Chapter 14 — A Small House at the Edge of the City

  I followed Mira through the streets, still not fully sure how I ended up in this situation.

  Just a while ago, I was at the guild, looking at random requests and thinking about taking something simple. Then I saw her talking to the receptionist, trying to register a request.

  Now I was walking behind her, heading somewhere in the city I’d never been before.

  She walked quickly, almost like she was afraid I might change my mind and leave.

  Every now and then she glanced back at me, just to make sure I was still there.

  “So… you really study at the academy?”

  “Yeah.”

  Her eyes sparkled again, just like they did back at the guild.

  “That’s amazing. I’ve never even seen it up close.”

  “It’s just a school.”

  She shook her head immediately.

  “No way. It’s the best academy in the world people say heroes come from there.”

  I didn’t know how to respond to that.

  Heroes.

  That word always felt strange when it was used around me. I wasn’t a hero. I was just someone trying not to die.

  Mira kept talking as we walked.

  “Do you learn magic every day?”

  “Not every day.”

  “Do you ever fight monsters?”

  “Yeah. Recently.”

  Her eyes grew wider. “Real monsters?”

  “Yeah.”

  I thought about the wolves from the first mission.

  She stopped for a second and stared at me.

  “Wow…”

  Then she started walking again, even more excited than before.

  “Were you scared?”

  “A little.”

  “Did you beat them easily?”

  “…No.”

  She tilted her head.

  “But you’re from the academy.”

  “That doesn’t mean everything is easy.”

  She seemed to think about that.

  “Oh… I guess that makes sense.”

  We kept moving. The stone roads slowly turned into dirt paths. The houses became smaller, simpler, and more spread out.

  There were fewer people around. No fancy shops. No decorated windows. Just wooden homes, small gardens, and the smell of smoke from cooking fires.

  It felt… quiet.

  Different from the busy parts of the city near the academy and the guild.

  Mira walked ahead of me, occasionally glancing back.

  “So… what’s it like?”

  “What?”

  “The academy. Is it big?”

  “Yeah. Realy big.”

  “Are there a lot of students?”

  “Yeah.”

  She hesitated before asking the next question.

  “Are they all strong?”

  I thought about Izuo. Latris. Elaira. Even the other students in class.

  “…Most of them.”

  She lowered her gaze slightly.

  “I see…”

  After a few seconds, she looked back up with determination.

  “I’ll get there one day too.”

  I raised an eyebrow.

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  “The academy?”

  She nodded.

  “Yeah. I want to enter the Santiago Academy.”

  “That’s not easy.”

  “I know.”

  “But I’ll work hard.”

  Her voice wasn’t childish when she said that.

  “My mom says if I study and train, I might be able to pass the entrance exam someday,” she continued.

  “And then I can become an adventurer and help them.”

  “Help them?”

  “My family"

  "My dad works all day cutting wood. And my mom makes medicine for people, but herbs are expensive.”

  She kicked a small stone on the road.

  “Sometimes we can’t even buy enough materials.”

  I didn’t say anything.

  She suddenly turned around and smiled again, as if she didn’t want to look sad in front of me.

  “But it’s okay. Once I become an adventurer, everything will be better.”

  Her confidence was strange.

  It felt like a promise she made to herself.

  We walked for a few more minutes. The houses became even more spaced out. Eventually, she stopped in front of a small wooden house at the edge of the area.

  It wasn’t broken or falling apart, but it was clearly old. The wood was worn, and the roof had been patched in several places. There was a small stack of chopped firewood near the door, and a little garden with some herbs growing in uneven rows.

  Mira turned to me with a bright smile.

  “This is my house.”

  I looked at it quietly.

  She pushed the door open.

  “Mom! Dad! I’m back!” she called as she stepped inside.

  Then she looked at me and waved.

  “Come in, Rikuo.”

  The inside of the house was even simpler than the outside.

  There was a small wooden table in the center, two chairs, and a narrow shelf filled with bottles, dried herbs, and small tools. The air smelled faintly bitter, like crushed leaves and boiled roots.

  A woman was standing near the shelf, carefully grinding something with a mortar and pestle. She had light brown hair tied back in a loose bun, and her clothes were simple, with a slightly stained apron tied around her waist.

  She turned when she heard the door.

  “Mira, you’re ba—”

  Her eyes stopped on me.

