Chapter 9: A Sense of Bad Rumors (3)

 

“He’s here. That guy is here!”

 

“It’s Kayron. Yesterday, he dared to challenge our captain…!”

 

After finishing morning training with the Black Iron Brigade, I arrived at the dining hall.

 

The Silver Guard, who had arrived earlier and were eating, glared at me with ferocious eyes.

 

“Plymouth, what’s up with them?”

 

“Ignore them, sir. They’re nothing to worry about.”

 

Even though I tried not to care, it was impossible to ignore.

 

The Silver Guard of Avelin had always disliked me and the Black Iron Brigade, their rivals, but today their hostility was unusually intense.

 

Not wanting to stir up trouble during our precious lunchtime, I ignored their glares and began eating.

 

But then…

 

“Ugh…”

 

A faint groan echoed clearly in my ears.

 

I turned my head toward the source of the sound and saw Avelin struggling to lift a spoon, her complexion pale as ash.

 

She seemed to be paying the price for overdrinking last night.

 

“Ah… ugh…”

 

As the meal went on, her groans of discomfort continued, and each one seemed to sharpen the already piercing glares of the Silver Guard directed at me.

 

“What are you staring at, you silverheads? Stop glaring!”

 

One of my Black Iron Brigade barked defensively, but it only made things worse, provoking the Silver Guard further.

 

“You lot should keep quiet, you black-armored thugs! Don’t pretend you don’t know who’s responsible for Avelin-nim’s suffering right now!”

 

“Hmph, as if she doesn’t deserve it. She tasted the bitterness of defeat against our captain yesterday, didn’t she? Overdrinking to forget her shame was probably her only option!”

 

“What?! You muscle-headed fools, how dare you…!”

 

Unable to tolerate the insults, the Silver Guard stood up abruptly, leaving their meal unfinished.

 

The Black Iron Brigade followed suit, rising to confront them, both groups locking eyes with smoldering hostility.

 

“You better take back what you said, Black Iron Brigade.”

 

“Silver Guard, you should accept defeat with grace!”

 

Though their voices grew louder, such clashes between the Black Iron Brigade and the Silver Guard were nothing new. I paid them little mind.

 

What did concern me was something else.

 

“Ugh…”

 

Avelin, now clutching her ears, winced at the rising clamor.

 

Seeing that, I realized I couldn’t let the situation continue.

 

“Enough! Quiet down!”

 

My sharp command cut through the noise, silencing everyone.

 

With calm authority, I lowered my voice and spoke.

 

“Quiet, all of you. Do you think you’re the only ones here? I understand how you feel. Seeing Avelin suffer from her hangover must make you feel upset and helpless.”

 

“That’s right! And don’t pretend you don’t know who’s to blame for our captain drinking so much in the first place! Who knows what you planned by getting her drunk…!”

 

Bang!

 

I slammed my spoon against the table, the sharp sound startling the Silver Guard into silence.

 

“Hey.”

 

My low, firm voice made the sneering Silver Guard flinch.

 

“I’ll admit it. I should’ve stopped Avelin from drinking so much. That’s on me. And I’ll apologize for that. But open your eyes and look at her. Look at your captain’s condition right now.”

 

Finally, the Silver Guard turned their heads and saw Avelin slumped over, her hands clutching her head, clearly struggling.

 

“C-Captain? Are you okay?”

 

“…Not at all.”

 

With a voice barely above a whisper, Avelin, clearly in terrible shape, replied.

 

“So please, just be quiet.”

 

“S-sorry…”

 

Realizing that their own commotion was causing their captain pain, the Silver Guard quickly sat down and fell silent.

 

The Black Iron Brigade hesitated, unsure of what to do, but eventually followed suit, returning to their seats and resuming their meal.

 

As I resumed eating, I overheard quiet murmurs among my group.

 

“Hey, did our captain just help Avelin out of a tough spot?”

 

“Now that you mention it, he could’ve left her suffering but didn’t!”

 

“No way. Our captain and Avelin… could they actually…?”

 

“Ahem!”

 

When I cleared my throat, the murmurs among them ceased.

 

The problem, however, was that now the Silver Guard started whispering.

 

“Is that really the Kayron we know?”

 

“No, he’s definitely changed. Putting Avelin-nim before his own men… I can’t believe it.”

