Chapter 27

"F-first, please go back."

After a long deliberation, Vivian finally spoke.

It was too sudden a matter to decide today.

Understanding this, Elena didn't press her further.

Even Elena's casual demeanor was provoking Vivian.

From the witch's perspective, she seemed to have nothing to lose.

Elena headed back the way she came, towards the window.

Without a hint of fear, she swung one leg over the sill and looked back.

"Vivian, the rest is your choice."

"…"

"If you've made up your mind, hang something by the window as a signal. I'll come back then."

-Snap!

At that moment, the witch snapped her fingers.

The candle she had lit extinguished simultaneously with the sound.

In the suddenly darkened room, Vivian blinked.

The witch's figure had vanished without a trace.

.

.

.

"…"

Three days had passed since Kylo left.

Vivian was reaching her limit.

Her stomach growled in protest, and she felt utterly drained.

She had tried to eat, but all her attempts ended in failure.

If she were a witch, could she detect if the food was poisoned?

Could she quickly identify those who targeted her?

As she grew weaker, the temptation from the previous day intensified.

Vivian headed to the riverside to drink water.

Sometimes she tasted dirt, sometimes a fishy flavor, but natural water still brought her the most comfort.

"Phew..."

Vivian left her guards at a distance and drank deeply from the river alone.

There was nothing like water to fill an empty stomach.

Before she knew it, she was waiting for Kylo.

She even admitted that only when he was around could she eat.

Fortunately, that wait would end today; Kylo Allen was due to return soon.

Thinking of him, a question naturally crossed her mind.

Did he achieve any merit on this expedition? Or was he much more insignificant than others?

Vivian recalled her brother Royce Rondor's first campaign.

Called the future of Rondor, he went on his first monster subjugation at sixteen.

And in that first campaign, he succeeded in eliminating the goblin leader, a hobgoblin.

Would Kylo Allen achieve comparable success?

"…"

Of course, she knew that comparing them was meaningless.

Royce Rondor had the help of vassals and was sixteen years old.

In contrast, Kylo Allen is an outcast in a penal unit, only fifteen, and small in stature.

It would be fortunate if he just returned alive.

Suddenly, Vivian realized that much had changed in how she regarded Kylo Allen.

When she assigned him to the penal unit, she naturally hoped he would die during a mission.

But now, she was waiting for his return. How weak was she to rely on her enemy... Vivian couldn't fathom it.

"Lady Vivian!"

A familiar voice called out to her.

Vivian wiped her mouth and moved away from the riverside.

From afar, Scholar Crellin came running.

He said, "The knights have returned."

****

We trudged back to the castle.

Our steps were heavy, and the stench of blood hung in the air.

The clattering of cheap armor bumping around wasn't lively; the metallic sounds, weighed down by fatigue, mirrored the weary hearts of the penal unit.

Some of the injured were carried back on stretchers; others could barely walk, leaning heavily on their comrades' shoulders.

Balon also had to be supported by Willas and Martin.

I wasn't in good shape either, using my greatsword like a cane to steady myself as I walked.

But none of the young soldiers mocked my pathetic state.

Everyone was in a similar situation, and through this battle, I'd earned a certain degree of their respect.

Crossing the gates of Rondor Castle, I took off my helmet shaped like a red bear.

I wanted to wash up quickly, treat my wounds, fill my stomach, and sleep.

It had been a long time since I'd wanted to act purely on instinct without overthinking.

My body was at its limit.

Burger, who had guided us to the front of the penal unit's quarters, shouted:

"Injured, report to Scholar Crellin! The rest of you, wash up and eat the food prepared inside. I'd like you to manage your equipment and store it in the warehouse... but we'll leave that for tomorrow. Wash up, fill your bellies and rest. That's all."

The young soldiers of the penal unit sluggishly moved as ordered.

Some seemed to head straight to sleep, perhaps because their accumulated fatigue was too much to bear.

I let out a long sigh and moved my feet.

It had been long three days.

Thud!

At that moment, someone grabbed my shoulder.