  She blinked.

  Mira walked in like nothing was strange.

  “Mom, I brought him,” she said proudly.

  The woman’s expression immediately changed.

  “Mira… what did you do?”

  Her tone was tired.

  Mira puffed her chest.

  “I went to the guild and asked for help, just like we talked about!”

  The woman sighed deeply and set the mortar down.

  “You went to the guild alone?”

  “…Yes.”

  “And you brought an adventurer back here without telling me first?”

  Mira looked down.

  “…Yes.”

  The woman pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly trying not to lose her patience.

  “Mira, we talked about this. You can’t just go around asking strangers for help on your own.”

  “But he’s not a stranger,” Mira said quickly, pointing at me.

  “He’s from the academy!”

  That didn’t seem to help much.

  The woman looked at me again, this time more carefully.

  I scratched the back of my head.

  “Uh… sorry. I’m Rikuo.”

  She straightened up and gave a small bow.

  “I’m sorry about this. My daughter can be… impulsive sometimes.”

  “It’s fine,” I said.

  She gave Mira a light, but clear look.

  “You should have asked me first.”

  “…Sorry,” Mira mumbled.

  The woman let out a small sigh, then looked back at me.

  “Still, thank you for coming here. But I’m afraid we don’t have enough AP right now to register a proper request.”

  She looked genuinely embarrassed when she said that.

  “We were planning to save a little more before asking the guild for help,” she added.

  I shook my head.

  “It’s really fine. I’m not doing this for the AP.”

  She looked confused. “You’re not?”

  “I’m from the academy, not the guild,” I explained. “I just thought it would be good experience.”

  Mira immediately looked up again.

  “See? I told you he was nice!”

  Her mother gave her a gentle glare.

  “Being nice doesn’t mean we should take advantage of him.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  “Really. I was just looking for something to do today anyway.”

  She studied my face for a moment, probably trying to figure out if I was serious.

  “…You’re a student at the academy?”

  “Yeah.”

  Her expression softened slightly.

  “I see… then you must already be quite capable.”

  “…Not really.”

  “I’m still learning.”

  Mira suddenly ran over to the table and climbed onto one of the chairs.

  “Rikuo already fought monsters,” she said proudly.

  “Real ones.”

  “You did?”

  “Yeah. Just wolves.”

  “Nothing special.”

  “That’s still dangerous.”

  “Most people in this area never even see a monster in their lives.”

  Mira leaned forward on the table.

  “Mom, can he help with the wood problem?”

  “Mira,” her mother said gently.

  “Let him at least sit down first.”

  “Oh. Right.”

  Mira quickly jumped off the chair and pulled the other one back.

  “Sit here!”

  I sat down, feeling a little awkward.

  Her mother walked to the table and gave a small bow.

  “My name is Liora.”

  “Thank you again for coming.”

  “It’s really no problem.”

  She hesitated for a moment.

  “If you’re sure… then I’d appreciate your help. My husband has been making more and more trips to bring wood lately. It’s been hard for him to carry everything alone, so we were hoping for someone to help with the loading.”

  Mira nodded quickly.

  “That’s why we need help! So my papa doesn’t have to carry everything alone.”

  Liora placed a gentle hand on her head.

  “Yes. Something like that.”

  Then she looked back at me.

  “If it’s just for experience, I won’t stop you. But please don’t push yourself too hard.”

  I nodded.

  “Got it.”

  Mira smiled again, clearly relieved.

  “See? Everything worked out.”

  Her mother gave a small, helpless smile.

  “…You really are too bold for your age.”

  Mira just grinned, as if that was a compliment.

  We didn’t have to wait long.

  After a few minutes, I heard heavy footsteps outside, followed by the sound of wood knocking against the wall near the door.

  Then the door opened.

  A tall, broad man stepped inside, carrying a bundle of chopped logs tied together with rough rope.

  Then he saw me.

  “…Oh?”

  “We have a visitor today?”

  Mira jumped up from her chair.

  “Dad! This is Rikuo! He came to help!”

  The man slowly lowered the bundle of wood to the ground, his eyes moving from me to Mira, then to Liora.

  “…Help with what?” he asked.

  Liora crossed her arms.

  “Your daughter went to the guild on her own and brought him here.”

  His expression hardened just a little.

