Sarah led the way inside the small cottage. The sweet, bakery-like scent spread as she opened the door. Gale followed, Kino peering curiously over his shoulder. Theo hovered in as well, unwilling to be left alone outside with the knights. Piero wandered after them, hands tucked behind him, and Felicity, scowling fiercely, stuck close behind Theo, her eyes glued to his back. With so many adults, the little cottage instantly became cramped.

With a grunt, Eunice leaned against the doorframe from outside, propping the door open. Behind him, Tysir busily tended to a big, iron grill, scrubbing the dirty bars with a stiff brush, then filling it with firewood. Gale glanced back just as she lowered over the grill and spat a mouthful of flame, setting the wood alight.

In the broad hearth, a waffle iron sat on a tall spit over an iron bowl. The iron bowl was full of charcoal chips. A cherry-red stone sat nestled in the chips. Sarah snapped her fingers, and the stone burst with fire. In seconds, the charcoal came alight. It burned high, flames quickly dying to a low, even heat.

“My own design. Easier to handle when you don’t have to crouch above a low flame to handle the waffle process. The rest of it, I based off what I remembered about waffle irons from our world,” Sarah announced proudly.

Gale wandered over. He reached for the handle sticking off the front of the waffle iron to turn it.

“Gale, no!” Kino shouted. He grabbed Gale back.

“What?” Gale asked. His hand fell short of the iron.

Sarah passed him a towel. “It’s iron. Heats up pretty fast.”

“Oh.” Using the towel this time, he tried the handle. It flipped around the spit, and Gale opened it. He raised his eyebrows. “Just like a normal waffle iron!”

Sarah beamed. “Right? I had to go through a dozen prototypes to get it working, but eventually, the blacksmith got what I was going for.”

She grabbed a pat of butter and closed the iron, then flipped it over, allowing the butter to melt onto both sides. Flipping it back right-side-up, she reached to the side and drew a bowl of batter to her side. “The batter was a bit touch-and-go at first, too. Getting that crisp hardness right… for a while, I was serving ice cream in floppy cones. I had to call them crepes.”

“Ice cream crepes are tasty, too,” Gale volunteered.

“It’s true, but I wanted that traditional waffle cone crunch, you know?” Sarah said.

Gale nodded, crossing his arms. “The crunch is the best.”

Kino looked from one to the other and swallowed back his drool with some effort. “Sounds tasty…”

She ladled a portion of batter onto the center of the iron, then shut it and flipped it. It sat for a few seconds, hissing and spitting. She flipped it back over and opened it, revealing a golden, crispy thin waffle. She snatched up a pair of tongs from beside her and grabbed the waffle off the iron piping hot, then slapped it into her hand. Abandoning the tongs, she grabbed a cone-shaped tool and spun the thin waffle around the cone. Pausing, she held it there, wrapped around the cone, for a few seconds, then slid it off into her hand.

Sarah held it out toward Gale proudly. “A waffle cone!”

Gale raised his eyebrows. He took it and turned it over in his hands. In all ways, it felt just like a waffle cone. Still warm. He hesitated, then took a bite. The waffle snapped off in his mouth. Sweet burst on his tongue, delicious and perfect. His eyes widened. “Whoa.”

Kino snapped his head over and grabbed the waffle cone in his mouth, crunching it down. He licked his lips and swallowed, happy.

“So? Think you can make that?” Sarah asked.

“Absolutely,” Gale said, putting his hands on his hips.

“Good! Get to work. I need thirty, stat.”

“Hey! Are you paying me?” Gale asked.

“I’ll feed you,” Sarah offered.

“Okay,” Kino agreed, nodding.

“Kino, hey!” Gale protested, but sighed rather than fight it. Free food is fine enough payment. She didn’t freeze us into ice statues, anyways, and we were kind of pests earlier. I won’t complain.

“Oh, hey, you knights of the holy order or whatever…” Sarah grabbed a big bowl off the countertop, full of breadcrumbs, herbs, butter, and a few cracked eggs. “Take this out to Tysir. Do you know how to mix burgers?”

“Burgers…?” Piero asked.

“It’s a meat patty, right? I can make meat patties. My village used to be famous for them,” Felicity declared.

“Good! And you two… how do you feel about chopping buns? I bought a bunch from the local village, but they come un-split,” Sarah said, turning to Piero and Eunice.

Piero and Eunice exchanged a glance. Piero moved first, walking over to the counter with the sack of buns. He took one out and cut it from the top to the bottom. “Like that?”

