Chapter 6

Hakan watched Eria as she slept. Her face, both sick and exhausted, looked pitiful. Seeing her up close, he thought she was actually quite pretty.

“Dame Eria. Are you sleeping?”

He called her in a soft voice, but there was no reply. She must have fallen asleep again. Hakan relaxed and quietly watched her. For some reason, he felt he could watch her forever and never get bored.

“……You’ve grown a lot.”

The last time Hakan saw Eria, she was nineteen. Hakan had just turned twenty, and was at the recruitment for soldiers to experience the military as an adult. He’d loved swordsmanship since childhood and wanted to join the war now that his skills were recognized.

He went with half excitement, half anticipation, but found the place full of boring, unimpressive people. Most were either terrible with swords or arrogant brutes who boasted about street fights. It seemed people joined Rumic’s army hoping to catch the captain’s eye and rise to knighthood, improving their status. Hakan regretted coming until he saw a girl.

She was small and looked shriveled, like someone who’d never eaten enough in her life, but bravely submitted an application to join the war. Her skin was pale, but her face was blotchy as if she hadn’t washed in days. Only her shining silver hair stood out, like a little bird. Despite people discouraging or mocking her, she didn’t waver. She didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives, and her eyes were already steady and knightly.

Hakan found her interesting. Even Captain Rumic, who usually watched silently, stepped in to protect her from ridicule. Hakan understood why—she looked weak, but gave off a strangely strong aura.

Her swordsmanship was shaky and weak, and she couldn’t keep her balance, but Captain Rumic passed her.

“Master, why did you accept that girl?”

Hakan asked Captain Rumic, knowing their opinions might differ.

“She’s strong. She’ll do her best in any situation, even if it costs her life. That’s the kind of person we need right now.”

“But isn’t she too young and weak?”

“Survival is up to her. Even I, or the Grand Duke, must survive on our own in war. My choice might be wrong. We’ll see how well she survives and how much she grows.”

After that, Hakan became Commander of the special forces and was separated from his longtime master. Since he was young, he pretended to be a new recruit by agreement with the Deputy Commander, to avoid resistance from older knights. He acted like a naive noble, but every decision in the organization passed through his hands. Even during those busy days, Hakan often heard news about Eria in Rumic’s army. Whenever he recruited new people, he naturally thought of her. Skill was important, but her kind of strength was also necessary, so she became a standard of comparison.

One day, Hakan heard that Eria and Rumic’s army had fallen into a trap. He didn’t hesitate to go help her. That was how he met Eria again. She didn’t recognize him, but Hakan knew her very well. Even after years, her unshaken gaze had only grown stronger. Her silver hair, always shining, was a bit shorter but still beautiful.

‘Are you alright?’

He could vividly recall her nodding firmly in response.

He hadn’t seen her or heard from her in three years, but now she was a fine knight and a grown woman, and oddly, his heart raced. It felt like meeting someone he’d waited for a long time.

She was a knight who struck fear into enemies on the battlefield, but seeing her suffer made him worry. When she was far away, he didn’t think much, but now that she was close, he wondered about her daily life—if she’d eaten, if she was alright, if she was hurt.

* * *

“Hey, Kan! Could you bring some water?”

“Ah, yes! Senior!”

Thanks to Kan’s care, Eria recovered quickly. Kan was always diligent, wherever he was. Even when seniors made him run errands, he never showed pride or displeasure. Just as he always did for Eria, he moved with a bright smile and sincerity.

Now that Ter could walk slowly, Eria took him for a stroll and glanced at Kan in the distance. These days, whenever someone called Kan, her gaze naturally followed.

“Do you like that knight?”

“Cough, what?”

Eria bristled at Ter’s casual question. Ter shrugged.

“It seems like you keep looking at him.”

“That’s not it! Don’t say weird things.”

“Your face is red.”

“Be quiet.”

“Really, it is.”

“How many more brushes with death will it take for you to shut up?”

Ter chuckled, but winced in pain as he did.

“By the way, where do you think we’ll end up going?”

Since waking up, Ter had heard from the soldiers about everything that had happened. Thanks to that, he knew the army had been disbanded and that Captain Rumic had fallen. Ter even offered words of comfort to Eria, who had been nervously worrying about how to break the news, and didn’t forget to thank her sincerely for taking care of him while he was on the brink of death.

“I wonder.”

“If you’d like to stay here because of that knight, I could pretend to be sick a bit longer.”

“Are you crazy? Want to die? You’d have to be out of your mind.”

Ter chuckled again. These days, Eria had grown close enough to Ter to exchange jokes like this. It was a sad reason that brought her closer to a subordinate who used to dislike her, but even so, it was a comfort to have at least one companion left by her side.

“No matter where we go, I hope I can stay with you, Dame Eria.”

“Why are you being so clingy? You used to hate me.”

“That was my own foolishness. If I were you, I would’ve half-killed or abandoned a subordinate who ignored and ostracized me. But you were different. You took care of me with all your heart when I was dying. Even though all this happened because of someone like me, caught up in my own inferiority complex…”

“……”

“I didn’t want to admit it, but I knew your swordsmanship was better than most knights. Now I want to respect you with all my heart. If you’ll allow me, I’d like to keep following you.”

Eria didn’t know Ter’s true feelings, but hearing him say that made her nose sting.

“Do what you want.”

She replied indifferently, but Ter grinned, clearly pleased.

“But, was his name Kan? He is good-looking. Dame Eria, you have higher standards than I thought—mmph!”

The touching moment vanished instantly as Eria firmly clamped her hand over Ter’s mouth.

* * *

“Dame Eria.”

As evening fell, Kan came looking for her. Seeing him, Eria suddenly recalled what Ter had said earlier in the day, and her face grew hot. She had thought Kan was handsome, was grateful for his care, and had grown a bit comfortable around him, but she wasn’t sure if those feelings were romantic. She’d never felt such emotions before, so she didn’t even know what they were.

No, definitely not.

Kan entered the tent with a bright expression, then frowned slightly when he saw Eria.

“You didn’t have dinner again… Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, it’s nothing. What brings you here?”

“Your face seems a bit flushed.”

Kan stepped closer, leaning in to examine her face. Eria’s eyes widened at the sudden proximity. Only Eria was startled; Kan simply looked at her with his usual attentive expression.

“What is it?”

Eria pulled back, frowning. Kan tilted his head.

“Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”

“What could be wrong! If you treat me like a sick chicken just because I’ve been ill once, you’ll regret it.”

“Don’t get sick.”

“Hmph. So, why did you come?”

“I wanted to deliver a message, and I was worried. Ter said you skipped dinner.”

“I ate a lot at lunch, so I wasn’t hungry. So, what’s the message?”

“Ah…”

Kan’s eyes widened as if he’d just remembered the reason he came.

“The Commander and Deputy Commander have decided to bring you into this unit. From now on, you’re part of the special forces.”

“…Huh?”

“Looking forward to working with you.”

Kan smiled brightly. For some reason, Eria’s heart raced. She had stayed here for several days, but couldn’t shake the feeling of being an unwelcome guest, so she was never comfortable. She hadn’t joined any training, just cared for Ter, and found herself missing the days of training and fighting alongside Rumic and her seniors. The news of finally having a place to belong was a relief—and the fact that it was here made her feel strangely emotional.

“What about Ter?”

“Do you want him with you?”

“Of course.”

“Are you two… involved somehow? I mean, you seem really close. Like, romantically…”