Chapter 29
Preparations for the coming-of-age ceremony began in the pre-dawn hours when the sun had not yet risen, but the ceremony itself would only start after sunset. Just as Daphne was leaving the detached palace, the sun was setting.
Daphne looked around at the red-tinged evening sky and let out a trembling breath. Thisbene saw it right away. Since yesterday, Daphne had been unable to collect her thoughts, lost in anxiety and sorrow.
It was because she was afraid Johannes would never come to the forest again.
“Anyway, for that reason, tomorrow will be difficult, but the day after. I’ll try to come out somehow the day after tomorrow.”
Johannes had never once replied, but he had always come to the forest at the time Daphne had mentioned.
But this time, it felt like he wouldn’t come, and Daphne was anxious.
‘No, he won’t come to the forest anymore.’
As the promised time drew nearer, she became lost in negative thoughts.
His hardened jaw, the subtle crinkle around his eyes. Suddenly recalling his expression when she pulled her lips away, the last expression she saw, she couldn’t help but think so.
The dreamlike time had all depended on him. It was a bond that could be severed at any moment without his will.
‘I wish the sun wouldn’t set.’
She, who had always waited for the night to fall, felt differently today. The gradual setting of the sun felt like the hour of her condemnation was approaching. It was suffocating. Daphne squeezed her eyes shut.
💎
“Sir Havok.”
It was a voice that was now familiar, but not welcome. Günter, if he had his way, wanted to ignore the voice calling him. But he couldn’t. Günter slowly turned around.
“…Sir Keller.”
As expected, Milos Keller, the nephew of Commander-in-Chief Henrik Keller, was standing there with his hands behind his back, smiling brightly. His reddish-orange hair, like Henrik’s, was striking, but unlike Henrik, he had a very slender build and was a man who seemed utterly unsuited for war. Milos’s job appeared to be standing next to Henrik as his aide-de-camp.
And he always had two soldiers with him, one of whom had eyes of a rare light color, much like his own, causing Günter’s gaze to linger on him for a very brief moment. Soon, Günter greeted Milos with a fairly sociable smile.
“What is it this time?”
Milos glanced around at the bustling Itium soldiers before opening his mouth.
“Are the preparations for the return going well?”
“As you can see, they are going very well…. Didn’t we have this conversation yesterday, and the day before? You must be quite at leisure.”
Günter didn’t hide his annoyance.
“Haha, you’re quite something. Rather than being at leisure…”
Milos, trailing off as if a little flustered, soon changed his demeanor to one of great difficulty.
“Hey, Sir Havok. Don’t look at me like that. Do you think I want to come looking for you every day?”
Milos then added, “Unless you were a beautiful Bellares wench,” and laughed heartily.
“……”
Despite Milos’s joke intended to change the atmosphere, Günter maintained a cold expression, his lips the only part of him smiling. As if embarrassed by the cold reaction, Milos soon stopped laughing, let out a dry cough, and then casually brought up the main topic, saying, “Be that as it in may….”
“The King of Itium must be very busy today as well, I suppose? So busy that he can’t spare even a moment.”
“You know well. Then will you please be on your way?”
“Hey, Sir Havok. A word as a comrade-in-arms.”
“Are you really going to end it in one word?”
“…If it were me, I’d find it a shame to return just like this. Do you really think this is right?”
Greed knows no bounds, as they say. Henrik had presented Johannes with yet another condition, asking him to remain on the battlefield a little longer, and had started sending Milos with gifts. Milos would visit Itium’s barracks whenever he was about to be forgotten, and as Itium’s departure date neared, he couldn’t hide his impatience and frequented the barracks almost daily.
In other words, to Günter, who was swamped with preparations for their return, Milos was nothing but a troublesome nuisance. Günter replied instantly with a deliberately brighter smile and a refreshing tone that held no lingering attachment.
“I do.”
At that, Milos’s heart grew a little more urgent.
“But if you hold out just a little longer, your lord could make a name for himself as a ‘Conqueror’.”
