“Che—Chester, let’s keep things professional, okay? Let go of me…”
“Stay still.”
The arms that had been struggling slowed their movement.
Unlike his firm tone, Ruite could feel Chester’s arms trembling ever so slightly as he held him.
Against his ear, he caught a breath hitched with relief.
For a fleeting second, the scent of wood drifted past his nose.
Perhaps because of that scent, the tension that had stiffened Ruite’s body finally began to drain away.
“Captain!”
Footsteps echoed soon after.
The ones rushing into the cave were the Combat Department members who had come as backup with Chester.
Only then did Chester release his hold on Ruite.
“We have casualties, prioritize treatment. Once the necessary measures are taken, we leave immediately. The risk of collapse is too high.”
“Yes, sir!”
Ciel’s arm was deeply gashed, and Cedric had also sustained several injuries while facing the monster alongside Ruite.
The knights rushed to the two of them to begin emergency first aid.
“Ruite, you—”
It was just as Chester turned back toward him.
Ruite’s staggering body tipped forward entirely.
Chester moved swiftly to catch him, pulling him back into his arms.
Ruite’s eyes fluttered closed as his body went limp.
Monster evolution is a rare phenomenon; even veteran members of the Knights had rarely witnessed it.
Because it was an unpredictable event that couldn’t be explained by any specific logic—essentially a stroke of terrible luck—facing an evolved monster was considered one of the worst misfortunes a knight could encounter.
This time, the Research Department had run straight into that misfortune.
To make matters worse, the evolution occurred exactly when Varen and the rest of the Combat Department were away, and with Ciel—the only Rank 2 mana user—unexpectedly injured, it was a perilous situation that could have cost everyone their lives.
Consequently, the Knight Headquarters had been buzzing with the news lately.
“Man, just organizing the related reports is a massive undertaking!”
Vilter sat in a chair, diligently peeling an apple.
“By the way, Ruite, you certainly had a hell of an initiation ceremony.”
“I don’t think that’s quite the right thing to say to a subordinate who just escaped a near-death experience, sir.”
“Haha, but look at you, alive and well. That’s what matters.”
Vilter placed the peeled apple on a plate and pushed it toward Ruite.
Surprisingly, his fruit-peeling skills were quite refined.
Ruite was currently in the infirmary located in the main building of the headquarters.
Since the facilities here were larger and more comfortable than those in the dormitory wing, it was standard for those injured in combat to use these wards.
Ruite had collapsed from exhaustion in that cave and was immediately moved here along with Ciel.
The cause of his blackout was the sudden, massive depletion of his mana.
However, it was nothing that a good rest couldn’t fix, and while he had several bruises on his body, they weren’t severe. It was a stroke of luck amidst the disaster.
“Back when I was a rookie, you know, I ran into a Rank 1 monster on my very first mission. I barely survived to be standing here in front of you. Everyone’s initiation is supposed to be flashy like that.”
“Vice-Commander, you’re actually a bit of a mean character, aren’t you?”
“Hey now! Just don’t go saying you’re quitting or anything, okay?”
In truth, Vilter had already heard about Ruite’s performance in the cave from Ciel.
He had insight, and the courage to stay calm under pressure.
Moreover, despite being a Rank 4 mana user, his combat ability and battlefield intuition were excellent.
Above all, it was thanks to Ruite that they had avoided the worst possible outcome when everyone was in danger.
“I’m not quitting. At least not yet. By the way, how is Captain Ciel doing?”
“The wound on his arm is deep, but thanks to the quick response, there are no major issues. You don’t have to worry.”
“That’s a relief.”
Ruite needed to rest due to his mana depletion, but it seemed Ciel, who had ‘only’ been physically injured, had returned to work almost immediately.
“We need to investigate further, but it seems certain that the missing people from Arenve Village were eaten by the evolved monster. Likely, when the villagers entered, some of the monsters underwent evolution, and they were attacked by the creatures that turned ferocious because of it.”
Ruite nodded slowly.
“We’ll also begin analyzing the carcass of the evolved monster you caught. For now, Ruite, you should rest until tomorrow to fully recover your mana.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ruite had finished the apple Vilter peeled before he even realized it.
“By the way… what’s the deal between you and Chester?”