“No, no… sideways! Wait, stop, you stop—” she grabbed Eunice’s arm before he could cut. “Let me show you. Here.”

Gale turned toward the waffle iron. It steamed gently, ready for the next ladle of batter. At his shoulder, Kino bounced, excited. “I want to help. Can I help?”

“Do you think you can roll the cones?” Gale said. For all that I almost grabbed the handle earlier, I don’t think I can trust Kino around the iron. It’s too dangerous.

Kino bobbled his head eagerly.

“Good! Alright, here goes.” He doled a portion of batter into the iron and closed it, then flipped it over. …nine, ten… He flipped it back over.

The waffle emerged, blackened and burned.

“Eh? What happened?” Kino asked.

Gale scowled. “I let the iron sit for too long. It got too hot and burned the batter.”

Frustrated, he grabbed the tongs and yanked the waffle out, tossing it toward the corner. Kino jumped and caught it out of the air, gulping it down.

Gale stared.

“Hot, hot…” Kino said, fanning his mouth.

“Are you going to eat all of them?” Gale asked.

Kino gave him a bashful look.

“Roll only! Don’t eat!” Gale ordered.

Kino snapped ramrod straight and saluted. “Don’t roll! Eat only! Got it!”

Putting another ladle of batter into the iron, Gale narrowed his eyes. “Kino…”

“I know, I know. I’ll only eat the bad ones,” Kino promised.

Gale narrowed his eyes. “I know you wouldn’t make any bad on purpose.”

“I…”

There was a long pause. Gale opened the iron and gripped the waffle off with the tongs, then raised his eyebrows at Kino.

“I won’t!” Kino insisted, shaking his head. Drool rolled down his lips. He licked them quickly and swallowed, eyes locked on the piping hot waffle wafer.

“Give me the roller. I’ll roll them,” Gale sighed.

“No!” Kino snatched the waffle away from him. Under Gale’s gaze, he rolled it into a cone. Finished, he held it up and beamed. “Look! Perfect.”

The roll came undone, waffle still too hot to hold the shape. Kino glanced at it, then clamped his hand over it, forcing it back into the shape. “Perfect!”

Gale chuckled and shook his head. “Right, right. I knew you could do it, Kino.”

Kino nodded eagerly.

Sarah leaned through the door. “They’re arriving! Where are those cones?”

Gale and Kino jumped. Gale turned to the iron, Kino to the roller, and the two of them got to work. Tysir bumped in and ferried the waffle cones to and from the door, taking the cut buns along with her. Once or twice, she rushed to the corner and carried out more tables and chairs, until the cottage laid almost empty.

At last, the ladle scraped the bottom of the bowl. Gale wiped his brow and gripped the baked waffle off the iron, passing it to Kino. “That’s it! This is the last one!”

Kino took the waffle and rolled it, holding it for a few seconds. With practiced ease, he slipped the hardened cone off the roller.

“Cones!” Tysir called, poking her head in the cottage.

“We’re out of batter! This is all we’ve got!” Gale called back. Beside him, Kino held up a short stack of cones.

From further outside, Sarah’s voice echoed into the cottage. “That’s fine. Come on out, boys!”

Gale sighed and stepped away from the heat of the waffle iron. He reached out with a long shovel and dumped the coals into the larger hearth, leaving the waffle iron to cool. Kino bounded ahead, cones clutched in his arms.

“Kino, careful!” Gale turned and chased after Kino and his precious cargo, charging through the door.

Sunlight, blinding. Friendly chatter mingled with laughter and the clatter of silverware. Mugs struck tables. Chairs

Silence. Gale rubbed his eyes, blinking the sunlight out of them.

Tables had been pushed together to make a long table. A mix of chairs, some rough-hewn and meant for outdoors, others from inside the cottage, were pulled up to the table. Monsters of all descriptions sat atop them. Beastfolk, lizardfolk, a few elves, taller than Gale with glittering platinum hair, small, slender halflings, stubby dwarves, and many more creatures he couldn’t identify at a glance. A huge slime-creature slumped half-upright by the table, slowly encasing a burger, a cone of ice cream sinking into it from the top.

All eyes turned to Gale and Kino. Gale gulped. He backed up a step, hands subconsciously gripping his shirt.

“It’s fine. We’re monsters!” Kino declared, whipping off his cap to show his ermine ears.

Coming back to himself, Gale smiled and removed his hat. His sharp ears appeared, jutting out of ragged brunet hair.