When I saw the face of Burger's adjutant, Coleman, it was hard to keep a straight face.

"What is it, again?"

"You are to report with Sir Burger, Kylo Allen."

"...Sigh."

"Follow me."

As if leaving no room for objection, Coleman headed toward Burger.

Part of me wanted to ignore them and just go back.

...But the thought of seeing Vivian's face after so long made me waver a little.

In the end, I followed Coleman. 

‘I’m only complying because it was an order.’

***

The door opened, and Burger, Coleman, and I entered Vivian's office.

Vivian's red hair was the first thing that caught my eye.

She flinched as if surprised when she saw my dirty, blood-soaked appearance.

Her crimson eyes didn't leave me for a while.

It was the first time I showed her such a weary state, and I felt embarrassed for no reason.

"Burger Winsley! We have returned after completing the monster subjugation as per the lady's orders!" Burger reported.

Vivian nodded and replied.

"Th-thank you for your hard work."

"Thank you, Lady. We have subjugated a total of seven hobgoblins and 179 regular goblins, so you need not worry anymore about the northwest of Roctana - the area near the Lios River."

"...?"

Suddenly, my head spun, and the world swayed.

I staggered slightly but regained my balance.

Blinking my eyes wide a couple of times, I tried to focus ahead.

The world that had momentarily darkened brightened again.

"...What?"

As I looked ahead, Vivian had risen from her seat.

She was staring at me with an expression I'd never seen before.

That unfamiliar look made me wonder if she was seeing something else.

Burger lightly cleared his throat and grabbed my shoulder, helping me stand upright.

I steadied my breath and put strength into my legs. I must have been really exhausted.

Only then did Vivian sit back down.

Burger continued.

"Lady Vivian, there is something I wish to report regarding this subjugation."

"...Please, go ahead."

"Yes. I regret to say this, but... I would like you to grant appropriate rewards to the soldiers who performed well this time. Our surveillance unit merely observed; the actual battle was concluded by the young soldiers of the penal unit."

"I-I will prepare a feast as a reward for everyone."

"One more thing. For the young soldiers who defeated the hobgoblins... I would like to grant them special privileges. I intend to appoint mid-level commanders to lead the other soldiers."

Vivian nodded at this as well.

"Th-then, should I understand that there will be seven new mid-level commanders?"

"No."

Burger cut her off firmly.

"There are a total of four young soldiers who defeated hobgoblins."

"B-but you just said you defeated seven of them..."

"This young man here, Kylo Allen, took down four of the seven."

At that moment, Vivian froze.

Burger also gripped my shoulder firmly, and Coleman let out a short sigh.

In other situations, I wouldn't have thought much of it, but seeing Vivian's expression made me feel a sense of pride.

I tried to smile at her with a face that said, "See?"

But my vision went dark again.

Before my sight completely faded, I saw the floor rushing up toward me.

Without knowing why, my face hit the floor that came soaring up.

'...lo Allen...'

'...Call Scholar Crellin!'

'F-first...!'

It was as if my ears were plugged; the surrounding commotion just echoed in a muffled hum.

I tried to grasp what was happening, but I was so sleepy.

I felt small, cold hands holding my cheeks... but I was too exhausted, so I decided to sleep first.

****

Kylo lay on the bed, his entire body wrapped in bandages.

Scholar Crellin had said he couldn't understand how Kylo managed to walk all the way here by himself.

He had lost a lot of blood and collapsed due to accumulated fatigue.

But he assured her that Kylo's life was not in danger, so there was no need to worry too much.

That was during the day. Now, the night was deep.

Scholar Crellin spoke to Vivian, who hadn't left Kylo Allen's bedside.

"Lady Vivian, really, he's okay now. His pulse has stabilized, and all his wounds have been treated..."

"…"

Despite Scholar Crellin's words, Vivian didn't move.

She didn't want to get up. She just quietly watched Kylo, who had his eyes closed and was softly breathing.

Vivian didn't know how shocked she was when he collapsed.

In fact, the entire castle was in an uproar. Kylo Allen's death would have meant the extinction of the Rondor lineage.