“Pardon? Wh-why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
Ruite’s eyes widened and his voice jumped.
His unexpected reaction was so sharp that even Vilter, the one who asked, looked taken aback.
“Well, when Cedric called the situation room for backup, I was originally going to send another Captain who was at the base. Chester was busy with training duties then. But as soon as he heard the situation, he just bolted.”
Vilter added that Chester had merely told the situation room he was going and left without looking back, surprising all the knights present.
“And according to the infirmary staff, Chester looked like a wreck when he brought you in.”
As soon as he arrived at headquarters with Ruite, Chester had practically stormed the infirmary.
He was sweating, panicked, and so agitated he could barely speak—to the point where the medical staff were the ones who ended up startled.
He only calmed down after being told it wasn’t life-threatening and that Ruite had simply lost consciousness from mana exhaustion.
“For just Academy classmates, you two seem remarkably close. And this is Chester we’re talking about.”
Vilter stroked his chin, staring at Ruite like a man deeply committed to solving a puzzle. As his eyes narrowed, Ruite’s throat tightened.
“Are you… perhaps Chester’s long-lost twin or something?”
“…Pardon?”
Since Ruite was engaged to Chester and they were currently maintaining a rather ambiguous relationship, he had been genuinely worried.
He thought that as the Vice-Commander of the Research Department, Vilter might have used his keen insight to figure it out.
“Chester and I have completely different last names. Not just different, we’re from entirely different families.”
“Hmm, right. I thought so too. Actually, a novel I’m reading lately has a plot like that, so I just wondered.”
Vilter let out a boisterous laugh.
Ruite found himself wondering if it was really okay for this man to be the head of the Research Department.
“Well, whatever the relationship is, make sure you thank him.”
Vilter rose slowly from his chair.
“I have a meeting to get to. Contact me through the crystal if anything happens.”
“Yes, sir. Take care.”
Once Vilter left, the ward fell silent.
Except for when a medical knight came in to check his vitals, it was quiet throughout.
But this peacefulness was only possible because he was currently alive.
It had been a close call, but as Vilter said, he was glad he survived so he could look back on it as a ‘flashy initiation.’
Was that also thanks to Chester?
If he hadn’t appeared at that exact moment, Ruite’s condition likely wouldn’t have ended with just this.
Ruite lay back on the bed. Staring blankly at the ceiling, he kept replaying the moment Chester had pulled him into that hug—and how he had finally let go of his tension in that warm embrace.
Feeling embarrassed, Ruite closed his eyes.
He pulled the blanket over his head to calm his racing emotions and eventually fell into a light doze.
He didn’t know how long he slept.
The warmth he felt on his hair was so comfortable that he woke up slowly after some time had passed.
“…”
Ruite’s eyes fluttered open.
A blurry black shape in his vision gradually took form and sharpened.
“…Chester?”
Ruite sat up groggily. In the seat where Vilter had been sitting, Chester was now perched.
“You should have woken me up if you were here.”
“I just came to see your face. How’s your body?”
“I’m fine. Perfectly okay.”
Of course, his side—where he had hit the wall after being sent flying—was throbbing the most, but it wasn’t unbearable.
“I’ve seen your face, so I’ll be going.”
“Huh? You’re… you’re leaving? Already?”
Without thinking, Ruite grabbed the hem of Chester’s sleeve.
Chester seemed surprised that Ruite would actually grab him, flinching for a moment before sitting back down in the chair.
“Now that I think about it, I guess I can stay a little longer.”
The room fell silent once more. In the subtly awkward atmosphere, Ruite carefully peeked at Chester’s expression.
Ever since he had rescued him, Chester’s face had been set in a sullen, heavy gloom.
“Hmm… Chester, are you mad at me by any chance?”
Chester stared at Ruite for a long moment before suddenly letting out a deep sigh.
“I’m not mad. I just hate it.”
“What?”
“I hate seeing you lying here in this ward. This is exactly why I didn’t want you to join the Knights.”
“But I’m fine. I’m alive.”
Ruite shrugged, repeating exactly what Vilter had said earlier. In response, a sharp glare shot from Chester’s eyes.
“You call that an answer? Do you have any idea how much danger you were in? Honestly, you have zero sense of self-preservation. That’s why you tried to face an evolved monster head-on instead of running.”
