The heavy scent of wood was cool, making one feel as if they had stepped into a lush forest.
However, where they stood now was not a forest at all, but a narrow gap between the exterior walls of buildings.
Furthermore, the scent itself was subtle; it didn’t seem to be coming from an object.
“Chester, do you smell something like a fragrance?”
“…”
“Chester?”
For some reason, even when asked, Chester simply covered his mouth and stared off at a distant mountain.
Just as Ruite wondered what was wrong with him, Ruite’s body strangely began to grow warm.
Why was his temperature suddenly rising?
By the time Ruite started to notice the change, Chester had already stepped out of the alley.
“Is the Duke gone?”
“…Yeah.”
Ruite brushed off his clothes and walked up beside Chester.
Curiously, the scent of the forest he had noticed earlier had vanished without a trace, making him wonder if he had simply imagined it.
But it had been such a pleasant scent for that to be the case.
“Hey, where do you want to go now? Should we get away from here first? We might run into the Duke again.”
“Let’s head home for today.”
“Huh?”
Before Ruite could even ask why, Chester told him to get home safely and left first.
Left standing alone in the square, Ruite let out an incredulous sigh as he watched Chester’s retreating back, which looked as if he were running away.
Who was the one who woke up early and went out because of him?
And he just leaves like that?
“Ah, maybe seeing his father ruined his mood.”
Or perhaps he didn’t want to risk wandering around and bumping into him again.
If that was the reason, Ruite could understand. Scratching his head, Ruite turned toward the Count’s estate.
Chester had asked Ruite to hang out with him during his vacation, but since he left so abruptly today, Ruite wondered if that was still the plan.
Or was hanging out with him not as fun as Chester expected?
If that were the case, Ruite felt he was the one who should be offended.
“Wait, why am I even thinking about this?”
It wasn’t as if he were reflecting on his day.
Ruite shook his head vigorously to clear away the useless thoughts.
The next day, contrary to expectations, Chester truly did visit the Count’s estate again.
“What’s up?”
Ruite asked, his hair messy from sleep.
Chester calmly replied, asking if Ruite had already forgotten his request to spend the vacation together.
“No, I just thought you wouldn’t come back after you left so suddenly yesterday.”
“Hmm, there were circumstances. I can’t tell you even if you ask.”
“Fine, I’m not that curious anyway. So, we’re going out today too?”
Chester nodded once.
It wasn’t just that day.
The next day, and the day after that, Chester visited the estate at the same time and in the same manner to take Ruite out.
The Count and his wife watched the two of them leaving together from behind, secretly swallowing their smiles of satisfaction.
“By the way, Chester, I forgot to ask—how long is your vacation?”
“Today. I have to return tomorrow.”
Ruite hadn’t expected it to be today.
Did that mean he could return to his normal routine tomorrow?
Strangely, the thought didn’t feel as welcome as he expected.
“So, I thought we’d go somewhere different today.”
“Where?”
“Let’s head to the outskirts.”
The capital of the Tehira Empire was largely divided into two areas: the central district and the outskirts.
The center housed the Imperial Palace, the Ferwin Knight Headquarters, Whitmore Academy, and Tehira Grand Square.
Mostly nobles and those with high living standards resided there.
Moving out from the center led to the areas where commoners lived.
Roughly one-third of the commoners in the capital lived in the center, while the rest were in the outskirts.
These were informal divisions, not strictly controlled boundaries.
However, there were a few nobles rooted in the outskirts for clear reasons.
“The air is great.”
Ruite took a deep breath.
The central district, known as the home of the wealthy and powerful, felt somewhat rigid, static, and stifling.
In contrast, moving just a bit toward the outskirts offered wide-open views.
The clean air and the humble yet warm and tidy scenery—things unseen in the central district—were the unique charms of this place.
Ruite and Chester had climbed a mountain in the outskirts and were now sitting in a suitable spot.
Perhaps because it was a mountain, the air and the blowing wind were cool and felt quite good.
