Hatsuria lies farther south than I expected. Thankfully, the journey itself is going quickly. In a few days, we’ll cross the border into Vene. Fortunately, border controls between human realms are lax. Tariffs and inspections usually only become serious if you try to enter a city after dark, seeking safety behind its walls. For most travelers, checks at city gates range from a quick glance to half an hour of mild inconvenience.

  At the moment, we’re escorting a small group of merchants who pooled their money to afford protection. In a few hours, we should reach our destination—a small border town just before Vene. It will be our last stop before entering the trading republic.

  Since the bandit incident, we haven’t seen or heard anything from our pursuers. It would be na?ve to believe the shadows are gone for good, but I’m hoping the real danger is still far away. Staying true to our usual approach, we accepted the escort mission with the lowest pay—purely because it led in the same direction.

  Leana passed her guild examination a few weeks ago at a regional branch without any trouble. She took the test in the very first city we reached. When we registered our party ranks at the small reception desk, it caused quite a stir. Everything else went smoothly. Leana was tested on the training grounds while Rin and I looked for our next job. We had planned to wait for her at a nearby food stall afterward—but when we turned away from the quest board, she was already standing behind us.

  “I’m finished. I’ve received my guild card,” Leana announced, expressionless—and unmistakably proud.

  “Congratulations! Rank A, the same as Arik. That’s seriously impressive. Your archery is unreal,” Rin praised her, nodding with equal pride.

  “That’s amazing, Leana! Let’s work together and catch up to Rin’s rank next,” I added enthusiastically.

  Thankfully, there was no drooling crowd surrounding her afterward. Still, unpleasant memories surfaced when I noticed a few adventurers watching us nervously from a corner of the hall.

  “What did we do to them?” I asked casually.

  “Those human worms were present during my trial. They became… intrusive. I corrected their behavior,” Leana replied after giving them a cool, appraising look.

  The adventurers visibly shuddered under her gaze and fled at once. I decided not to ask what kind of “correction” that involved. I’d been meaning to address her deeply ingrained distrust of humans, but lately we kept running into fools who made that nearly impossible. At least she’d gradually relaxed her overly formal way of speaking over the past few weeks.

  Now we’re standing with the merchant group in line before the city gates, waiting our turn. The escort mission won’t be officially complete until we’re safely inside the walls.

  “My thanks to you,” the merchant leader says, clearly trying to pass the time. “Without you and your lovely companions, we never would have made it here in one piece. It’s a shame our paths part now.”

  “No problem at all. It wasn’t much extra work for us, and we’re glad we could help fellow travelers,” I reply with a smile.

  “I must admit, your adventurer rank surprised me at first. I worried you might have… questionable motives. My apologies. What elite party takes escort jobs for penniless merchants?” he adds sheepishly.

  “We have our reasons. No need to apologize—you can’t be too careful,” I reassure him.

  As our conversation continues, a sudden uproar erupts at the back of the line.

  “You worthless, stinking animal! How dare you bump into me? Looks like I’ll have to teach you some manners!”

  That sounds like trouble. Normally, I’d stay out of it—but the first part catches my attention. We’re right at Vene’s border. Could I be seeing my first beastkin already?

  The people in line turn to watch. I do the same.

  “I—I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

  A young girl—no older than seven, at a glance—bows desperately before a massive brute swinging an axe. The scene is grotesque. Anyone with even a shred of compassion should step in. But the onlookers keep their distance, watching as the bully berates a child.

  The reason is obvious. Her hood has slipped back, revealing cat ears. A striped tail twitches nervously beneath what can barely be called clothing.

  “What use is your apology? Where’s your master, you filthy beast?”

  “I’m not a slave,” the girl snaps back defiantly.

  “Oh? Getting mouthy now? If you don’t have a master, I’ll teach you how to behave myself!”

  He raises his axe, gripping it by the blunt side.

  The girl doesn’t move. She’s clearly terrified—yet she glares up at him with stubborn defiance.

  She has more courage than all of us combined.

  I can’t just stand here.

  Rin seems to sense my intent and gives me a decisive nod. The next moment, I’m between the girl and the brute, catching his axe in one hand just as it’s about to come down.

  “That’s enough. She’s apologized.”

  I look up at him, meeting his eyes. At first, he’s confused, trying to wrench his axe free. When that fails, he scowls at me. I hold his gaze.

  The confusion lasts only a second—long enough to mark him as a seasoned veteran. He assesses the situation instantly, grasping the difference between us.

  With a gruff snort, he mutters, “That masterless stray better not cross me again. Let go. I’ve calmed down.”

  I release the axe. He grumbles as he stows it away.

  Then I turn to the girl.

