* * *
“You’ve got good instincts.”
The knight observing Ruite said, clapping his hands lightly.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, your intuition seems sharp. It’s like you instinctively know how to move your body. You also seem skilled at handling mana, so you’ll likely pick up anything quickly.”
He had heard something similar from Professor Neo.
‘Ruite, you have a good gut feeling for physical movement, so if you put in a little more effort, you could become an excellent mage.’
When the professor said it, he hadn’t felt much of a thrill, but hearing it from an active-duty knight made his chest swell with a bit of pride.
“Ruite, was it? My primary attribute is Fire, just like yours. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ruite asked about various things he had been curious about.
In particular, he sought advice regarding the incident during the mid-term test where the monster evolved, and he hadn’t been able to produce enough firepower.
The knight in charge of Ruite was a man named Connor, who had been with the order for about five years.
Since he wasn’t very old and had a friendly personality, he led a comfortable conversation even with a student like Ruite.
Most importantly, there was a common denominator between the two.
“Are you really a Whitmore graduate?”
“That’s right. I’m also from the Whitmore Magic Department.”
The fact was that Connor was a senior who had graduated from the academy before him.
Apparently, there were a few other graduates at this Northern branch besides Connor.
“I spent a year at the capital headquarters and then came to this branch a few years ago. My hometown is in this region. Ah, right. Is Professor Neo still at the academy?”
“Yes. He’s as energetic as ever.”
Connor burst into a small laugh, saying he missed him.
He shared an experience of being severely scolded by Professor Neo; apparently, until a few years ago, he was a terrifying professor, quite famous among the students.
Hearing that was surprising, as Neo was currently a professor who treated students favorably rather than being scary.
“I suppose people really do change as time passes.”
“Ruite, are you really a student? You sound like you’re talking to a grandfather.”
“I hear that often.”
Connor went on to share a few more anecdotes from his academy days.
Every single one of them was fascinating.
“Is that bread really that delicious? It looks so unappetizing that I never even thought about trying it.”
“Really? It’s the best thing in the dorm cafeteria. You have to try it.”
Just then, someone strode up behind Connor.
It was Evan, who was co-managing the Whitmore camp with Marcus.
He tapped Connor on the crown of his head.
“Connor, is this chat time?”
“Ah, sorry, sir.”
“You should be leading the student, not mingling and chatting with him.”
Ruite bit his lip.
Evan was the Vice-Commander and clearly a superior with more experience than Connor; it felt like Connor was getting scolded because of him.
“Do it properly.”
‘Vice-Commander Evan was quite kind when he was explaining things earlier, but he’s merciless with the knights.’
“I showed you something embarrassing. Sorry about that.”
Even though Vice-Commander Evan had scolded him with a quite terrifying face, Connor seemed unfazed.
He laughed awkwardly and scratched his head, but he didn’t seem to mind much.
“Shall we start again?”
“Yes.”
The training continued throughout the afternoon.
The intensity was high enough that Magnus—who had claimed this camp was his favorite—now had a face melting with sweat and a tearful expression.
When Marcus finally said they were done for the day, the students all groaned and collapsed onto the ground.
Ruite was no different.
He felt a bit of resentment toward his past self, who had joined just to avoid Chester.
By the time training ended, it was heading toward dinner.
Being in the North, the wind felt a bit cooler than it did in the capital.
As he was heading back to the dormitory, Chester caught his eye in the distance.
The reason was likely because Marcus was standing in front of him.
The two seemed to be having a conversation, and Marcus was even smiling brightly, wondering what they were talking about.
“Lui, aren’t you going?”
At Colin’s call, Ruite turned his head, saying, “I’m coming.”
By the time the students had all disappeared toward the dormitory, Chester found himself unexpectedly caught by Marcus.
“I thought the name sounded familiar; you’re from the Callaway family.”
“Yes.”
“Did you intentionally leave out your last name when the knight asked earlier?”
Chester nodded.
No one in the Empire was ignorant of the Callaway name.
It was a ducal house with significant prestige, but Chester wasn’t particularly fond of the halo that came with the family.
“Then I was being too thoughtless. Speaking of the Callaways reminded me of Ethan for the first time in a while.”
“…Are you an acquaintance of my brother?”
