Published: March 21, 2026
"Uruk's festival?"
When I asked if he wanted to go to the festival, Crow let out the same startled sound I did.
Well, I can see why he'd be confused.
One moment we'd been fighting the Demon Clan and barely escaped with our lives, the next the group had grown, and the day after that they were talking about going to a festival.
If it were me, I wouldn't even want those people staying in my house.
"...Going?"
When I asked, Crow fell silent with a troubled expression.
The accursed place where the man who killed his sister had been. I didn't know why he hadn't sought revenge until now, but it must take courage to go there.
"Are you serious?"
"I'm serious. Amelia wants to go too. She's always had a weakness for food."
Crow murmured that and then stared into the air with the vacant look he'd had the night before.
Alone in the living room, I sighed.
The heroes had gone to help rebuild the town.
Amelia and Mr. Zeal had gone out together at night.
They'd probably gone up the mountain to gather food because with more people, supplies were running short.
Crow and I were asked to stay behind, since climbing mountains was still hard for me.
Unable to bear the two-person silence, I suggested he come along.
I had heard about how Crow met Yoru and about Crow's sister from Amelia.
I have a sister myself, so I felt I could understand him a little.
No matter how much you fight or how often you say you dislike them, family is still important.
Yui and I came out of Mom's womb at almost the same time, so we're closer than ordinary siblings.
Yui used to, jokingly or not, insist that a doctor’s mistake made her the older sister, and she probably still doesn't really see me as her brother.
She calls me "big brother" grudgingly.
But no matter how cheeky she is, she's my cute little sister.
If someone killed Yui before I came back, I don't think I could stop myself.
I'd make them regret it by any means necessary.
That's my thought. I don't know if Crow thinks the same, but maybe he's not far off.
"...Do you want to know why I haven't avenged my sister even though I know the truth?"
Crow said that and wagged his tail.
I snapped to and looked at him.
The drifting gaze was now fixed on me.
But those obsidian-like eyes showed no light.
"You can tell what a person is thinking by looking at their eyes. Even with a poker face, the eyes say more than the mouth."
Because he looks almost the same age as Mr. Zeal, I sometimes forget that Crow has lived for over a century.
Crow opened his mouth with a calm expression.
"There are two reasons. One: I think my sister wouldn't have approved of me staining my hands with the blood of our kin. The second..."
He said that and slammed his fist down onto his knee in frustration.
"Because of age, I can't fight for long. You humans might not understand, but for us Beastmen aging comes all at once. One day you move like when you were young, and the next you might be confined to bed."
I couldn't help but say "huh."
It seems to be a Beastmen-specific aging phenomenon. First time I'd heard of it.
"It varies by individual, but for me it came early. Not long after my sister died I spent about fifty years gathering information on Gram and plotting revenge, but on the day I was to put it into action I was struck by aging. I'd lived recklessly when I was young, and that sped it up."
Crow wore a self-mocking smile.
So Gram must be either extremely lucky... or Crow's luck is absolutely terrible.
"Ria's Staff, that was something I made. Long before she joined the royal family, I crafted it for the future guardian — the best staff I ever made. It was that staff that warned us of your danger. ...I was very torn about whether to go help."
So the people who saved us were Crow and Ria.
They knew each other before she joined the royal family... what sort of relationship was that?
"There was a reason I helped you."
While I was wondering about Crow and Ria's relationship, Crow looked at me with a serious face and said that.
His gaze was steady on me again, but unlike before, a strange light dwelt in those eyes.