There's an enormous difference between tormenting someone and taking their life.

Of course, that wasn't the only reason Vivian was shocked.

If that were the case, she wouldn't have tormented Kylo Allen so persistently until now.

The reason Vivian was shocked... perhaps she had come to see Kylo as someone who wouldn't collapse.

Because he had overcome so many hardships and adversities, she might not have considered that he could show such a vulnerable side.

The image of him collapsing like a rotten old tree was still vivid.

Seeing someone she thought would never break actually collapse gave her an uncanny sense of fear.

It made her realize once again how fragile humans are.

There was no such thing as a person who doesn't die.

If someone as strong as Kylo were to die, she wondered if the death of someone as weak as herself was also inevitable.

"…"

But was that all there was to it?

Was she only shocked because someone she believed wouldn't collapse actually did?

Wasn't there another reason why she felt so unsettled?

Was it perhaps because, without Kylo, there would be no one to check her meals for poison?

She wanted to believe that, but it seemed far from the truth—especially since her stomach, which had been so hungry, didn't feel hungry at all now.

Vivian didn't know.

Perhaps the bond she thought was faint was clearer than she had imagined.

Perhaps, in his solitary suffering, she shamelessly saw herself.

It seemed she only realized that after he collapsed.

Scholar Crellin urged her once again.

"Lady Vivian, it's late into the night now. Please go back and rest. Staying by his side won't change anything."

"…"

Vivian wasn't ignoring his words.

She listened, thought about it, and reached a conclusion each time.

"I'll stay here."

In the past, Kylo Allen had once protected her.

The image of him telling her not to think of escaping through death was vivid.

Vivian justified staying here in the same context.

She wanted to take in the sight of him struggling.

Vivian looked back at Scholar Crellin.

"Please leave now. I don't need any advice."

At her firm tone, Scholar Crellin rolled his eyes, bowed deeply, and left.

Left alone, Vivian gazed at Kylo through the flickering candlelight.

"…"

Seeing the faint cold sweat forming on his forehead, complex thoughts crossed her mind.

But soon, Vivian gently wiped his sweat with a towel.

She didn't know why she was doing this, but she didn't particularly want to find a reason.

It was a truly strange feeling.

If he were to die like this, perhaps she would feel relieved.

Vivian still couldn't forgive the Allen family, who had killed her entire family.

Especially, if only she could bring death to the Unbeaten Knight, Jade Allen, she would have no other wish.

Kylo Allen was the same. As the son of the Unbeaten Knight... and the one who had insulted her by saying her family died because they were weak—if he died first, wouldn't that be the most ridiculous thing?

"…"

But there was also a part of her that didn't want Kylo to die.

This feeling was hard to explain.

Nevertheless, it was clearly and vividly a thought that resided in Vivian's heart.

Vivian continued to gently wipe the sweat from Kylo's forehead.

Under her gentle touch, Kylo whispered as if dreaming a fleeting dream.

"…Mother…"

"…"

His whisper tightened Vivian's chest.

Seeing someone who had always been strong longing for his mother's embrace was so unfamiliar and, at the same time, even pitiable.

With just one word from him, a heavy sympathy pierced her heart. Unknowingly, she more carefully placed her hand on his forehead.

In his longing for his mother, Vivian saw herself.

Knowing that hardship, she wiped Kylo's sweat as if soothing herself.

'...So you're struggling too,' Vivian thought. It seemed the pain he always hid behind bravado was finally revealing itself.

Just as Vivian was suffering because of the Allen family, Kylo was also suffering because of the Rondor family.

She resented him, but his wounds were not someone else's affair.

Realizing that they were both bound by the same pain, her vague concern for Kylo grew larger.

In the end, Vivian couldn't suppress the compassion that unknowingly welled up and whispered.

"…Wake up."

She justified as interrupting Kylo, who might be having a good dream. Determined to torment him, Vivian spoke again.

"…Don't have a good dream all by yourself; wake up."

But in her voice, as she spoke, an inexplicable worry and concern for him were already deeply embedded.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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