Chapter 10
Whether I made “bunny eyes” or not, Schloitz dropped the cracked Oparts on the desk with a thud and continued talking.
“Sir Raphael and Sir Agnes’s Oparts feel different in strength compared to mine.”
Sir Agnes… that must be the knight who helped bless me along with Raphael on my first day here.
So that’s why Raphael said he had to go out earlier to take care of a monster…
“Their Oparts only seemed like the barrier would break if they took a steady amount of pressure from the monster’s grip. But mine—the barrier wasn’t even consistent. There’s something wrong with it.”
That was fascinating.
I’d never seen an Oparts break with my own eyes.
But that must have been quite a shock, and yet he could describe it so clearly…
It reminded me again why Schloitz was considered the strongest person in this world full of powerful people.
He was unbelievably strong, especially for someone not addicted.
Wait a minute…
Then… was the smell of blood I noticed earlier not from the monster, but from Raphael?
No wonder my legs were shaking.
I knew it. He probably pushed himself too hard and passed out—or worse, got himself killed somewhere.
Still holding my quill pen, I slowly asked,
“Are you alright, sir?”
“Do I need to write that down and send it to your family too?”
“Probably, yes.”
Schloitz looked at me, then suddenly reached out his hand.
“…?”
“Take it.”
I slowly took his hand, trying hard not to let mine shake.
Then I let out a quiet gasp—his hand was so cold, like a corpse.
I frowned and put down my quill. I reached for his other hand, and… it was the same. I couldn’t tell if I was touching a dead body or a person.
This is bad.
“Is it just your hands that are cold? What about the rest of your body?”
“Should I let you feel the rest too?”
“…Sorry?”
I looked up. It took me a second to notice his eyes were looking at the hands we were holding.
“Oh—no, it’s fine.”
Flustered, I gently let go of his hands. I hadn’t realized I was holding them for that long.
“Sorry. Could you just tell me how you’re feeling?”
“It’s similar to the early side effects of Oparts we learned about from Lefevre.”
“Similar, how…?”
“I coughed up blood, and my body temperature dropped a lot. That’s all.”
“…I see.”
Coughing up blood…
So it’s not just his hands that are cold.
Now that I think of it, Raphael looked pale and wobbly, but he never said his Oparts had broken.
Schloidtz, on the other hand, said his did.
I noticed just how tired his face looked and asked gently,
“Are you really okay?”
“What wouldn’t be okay?”
“…?”
Schloitz tilted his head slightly.
“I’m the one who coughed up blood. So why do you look like that?”
“Look like what…?”
“Like you’re going to start rumors about the army bullying someone from the Lefevre family.”
“That’s not true!”
I reached up and touched my face without thinking. I couldn’t tell how I looked. Maybe just a little stiff. But I couldn’t very well pull out a mirror and check right now.
I looked away from him.
“I’ll send a message to my family right away. I’m not the one in charge of Oparts research, so I don’t know the reason just yet… but we’ll get an answer within a few days.”
I was just about to stand up when Schloitz said,
“Sir Lefevre.”
“Yes, Sir Procyon?”
“Give me another blessing before you go.”
I frowned. He looked so unwell. Should he really push himself like this?
“I’m sorry, but Sir Procyon, you’re not feeling well.”
“Are you a military doctor?”
“No, but didn’t the doctor tell you the same thing? That you should rest?”
“You speak like you met him on your way here.”
“Well, not exactly…”
“Even if you didn’t, does that matter? I’m not ordering you to overwork yourself.”
“But Lefevre gave me full authority over Oparts.”
“So?”
“I don’t think giving you another blessing right now is a good idea. You’re not about to go fight monsters, are you?”
“Are you saying I should take you along next time I go to the ruins?”
“…What?”
That was an odd thing to say.
It was only because Schloitz said it that it didn’t sound worse. If anyone else had said it, I would’ve thought they were teasing me.
Hearing him say that, I felt like I’d turned into one of those nobles who purposely drop a handkerchief or pretend to stumble just to get attention from someone they like.
