters makes me level up. And quite frankly, how could anything possibly replace obtaining mod points, life buffs, new monster skills? And life buffs." I knew I had said it already, but I felt the need to emphasize. But... "I think saving Brokens is better."

  "Why are you asking?" I eyed her suspiciously, then figuratively put my foot down. "I don't want to go around playing hero, Miss Abella. Adventurers can do that."

  "That wasn't my intention, I was merely wondering about you."

  "If the way I thought changed?"(Ain't ever gonna happen, Miss.) I cocked an eyebrow. "I still want power. I need it."

  Even if I didn't feel the threat of the strange brown-haired woman, I think I had become too comfortable.

  I needed to get stronger—just in case, in case she showed up.

  "Again, why?"

  "I told you already. To protect myself."

  "And you won't tell me who the enemy is."

  "Anyone could be."

  She said nothing, realizing I wasn't going to tell her anything else.

  There were footsteps of a person approaching us, and it happened to be Tarnisha, who flicked my chin with her pinky before saying, "Sup."

  "Pop," I responded.

  "Pop Sup."

  I smiled at that.

  Abella then said, refusing to actually give up, "You're safe here. You have nothing to fear, no one to fear."

  Ridiculous. For this safety, I paid with my freedom. I appreciated the kindness shown to me—I truly did. But I was not too naive to ignore the signs written in front of me.

  No, not only that. What would happen if my secret got exposed? This safe haven would turn into a horror house.

  My hands tensed as I remembered this. I had to wear a mask to protect myself, and if I ever forgot that, I’d be putting a blade to my own neck.

  And even if they didn't find out, I couldn't forget what Katie told me. About me being a weapon for the Starlights. And now, thinking about that—now that Abella herself was training me—what Katie said felt even more real. Far more concerning.

  So I said, with extreme conviction, "I can only truly feel safe if I can protect myself. Me, myself, and I."

  Abella said nothing at first. "Do I scare you?"

  "No." My left hand tensed.

  "I see..." She didn't seem convinced, but she also didn't appear to care. "Then let's start the training."

  POV: Abella

  Melshan, an elf in a blue sanctity veil, stood nearby, his black hair braided into two long strands that reached his waist.

  I started off by telling Vernisha, "Tell me if you know these. Monsters are four times stronger than a vlandos of the same level. Thus, you should never get up close with a monster unless you have Monster Fighting Armor and Monster Fighting Weapons. MFs for short. Some people call them enhanced gears."

  She and Tarnisha smirked when I said "MF." I didn’t know why and didn’t bother finding out.

  Vernisha responded, "Yeah. I know all that. Oh, can you tell me about knights? Why do people hate them?"

  That was such an out-of-the-blue question... Nevertheless, I answered, "They're ashamed of what they are. They don’t use monsters because they think it's for the lesser vlandos. Less evolved. For the dirty. They see themselves as clean... as the proper vlandos. Or perhaps above them."

  I half shrugged. "They desire to be accepted by regular society."

  But of course, they didn't hold such values for the Star families. We were the exceptions to everything. Almost everything, I suppose.

  Vernisha slowly processed this, seeming more disgusted by the second, then muttered some swear words under her breath.

  I also kept one thing secret. Something that wasn’t allowed to be public.

  I did not hate them. I was disgusted with their existence, but at the same time, the [Hero] in me couldn’t help but admire the cost they paid to be what they were.

  About seventy-five years ago, when I was just thirteen, I was watching The Fallen Foxes—a play about two foxes falling in love and surviving an apocalyptic world—at the Tophmoten Puppet Theater when, quite suddenly, I became a [Hero].

  And to think it was all because of luck. Six hours before that play, I had accidentally stumbled upon a group of ** ** ** and slaughtered them all.

  Power was dropped upon me. Balash was pleased with the crisis I had prevented. Unlike me, knight candidates suffered; they risked their lives and sanity to obtain their power.

  Enough about knights and back to the present.

  On the ground near Melshan was a long leather bag, stashed with everything we would need for practice.

  I said, "Throw her the Blinding Axe."

  And so he did, tossing her a metallic axe with a brown handle and a white head, roughly half the length of my forearm, which she caught with ease.

  "Oh, this gives me a 12% strength boost." She then frowned. "Takes 4% from my health. Not a good trade-off. And it's so small..."

  Her frown deepened. "I don't have a damn health stat."

