With the Guide suddenly losing consciousness, the Hero took the initiative to carry the passed out Guide back to the Inn they were staying at.

“….” In between the Guide’s consciousness, he heard the Hero speaking yet all fell on deaf ears as he couldn’t yet grasp the situation.

Finally making it back to the inn, the Hero was tired from carrying the Guide.

“Ugh you’re heavy….” He could only complain as he then softly threw the Guide on the bed.

“Hey guide~ when are you gonna wake up… I’m starving…” While sprawled on the floor and gasping for air the hero could only wait for the Guide to wake up, evidently sulking as he then watched the unconscious Guide that seemed to be having a nightmare.

Growwl-

Even the Hero’s stomach made weak sounds as if a testament to his hunger.

Belatedly noticing the ingredients that the Guide had been carrying, the Hero decided to take it upon himself to cook today’s dinner.

Barely even recognizing the foreign ingredients, the Hero proceeded to take small pieces of each ingredient and began to taste it.

Learning of the similarities in their tastes to his original world, the Hero then finally decided what to cook.

.

.

.

.

.

.

“Hey Guide wake up~! If you don’t, I’ll shove this down your throat.”

“….Hah..?” Filled with cold sweat and a look of slight panic buried in his eyes, the Guide finally woke due to the consistent pestering of the Hero.

Collecting his calm, the Guide then assessed his surroundings as his attention landed upon a certain blond haired youth.

His eyes fully regaining their clarity, belatedly noticed that the Hero was awfully close.

He then began to stare daggers at the said Hero, not wanting to imagine what kind of shenanigans the blond haired youth had plan to commit.

“Woah stop looking at me like you’re ready to kill me at any moment, I was just joking~”

“…You didn’t look like you were just joking…”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Barely awake, the Guide groggily sat up on the bed as the Hero handed him a bowl of porridge.

“Here, eat it.”

Surprised by the gesture, the Guide could only skeptically ask the Hero. “….Porridge….Did you perhaps buy this?”

“That’s rude, I made it myself you know.” With a slight look of disappointment written on his face, the Hero then fully announced his 'proud' achievement.

“….” The Guide then looked at the Hero with an expression that seemed to believe that the world has come to an end.

“Hey don’t look at me like it’s something unbelievable for me to do, I have a very fragile heart!”

“….I see.” Completely disregarding the Hero’s dramatizations, the Guide then took a spoonful of the porridge and ate it without much hesitation.

“So?? Soo?? How is it?? It’s the only thing I’m good at cooking you know! So it has to taste really good, right?”

With expectant eyes, the Hero couldn’t help but ask for the Guide’s opinion as it had been so long since he last cooked, let alone had someone to taste it.

The Guide then briefly looked at the Hero’s fingers, which are now all clumsily wrapped with gauze as if he had continually cut his fingers from just making a simple porridge.

Seeing the numerous cuts barely hid by the gauze, the Guide fell into deep contemplation... after which looked up to see the expectant eyes of the Hero.

With another spoonful of the porridge the Guide could only reply in a slight daze.

“….Disgusting…” The room was dimly lit so the Guide’s expression was hard to see but the tone and lack of emotion present on the Guide’s voice was enough for the Hero to conclude that the Guide wholeheartedly hated the porridge which he had painstakingly cooked.

As if glass had shattered somewhere, the Hero’s confidence went down the drain as he could only shout at the Guide in embarrassment. “Wah?! Then don’t eat it!”

“I’m joking. It was disgustingly delicious.” The Guide solemnly said while placing down the spoon, the bowl was already empty and the porridge long gone.

He then smiled briefly as he felt like he could somehow understand the Hero way better than before.

“It didn’t seem like you were just joking though….” The Hero then said with scrutinizing eyes filled with distrust towards the Guide that had just berated his ‘amazing’ cooking.

“Haha… Also, this is the only dish you can cook?” The Guide then chuckled as he landed a mental blow on the Hero.

“Uck- uh yeah, so what about it?...” Barely recovering from the mental blow, the Hero barely squeezed out a retort.

“Then, we best add cooking to one of our lessons.”

After those words left the Guide’s mouth, the Hero suddenly looked as if the world had come to an end.

“What??? Nooo let me rest a little!” The Hero then dramatically threw a tantrum while lying on the ground, flailing his arms and legs everywhere like a toddler...

“No buts. Also it’s late, we should rest.” As the Guide was about to get up from the bed and head to the couch to sleep, the Hero stopped with his tantrums and quickly stood up.

With a serious look on his face the hero then nagged, stopping the Guide in the process, from leaving the bedroom. “You stay here, tired people should rest comfortably.”

“But as a Guide I shouldn’t inconvenience the Hero.”

“…You’ve already stressed me enough as is y’know. Also! Let’s take turns on night watches from now on. You haven’t slept since yesterday right? So sleep on the bed for now, I at least have this much tact.”

“…I thought we would have to add ‘having shame’ to your list of lessons but I guess we wouldn’t have to, for now that is”

“Hey! I’m trying to be nice but you just keep getting nastier huh. The guide is so rude… despite always berating me for being the ‘rude’ one. Hmmp! see you!”

Slam!

With a loud thud, the door to the only bedroom was closed as the Hero went to sleep on the couch.

Now left alone on the silent and dimly lit room, the Guide could only lay down as he contemplates about the ‘dream’ or rather the ‘nightmare’ he had just witnessed.

Though the more pressing question was that [ Was the dream really just a dream? a ανάμνηση? Or was it a προαίσθημα ]

Various thoughts raced in his mind as he slowly drifted off to a soft slumber.

The door then creaked as the Hero entered the room, placing a book titled [Αρχή dictionary] on a table by the bed as he then briefly looked at the Guide and mumbled words that only the Hero could hear.

“⬛⬛....⬛⬛⬛.... You could've just told me that Αρχή meant beginnings.”

Staring once more at the Guide the Hero could only silently mumble to himself.

“Haa…This will be a long journey…” With a yawn and a slight sigh, the Hero then left the room as the silent night consumed the surroundings with only the varying sounds of creatures far from town drowned all other miscellaneous noises in their wake.