Morning greeted the frontier city with a clear sky—the warm sunlight filtered through the window, illuminating the kitchen, which was already bustling with life.
The little girl's feet were swinging from her high chair. Gonzo was busy in the bathroom, and Marni stood in the kitchen, humming a melodious tune.
She wore a pink apron as the smell of melted butter filled the entire dining room.
Yuto sat beside Shery, tasked with keeping her company.
"Big brother, did you sleep well last night?"
Shery shifted her seat and faced Yuto. Her eyes sparkled, full of energy even in the morning.
"Yes, I slept well."
"Hee, you know what, last night, I had a wonderful dream..."
"What was the dream?"
"It was..."
The cheerful voice of the little girl in front of him gave colour to Yuto's grey world.
He remembered his time at the orphanage.
Although he appeared reliable and cheerful in front of the other children, his heart was broken, and his expression was just a mask to cover the bloody tears on his cheeks.
Ever since he met this family, colours slowly began to illuminate the darkness in his heart.
This made his face glow with a small, sincere smile as he listened to Shery's babbling.
However, a glimpse of darkness gnawed at his thoughts, whispering an eerie warning.
{Do you deserve this warmth?}
The sound of footsteps drew Yuto's attention. He saw Gonzo enter, neatly dressed.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, daddy."
"Good morning, dear."
Shery's cute greeting and the warmth from his wife made Gonzo's expression melt into tears.
Yuto shook his head, seeing the typical behaviour of a happy father surrounded by a warm family.
"Dear, please help me bring the food."
"Alright."
Gonzo walked to the kitchen, then returned carrying two wooden plates with steam rising from them.
"This is for you two."
Marni placed the two plates in her hands before Yuto and Shery.
After sitting in their respective chairs, they enjoyed breakfast in silence.
The crunchy and savoury taste of toast coated in butter, and the fried eggs that melted in the mouth, filled their body with energy.
Swallowing the food. Yuto opened his mouth, intending to express his gratitude for the hospitality.
"Um, thank..."
"Yuto, make sure you don't come back too late!"
However, his sentence was cut off by Marni, who took all the empty plates.
"...Huh?"
A silly response came out of his gaped mouth, unable to process what had just happened.
Gonzo stood by his side, grinning to his ears after seeing the boy's petrified figure.
"Let's go, Yuto."
Without waiting for Yuto's reply. The man grabbed his arm and walked away from the dining room towards the front door.
"Dear, be careful on your way. You too, Yuto."
"Be careful and come back soon~."
The women's voices echoed in the room, but Yuto was still staring into the distance.
The front door closed with a thud, snapping him from his spiralling thoughts.
"Gonzo, what the..."
Yuto turned to his side, then grabbed both the man's shoulders with a little force.
"Give up. When my wife sets her mind on something, she never backs down."
"But..."
The old man patted the boy's hands, making them slide down in defeat.
"Bah, never mind. I'll be late if I stay here any longer. I have one message for you."
"?"
He stiffened when he saw Gonzo lean in, whispering something in his ear.
"Don't try to run away! Marni will definitely look for you all over the town. See you later."
Gonzo turned and skipped happily while humming a cheerful tune.
A morning breeze carried the smell of damp soil into his nose. The grass and flowers rustled in harmony, but it couldn't settle the conflicted boy's heart.
Yuto turned to the side, staring at the house behind him.
After taking a long breath, he stepped out of the spacious yard, walking along the stone sidewalk as he was lost in his solitude.
Beside him, the rumble of carriage wheels and the neighing of horses filled the morning with activity.
Upon reaching the city square. Yuto stopped for a moment, seeing a family consisting of a father, mother, older brother, and younger sister exchanging smiles.
His eyes were fixed on that family until they disappeared, swallowed by the crowd.
The boy's mind began to shift to Marni's words. He shook his head, wondering why she was being so kind to him.
Even though it was their first meeting.
'I don't know what to do?'
Unconsciously, his steps led him into the adventurer's guild building.
As soon as he showed himself inside, the hall was crowded with adventurers with grim expressions. The fire in their eyes seemed to have gone out.
His eyes accidentally met the nearest adventurer, and the man immediately spoke up.
"It seems there are no quests again today."
Yuto's brow raised.
"Why?"