  I said, "It's a substat of endurance."

  "Ohhh."

  I then said, referring to the axe, "Squeeze and rotate the handle—"

  Her grip tightened around it, and she twirled it, causing the brown handle to rotate clockwise. Suddenly, it expanded four times in length, and the double-sided, crescent-shaped heads grew thrice.

  This one used a hydraulic mechanism to fold and expand the blade and handle.

  "—Unsheathe it with your eyes closed."

  When she did, a sudden burst of intense light flared from the axe’s blade, so blinding it would have overwhelmed everyone present, had they not been prepared.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  "Holy!" she shouted in shock.

  The light faded away. I said, "It can’t be used over and over, since the Lyuma metal needs to absorb light for these bursts."

  It was a metal made with iron and Lyuma stones, which are known for absorbing light and glowing in the dark.

  She then rotated the handle in the opposite direction, triggering a pressure shift in the internal hydraulic chambers. With a faint hiss and the movement of fluid through narrow tubes, the axe's joints retracted, and its segments compacted inward with a smooth, mechanical snap.

  She sheathed the now-collapsed weapon and slid it into her back pocket—half of it still jutting out, likely because the side pockets were already occupied by two smaller knives.

  I said, "I don’t get it... [Personal Space] would solve this issue for you."

  Her face became ugly with irritation, and she began mumbling angry words.

  She then sighed and proceeded to act like she didn't have an adverse reaction to my question.

  "I know. Ferzan already gave me a lecture on it," she answered like a respectful child.

  "I see. Hmm..." I thought, then said, "The armor is next."

  Her eyes widened in excitement, and she almost rushed to the bag.

  I stopped her, saying, "It’s not there."

  I divided the space with two fingers, and blue water spilled from the cut. The waters leaked outward in a circle, slowly forming an eclipse of blue.

  Then I pulled out the kind of armor that was now legally allowed. After about half a decade, the Adventurer Armor Freedom Act bill was passed.

  Allowing them, and only them, to finally wear armor that looked, quite frankly, monstrous.

  Vernisha stared at the armor relative to her size, unsure if it was a bad prank.

  The fine armor wasn't made out of metal. The two long, white, bone horns made that obvious.

  The entire thing was made of monster leather and white bone. Although bone formed the majority of its structure, the joints were made of leather to preserve mobility.

  Vernisha said, looking at me with a deep frown, "Very funny, miss. You're a jokester like your mother."

  "This is no joke." I took out the newspaper I was reading yesterday and offered it to her.

  She suspiciously took the fold of silver-colored paper and ignored the massive SUNDAWN INDEPENDENT NEWS header.

  Vernisha looked up at me, making me wonder if she had actually read everything in such a short time.

  I asked, and she said, "Yeah, been boosting my brain. But this," she pointed at the paper, referring to Senate Act 265: Adventurer Armor Reform Act, has been officially repealed, replaced by the newly passed Adventurer Armor Freedom Act.

  Beneath that, in smaller print, a quote:

  "I'll take time to adapt to. Trust me, I know. But I promise, it'll be worth it. It'll help them save a lot more lives. And saving lives is the most important thing, and it’s my job," said Minister Denzel Rowen.

  Disgusted and genuinely baffled, she said, "Why would anyone want to be going around wearing..."

  She paused for a moment, trying to find the right words to describe her disgust."Body parts! This would scare people!"

  "Yes, it would. But believe it or not, this is much cheaper than the enhanced armor you typically see them wear. Cheaper and offers the same benefits."

  "Enlightened me. Anything relating to monsters costs a ton, economics says that much. Ferzan also told me weapons are imbued with status effects to make them more effective; I assume it's the same for armor. I don't know how that works, but I'm certain it's through a vlandos blacksmith. So that costs a ton... but to get good armor out of a monster means they would need to hunt a powerful monster, be careful with its body so it's not badly damaged. Then get a blacksmith that's strong enough to damage that powerful monster skin."

  She was still annoyed, then muttered under her breath, "I wasn't told I could become a blacksmith..."

  I answered, "One question at a time. Besides, you would still need to work for the Defense Department—" I corrected my statement. "Vlandos Defense Department.

  "Armor is enhanced with status effects, that is true. For the most part." The science behind it was amazing. "But both armors use monster parts. In standard armor, it's on the inside, hidden behind regular leather or metal. The monster flesh is somewhat reanimated, but not as a whole. Just in tiny tiny tiny pieces... They're individually given status effects. Every time a piece loses the effect, the other piece kicks in, and so the cycle continues."

