Outside the heavy doors, the tavern roared with the chaotic, aggressive vitality of the evening rush. It was a suffocating wall of sound—adventurers barking exaggerated tales of their recent hunts, merchants complaining loudly about fluctuating guild taxes, and weary laborers grumbling into their cheap ale about bad shifts and broken equipment. Inside the small, private back room, the noise was reduced to a low, rhythmic hum.
It had been a full day since Vale had collapsed in the alley. His body felt significantly lighter, the burning fever that had threatened to tear him apart finally receding into a dull ache. Yet, despite his returning strength, the tavern master and his wife had strictly forbidden him from leaving the cot.
Lying flat on his back doing absolutely nothing was the least refreshing thing Vale could think of. His mind was too restless, his thoughts too dark to be left in silence. But reality was cruel; he had no money, no connections, and his body was severely malnourished from months of mistreatment at the academy.
The family was feeding him three square meals a day. Even so, the unearned kindness made Vale deeply uncomfortable.
*Tap... tap... tap...*
A soft, hollow sound rolling across the creaking floorboards broke him out of his thoughts.
Vale glanced down. A small, colorful wooden ball had rolled out from the shadows, bumping gently against the leg of his cot.
When he snapped his head toward the half-open doorway, he caught sight of a tiny pair of hands clutching the frame. A small, round face peeked out from the edge, wide eyes staring at him with a mixture of intense curiosity and nervous anxiety.
It was Hina, the tavern master’s youngest daughter.
Vale slowly sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the mattress. Seeing him move, the little girl flinched slightly, her tiny fingers tightening on the wood as if she were ready to bolt.
A rare, faint softness touched Vale’s otherwise frozen features. He leaned down, scooped up the wooden ball, and gently tossed it back toward her. It rolled right to her bare feet.
"Do you want to play?" Vale asked, his voice low and deliberately gentle.
Hina’s entire face lit up. Her anxious posture vanished, replaced by a beam of pure, infectious excitement as she eagerly nodded her head.
Watching her carefully gather her toy, Vale realized the kid was simply lonely. Born into a bustling hub of rough travelers and drunk patrons, she didn’t have any friends her own age.
Her parents clearly loved her to pieces, but the relentless demands of running a tavern left them with zero time to actually sit down and play with their daughter. She was always trapped in the background, bored and invisible.
Later that evening, the heavy scent of roasted roots and seasoned broth filled the family’s private dining quarters. The tavern master and his wife had invited Vale to join their table.
He had initially tried to refuse, out of a stubborn sense of pride, but they had insisted with the stubborn, indulgent force of overbearing parents until he finally relented.
As the meal drew to a close, Vale felt a small, timid tug at his sleeve.
He looked down. Hina was standing right beside his chair, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She pinched the fabric of his worn shirt, her cheeks flushing a faint pink as she struggled to find her words. After gathering every ounce of her childhood courage, she looked up, her voice a tiny whisper.
"C... can... I... call you big brother?"
Vale’s hand froze mid-air, the wooden spoon hovering inches from his bowl. He stared at the little girl, his chest suddenly tightening.
For a second, his mind swirled with a chaotic storm of emotions. The word *brother* carried a heavy, bitter weight in his past—it reminded him of my little sister, of the family that had utterly discarded him, and the absolute isolation of the academy gates.
But looking at Hina’s innocent, hopeful eyes, a profound warmth broke through the ice in his heart. He swallowed hard, suppressing the sudden, stinging threat of tears behind his eyes.
"Yeah," Vale said, his voice thick but steady. "You can call me big brother."
"Yatha!" Hina gleamed, bouncing on her heels.
Across the table, her mother and father caught each other’s eyes, sharing a soft, knowing smile. The tense, heavy atmosphere that Vale had brought into the tavern seemed to melt away entirely.
The tavern master, Gregory, leaned back in his heavy wooden chair, wiping his hands on his apron as he lobbed a sudden question across the table. "So, kid... what’s the plan from here on out?"
