A heavy silence instantly filled the meeting room.
The friendly atmosphere Chester had been maintaining with Colin vanished, replaced by a murderous aura.
“…What is that supposed to mean?”
“Why? Rui is pretty and has a great personality.”
That was something Chester agreed with a hundred times over, but he didn’t like hearing it come out of Colin’s mouth.
“So, are you saying you actually have feelings for Ruite?”
“Of course I have good feelings for him.”
Chester unknowingly clenched his fists.
He had been unsure back in their academy days, but now he knew for certain: Colin was an Alpha, just like him.
Even without releasing pheromones, an Alpha could instinctively recognize another Alpha.
“That’s because Rui is a truly precious friend to me.”
“What?”
Chester, who had been burning with wariness, froze.
He frowned and looked at Colin, who was wearing a mischievous smile.
It was then that Chester realized he had been played.
Colin had used clever wordplay to make him think his feelings were of a romantic nature.
“Do you know you have a surprisingly wicked personality?”
Chester let out a long sigh.
The sharp tension dissipated in an instant.
It was the feeling of being battle-ready against an enemy, only to find out they were actually an ally.
“But your reaction is just so fun, Chester. Seeing you two getting along so well makes me want to tease you. Though, if it were Ruite, he probably would have brushed it off without a second thought, asking why I’m so good at playing jokes I don’t mean.”
Ruite certainly seemed like the type to do that.
However, from Chester’s perspective, he couldn’t help but be excessively wary of Colin.
To be honest, Colin was handsome, the son of a Count, and a skilled mage.
He had been incredibly popular back at the academy.
Furthermore, Colin held the position of a close friend and former classmate.
How could Chester easily dismiss words coming from an Alpha who had a better excuse and position to approach Ruite than anyone else?
“Forget it. Just don’t call him ‘Lui’ anymore.”
“Fine, fine. Since it’s a request from his lover, I should listen.”
Colin handed all the materials over to Chester and stood up slowly.
“I hope we can all gather with the rest of our classmates later. Everyone will probably be shocked to find out you two are in that kind of relationship.”
“If Ruite doesn’t want it, I have no intention of making it public. So don’t go around talking about it.”
Of course, Colin wasn’t the type of person to run his mouth recklessly.
“Naturally. Well, I’ll be going. Tell Lu—”
Chester glared sharply at him.
“—Tell Ruite I said hello.”
Colin spoke a bit awkwardly, as if the full name didn’t quite sit right on his tongue.
In contrast, a very satisfied smile spread across Chester’s lips.
“Colin.”
Chester, who had come to the entrance of the headquarters to see Colin off, called out to him again.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to invite you to the wedding later.”
At the triumphant smile on Chester’s face, Colin finally burst into laughter.
Ruite spent the entire day on field duty—and with Chester, no less.
“Ruite, you remember, right? For today, we must not act like members of the Knight Order.”
Ruite nodded.
Today, the two of them planned to infiltrate a black market currently active on the outskirts of the capital.
Their goal was to gather any information regarding the masterminds behind the recent monster evolution incidents.
The best way to get information was to ask people of a similar cloth.
To that end, Ruite and Chester were wearing somewhat shabby clothes and worn-out robes instead of their knight uniforms.
It was to ensure they looked like they belonged in the black market and wouldn’t stand out.
This was the first time Ruite realized how serious infiltration work could be.
These clothes were something Chester had personally sourced from somewhere.
Since Chester had joined the order earlier and solved many cases on his way to becoming a Commander, he seemed quite accustomed to this kind of work.
“Let’s go then.”
Ruite tried to start walking with determination, but he felt like Chester couldn’t take his eyes off him.
Wondering if there was something on his face, Ruite felt his cheeks.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No, it’s just… it’s fascinating how you still look cute even in those clothes.”
Ruite’s jaw dropped.
No matter how many times he heard it, he could never get used to being called ‘cute.’
