* * *

It was 15 minutes later that Lumen and Van arrived at the battlefield.

Green mucus and thick blood stained the dirt ground. Cloudy smoke rises from every pit dug. As they followed the traces of the battle, they soon found a figure left behind in the ruined wilderness.

Cadel.

Quickly realizing his identity, the two men hastily dismounted their horses.

“Leader!”

Lumen was the first to arrive and checked Cadel’s condition, not wanting to touch him in case he had any serious wounds.

Van arrived later and propped up Cadel’s helpless head. He was completely unconscious, his eyes still closed, his face smeared with dirt, and his mouth smeared with sticky mucus.

“He……. He’s breathing.”

Van, who put his hand under Cadel’s nose, managed to get his voice out. As soon as he found the fallen Cadel, he felt that his anxious heart was finally functioning properly. Moving his trembling hand, he rubbed the corner of Cadel’s mouth. The mucus smelled awful, but he was more concerned about Cadel’s pale face than that.

Meanwhile, after determining that there was no serious trauma, Lumen picked Cadel up and hugged him.

“They must have found the demon, and after a battle with that guy, Leader looks like this. Lydon is…….”

A cursory search revealed no sign of Lydon. There were plenty of tracks here and there, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find him, but Cadel was in too bad of shape for them to leave him behind and track Lydon down right now. For now, they could only hope he was alive.

Lumen stepped off to help Cadel onto the horse. As if on cue, Modeleine, the latecomer, appeared in front of them.

“Sir Lumen! Where on earth is this plac……. Where is the demon? Did I miss it?”

Ordering his men to stand by, Modeleine dismounted. Instead of answering his questions, Lumen showed him Cadel he was carrying.

“This person is…….”

“He’s not in a good condition. Can you use healing technique right now?”

For healing, he would need to call on other subordinates in the village. In the first place, he deliberately divided all forces to pursue the demon.

However, Lumen’s expression seemed too desperate for Modeleine to say that and refuse.

The second son of the Dominic family. Even if it was a noble family of another country, it was not a force that could be ignored, and there was no need to create unnecessary friction by refusing a job that was not that difficult.

Modeleine nodded, and Lumen immediately laid Cadel on the ground.

He removed his gloves and pressed his hands to Cadel’s unconscious chest. A pure white glow began to radiate from beneath his mana-filled hands.

The healing session lasted about a minute. Modeleine’s brow creased into a small frown as he closed his eyes and concentrated on the healing. Slowly, he withdrew his mana.

The troubled eyes revealed beneath the lifted eyelids turned to Lumen.

“I’m sorry, but…… This is beyond my competence.”

* * *

Evening glowing red sunset.

Cadel’s body, wrapped in a blanket, swayed with the movement of the galloping horse. Lumen hit the reins, hugging Cadel tighter so that he would not feel uncomfortable.

A numbingly chilly wind whipped Lumen’s neatly coiffed hair and rosy cheeks. His usual graceful demeanor was shattered, and all that was visible in his blue eyes was a fierce anxiety, a breathless urgency.

‘I’m sorry, but…… This is beyond my competence.’

‘Are you saying he can’t be healed?’

‘That’s not it. However, with my current abilities, it is impossible to decompose the extreme poison that has spread throughout his body. It looks like we need Commander’s power.’

It was a wound that even the vice commander of the famed Holy Knight Order could not heal, and it was unlikely that a mediocre healer could fix it. Without hesitation, Lumen sought out the commander of the Twilight Knight Order, Garuel Monzasi.

Van was put into Modeleine’s demon tracking team. Of course, he didn’t take it well. He went on a rampage, saying he needed to see Cadel being treated, but it was not reasonable for the entire mercenary corps to be left out of the search with only the Knight Order’s help. Besides, the one who knew where Garuel was was also Lumen, not Van.

In the end, Van had no choice but to compromise by going to Cadel as soon as the search was completed.

‘I had no intention of giving in.’

Lumen’s eyes sank coldly, embracing Cadel’s powerless head.

He had already lost Cadel helplessly before his eyes once. He didn’t want to go through that awful experience again, and yet it happened again.

Little did Lumen know that after sending him off to call for reinforcements, Cadel was planning to make his own move, even if it meant taking a single fairy with sealed powers.

He was angry. Was it directed at Cadel for being reckless, or at himself for not being able to protect him this time? It was hard to tell.