"Don't you know? ...Guild activities have been temporarily suspended due to the recent appearance of the Phantom Jaguar."
"Phantom Jaguar!?"
Hearing that name, his expression tensed. A flash of memory resurfaced; he saw himself being toyed with helplessly by that black cat.
'So the appearance of that cat wasn't a coincidence.'
Looking around, the adventurers who heard his conversation nodded meekly.
"I see. Thanks for the info."
The man beside him just waved his hand, and Yuto turned, leaving the silent building.
Yuto crossed his arms on his chest, thinking of a way to spend his day.
'Where to now?'
He wandered the street until he suddenly stopped. His eyes were directed at a red door with a sign: Frontier's Grand Library.
'Well, I might as well read some books.'
A two-story building with medieval European architecture stood tall. Half of its outer wall was built with red bricks, adding an aesthetic touch rarely seen around the city.
Yuto pushed the door in front of him. Then, he was greeted by rows of bookshelves.
The sturdy old wood creaked every time he stepped on it. The distinct scent of paper permeated his nose, giving a calming effect.
"Welcome."
A curt tone came from an old man next to the entrance. He was an old man with grey hair and simple outfits, sitting while staring at a book in his hand.
"Excuse me, sir, do you know where I can find books about monsters, animals, plants, and the history of the empire?"
The man's eyes narrowed, seemingly displeased with Yuto's request.
"Monsters, animals, and plants are in section H-12. The history of this country is in section A-1. All are on the first floor."
"Thank you."
Yuto immediately left the place and scanned the bookshelves around him.
'A-1, found it. History... here it is. And H-12... okay, everything's here.'
He looked around and found a seat in a long wooden chair in the middle of the room.
Without thinking twice, he immediately sat there and opened the pages of a book on monsterology.
It was not without reason. Now that he had become an adventurer, Yuto wanted to refresh his memory about the monsters in this world.
Elias's memories were also not entirely perfect. They left with many voids, forcing him to fill them up himself.
The book in his hand was not just filled with text. Hand-drawn pictures were also displayed, giving him a deep visual of the monsters.
This kept him from getting bored, even though it was as thick as his hand and consisted of four volumes.
Yuto continued to fill his head until he was unaware that the golden light from the window had changed to a reddish-orange colour.
"Oi brat, how long are you going to read? This place is closing!"
His body jolted upon hearing a loud voice from behind.
"...is it that time already?"
He realized his time was up, but his feet refused to move from that spot.
"Sorry to ask this suddenly, sir. In your opinion, how would a fierce stray dog feel if it suddenly received warmth?"
For some reason, his mouth blurted out his feelings.
"Would he be happy to be pitied? Confused? Accept it with an open heart or reject it?"
"..."
"Because that dog knows, in every action there has to be a hidden motive."
"..."
Silence spread like a spider's web, trapping the two figures in the stifling room.
Yuto flinched, realizing how stupid he had just been.
"Sorry, I'll go now."
"..."
He stood up and strode over to the front door.
"Accept it!"
Yuto paused, facing away from the old man who responded.
"...Why should I accept it?"
"I don't know who you're talking about. How arrogant and foolish that dog is, to think that this world is filled with nothing but filth."
"..."
The old man took Yuto's book, tidied it up and continued his words.
"This world isn't simply black. There's also beauty, like the kind found in someone who extends a hand out of pure kindness...
And, don't you dare insult their sincerity. If you do, you're no different from the immoral trash out there."
"..."
His words struck Yuto like lightning, incinerating his dark emotion.
"Don't be a coward! Accept it! Accept it and return their kindness in kind, before you fall into a dark abyss and die alone in the cold."
Yuto took a long, deep breath. Blood flowed from his torn lip, and pain pierced his chest.
A realization dawned upon him, knowing that he was the same as the bullies from his old life.
He was too arrogant to belittle the dignity of good people like Gonzo, Marni, and Shery, who rekindled a long-lost warm feeling in him.
'How foolish I am...'.
"Go! It's almost night!"
The sound of a book hitting the table rang out while Yuto wiped his lip.
"Thank you, I will come again later."
Without turning back, he opened and closed the entrance door.
The invisible chain that tied his emotions down shattered into dust.
Yuto's lips broke into a smile as he walked along the still bustling city. He muttered to himself.
'I can't wait for tonight's dinner...'.