“Excuse me, Commander. Aren’t we going to work right now?”
“Ah, right.”
Chester seemed to snap out of it and cleared his throat several times.
The two finally headed toward the village on the outskirts of the capital.
The village was named Veter.
In the past, it was one of the larger villages on the outskirts and was considered a core community.
However, at some point, Veter began to be used as a hideout for black market dealers.
This was because Veter was far from the center of the capital and tucked away in a corner of the map.
Additionally, a mountain range just past the village allowed one to leave the capital entirely, making it an ideal escape route.
For these reasons, the residents who used to live there suffered due to the criminals and eventually left the village to settle elsewhere.
While some people still lived there, there were almost no new people moving in.
“The village is certainly empty,” Ruite muttered quietly, looking around as they arrived.
“As the villagers left, the dealers flocked here even more.”
Consequently, Veter had a poor reputation among the citizens.
It was a place the Knight Order always kept an eye on, and they had arrested many criminals and disbanded several black markets here.
However, humans were cunning, and evil intentions did not disappear easily; the number of criminals using this place only seemed to grow.
The black market they were infiltrating today was a crime scene that had been a headache for a long time, even if the merchant groups managing it changed.
“Ruite, wait a moment before we go in.”
Chester pulled something out from his robe.
At a glance, it looked like a necklace made of a thin chain.
Chester held out two necklaces and told Ruite to flow mana into them.
Ruite followed his instructions.
Chester likewise let the objects absorb his mana.
He then hung one around Ruite’s neck and the other around his own.
The necklaces glowed briefly before settling down.
“What is this?”
Since it required mana, it seemed like a magic tool, but it was something Ruite had never seen before.
“How does my face look right now?”
Chester suddenly asked, pointing at his own face.
At the sudden quiz, Ruite stared intently at Chester’s face with a serious expression.
“You look handsome.”
“…”
At the blunt, calm voice, Chester’s earlobes turned slightly red.
It was such an unexpected comment that he began coughing repeatedly.
“Ahem, I don’t look… different to you?”
“No.”
Chester finally explained the purpose of the magic tool.
It was a type of disguise tool; once mana was infused and it was worn, it made others perceive the wearer’s face differently.
However, the effect did not work between people who had both infused their mana into the paired tools.
“Since we have to move together, I thought it would be better if we could still identify each other’s original faces.”
In other words, while Ruite saw Chester’s usual handsome face, anyone else looking at Chester would see a completely different, plain-looking face.
“That’s amazing. I didn’t know the Knight Order had magic tools like this.”
“To be precise, it can only be used by organizations authorized by the Imperial Palace. It’s a high-grade magic tool.”
Ruite looked at the tool with fascination but then quickly pulled his hand away.
High grade meant it was incredibly valuable; if he broke it or lost it, he might have to pay for it in full.
He also realized why Chester had borrowed such a tool.
Chester was a Second-Class Commander and the second son of the Duke of Callaway—a famous figure.
Moreover, because the evolved monsters were recently attacking residential areas, the knights were being exposed to the public more often.
There was a high chance a dealer might recognize Chester’s face.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
The two moved forward to officially enter the black market.
As they moved deeper into the village, even the occasional residents or passersby disappeared.
The nearby houses were so dilapidated they looked ready to collapse at any moment.
When they reached a deeper area, Chester turned right into a narrow alley. Ruite followed quietly behind him.
In the middle of the cramped passage, drunkards were sprawled on the ground, and rough-looking men were loitering and exchanging curses.
The atmosphere was definitely unpleasant, and more than anything, Ruite felt eyes on his back.
He glanced back slightly.
Several people were watching the robed Chester and Ruite with a mix of curiosity and wariness.
After walking inward for some time, they saw a wide, long tent set up ahead. Several men were gathered near it.
As Chester and Ruite approached, the men—who had been chatting and snickering among themselves—stopped talking and slowly stood up, blocking their path.