  “Get out of here. Before he changes his mind,” I say gently, offering a small smile.

  She nods absently, turns, and disappears toward the city.

  Maybe she lives somewhere inside, I think as I head back to my group.

  Then the brute roars behind me.

  “My purse is gone! That filthy beast took it! Hey—you! Stop! Are you in on this with the stray?”

  …So the kitten wasn’t quite as innocent as she looked.

  Damn it.

  Now it looks like I helped her escape on purpose. I turn back to the furious man, trying to salvage the situation.

  “I don’t know the girl. I just arrived today. But it’s true I let her get away. I’ll compensate you for the loss. How about that?”

  My mother always told me to take responsibility for my mistakes. Besides—I’d do it again, even knowing how it would turn out.

  “Fine.”

  Considerably poorer, I return to my place in the column.

  “You really got played, hero,” Rin laughs openly.

  I slump back into position. She’s right. And I just burned a chunk of our shared funds on an impulsive decision.

  “Exactly this is what I love about you,” Rin says suddenly, smiling warmly.

  “I never could have fallen for Lord Arik if he could quietly watch a little girl get beaten,” Leana adds.

  …Thanks. Really. That helps.

  Without further trouble, we enter the city and part ways with the merchants. We head straight to the guild to collect our reward, then immediately accept the next escort job. This time, I choose a more lucrative one—it’s my fault we’re short on cash.

  Departure is scheduled for tomorrow morning at the city gate. The destination is a smaller city in Vene, just before our real goal: the port capital, Hatsuria. It’s on the way—and border merchants pay well. As expected, trade between the republic and neighboring kingdoms is booming.

  After a light dinner at the inn we’d chosen, I end up lying alone on the bed in our room. Rin and Leana insisted on trying out the bathhouse connected to the inn. A private bath is absolute luxury in this world.

  I’m already done. Cold water is miserable, and there’s no way I’m letting Rin into the men’s bath just to heat the water for me. Knowing her, she and Leana will take their time anyway. A hot bath after a long day is sacred.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  I decide to go out instead.

  Better than lying here like an abandoned puppy, staring at the ceiling and waiting.

  A short note on the table should be enough in case they return earlier than expected.

  I wander through the streets, lost in thought. Even at this hour, the city is lively. Vendors shout their wares from the sides, people haggle, browse, laugh. Every now and then, it feels good to simply be among people.

  I’m standing at a fruit stall, desperately trying to remember which fruit Rin is allergic to, when I feel it.

  A sharp gaze on my back.

  I spin around instantly—but all I see are a few women by the roadside trying to lure me into a side alley. The presence I felt was far too intense to be them.

  I keep walking.

  The feeling grows stronger. Heavier. I’m being watched. Closely.

  I can’t tell how many are following me—but there’s no doubt anymore that someone is.

  Is this her?

  The pursuer the shadows mentioned?

  But if so… why reveal herself so openly? Why give up the element of surprise?

  It doesn’t make sense.

  Thinking won’t help. Only confrontation will.

  My hand moves unconsciously toward the sword at my hip. My spear is still back in the room. Rin and Leana are out of reach. Calling Ares would only cause chaos in a city like this.

  With that in mind, I deliberately drift away from the main streets and into narrow side alleys.

  Perfect place for an ambush.

  The presence is still there. Close.

  I turn a corner, suppress my presence, and listen.

  …Not behind me.

  Above.

  They’re on the rooftops.

  I launch myself upward in a powerful jump, landing on the roof behind me, braced for anything—

  —and find myself staring straight into the wide, shocked eyes of a girl.

  That was not what I expected.

  It’s her.

  The cat girl from earlier.

  Same tattered clothes. Same striped tail.

  She recovers quickly, glaring at me with suspicion from bright yellow eyes. In her hand is an old, rusty dagger. She crouches low, ready to either pounce or flee.

  “Easy,” I say quickly, lifting my free hand and easing my grip on the sword. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to know why you’re following me. That’s all.”

  “Why?” she hisses, never dropping her guard.

  “What do you mean?” I ask, confused.

  “Why you help?” she snaps.

  I hesitate.

  How do you answer that?

  “I couldn’t just stand by and watch a little girl get beaten in front of me,” I say slowly. “That would’ve haunted me.”

  She studies me in silence.

  “…Also, I didn’t know you were a thief at the time,” I add with a weak laugh.

  “I beastkin,” she says warily.

  “That was hard to miss,” I reply, still smiling.

  “Humans don’t help beastkin.”

  “Then I guess I’m an exception. I’d help you again—even knowing it cost me a small fortune.”

  She blinks.

  “You strange. Tiara never see human like you. So I watch.”

