Ranshel was certain he wouldn’t be able to control his excitement while touching those firm legs.
This time, it would truly be irreversible.
‘I’ll really become a crazy pervert!’
Ranshel had to quickly draw Zavad’s gaze away from the surroundings.
“J-Just a moment, Young Master.”
However, even with the interruption, Zavad, having made up his mind, was already turning his steps toward the inner building.
In the end, Ranshel firmly grabbed Zavad’s collar with both hands, as if grabbing his lapels, and pulled him toward himself.
“Young Master!”
Zavad was not the type of person whose physique Ranshel could easily pull.
However, he moved his feet, which always stood as firm as the roots of an ancient tree, back toward Ranshel.
And, as if guided by the hands tightly gripping his collar, he bent his waist and met Ranshel’s gaze.
Ranshel wanted to avoid his eyes again, but he barely endured it and continued speaking.
“I’m really not angry. I’m fine, you don’t have to do that.”
“…Are you not angry anymore?”
“No, I said I wasn’t angry in the first place!”
“But you got angry and chased me out then.”
“No, that was… I was just flustered then. I’m really fine.”
“Really?”
The eyes with the deep double eyelids curved into a smile.
His deep red eyes, beneath the long eyelashes, crinkled up like an inverted crescent moon.
“Then don’t avoid my eyes now. It makes me feel bad.”
“……I’ll try.”
“……Is it something that requires ‘trying’?”
Ranshel nodded. It required extreme effort.
Because he had to act as if nothing was wrong, even though his heart was pounding fit to burst in his ears.
“Fine. Try your best.”
Zavad’s lips curved into an arc.
Ranshel felt nauseous.
A lingering heat pulsed, and his breathing became shallow.
He liked this person.
He liked him too much.
It was a moment of realizing it desperately once again.
That night, he took a walk with Zavad under the moonlight.
However, it was not a heart-fluttering time.
Because Zavad, remembering Ranshel’s comment about not being able to sleep, kept making Ranshel run.
Ranshel, unable to keep up with the knight’s stamina, sweated even more than the trained Zavad, and that night he slept so soundly he wouldn’t have known if someone had carried him away.
However, from the next day until the day of the entrance exam, Ranshel couldn’t see Zavad’s face at all. The same was true for everyone staying at the mansion.
Zavad left the mansion just as the moon was setting and returned when the moon was traversing the sky again.
He continued high-intensity training like someone who was being chased, giving no one a chance to express concern.
And after overpowering all the knights who appeared at the examination with his brute force, he easily won the pure gold rank badge given to a member.
That day, every sword Zavad held, except for the one in his hand, was sent tumbling to the floor at least once.
It was the moment the Empire’s greatest swordsman, who would spread his fame across the continent, began his leap.
‘Of course, it would turn out this way.’
No matter how much the game’s story changed, a character’s traits were eternal.
If he had held a pen instead of a sword from the beginning, it might be different, but now there weren’t many people who could truly stand against Zavad in a sword fight.
Now, he would become the young commander of the Imperial Knights, conquer the underground Dungeon, and become the hero who stops the Demon King’s resurrection.
He just wouldn’t marry the Saintess. Ranshel tried hard to ignore the selfishness in his heart that welcomed this change.
It wasn’t a lie that he wished Zavad would meet someone else and be happy, but he wished it wouldn’t happen right in front of him.
He wasn’t confident he could remain sane while watching Zavad hold someone else’s hand and share that fiery warmth.
Ranshel didn’t want Zavad to be lonely, but he hoped that their union would happen at least after Ranshel was gone.
Ranshel soothed his aching heart with this thought.
His feelings for Zavad would be buried deep.
Ranshel vowed again.
Little did he know that the moment that would completely shatter all his resolve was just around the corner.
While Ranshel was unable to see what the near future held, the day before Zavad’s official initiation ceremony to become a member of the Imperial Knights arrived.
The Imperial Knights were a noble group who dedicated their hearts to the Empire.
If one’s swordsmanship was recognized through an examination, the next step was to undergo a ceremony at the Great Temple to prepare a sacred soul for the initiation.
It was a traditional procedure stemming from the belief that the sword representing the Empire should not shine with a murky light.
It was a process every knight was obligated to undergo, and Zavad was no exception.
He visited the Temple with Ranshel and was guided to the designated resting place.
The resting place was a remodeled cavern, originally created as a shelter in preparation for a past demonic invasion.
The interior was simple, like any space provided for a pilgrim’s rest, but in the center, there was a pond with a scooped-out bottom filled with clean water.
The ritual involved immersing one’s body in that water, applying holy oil consecrated by the Holy Emperor, and taking time to purify the soul.
While Zavad put on the ceremonial robe prepared for the ritual, Ranshel, feeling guilty, looked away and pretended to be preoccupied.
However, even after Zavad was fully dressed, Ranshel couldn’t bring himself to look directly at his body and kept his gaze fixed on his face.
This was because the attire, meant to be worn while immersing in water, was excessively light and loose, practically just a thin gown.
“To continue such a trivial formality as a tradition, it shows the state of the Knights.”
Zavad muttered irritably as he entered the water.
Ranshel kept his gaze on his face, then flinched when he put his hand into the pond.
“It’s cold!”
“It’s not water prepared for a bath, of course it’s cold.”
“Why are you plunging a person into a cold bath like a fruit, when it’s not even midsummer?”
What if he catches a cold!
When Ranshel complained with a frown, Zavad, instead, lost the look of annoyance on his face and showed a strange smile.
“I’m not a child; will I get sick just from some cold water?”
“Don’t adults get sick too? Adults feel the same pain when they’re sick!”
“Are you that worried about me?”
“Of course!”
Ranshel felt frustrated watching Zavad, whose voice was full of amusement.
He would make a fuss, asking if Ranshel intended to be bedridden just by exposing a little skin, so why was he so unconcerned about his own well-being?
“Sometimes, this kind of useless action isn’t bad.”
“Are you listening to me?”
“Yes. I’m listening.”
With that, Zavad rested his arms on the edge of the pond and closed his eyes, like someone taking a half-bath.
Seeing the faint smile on his lips, Ranshel felt his annoyance surge, only to melt away in his chest.
How could his skin look so fair and smooth, when he must have continued his training even under the scorching midday sun?
Ranshel hugged his knees tightly as he looked at the face floating above the pond.
His heart, regardless of its owner’s will, started to pound wildly again.
He still couldn’t lower his gaze and scanned that beautiful face again and again.
He was afraid that if he kept looking like this, it might wear out, but even if it wore out a little, it would still be pretty, so it would be fine.
