Chapter 14

Late at night, as Kairon chased after the demon, Abelin woke up.

It was still time to sleep more, but due to her poor condition, she had fallen asleep right after lunch, and now she was suffering the side effects.

Her hangover hadn’t completely faded, and her head was throbbing, but she knew sleep wouldn’t come back.

‘I need to tire myself out again. What should I do…?’

As Abelin pondered, a voice suddenly popped into her head.

[Abelin. Are you okay?]

[I’m glad you still have the strength to talk. Even if you’re not feeling well, make sure to eat your meals properly.]

[Well, anyway. Take care of yourself.]

‘…….’

And just as her drowsy mind cleared up.

“Welcome.”

Abelin realized she had somehow ended up in front of the Black Iron Vanguard’s accommodations.

The vice-captain, Plymus, greeted her with a kind smile.

Though he was the vice-captain of the Black Iron Vanguard, which was in competition with Abelin’s Silver Guards, he was unusually one of the few who didn’t dislike Abelin or her unit.

“What brings you here at this late hour, Abelin? You don’t look too well.”

“……. I don’t know.”

“Is that so? But somehow, I think I know why you’re here.”

Plymus said this while glancing up at the highest room in the accommodations.

“Would you like to go in first? He’ll be back soon.”

“Who’s coming back……?”

“Who else? Go ahead and rest. I’ll prepare something warm for you to drink.”

In the late hours when everyone was asleep for tomorrow.

Abelin, without much resistance, followed Plymus into Kairon’s room.

“Make yourself comfortable. He’ll be back soon, but it might take a little while. You can sit on the sofa, or…”

Plymus pointed to Kairon’s bed.

“You can even lie down on the bed and relax. I’ll bring you something to drink.”

This was the second time Abelin had entered Kairon’s room.

The first time, there had been some commotion with Kairon half-undressed, so she hadn’t gotten a good look, but this time was different.

The layout of the room, which was nothing particularly special, was clearly visible.

A bed, a mirror, a small wardrobe, a guest sofa, and a small table.

And one large storage chest.

As soon as Abelin sat on the sofa, she was startled by the horribly saggy feel.

It really only maintained the shape of a sofa, but it seemed like no one would actually want to sit on it.

‘Did he really put this here and call it a sofa?’

“What an idiot…….”

The words slipped out of Abelin’s mouth.

Kairon was the person who fit the word “idiot” better than anyone else Abelin knew.

Harsh training, and then more grueling training.

That was all his daily life consisted of.

But Kairon, rolling around in the dirt with his subordinates, had turned his unit, the Black Iron Vanguard, into the most tightly-knit group in the Vanguard.

Thanks to that, while the Silver Guards might excel in annihilating targets, the Black Iron Vanguard was a step ahead in terms of ironclad defense.

The sofa’s feel was so terrible that Abelin had no choice but to move and sit on the edge of the bed.

It was hard, but better than the sofa.

However…….

‘It smells.’

Abelin frowned at the strange smell that had been lingering in the room.

But oddly enough, it wasn’t a smell that made her want to cover her nose, even though it subtly stung her nostrils.

And soon, Abelin realized the source of the smell.

She had smelled it before.

On the day they had agreed to a mock battle, when Kairon had dodged her attack and ended up in her arms.

That meant this smell was Kairon’s.

Realizing this, Abelin’s frown deepened, but……

For some reason, her breathing became more relaxed.

Strangely, instead of feeling worse, she felt calmer.

And the place where the smell was strongest was……

Knock knock-

“Ahhh……!”

As Abelin leaned down, she let out a short scream and quickly straightened up.

“Have you been waiting long?”

Plymus entered the room with two cups of warm tea, smiling kindly.

“Oh, you’re sitting on the bed. A wise choice. That sofa doesn’t serve its purpose well. The captain never sits on it unless he has to with a guest. Here, have some tea.”

“Th-thank you.”

Plymus moved the table in front of the bed and placed a cup of tea on it.

Then, leaning against the wall, he asked Abelin.

“Abelin. If you don’t mind, may I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Lately, it seems like you’ve gotten closer to our captain, haven’t you?”

“…….”