  Her aggression fades slightly, replaced by something closer to cautious curiosity—like a stray cat encountering something unfamiliar.

  “Do you live here? Where are your parents?”

  I already know the answer before I finish asking.

  “Ran. Hide. Live here,” she replies.

  That’s enough.

  I don’t push further. Trust doesn’t come easily to someone who’s survived this long.

  “I won’t keep you. But if you need help… come find me. I’m staying at the Golden Lantern near the city gate. You know it?”

  She nods. “Know.”

  “Good. You can come anytime. Good night, Tiara.”

  I jump down from the roof and head back through the now-quieting streets.

  I can still feel her presence, watching from the shadows.

  Only when I reach the inn does it finally fade.

  Up in the room, Rin and Leana are waiting. I tell them about the strange meeting on the roof.

  “I get her,” Rin says with a smirk. “You are a weird one. I’d be curious too.”

  “Can we please skip dissecting my personality and talk about what we’re going to do about Tiara?” I ask.

  “Nothing,” Rin answers flatly.

  Leana nods as if that settles everything.

  I stare at them, stunned.

  “I can’t save everyone.”

  Rin’s voice is calm. Too calm. Like she’s explaining something obvious to a child.

  “You’re the hero of this world. Your mission matters more than any single life—human, elf, dwarf, or beastkin. We don’t have the time to reach out a hand to every stray on the roadside. You don’t even know if she wants your help. Beastkin are treated horribly by humans, yes—but compared to slavery, she’s still free. If you already break down over this, then maybe we shouldn’t even bother going to Hatsuria.”

  She isn’t cruel.

  She’s right.

  That’s what hurts the most.

  “Lord Arik,” Leana adds quietly, her tone steady but softer than usual. “I understand your pain, and I respect your compassion for all living beings. But in this matter, I must agree with Lady Rin. We leave tomorrow morning. We do not have the time to help the beastkin girl. And beyond that… the Demon King’s agents are hunting us. You must not fall into their hands. If you do, the hope of the world will be lost.”

  “I know,” I whisper.

  But knowing doesn’t help.

  My chest tightens. My vision blurs. The tears come before I can stop them.

  I’m a pathetic hero.

  The fate of the world hangs in the balance, and I’m ready to risk everything for one street kid. One girl among millions—millions who probably have it even worse.

  It won’t change anything.

  Even if I save her, the world will keep turning, just as cruel as before.

  I don’t even know if she wants my help. She might just think I’m some creepy weirdo.

  I have no plan. No solution. Just this crushing frustration.

  “Arik… I understand how you feel, but the beastkin—” Rin starts gently.

  “You don’t understand anything!” I snap. “And that beastkin has a name. Her name is Tiara!”

  The words explode out of me.

  It’s unfair. It’s cruel. Rin is right, and I know it. She’s only showing me reality as it is. None of this is her fault.

  But I’m angry.

  If I don’t direct it somewhere, I feel like I’ll shatter.

  Instead of arguing back, instead of correcting me, Rin steps forward and pulls me into her arms. She gently lowers me onto the bed. Leana embraces me from the other side, silent and solid.

  And I break.

  I sob like a child, shaking, ugly, loud—cursing this stupid, unfair fantasy world with everything I have.

  What’s the point of being a superhuman hero in another world if the same kind of helpless misery exists here too?

  What good are absurd stats and ridiculous skills if I can’t even save a single little girl?

  I’m the same powerless, ordinary man I was in my old world.

  The same frustration. The same impotence.

  Consumed by dark thoughts and self-loathing, I eventually fall asleep in Rin’s and Leana’s arms.

  ***

  The next morning, I feel hollow.

  I don’t want to get up. I want to sleep forever.

  Rin and Leana went down for breakfast without me. I pretended to still be asleep, and they let me be.

  Now I lie alone on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

  The wooden beams look sturdy. I idly imagine carving decorations into the corners.

  I’m just starting to wonder what it would be like to stare at this ceiling until the end of the world—

  when chaos erupts outside.

  “Stop right there! Catch that shameless thief!”

  “That was your last mistake, you filthy stray!”

  “It’s over for you now!”

  My stomach drops.

  A terrible premonition grips me.

  I’m fully dressed. I bolt out of bed and rush into the hallway, nearly colliding with Rin and Leana as they come up from the dining hall.

  “It seems the kitten took your advice from last night to heart,” Rin says grimly as we run toward the street.

  Outside, my fear is confirmed.

  Tiara lies half-dead on the road, just a few meters from the entrance of our inn.

  She must have fled here with the last of her strength—clinging stubbornly to the belief that I meant what I said.

  She’s curled up in the dirt, arms shielding her head, while half a dozen grown men kick her without mercy.

  I don’t think.