Günter couldn’t suppress a snort.
“As you well know, my king has already obtained everything he sought. It is the same for me, his knight. Why don’t you be honest for once? Don’t you want to set foot on your homeland again?”
Milos seemed to consider it for a moment, but it wasn’t long before he shook his head.
“That would be nice too. But I desire greater honor.”
At Milos’s answer, Günter paused for a moment.
Not all soldiers were in the same situation as Günter. There were also those who had voluntarily gone to the battlefield, sometimes for honor, or to uphold old, authoritative promises. In such cases, they were usually royals or from families of comparable status.
Come to think of it, the man before him, Milos, was a prime example. Günter nodded with a deliberately bitter smile.
“…That’s possible.”
A brief silence fell between the two men from completely different backgrounds. Milos carefully opened his mouth, observing Günter’s demeanor.
“If it’s because of Itium’s circumstances, who here isn’t in a similar situation?”
And whether by their own will or not, men who went to the battlefield had to accept the fact that their influence back home could weaken. This was why, despite having held the upper hand in the war, most of the allied forces were troubled by the war dragging on.
“So, if we were to return with even greater honor…”
“That would also be helpful, Sir Keller. But haven’t we already poured in too much time?”
Just a little longer, just a little longer. Hadn’t it already been ten years like that? Milos, who was not ignorant of this fact, closed his mouth. In the meantime, Günter added politely but firmly.
“So, would you please relay this to your lord once more? We will be returning. To our homeland, to Itium. Nothing is more important than that.”
Feeling a firmness that made it difficult to argue further, Milos’s lips quivered a few times before he gave a very troubled smile. Finally, he nodded as if he had no choice and said.
“We will always welcome Itium, so if you change your mind, feel free to visit the Commander-in-Chief’s barracks at any time.”
He seemed to be retreating obediently, but Günter knew that Milos would nonchalantly visit Itium’s barracks again tomorrow as if he had forgotten today’s events. Just as Günter was watching the receding backs of Milos and his subordinate and clicking his tongue softly, someone called out.
“Sir Havok.”
It was Sir Conor Bailey, Johannes’s young knight who lived for the fun of teasing Leopold. Conor spotted the red-haired man wandering freely through Itium’s barracks and immediately scowled.
“Is he here again? He doesn’t seem to get tired.”
“He must have gotten the message by now.”
“No, I would bet my all that he will come again tomorrow.”
Conor replied in a deliberately exaggerated tone. Günter, who let out a chuckle in agreement, suddenly wiped the smile from his face. The sun was already disappearing over the horizon. A sudden sense of dread washed over him.
“…Speaking of which, Conor. Where is His Highness?”
“Haha. Our little Royal Brother, His Highness, was just…”
“No, Johannes.”
“That one? Well, His Highness…”
Conor, who had widened his eyes as if to ask why he was looking for someone who managed himself just fine, soon scratched his chin, looked around, and added in an uncertain tone.
“Ah, I think he went toward the beach.”
Günter gave Conor a perfunctory pat on the shoulder, telling him to keep up the good work, and then started to run. He sprinted out of the barracks and didn’t stop until he found Johannes on the red-tinted sandy beach he frequented, sitting with his legs stretched out.
Fortunately, it seemed he wasn’t too late. Günter caught his breath and approached Johannes.
Johannes, despite being fully aware of Günter’s presence, did not look back. He just silently gazed at the sun being swallowed by the sea. The setting sun cast a long shadow behind him.
“Johan.”
A few beats later, Johannes replied in a playful tone.
“No need to watch me.”
“…I can’t say that’s not part of it.”
Günter, who replied with an awkward smile, plopped down unceremoniously next to Johannes. Only then did Johannes’s gaze turn to Günter. He wore his usual, relaxed smile. Thanks to it, Günter mostly had no idea what Johannes was thinking. He could confidently say he was his closest friend, but embarrassingly, that was the case.
Giving up on trying to figure out Johannes’s inner thoughts, Günter suddenly spoke.
“Milos Keller came by again.”