At that, the conversation burst back into motion. The monsters turned to one another, laughing and chattering. The elves craned their necks, subtly looking over Gale, while the beastfolk gestured Kino over enthusiastically. One, with a mane of silvery-gray hair and perky gray ears couldn’t keep her bushy tail from wagging.

Kino delivered the cones to Sarah, who stood by the ice cream machine at the head of a long line of monsters. Beside her, somewhat cowed, a wide-eyed Felicity stared desperately at her sword, which sat propped against the cottage alongside the rest of the party’s weapons.

“Thanks. Why don’t you two grab some burgers and have a bite to eat? I bet you’re starving,” Sarah said.

“Yes!” Kino said, nodding aggressively.

“Thank you,” Gale replied, cutting a glance at the elves. Why do they look so different from me? They’re so tall!

Sarah caught him looking and smiled, nudging him. “You should go talk to them. Meet some others of your own kind.”

“I’m… a human, under it all,” Gale muttered, reluctant. I’m not actually an elf. I… would only reveal myself as a fake if I spoke to them.

“Oh, come on. You’re a Legendary Hero. No matter what you are, you’re a fake. Even if you’re a human! It’s not like we were born here. None of us have any right to interfere, but we all do anyways. At the end of the day, you’re no more or less fake than the rest of us,” Sarah said.

“I…” Gale hesitated, kicking the dirt. I don’t know. It’s awkward. It doesn’t feel right.

“Just talk to them, dammit,” Sarah said, rolling her eyes. It took some doing to convey the motion with all-blue eyes, but she accomplished it nonetheless.

“We’ll see,” Gale said noncommittally.

“And you!” Sarah gave Felicity a thump on the back. “Go mingle. Look, even your beloved Paladin is out there, having burgers.”

Felicity staggered forward a step. She looked up toward the table, startled.

As Sarah had said, Piero sat amidst the monsters, a burger in hand. At the sight of Felicity staring, he raised a hand and gestured her over.

Felicity blinked. “P… Piero?”

He grinned and took a big bite, making a show of it, then turned as the elf beside him asked a question.

A savory scent rolled through the air. Slightly burned, thick and beefy, it hinted at wood smoke and the heat of the fire below. Kino stood on his tiptoes and closed his eyes, sniffing. When he opened them, his eyes glittered. “Gale! Buggers!”

“Burgers, Kino,” Gale corrected. He gave Sarah a last nod and followed the erminefolk as he ran over to where Tysir stood over a hot grill, flipping deer burgers.

Felicity hesitated another beat, then followed the two of them to the burgers.

Tysir beamed at the sight of the three of them. “Good, good, you’re all getting along!”

Gale glanced at Felicity, who glared back. “Er… kind of?”

She handed out a burger to each of them. “It’s good, it’s good! Humans and monsters should get along.”

“Monsters eat humans,” Felicity snarled.

“Not all of us. Not most of us,” Tysir replied lightly.

“But—”

Tysir turned back to the grill, ignoring Felicity. Felicity hesitated, then shook her head and walked away, toward the woods.

Gale caught her by the sleeve. “Wait.”

She yanked her sleeve free, a look of disgust on her face, and backed away. “What.”

Gale raised his eyebrows at her. “Originally, I was human. I came into this world as a human, and I was forced into this body due to… circumstances. Do you still want to kill me?”

“Yes. You’re a Blood Mage,” Felicity replied without skipping a beat.

Gale sighed and rubbed his forehead. “But hypothetically. If I wasn’t a Blood Mage.”

Her brows furrowed. “But you are.”

“But…” Gale sighed. I’m not getting through to her at all. He waved a hand. “Never mind. Enjoy your bugge—burger.”

He walked over to the table. Kino followed along at his elbow, drool dripping down his chin. Surveying the table, he walked over and sat down between the elves and Theo. I—I should talk to them, after all! But…

Theo glanced at Gale. He nodded.

Gale nodded back. He lifted his burger and took a bite.

Soft bun gave way to a burger with satisfying resistance. Strong herbs masked most of the gamy flavor, giving it a pleasant savory note. A slice of sharp cheese mingled with the venison and herbs, playing a third note that perfectly matched the powerful umami of the meat, the buttery softness of the bun, and the almost floral herbal notes. Juices ran down Gale’s chin. He wiped his mouth and licked his lips, closing his eyes to savor the flavor.

Well, it’s not blasting my clothes off, but it’s a good burger!

Could use some ketchup, though.

