The scent of fresh earth and wildflowers drifted through the air as sunlight filtered through a small, slightly dusty window. A gentle breeze rustled the curtains, the sound of chirping birds filling the quiet morning.
For the first time in years, Reed woke up to complete peace.
No rowdy adventurers slamming doors in a drunken stupor.
No innkeeper banging on his wall, demanding late rent.
No life-or-death situations forcing him to snap awake at a moment's notice.
Just… silence.
His body sank into the mattress, the familiar aches and pains from adventuring gradually fading into relaxation.
This was nice.
This was really, really nice.
He let out a long, slow breath, a content smile tugging at his lips.
Then, his instincts kicked in.
His eyes snapped open, his body jerking upright in alarm as a single, terrifying realization struck him.
"…I OVERSLEPT?!"
His brain went into immediate panic mode.
Years of waking up at ungodly hours for guild quests had drilled a natural survival instinct into him. He always had to wake up early to beat the crowds to the request board—otherwise, all the decent quests would be taken, and he'd be stuck with garbage jobs like drainage cleaning or "find my lost chicken."
His heart pounded as he frantically glanced around the room.
No weapons nearby. No emergency gear packed.
Did he miss a meeting? Did he forget a quest deadline?!
He shot out of bed, practically diving toward his boots—
Then he stopped.
Wait.
There was no guild.
No quests. No dangerous deadlines.
Nothing.
His brain struggled to process this information.
"…Oh."
A long pause.
Then, with the weight of four years of unnecessary stress crashing down on him all at once, he slowly collapsed back onto the bed.
"…Hah."
A weak, hollow laugh escaped him.
He had finally escaped.
The realization fully settled in.
He was done with adventuring.
Forever.
No more struggling to climb the ranks. No more desperate attempts to prove himself. No more pathetic F-rank life where he was stuck doing scraps of work for the sake of a few silver coins.
This was his new reality.
A quiet life. A normal life.
And for the first time since he became an adventurer, Reed felt like he could finally breathe.
He rolled over, letting himself sink into the soft mattress.
"…I'm going back to sleep."
For the first time in years, he had the luxury to wake up whenever he wanted.
So he did.
By the time Reed finally dragged himself out of bed, the sun was already high in the sky.
His feet hit the wooden floorboards as he stretched his arms over his head, stifling a lazy yawn.
Then, his drowsy gaze wandered around the room—his new home.
The house was small but sturdy, gifted to him by Chief Darius when he arrived the day before.
It wasn't much, but after spending four years in dingy guild inns, it might as well have been a noble's estate.
A modest wooden table sat in the center of the room.
A brick stove was built into the corner, still unused.
A dusty old shelf leaned against the wall, completely empty except for a single, half-broken mug left behind by whoever lived here before.
The place was…
"…Functional," Reed muttered.
He wasn't complaining.
Still, it was a little too quiet.
His body had grown so used to chaos that his brain half-expected something to explode at any moment.
But no.
No sudden monster attacks.
No bandits.
No crazy adventurers bursting through his door.
Just… peace.
Reed let out a long sigh, running a hand through his messy white hair.
He had already greeted most of the villagers yesterday when he arrived.
There had been a small crowd waiting for him in the village square, mostly out of curiosity. A few people had patted him on the back, asked how adventuring went, and—of course—the kids had immediately bombarded him with wild questions.
"Did you fight a dragon?!"
"Did you defeat the Demon King?!"
"Are you the legendary hero?!"
Reed had answered all of them with a deadpan "No."
He shuddered at the memory.
The worst part was how some of them didn't believe him.
By the end of the day, half the town had already exaggerated his career into something ridiculous.
Now, if he so much as lifted a sack of potatoes, someone would probably whisper "Ah, the Hero of Brookstead still has his legendary strength…"
It was exhausting.
And he hadn't even been here for a full day yet.
Reed sighed again and grabbed a loaf of slightly stale bread from the kitchen counter, biting into it as he stepped outside to get some fresh air.
The morning breeze felt cool against his skin, the warm scent of fresh bread and livestock drifting from the village square.
This was his first full day as a retired adventurer.
A new beginning.
And today, he was going to do absolutely nothing.
Reed smirked to himself.
That thought alone was satisfying.
For once in his life, he had no schedule, no obligations, no deadly encounters waiting for him.
He could just… exist.
With a light step, he started heading toward the village well to get some water.
Completely unaware that his peaceful life was already in danger.
The village square was already bustling with life by the time Reed arrived. The warm scent of freshly baked bread and roasting meat filled the air as merchants set up their stalls, farmers hauled baskets of produce, and children dashed between the buildings, shouting gleefully.
It was lively, simple, and peaceful—the complete opposite of the chaotic cities he had spent the last four years in.
Reed stretched his arms and let out a deep sigh.