“Yes, we’re both Whitmore alumni. There wasn’t anyone as outstanding as him.”
Chester smiled faintly.
As his younger brother, he knew better than anyone that Ethan was a perfect person born with everything.
“Ethan is doing well, right?”
“Yes, he is.”
This was a slight lie. In the first place, Chester lived in the dormitory at the academy, far removed from the family, and since his brother was a very busy person, his memory of the last time he saw him was fuzzy.
“That’s good to hear. Anyway, Chester, you were born with the talent of a mage. To be honest, I was a bit surprised because it was like looking at Ethan in the past.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
It wasn’t a particularly pleasant compliment, but since it was coming from the Commander leading the branch, there was no need to dismiss it too harshly.
“I’ve held you up too long. You must be tired, so go ahead.”
After saying his goodbyes to Marcus, Chester returned to the dormitory.
Harold, who was in the first-floor lobby, told him he had been waiting for his return and informed him that the day’s schedule was over, providing the separate hours for the cafeteria.
Since he had worked up a sweat, he planned to wash up and then go to dinner.
As he went to insert the key he had kept in his pocket, he instinctively turned his head toward the next room.
‘Did Ruite go to eat?’
Since that guy with the massive appetite had used up so much energy, he might have been the first one to seek out the cafeteria.
If he was eating, he’d probably be full of regret again about the small portions.
At the thought of missing that sight, Chester felt a bit of resentment toward Marcus for holding him back.
As he swallowed his disappointment and turned the key, the door to the next room suddenly swung open.
“Chester? You just got here?”
Ruite, who he thought would be at the cafeteria, popped out from inside.
“…You haven’t gone to eat yet?”
“I’m going now. I sweated so much that I came up to wash first.”
Come to think of it, a faint, fragrant scent of oil had been wafting out since the door opened. Chester’s gaze naturally drifted to the damp silver hair.
The wet hair was pushed up haphazardly, revealing a rounded forehead.
“…”
Droplets of water falling from Ruite’s hair slid down his jawline.
The moisture pooled at the tip of his slender chin before dropping—tap—onto the floor. Chester unconsciously bit the inside of his cheek.
“Hey, are you going to the cafeteria like that?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Are you seriously asking me that back?”
Ruite furrowed his brows slightly and stared into the air.
Then, he abruptly checked his own clothes.
“I’m fully dressed.”
At the attitude of what’s the problem, Chester eventually pressed a hand to his forehead.
For starters, he didn’t like that swept-up hair.
Didn’t it reveal his entire forehead?
Besides, why did he come out without drying the water?
Was he determined to catch a cold?
Well, it was obvious even without looking.
He probably did it because he wanted to eat quickly.
“Go back inside, dry your hair properly, and then come out.”
“Why are you bossing me around? And a little water dries quickly.”
“Think about it. Water is dripping from your hair right now. What if someone steps on it, slips, and falls?”
“Isn’t that a bit of an overstatement?”
Ruite thought about it seriously and then shrugged.
“Fine, then go ahead and say that after someone actually falls.”
“No, you… Alright. I just have to dry it and come out, right?”
The persuasion worked perfectly.
Perhaps Ruite had also imagined someone slipping on the dropped water; he didn’t say anything more and ducked back into his room.
As soon as Ruite disappeared, Chester threw his own door open and practically dove inside.
The time it would take for Ruite to dry his hair and come back out would be very short.
Chester washed his hair at an incredible speed and dried the moisture perfectly.
Because of what he had said to Ruite, he couldn’t just half-dry his own.
He stepped out into the hallway.
Seeing Ruite’s door tightly shut, he reflexively looked around, and spotted a familiar back at the end of the hallway.
Discovering Ruite just as he was about to head down the stairs, Chester picked up his pace.
“Look. I dried my hair perfectly.”
Noticing Chester approaching beside him, Ruite shook his hair as if to show it off.
“Satisfied now?”
“Hmph, yeah.”
“But Chester, you already washed and came out?”
Chester nodded, pretending he hadn’t rushed.
“You…”
Ruite furrowed his brows slightly and scanned Chester from head to toe.
‘Did I look strange?’
Feeling a bit guilty, Chester intentionally maintained an indifferent expression.
Then, Ruite slowly opened his mouth.
* * *
