It was completely unexpected. The missing Yozen had met with a member of the Shadow Knight Order and tried to kill him. Yozen must have had a reason, but the situation was too urgent for Cadel to speculate.

If a member were to die here, Dasto would find out who did it. That would arouse suspicion, not only of Yozen, who hadn’t been seen in quite some time, but also of himself, who had encountered the Shadow Knight Order on several occasions while out for a walk. He couldn’t let anyone be put in danger.

“Stop!”

So Cadel rushed out, throwing a wind barrier around the nameless knight. While the knight seemed bewildered by Cadel’s sudden appearance, Yozen was unperturbed.

And rightly so. As with Sellev, Yozen had probably been sensing his presence for some time now, and yet he didn’t hesitate to harm the man.

“The, the Scarlet Scales Knight Order’s…….”

“What are you doing here?”

Cadel asked, deliberately blocking the knight’s path, pretending not to know Yozen. If this man was Yozen’s target, he might have revealed his identity as the Shadow Envoy, and it would be unwise to pretend to be acquainted with Yozen in such a situation.

The man spoke in a steadier voice than before, as if relieved to have the commander of the Scarlet Scales Knight Order protecting him.

“I was scouting the neighborhood and was attacked. You must be careful. Looks like he’s been an assassin for quite some time.”

“……Do you know him?”

“I don’t know much about him, but……. It looks like we had a brief connection in the past.”

Someone who had a connection to Yozen? Cadel’s brow creased slightly at the man’s comment; apparently, the knight didn’t yet know that Yozen was the Shadow Envoy.

Yozen hadn’t spoken since Cadel’s arrival, but his killing intent hadn’t abated. After so long, Yozen’s killing intent was still sharp, and it wasn’t the least bit pleasant.

“I don’t know what your grudge is, but I don’t recommend killing here, there are knights everywhere.”

“…….”

“It would be dangerous.”

“Get out of the way.”

Cadel tried to talk him out of the dangers of what he was about to do, but the answer he got was flat. Yozen took a step forward, closing the distance. The shadowy black marks at his feet were not shadows, but dark energy. He was ready to kill the man before him at any moment, without a sound. Even if the man’s escape from this place prevented his death, Yozen would still pull off the assassination somehow.

But that didn’t mean he’d stand by and watch Yozen kill another member of the Knight Order and be held accountable. Cadel turned his head, his gaze fixed on Yozen.

“What’s your name?”

“It’s Jeffrey Holiven.”

“I will reinforce the barrier, and you must flee as quickly as you can, Sir Jeffrey. But you must not tell anyone about this.”

“Pardon……? But I must call for backup…….”

“I can’t guarantee your safety if you reveal it either, Sir, can you promise me that?”

The terms were incomprehensible, but Jeffrey had no choice. His instincts told him, curiously, that if revenge was to be had, it would have to be a duel. He could never survive against this assassin.

In the end, Jeffrey accepted Cadel’s terms. At the same time, the breeze in the barrier that enveloped him grew stronger.

“Go!”

Cadel felt an eerie sense of foreboding. Just like when Cadel had helped Count Keinstein escape, he was protecting Yozen’s target this time. Yozen’s targets had always been less than human beasts, and so this man, Jeffrey Holiven, was no different.

He hoped Yozen wouldn’t be upset by his choice; he had made the same choice but for different reasons. Cadel created a wind barrier to trap Yozen, hoping he would understand.

Yozen stood still, his head fixed in the direction Jeffrey had disappeared, the wind barrier sharp enough to draw blood if he touched it. All that could be heard between Cadel and Yozen was the sharp sound of the wind and Cadel’s uneven breathing.

“……Yozen.”

Cadel approached Yozen cautiously, still seemingly frozen. He was determined not to remove the barrier until he was certain that Yozen had completely given up his killing intent.

Yozen’s head turned slowly as Cadel approached the barrier. The corners of his mouth, which always held a subtle smile, hardened into a hard line.

“Jeffrey Holiven is an old target of mine. I’ve been waiting for the perfect time, for a very long time.”

“…….”

“I know it would put you in trouble if I killed Jeffrey here, but he was a scumbag I knew I had to kill. ……I thought you’d understand.”

The muttered words were tinged with unconcealed disappointment, and Cadel opened his mouth in response, feeling a pang of urgency.

“I don’t think you’d do something like this for no reason, but not now, Yozen. Killing Jeffrey here puts you in danger.”

