Dawn light filtered through the windows, playing over a pair of blankets tucked under the large table. Kino snored away. He rolled in his sleep, throwing out an arm. The arm struck Gale in the gut.

Gale let out a quiet oof. He blinked awake, then scowled and pushed the arm off of him. Kino rolled over again, leaving him alone. For a moment, Gale considered rolling over and going back to sleep, as well, but then he tucked his arms under his head instead. Lying there quietly, he reveled in the early-dawn sunlight, the warmth of day slowly chasing away the chill of night.

I’m really in another world.

No more job, no more stress. The whole world, every possibility, open before me.

He sighed and rubbed his nose. Once Kino gets up, we should move on. There’s other heroes. Other…

Heroes… who aren’t… The Hero of Light, who already killed the Demon King once!

Gale sat up abruptly. The top of his head scraped the underside of the table. “I’m not giving up. Not yet!”

“Uh… huh?” Kino jolted awake. He sat up, too, and slammed his head into the underside of the table. Crying out, he fell backward, clutching his forehead.

“Are you okay?” Gale asked.

Kino groaned. He rubbed his forehead and sighed.

“Need a potion?”

Kino shook his head. “Jus’ hurts.”

“Alright, alright,” Gale chuckled. He climbed out from under the table and stared out at the farm.

In the distance, Arthur strode through the fields, already heading out to start the day. He pushed back his hair and smiled, a gentle, content smile, unlike anything they’d seen last night.

Gale furrowed his brows. “I can’t give up yet. One last try!”

“You said that last time,” Kino pointed out, sitting up more carefully.

“One last, last try. For real, this time,” Gale promised.

Kino narrowed his eyes at Gale. “Pinky promise?”

Gale offered his pinky.

Kino shook it. He sighed, already exhausted. “Be careful, Gale. This man… among monsters, he’s the equivalent of the human’s Demon King. He’s killed so many of us. My village mostly avoided the battle by hiding in the deep forest, but even then, we still had uncles and aunties who ran off and got killed by him.”

“He’s turned over a new leaf,” Gale said.

“If the Demon King sat in front of you right now and told you he’d turned over a new leaf, would you believe him?” Kino posited.

“Er… no,” Gale admitted.

Kino nodded. “By all rights, we should be trying to kill him. He’s got a huge bounty on his head. He’s the prize all monsters and demons should aim for.”

“But… we’re way lower level than him,” Gale pointed out.

“I know. I know. I don’t… I understand that I should want kill him. That he’s the bane of all monsters. But… now that I’ve met him, I… He fed me dinner. He didn’t try to kill me. He wasn’t a bloodthirsty monster, just…” Kino scrubbed his head, knocking the cap askew.

“Just a guy. Just… a peaceful farmer,” Gale said quietly.

“Yeah. I… what do I do, Gale? I don’t understand. I don’t want to kill him, but… in the eyes of so many other monsters… I’m betraying them, right now, to stay in his house and eat his food, to not… do whatever I can to try to kill him,” Kino said, shaking his head.

Gale put his hands on Kino’s shoulders and looked into his eyes. “Listen, Kino. You aren’t them. You’re your own person. This is your life. Decide for yourself if you should try to kill Arthur or not. No one else can decide that for you.”

Kino stared at the floor. After a long moment, he nodded. “It… doesn’t matter now, anyways. I’m only level three. He could kill me with his pinky finger. But… it still… feels wrong.”

“What feels wrong?”

Kino squirmed. “That… that I… all the hatred, all the death, and here I am…”

“Arthur had his reasons for doing what he did. The humans, too, were slaughtered by monsters, weren’t they? It was a war. Both sides had their grievances. That one man was powerful enough to carve his way to the Demon King is the only thing that separates Arthur from any other soldier who fought in that war,” Gale said.

“That’s… I know, but…”

“What’s bothering you? Deep in your heart, what bothers you the most right now?” Gale asked.

Kino bit his lip, embarrassed. “It’s stupid, but…”

“That’s okay. Just say it.”

“I… I feel like I’m letting everyone down.”

Gale scoffed. “What do you mean, letting everyone down?”