  Vernisha was stunned, lips pursed, unable to believe what she had just heard. "That sounds... H-how did someone come up with that?"

  "When in war, innovation is at its peak. I believe the inventor's name was Merain't Sonsvernul SonsKulrnul."

  It is suspected that he had appropriated the concept from one of the many military scientists then involved in classified research aimed at integrating monster abilities with advanced technology—an effort incentivized by promises of pardons or conditional freedom.

  While Falsker did succeed in unifying the warring factions of Emermyne, several regions were coerced through military force and conscription. Merain't was one of the scientists taken to work on that project.

  Vernisha asked, "What kind of name is that?"

  "Red punchios, they inherit both parents' family name." I hesitated, then said, "Well, it's respectful to call them Ulkers. They recently changed their name."

  'Red Punchio' took away their individuality as a people, I believe.

  "I see..." Vernisha muttered, then sighed and said, "So. This armor... You know what."

  She gently took it from my hand. "I'm done complaining. Thank you."

  She began putting it on. It took a little while, but when she was done, the armor slightly adjusted to fit firmly against her tiny height of 5 feet.

  If it wasn't for her visor being up, she would've looked like a monster. But on her back and center of her chest was a painting of a cracked red sphere, making it obvious she was Terrafallen, or cosplaying as one.

  She then said in shock, "What the...! 450% in defense? 450? 450?! These things must be expensive as hell. I mean, like really, really expensive."

  She then asked, "How do they even afford that? Hell, I might consider being one if I'm going to be swimming in so much cash. How much does this even cost?"

  Her eyes were determined and hard, like a seasoned opportunist.

  "Depends on who you're talking about. But typically loans are taken." I then said, "For Adventurers, the Guild gives gears as a loan."

  When she heard that, her excitement was immediately killed. "What are the interest rates? On average"

  Why was she so knowledgeable on such things? She was at the library yesterday for long. I suppose she had a liking for knowledge.

  I believe it's 45%?" I answered.

  "45?! How is that legal!"

  I was slightly confused. Before, it used to be much higher. I told her, "It's better than 65%."

  Her jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "But... you need armor as an adventurer. If you become one, you don't have a choice but to take that loan. That's a debt trap."

  "Oh." I think I understood why she was so against being an adventurer now. "You wouldn't have to worry about such things. I'm plenty rich."

  "What?" Now she was confused. Only after a short while did she realize my implication. "Oh no. I'm not becoming an adventurer. Not when that predatory hell exists. Are banks' interest rates typically that high? What's the highest it's legally allowed to get to? There is a limit? There must be. Some kind of central banking."

  I told Vernisha, "For consumer loans, 13%... As for the high rates in the guild, quite frankly, adventurers have high mortality, disability, or Broken rates."

  (My head hurts so bad)

  I turned to look at the mansion and the surrounding buildings. "And they're often nobodies. Have no land, business. Almost nothing for collateral, but the armor they can't pay off. The guild actually suffers massive losses from those loans."

  Not that it matters since it's government owned.

  Thinking of the 'guild' as a private, for-profit entity almost made me laugh. That would be hell for the common folk.

  Vernisha ground her teeth and absentmindedly groped her hair. "Yeah, yeah, I get it."

  It was nice when kids understood things quickly.

  (It feels like my bones are cracking)

  I asked, "More questions or back to the important stuff?"

  Before she could answer, Tarnisha suddenly said with a jeer, "Check the other boosts."

  Vernisha did that, and after a second, responded in disappointment, "Uh... they're depressingly much much lower. Like, 3% in traveling speed. Strength got a 6%, that's all."

  I asked, "Guess why."

  She almost rolled her eyes.

  After slightly shaking her head in displeasure, she said, "It's incredibly easy to get killed by a monster? And the reanimated monster part of the armor only has so much surface area. So there is a limit on the number of status effects."

  She was pleased with her answer, nodding her head. "That sounds reasonable. Oh, and the blacksmith's skill is also a factor."

  I nodded, impressed. "Exactly. Ferzan seems amazing and powerful. But when he was far younger, he was almost killed by a monster's surprise attack. One around his level."

