* * *
“Now then, today’s schedule is similar to yesterday’s…”
Harold looked at the students gathered in the lobby and began giving instructions, but he suddenly trailed off mid-sentence.
“Did you all fail to sleep yesterday? Why do you look so exhausted?”
The students’ complexions were universally poor.
Their skin looked rough, and several had dark circles under their eyes as if they had tossed and turned all night.
Since it wasn’t just one person but the majority, it was only natural for Harold to find it strange.
Of course, there was a specific reason for this, but they couldn’t exactly tell him the truth.
Ruite recalled what had happened the previous night.
He remembered the Magnus he and Chester had encountered upon exiting the woods.
The face, height, and voice had undoubtedly been Magnus’s, without a single strange detail.
But after returning to the dormitory, they were faced with a chilling reality.
The real Magnus had already been back at the dorms, meaning the one they had met in the woods wearing Magnus’s face was not human.
There really was a ghost.
The forest hadn’t earned that nickname simply because of exaggerated rumors.
As soon as that realization hit, Ayla, who was in the room at the time, had even let out a scream.
Everyone had been disappointed earlier, thinking the event was a dud because there were no ghosts, but they had been completely blindsided from an unexpected direction.
Naturally, the terror and dread of knowing a ghost truly existed made it impossible for them to sleep properly.
Ruite, of course, was born with a temperament that didn’t find such things particularly scary, so he had slept soundly despite the encounter.
Rather, he found the experience of having a direct conversation with a ghost in human form to be fascinating and special.
“Well, anyway, today is the day we return to the Academy, so don’t slack off too much. Since it’s the last day, give it your best.”
“Yes…”
Magnus, in particular, looked completely soul-weary.
He was likely terrified by the fact that a ghost had impersonated him.
Ruite also peeked at Chester’s condition, but unexpectedly, he looked quite energetic.
Since Chester was scared of ghosts—enough to even hold the hand of someone he disliked—Ruite thought he might have been shocked by the encounter, but he didn’t seem that way at all.
‘So maybe he isn’t that afraid of ghosts? But if that’s not it, there was no reason for him to hold my hand, was there?’
Ruite quickly pushed aside these useless thoughts and moved to start the final day’s schedule.
There was nothing particularly special about the last day.
They followed a training schedule similar to yesterday’s.
It felt more like an extension of practical lessons than a camp, but Ruite certainly felt his horizons had broadened more than they would have inside the Academy.
“Ruite!”
While he was doing individual training, Connor suddenly approached him.
Ruite was about to greet him warmly but hesitated.
Come to think of it, hadn’t he witnessed something much more shocking than seeing a ghost yesterday?
“Is your training going well?”
“Ah, yes.”
Ruite’s eyes naturally drifted toward Evan.
Evan, who was overseeing students’ movements across the field, glanced at Connor once before going back to his work.
Indeed, looking at them like this, one would never imagine those two were the type to engage in… those kinds of acts.
Is this why people say you can never truly know someone?
“What is it?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. But… you mentioned it before, right? That there are several Whitmore graduates here at this branch.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Vice-Captain Evan over there is a Whitmore graduate too.”
Ruite flinched slightly, not expecting Connor to point Evan out so directly.
He remembered Connor calling Evan “Senior” yesterday and wondered if that was the case; it seemed their connection indeed started back at the Academy.
“Then you two must be cl-close?”
“Hmm… I respect him a great deal.”
As Connor grinned while looking at Evan, Evan scowled fiercely with a look of pure contempt.
If Ruite hadn’t witnessed last night’s events, he would have seen this and thought the two had a terrible relationship.
Now, it didn’t feel that way at all.
Anyway, it felt strange all over again that a man like Evan, who treated Connor so coldly and sharply, had acted that way with him last night.
“The Vice-Captain is a bit different on the inside compared to his outside. You could say he’s the type to act blunt on purpose.”
‘So, does that mean he likes the man in front of me but acts prickly on the outside intentionally?’
There truly were many fascinating people in the world.
“Excuse me, Sir Knight.”
While he was chatting with Connor, Chester unexpectedly approached.
“Hm? Are you talking to me?”
“Yes. It seems my classmate over there is having some trouble with his training.”
“Oh, really? Then I’ll go take a look.”
