Chapter 8

“Mmm, delicious…!”

Abelin, with a spoonful of pudding as her final bite of the meal, wore an expression of pure happiness.

Every dish was excellent.

The meals in the Vanguard were decent, but they couldn’t compare to the taste of food made in restaurants with high-quality ingredients and extravagant, inefficient cooking methods.

“I feel bad for my subordinates.”

“Feel bad? About what?”

“My members are eating a regular dinner, while I’m enjoying such good food. And it’s not even my money, it’s the Commander’s.”

“……”

Abelin looked at me with a dissatisfied gaze and then gulped down a glass of water in one go.

“You might be too dense to realize, but not a single one of your subordinates would complain about this meal today.”

“What? Ha… You don’t know how petty they are. If I even took a sip of water without them, they’d gather around demanding a taste.”

“…… How has the Black Iron Vanguard not fallen apart with you as their leader? A commander denser than his subordinates.”

“You keep calling me dense, dense… What exactly am I dense about?”

“That’s exactly what makes you dense.”

Abelin retorted indifferently, then continued to savor the pudding with her small mouth.

“Have some confidence. We’re the core force of the Vanguard. We deserve to eat like this.”

“Deserve, huh…”

I also took a bite of the pudding.

Instantly, an overwhelming sweetness hit me, making my head spin.

“Whoa, it’s super sweet.”

“Sweet, right? Think of it as a reward. We have the important task of stopping demons from spreading across the world.”

Just one small spoonful was enough to make my tongue tingle from the sweetness.

But it wasn’t a taste I particularly favored.

In contrast,

“Mmm…!”

Abelin let out a pleasant moan with every spoonful of pudding she ate.

“Abelin.”

“Yes?”

“Here, you have this too.”

“Really? Thank you!”

Without hesitation, Abelin took my pudding plate and indulged in the now doubled portion.

It’s a bit awkward to say this, but…

Abelin looked incredibly beautiful when she smiled.

That’s why I couldn’t help but wonder.

Despite her stunning looks and exceptional skills, why did she join the Vanguard?

“Can I ask you one thing instead?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

This was a question I had never asked before.

With Abelin in such a good mood, now was the perfect opportunity.

“Abelin, why did you join the Vanguard?”

“……”

Abelin’s hand paused mid-scoop of pudding.

But then, she stopped savoring it and started shoveling it into her mouth at a furious pace.

Without giving me an answer, she quickly finished both puddings, gulped down some water, and stood up.

“Shall we go?”

“…… Sure.”

I didn’t press further because I instinctively felt I had touched on something sensitive.

Even if Abelin called me dense, I still had some sense.

Abelin and I left the restaurant and walked silently towards the Vanguard fortress.

As the gate came into view,

“Kairon.”

Abelin stopped and asked me.

“You said you only drink when you lose a subordinate, right?”

“That’s right. You know me well.”

“Then that’s enough. Let’s go back.”

Abelin gently shook her head and headed towards the gate, leaving me behind.

“Hey, Abelin.”

“What?”

“Want to have a drink?”

“……”

“Be honest. If you’re honest, I might be willing to have a drink or two with you.”

Abelin turned her head and glared at me.

Her gaze was sharp, but it was far from the look of hatred one might give a rival.

“That’s exactly why you’re dense.”

“Again with that… You’re so not honest. Let’s go. This time, it’s on me.”

“No, it’s fine. This time, I’ll treat you. Because I want to drink.”

And the place Abelin led me to was a quiet, atmospheric bar.

“Let’s go in.”

“There’s a place like this in Cressnig…?”

As soon as we sat down, Abelin skillfully ordered drinks I had never heard of.

“Have you been here before?”

“I come here occasionally. Sometimes with Violetto, but mostly alone.”

Violetto was the captain of the Silver Guards who assisted Abelin.

She joined the Vanguard with Abelin, and aside from being exceptionally skilled and having a dignified demeanor, not much else was known about her.

One notable point was that Abelin addressed Violetto casually and familiarly, while Violetto treated Abelin with utmost respect.

“Let’s have a drink.”

“Sure. What should we toast to?”

“…… To us.”

Clink-

After taking a sip of the strong, potent liquor, I felt the weight of the moment.

Until now, my encounters with Abelin had been nothing but clashing swords, and here we were clinking glasses.

Abelin took a sip, then swirled her glass and asked,

“You know, Kairon?”

“What is it?”

“We’ve met before. Before joining the Vanguard.”

“Before joining the Vanguard…?”

This was news to me.

I first met Abelin when she joined the Vanguard.

But Abelin said we had met before…

“Abelin.”

“Yes?”

“Are you already drunk? You might be confusing me with someone else.”

“…… Ugh.”

Abelin frowned, then downed the rest of her drink in one go.

“Barkeep, another round. No, just bring the whole bottle!”

After that, Abelin drank in silence.

But every time she was about to take a sip, she would extend her glass, and I would clink mine against it.

The liquor was quite strong, and soon Abelin began to sway.

“Drink in moderation. Overdrinking isn’t good.”

“Quiet, Kairon. It’s your fault I’m like this!”

“What did I do… If you’re going to blame me, at least tell me why!”

But Abelin remained silent, only occasionally shooting me sharp glances, never revealing the reason.

“And you.”

Abelin, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol, slurred her words as she asked.

“Why did you refuse them all?”

“Refuse?”

“I know. You won the Empire’s Swordsmanship Competition. After that, countless nobles and kings vied to have you under their command. But you refused them all and joined the Vanguard.”

“……!”

It was all true.

But how did Abelin know about this?

Thanks to the Vanguard’s strict rule of not asking about the past, I had never told anyone this story.

“I want to ask how you know that first.”

“I told you.”

Abelin interlocked her fingers on the table, resting her chin on them as she emphasized.

“We’ve met before. Kairon Illinard.”

“……”

Abelin even knew my surname.

“Hey. What are you?”

“I’ve already told you as much as I can. So you think about it. I’ll take my leave now… Oops.”

Abelin, trying to get up first, stumbled and nearly fell.

I quickly reached out to catch her.

“…… Let go.”

“I can’t do that. As you said, we’re the core force of the Vanguard. If word got out that Princess Abelin got drunk and injured herself, what would happen?”

“I don’t like you. Really.”

I helped the drunken Abelin, who claimed to dislike me, to her feet.

“Let’s go. I’ll escort you back to the fortress, Princess.”

“I said I don’t need it! Ugh, eek…!”

Abelin tried to shake off my hand, but the alcohol seemed to have sapped her strength.

Besides, I was always stronger, not faster.

“Stop it. You’ll just tire yourself out.”

“…… I’ll definitely pay you back for this humiliation.”

“Sure, sure. I’ll cheer you on!”

After settling the bill, we left the bar and headed back towards the gate.

But then…

“Oh! Isn’t that the Captain?”

“Huh…?”

On the street, we ran into my subordinates.

Members of the Black Iron Vanguard.

“What are you guys doing here?”

“We were just having a drink before heading back. But Captain, what are you doing here? And who’s that woman with you…?”

It didn’t take long for my subordinates to realize who “that woman” was.

Their eyes widened in shock as they recognized who I was with.

“Ah, it’s Abelin! Why are you with Abelin? Captain, don’t tell me…!”

Ah, I had a feeling.

A very bad rumor was about to spread.