Translator: Nox

Chapter 40

“Is it done?”

Baraha asked, looking up at her above the barracks. Eki nodded.

“I have a good feeling. I think it’s going to work…!”

Before she could finish, the entire Node shook as if an earthquake had struck. Cracks in the air spread rapidly. And like a crumbling eggshell, the twilight-stained sky began to shatter and fall away. Beyond it, a clear blue sky was visible.

Beneath their feet, the liquid shimmered faintly and then slowly disappeared. The Monster corpses scattered like dust and vanished. Only the ruined barracks remained.

The space warped and then expanded, causing vibrations. Eki felt nauseous and covered her mouth, while Baraha clung to a barracks pillar.

All the anomalies stopped abruptly. White Crow Canyon, now free of fog, was visible in the distance. The sky was a bright daytime blue. The things that had been swallowed by the Node had all returned to their original places.

“It really came back…”

Baraha muttered in disbelief. Eki jumped down from the barracks and surveyed the surroundings.

In an instant, she sensed a presence approaching at tremendous speed. Instinctively, she moved to defend herself, but she stopped her arm when she realized whose presence it was.

“Captain… Hng.”

Before she could say anything, she was pulled into an embrace.

A desperate movement. A subtle fragrance wafted around her. Silvery hair cascaded down, scattering wildly over her. She could feel a solid chest through the uniform. Inside, a heart was pounding as if it would break. She could feel the pulse on her cheek, pressed against his chest.

A large hand cupped the back of her head. Then, it delved into her hair, brushing back the still-damp strands. Another hand tilted her chin upward. It traced the line of her jaw, moving up to caress her eyes. Then, it stroked her cheek.

His fingertips were trembling slightly. It felt as if he was confirming that she was real, not a hallucination. A low, pained groan came from above her head.

Ekinesia looked up. Through the long silver hair that had fallen over her, she saw Yuriene’s face.

The moment she saw that face, she couldn’t say a word. Her mind was blank.

A face that looked as if it had been destroyed and barely rebuilt, as if it had wandered through a parched desert and finally reached water, as if a blind man had regained his lost sight, as if he couldn’t decide whether to express grief or joy first—such a face.

Blue eyes shimmered like a water-soaked sky. The corners of his eyes were red and blurred. The corners of his mouth trembled, unable to decide whether to weep or smile. Tears welled up in his eyes, teetering on the brink of falling.

An expression that Ekinesia would never have imagined seeing on Yurien de Harden Kirie.

No, not just on him, but on anyone.

As if she were, to him, a precious being that no one else could replace.

‘Why…’

Why like that. Why are you looking at me with that face, as if you’re looking at someone you truly love? Why? You shouldn’t be like this. You remember. The things I’ve done, the day I ruined you.

Ah, right, you don’t know that I’m that demon, do you? Are you feigning love to lower my guard?

That’s the only explanation. There’s no way you could love me. If you knew me, you wouldn’t be like this. You don’t know who I am. It’s impossible for you to love me even if you know.

Then, who am I to you, the ‘Ekinesia Roaz’ who isn’t a ‘demon’? Who is that expression for? Are the emotions you’re showing right now… real?

Disjointed thoughts swirled in her mind. Afraid that she would be mistaken, Eki pushed him away roughly. Yurien staggered back from her, seemingly without strength. He had been holding her completely defenselessly. Without any reflexive tension or wariness.

Pushed away, he looked at her with a confused expression, like a wanderer cast out of paradise. Then, slowly, the focus returned to his blue eyes.

After a few blinks of his silver eyelashes, his eyes regained their composure. The tears that had welled up in his eyes were wiped away without falling. The disarrayed expression calmed down.

The first thing he did, now composed, was apologize. His voice still hesitant, with lingering emotion.

“I was rude to you. I was worried… relieved. I’m sorry for suddenly embracing you.”

“…No, it’s alright. I was just a little surprised.”

“It was truly a mistake. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“It’s nothing, Captain. Please don’t worry about it.”

“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m not hurt anywhere. How much time has passed?”

“…Two days.”

The words they exchanged were cautious, as if building a wall between them. As if they were afraid that the other would break or run away, or that they themselves would lose control and cross the line.

Only Baraha, who had been watching the sudden events in bewilderment, noticed it. His eyes narrowed. What is this? Suddenly, he remembered what had happened in the stables. The way he had unconsciously stepped away from Eki when Yurien had looked at him.

Baraha carefully stepped between them.

“Captain.”

“…Baraha. You’re safe as well.”

“Yes. There were many Monsters inside the Node, but thanks to Military Cadet Ekinesia being with me, I was able to escape.”

“What did I do? Senior Baraha did everything. I just helped him.”

Eki shook her head in surprise at Baraha’s words. It was as if cold water had been splashed on her dazed mind. The fear of being discovered consumed everything.

She gestured wildly at Baraha with her eyes. You said you’d keep it a secret, you damn senior!

Baraha wasn’t looking at her. He stared at Yurien and said, “I wouldn’t have made it back alive if it hadn’t been for Military Cadet Ekinesia. She deserves a lot of credit. I think it’s fair to say she protected me.”

