In Ferdinand, mages were expected to participate in inspections five days a week, but they often missed a day or two due to fatigue. Calling in several mages didn’t solve the problem, because they put the blame on each other when they were together, so the outcome was even worse even at a higher cost.
That was why there was only one mage there at a time. After many trials and errors, it was the best option.
In comparison, Alessia went out to the forest for two whole weeks since she started. The majority of people thought she would only join once or twice, but her presence was consistent. Thanks to that, the knights began to look at her in a different light.
Ferdinand needed a diligent mage, but Kaon was worried. He wondered if she was overdoing it.
“I think you should take a break tomorrow,” he carefully told her on their way up to their room.
He never would have thought that the day would come when he would tell a mage to rest, but alas, here it was.
“I’m still okay. Actually, it still doesn’t feel real to me, probably because I haven’t met a monster yet…” Alessia shook her head.
Beads of sweat shone on her forehead. It was difficult to walk through the dark forest for several hours, but it must have been even more stressful because she couldn’t let down her guard.
“My stamina seems to be improving as well.”
It was obvious that she was having a hard time, but seeing her smile reassuringly made his heart clench.
‘How can a person be so kind?’
It was almost unbelievable that such an angelic mage could come out of Ingelos.
Kaon thought that Alessia deserved a prize from the Tower for breaking the stereotypes about mages.
“That’s good, but don’t overwork yourself. If you run too fast at the start, you’ll burn out easily.”
“Thanks for your concern, Kaon. I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied, looking up at him and sending his heart into a bashful tizzy. “But are you okay? Everyone else comes out in turns, but you’re also present every day… Is that because of me?’
Kaon, who had been distracted thinking about how pretty his fiancée’s smile was, jolted in surprise.
In fact, he didn’t have to join all the time. As was the case with the other elite knights, it was just fine to take turns. He went out every day to protect Alessia because he would be eaten by anxiety if he didn’t.
The way she looked, frozen in front of Coda, was still vivid in his mind.
He wanted to protect the small and fragile girl, especially against monsters who were far more terrifying than small dogs.
But how could he confess all of those thoughts to the person herself? He’d rather die than do such an embarrassing thing.
“Uh? No? It’s not like that… It’s… better for me to have real-world experience than to simply train in the estate.”
“I see. It if was because of me, I’d be really sorry to you. I’m glad that’s not the case.”
Kaon sighed inwardly, relieved that his lie had been believed.
***
“What about the mage?”
“Won’t come today.”
“Is that so? They’ve only come once or twice, right?” Raising his hand, Niels asked for some knights who were good at archery.
The blood of monsters was poisonous to humans. Since they had to fight as far apart as possible, their strategy and personnel needed to change in the absence of a mage.
“Are you going to tell Maurice to wait?”
“He should stand by just in case.” Kaon called for a reserve unit and a messenger to deliver the news with a horn, both of which were essential when fighting without a mage’s support.
“What about Miss Alessia?”
“We go without her today,” he answered curtly.
Exhausted from her arduous schedule, Alessia didn’t get up early this morning. Kaon had debated whether to wake her or not, and ultimately chose to leave her alone.
After participating in the inspections without a break for nearly a month, it was about time for her physical strength to reach its limits. She didn’t listen to him no matter how much he nagged her to rest, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to let her recuperate.
“Ugh, so we can’t see her?” Maurice asked right as he arrived.
“She needs to rest today. She won’t come, so stop looking.”
Her absence left a small but noticeable void.
“Let’s go.”
“Wait!” Footsteps followed the high-pitched voice.
Kaon squeezed his eyes shut, knowing who it was even without turning to look.
“Alessia? You’re coming too?”
“Niels, I’m sorry I’m late. I thought I had woken up earlier, but I must have fallen asleep again.”
“No? Kaon told us you wouldn’t be coming today, so that means you must have woken up in surprise. From our point of view, we can only thank you for coming.”
Kaon turned around slowly, feeling the full brunt of Alessia’s resentful glare, her eyes asking him why he didn’t wake her up.
‘That’s because I want you to rest a little…’
He pretended not to notice and left Niels to lead the party and retreated to escort Alessia.
“Why did you leave without me?”
“I thought you were already here.”
“You’re lying,” she shot back immediately. “This won’t happen another time, but if it does, please wake me up at once.”
***
As late autumn approached the temperature decreased day by day, and today was unusually cold. It had been better outside with the sunlight, but without it, the chill was palpable.
Not long after they entered the forest, Kaon saw Alessia’s thin frame trembling.
“Alessia, put this on.” Without a second thought, he took off the overcoat he wore over his armor and handed it to her.
“Can you give it to me? It must be cold… Your armor isn’t warm either…”
“The other mage didn’t come today, so you must be nervous. You should wear it.”
She put on the coat hesitantly. “Then, I’ll accept your help. Thank you.”
Alessia looked like a small puppy in a blanket. By itself, the pair’s size difference was already huge, but it became even more ridiculous since the coat was supposed to be worn over armor.
Fascinated by small and cute things, Kaon kept glancing at her unintentionally.
“—strange?”
“Yes?”
“You keep looking at me. Are the clothes too big?” Alessia waved her arms, sleeves flapping, and tilted her head.
At that moment, he felt like something huge had crashed into his heart.
“Is there something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing. Just… wait a minute.” Kaon hurriedly turned his head.
If he kept looking at her, his heart might just have exploded. He could already feel his neck and face burning. She was cute. Devastatingly so.
‘Father, I was wrong… I must reflect on my arrogance…’
He now understood why his father made a big fuss over his mother. It didn’t matter that physical beauty withered eventually; the present moment was much more important. A huge wave crested against his heart.
The feeling must have been what the former duke had.
“Kaon…”
“Wait a minute, Alessia, my voice isn’t working properly…” he lied, not confident enough to face her.
The image of her tilting her head in his coat was burned in his mind. Kaon didn’t want to show how red his face had gotten.
“Wait, do you hear something?”
“Sound?”
Kaon turned his head, shaking off his distracting thoughts. As Alessia had said, a strange howl was heard from somewhere. It sounded like a bear’s cry, but something was off.
His face hardened. “Niels!”
“Everyone, stop! Prepare for battle!” Niels cried.
The archers fell back and the swordsmen stepped forward, forming a line.
A pregnant pause, then something huge appeared in the distance.
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