The Ferwin Knights were the pride of the Tehir Empire.
Thanks to the activities of the mana-users—those capable of wielding the special power known as mana—the Empire remained as peaceful as ever.
“Albert, you alright?”
“Ah, yes! Fortunately, they said I have no injuries!”
The voice of Albert, a fledgling member who had only just joined the Knights, was stiff and full of nervous energy.
Varen, the senior knight who had led Albert during today’s deployment, had visited the infirmary personally out of concern.
“Actually, a supporting knight from the Research Department saved me…”
“I heard. A member of the Combat Department getting help from the Research Department, of all things.”
“I—I am truly sorry. I will devote myself even further!”
Varen laughed, patting Albert on the shoulder.
He told the recruit not to be so tense over a little joke.
“The supporting knight who saved you is quite talented, even within the Research Department. It’s a relief they were next to you when that monster suddenly went on a rampage.”
“Um… Vice-Commander Varen.”
“Yeah?”
“The name of the supporting knight who saved me was…”
“Ah, it’s Ruite.”
Hearing the name, Albert nodded slowly. For some reason, his face looked strangely excited.
“Do you happen to know where that knight is right now?”
“They returned before us, so… probably in the Research Department office? Why do you ask?”
“I—I want to offer my thanks. Thanks to them, I was able to return without a single scratch.”
Varen’s eyes narrowed.
Was it just his imagination, or did Albert’s face look a bit flushed just from asking the reason?
Before the possibility of “Could it be?” even fully formed in his mind, Albert sprang up from his seat.
He bowed politely to Varen and hurried out of the infirmary.
Watching his subordinate disappear with hurried footsteps, Varen scratched his cheek.
“Maybe I should have told him Ruite’s last name.”
However, Varen’s belated murmur did not reach Albert.
After leaving the infirmary and entering the hallway, Albert immediately climbed the stairs of the main building.
His body felt as heavy as lead after fighting monsters, but strangely, his heart felt like it was floating.
The image of the knight who had stood reliably in front of him earlier lingered in his mind like an afterimage.
‘Don’t panic. Why don’t you step back?’
He still couldn’t forget the brilliant silver hair fluttering in the wind.
Contrary to an impression that seemed fragile at first glance, that supporting knight had parried the monster’s attacks with swift movements and even lured it away so the Combat Department could attack more easily.
It had been about a month since he joined the Knights.
He had been spending hellish days enduring grueling training and life-threatening combat, but in that moment, it felt as if he were in heaven.
Reaching the floor where the Research Department office was located, Albert let out a low sound. Just then, he spotted someone walking toward him.
Seeing Ruite, who held documents in one hand and a cookie in the other, Albert cleared his throat.
“Um, Supporting Knight Ruite.”
At the sound of the call, Ruite looked up from the documents.
“Oh.”
Ruite’s eyes widened slightly as the last piece of the cookie went into their mouth.
“Are you okay? You’re… Albert, the one who was out in the field with me earlier, right?”
“……Yes!”
He never imagined they would remember his existence.
To even remember his name.
His heart pounded even faster.
“I went to the infirmary, and they said there was nothing wrong!”
“Oh, that’s a relief.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Ruite. I came because I wanted to thank you.”
“Huh? Ah, there’s no need for that. I received a lot of help from seniors and other members of the Combat Department when I first joined, too. I’m just paying it back. If you’re really grateful, just make sure to take good care of your juniors when you get them later.”
It was a nonchalant, casual way of speaking, but Albert couldn’t help but be moved.
“Still, I’m so grateful. Perhaps during this va—vacation…”
“Hmm? What was that?”
The words asking to treat them to a meal during his time off got stuck in his throat.
He realized for the first time that saying such embarrassing things required a great deal of courage.
Just as he was wondering how to bring it up naturally, he noticed the corner of Ruite’s mouth.
A few cookie crumbs from earlier were stuck there.
He informed Ruite immediately, but Ruite fumbled at the wrong spot, asking, “Oh, really? Where is it?”
“Excuse me for a moment…”
Unable to watch any longer, Albert slowly reached out.
However, a hand suddenly cut through the gap and grabbed his wrist, stopping him firmly.
“Co—Commander Chester.”
Albert’s voice trembled slightly in surprise.
The person currently evaluated as the most skilled in the Knights after Commander Hale and Vice-Commander Elka was none other than Chester Callaway.
In terms of skill, he was an object of admiration for the regular knights and supporting knights of the Combat Department.