  (My head is killing me)

  I touched the middle of my chest. "The spine here, and everything in its way, was blown through, with absolute ease. Armor is the make or break of a monster fighter. A foolish level 100 could be killed by a cunning level 30 monster. Easily at that."

  Although I only ever heard of that happening once. It was so humiliating, his kids were harassed and made fun of at school for it.

  For all of the month, Balshibea(the first month of the year), comedians made jokes on him. Not out of hatred or malice because he was a vlandos.

  But because of the sheer ridiculousness of it. Even my father, a relatively sympathetic guy, would joke about it.

  "Abella Abella. Not you, your mother." He leaned against the yellow and white granite counter, holding in a terrible laugh. "Be careful in that monster zone,—" (My head is splitting) "—these level 30s are looking fierce nowadays."

  Then he bellowed, laughing, along with my younger brother and eldest sister. My mother shook her head, holding in the chuckle before leaving for the monster zone with me.

  I remember having terrible dreams because I kept thinking I would end up like him. That I would be mocked and laughed at while I rot in the grave.

  The Great Hero, Abella, killed by an Aqumanda. A weak monster!

  I mentally shook my head and paid attention to what Vernisha was saying.

  "Hm... I get it. I mean, I already knew that. I saw it before."

  "Is that so. You can see why I still think you should make proper use of your levels? Why its surprising?"

  "Still not going to happen... I will not become a soldier, a slave, a weapon."

  "Why did you say weapon in such a way?"

  A withered, reddish brown leaf glided by, riding the winds. I caught it for no reason. It was just muscle memory. When I was younger, my mother did that a lot when she was under Abella's tree. My grandmother's name.

  "A certain person told me that your mother would have eyes on me. As a pawn for the Starlights. A weapon... I'm not a weapon," she said strongly, clenching her fists tighter than before.

  Her cotton gloved left hand trembled in anger, only that hand, like it were to blame for her hatred of being a weapon.

  Was she left handed? I did not think so.

  I asked, "Yes, that's most likely the case... But how can you not want to be a weapon? You seek power, you seek to sharpen your edge. You're a vlandos, by definition, not of mines... not of this world's, but by the System's, by Balash's, you are a weapon. We were made to be weapons, to kill monsters, to protect intelligent life."

  (My muscles are being torn apart)

  Her hand clenched even further. "The difference is in agency. To choose which part of me is the weapon, the tool." She then said, with an increased volume. "I have no interest in being a pawn. And I'll say that, again and again. And again."

  I sighed, then took a seat on the rock covered ground, "All are pawns, even the Mortal Gods themselves. Such things are natural." I caught another leaf, a fresh yellow one. Then I looked back at her. "Why do you seek this unnatural freedom?"

  She responded just as quickly, like the answer was at the tip of her tongue, "Don't you like freedom? Miss? You don't like the way your mother treats Katie, I can see that. Everyone can. When she tried to control Tarnisha, you stepped up. You clearly care about freedom."

  I stared at her. "These are micro things—"(I want to vomit. My jaw hurts so bad)"—Freedom to what I want... I haven't—"

  "Your Ferzan and Katie respect their father, your husband, greatly. I assume that means your marriage is okay, decent. If you were forced into a marriage you didn't like, would you so easily be dismissible about your freedom? Despite being a Starlight. Being a [Hero]. Or did you not have freedom in that?"

  'No, I did not.' I said, looking into her eyes. 'I was to have kids with him for the family.'

  'You weren't told to marry him, yet you did so. You got the kids, yet you stayed with him.'

  ... 'I wasn't told not to marry him.'

  'And what if you were told to divorce him? For whatever reason?'

  'Then...' I paused, realizing the kind of argument I was having with a kid, one that had barely been alive. 'I'm not having this discussion with a child.'

  'Because you'll choose to stay with him. I'm right, ain't I? You'll choose what you want.'

  I did not respond. Instead, I stood up with a ruined mood and a deep scowl. "We train now."

  The child didn't react, showing a lack of interest. And that annoyed me. Almost instinctively, I felt to shout, get up, or force her to defend herself.

  But I did (My head, damn it. Damn it!) not want to.

  Freedom, huh.

  Goldbon had truly affected me. Freedom this. Freedom that. Freedom what.

  Look a man, sometimes so naive to how the world worked despite knowing so much.

  Never wanting things to be as is, always wanting better. Seeking a world where things are better. Trying to be good in a world of beasts and monsters.