“I didn’t know there was such a nice place in the outskirts.”
“I found out about it while traveling around after joining the Knights.”
“Do you come here often?”
“Just… you know…”
Chester’s voice trailed off.
He barely swallowed the words that he had come once, thought the view was beautiful, and secretly hoped to bring Ruite here later.
Ruite stared at Chester, who suddenly began coughing.
It seemed work in the Knights was quite exhausting, seeing as he had found a place like this to indulge in solitary contemplation.
Ruite gave Chester a look of pity.
“Anyway, being with you like this, Chester, it still feels like we’re attending the Academy. Ah, I wonder how Colin is doing? I’m curious about what he’s up to.”
“Why are you bringing up Colin all of a sudden? Are you that curious about how he’s living?”
Chester’s brow furrowed deeply.
He didn’t hide his displeasure, showing clearly on his face that he didn’t like what Ruite had said.
“Of course I’m curious. We were classmates.”
“If you want to see him that much, go meet him. Colin works at the Northern Branch. He’s in the same Knight Order as me.”
Because he hated hearing Colin’s name from Ruite’s mouth, Chester answered more bluntly on purpose.
“Oh? Really?”
It seemed Colin had joined the Ferwin Knights around the same time as Chester and had specifically requested to go to the North.
Having lived in the capital his whole life, he reportedly wanted to gain various experiences in a different branch.
The headquarters had tried to keep such a talented individual, but Colin’s will was too firm to stop.
“Colin is amazing too.”
“Hey, you…”
“Though you, who became a 2nd-class mage already, are more amazing.”
Chester immediately shut his mouth.
The furrow in his brow vanished as if it had never been there.
Unaware that a single sentence had instantly calmed Chester’s anger, Ruite sat enjoying the breeze.
Ruite’s silver hair fluttered, shining in the sunlight.
Chester stared intently at his face, which wore a faint smile.
“…I worked hard.”
“Of course you did. That’s not a rank obtained easily. If I reached 2nd-class like you? My mother might bake celebratory cookies for a whole year.”
“I worked hard while thinking of you.”
“Right, thinking of me…”
Ruite paused. His head moved stiffly, like a broken joint.
His eyes met Chester’s. Chester’s dark pupils were clear, as if he had been looking at Ruite the whole time.
The sound of the wind tickling the trees and bushes seemed exceptionally loud.
“Because when I send a marriage proposal, I want to at least be a respectable person.”
What did that mean?
It sounded as if all the effort Chester put into becoming a 2nd-class mage in such a short time was for Ruite’s sake.
Surely not; Chester probably meant it in the sense of maintaining his dignity as the second son of Callaway, but Ruite’s thoughts kept drifting in that direction.
“Haven’t we been here too long?”
Ruite stood up abruptly.
Chester instinctively reached for Ruite’s sleeve before hesitating.
A faint look of regret crossed his face.
“Right, let’s head back then.”
Chester stood up, brushing the grass off his clothes.
Suddenly, a loud clattering sound came from behind.
Startled, he turned around to see that Ruite had fallen at the entrance of the path leading down.
“Hey, Ruite!”
Chester rushed over to check on the fallen Ruite.
“Are you okay? Why did you fall all of a sudden?”
There weren’t even any branches or stones to trip over.
Since people frequented this mountain, the path was relatively flat and well-trodden.
“I—I don’t know.”
Ruite’s voice was different than before.
Like the bushes swaying in the wind, his voice shook uncontrollably.
“It’s all because you suddenly said something weird.”
“…”
Ruite shot him a resentful look.
His sharp eyes showed he was quite angry, but what drew more attention were his two reddened earlobes.
Chester swallowed hard.
An impulse rose within him to take those earlobes into his mouth and suck on them right then and there.
Chester slowly raised his hand.
Just as his cautious touch was about to reach Ruite’s face, while Ruite was still grumbling to himself…
“…”
Chester’s expression changed instantly.
The tension he felt because of Ruite vanished, replaced by a sharp alertness as he looked around the surroundings intently.