“Albert, was the field mission alright?”
“Ah, yes!”
After hearing the answer, Chester turned his gaze toward Ruite.
“What is it?”
Ruite tilted their head at the sudden stare.
“Member Ruite.”
“Yes.”
“Name.”
“Pardon?”
Why was he asking for a name when he had just called them by it?
Ruite frowned slightly at the nonsensical question.
“It’s Ruite.”
“Your last name.”
At this point, Albert had no choice but to read the room.
Not only had Chester suddenly appeared and grabbed his hand, but the incomprehensible conversation following it made it impossible to judge how to react.
“Callaway.”
“Ah…”
The moment Albert heard Ruite’s answer, he let out a small gasp.
It was because he realized Ruite’s last name was the same as Chester’s.
Sharing a last name meant they were family.
Since Chester’s only brother was not currently part of the Knights, there was only one likely answer.
The two of them were a married couple.
Albert swallowed hard in a different sense than before.
Come to think of it, he had heard a rumor within the headquarters that there was a couple consisting of a Combat Department member and a Research Department member, but he never imagined it would be these two.
Seeing the realization on Albert’s face, Chester slowly let go of his hand.
“Then, I—I will be going now! Excuse me.”
“Sure.”
Albert hurried away.
Before turning the corner to go down the stairs, he reflexively glanced back.
He witnessed Chester picking the crumb off Ruite’s mouth and putting it into his own mouth.
In that moment, his eyes met the Commander’s.
It was a gaze that felt like unspoken pressure.
Albert prayed that he hadn’t been marked by Chester and made a firm resolution to fold his feelings for Ruite.
“Why do you always get food on your face?”
Once he confirmed Albert was completely gone, Chester lightly pinched Ruite’s cheek.
“What do you mean, ‘always’?”
“It is always.”
“But what was that just now? Why ask for my name so abruptly in front of another member?”
And the last name, too.
When Ruite asked with a confused expression, Chester suddenly let out a sigh.
Apparently, Ruite still didn’t realize with what intention Albert had come to greet and talk to them.
Even to a casual observer, his eyes were full of ulterior motives.
He had heard from Varen earlier that Ruite had helped Albert when he was in danger during his first mission.
It was obvious how Ruite must have looked in the eyes of that fledgling member.
As soon as Varen mentioned that the kid had likely fallen for Ruite, Chester had dashed over here.
“Just because. I wanted to hear your last name.”
“You’re really strange. We’ve been married for half a year, and you still want to hear that?”
“Yeah. Every time I confirm that your last name has changed, it feels real that we are married.”
Chester naturally wrapped his arm around Ruite’s waist and leaned his head down.
“Hey, we’re at the headquarters.”
Moreover, the Research Department office was right nearby.
Chester’s face quickly turned sullen.
Perhaps because he had just seen Albert’s expression of longing for Ruite, the lump of irritation in his heart wouldn’t dissolve.
Chester led Ruite into a nearby room.
It was the First Archive, where Research Department data was managed.
The bookshelves, arranged at regular intervals, were packed with a massive amount of documents.
Chester took Ruite deep inside and pressed his body against theirs.
“Wow, Commander, are you going to keep doing this at work?”
When Ruite playfully used formal speech, Chester’s face turned slightly red.
As if he couldn’t hold back any longer, he hungrily pressed his lips against theirs.
Ruite’s hands naturally wrapped around Chester’s neck.
“I want to be with only you all day.”
“Is that something a person who tormented me this morning should say? Forget that—let’s do a bit more.”
This time, Ruite initiated.
They pulled Chester’s neck again and tilted their head.
Just as their soft lips met, their tongues tangled, and pheromones were about to slowly rise…
Click—
Suddenly, the door opened and someone walked in.
Chester and Ruite stopped what they were doing, eyes wide, and held their breath.
They weren’t in a place they weren’t allowed to be, so they could have just acted naturally, but everyone in the headquarters already knew they were a married couple.
If the couple slowly revealed themselves from a corner of an empty archive, everyone was bound to think it was strange.
“The data is…”
Ruite peered through the gap in the bookshelves.
A member of the Research Department seemed to be looking for something.
“Ah! Here it is.”
Fortunately, the member who found the data quickly left.
Hearing the sound of the door closing, the two of them finally let out their held breath.
“It’s because of you.”
“Who was the one who said ‘let’s do a bit more’?”
The two of them, playfully blaming each other, eventually burst into laughter at the same time.
