The way the master and two apprentices under his guidance met made one's head spin.

In the vast forest with thick trees, a man blessed with everything upon birth was leading his knights.

Fatigued and drained as they usually were, none of them made a peep while trying to keep up with the figure who freely showed his back to them. The difference between the two was like mice trying to catch up with a predator beyond their level.

Wise, capable, handsome, and strict. These were the descriptions the knights not entirely composed of males described him. His white hair and darker skin than most made others feel that he was divine.

Independent... The man who walked through the maze-like forest while taking care of himself. He was his own Scout, Hunter, and Warrior, as no one could match him when he chose to focus his sight.

The complicated world seemed like it was ordered in his eyes. He stepped forth vigorously, not knowing where the winding path would lead him. It was almost like he could taste the scent of evil that lurked in this danger zone where most would avoid.

The lack of noise besides there footsteps was ominous. It felt like the area was lacking in life…

One could say that the sounds of 'Animals' should be a certainty when entering the lands owned by Beasts, but there was a lack of any noise besides clinking armour and grass being pushed aside.

It was only when the third sign that something eerie was in the air did the squadron stop treading.

The knights took a deep breath before checking their surroundings, but Brandon had already found the direction the smell was coming from. The light of his gauntlet shone on the muddy terrain.

The man stepped towards where a red scent came from. Then his eyes widened in surprise…

Blood, and a lot of it...! He moved fast, finding two children in what seemed to have been a battlefield.

The two young boys seemed devastated as they looked at the ruins of a village. From the bodies that were left by the warriors who hadn't gotten the chance to escape, he found that where he stood seemed to be the outside gate of a 'Ghoul Village'.

Mixed in this bloody lake of corpses were hooded figures. They seemed to belong to mankind. The least intimidating Animals that his Order would usually ignore. Rabbits, frogs, deers, lizards, and even chickens amongst those that had fallen.

It seemed like many of them had already gained a human form. He looked at the mix of animalistic and humanoid figures. There was a lack of reaction in his eyes. The man saw this as just another day investigating strange phenomena in the forest.

The only thing the picked his curiosity were the children who seemed devastated by the side.

One larger young boy held the shoulder of the younger man, who seemed mentally fatigued.

The moonlight-haired boy hugged the figure of a girl. She had a pair of bunny ears on her head.

Loss, regret, hatred, many emotions were turbulent in the boy's heart as he snapped out of his daze.

There was a clear emptiness in his heart, a hole left behind by those Beasts he seemed to cherish, but he didn't cry, as if he accepted the inevitability with open arms. The strange boy feared nothing...

The same could be said for the larger youth behind him, but that boy seemed more the reckless type.

Ignoring the death around oneself and being insensitive to dying were two different things. It somehow annoyed the Grand Hero when he saw the 'disconnected' look on the skinny boy's face.

This wasn't your average detachment from reality due to trauma. His scar was much MUCH deeper!

"Are you two alright?" This question made the taller child look guilty. He avoided making eye-contact.

"We are." The person who seemed in charge was surprisingly the shorter child as he put the rabbit girl down. Alex seemed unable to notice his own tears, yet was still able to make rational decisions.

The proud knights, who finally caught up, were shocked considering the scene before them.

The fact that there were two Human children amidst the battlefield towards them awoke compassion in their hearts. They called out to the duo before them to come closer to them as adults.

There was a lack of clear words…

The moonlight-haired boy was still in a state of shock from earlier. He was internalising his grief.

They tried to communicate using any other means possible, such as adding emotions to their expressive calls and using body language. None of them wanted to disturb Brandon whatsoever,

The man was thinking of what to do with the kids.

Their mission was a secret, something that was important to the white-haired 'genuine hero'.

The Grand Hero decided to set up camp where this now 'abandoned' village was located.

He watched as his subordinates easily became close to the two youths with their guards down.

All while arranging an area to freshen them up.

Despite being the person who had the most influence in the group, Brandon actually had a lot more work than his subordinates. He used his myriad of skills to rebuild the village to an extent...

As the group's commander, he started watching over the area. His current job was looking for the suspicious individuals who had been appearing in this specific part of the near endless Dark Forest.

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

His eyes may not be special like those of the Moonwolf Clan, but there was an enormous flame of magical energy just waiting to be used at his disposal. All professions meant nothing before the almighty Grand Hero; he who could battle Gods.

The higher the position, the greater the responsibility. Brandon's heart was like a steel thread that was unbreakable yet flexible. If it was his choice, he would have investigated by himself.

A solitary star had no need for company, yet he brought his knights along anyway so they wouldn't slack off and would at least try to learn new things like he did. As knights, it was obvious that they had to meet the standards of the one they served.

Who asked them to be his subordinates? He wasn't going to let them relax when he was working hard!

After a long while, he saw the duo walking out of one of the abandoned houses... which to him seemed barely good enough to accommodate them. He could finally see their appearance through the mud and blood splashed onto them.

"Why were you two here?"

"We-"

"I was asking the big guy behind you." He pointed at Arthur, who replied blandly like reading a script:

"We got lost while hunting." Even though he knew there was a lot of holes in this statement, the righteous figure before them didn't get angry. He looked at his knights who were gathered around.

"Are you all asking me to train you?" These words caused a chill down their spines; scurrying off.

He pointed to the duo and gestured for them to come along. After getting to the edge of the village where no one was looking, he looked at the skinny youth who seemed smarter than he let on.

Brandon didn't even need to ask again…

His imposing figure gave the youth no choice but to talk. They told him all about their friendship with the Beasts who had died protecting them, and the threat of a strange Cult they had antagonised.