“I heard Prince Madros proposed to you.”
“…Yes.”
“Did you really have to embarrass him that much? That poor fool fell for you so hard. Did you have to be that cruel?”
“Were you there?”
“I heard it from people who were.”
Schloitz slowly lifted his chin from his hand.
“You know this is a military territory.”
“Yes. I’m aware.”
I frowned.
“What exactly are you trying to say, Sir Procyon?”
“I just… can’t figure out what Lefebvre is trying to do.”
He looked me over carefully.
“Lefevre has always stayed strictly neutral, generation after generation.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“Did the head of your family ask you to worry about my health like this?”
“My father didn’t give me any specific instructions. I don’t know what he’s thinking either.”
This was just entirely my own…
But the rest of that sentence never came out.
Because I suddenly realized—this does look strange, doesn’t it?
Seeing my face, Schloitz smirked and said,
“So then why are you so concerned about my health? If it’s not your family’s intention, it must be your own.”
In other words—do I have some other intention?
I fully understood what he meant now.
“I know Prince Madros is on the opposite side of the Commander. And because I’m from Lefebvre, people are watching everything I do, trying to figure out which side Lefevre supports.”
“Go on.”
“I grew up in the capital hearing nothing but praise for the Commander. Society is very sensitive to where power lies. No one even really talked about Prince Madros.”
I still couldn’t hold Schloitz’s gaze for too long. But that was fine. I’d look more shy than suspicious.
Even if I looked a bit awkward—that was fine.
“So technically, I’ve picked the right side. And I doubt the Commander would like it if Lefevre’s heir got close with Prince Madros.”
“Right.”
Schloitz kept staring at me and added,
“That would definitely be a hassle.”
“Yes. And about your health… I had no hidden motive. It’s just personal kindness.”
“Kindness, huh.”
“Yes.”
“With no strings attached?”
“Not quite. I do hope the Lefebvre Oparts will become an essential part of the military. My older brother has been working tirelessly to make that happen. And…”
I hesitated a moment before continuing.
“I also hope you stay healthy, Sir Procyon.”
His eyes stayed on me. I kept going, quietly.
“I want to live a long life.”
“You don’t need to worry. No one’s going to order you to the front lines.”
“…Okay.”
I think he understood I meant it. I really, truly wanted to live.
And… if something like this ever happened again, maybe I’d at least have a reason to stop him.
Schloitz finally said,
“I misjudged you.”
“That’s alright. It’s understandable.”
Even though I answered without blinking, cold sweat was running down my back.
Everything I’d said was true—partly for my family, yes.
But the feelings I had for Schloitz were also real.
I need to be careful.
Venus… maybe I need to act a little meeker.
“I’ll let you know the moment we hear back about the blessing.”
“You may go.”
I carefully pushed my chair back and left.
I handed the letter to the army’s mail officer and went straight back to my quarters.
I turned on the light, walked to the bed, and flopped down.
The warm-toned wooden ceiling came into view, with its soft patterns.
A spring breeze blew in through the slightly open window.
I was copying Schloitz.
Like secretly picking up petals just because someone I liked had once looked at that flower…
Just that much. That’s all it was. I was following after him… just that little bit.
Of course, no matter what I did—he’d never notice.
****
The next day.
Raphael didn’t come to see me.
More accurately—he couldn’t.
Instead, a knight claiming to be his aide came and told me Raphael had collapsed and was resting.
So it’s true—when an Oparts breaks, it really does mess up your body.
Though in Raphael’s case, he probably also had severe exhaustion piled on top of it.
I told the aide to let him know not to worry about visiting me until he fully recovered.
Honestly, I didn’t have any scheduled duties or official work to do anyway.
I arrived even earlier than when Enrico was supposed to.
Still, even if there were no official tasks, there was something else to do:
Everything related to Oparts.
Which meant my days became very simple—
Wake up at dawn, walk the training field, practice sword techniques, eat meals, and check for any unusual signs with the Oparts.
Since Oparts hadn’t officially been adopted yet, there wasn’t much to check.