“I’ve always lived a dangerous life, so it won’t be a problem for me. It will be a problem for you, Cadel, but that’s something you can do if you pretend not to know me and cut me off.”

“……What do you mean cut you off?”

Yozen slowly reached out his hand. It was toward Cadel on the other side of the barrier. Cadel reflexively released the spell as Yozen’s unguarded fingertips tried to break through the barrier, but Yozen’s hand didn’t touch him, and he fell away like a doll with a broken thread.

“You make me dream, dreams so vain.”

“Yozen.”

“You and I live in different worlds. You want to protect everyone, and I know, but there are some people you have to let go of in order to be happy.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’ll admit it. Your sense of justice is right, and you can make a lot of people happy, but it’s made me realize that mine isn’t wrong either. You don’t have to lift me up on a pedestal, Cadel. My place is here, and if I’m by your side, and you’re by mine…… we’re unhappy. Right?”

“You’re wrong!”

Yozen’s words were all over the place. It made Cadel uneasy as if he’d been thinking this way for a long time, no holds barred. Hadn’t they had a pretty good time of it, hadn’t they grown to rely on each other, to understand each other, to comfort each other, to care for each other, and now, why now?

Cadel gripped Yozen’s arm tightly and shook it as if he were upset.

“I’m sorry I messed with your target, but I didn’t stop you because I wanted to save him, and I don’t give a sh*t about that anymore! I only sent Jeffrey away because I was concerned for your safety. Do you understand?”

“…….”

“You were then, and you’re now, all about whose way saves more people. I’m sorry, but it’s not me, and even if my way could save thousands or tens of thousands of people, I wouldn’t hesitate to give it up if it meant losing my own people.”

“……You can’t do that.”

“If you leave, I’m going to come after you, war and all. Can’t I do this? Can’t I choose you over tens of thousands of people? Then stop being weird and stick with me.”

Now he was tired of losing people. Whether they had their own reasons or not, he didn’t want to care anymore. He just wanted to be by his side. Why not, if he was supposed to make them happy, if he was supposed to protect them no matter what, if he was supposed to give them a life that was richer than anyone else’s?

“If you like humans so much, why don’t you like me?”

“…….”

“I can’t live without you. You say I make you dream, then keep dreaming. Because wherever and whenever you dream, I’ll be there to protect you.”

“……I have to kill Jeffrey.”

“I don’t care if you kill Jeffrey or the king, as long as you don’t get in trouble! Don’t you get it? I’m worried about your safety right now, and I’m trying to talk you out of doing something that will put you in danger!”

It was frustrating. While Yozen was concerned about the repercussions of his actions on the Knight Order, he was not the least bit worried about getting himself into trouble. It wasn’t because he simply believed in his abilities. As long as he could kill the wicked, it didn’t matter to him who he was.

Cadel couldn’t understand why he was so obsessed with killing evil. Was it to protect the good of the world? To be a hero? If so, he could fight beside Cadel in peace.

Yozen remained calm, but Cadel was becoming increasingly agitated. This was no way to carry on a proper conversation. Cadel cleared his throat, jaw clenched as if to hold back his frustration, and rubbed Yozen’s aching arm soothingly.

“I’m still your commander, right?”

“……Yes.”

“All right, then, it’s an order. Killing Jeffrey is on hold until this operation is over.”

“…….”

“Answer me.”

Yozen, who had stubbornly kept his mouth shut for a long time, nodded slowly. Seeing that, Cadel let out the breath he’d been holding and pulled Yozen into a tight hug. He patted the hard back, and Yozen clumsily turned to face him. It was sloppy, but the warmth was unmistakable.

He didn’t understand Yozen’s obsession. Why Yozen would go from acting like a gentle lamb in front of him to spewing killing intent at the first sign of a target, why he’d make unusually excessive sacrifices to ‘cleanse’ the world. He had no idea, but thankfully, Cadel had one last means of understanding his partner.

As soon as the brief embrace was over, Yozen left his side. Pushing his anxiety aside, Cadel made his way back to his tent. He went straight to sleep.

「You have entered a state of unconsciousness.」

「There are stories that can be watched.」

「Garuel Monzasi’s Memories – Past Story (Favorability over 70)」

「Yozen Vardikta’s Memories – Past Story (Favorability over 70)」

Yozen’s favorability recently hit 70. It was a lucky break because if it had fallen just a little short, he might not have gotten to know Yozen when he needed it most.

Without hesitation, Cadel scrolled through Yozen’s past story. A familiar darkness fell over him, but his mind was more scattered than ever.