Abelin tried to hold back her words.

But compared to before, it was true that she had gotten closer to Kairon.

If before they would just fight every time their eyes met, recently they had fought together, shared meals, and even gone to the tavern together.

“A little, just a little bit, I guess.”

“That’s good to hear. As you know, our Black Iron Vanguard and your Silver Guards are the strongest in the Vanguard, but we’ve been acting separately. This might be a chance to bridge that gap.”

“……. So where did Kairon go?”

“I don’t know.”

“Huh……?”

What kind of answer was that?

Plymus had clearly said Kairon would “be back soon.”

But now he didn’t know where he went, and he didn’t seem worried at all that the captain was absent late at night without any explanation.

“But you said he’d be back soon!”

“Yes. That’s also true.”

Plymus took a sip of tea and spoke with a calm expression.

“Our captain has always been like this. No matter what happens, he always comes back safely and not too late. That’s why I said that.”

“…….”

Abelin was inwardly surprised as she looked at Plymus.

She had thought the Black Iron Vanguard was full of nothing but brutish men, but the vice-captain, Plymus, was so composed and thoughtful.

There was a reason Kairon always boasted about him being his most reliable subordinate.

And the captain, Kairon, who had earned Plymus’s infinite trust.

‘Kairon, just what kind of person is he……?’

“Well then, I’ll take my leave. Rest well.”

Plymus left the room without pressing Abelin further.

He said Kairon would be back soon, but there was no telling when.

Thanks to the warm cup of tea, Abelin’s tension eased, and her posture gradually relaxed.

So, perhaps a bit boldly.

Abelin opened the lid of the large storage chest in the room.

Inside was a massive black iron greatsword.

“Wow…….”

It was a sword so impressive that anyone who knew swords would gasp at the sight.

Abelin carefully tried to lift the greatsword, but,

“Ugh, ugh……!”

The weight of the sword was beyond imagination, just like its appearance.

It was hard to even lift it properly.

‘How does that idiot swing this thing around so easily……!’

Thinking about it, the sword resembled its owner, Kairon.

This massive sword would mercilessly cut down enemies, but its broad surface could also serve as a sturdy shield for allies.

Kairon, who stood at the front and swung this greatsword, even though he was a commander who could just give orders from the back.

He gritted his teeth and fought with all his might, even in battles that offered him no personal reward.

All for his subordinates and the world.

‘Why is he so different from me……. It’s annoying!’

Abelin gave up on lifting the sword and tightly closed the lid before returning to the bed.

Having exerted herself a bit, her head started throbbing again, so she had no choice but to lie down.

It definitely wasn’t because of the faint smell coming from the bed.

“This is just because I’m tired. Yeah, definitely……. Ugh.”

As Abelin muttered to herself and lay down, her body twitched.

As she naturally brought the pillow closer to her face while lying down, the strong smell hit her nose.

‘Does he even wash this properly? How does a pillow smell like this? How, how……!’

It was a strange smell, but Abelin found herself obsessively sniffing it, as if studying it.

‘This is weird. But at the same time…….’

Her thoughts stopped there.

Abelin lost consciousness.

And when she woke up to the sound of birds chirping, refreshed, she realized where she had fallen asleep.

‘Wh-where am I……?’

It was hard to believe, but Abelin had no choice but to accept that she had comfortably fallen asleep and slept soundly in Kairon’s room.

As she quickly tried to leave the room, she realized she wasn’t alone.

Kairon, who had left her sleeping on the bed, was curled up on the uncomfortable sofa, asleep.

Abelin decided to leave Kairon and go, but before she knew it, she found herself approaching and looking down at him.

His face was peaceful as he quietly slept.

She didn’t know why he had let her sleep on the bed, but……

She felt annoyed.

The moment she looked at Kairon’s defenseless face, she unconsciously held her breath, even if just for a moment.

So, to shake off this annoyance, she took a deep breath and……

“Wake up.”

“Hmm…….”

“I said wake up, Kairon!”

“Whoa……!”

Kairon shot up and looked around.

That look was the same idiot Abelin knew so well.

While Kairon was still dazed, Abelin quietly smiled.

So that Kairon wouldn’t see.