Chapter 18: The Human Who Loved a Demon (4)

“…Are you serious, Kayron?”

“Yeah. It’s my fault. No matter how much I wanted to protect your memories, I still tried to deceive you as a comrade.”

As I deliberately craned my neck forward, Avelin panicked, quickly raising both hands to shield my throat.

“Kayron, don’t do this!”

“Don’t stop me, Avelin. This is my responsibility. In fact, this is perfect. If Benedict cuts me down, you can be my witness that I accepted it willingly.”

“What nonsense have you been spouting since earlier?! We’re all part of the same Order. Instead of this, we should be fighting together! If you just throw your life away like this, what’s going to happen to your subordinates who only know how to rely on brute strength?”

“…Wait, did you just say everything you wanted? What did you just say about my men?”

“I just stated the truth! To be frank, your subordinates are great at forming solid defensive lines, but without you, they’ll just end up holding their ground until they’re completely surrounded and wiped out by the demons!”

“Oh yeah? And what about your Silver Guard? Their armor may be flashy, but they’re basically just your personal cheer squad, watching while you do all the fighting on your own!”

“Excuse me?! Take that back! Just because you have a mouth doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want—!”

“Haah… both of you, shut up.”

At Benedict’s heavy sigh, both Avelin and I fell silent.

“Are you ready, Kayron?”

“…Yeah.”

I pushed Avelin’s hands aside.

And as Benedict slowly raised his sword, I closed my eyes.

Clang!

“Argh…!”

Pain surged through me—not at my neck, but at the top of my head.

Benedict didn’t cut me down. Instead, he slammed the flat of his sword squarely against my head.

“Are you two out of your minds? What the hell were you doing in front of a man who’s stuck alone again…?”

“What?! We were just arguing!”

“Exactly! We were still in the middle of fighting even before you got here, Sir Benedict!”

“Ugh… Forget it. Just help me out of here. I seriously can’t even move right now.”

Avelin and I each grabbed one of Benedict’s arms and pulled him out of the crevice.

As expected, Benedict could barely stand straight after the beating he had taken. Left with no other choice, Avelin and I had to support him on either side.

“Sorry… I don’t think I’ll be able to fight when the next wave hits.”

“Benedict, what’s there to be sorry about? Just rest for now. If we’d fall apart just because one person is missing, then what does that say about our Order?”

“That’s right. We’ll fight twice as hard to cover for you, Sir Benedict. Just focus on recovering properly.”

“Heh… Healing, huh…”

Benedict lowered his head again.

Just then, the soldiers, who had dispersed to attend to their duties, came running over after hearing the commotion.

“Are you alright, Commanders? We heard a loud crash and—wait, Sir Benedict! What happened to you?!”

“Look at this! The entire training ground is wrecked!”

The soldiers were clearly bewildered by the sudden chaos.

Considering that it hadn’t been long since a demon appeared in the middle of our camp, letting this misunderstanding fester could cause an even bigger problem.

‘How should I explain this to them…?’

“It’s nothing.”

It was Benedict who spoke up.

“It was just a particularly intense sparring match. You all know how absurdly strong Kayron is, don’t you?”

“Wait… You mean you got hurt this badly in a sparring match?”

“It’s my fault. I got too worked up and charged in. This is just the result of that.”

Avelin and I stared at Benedict, but he simply smiled.

“You guys can tell I’m pretty banged up, right? So hurry up and let me get some rest. If not, I might not be able to join the next battle.”

“Y-Yes, sir! Please, this way! We’ll take care of the training ground!”

The soldiers quickly cleared a path for us.

“…Thanks, Benedict.”

“Don’t mention it. If you hadn’t knocked some sense into me, I’d probably still be running wild. Now hurry up, it hurts like hell.”

We quickened our pace while supporting Benedict.

But after a while, Avelin grew impatient with our slow progress and made a suggestion.

“Kayron, this is taking too long. Why don’t you just carry Sir Benedict?”

“That’s actually not a bad idea. What do you think, Benedict?”

“…If you want to see me lose my mind again, go ahead and try.”

Benedict flatly refused, his expression darkening.

With no other option, we continued trudging along.

But from a distance, someone was watching us.

Our eyes met.

“…Commander.”

“Argh! Kayron, if you’re going to help, at least do it properly! You almost dropped me!”

“Oops… My bad.”

Because I had been momentarily distracted, Benedict misplaced his footing and let out a groan of pain.

I had no choice but to readjust my stance and support him properly. But when I turned back again, the commander was already gone from sight.

“Oh dear heavens…! What on earth happened here?!”

A nurse, who had been stationed at the hospital, jumped up in alarm the moment she saw Benedict’s condition.

“The wave is supposed to hit in two days, and yet you show up here looking like this? Your bones and muscles are in complete disarray! Did you get trampled by a beast or something?”

“Haha… I suppose you could say that. I did take a hit from something far more terrifying than a beast.”

Benedict said this while subtly glancing at me.

“We’ll begin preparations right away, so please wait a moment. David, Sarah! Get the surgery room ready! Hurry!”

As the nurse rushed off, Benedict lay back on the bed, his eyes roaming around the hospital.

“So… I’m in a hospital now.”

Then, he added,

“…Sophia used to work in this hospital.”

“Benedict, Sophia is—”

“I know. I already know, so you don’t have to say it.”

His voice grew quieter.