“I’m here! I’m in his house! I could, I could—”

“You’re level three, Kino. You’re doing well to be here at all. And besides…” Gale gestured outside, where Arthur wandered into the distance, humming to himself. “Do you see anyone else fighting Arthur? Any of your fellow monsters, going after him?”

Kino glanced up and looked around. He shook his head, just a little.

“Then what are you feeling ashamed for? Do you think you’re the only one who knows he’s here? Arthur isn’t hiding himself. He’s living openly. If people want to come after him and settle their hatred, he’s waiting for them. There’s no reason for you to try and take that entire burden onto yourself.”

Kino took a deep breath. He nodded, breathing out. “That’s right. It’s not as if I’m the only monster in the world.”

“Right. This isn’t your burden to bear. Now… come on. Last try before we give up on Arthur,” Gale declared.

Kino hesitated, then nodded.

Gale glanced at him. He smiled. “You don’t have to come along if you’re scared. Wait in the forest. I’ll be back by nightfall.”

“No! I’ll come,” Kino said firmly.

Gale nodded. He gestured and led Kino out into the field. Standing at the back of the house, he bent back and shouted, “Arthur!”

“What’s all the hollering for?” Arthur asked, stepping out of the greenhouse behind him.

“I’m not done yet. I won’t give up. One last time. Come with us, just for a little while. A week. A—a day. Try out adventuring again,” Gale insisted.

Arthur narrowed his eyes. “Hmm… I don’t think so.”

“Give me one more chance. I’ll convince you to come along. One more try!” Gale said, determined.

“Ahhhh… fine. But I’m not leaving my farm. It’d go to seed without me here.”

Gale furrowed his brows. “What… what if…”

“Oh, I know. What was it you were saying earlier? Anyone can run a farm? Why don’t you prove it?” Arthur said, crossing his arms. He looked down at Gale, a glimmer of a disdain in his eyes.

“Sure. Let’s do it,” Gale said. Unhesitatingly, he stomped toward the nearest field.

Arthur caught him by the shoulder and spun him around. “Start by fetching water for the tomatoes. There’s a river down at the bottom of the hill. Buckets are in the shed. Ten buckets’ worth ought to do it… you can fill that tub, there.” He thumbed over his shoulder at a wooden tub on the floor. “Have at it.”

“You got it,” Gale declared fiercely. He looked around. Where’s that river?

Kino stood on his tiptoes. He raised a hand and peered off into the distance. “There… is that it?”

He pointed down at the bottom of the hill, around a stand of trees, past two fields and down another hill. There, a stream burbled along brightly.

Gale gaped. That far? How? How is that possible? He does this every day?

Arthur nodded. “I usually use magic to carry the water, but… anyone can do it, right, boys? Prove it.”

Gritting his teeth, Gale grabbed a bucket. “Let’s go, Kino. We’ve got this.”

Kino glanced at Gale, then grabbed a bucket of his own. Together, the two set off down the hill.

Again, Gale glanced at Kino. “You don’t have to do this. It’s—”

Kino shook his head. “I’ve come this far. I might as well.”

Gale slung his bucket over his shoulder. The two of them set off down the hill. For a while, they walked in silence, only the creaking of the buckets to break the silence.

“This hill is too damn big!” Gale complained.

“It’s not that bad,” Kino replied. He hummed quietly to himself, swinging the bucket.

Gale hummed back. It only feels so long because I’m bored. Something to talk about, something to talk about…

Gale glanced at Kino. “Do you want to kill the Demon King?”

That? That’s what I settled on? What am I thinking?

Kino scowled. “I don’t want him to survive.”

Gale waited, not sure how to follow that up. They continued on down the hill.

“The Demon King wants all humans dead. There’s bad humans, sure, but there’s bad monsters, too. I don’t think all humans deserve to die. I… part of why I came here is to find out if the Demon King was right, and all humans were evil,” Kino confessed.

“Are we? …They?” Gale teased gently.

Kino shook his head. “Those slavers were bad, but everyone in town isn’t evil. Nice people showed us the way. Arthur… Arthur gave us food and a place to stay. They’re scared of us monsters, but I don’t think they fundamentally deserve to die.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Gale said, grinning.

