In Dante City’s night market, a throng of street stalls gathered. Some sold artistic items like lanterns or clay figurines, others dealt in clothing or everyday necessities. But the majority were food stalls, drawing a large crowd every evening.

A black-haired girl walked lethargically along the path, wandering aimlessly.

Aino was still hungry. Over the past few days, she’d even considered catching the rats in the sewers.

But those creatures… were so low-quality and disgusting that they were nearly impossible to swallow.

While hunger wouldn’t kill her, Aino constantly suffered from her instinctual craving for flesh and blood, leaving her in a mentally fragile state.

Wandering the night market was a desperate measure—maybe, just maybe, she’d find a vendor with leftover meat? Though it seemed unlikely… Aino had little choice.

If this went on, she’d have to return to the forest, despite having only just entered the city a few days ago.

In a daze, Aino spotted a familiar figure.

It was the man she’d encountered in the forest before, the one who had taken a dragon blood flower from her. He was selling something.

Aino’s eyes lit up. Finally, a glimmer of hope. This adventurer had mentioned that he often explored various places, collecting spoils to sell. Surely, he’d have something she could eat, right?

Even if he didn’t, as a local human, he’d find it much easier to get food than she would, a stranger in this city and not fully human herself.

Quickly, she moved closer. But as she approached his stall, Aino hesitated.

What if he’d only interacted with her in the forest for his safety, without any genuine intention of connecting? What if he yelled out that she was a monster right here in the crowd?

…No, she couldn’t worry about that now.

“I can’t take it anymore, so don’t push me…”

The girl kept her head slightly lowered, her eyes glinting with a mix of coldness and desperation.

Steeling herself, Aino stepped forward, stopping less than a meter in front of the adventurer.

Carter looked at her, initially puzzled, but then his expression changed sharply as he seemed to recall something.

“You…”

Carter immediately stepped back, one hand moving to his waist, ready to draw a weapon.

Unlike Carter’s cautious and unfriendly stance, Aino merely stood with her hands open in front of him, her face calm.

This left Carter feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Seeing that Aino bore no hostility and appeared in a human guise, Carter dropped his combat stance and hesitantly stepped closer to her.

“Miss, what brings you here?”

Monsters hiding among humans had always been a source of fear—a tale told to scare children, but also a real threat. Cases of monsters rampaging in crowded areas or disguising themselves as humans only to be discovered after years of preying on people were well-documented.

As an experienced adventurer, Carter had witnessed such scenes firsthand and even fought against those creatures, fully aware of their cunning and strength.

He hadn’t expected the humanoid creature he’d once encountered in the forest to show up in the city.

Aino had no idea what Carter was thinking. All she knew was that she was starving, and she wanted to ask this adventurer, to whom she’d once done a small favor, for some food.

“Mister, I’ve been in the city for days, and I’m starving. Do you have any higher-grade monster meat or, if not, ordinary livestock meat?”

“Remember, I gave you a dragon blood flower, and that elixir should be worth something, right?”

Afraid that he might refuse, Aino quickly added a reminder.

Though Carter hesitated, he didn’t outright reject or try to flee.

“I do have some, but not here. That sort of thing isn’t easy to sell, so I keep it at home.”

“How about… I go fetch it, and you wait here for me?”

Clearly, Carter was reluctant to reveal his home address to this unfamiliar humanoid creature, especially with his ailing wife at home.

But Aino, not noticing his reluctance, was delighted to hear that he had food. “No need! It’s getting late anyway, so just pack up normally. I’ll come directly to your place and eat there. Plus, I can’t eat meat in front of others, so this saves you a trip!”

In high spirits, Aino sat down on a vacant spot not far from the stall, cheerfully watching Carter.

Carter figured that, if not for the magic concealing her non-human traits, he might have seen her flapping wings or even wagging a tail by now.

And so, under this slightly strange atmosphere, the two of them spent the remaining time in the night market.

Aino observed that the adventurer seemed steady and reserved. He didn’t speak much while doing business and rarely showed any expression, yet he appeared to be a genuine person.

Carter, on the other hand, noticed that this monster, despite attempting to initiate conversation, was somewhat reserved—perhaps even shy.

“Unexpectedly easy to get along with,” they both thought, letting out a subtle sigh of relief.

…

Carter gently knocked on the door before opening it.

“I’m back, and I brought a guest,” he called toward the bedroom, setting down his belongings and inviting Aino to sit.

“I’ll go get the food now. See if it’s suitable for you. You can stay here tonight if you need to, though it’s a bit simple.”

“Thank you,” Aino replied with a smile.

Since Aino couldn’t eat with others present and had no other place to stay, Carter decided to let her rest on the sofa. For this humanoid creature, who had shown kindness and seemed genuinely amicable, Carter found himself unable to treat her with hostility or indifference.

Soon, Carter returned, holding a bottle of liquid. Aino’s gaze locked onto it immediately.

“This will do. The quality is excellent.”

“Good. I’ll be in the bedroom; get some rest,” Carter replied, chuckling softly as he noticed her barely restrained eagerness to consume the contents of the bottle.

Inside the bedroom, the air was tinged with a faint, bitter medicinal scent. Seeing his frail wife lying on the bed, Carter’s mood instantly grew somber.

“Darling,” his wife, Molly, opened her eyes weakly, managing a small smile as she noticed him entering.

Carter sat gently on the edge of the bed, tenderly brushing his hand across her forehead.

“How are you feeling today?” he asked, forcing a smile as he looked at her thin, pale face.

Molly didn’t reply right away, simply gazing at him warmly.

After a moment, she finally spoke in a subdued tone.

“It still hurts all over… I feel so weak… Carter, I don’t think there’s much that can be done.”

The green-haired woman pouted slightly, her expression almost childlike.

“We’ll find a way, Molly… We have to keep trying.” Carter’s hand trembled as it rested on her head. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her.

A sudden illness had devastated both of their lives.

“There’s no way… Even the grand healer said this strange disease is beyond anyone’s ability to cure. It would take a miracle…”

But Carter, upon hearing this, suddenly remembered something, springing to his feet.

“What’s wrong, Carter…?”

“I have an idea, Molly. If no human can cure this, then let’s seek help from someone who isn’t human!”