“Senior Baraha!”

Unable to bear it, Eki approached him and placed her hand on his side. It looked like she was lightly resting her hand on him, but in reality, she was pinching him sharply. Baraha ignored the throbbing pain in his side. Eki smiled awkwardly and muttered,

“The Monsters weren’t a big deal. Senior is just overpraising me.”

Yurien’s expression was calm. However, Baraha didn’t miss the brief flicker in his eyes. His gaze lingered for a moment on Eki’s hand on Baraha’s side. Yurien soon said nonchalantly,

“I’m grateful that both of you returned safely from the Node. There will be a separate reward when we return. Listen to the vice-captain about what happened and the return schedule. Once again, welcome back. You’ve worked hard.”

His tone was businesslike. He soon turned and walked away. Other people were approaching them.

Among them, Eki spotted Alice, whose face was pale but barely managing to show relief. A corner of her heart warmed. She kept her gaze on Alice and called out to Baraha curtly.

“Senior.”

“What.”

“You said you’d keep it a secret.”

“I did keep it a secret, didn’t I?”

“Why did you say it was thanks to me?”

“It’s the truth. And you said you’d show me how your skills are improving. Take this opportunity to say that your swordsmanship improved after experiencing a near-death situation.”

“…You’re good with words.”

“I gratefully accept the compliment.”

In the meantime, Vice-Captain Baron approached Baraha. He looked at Baraha with heavy eyes and then gripped his shoulder tightly. Baron’s mouth didn’t say anything, but the hand gripping his shoulder spoke volumes. Baraha bowed deeply.

* * *

On May 15, 1629, the Azure Knights concluded the White Crow Canyon subjugation.

A Node had suddenly appeared, resulting in the death of one Military Cadet, but other than that unfortunate Cadet, there were only injuries. It was truly minimal damage considering that a Node had appeared.

There was a brief suspicion about the deceased Cadet, but considering the situation inside the Node as understood through the statements of the survivors, the probability of an accident caused by Monsters was high, and it soon subsided.

The deceased was honored as a fallen soldier, and the captain of the royal guard personally sent a letter and condolences to the Cadet’s family.

The subjugation force returned to Ajenka two days later, on May 17.

Ekinesia, who had arrived at the dormitory after a long time, saw a Mana telegram that had arrived while she was away. The sender was Nicole Sizton.

-Planning to visit Ajenka with a VIP for escort duty, the story about the White Lion will be then.

Act 5. What is Revealed and What Cannot Be Controlled

The first thing Ekinesia did upon returning to Ajenka was to collapse in bed.

She had been fine the previous evening, arriving at her dormitory room and reading the telegram before falling asleep, but she collapsed the next morning, startling her roommate Alice.

In fact, Eki had already been suffering since the day after she came out of the Node. It was a scheduled bout of body aches after running around so much inside the Node. She just hadn’t shown it because she couldn’t lie in bed when she had to finish the subjugation and return.

During the return, she had moved with the Military Cadets rather than the Giosa Owner side, so she hadn’t run into Yurien.

Eki secretly thought that was fortunate. She had a feeling that if she ran into him, her condition would be exposed again.

She had been moving around with body aches the whole time, so she thought she would be fine today as well. Even after realizing that her condition wasn’t good as soon as she opened her eyes, she had thought it wouldn’t be a big deal.

The result of that disregard was collapsing while heading to the bathroom.

Honestly, Eki was embarrassed that she had collapsed. She was at the level of Master, or even beyond Master, yet she had collapsed from body aches.

‘I should have just sustained myself with Mana. I underestimated it too much.’

“Eki, shouldn’t we call a doctor?”

Alice fussed anxiously, bringing a basin of water. Eki stopped her, knowing that if she left her alone, she would stay by her side and nurse her.

“Why would you call a doctor? I’m really fine. So…”

“How can you say you’re fine? You have such a high fever!”

“I’m telling you, I’ll get better if I just lie down for a bit. Alice, go and train, train. The overall ranking battle isn’t far away.”

“But…”

“This is just a minor bout of body aches. Body aches that will get better if I lie down and sleep. So go out and do what you need to do. I can’t sleep because I’m worried about you being here.”

Eki even got annoyed to finally send Alice away. She didn’t want to take away Alice’s time when the overall ranking battle wasn’t far away. It really was just a bout of body aches anyway.

The body aches themselves were expected, but it seemed that forcing herself to endure them during the return, when she couldn’t lie down, had had a worse effect.

She had no strength in her body. She could move as usual if she used Mana, but there was no reason to do so when there was no urgent matter.

‘I should just rest today and not do anything.’

Eki buried herself in the bed. In that state, she used Mana to soak a towel in the basin of water that Alice had left behind. The wet towel floated in the air and rested gently on her head. It felt cool and pleasant. She touched the towel and muttered,

“Tomorrow is the official Squire appointment day. Yurien seems like he’ll notice something… Will I get better if I rest well today?”