Though the words were spoken in a teasing tone, as if he was mocking Yozen for swooping in on such a tired day, Cadel was inclined to think that Yozen was looking out for him.

‘I mixed darkness into my fire mana to minimize its presence, but not so much that a guy like Yozen wouldn’t notice, and he deliberately withdrew his dark energy at crucial moments.……. Is it safe to expect a positive answer?’

If this had been a rejection-only raid, it would have been much harsher. That was not to say Yozen’s attack had been easy, but it had been a fairly forgiving one considering his original stats.

Cadel stared at Yozen in the melting dark energy. The corner of his mouth, still tugging at the edges of a wry smile, twitched slightly, and then a calm voice spoke.

“Actually, I already know you’re strong, I’ve been following you for days.”

Cadel had already guessed it. Van said he had had a strange feeling, but following him would have been essential to determine the timing for the attack. Cadel, who was trying to understand by nodding his head slightly, narrowed his eyes at the sudden question.

“I haven’t really had any fights lately. How did you know I was strong?”

“Inte Snowfields.”

“……Inte Snowfields? Did you follow me from there?”

“It seems like a pretty tense fight to me.”

Cadel didn’t expect Yozen to have watched the battle with Elvie. Was he too far away? If he was close enough, Elvie’s ‘Tower of the Demon Realm’ would have noticed him and changed the number of people allowed to enter. Or maybe even Elvie couldn’t sense Yozen’s presence?

‘It’s equally creepy no matter how you look at it.’

Cadel pursed his lips as he touched his goosebumped arm. Anyway, the fight seemed to have made Yozen think quite highly of his abilities, which couldn’t be a bad thing.

“So I guess that means I fit your criteria?”

“Of course. You and the rest of the Knight Order were strong enough.”

“All right. Then it’s your turn to answer next.”

Because Yozen’s eyes were covered, it was difficult to know where to look. After wandering for a moment, Cadel’s gaze fell on Yozen’s lips.

“Are you ready to protect humans in my own way?”

The answer did not come easily. Yozen insisted on silence with an inscrutable demeanor, while Cadel stared at the corners of his mouth, which were stubbornly upturned, and scanned the room impatiently. Almost all of the dark energy was burning away, and a moment ago, there had been sounds outside that had been muffled by the dark energy.

‘Was that Van’s voice……? Did he just…… swear?’

He had a vague idea of what had happened. After drying his hair, Van must have panicked at the unopened door and then called for his comrades. Everyone would be scrambling to rescue their suddenly isolated commander.

Cadel looked at Yozen with the intention of urging him to answer, as he could see the sight of his subordinates coming as soon as the dark energy disappeared.

“Say it quickly―”

“I like humans.”

“……?”

“I’ve never been treated like a human being since the day I was born, but I liked them anyway, because I liked their rare display of goodwill.”

Cadel’s brows narrowed at the unintended implication. He hoped to get a definitive answer soon, but for now, he’d just have to wait and see what Yozen had to say.

“So I hate things that kill their good intentions. Beasts in human guise have always been so casual about trampling on the world’s goodness. Without them, wouldn’t the world I hope for come to fruition? That’s what I thought.”

“…….”

“Is fostering goodness another growth of goodness or the death of evil? I’ve been thinking about it ever since I met you, and I’ve come to a conclusion.”

Slowly, Yozen’s hand stroked across Cadel’s cheek. Then he bent his head down to meet Cadel’s eyes, his forehead touching Cadel’s, and spoke quietly.

“With you, I could see the growth of goodness and the death of evil. I felt like I could watch it all.”

“……Can I take that as a nod of consent?”

“As you say, I’ll prioritize killing demons. I’m open to collateral damage, of course, and I can kill other humans if you want me to.”

“I won’t order anyone to commit murder.”

“Then…….”

When Cadel hesitated at the excessively close distance, Yozen distanced their foreheads and squeezed Cadel’s arm. His hand slipped from Cadel’s arm and took Cadel’s hand, shaking it up and down lightly with his.

“Hopefully your way will please more people than mine. If it doesn’t live up to my expectations, I’ll…… Yeah. Because I can’t stand the idea of strangers remembering my face.”

With Yozen’s threatening consent, the long-awaited system window appeared.

[Congratulations! S-grade Knight ‘Yozen Vardikta’ has been recruited!]

[Current Knight Order Cost: 24/25]

He successfully recruited Yozen. Was it okay for recruitment to be this fast and smooth? Cadel had this question, but he decided to put his doubts aside for now.

‘It’s not that Yozen is an anomaly, it’s just that it’s been seriously difficult to recruit the other guys. If I think about it, my life was threatened just as much here as during Lydon’s recruitment.’

He’d been through so many extreme difficulties that he didn’t even know what average was anymore. Cadel gave Yozen’s hand a quick squeeze and smiled casually.

“Thank you for coming, Yozen. To you, I may be a means to an end, but since you’ve joined the Knight Order, you’re a valued comrade and subordinate to me.”

“…….”

“So I hope one day you’ll think of me that way, too. And…….”

After a brief pause, Cadel looked at Yozen as if he were hesitating over something, and then said, in as flat a voice as he could muster.

“If groping people is a habit of yours, I’m not going to force you to change it, but in front of other comrades, it can be a bit…… Please exercise restraint. They’re a little sensitive to that.”

Personally, it was burdensome, and if he was misunderstood by other subordinates, everyone would be uncomfortable. Cadel hoped that Yozen would blend in well with other comrades without conflict.

There was a chance he was offended. Cadel glanced over to see if Yozen had reacted, but the smile was still on his face.

“That is my ‘way of seeing’. If I want to see something, I have no choice but to touch it.”

“Uh, can you take the bandages off? Is this some kind of training to get stronger?”

“……Oh, this.”

Unfazed by this perfectly valid point, Yozen unwrapped the bandage. And then it was revealed.

“It’s just something I’m used to, and it doesn’t change anything.”

Two scars ran vertically across the center of both eyelids. Cadel stared at the long, deep scars in puzzlement. No matter how he looked at them, they didn’t look like accidental wounds. They were the marks of someone who had deliberately gouged out Yozen’s eyes to cause him to lose his sight.

“……Who did this?”

Cadel had thought blindfolding was some kind of training to improve his abilities, or maybe he had a secret he wanted to keep hidden, like Garuel, or maybe it was just plain cool. But it wasn’t any of those things.

When Cadel seriously asked the source of the wounds, Yozen simply answered as if it was nothing special.

“I did it.”