"I’m looking for a cheap apartment in the lower district," Vale replied, his eyes turning serious. "And... I intend to register at the local guild to become an adventurer."
Gregory frowned slightly, exchanging a glance with his wife. "Vale, why don’t you just stay here?"
Vale blinked, momentarily trapped in a wave of confusion, unsure of how to respond to such an upfront offer. He shook his head, looking down at his scarred hands. "No... I can’t do that. It feels like I’m taking your advantage for granted. I am deeply, incredibly grateful for everything you’ve done for me, but I refuse to live as a useless leech."
The tavern mistress smiled, leaning forward against the worn wooden table, her eyes glinting with a sharp, practical warmth. "Well then, how about you pay for your stay? Work it off."
Just the thought of navigating the dangerous, chaotic lower district to hunt for a sketchy apartment was an absolute pain in the ass. Vale let out a quiet sigh, his shoulders relaxing slightly. "Mm... then I am staying."
The anxious shadow completely vanished from Hina’s face. "Yay!" the little girl squealed, spinning around the tiny dining table with frantic excitement before throwing her small arms around Vale’s shoulder, hurdling into him with pure joy.
"Is this what having a good sister feels like?"
Vale thought, a sudden wave of bitterness washing over his mind. He remembered his childhood, where his biological sister had treated him like an unwanted stray, frequently beating him to a pulp just to assert her magical dominance. The contrast made him realize just how truly awful and twisted his upbringing had been.
The family dinner finished right around eight o’clock, but the little kid completely forced him into another round of playtime. He tried his best to refuse, citing his aching bones, but one look at Hina’s wide, pleading eyes completely broke his resolve.
By the time her parents finally dragged her away to bed, apologizing with tired nods for her endless energy, it was deep into the night.
"What a heavy day," Vale muttered to himself.
Every single step up the creaking wooden staircase felt like a battle against gravity. His body was practically pleading with his mind to reach the room before he knocked himself out cold. Fortunately, he managed to stumble through the door
//Smash//
Collapsing face-first onto the soft mattress. "Now,"he thought, closing his eyes, ’I finally going to get a proper sleep"
***
Blinding morning light glistered through the window, piercing right through Vale’s eyelids.
"It’s too early... why did the sun rise so early..." he groaned, blindly grabbing the heavy blankets and tugging them completely over his head to block out the world.
Suddenly, the blanket was violently yanked down. Vale blinked open his heavy eyes to find Hina sitting right on top of his stomach, grinning down at him triumphantly.
Before he could even process the weight, Hina scrambled off the bed like a startled cat. "Big bro is awake, Mom!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, her small footsteps pounding down the hallway.
"Wait..." Vale groaned, reaching out an arm to stop her, but she had already vanished down the stairs. "I just needed to sleep a little more..."
Realizing sleep was officially an impossibility, Vale forced himself out of bed. He stood in front of the small, tarnished mirror on the washbasin, staring at his reflection. Dark, unruly hair framed a pale, frail face with no remaining tinge of healthy muscle. His eyes were hollow, casting shadows that made him look like an old man who had lived three lifetimes.
Unable to stand the second glance, Vale scooped up a handful of cold water and splashed it violently against the glass, blurring the image into an unrecognizable smudge before washing his face.
As he descended the stairs, the rich, heavy aroma of delicious spices quickly took control of his senses. Down in the kitchen, the family was already seated, waiting for him to join them—a stark, humbling contrast to his real family, who had never once waited for him to eat.
"Good morning," Gregory called out.
"Good morning, all of you," Vale murmured, taking his seat.
The breakfast was loud and lively. They ate heartily, chatting and teasing each other with an effortless warmth that almost made Vale feel like he belonged to a real family. Setting his empty bowl down, Vale looked across the table at the tavern master.
"Uncle Gregory, is there an adventurer guild anywhere near this street?"
Gregory paused, wiping his mouth with a napkin before nodding immediately. "There is one right in the neighboring district... ah, yes. The Lionring Adventurer’s Guild."