“You know, you really did a number on me. Not you, physically, but… you put the thought in those trolls’ tiny little brains that a troll could beat me. I tried to drive home that it was because you were a Blood Mage possessing a troll, but… there’s only so much processing power in those bony skulls of theirs. It’s been a troll buffet ever since,” Theo sighed, interrupting Gale’s reverie.

“A troll… buffet?” Gale asked, blinking. He lowered the burger slightly, offput by the description.

Theo nodded, then hesitated. “Oh, right, you can’t tell types of demon apart, can you? Not this soon after arriving.”

Gale shook his head, taking another bite of burger.

“See the dumb wings, the pointy tail? Black hands and feet?” Theo said, turning his hands over to give Gale a better look. This close, the stubby claws on his fingers looked razor sharp.

Gale nodded.

“I’m an incubus. I… you know. My primary attacks have to do with siphoning people’s energy. Even if I don’t want to, I end up tasting a little of it. So hey, next time, make sure you do some big spiel about how you powered up the troll body or whatever, got it?”

Gale gave him a look. “An incubus? That… was your wish to the Goddess?”

Theo sighed. “Not again. Don’t make me give this spiel another time.”

“No, it needs to be explained,” Gale insisted, setting down his burger. He felt a vicious intent from beside him and picked up his burger again, seconds before Kino grabbed at the plate.

“I… look. I thought it was a game world. NPCs. Hot girls salivating over you. Building a harem in another world. You know the deal.”

Gale nodded slowly.

“So… I thought I’d get a foot up on the game. Come in as an incubus! I’d be at the peak of attractiveness, already halfway to my harem dream from the moment I spawned! But instead…” He sighed deeply.

“Right,” Gale said flatly, his eyes dead. Scum.

Theo glared. “Don’t give me that look! I’m not scum. I’m a boy with a dream! A dreamer!”

“And how’s that dream working out for you?” Gale asked, raising his eyebrows at Theo.

“I—you—shut up! How was I supposed to know demons were treated like shit in this world and shot on sight? How was I supposed to know they were restricted to only areas with miasma, where the hottest women are fellow demons who all hate you and are all way higher level than you?”

“That last part sounds like it’s on you. Even then, I mean, you did ask to be a demon. Demons are usually the enemies,” Gale explained.

“I know, but not always! And not always at the point of ‘everyone knows’ and ‘shot on sight,’ either!”

Gale coughed. “Did you… maybe… think to ask the Goddess about any of this?”

Theo rolled his eyes. “Did you ask the Goddess about the world? I mean, come on. I’m not going to attract a cosmic being’s attention for longer than it wants to give it to me!”

“That’s fair,” Gale said. But you’re still scum for only thinking with your dick when a goddess gives you the chance for anything, anything at all!

“And now I’m stuck in this dumb body on the edge of the world where all the hot babes want to kill me. If that’s not enough, I’ve got a bunch of asshole bosses who can literally murder me at will breathing down my neck because I can’t kill the original hero. You know, the one who killed the last Demon King? I’m so fucked,” Theo complained, putting his head in his hands.

Gale put a hand on Theo’s shoulder. He pressed his lips together and gave Theo a firm nod. “You’re fucked.”

Theo sighed, shaking his head. “This world sucks.”

“At least there’s magic?”

“Fuck magic. I die if I don’t have enough magic, do you know that? Normal mages just… get a headache, or something. Incubi die. On top of that, we need to eat life essence to refill. Luckily there’s siphon attacks so I don’t have to do horrible things with hideous demon girls all the time. But still, it’s annoying! Having to track my mana all the time, dying if I use a big attack…” Theo grumbled.

“I know that feel,” Gale sighed.

Theo looked at him. After a second, his eyes widened. “Oh, that’s right. Blood Mage. Brother!”

“Don’t call me brother, you pervert,” Gale muttered, turning back to his burger.

Kino’s face was right there, his mouth inches from the far side of Gale’s burger, his body half-transformed to swoop out over the table and come back toward Gale’s burger. Gale flicked him gently on the nose and took a bite.

“Ow!” Kino cried, gripping his nose. His body retracted to his human form.

“Don’t eat other people’s food.”

“But I’m hungry,” Kino complained.

“Go ask Tysir for a second burger!”

Kino glanced at Tysir, then jumped up and jogged over to the grill.

Without Kino to his side, there was no barrier between Gale and the elves. He continued to eat his burger, pretending not to glance at them. Dammit. I don’t have an excuse. But… it’s so intimidating! What am I supposed to say? Sorry, but I’m possessing one of yours? Don’t worry, he gave me permission! Yeah, that’s going to go over well. Ugh. I…

“You’re a wood elf?” one of the elves asked, turning to Gale.

