The Wayfarer's Home.
In a room glowing with warm light from the window, the firewood in the hearth crackled, chasing away the chill of the small cottage.
A worn linen tablecloth was spread over the simple wooden table, yet it held a lavish dinner—a large bowl of steaming meat broth, slices of bread toasted to a fluffy, golden-brown, a small dish of precious butter, and even a few river fish fried to fragrant perfection.
Yano sat at the head of the table, stirring the broth with a wooden spoon, his gaze resting on his wife and children—
Lola was carefully picking out the fish bones, placing the tender meat onto their young daughter Emily's plate.
Emily happily swung her little feet, clumsily scooping up the fish with her spoon and smearing grease all over her little face. His son, Little Yano, sat ramrod straight, trying his best to imitate his father's dining etiquette, though his eyes couldn't help but dart toward the tempting bread and butter.
Watching his wife's gentle movements and his children's contented little faces, a long-forgotten warmth filled Yano's chest. The corners of his mouth turned up unconsciously, revealing his first genuine smile since returning home.
"Dad."
Little Yano suddenly looked up, his eyes sparkling.
"Those scary Gray Scale Lizardmen in the swamp... did you beat them all and chase them away with your sword, 'SWISH, SWISH, SWISH,' just like a dragon-slaying hero in a story?"
"Those Adventurers were lying, right?"
At the mention of the swamp, Lola's movements froze. Her eyes shot to her husband before she gave Little Yano a silencing look, gently shaking her head.
The look silently said: 'Don't ask. Don't bring those things up.'
Little Yano caught his mother's gaze, and though confused, he obediently closed his mouth and went back to spooning the soup from his bowl.
Lola took a deep breath. She turned to Yano, a gentle but somewhat forced smile on her face.
"My love, don't worry about money."
"I found some work at the textile workshop in town these past few days. The pay isn't much, but I've already paid off our overdue inn rent."
She gently took Yano's hand, which was resting on the table.
"We'll work hard together, and things will slowly get better. You don't have to... to go back to that place anymore."
Her warm hand soothed his uneasy memories. He gently squeezed her hand in return, feeling the slight chill of her fingertips and the heavy weight of her concern.
He sighed internally. 'How could I not understand? Lola doesn't want me to go back to that terrifying swamp. But, Lola... I have reasons I must go...'
He subconsciously rubbed the base of his right ring finger with his thumb, feeling the familiar, stiff sensation.
The demonic curse hadn't vanished; it was merely dormant, waiting to erupt again one day.
For Lola and the children, and for himself, he had to go back.
But he couldn't tell her the truth. He couldn't make Lola endure that fear again.
"Don't worry, my love."
Yano looked up, forcing a relaxed and confident smile as he avoided her worried gaze.
"This time is different. In the swamp... I met the Sub-humans of the Rot Moss Tribe."
"You know, the ones that are relatively... erm... less dangerous. The green-scaled Lizardmen. I did them a small favor and established contact."
He deliberately made his tone sound as if he had just completed an ordinary business negotiation.
"I have a stable trade route now, so the risk is much lower. I'm going this time to solidify that connection. In the future... I won't have to take risks like I did the first time."
"…"
Lola fell silent, gazing into her husband's eyes.
The stubborn aristocratic pride in those light brown eyes had indeed vanished. In its place was a calmness she had never seen before, perhaps even... a sense of relief.
This put her slightly at ease.
'But why? Why was he still so insistent on returning to that perilous swamp?
'Is it for money? Or... something else?' She couldn't figure it out.
But seeing him try so hard to reassure her, seeing his face—tired, yet more vibrant than before he'd left home—Lola finally just gave a soft "Mm," lowered her head, and silently sipped her soup.
She knew she couldn't convince this stubborn man. All she could do was pray in her heart, over and over, to Ignis the Sun, to Cadus, the guardian of courage, and to every other god she could think of.
'Oh, gods, please protect my Yano. Please let him return safely... '
...
A thin morning mist shrouded the town, and the air was crisp and cool.
A rather shabby two-wheeled cart was parked on the dirt road, the draft animal pulling it snorting impatiently.
Yano gave Lola, whose eyes were red-rimmed, one last, tight hug. Then he crouched down, ruffled his son's soft hair, and kissed his daughter's milk-scented little cheek.
The children didn't yet understand the weight of parting; they only knew their father was going on a long trip again and felt a little reluctant to see him go.
"Daddy, come back soon!" Emily demanded in her milky voice.
"Be safe!" Little Yano instructed, acting like a little adult.
"I will."
Yano promised solemnly. He stood up, his gaze sweeping over his wife's face, where words remained unspoken, and finally settled on a firm nod.
He took a deep breath, climbed into the driver's seat, and picked up the reins.
'For Lola's smile, for my children's future, for this family... Demon, I'm back.'
He grit his teeth, his gaze sharp as he stared down the road leading to the Reed River.
"Giddy-up!"
The cart creaked as it slowly pulled away from the town, leaving behind the worried gazes of his wife and children and the warm smoke from the chimneys.
The wheels rumbled over the bumpy dirt road, the silhouette of Iron Boot Town gradually disappearing behind him.
Yano glanced back at the supplies piled in the cart bed.
Most of the space was taken up by sturdy burlap sacks filled with precious salt and dried grains for trading with the Lizardmen of the Rot Moss Tribe.
But near his driver's seat, a small, smoothly polished box made of fine pine wood was firmly secured, looking completely out of place among the rough cargo.
Inside the box were the "offerings" he had carefully prepared.
There was a copy of *Basic Grammar and Vocabulary* in the Common Language, and a *Handbook of Common Lizardman Phrases* that he had gone to great lengths to find at the Iron Boot Town Adventurers' Guild.
There was also a tightly sealed pewter vial containing costly "Stardust Blue" Magic Ink, said to be made from the ink of some deep-sea squid. It was an essential item for Mages drawing Scrolls and long-distance communication Magic Arrays, and the vial even bore the certification label of the Alchemy Association.
An exquisite, insulated food container held small cakes from the only high-end bakery in Iron Boot Town.
And finally, there were several bars of dark chocolate from a distant southern merchant caravan, carefully wrapped in foil, along with a small bag of colorful hard candies.
Looking at these strange "offerings," Yano's mind couldn't help but wander. The deep, raspy voice of the Demon echoed in his head again.
'Do Demons in hell have a sweet tooth, too?
'Or... is this truly part of some incomprehensible sacrificial ritual?'
He shook his head, casting aside these unanswerable thoughts.
'In any case, a contract is a contract.'
He tightened his grip on the reins, his gaze once again falling on the rushing river ahead as he muttered under his breath.
"I'm back."