“Take it easy, Leader. Is it your hobby to make people worry?”

He whispered softly and buried his nose on Cadel’s head. His disheveled hair smelled of sand and cold wind. As if the scent were soothing, Lumen kissed the top of Cadel’s head and sped up his pace once more.

If he ran a little further, he would find Hachellan Town.

* * *

Lumen scoured the town. He ransacked the few taverns and overturned brothels he had never set foot in before.

And finally, he was able to locate Garuel Monzasi.

“It’s here.”

Lumen knocked on the door in front of him, nearly breaking it down. It was the inn where Garuel was staying. He’d been out at the tavern earlier, taking a woman with him. If he didn’t take care of Cadel because he was doing something dirty, he would be in trouble.

After several nervous knocks, the door opened belatedly.

Through the half-open doorway, he could see Garuel running a hand through his sweaty hair, and he smiled lightly as he tightened the waistband of his roughly worn robe.

“I was wondering what kind of idle bastard was disturbing other people’s intimate affairs. So it was Sir Lumen, eh?”

“I have an urgent patient.”

“When it comes to healing, our Modeleine is really good. May I write you a letter of recommendation? Tomorrow morning, of course.”

It was obvious what he had been doing. Lumen was irritated by the ragged breathing between the words.

Even in the middle of doing that, the eyepatch that he didn’t take off only added strength to Garuel’s nonsense. Still, the only person who could fix Cadel was this man. Lumen took a moment to compose himself. He scanned the scene beyond the room with a cold gaze.

“Even Sir Modeleine is overwhelmed, and he’s told me to ask Sir Garuel for help. The rest of the Knight Order are busy searching for the demon, and no one has more time and ability than Sir.”

On the wide bed, a woman covered by a quilt glanced over and giggled. Lumen turned away from her to look at Garuel, who was rubbing his face in annoyance.

It was not good to be bothered to heal. Lumen jammed his foot through the crack of the door and yanked it open, the doorknob slamming against the wall with a loud thud. Garuel stared at the swinging door, a strange expression on his face.

“This person is someone who’s dealing with the demon, who was supposed to be handled by the White Kingdom.”

“Alas, he has my gratitude.”

“The commander of the Twilight Knight Order is busy playing with women without healing such a person. That’s a lot of gossip.”

“That, Sir Lumen…….”

Garuel stared at Lumen for a long moment without speaking. Then, with an inward smile, he stretched out his hand.

He pointed to the man in Lumen’s arms. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the man, wrapped in a blanket and barely recognizable.

“He must be pretty important to you? Making the second son of the Dominic family run wild like this.”

“Yes. If you know, please stop provoking me and help me, Sir Garuel. My patience is wearing thin.”

Both Lumen and Garuel wore faint smiles on their lips, but their glances at each other showed annoyance, rejection, and even a hint of murderous intent.

And after a long standoff.

“……All right. I’ve already cooled off while talking to Sir Lumen, so give him to me.”

Garuel raised the white flag, his arm outstretched to take Cadel away. Lumen’s expression twisted faintly at the casual gesture.

“I’ll carry him. Will the treatment be done in the room?”

“Yes, well……. And Sir Lumen. I’ll warn you up front, no one will be allowed in the room but me and the wounded while I’m using healing technique, and Sir Lumen is no exception, so hand him over.”

No one else would be allowed in the room? To leave Cadel alone with this insane se* maniac? It couldn’t be. When Lumen was about to protest the unacceptable blasphemy.

“If you won’t comply, I’ll pretend it never happened.”

Garuel interrupted, more firmly. He withdrew his outstretched arm and gave Lumen a hard stare, but there was no sign of humor.

“……Why can’t I watch it? It seems like you’re doing something weird.”

“What. You look like you could kill a mouse or a bird with a single wrong touch. Don’t worry, I won’t do any harm to Sir Lumen’s precious.”

There was nothing to be gained by arguing more. Garuel didn’t seem to give in the slightest when it came to healing, and Lumen couldn’t afford to push further, worrying about Cadel’s condition as he continued to breathe thinly.

Eventually, Lumen handed Cadel over to Garuel. Afterward, the woman, her fun interrupted by an unwanted visitor, stalked out of the room in a huff. She cursed at him, calling him a ‘dumbass’ before leaving, while Garuel playfully said he would see her next time.

And so, in front of a completely closed door, Lumen bowed his head with a sigh he’d been holding in.