Arwin’s ears rung, his mind refusing to believe the information that his eyes were conveying to it. The Demon Queen was dead. He’d killed her – run her through the heart with his sword. And yet, as if mocking his thoughts, the scar on Arwin’s own heart tingled. The Demon Queen had run him through in the very same spot, and yet here he stood. Arwin swallowed, tasting metal. Every part of him wished that he was somehow hallucinating. He blinked furiously, trying to snap himself out of it, but nothing worked. There was absolutely no denying that the woman before him was the Demon Queen. He’d put the scar on her eye there with his own sword, and she’d returned the one along his cheek. It wasn’t that much of a reach for her to have survived the explosion – she and Arwin had been evenly matched for as long as he could remember, so if he’d somehow made it out alive, he should have expected that she would have done the same. Truly, he should have recognized the ominous aura covering the tavern the instant he’d stepped into it. But, somehow, the thought had never registered. Admitting that she was still alive would have been the same as admitting that he’d failed, and his duties as the Hero still remained. Duty would have compelled him to return to his former role, no matter how little he wanted to. The concept made him feel physically ill. The surprise in the Demon Queen’s eyes told Arwin that she was just as surprised to see him as he was to see her. Everything around Arwin felt like it had slowed to a crawl, but his heart raced in his chest as if to make up for lost time. If the Demon Queen was still alive, she would have been plotting and preparing to destroy the Kingdom of Lian once more. Two Demon Queens would have been impossible for a single Hero to handle, and the life Arwin had just started to get used to would come crashing down. But… she wasn’t plotting. Arwin wasn’t anywhere near stupid enough to believe that starting a tavern in the back of the least populated street in the empire and serving fried rice to strangers was in any way, shape, or form even remotely close to a plot. His mouth opened, but he wasn’t sure what he wanted to ask. He wasn’t sure what he could ask. His hand shifted, moving toward the hilt of his sword. But, before he could touch it, he paused. The moment his hand touched the hilt of his blade, everything would return to how it had been. This is it? She really isn’t going to do anything? I thought the Demon Queen hated humans. Why would she want to start a tavern for them? There’s no way this is just some long plot to poison the city or something, is there? He couldn’t exactly ask her. That would be the same as admitting he knew who she was, and then the farce would be over. As long as he didn’t reveal he knew who Lillia was and she did the same, things could remain as they were. And, just like that, the meal was over. Arwin quietly stacked his plate on Reya’s. “Thank you for the meal. What do we owe you?” “Reya already paid,” Lillia said. “You’re good, but if you run into anyone that looks hungry, I’d appreciate if you send them my way.” “Can do, so long as you send anyone looking for some smithing in my direction. I’ve got some swords I’ll be about to put up for sale, but I’m sure I could figure out more specific requests,” Arwin said. Lillia nodded, and the two of them stood in uncomfortable silence for a second. Then, slowly, Arwin lifted his hand. Not to his sword, but palm out in offering. Lillia stared at it, then looked back to him. She took it, and the Hero of Lian shook hands with the Demon Queen. It was a strange feeling to hold hands with the woman that he had spent the entirety of his life trying to kill, but when he looked into her eyes, he saw himself within them. Arwin had fought her for long enough to understand her body language perfectly. When she was going to summon her magic – the kind of strike she was about to make. He could tell all of it just from a single look, and he suspected she could do the same for him. But, for the first time that he could remember, Arwin couldn’t tell what she was thinking. He abruptly realized that they’d been holding hands for several moments longer than he’d planned and let go, taking a step back. “See you tomorrow!” Reya said with a cheerful grin, waving farewell as she and Arwin headed out of the dark tavern. Arwin resisted the temptation to pause at the doorway and glance back at Lillia. His mind still spun, confusion ruling his emotions with an iron fist. For the first time, he spent more than a few moments wondering what in the world had happened at the end of their fight. He brushed a hand over the wound covering his heart. I don’t understand this at all. When I first arrived at this world, I thought everything was simple. All I had to do was kill the Demon Queen and everyone could be happy. What would I have thought if I’d learned I’d be eating her cooking? A chilling realization set in on Arwin’s shoulders as they drew back up to his smithy. If he wanted to figure out any answers to what had happened and how he’d survived the explosion, the best person to speak with was probably the only other one that had been present for it. That seems like a problem for later. I need to take my mind off all this, but I don’t want to just mindlessly smith swords with no purpose in mind. “Is everything okay?” Reya asked. “You’ve seemed off ever since we met Lillia.” “Everything is fine,” Arwin said with a hurried shake of his head. “Just some old memories. You said you didn’t have a class yet, right?” Reya winced and nodded. “Yeah. You’d have thought I’d have gotten Thief by now, but somehow the only thing I’ve been handed is a fat zero. Why?” “Just wondering,” Arwin replied. “The Mesh gives you what you desire when you work toward it, you know.” “I’ve heard that before.” Reya rolled her eyes. “But, if that were true, I’d have gotten a class by now.” That’s true, unless the thing you were working toward wasn’t at all what you actually wanted. Arwin kept his musings to himself. Not for his sake, but for Reya’s. The last thing she needed to do was start doubting her desires, and Arwin didn’t know her nearly enough to start telling her how to live her life. They stepped into the smithy – and Arwin’s eyes narrowed instantly. There was a slip of paper pinned to the wall with a dagger that had been wedged through it and into a crack in the wall. He strode up to it, pulling the paper down and scanning over it. We have given you enough time. Deliver Reya and the item she stole, or We shall be forced to act. Though We do not enjoy senseless slaughter, those who flaunt our kindness will be met with Our blade. You have two days. If she is not returned, then your life and building will be taken in recompense. The letter was unsigned, but it didn’t need to be. Reya’s face paled as she read over it and she looked up to Arwin, her hands clenching at her sides. “I’m sorry. This is my fault.” Arwin didn’t respond immediately. With every passing day, it became more apparent that this was his new life – and he was starting to like it. And, if Arwin wanted to keep his new life the way it was, he was going to need to get stronger. “I was just thinking that it might be time to make some money tomorrow,” Arwin said. “You can toss on a cloak and we’ll bring the stuff I’ve made that isn’t horrible to the city center. We can try to sell it for half price and make a bit of coin.” Reya blinked in confusion. “What? Did you see the letter? You’ve been too kind to me. I’ll hand myself–” “I’m not handing you over. We just need to get stronger,” Arwin corrected. He hadn’t been kind to Reya at all. He’d tolerated her, but that was a far shot from kind. The fact that she considered his actions kind spoke volumes for the kind of life she’d lived. Deep within his heart, a feeling that he’d nearly forgotten re-lit itself. The sensation that had driven him in his early days of adventuring. The feeling he’d had before he’d seen all his friends die, when he’d still believed in the cause he’d fought for. It’s been so long that I almost forgot why I fought. It wasn’t just to end the war. It wasn’t for the Adventurer’s Guild. I fought to protect the people who needed me. I fought to keep someone else from being forced to become who I became. “Stronger than the thieves’ guild?” Reya asked in disbelief. “They have thirty men! All of them have classes!”