A gentle breeze brushed past the branches.
The red-tinged sunlight was slowly leaning toward the threshold of evening.
In one corner of the garden,
Monero sat on a worn bench with his head bowed, rolling a dry twig between his fingertips.
Soft footsteps approached.
Rynel came to Monero’s side.
Not right next to him—he sat a little apart, quietly.
Time flowed by without words.
“…Monero.
Since the plaza earlier… you’ve been acting kind of strange.”
Rynel spoke carefully.
Monero didn’t answer.
He kept his head lowered even further, then, after a moment, opened his mouth.
“…Hey, Rynel.”
“…Yeah?”
“You know how I said… I lived in the capital before.”
“Yeah.
Laken said that too.”
Monero lifted his head once, looking up at the sky.
That red light seemed to pull up something he’d missed—something left behind.
Then he lowered his gaze again and whispered.
“…The truth is.
I… ran away from the capital.”
“……Ran away?”
Rynel’s eyes wavered slightly at the unexpected confession.
Monero spoke again.
“Be honest, Rynel… what do you think of my skills?”
The question caught him off guard.
Rynel hesitated, then answered with sincerity.
“You’re confident,
and you always try to take the lead and handle things.”
“So honestly… I relied on you a lot.”
“…And you’re cheerful. You keep the mood up.”
Monero let out a short laugh.
But it sounded hollow.
“…Yeah. You’re dodging it.
Whenever it’s about my skills, everyone says stuff like that.”
“No, that’s not—”
Rynel hurriedly waved his hands, shaking his head.
“That’s what a team is.
Everyone’s role matters,
and you’ve been doing yours.”
“I really mean that.”
But Monero’s eyes had gone distant.
“…Me.
I thought I was kind of special.”
“I thought confidence alone would make anything possible…
and honestly, it worked out.”
“Missions with Laken went well,
I got C-rank fast…
people ?????.”
Then Monero’s voice dropped another notch.
“…But it was all because of Laken.”
“After he graduated first, as a B-rank…
the me he left behind couldn’t do anything.”
“I kept messing up on missions,
and the team I was with told me to leave.”
“…My pride got hurt, so I quit on my own,
but in the end… I ran.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Rynel stayed beside him in silence.
Monero kept his head lowered and continued.
“After I went back home…
I talked louder, laughed more.”
“I never told anyone about failing.
So everyone thought I was amazing.”
“…That’s why, when I first met you guys,
I acted tough for no reason.”
“…Like I could intimidate you from the start.”
A brief laugh.
It was self-mockery, and it was real.
“In the end, I just embarrassed myself.”
Only then did Rynel let out a small chuckle too.
Monero shrugged.
“But you know the guy we saw in the plaza today.
Ren.”
“…He used to follow me around.”
“He was E-rank back then…
now he’s C-rank, with a name people shout.”
“I’m the one who ran, and I’m here,
and the one who endured is there.”
Rynel nodded quietly.
“I get it.
The kid you used to lead is standing in front of a crowd now, being ???? ???.”
“…But is that really such a problem?”
A calm question.
But Monero snapped his head up like his body reacted before his mind.
“It’s not a problem?!”
“This is… a man’s pride we’re talking about!”
Rynel paused, then said low,
“…Pride matters.”
“But it’s not the end of everything.”
“Right now, you’re starting over, Monero.”
“You can’t erase the past.
But you don’t have to live trapped inside it.”
“…What matters is how we walk forward.”
Rynel smiled softly.
“Let’s do it together.
The three of us—let’s start again, from here.”
Monero closed his eyes, then gave a small nod.
“…Thanks, Rynel.”
With that one line, it felt like something inside him finally crumbled away.
Then a familiar voice rang out.
“Heyyy~ what are you two doing~?”
Aira appeared at the far end of the garden.
Arms folded, she walked over with a smirk.
“Did you two leave me out and start a secret romance or something~?”
“Gah! Aira! You scared me!!”
Monero jerked his head up.
“Make some noise when you come over!!”
Aira’s lips curled.
“But listen~ you two looked so serious~”
“I figured I shouldn’t jump in the middle~”
“So I just listened quietly~”
“…What? You were listening?!”
Monero flinched.
“Mmm~ like, ‘Link Force has someone you know’~ that ???”
“After that… your voices got small, so I couldn’t hear much~”
“…Whew.”
Relief leaked out of Monero.
Rynel laughed lightly, as if he was used to this, and nodded.
“Ah~ what, what~ now I’m even more curious!”
“I should’ve turned on a spirit stone~”
“I tried to be considerate and lost out~”
Rynel gave an awkward smile.
“Just let it go this time, Aira.”
“Haa…
Whenever something awkward happens, you just laugh it off.”
“Seriously~ I want to smack you properly at least once, you know?”
She turned on her heel as she spoke.
“Alright, let’s go back in.
The wind’s cold~ it’ll ruin my skin~”
Rynel stood first.
But Monero stayed seated on the bench.
“Monero~ what are you doing?
Did your body glue itself to the chair?”
Aira shouted over her shoulder.
Monero turned his head slowly.
“…Just a bit.
I’ll go in after a little longer.”
“What is it~ you’re seriously suspicious today~”
Rynel silently shook his head toward Aira.
“…Aira, let’s go in first.”
“Hmph~ fine.
Monero! You have to tell me later, okay~?”
“If something hard happens!
This Lady Aira will help you with aaaall of it~!”
She struck a proud pose.
Watching her back, Monero murmured softly.
“…Comrades, huh.”
A smile formed at the corner of his mouth.
It felt like the stone piled up deep inside him had lightened, just a little.
“…This time, I’ll do it right.”
“No mistakes.
I won’t disappoint the guys who believed in me.”
He raised both hands and shouted like a battle cry.