"Alright. First full day of retirement. Let's see if I can survive it."
The plan was simple: grab some water from the well, maybe buy some fresh food, and then go back home and do absolutely nothing.
It was going to be a perfectly normal day.
Or so he thought.
The moment he stepped into the marketplace, heads turned toward him.
A few villagers whispered amongst themselves. Some even gave him slightly awed looks.
Reed frowned.
That was odd.
He tried to ignore it and walked toward the well, but as soon as he got close—
"Ah, Reed!"
A cheerful voice called out to him, and before he could react, a large sack of vegetables was shoved into his hands.
Reed blinked.
He looked down at the sack.
Then back up at the smiling middle-aged merchant standing in front of him.
"…What?"
The merchant laughed heartily, slapping Reed on the back. "Consider it a gift, lad! For all your great deeds!"
"…What?"
"For your service as an adventurer, of course!" The man beamed. "A hero like you deserves to be treated well after all the battles you've fought!"
Reed felt a headache forming.
"Oh," he muttered. "Oh no. It's happening."
It had only been one day, and already the villagers had started believing nonsense.
He rubbed his temples, taking a deep breath. "Listen, I think there's been a—"
"Nonsense!" The merchant waved him off. "No need to be humble, lad! You've earned it!"
Reed's eye twitched.
This was not the peaceful life he had imagined.
Five minutes later, Reed was still trapped in a nightmare.
The blacksmith had offered to repair his sword for free, claiming it was a legendary blade worn from countless battles.
A baker gave him free bread, saying, "A retired hero should never go hungry!"
A farmer asked him to tame his "wild beast", which turned out to be a mildly aggressive chicken.
Reed sighed loudly, rubbing his face.
"Okay. Who started these rumors?"
It was probably the kids from yesterday.
He had repeatedly told them that he was not a legendary hero, but clearly, that information had not stuck.
Now, the entire village seemed to think he was some secret S-rank warrior who had returned home to hide his strength.
"...I need to stop this before it gets worse," he muttered under his breath.
Before long, someone was going to ask him to slay a dragon.
As Reed tried to make his great escape from the well, a sharp prickle ran down his spine.
A strange feeling.
Like someone was watching him.
He froze, slowly glancing toward the forest at the edge of the village.
The trees stood tall and still, their thick leaves rustling softly in the morning breeze. Nothing seemed out of place.
But still…
Reed narrowed his eyes.
Something felt… off.
The sensation lasted only a second, then faded.
He shook his head.
"Probably just my imagination," he muttered, brushing it off.
It wasn't like he was being hunted down or anything.
"Oi, Reed!"
The familiar, gruff voice of Chief Darius snapped Reed out of his thoughts.
The mustached village chief stood near a wooden bench, leaning on his cane as he gestured Reed over.
"Got a minute? There's something important I wanna talk to you about."
Reed sighed.
"Can't be worse than what I've already dealt with today," he muttered, trudging over.
As he walked, he felt the prickle of unease again.
A pair of golden eyes watched from the trees, a mischievous grin curling on hidden lips.
The hunt had begun.
Reed slumped onto the wooden bench beside Chief Darius, letting out a long sigh.
The village marketplace was still alive with chatter, but he was already exhausted.
The chief smirked, leaning on his cane as he watched Reed from the corner of his eye.
"Long morning?"
Reed groaned. "They think I'm some kind of legendary warrior."
Darius chuckled. "Well, can't say I'm surprised. Ain't every day an adventurer comes back alive after four years on the road."
Reed rubbed his temples. "I was an F-rank, Chief. F. As in, 'failed at being an adventurer.'"
Darius stroked his mustache. "That ain't what the folks here are saying."
"…What are they saying?"
Darius shrugged. "Some say you were a hidden S-rank all along, only pretending to be weak."
Reed's eye twitched. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."
"Oh, it gets better," the chief continued, clearly enjoying himself. "There's also a version where you single-handedly saved a city from a demon invasion."
Reed groaned. "I cleaned drainage systems."
"And another one where you secretly trained under a grandmaster in the mountains and now possess unmatched swordsmanship."
Reed buried his face in his hands. "My sword skills are average at best."
Darius chuckled. "And yet, people saw you haul that heavy sack of flour yesterday like it weighed nothing."
Reed sighed, staring at the sky. "That's called 'being poor and carrying heavy things for four years.'"
The rumors were completely out of control.
He had wanted a quiet, peaceful life. But at this rate, someone was going to ask him to lead a war effort by next week.
The worst part?
The villagers weren't suspicious of him. They were proud.
"Bet you're regretting coming back already," Darius said, amused.
Reed sighed. "At this rate, I might move to a cave and live as a hermit."
The chief let out a deep laugh, shaking his head.
"Well, on that note, I actually did want to talk to you about something serious," he said, resting his arms on his cane. "Now that you're back, what are you plannin' to do?"