“For now… I just want to rest. My whole body aches.”

Benedict stretched his arms, then used one to cover his eyes.

After a brief silence, he finally spoke again.

“Alright, I’ve calmed down now. Tell me… Who exactly is this so-called ‘Advisor’…?”

“Kayron.”

Avelin gently placed a hand on my shoulder.

She lightly shook her head before nodding toward Benedict, whose arm was still covering his eyes.

A faint, trembling sound escaped from him.

“…Kuh, khh…”

Even though he tried to hide his tears, he couldn’t suppress the sobs slipping from his lips.

We needed information about the ‘Advisor.’

But…

“Get some rest, Benedict. Make sure you get proper treatment.”

That was all I said before stepping outside with Avelin.

“The stars are bright tonight.”

Just as Avelin said, the night sky was filled with unusually bright stars.

Even though, in two days, the rift would open and unleash an uncountable number of terrifying demons.

“Will you tell me what happened?”

“It’s simple. A demon was targeting Benedict. He… fell in love with that demon. Got himself drunk at the same bar we always go to and followed her all the way home. I barely managed to stop him before anything happened, but…”

I trailed off, unable to finish my sentence.

But Avelin quickly caught on.

“He really did fall in love… with a demon.”

“Yeah. I don’t know exactly how that ‘Advisor’ did it, but they must have taken advantage of his inner turmoil and completely scrambled his mind.”

“It’s tragic, really… Not only was Sir Razen secretly a demon, but even though Sir Benedict wasn’t, he still tried to kill his own comrades… We’re supposed to be a unified Order, fighting together against the demons, yet…”

“Yeah… ‘tragic’ is the perfect word for it. Maybe—”

The next words escaped my lips before I even realized it.

“Maybe our world is already doomed.”

“Don’t say that!”

Avelin snapped at me, her voice sharp.

“That doesn’t sound like you at all! Who was the idiot who gave up a life of luxury to join the Order with his own two feet?”

“Yeah, right. As if someone like that exists.”

“He does. He’s standing right in front of me!”

“Fine, let’s say you’re right. But how do you even know that?”

“Ah—uh…”

Avelin quickly shut her mouth, but it was already too late.

Back at the tavern, I had been too drunk to press further.

But now?

Now, I was completely sober. There was no reason for me to hold back.

“This is perfect. So tell me—who exactly are you, Avelin? Where were you, and what were you doing before you joined the Order? How do you know so much about my past?”

“…I can’t tell you.”

“That’s not fair. Who was it that just said we need to be united as an Order, fighting together against the demons? And yet, you’re hiding secrets from me? How am I supposed to trust you in battle?”

“Ugh…”

As I pressed her, Avelin clenched her eyes shut before turning away.

“I’m sorry… But my answer won’t change.”

“Why not? At least give me a reason.”

“Because…”

She slowly opened her eyes, her expression filled with hesitation, then looked down.

“Because if I told you… you might end up truly hating me.”

“I already hate you. What did you call my subordinates earlier?”

“That’s not what I meant! Ugh, you’re so petty…!”

As I subtly provoked her, the gloomy expression on Avelin’s face instantly vanished, replaced by irritation as she snapped back at me.

“Enough. Let’s stop talking about this for today. We need to focus on the battle in two days, right? Let’s deal with this after we survive that.”

“…I agree with that.”

Truthfully, the reason I had pushed Avelin so hard earlier was because of a mix of resentment and suspicion.

I had always known that she was hiding things. But this time, I saw it with my own eyes—Commander Balthazar had ordered her to keep an eye on me.

And yet, my instincts told me something.

Avelin was not my enemy.

Besides, it seemed like she had only received that order today.

And I still remembered—when we had exposed Razen and taken him down, Avelin had stood before Commander Balthazar and defended me.

“By the way, do you have enough?”

Setting aside my suspicions, I changed the subject.

“Enough of what?”

“Chocolate milk. You said you’d give me another bottle if we survived this wave.”

“Don’t worry. There’ll be plenty left to drink once this is over. Just make sure you stay alive.”

“And you? Have you decided yet? If I survive and you give me chocolate milk, what are you going to take from me in return if you survive?”

“Hmm… I didn’t think about that. Hold on. I’ll come up with something.”

Avelin had confidently said she’d come up with something soon, but even after a long while, she just kept groaning in frustration without saying a word.

“If you can’t think of anything, that’s fine. I asked you to tell me what you wanted, but if you don’t say anything, that’s on you.”

“Wait! Hold on! You said I just had to tell you before the battle, right?”

“That’s what I said.”

“Then I’ll tell you tomorrow. Is that okay?”

“…Hmm?”

Something about her tone was oddly polite.

The way she looked up at me, as if pleading for my mercy, made her eyes glisten under the reflected starlight.

I had told her to name something she wanted, sure—but I had never promised I would actually give it to her.

And yet…

“Fine. Just tell me before the battle starts.”

“Really? Wow, thanks!”

She beamed, flashing a bright white smile.

For some reason, I couldn’t look at Avelin’s face directly and turned my head away.

“Get some rest, then. I’m heading in.”

“Good night, Kayron. And…”

She added in a determined voice,

“Stay strong.”

“…You too.”

As I walked back to my quarters after parting ways with Avelin, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

‘Why did I look away when she smiled? And why did my chest feel… warm?’

-- The End OF The Chapter --

 

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