The silence in the house the next morning was unlike anything that had come before it.
No groggy footsteps.
No playful bickering.
No rushing to lace boots or brush hair.
Just stillness.
The rookies were home, battered, bandaged, and hollow-eyed. None of them had spoken since they returned late the night before, still reeling from Red's intervention… and what nearly happened.
Selena sat at the kitchen table, arms crossed over her chest, staring blankly at a cup of water.
Hina lay curled on the couch, her wounded leg propped up, bandages clean but tight.
Rika leaned against the doorframe, her bow resting on her lap, eyes distant.
Yuzu sat quietly with her knees to her chest, her robe wrinkled and stained with yesterday's tears.
Lio stood near the window, arms wrapped around himself. The Greenie rested silently on his shoulder, not bouncing for once.
They were alive.
But barely.
And not just because of wounds.
Because for the first time, the illusion had shattered.
They weren't strong yet. Not ready. Not unkillable.
They were rookies.
And they'd almost paid for their overconfidence with their bodies, their dignity, their lives.
Selena broke the silence first.
Selena: "We have to get better."
Everyone looked up.
Rika nodded slowly. "We almost died."
"No," Hina whispered. "We almost got broken."
Yuzu sniffed. "And Red… he said he won't always be there."
Lio clenched his fists. "He shouldn't have to be."
Selena took a deep breath. "Then we need to ask him. What it really takes."
Red stood behind the house.
As always, he was early. Awake. Silent.
Sharpening his blades with slow, steady hands.
When the rookies walked outside together, all of them, limping, bruised, but upright, he looked at them without a word.
Selena stepped forward and bowed her head.
Selena: "We were reckless."
Red said nothing.
Lio followed, head lowered. "We chased coins."
Rika added, "And ignored our limits."
Yuzu swallowed. "We're sorry."
Red's eyes scanned each of them. Their wounds. Their exhaustion. Their shame.
But also, their resolve.
Finally, he spoke.
Red: "You survived."
It wasn't praise. It was truth.
Then he slid the whetstone into his belt, stood, and faced them fully.
Red: "What do you want now?"
"To keep going," Selena said. "But this time… the right way."
Red nodded once.
Red: "Then listen."
He walked past them and gestured toward the training posts in the yard.
"Being an adventurer isn't about strength," he said.
Red: "Not just. Anyone can swing a sword or cast a spell."
He tapped a wooden post with his finger.
Red: "It's about preparation."
They watched in silence.
Red turned to face them again.
Red: "You want to survive? Then remember this."
He raised a finger.
"One: Routine. Your day begins before the quest. Wake up early. Clean your gear. Stretch. Eat. Sleep on time. Skip these, and you've already lost."
The group glanced at each other.
They hadn't done that in days.
He raised a second finger.
"Two: Assessment. Don't just grab quests. Read them. Study the location, the client, the route. Ask questions. Gather rumors. You fight smarter by knowing what's coming."
Rika nodded slowly. "We just… picked the highest pay."
"Exactly," Red said.
"Third," he continued, "Equipment. Every adventurer must carry these at all times: water, rations, basic potions, bandages, a whetstone or mana stone, and something for fire or shelter."
He pointed to Lio's belt. "You had none of those yesterday."
Lio nodded, ashamed.
Red moved on.
"Fourth: Party Formation. You split your team without checking balance. No healer with Lio. No shield with Yuzu. No strength on the rear guard. If you must divide, rotate, compensate. Think like soldiers, not scavengers."
Selena spoke softly, "We let greed break our formation."
"Greed is a sharper blade than any sword," Red said.
Red: "But it cuts you first."
He paused, letting that sit.
Then lifted his final finger.
"Five: Recovery. The quest doesn't end when the coin drops. You eat. You clean. You rest. You log what happened. You reflect. Then you repeat."
Hina's eyes widened. "We… didn't do any of that."
"No," Red said. "You just ran to the next job."
He looked at them all again.
Red: "You're lucky to be alive."
Silence followed.
Then Rika stepped forward.
Rika: "So… how do we start again?"
Red gave the faintest nod.
Red: "Tomorrow. At dawn."
He turned away.
Red: "Wear light gear. No quests. No weapons."
"Then what do we do?" Yuzu asked.
He stopped at the edge of the yard.
And said, "We rebuild."
That afternoon, the rookies cleaned the house, not because they were told to, but because they needed to reclaim the space. Their space.
Yuzu scrubbed the washroom floor with focused intensity.
Lio re-strapped his belt and finally removed the broken leather pieces.
Selena polished her shield slowly, like a ceremony.
Rika restrung her bow.
Hina replaced their old herbs and refreshed the medicine pouch.
They ate.
Together.
Simple bread and stew.
No one rushed.
No one skipped.
Even the Greenie looked happier again, bouncing between their bowls as they laughed softly at Lio's attempts to pretend he hadn't cried the night before.
That night, Red stood at the window, watching the stars.
Behind him, the house was quiet, the good kind of quiet. The kind filled with steady breathing and full bellies.
Not fear.
Not shame.
They weren't ready for the world yet.
But they were learning.
And this time… they were willing to be taught.
The morning after Red's lecture, while the others resumed light drills and rest, Lio sat alone in the common room, holding two small bags, stitched by Hina the night before. Inside were clothes, brushes, and little wooden charms shaped like pink slimes.
Lia and Lana stood in front of him, each wearing a freshly laundered tunic and a ribbon in their hair.
"Are we… really going, Big Brother?" Lana asked softly.
Lio nodded, eyes heavy but sure. "Yeah. Just for a while."
Lia tilted her head. "Because we're bad?"
"No," he said quickly. "Because I love you."
They blinked.
Lio looked down at the floor.
"I've been reckless. I almost died out there. I can't protect you if I'm always half-alive from chasing quests without thinking." He clenched his fists.
Lio: "But I want to get stronger. So one day, you'll never have to worry about food or danger ever again."
The twins went silent.
From the hallway, Red watched, arms crossed, but didn't interfere.
Selena approached quietly, kneeling beside the girls. "You'll be going to the Academy of Silverhaven. It's safe. You'll learn letters, numbers, and how to heal bruises better than Hina."
Hina nodded from the doorway, smiling softly. "And I'll visit when I can."
Yuzu sniffled. "They're gonna grow up smarter than all of us…"
Rika smirked. "Not hard."
Lio laughed weakly, ruffling their hair. "You'll be okay. Right?"
Lia clung to his arm. "We'll study lots!"
Lana grinned. "And tell everyone our brother is an adventurer!"
They hugged him tightly, a knot of warmth in the center of the quiet house.
Selena gently took their hands. "I'll walk them to the carriage."
As they left, Greenie crawled up onto Lio's shoulder and made a soft squeak.
Lio didn't say anything for a moment.
Then he whispered, "Let's train harder, buddy."
Red watched it all unfold in silence.
Not with judgment.
But with something that looked almost like approval.
Because Lio wasn't just learning how to swing a sword.
He was learning what it meant to stand tall.