  That wasn't to say he was perfect, or truly good in everything. He had a temper he kept hidden, one that always showed its ugly head whenever he interacted with those he hated.

  I loved Goldbon, but it wasn't love at first sight. Before I met him, I tried to delude myself into being attracted to the man I had never truly talked to before.

  My mother wanted me to have those kids. The family, Yellowbrim, wanted that. For the family. For Starlight. For the Future.

  Oftentimes, he was at the ceremonies for me because of some heroic action I took, or on my holiday. Abella's day.

  We would high bow to each other, hope our futures are shined by the stars. And have very little small talk.

  But it was obvious, in his eyes, his tone, his body language: that man didn't give a damn about the words that spewed from his mouth. And he knew I had known it. He wanted me to know it. To say, Tell your family to fuck off.

  But the family had expectations of me. And so after many years had passed, and the missions I was given by Balash dwindled, I decided to actually try my hand at him.

  I tried to tell myself to focus on his looks. But the other part of me would laugh, saying, Please, there are many handsome men in the world. His looks aren't special.

  I had gone out of my way to meet him on a casual day. Yupochalsp. The sky was red with a tinge of black, and it had been raining an hour before.

  So the paved road was muddy and slippery, and for some reason, he was at a refreshment shop, built on the side of the road that led to Laskdar.

  When I had entered the brick building, devoid of painting and much personality, the first person I saw sipping from a white glass was him.

  He knew my intentions and said, "Not going to happen. I like my women shorter than me. Just a bit. You know." He had that tone of mockery. "Okay, maybe by like two inches. What's that? Six feet? Hmm... Maybe four inches shorter than me... Hmm.. Maybe five?"

  Back then, I was more prideful in the family, so I saw that as an insult. The Starlights were the greatest, most powerful family in all of Korshu.

  Foreign powers would beg to mix their blood with ours — even knowing it would violate the Terrafall–Starlight Sacred Lineage Mandate, which classified any attempt by outsiders to pursue romantic or sexual ties with a Starlight as an act of aggression against Terrafall itself.

  And it wasn't like Yellowbrim didn't have laws against outsiders that attempted the same thing, including Terrafallens.

  But he was the son of a Mortal God. Why would he have gave a damn?

  If anything, finding another Starworth would've been to his interest.

  When I didn't respond to his joke, he said, "Okay, Miss Hero. Someone like Rubymin would be more than likely to take you up on your offer."

  A blatant lie.

  I wasn't good at flirting, but I tried, recalling my classes. "Your brother isn't nearly as handsome as you."

  He went from sipping Blackthorn tea to looking up at me, ignoring all the watching eyes in the small family shop.

  And then he laughed, he laughed so hard that despite looking somewhat dignified in his white head scarf, long black coat, and white pants, he seemed disgusting.

  Those bright red pupils of his, shaped like butterflies, appeared to mock me.

  He then said, "Me? Then my brother? We're triplets, miss." He leaned forward. "We look the damn same, even my sister."

  He sighed and drank the dark tea in a single gulp before looking up at me again. "Who the hell are y'all flirting stylist? It's like it's getting worse nowadays. Tell you what, miss Hero."

  He drew me closer with a gesture. "You actually have some things I would like. Help me out with your Hero status, and I'll give you what you want."

  “Your status is greater than mine.”

  “I know.”

  To say the least, we started on the wrong foot.

  But despite acting so hard and seemingly introverted, I soon learn he was the opposite.

  Whenever we met up for his ridiculous plans, and he needed my knowledge or influence, he would often derail it with a casual conversation.

  (My knees hurts...)

  As if he had no friends. No one to make fun of Governors, dumb laws, and political drama with. Or to complain about inflation, new taxes, gloat about his business subsidies, and so on.

  And I didn't dislike that. No, I enjoyed the back-and-forths. The dumb moments we had.

  It was never something exciting. All we did was stand or sit together and have the most mundane conversations. What others would have considered boring.

  But it was fun to step away from reality, from being a [Hero]. From what I was meant to do. Which was ironic. The entire reason we were talking was because of who and what we were.

  Even though I enjoyed the time spent talking with him, it confused me horribly.

  I remember asking him as the Silo drew to the oceans, "Why do you always come looking for me to have these... lame conversations. You could have it with anyone."

  He bit down on the top of a red cucumber, then spat out the round white seeds. "Abella, didn't I already ask how much money Life For All is giving to Ginbil?"