Gale swallowed. Oh, fuck. No way out but through! “Er, yes. K…kind of.”

The elf looked down on him. Brilliant green eyes bored into his. “I see.”

Gale ducked away, instinctively pulling at his hat. His hand found empty air. Right, I took my hat off!

“How did a wood elf end up a Blood Mage?” the elf asked, putting his chin in his hand.

Gale swallowed. “It’s… a long story. And… I’m, er, a Legendary Hero.”

“Oh? A wood elf and a Blood Mage. You’re a particular one, aren’t you,” the elf said primly.

“No, it… it was happenstance,” Gale mumbled, feeling small. Even smaller than usual, because they’re so big!

“You should have chosen high elf, if you were going to choose to enter this world as an elf. Those savage wood elves are hardly elves at all,” the blond elf offered.

“Er… excuse me?” Gale asked, stunned.

The elf nodded. “I understand your primitive world worships high elves in some capacity? From what I’ve heard, your people group together en masse to watch the sensationalized exploits of a high elf named Legless. A strange name, since I’ve heard he has legs, but…”

“I… er, that’s…” Gale stumbled, taken aback. He’s not right, but how is it he’s also not wrong?

“Oh, I understand. Were you too intimidated to take the form of one of your gods? Next time, be bold, young man. Take your chance to leap to the pinnacle of life,” the elf insisted.

“I’ll… bear that in mind,” Gale said.

“Odelane, darling,” the female high elf murmured. Giving a last nod to Gale, the male high elf turned to her.

Gale sighed. He rubbed his temples and looked around. Where’d Kino get to?

Halfway between the grill and the table, the gray-haired girl chatted animatedly to Kino, who nodded distractedly as he wolfed down his second burger. He watched her from the corner of his eyes, a warning in his eyes that Gale had seen before in the eyes of a hungry dog hunkering over its food.

He chuckled and shook his head. That girl’s flirting with Kino, but he’s only worried about his food! In a few years, he’ll look back on this with regret.

The chair beside him creaked. Gale turned as Sarah sat beside him. She nodded. “Moving on?”

Gale nodded. “I need to get my body back, one way or another.”

She snorted. “Yeah, I get that.”

Awkward silence reigned. On the other side of them, Theo glanced left and right, then fled with a casual laugh. “Aha, that summoning circle’s going to time out any time now…”

Sarah shifted. She sighed. “I do feel bad for you, but…”

“You have your own problems. I get it,” Gale said.

“I’ll be honest. Your best bet… is probably going to the capital city. There’s a hot springs on the way there run by a Hero, you could try that, but… he’s… a little odd. He and I don’t get along, but he did do the adventuring thing for a while.”

Gale nodded quietly.

Sarah took a deep breath. “I’ll be honest… all the Heroes who are adventurers frequent the capital city,” she said, turning to look him in the eye.

Gale nodded. “Thanks. I’ll head there next.” The capital, huh? It makes sense. Hopefully the heroes who are acting as adventurers are more open to going on quests and helping people! They are adventurers, right?

Sarah looked at him. “You’ll do alright. I don’t know if you’ll get your body back, but you’ll do alright in this world.”

“I don’t want to do alright. I want to get my body back,” Gale replied, frowning.

She shook her head and started to push off the table.

“What about you?” Gale asked.

Sarah paused and looked at him.

“After this. You can’t stay here, can you? The priestess… the Church will keep coming after you,” Gale pointed out.

She waved her hand. “I’ve had this coming for a long time. I’m prepared.”

Gale nodded. He stood.

Something wet latched onto his arm. He turned. The slime held onto his elbow.

“What is it, Tano?” Sarah asked.

The slime shivered. A section near its top began to pinch off, then popped free of the main body. The slime held the piece of itself out toward Gale.

“I think Tano wants you to take that with you,” Sarah said.

“Uh… why?” Gale asked, frowning at the hand-sized fresh slime. It wiggled toward him, pushing stubby grippers out of the larger ball of its body toward him.

Tano trembled again. With some effort, a face appeared. The face’s brows furrowed in concentration. “Tano… have piece… lost. Near dungeon. If find… send Tano.”

“You lost a baby slime?” Gale guessed.

Tano’s face squinted. Tano hesitated, then tipped up and down.

“If we find it, we’ll send news,” Gale promised.

Tano nodded again.

Sarah stood. She gestured to Tysir. Tysir hurried forward, a cone of ice cream in either hand. “Before we all go on to better things… tell me what you think. Is it as good as the ice cream back home?”