“Wraaaaah!!!”
Rynel, about to close the door, glanced back and smiled.
“…Monero.”
Beside him, Aira’s eyes went wide.
“What, what?!
Monero, did you eat the honey pie wrong or something?!”
The garden wind blew once more.
And now, this small vow and laughter, misunderstanding and comfort,
were tightening their bond under a single name—
“Comrades.”
◇
The next morning.
Just as the red dawn began to wash over the estate.
“Rynel! Aira! How long are you going to sleep?!”
A bold voice echoed down the corridor.
It was Monero.
“Training! Practice! Get out here!”
“Ugh… what… who’s so lou—”
Aira rubbed her eyes as she opened the door.
Hair a mess, she scowled at Monero.
“Seriously, what is it, Monero.
Weren’t you in the same Sleep-Bug family as me?”
“Who wakes people up like this at dawn…”
She yawned long and swayed.
Just then, down the corridor,
Rynel was walking over quietly with a mug in one hand.
Already dressed neatly.
Hair in order.
His eyes held a clear light, fully awake.
“…What. You’re up already too?”
Aira’s eyes widened.
“What’s with you two?
Did coming to the capital flip some switch or something?”
Rynel looked at her calmly and said,
“I always get up at this time.”
“You’re the one who sleeps in.”
“And today… Monero’s up early too, for once.”
“……Seriously, what happened while I was asleep.”
“I need more sleep, so wake me later.”
“Aira-yang!!”
Monero suddenly shouted, adding “-yang” after her name.
“Ah! You scared me!!
Why are you adding ‘-yang’ all of a sudden? That’s gross!”
Monero’s eyes sharpened as he raised an arm for emphasis.
“This is no time for us to be so idle!”
“We must identify our ??? ? and complete our preparations before enrollment!”
“…What is he even saying.”
Aira frowned, turning halfway away.
“Monero, that weird formal tone and over-the-top motivation… I hate it.”
Rynel smiled faintly.
“Aira, since it’s rare, let’s cooperate with Monero today.”
Then he leaned in, hand near her ear, and whispered quietly.
“…It won’t last long.”
A light laugh followed.
“…Haa.”
Aira shook her head like she couldn’t believe it.
“Fine… just for a while, I’ll play along, Monero.”
Then she muttered to herself,
“Maybe… three days, if we’re lucky.”
“I’ll get ready. Wait for me.”
Aira went back into her room.
A few minutes later,
the door opened again, and Aira came out with a hand on her forehead.
“…Oh man.
Three days? More like… three minutes.”
In the corridor’s corner chair,
Monero, who’d been burning with motivation, was already nodding off, head bobbing.
“…Hey, Mone—”
Aira stepped closer to wake him, but
Rynel quietly shook his head and gestured. Leave him.
“…Too much willpower, too little brain.”
Aira tossed out the short verdict, let her arms hang, and turned the other way down the hall.
“Since I’m up anyway… I’m getting snacks~”
“What’s today’s snack, I wonder~?”
Even at dawn, she went looking for sweets, whistling as she disappeared toward the dining room.
Someone approached from the opposite end of the corridor.
Neat attire, low voice.
“Mr. Rynel.”
It was Urs.
“Ah, good morning, Mr. Urs.”
Rynel greeted him, lifting his mug slightly.
A thin smile.
Urs continued quietly.
“Enrollment day is not far off.”
“Yes, it is.
Thinking about new adventurers gathering in one place… it’s exciting, but it’s also nerve-wracking.”
Urs nodded lightly.
“How much do you know about the adventurer academy?”
“Mm… honestly, not much.”
“…If you’re willing to help, I’d appreciate it.”
At that moment, a loud voice boomed from the far end of the corridor.
“Cooperation! Coordination! Teamwork!!!”
Monero’s sleep-talking.
Looks like he was training even in his dreams.
Urs shifted his gaze and looked that way in silence.
Rynel brought the mug to his lips and let out a small laugh.
Then the old butler approached quietly, cutting gently between Rynel and Urs.
“Mr. Rynel, a letter has arrived.”
In his hands was a sealed envelope.
Stamped into the seal was a familiar line.
Royal Adventurer Academy.
Rynel furrowed his brow slightly as he took it.
The butler bowed and added softly.
“Please open it, Mr. Rynel.”
Rynel carefully broke the seal and unfolded the letter.
Urs watched without speaking beside him.
Rynel’s eyes moved slowly across the page.
『In three days, there will be a summons for the academy enrollment test.』
『Applicants are to gather at noon in the capital plaza, complete a brief registration procedure, and proceed to the testing grounds.』
『Late arrival may restrict participation in the test; please take note.』
Short, but unyielding lines.
After reading, Rynel tilted his head and murmured,
“…That’s strange.
How did the academy know we were here?”
He frowned as if something clicked.
“First… they told us to stop by the capital adventurers’ guild and register.”
He’d gotten used to the comfort of the estate,
and realized he hadn’t personally handled the most important registration step.
Then Urs spoke quietly.
“After receiving Lord Pyrug’s letter,
Lord Stailer registered your place of residence on your behalf.”
Rynel turned, surprised.
“And… it was confirmed you possess a letter of recommendation from Mr. Arzen as well.”
“…A recommendation too?”
As Rynel’s face tightened in confusion,
a familiar laugh sounded from behind.
“Ha-ha-ha. Looks like you forgot.”
Lord Stailer approached with an easy stride.
Hands clasped behind his back, he wore a playful smile.
“Mr. Arzen happened to be staying nearby for a short time.
It seems he handed you that recommendation in advance, telling you to use it if he ended up leaving.”
“But since the man himself is staying here,
there was no need to make use of it.”
Rynel stared down at the letter and let out a long sigh.
“…I completely forgot. Registration···”