  I throw myself between them and her.

  A heartbeat later, Rin and Leana are at my sides.

  “Rin, help Tiara,” I order without taking my eyes off the men. “She needs healing—now.”

  Rin kneels immediately, magic already flowing.

  “We’re here in time,” she says firmly.

  The men recover from their shock and start shouting.

  “What’s this supposed to be?! We’re giving that filthy beast what it deserves!”

  “You with that thief?!”

  “Move! That thing’s been robbing us for ages!”

  Talking won’t calm them. Compensation won’t either.

  They don’t care that she stole to survive.

  To them, Tiara is just a pest—something they can finally crush.

  I still don’t know what’s right.

  But one thing is clear now.

  I won’t abandon her.

  I don’t care if we don’t have time.

  I don’t care if it’s dangerous.

  I don’t care if I’m doing this just for my own conscience.

  I don’t care if it changes nothing.

  For me—and for this girl—the world will change today.

  Tiara came to me.

  That decides it.

  I meet the eyes of the two people who mean everything to me.

  Rin smiles at me gently, like she’s accepted I’m a hopeless case.

  Leana nods with solemn resolve.

  They’ll stand with me—no matter what.

  I draw a deep breath.

  “My name is Arik Eiswolf,” I declare. “Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Amarasia. Prophesied hero destined to lead the free peoples against the Demon King Balaam. Ally of the Elf King Borack. This beastkin belongs to me.”

  The air grows heavy as I let a fraction of my aura leak out.

  “Lay a hand on her again—or even look at her the wrong way—and you will face the consequences. To harm her is to stand against me, and against the alliance of the free world.”

  Two men collapse unconscious on the spot.

  Panic erupts.

  “We—we’re sorry! We didn’t know she belonged to the Hero!”

  “No collar… how could we know?!”

  They flee, dragging their fallen companions with them.

  I slump.

  I just abused my authority as hero and crown prince to save a thieving street kid.

  And I don’t regret it.

  Not even a little.

  “If this gets out,” Rin says quietly behind me, “you can forget about an alliance with Vene.”

  She helps Tiara to her feet, her hands still glowing faintly with healing magic.

  “She’s right,” I add, rubbing my temples as the adrenaline drains away. “Not just Vene. Plenty of human kingdoms won’t like this at all. Some might even reconsider their support.”

  A headache is already forming.

  “What’s done is done,” Rin replies evenly. “We’re staying at your side. And you really shouldn’t underestimate your importance. To most people, you are the last hope. Your stance on beastkin won’t change that easily.”

  She looks down at Tiara.

  “So. What are you going to do with her?”

  “I… don’t know,” I admit. “I only knew I couldn’t leave her there.”

  “Come with,” Tiara says simply.

  Her yellow eyes don’t waver.

  “That’s not a good idea,” I say immediately. “We’re heading into danger. Monsters, enemies, people who want us dead. Our next destination is Vene—a country where beastkin are treated terribly. You might actually be safer staying here. Especially now that people know you’re connected to me.”

  “I come,” she repeats, utterly unmoved.

  I turn helplessly to Rin and Leana.

  “You caused this,” Rin says flatly. “Now take responsibility.”

  “Lord Arik would never abandon a child,” Leana adds without hesitation. “Beastkin or not.”

  That settles it.

  Three women. One unanimous decision.

  Democracy has spoken.

  So now we’re taking a small child on the most dangerous journey in the world. Somewhere, in some better universe, child protection services would be very upset with us.

  But leaving her behind isn’t an option either.

  Before we meet our employers at the city gate, we at least buy her proper clothes—and a few basic necessities while we’re at it.

  That turns out to be a mistake.

  Rin’s eyes light up with dangerous enthusiasm the moment we enter the shopping district. Tiara is subjected to outfit after outfit, Rin clearly enjoying herself far too much. Tiara endures it all without a single complaint.

  She’s tougher than she looks.

  Mercifully, we had agreed to meet at the gate. Otherwise, I suspect Rin might still be shopping.

  I never cease to discover new, terrifying sides of her.

  ***

  As we finally gather at the gate, Tiara stands beside us in clean clothes that actually fit. She looks… smaller now. Less like a feral street cat, more like a child.

  Still wary. Still sharp-eyed. But no longer alone.

  We set out southward.

  Toward Vene.

  Toward Hatsuria.

  Toward consequences I’d rather not think about.

  I don’t know if I did the right thing.

  I know it was stupid.

  I know it was inefficient.

  I know it solves nothing in the grand scheme of things.

  But when Tiara walks a little closer to me, tail flicking nervously, I realize something important.

  I didn’t save the world today.

  I just made sure I can still look at myself.

  And for now—

  that has to be enough.