It didn't take much for the Grand Hero to believe them since he had some Skills from the Investigator Class, which could detect lies. The convenience of his Skills were almost cheat-like…

Brandon didn't question their friendship with Animalistic Beasts. He saw their relationship as something between an 'Owner' and 'Pets' rather than true friendship born on equal grounds.

This made it more believable as to why the young boy who called himself Alex Stuman was so calm.

The Arcanist looked back at the imposing figure of the man… with more interest than he had doubts.

Even though he was shushed and told to never speak of the Grand Hero's identity when they returned to the nearby village Arthur lived at, the future scholar of magic was interested in the strange pillar of magical flames in his runic sight.

He felt a rigidity from the flames, as well a firm gentleness that seemed paradoxical in some aspects. It was a rare 'kind stranger' he was absolute sure wouldn't die no matter what.

"Can we ask for something in exchange?" As this was a request from a child, Brandon nodded his head. He wasn't overly arrogant, but was just curious on what the children would ask for.

Money, status, influence, or to fulfil a task normally impossible for others. Now which one was it?

"Go ahead."

"Can you teach us how to fight properly?" These words surprised the Grand Hero, causing him to focus. There was an odd air of maturity around the skinny child, which was different from the taller young boy behind him… who still looked confused.

A smile curved on the man's lips.

The clean freak was starting to like these two. They filled a hole in his heart he never thought he had.

Since there was no clues left behind by the crazy Cultists, Brandon didn't know if the children were saying everything they knew. The Grand Hero became invested in 'raising' two apprentices responsibly. Almost as if he was a parent.

The days went by peacefully. Brandon used his masterful 'Chef Class' Support Skills to cook while teaching them what they needed to be proper human beings. He became a nagging aunt who kept telling them off when they came home muddy.

Alex lived with him, and Arthur seemed to open up about his 'normal' life where he snuck out to hunt everyday to sharpen his skills. Though the more he got to know the two, the more mysterious and alien they seemed when put into context of what he knew. An insensitivity to death, living in a Ghoul Village without being attacked, etc. Everything about him seemed to suggest he was an Undead.

And yet, Brandon was sure that wasn't the case!

The boy's sense of taste was good enough to even advise him on better recipes that could be made in the wild. Even if the boy was the highest tier of Undead, there should be signs of being unable to breath or a lack of blood circulation in the body.

Alex was truly alive... Which made the youth even more mysterious, and picked the hero's curiosity.

"You're strange."

"...I wasn't expecting you to bring it up like this." It was at the dinner table on a day Arthur decided to stay at home did the Grand Hero confront him. To hesitate and dance around the subject wasn't his style even if this was something he was sure of.

"Let's not get sidetracked. Why did you want me as your teacher anyway?" Brandon lifted his brow.

"Aren't you going to ask me who I am or where I came from?" The boy's eyes were surprised.

"Your name is Alex, and where you came from is non other than the Human Empire. Unless you're part of a village outside of humanity's jurisdiction and laws... Anyway, your origin means nothing."

"Thanks."

"The only reason I'm not asking is because Arthur is adorable and I don't want to ruin this student-teacher relationship we have. As long as you're not an evil entity, I have no reason to judge you."

"...Thank you."

"Is thanking me becoming a habit of yours?"

"What else can I say...?"

"Just eat and be content."

"What about my gratitude?"

"And what about it?"

"I can't thank you enough."

"Saying it once is enough for me to hear."

"But-"

"But nothing. A kid like you has no business thanking adults like me for taking care of you."

"...We're strangers." Alex voice trembled slightly.

He spoke these words after finishing his food.

"I know."

"Then why are you being kind to me?"

"Because that's my 'Role'." These honest words dimmed the young and skinny boy's innocent eyes.

"...So it's just an obligation."

"That's right! That's why: Just ignore me and take advantage of what you get. Just be a kid." After hearing this last sentence, a silence enveloped the room and engulfed them in its serene atmosphere.

Unexpectedly, Alex wasn't so lacking in social intelligence that he'd miss the subtle hints as to what Brandon really meant. It took him a good while before he understood what the Grand Hero before him really meant by telling this to him.

As soon as he was hit by realisation, his heart suddenly raced as this felt similar to what he'd always experienced when living among the 'Ghouls' that his adoptive father was familiar with.

The stars in his heart were gone, and the people he had already disregarded in his life were no more.

A black hole appeared where the biggest damage was done to his heart after they all died... The Ghouls who took care of him, the Beast friends he made over time... all of them had become precious existences in his life, without even one exception.

However, now those kind people were no more...

Without them, the world became a black night without a hint of radiance. In his black heart, it became more obvious to him that the world wasn't a kind place like his last life. The young boy believed he'd never open up to others ever again.

...That's why it surprised him when the night became illuminated with the warmth of the sun.

The radiance of Brandon's kindness was so warm and sincere that became unable to separate the world around him as 'fiction' no longer. The strong barriers of justification he always used to protect himself were burnt down by the man before him.

"Thank you..." This time, Brandon didn't interrupt the youth as he casually retrieved the empty plate.

He could feel the young boy finally releasing everything that had been bottled up and stored in the deepest corners of his heart. He felt was a good sign, as the process of healing could only start once Alex's 'time' finally started again.

Time finally moved forward for the skinny boy as the famous hero turned to watch the dishes while pretending not to hear the boy break out into tears of true sadness for others. It was only after losing everything did he finally understand what he had.

The skinny boy regretted everything, whether it was his way of treating them or how he saw them.

Alex finally 'connected' to the world as a resident...