 

I wanted to tell those Silver Guard loudmouths to shut up too, but that would just reignite the conflict.

 

There was only one way to escape this situation quickly.

 

“Whew… That was good. I’m leaving first.”

 

“Captain? How did you finish all that food so quickly…?”

 

“Rest up, everyone. I’ll see you at the training grounds later.”

 

I downed my food in a hurry and got up from my seat.

 

After returning my tray, I made my way out of the dining hall as quickly as I could. But—

 

“…”

 

Avelin was still sitting there, her head drooping, unable to even lift her spoon again. Her headache must have been relentless.

 

I hesitated, then walked over to her.

 

Several members of the Silver Guard rose reflexively, but I ignored them and spoke to Avelin.

 

“Avelin. You okay?”

 

“…”

 

“Right, dumb question. Of course, you’re not okay.”

 

“Obviously.”

 

Avelin slowly raised her head, her sunken eyes glaring at me as she muttered bitterly.

 

“Do I really have to say I’m not okay for you to figure it out?”

 

“Hey, this isn’t on me. You brought it on yourself.”

 

“That’s exactly why you’re so clueless…!”

 

“I’m glad you’re well enough to argue. Even if you’re unwell, don’t skip meals, alright?”

 

“I don’t need you to tell me that.”

 

“Good. You know your body best. Once you’re feeling better, let’s visit that place again. We’ve got…”

 

I smirked and gave her shoulder a light pat.

 

“…a lot to talk about, it seems.”

 

“Ugh… Stop…”

 

Avelin let out a pitiful groan and straightened up. Her gaze was still bleary, but a faint, reluctant smile appeared.

 

“Next time, you’re paying.”

 

“That’s going to be a problem. I can’t afford to cover your endless rounds.”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not drinking like that ever again! Ugh…”

 

Though she tried to shout, her effort only triggered her headache, and she quickly lowered her head again.

 

“Anyway, take care of yourself.”

 

Leaving Avelin behind, I exited the dining hall.

 

The moment I stepped out—

 

“Hey, Kaylon.”

 

Waiting near the exit was Benedict, who immediately stopped me.

 

Benedict, the vice-captain of the 8th Unit, was a knight with a cheerful disposition and an easygoing nature, someone I had been friendly with in my past life.

 

It was good to see a familiar face again.

 

“What are you doing here, Benedict? Did you already eat?”

 

“Our unit didn’t have morning training, so I ate ages ago. And why else would I be waiting here and talking to you the moment you step out? Obviously, I’ve got questions.”

 

“You? Questions for me? That’s rare.”

 

“Rare? Come on. The real oddity here is you, Kaylon.”

 

Benedict smirked mischievously as he asked,

 

“Hey, so… you had drinks with Avelin. Just the two of you?”

 

“…Why do you sound so sleazy?”

 

“Because I’m curious! You’ve always been at each other’s throats, and now you’re suddenly drinking together? What happened?”

 

“Nothing happened. We just drank. That’s it.”

 

“Kaylon, how many times do I have to tell you? You’re a terrible liar. There’s no way it was just drinking, right?”

 

“…”

 

I’d lost count of how many times I’d been told that I couldn’t lie in this new life.

 

It seemed like I really needed to take this issue seriously and do some research.

 

“Anyway, where did the two of you go drinking? At least tell me that.”

 

“That’s not hard to answer. But why do you ask? Got someone to take there?”

 

“Hehe, well, actually…”

 

Benedict grinned slyly, then turned to look somewhere in the distance.

 

His gaze landed on the Order’s infirmary.

 

A woman leaving the dining hall and heading back to the infirmary locked eyes with Benedict. When she recognized him, her face lit up with a radiant smile, and she walked toward us.

 

“Her name’s Sophia. Isn’t her smile warm and beautiful, like sunlight?”

 

“…Yeah. I suppose it is.”

 

“What’s with that face, Kayron? Are you jealous because Sophia’s too pretty?”

 

“…”

 

Love blooming in a desolate place like this.

 

If it were my friend’s love, it was only natural to feel happy for him and wish him the best.

 

But despite that, my expression soured for one particular reason.

 

The yellow.

 

There was an unsettling yellow aura emanating from the woman named Sophia, and I couldn’t ignore it.

--- The End OF The Chapter --

 

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