Saying he would go where help was needed since Ruite was doing fine on his own, Connor left the spot.
“Is training time for chatting?”
As expected, as soon as Connor disappeared and they were alone, Chester started nagging again.
“We only talked for three minutes.”
“No, you didn’t. You were chatting with him for five whole minutes.”
Five minutes? Had they really talked that long?
“Do you have no sense of caution?”
“Where is this coming from all of a sudden? Is there a reason I should be cautious of that knight?”
“Of course there is. Didn’t you hear yesterday? What kind of thoughts that man had about you?”
This was news to Ruite.
‘Did Connor talk about me? When? Where?’
All he had done yesterday was have a lip-clash with Vice-Captain Evan.
“Hmph, never mind that. Just focus on your training when it’s training time.”
Seeing Ruite’s completely clueless face, Chester seemed to realize his slip and quickly changed the subject, walking back to his original position.
“Man, he’s being really prickly.”
Ruite gave Chester’s retreating back a long glare before refocusing on his training as instructed.
Once the final session was over, it was time to leave the Knights’ headquarters.
Before boarding the carriages, Marcus stood before them as a representative to offer a few words of parting.
“You’ve all worked hard training at this camp for the past two days. As expected of students from a prestigious Academy, your skills were outstanding enough to surprise me. How you choose to use the mana and strength you possess is a decision you must make for yourselves. If you wish to use that power to save people or protect a safe and peaceful life for others, come to Perwin. This will be the place where your strength can be used most worthily.”
His resonant voice echoed across the grounds.
Chester, listening intently to the simple yet profound words, unconsciously clenched his fists.
When he looked up, he saw the Perwin flag fluttering atop the main building.
Some students, deeply moved by Marcus’s final words, were already talking about wanting to work here once they joined the Knights.
“Everyone, get in the carriages. We are returning to the Academy now.”
Among the crowd heading for the carriages, Chester rubbed his weary eyes.
He was quite fatigued because he had barely slept last night.
Because he had tried his best to look fine on the outside, the aftermath was hitting him even harder.
There was only one reason he hadn’t slept: the scene he had unintentionally witnessed last night.
He felt a bit guilty toward the two of them as if he had been a peeping tom, but he hadn’t been able to move since he was hiding.
Furthermore, the fact that he had seen that specific scene with Ruite kept making his head spin.
That was also why he had tossed and turned.
When he closed his eyes, the scene from last night and Ruite’s face looking up at him became jumbled together, making his heart race and then settle in a restless cycle.
It was even more annoying because he couldn’t understand why he was reacting this way.
‘If I had been there with someone else instead of Ruite yesterday, would I have reacted the same way?’
“Chester? Aren’t you getting in?”
He hadn’t even realized he was standing blankly in front of the door, lost in thought.
If his classmate behind him hadn’t alerted him, he might have stayed in his daze.
As soon as he boarded the carriage, Chester naturally looked for Ruite first.
But he wasn’t there.
‘He must not have boarded yet.’
So, Chester intentionally went to a spot with many empty seats and sat down.
He crossed his arms and kept his eyes fixed on the door as his classmates entered.
Eventually, Ruite entered the carriage near the end.
The only seats left were the ones to Chester’s right, the one in front of him, and a seat next to another classmate.
Just then, his eyes met Ruite’s as Ruite scanned the seats.
Chester’s hips twitched as he almost stood up instinctively.
But Ruite, as if it were the natural choice, didn’t sit next to him but went to the empty seat in front instead.
“…”
In the end, another classmate sat in the seat next to Chester.
“Alright, everyone sit down. We’re heading out.”
As soon as Harold finished speaking, the door closed and the carriage slowly began to move.
Chester couldn’t take his eyes off Ruite, who was chatting with another friend.
Ruite hadn’t chosen the seat next to him as if it were a given.
This meant that unless Chester took the initiative to sit next to Ruite—like he had on the first day—Ruite wouldn’t be by his side, and he wouldn’t get to see Ruite’s sleeping face with his head resting on Chester’s shoulder.
In a way, it was a natural fact, and such a situation not occurring didn’t pose a single problem for him.
In fact, it was only right that he wasn’t close with Ruite.
However, realizing that fact so tangibly in this moment made his mood turn sour indeed.
* * *