At the sight of ice cream approaching Gale, Kino gave up the illusion of listening to the beastfolk girl and rushed over to Gale’s side. He bounced in place, eyes glittering.

Tysir handed the cones over. Cool, solid weight landed in Gale’s hand. The waffle cone sat crisp against his hand, drips of melty ice cream running down its side. He took a deep breath. Sweet vanilla and gentle cream swirled in his nose. Gale leaned in and took a lick.

Sweet. Cold. Delicious!

“It’s perfect,” Gale sighed, taking another lick.

Kino nodded aggressively beside him, taking big bites at a time.

Sarah beamed.

“I always preferred chocolate ice cream, though…”

“Oh, where am I going to find chocolate, huh?” Sarah grumbled, shaking her head.

Gale laughed. “If I find some, I’ll send it your way.”

“Sure, sure.” Sarah chuckled as well. She stood and stretched her back. “Well, I guess I should get going.”

The elves looked over. Odelane nodded at Sarah. “Are we going to see some of your magic tonight?”

She grinned. “Just you wait.”

Sarah leaped atop the table. She looked around, then spread her arms wide. “Everyone! Thanks for keeping me company these last few years. Unfortunately, it looks like I have to move on. If we meet again, be sure to stop by for some ice cream.”

All the monsters stood clear. Tysir jumped up and scurried into the cottage. Sarah strode over to it. As she approached the cottage, ice formed stairs under her feet, lifting her to the roof. She stepped onto the roof’s apex, then gestured upward with both hands.

The cottage shuddered. Bits of thatch shook onto the ground. The windows trembled, and the door jumped in its frame. Suddenly, the cottage jumped up. Slender, icy chicken legs lifted the cottage into the air. The cottage shook itself like a dog, then strode off into the forest. A thatched roof bobbed amidst the treetops. Slowly, it vanished into the depths of the trees, until only shaking treetops showed where it passed.

The monsters watched it go, then nodded at one another. Giving goodbyes, they wandered off into the forest.

Piero snorted. “Guess that’s that.”

Gale glanced at him. “Are… you really okay with this? I asked earlier, but…”

Piero waved his hand. “There’s times when the Church thinks it has the Goddess’ own powers and authorities. There are things they shouldn’t do. Things I won’t allow to take place.”

“What about you? Lucretia and all…” Gale trailed off.

“She’s a priestess, but I’m a Paladin. Even if Felicity and Eunice rat me out, the Church can’t afford to punish me too harshly. Worst case, I’ll get shipped off to some shit duty, maybe guarding some border town. I wouldn’t worry about me.”

“Got it,” Gale said, nodding.

Piero laughed and scuffed his hair. “Never thought I’d see the day a Blood Mage worries over a Paladin’s health. We’re supposed to be deadly enemies, you know?”

“Ah, shut up. I’m a Legendary Hero. I’m like a saint to you, right?”

Piero chuckled. “We can say that, sure.”

Gale narrowed his eyes. “What does that mean?”

Another laugh. “You’ll figure it out. Or you won’t! Doesn’t matter. In the end, you’re our beloved Hero from another world, whether we like it or not.”

Gale frowned. “Whether you like it or not?”

Piero took a deep breath. He slapped Gale on the shoulder. “Enjoy this world. While you still can.”

“While I… huh?” Gale asked. What on earth does that mean? The Demon King, maybe? Is he trying to destroy the world? I already know about him, though. And I kind of assumed the world-destroying part.

Rather than answer, Piero clicked his tongue and shook his head. He gestured. Felicity and Eugene moved to his shoulders with trained precision. The three vanished into the woods.

“Kino,” Gale called, still confused. After a second, he shook his head. Whatever. I can figure out what Piero means later. For now, let’s get out of here before Felicity reports me and Kino to the Church.

“Yeah?” Kino asked, bounding to Gale’s side.

Gale passed him the rest of the ice cream. “Let’s go.”

“Okay!” Kino said. He licked the ice cream, then took a big bite. His face contorted, and he slapped a hand to his mouth.

“Brain freeze?” Gale guessed, chuckling.

Kino nodded, face scrunched in pain.

Shaking his head, Gale led them down the road. Kino followed, alternatively devouring the ice cream and clutching his face in pain. Eyes turned to the horizon, Gale put a hand to his chin. A hot spring up ahead? That’s the second time I’ve heard about it. Even if the Legendary Hero has a weird personality, it’s on the way to the city. Any port in a storm, after all. It’s worth a stop!