“You’re a human, too, huh?” Kino cracked a smile, then shook his head. “Not all monsters think it’s worth giving humans a chance. The non-sentient monsters are easily corrupted by the Demon King’s aura, and become nothing but mindless beasts. And the demons… the demons follow whoever’s strongest. As long as the Demon King is the strongest, they don’t care what he wants. They’ll follow him anywhere.”

“So a war is inevitable?” Gale asked.

Kino shrugged. “I don’t know. As long as there’s a Demon King, there will be monsters and demons willing to follow him. But I… I want to choose for myself.”

“I understand,” Gale said. It’s like when I asked the Goddess to forge my own destiny. Kino, too, wants to make his own decision.

“Anyways, I’m not the only one. There’s lots of beastfolk adventurers. And elves, too!” he assured Gale, then hesitated. Under the cap, his ears drooped. “Right. You aren’t actually an elf.”

“In this world, I’ve been an elf far longer than I’ve been a human,” Gale said.

Kino shook his head. “It’s not the same.”

Gale glanced at him, then shrugged. “No. I guess it isn’t.”

Down the hill. Dawn became early morning, and early morning climbed toward noon. The sun blazed down. Sweat ran down Gale’s back by the time he reached the stream. His ears twitched, burning under the sun, and he rubbed them, annoyed. My ears are sensitive to heat? What is this? Elves, what are you doing?

Gale bent and plunged his bucket into the clear water. The stream gurgled past, splashing around rocks. Fish darted in the shallows, little more than teardrop-shaped shadows.

Kino plunged into the water, splashing Gale. His cap went flying.

“Hey!” Gale said, annoyed. He grabbed the cap before it could float away and stuffed it into his belt.

Laughing, Kino splashed at Gale. “What, are you gonna climb back up that hill all hot and sweaty? Come on! Let’s cool off first.”

A smile spread across Gale’s face. Kino’s back! He laughed and jumped into the stream after Kino. “Right? Why suffer!”

Cool water swirled around them. The stream only came to knee-height, but Kino laid in it on his belly, intent gaze focused on the water. Gale walked over to his side and peered at the stream. “What is it?”

“Fish,” Kino replied.

“Ah,” Gale said, understanding.

Kino’s eyes widened. He lunged, transforming mid-attack. Sharp teeth slammed down onto a passing fish. It wriggled, scales shimmering. Blood ran down the stream, a ribbon of crimson. Kino shook his head and gobbled it down, tail wagging.

“Excuse me, is Arthur in?” a woman asked.

Gale and Kino both froze. Gale leaped back into action first, plunging Kino into the water. Transform back, transform back! With his other hand, he stuffed his ears into his hat and tugged it low on his head, hiding his red eyes.

A woman stepped around the corner. She wore a simple blue dress, her dark hair tucked into a loose bun. Though not attractive, she had a rustic charm to her, with rosy cheeks and freckles, soft eyes and a round nose. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled at Gale, tipping her head to the side.

“Er, er, who’s asking?” Gale stuttered. Kino struggled under his hand, but Gale still felt fur, not hair. He grimaced and patted Kino. Come on, Kino, turn back!

“Annette. I brought bread,” she said, revealing a neat basket at her side. Though a cloth hid the contents, the warm, yeasty scent of fresh bread filled the air.

Kino shoved against Gale’s hand and broke the surface, gasping a breath. He clasped both hands over his head, pinning his ears to his skull. “Gale, cap, cap.”

Gale slapped the cap on Kino’s head. It hooked on backward, but there was no time to worry about particulars.

Annette chuckled. “You two are close friends, aren’t you? I haven’t seen you around before.”

Gale smiled at Annette. “We’re, er, distant relatives of Arthur. Come on, we’ll guide you up the hill.” He scooped up a bucket of water, wrung out his shirt, and started up the path.

“Oh, how gentlemanly of you,” Annette said, smiling.

Kino gave Annette a suspicious look, but hopped out of the water to follow Gale up the hill. His water sloshed as he skipped along, and before long, more than half had sloshed out.

“Er, Kino, can you… walk… normally?” Gale asked.

“Normally?” Kino asked. He stopped, then, haltingly, reached out one leg. That one hit the ground, and he stretched out the other, jolting from one side to the other. The water kept sloshing, wetting the path around them.