Reed blinked. "Do?"
Darius nodded. "The folks here don't mind having another pair of hands around. You could do farm work, help the hunters, maybe even take up a trade."
Reed frowned slightly. He hadn't thought that far ahead.
When he left the guild, his only plan was 'go home and do nothing.'
But now that he was here…
Did he really want to just waste away in a quiet village?
He tapped his fingers against the bench, thinking.
"…I'll figure something out," he muttered. "For now, I just want a break."
Darius nodded in approval. "Fair enough. Just don't laze around too long, boy. A man's gotta have purpose."
Reed chuckled dryly. "You sound like my dad."
The chief smirked. "Well, he ain't wrong, is he?"
Reed was about to stand up and stretch when he noticed something odd.
His coin pouch was missing.
His brows furrowed. He had just checked it earlier.
Where—
Wait.
A faint rustling came from the tree line.
Reed froze.
A strange sense of familiarity crawled up his spine.
He slowly turned his head toward the nearby trees.
A gust of wind rustled the leaves. Nothing seemed out of place. But still—
A prickle of unease settled in his gut.
He narrowed his eyes.
"...Is someone there?"
Silence.
Then—
From the trees, a single leaf drifted down, landing at his feet.
Darius noticed the shift in Reed's posture. "Somethin' wrong?"
Reed hesitated.
"…No. It's probably nothing."
But still, something felt off.
And for the first time since coming home…
Reed had a bad feeling.
Meanwhile, perched on a tree branch, Mielle grinned mischievously, flipping Reed's stolen coin pouch between her fingers.
She had been watching him all morning.
Seeing him get flustered over the villagers' hero rumors was too good.
But now?
It was time to have some fun.
Her fluffy orange tail flicked, her golden eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Let's see how long it takes for him to notice me," she whispered to herself.
The game had begun.
By the time Reed finally escaped the marketplace, his patience was hanging by a thread.
The rumors. The misunderstandings. The wild assumptions about him being a hidden S-rank hero.
This was not the quiet life he had signed up for.
He exhaled sharply as he stepped onto the dirt road leading back to his house.
"Okay. That's enough social interaction for one day," he muttered. "I'm locking the door and sleeping until next week."
The house came into view—a simple wooden cottage, tucked near the edge of the village, overlooking the vast open fields.
He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him with a heavy sigh.
Peace.
Finally.
He kicked off his boots, tossed his cloak onto the table, and stretched his arms overhead.
His body relaxed completely.
He was home.
Safe.
Alone.
"Yo."
Reed froze.
A cold chill ran down his spine.
That voice.
That voice should not be here.
Slowly, with a growing sense of horror, he turned his head.
And there, lounging casually on his windowsill, twirling his stolen coin pouch between her fingers, was Mielle.
She grinned, golden eyes flashing mischievously in the dim light.
"Took you long enough."
Reed forgot how to breathe.
His body jerked backward on instinct, slamming into the door.
"H-how the hell—"
Mielle hopped off the windowsill effortlessly, her fluffy fox tail swishing behind her.
"Oh, you know," she said casually, stretching her arms like she belonged here. "A little sneaking, a little lockpicking, a little waiting. You're lucky I didn't get bored and loot the place."
Reed's mind reeled.
He had checked the house before leaving. The door had been locked. The windows had been shut.
And yet, she had still—
"You… broke into my house," he said slowly.
Mielle tilted her head. "I mean, yeah? Did you really think a locked door would stop me?"
Reed buried his face in his hands.
His peaceful life had lasted less than 24 hours.
Ten minutes later, Reed sat at his rickety wooden table, arms crossed, glaring at the fox-eared girl now casually sipping his tea.
Mielle hummed in satisfaction. "Not bad. You actually stocked decent leaves. Proud of you, Reed."
Reed gritted his teeth.
"That's mine."
"And now it's mine," Mielle replied smoothly. "Honestly, you should be grateful I didn't drink it straight from the pot."
Reed took a very deep breath.
"Why," he said, rubbing his temples, "are you here?"
Mielle blinked innocently. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Reed growled, leaning forward, "why. Are. You. In. My. House."
Mielle smirked.
"Simple," she said, leaning back in her chair. "I'm moving in."
Reed choked.
"You're WHAT?"
Mielle grinned. "Well, obviously, I can't just let you disappear. That wouldn't be any fun."
Reed stared at her.
Then he stood up.
Walked to the door.
Opened it.
And pointed outside.
Mielle sipped her tea.
Reed's eye twitched violently. "Mielle."
"Mm?"
"Leave."
Mielle licked her lips.
"No."
Reed shut the door aggressively.
Then, with a deep, exhausted sigh, he collapsed back into his chair, face in his hands.
He had only one day of peace.
And now, somehow, he had a legendary thief squatting in his house.
End of Chapter 1