  Ginbil was the Laskdar Governor at the time. The city where Life For All would have moved most of their production infrastructure, factories, and workshops to get lower taxes if their plan worked.

  "And I did so. We have been... Talking for three hours since."

  "Oh. You can leave. My bad."

  "What? No. I don't want to. I'm just asking. I'm confused. Cause I like this. You know. I never get to... Chill like this nowadays."

  I really did like it. I would even plan out when to leave for a mission, how long it would take, and whether I could make it back in time to talk to him before his business meetings.

  If I saw a bird shit on someone, I would think, I can't wait till I tell Goldbon this.

  Or perhaps I would see a wild horse and also think, He's not going to believe this.

  It wasn't a feeling of love that compelled such thoughts. I wasn't certain what it was, but I knew I liked whatever it was. I could talk to him for hours about the most boring stuff possible, dumb theories about novels I used to read. And he would listen and ask questions.

  To have someone to truly talk to made my life lighter, happier.

  He said, faintly smiling, "I like this too. I mean, you have no reason to pretend to care. We have our agreement, so trying to emotionally manipulate me is pointless. But you stay, listen, and you'll get a lot of interesting stories and funny family drama. You're fun to talk to. It's hard for me to get that. And you understand what that means, Miss Hero."

  "Hm. So like a friend? A real friend."

  He chuckled and threw the remaining skin of the Red cucumber into the river that ran under the bridge. Then he leaned against the iron guard railing. "I mean... You're hot. I'm hot-hot-ter. We could, you know. Be more than that."

  "... What?" I had blinked at him, slightly taken aback.

  His confident demeanor went up in smoke, and he turned to face me, somewhat embarrassed. "You came to me, trying to get into my pants. So you better keep those judgmental eyes to yourself."

  And then I laughed, not because of what he said, but because of the situation. "I thought I was supposed to help you out till the year is done! We've got 15 more months."

  He crossed his arms, a smile playing on his face. "Have you ever been in a relationship, Abella? I'm talking about that. Romance, all that."

  "Have you really fallen for me so fast?" My smile had deepened, but in a playful manner.

  "I'm an easy guy, it seems."

  "Is that so. But what if I were merely manipulating your emotions? And that was my true end goal?"

  "I'll be a sucker."

  "Really? That's all?"

  "Yeah. I've never actually been in a relationship. They always seemed so fake. But you? Damn. Talking to you like this..." He shook his head in amusement, unable to believe his feelings.

  "Having the most fun merely by talking to you messes with my head." He shrugged and then hoisted himself up seat on the guard railings.

  "You're a silly man. So easily swayed by emotions."

  "Welp. Got my first rejection. Time to suicide." He jumped into the cold river, then popped back up. "It's freezing!"

  I had chuckled for a short while. "Dumbass.

  "I have never been in a relationship. I... To have had the most fun in my life talking to you. If a relationship means this, I would like that."

  He smirked at me, like he knew I felt the same way. "Guess we're both real easy. Abella."

  "You're easier than me." I cocked an eyebrow, wondering if he forgot who admitted their feelings first.

  "By far. In a week, I was thinking and getting excited about meeting up to talk to you." He laughed at himself. "Had me hugging my pillow in excitement."

  "A week?!" I really couldn't believe it, and even wondered if it was one of his poor jokes.

  "I kept it hidden like a champ, though, Abella. Took three months for me to say this." He swarmed to the leg of the bridge before climbing up, but not shivering.

  I really wanted him as a companion. I wanted to see his face, always. Hear his voice every time. Hear those corny jokes of his.

  I wanted to hear how he thought, what he did, his overzealous plans for the future. And out of all of these, I liked the way he looked at me, spoke of me, said my name.

  Abella. Nothing was special about it, but it made me feel alive. Like that word carried a thousand meanings.

  That he was saying, 'you're my favorite in the world'. Abella. Abella. Abella.

  Yes, I liked that a lot.

  I sighed and focused on the present. My head pulsed with pain, like I was being sawed from the jaw to my temple.

  I took in a deep breath, although it did not lessen the pain, I had convinced myself it did. Foolish, I know.

  Then I said, choosing to do things the faster and easier way, the freer way, "You can keep the axe and the armor if you can tag me."

  I braced myself for the overwhelming pain that would come from pushing my body. Then I looked up and saw the little girl running toward me with wild glee. “Got it, captain!”