“You know what, never mind,” Gale said. “I was just seeing something. Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay!” Kino said. He bounded ahead, splashing water around again.

Annette chuckled. “He’s a handful, isn’t he? Is he your little brother?”

“No,” Gale said dismissively.

“But… you’re relatives of Arthur’s?”

Gale’s eyes widened. “Ah, ah, that’s right, we’re… uh, cousins. Close cousins. Our families live right next door to one another, we grew up together, so of course we’d visit together! Aha!”

Her brows furrowed. “Where are your parents? Did they stay at home?”

“Yeah, uh, you know. Had to keep the fort down at the old farm,” Gale said, chuckling nervously.

“They must live close, to send two boys alone,” Annette said.

“No, no. It’s uh, deep in the forest. Not somewhere you’d… have ever seen, no,” Gale said.

“In the forest? A farm? Aren’t they scared about the monsters attacking? Especially with a fortress so close, and the darkness already creeping through the fringes of the forest…”

“Um… no.”

“No?”

Gale shook his head. “Nope.”

They stared at one another for a few beats.

Gale cleared his throat. “What was that about the darkness, though?”

“You don’t know? The Demon King has cast miasma upon the land. A vicious darkness that claims the land it settles over for evil, and taints the plants, animals, even the soil itself with darkness. It’s poisonous to humans like us. The Church of Light’s wards hold it back, but we’re already well west of the wards. After all, this is land we reclaimed from the monsters after the last war,” Annette explained.

“Oh,” Gale said.

Arthur stepped out of a nearby field as they passed, dusting off his hands. He nodded a hello to Annette and joined in alongside them. “I hope the boys aren’t bothering you?”

“Oh no, of course not! Your nephews are very kind,” Annette said, smiling.

Kino turned and beamed at that, swinging his bucket wide. What little water remained sloshed out.

Gale resisted the urge to put his face in his hands.

“My… nephews?” Arthur asked, startled.

“Eh? Isn’t that what you boys said?” Annette’s brows furrowed. She squinted at Arthur, a finger pressed to her lips thoughtfully. “Wait, but Arthur’s a Legendary Hero. You don’t have any family in this world, do you? Are they… an ex-wife’s family?”

“E—ex—” Arthur spluttered. He shook his head.

“Then…” Annette frowned at him.

“They’re, they’re, ah… it’s… more of a godfather situation,” Arthur finished.

“You’re the godfather of both these cousins? How did that come about?” Annette asked innocently.

Arthur glared at Gale.

Gale shot him a smile and scratched the back of his head apologetically.

Clearing his throat, Arthur crossed his arms. “It was back in my heroing days. They were… er, poor folk, you know? Whole extended family, living in one house. I happened to save their mothers from some monsters, and they made me the boys’ godfather as a way of thanks. Because they were poor.”

“Poor folk, I see. Their farm is deep in the forest, after all,” Annette said, nodding.

“A farm in the forest?” Arthur muttered to himself, narrowing his eyes at Gale.

Gale gave his winningest smile.

“Yes?” Annette said.

“No, no. You know. ‘A farm in the forest! Can you believe it?’ That’s what I said, when I met the boys, back in the day.”

Annette furrowed her brows. “Met… the boys’ mothers?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right. I’m an old man, you know. My memory isn’t what it was,” Arthur said, shaking his head.

“You aren’t old! Still in the prime of your life,” Annette insisted.

“I’m an old man. Old and tired.”

“No! You still have your whole life ahead of you,” Annette replied, gazing devotedly up at him.

Gale waggled his eyebrows at Arthur. Someone’s got an admirer.

Arthur scowled back. His frown deepened, then morphed into a smile. Casting a sideways glance at Kino’s empty bucket, he waved his hand. “You know what, boys, forget about the water. Why don’t you two go pick some berries for Annette? Maybe she’ll make you a pie, if you’re lucky.”

“Pie!” Kino cried excitedly. He bounced faster, dancing along. “Pie, pie, pie, with sugar?”

“Of course!” Annette said, smiling back.

Gale licked his lips. I want pie, too, but why do I have a bad feeling about this…?