[Knight ‘Lydon’ ’s favorability has increased by 3.]

[Current favorability: 78/100]

He kissed the palm of Cadel’s hand and smiled with satisfaction.

‘I set you free, and now you want me to restrain you?’

Given that he was laughing so hard and feeling so good, it was almost as if Lydon really wanted Cadel to tie him up.

‘……Although his favorability is slowly becoming scary.’

The favorability of Raidon, which he hadn’t bothered with in a while, was approaching dangerous levels, and the reality of what was coming was just too much to bear.

‘I can handle it, right?’

No one answered the question, but Cadel playfully brushed Lydon’s face with the feeling that ‘it will work out somehow’.

Would love explode and kill you? So, putting aside concerns about favorability, Cadel had to start thinking about the problem of Garuel Monzasi, whom he had to meet tomorrow.

* * *

Since the appointment with Garuel only had a fixed location and an uncertain time, Cadel visited the inn early in the morning.

He went back to the same room and tried to pay for it, but it looked like Garuel had already beaten him to it. He was even out of town. Cadel had no choice but to wait for him to return.

In the end, Cadel got a room as close to Garuel’s as possible. It was a luxurious inn and cost a fair amount of money for a night’s stay, but he didn’t feel it wasn’t worth it.

‘If I could just win Garuel’s heart, it’s a dime a dozen. Rather, it works out cheaply.’

Moreover, they were no longer a mercenary corps struggling with a single request, but a Knight Order directly under the Imperial family. Goodbye to the days of penny-pinching and tricky math.

“……When will he come?”

Cadel paced around the room for a while, listening for sounds outside, and at the slightest sound of footsteps, he jumped up and looked out into the hallway.

So many times he’d been looked at like he was crazy. Cadel had a hunch that waiting for Garuel this way would be a quick way to have a nervous breakdown. It was better to wait outside his room.

In any case, Garuel would be here by the end of the day, and if he did not keep his promise, Cadel would return to the castle and break into the guest room where Garuel was staying. For it was only to fulfill his promise that Cadel endured three days without finding him.

Cadel, with his eyes shining solemnly, leaned next to Garuel’s room door. He came wearing the earring, so he didn’t mind being noticed.

After an hour of this, Cadel slumped into his seat with a sneer. He’d wanted to greet Garuel in the best possible fashion, but his waning stamina hadn’t allowed him to stand in one place.

After three hours had passed, his stomach, which had not eaten anything since dawn, began to scream.

‘If I had known, I would have brought snacks.’

Maybe Garuel would come while he was away. It was impossible for him to go to a restaurant, and he was reluctant to ask the staff for something to eat. If Garuel came back while he was eating hurriedly, the noodles would become soggy. Since skipping a meal wouldn’t kill him, Cadel decided to wait it out.

Another three hours passed, and the sun was already high in the sky. Tired of sitting, Cadel paced the halls, stretching his stiff legs, and returned to his seat with a growing sense of hunger.

Another three hours. Garuel was nowhere to be seen, and Cadel was reported to be a suspicious person and had to reveal his identity to the inn owner. Thanks to the owner, he was able to get cookies and fill his stomach. Although he was getting a little tired from being bombarded with questions.

6:00 p.m. Exhaustion was at its peak, and instead of breathing, Cadel made grunting noises. He was tempted to go back to his room and wait it out, but somehow he resisted. If he went in now, he would fall asleep immediately.

9:00 p.m. His mind was foggy. Cadel was half-conscious, staring off into the distance or mumbling something. He thought about reviewing his future plans, but that only took energy.

‘What if he doesn’t come back? How long should I wait?’

It would be a shame to leave as soon as the clock struck 12:00. What if Garuel showed up at 12:01 on a whim? Should he have to wait until at least 1:00 a.m.? The helpless questions swirled in Cadel’s head.

There was one hour left. There was only one hour left until the day ended.

“……I should have just come at night from the beginning.”

He didn’t want to regret every single thing like this, but a weak sob escaped his lips from the exertion. Cadel rubbed his dry face and sighed.

“I’ll just wait two more hours.”

Cadel leaned his head against the wall, pretending to be sympathetic, even though he was the one who felt sorry for himself. His feet ached from staying on the hard floor all day. He squeezed his eyes shut, as if in pain, and the stiffness eased a little.

He closed his eyes, but he couldn’t sleep. Cadel gripped his fading mind fiercely. He forced himself to think of things. The impending departure, the collaboration with the Guardian Knight Order, the news of Lumen that he missed every day, and the quests that lay ahead.

While he was thinking about them one by one, Garuel’s cool voice suddenly passed through his mind.

“I have never had this foul power before. I never wanted it. So what you want is the power of the demons, not me.”

At the time, he didn’t delve deeply into the idea that he had to somehow catch Garuel, but maybe he was right.

‘What I want is Garuel’s healing ability, and to do that, I’ll have to unlock the Evil Eye.’