  “She did what?”

  Mira shrank a bit.

  “I just asked nicely…”

  He sighed, rubbing his forehead.

  “We’ll talk about that later.”

  Then he looked at me again, this time more carefully.

  “My name’s Bren. Sorry about that. She can be… impulsive.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “I came because I had time, and I wanted the experience.”

  He nodded once.

  “Well, in that case, you can help me bring the rest of the wood inside. Nothing complicated. Just carrying logs.”

  “Sure.”

  We stepped outside together.

  There was a small pile of chopped wood stacked near the side of the house. It wasn’t huge, but it was definitely more than one person would want to carry alone after a long day.

  Bren grabbed two thick logs at once and lifted them like they weighed nothing.

  “Take what you can handle, no need to rush.”

  I nodded and picked up one of the logs.

  It was rough against my palms, and I could feel the weight immediately.

  But… it wasn’t as bad as I expected.

  A few weeks ago, I probably would’ve struggled just to lift it. My arms would’ve started shaking, and I’d be out of breath before even reaching the door.

  Now, I could carry it without feeling like I was about to collapse.

  Maybe all that ridiculous training with Izuo really is doing something.

  Still heavy, though.

  “I can almost picture Izuo laughing loudly in the background.”

  I brought it inside and placed it near the wall.

  We kept going back and forth like that.

  It was simple work.

  But for some reason, I didn’t mind it at all.

  After a few more trips, the pile outside was finally gone.

  The last log hit the ground with a dull sound as I placed it against the wall inside the house. I straightened my back and let out a quiet breath.

  Done.

  My arms felt heavy, but not in a bad way. It was the kind of tired that came after real work.

  Bren looked at the stacked wood and nodded.

  “That should be enough for a few days.”

  He wiped his hands on his pants, then looked at me.

  “Thanks for the help.”

  “It was nothing,"

  Mira peeked from behind the doorway, her eyes shining.

  “See, Mom? I told you he was strong!”

  Liora sighed, but there was a small smile on her face.

  “You still shouldn’t go to the guild alone, especially not without telling me.”

  Mira lowered her head.

  “…Sorry.”

  Then she looked back at me.

  “But he still helped us!”

  I couldn’t help smiling a little.

  “It’s fine. I was already there anyway.”

  Liora walked closer and gave a small bow.

  “Even so, thank you. We didn’t expect help today.”

  “No problem."

  Bren crossed his arms.

  “You’re from the academy, right?”

  “Yeah. First year.”

  He gave a short nod.

  “Good. Then you’re building the right habits.”

  He looked at the stacked wood again, then back at me.

  “If you’re free next time, I’ll ask for your help again. There’s always more work than hands around here.”

  Mira’s eyes lit up.

  “Really?! So he’s our family adventurer now?”

  Liora immediately flicked her forehead.

  “You will stop saying things like that.”

  “Ow!”

  Bren let out a quiet chuckle.

  I nodded.

  “…If I’m free, I’ll come.”

  Liora walked back to the small counter and returned with a wrapped bundle.

  “It’s not much, just some dried fruit and bread. Please take it.”

  I hesitated.

  “You don’t have to—”

  “Take it you helped our family. The least we can do is give you something to eat on the way back.”

  I accepted it.

  “…Thank you.”

  Mira grinned.

  “Come again, okay? Next time I’ll have a real mission for you!”

  Liora raised her hand again, and Mira quickly hid behind Bren.

  I looked at the three of them.

  The small house. The stacked wood. The faint smell of herbs. The quiet, warm feeling in the air.

  It reminded me of something.

  Not this place… but the opposite.

  A dark room. Closed windows. Cold air. Days passing without anyone talking to me. The sound of my own breathing being the only thing I heard.

  Back then, the house I lived in never felt like a home.

  This place was small. Old. Probably poor.

  But it felt warmer than that big empty room ever did.

  “…See you next time,” I said.

  Mira waved both hands.

  “Bye, Rikuo!”

  I stepped outside, the small food bundle still warm in my hands.

  The sun was already lowering in the sky, painting the street in soft orange light.

  I started walking back toward the academy.

  My body was tired, but my mind felt calm.

  I took a bite of the bread as I walked.

  Simple.

  But good.

  Yeah… I think I’ll come back here again.

  Ending of Chapter 14