Unlocking the power of demons for healing arts was essential. At least if he came to Cadel’s side, Garuel could no longer turn away from the power he despised. Could there be anything more terrible than that for Garuel?

‘……I can’t believe I have to convince him of something so difficult.’

Cadel realized how hard it would be. If he hadn’t risked life and death so many times to get here, if he hadn’t watched his subordinates fight to the bitter end, panting like they were about to die. Maybe he would have respected Garuel’s choice and left him alone, instead of trying to gain his power.

But that couldn’t be done anymore. To Cadel, to the Scarlet Scales Knight Order. He needed Garuel more than anyone else.

“I didn’t think you’d be waiting so pitifully.”

At that moment, a laughing voice came from above his head. Cadel suddenly opened his eyes and the sight of Garuel standing diagonally in front of the door appeared. He must have been drinking as his breath reeked of alcohol.

“……I’ve been waiting a long time.”

“Are you condescending?”

Cadel tried to pull himself up as leisurely as he could, but his legs were now cramped and he staggered uncomfortably. Ordinarily, Garuel would have tried to help him up, but he looked away and opened the guest room’s door.

“Come in.”

Garuel hurried inside without even looking at Cadel. Cadel tried to keep his face as serious as possible as he dragged his numbing legs along, but the tingling that shot through his body with each step made him look pitiful.

Cadel finally got in, shut the door behind him, and leaned against it until blood finally flowed through his legs, while Garuel threw himself on the bed without a moment’s hesitation. There was no sign of a willingness to talk.

‘I’m pretty sure he was out drinking while I waited.’

His heart sank. But what could he do? The one who was disappointed was still him.

Barely able to contain his pain, Cadel approached the bed. Garuel lay defenseless, spitting out even breaths, then irritably pulling the eye patch down as Cadel’s presence got closer. Two different colored sclera stared into Cadel’s unsmiling face.

“What are you going to do now? Talk, persuade, or apologize?”

“Is there a topic you are particularly interested in?”

“Nothing at all.”

There was so much fatigue in Garuel’s voice as he mumbled it, so Cadel almost closed his mouth and said, ‘I understand’ without even realizing it. Garuel played with the eye patch in his hand and turned his body.

“I thought three days would be enough, but it wasn’t. I still don’t want to see you, Sir Cadel.”

“Still, you kept your promise.”

“I seem to have similar drunken behaviors to Sir. My feet move on their own, so do you have the talent to handle it?”

Cadel considered sitting on the bed, then changed his mind and pulled a chair to the side of the bed. Garuel remained silent until the sequence of actions was complete. At the end of his gaze, Cadel was still there.

“If you’re uncomfortable with me knowing your secrets,that’s fine. I can’t unlearn what I already know overnight. Pretending I don’t know isn’t going to make Sir feel better.”

“You’re right, and I don’t like that.”

“If you don’t like the idea of me wanting your power, that’s fine too, because I’m still not willing to give it up.”

“That’s the worst. This is the worst thing I’ve heard this year.”

Garuel spat out a hollow laugh and slowly pushed himself to his feet. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and spoke in a tired voice.

“No alcohol?”

“None.”

“If you wanted to repair your relationship with me, you should have brought some good alcohol.”

“I wanted to have a sober conversation with you, even though I think it’s already impossible.”

Garuel reeked of alcohol, even through his clothes. At Cadel’s accusation, Garuel let out a weak laugh.

“Sober or not, there’s only one answer I can give you. No. Whatever you want, I don’t like it. Whatever it is, I don’t want to fulfill it.”

“……I thought you said before that you’d do whatever I asked without resistance.”

“Alas, I did, and stupidly so.”

Garuel rolled out of bed and went in search of the rest of his drink. After frantically searching the room, he found a half-full flask and smiled with satisfaction.

“Let’s stop doing useless things and go back. Don’t pretend to know anything about it.”

The sarcasm was tinged with thorns. Was he sincere when he said he didn’t want to see Cadel? Even after rubbing his eyes, Cadel couldn’t find the friendly attitude Garuel had shown in the past.

Garuel was so clear about his likes and dislikes. Cadel felt a pang of bitterness, but he couldn’t break down here.

Tonight, in this place. Cadel had to bring Garuel to his side, no matter what.

“Same goes for me. Whatever Sir Garuel says, I don’t like it. I won’t stop doing useless things, I won’t go back, and I will pretend to know.”

“How long are you going to keep doing this nonsense? Let’s get this straight, and in the meantime, you can—”

“Until Sir becomes my man.”

Cadel kicked down the chair and walked towards Garuel. Then, he frowned as if he heard something he couldn’t hear and took the flask from his hand.

“Unlike my natural appearance, I am very obsessive. So, if you don’t want to suffer for the rest of your life, please cooperate.”

His eyes were unwavering, uncompromising. For a moment, Garuel met Cadel’s unyielding gaze, then shook his head as if he had no choice.

“You should thank your parents for giving birth to you like that.”