Chapter 101
“I Waited for You”
As expected of Roitz, after being sick for just one day, he completely recovered.
Though… it did seem like he was really suffering that day.
Walking down the corridor of the Order, I glanced at my wrist.
It was where Roitz had grabbed me while half-asleep, refusing to let go. Remembering that, I pressed my lips together in annoyance.
“Stay longer.”
What was that supposed to mean? He wasn’t a child.
Such a strange man.
Stranger still was the fact that I hadn’t been able to shake him off. Instead, I stayed there for a long time.
I could have just stood up and walked away.
Well, he was sick after all.
Maybe I just felt pity for him.
Either way, the Roitz who had looked half-dead then, was now perfectly fine today.
As usual, his workaholic nature meant piles of tasks had accumulated during his single day of absence. He was already busy again, and had gone out for work related to the temple.
He’s been going to the temple more and more lately.
From the beginning, whenever Roitz visited the temple, he always took other aides instead of me.
So the more often he went there, the less time I spent with him.
That’s what I wanted, wasn’t it?
Back when I waited for Lucike to appear, that’s what I wished for: Roitz giving his time and heart to her, not clinging to work, and not bothering me anymore.
But even when Roitz wasn’t around, I was still busy with endless work.
The culprit from the Delcy cruise ship case… I need to catch them soon.
While running errands, I also stopped by the royal guard’s headquarters, the Ignis Knights.
The biggest clue was still that torn piece of cloth from that day.
It was expensive fabric.
I didn’t know what kind, but I could tell just by touch—it was costly.
But since it was also fairly common, it wasn’t enough to identify the culprit.
“Sir Vivi!”
“Hello.”
“I was actually going to report to you.”
One of the knights from the cruise ship incident approached me.
“There are traces of Maitl particles on the fabric.”
“Maitl?”
I narrowed my eyes, thinking.
Maitl was a type of artificial soil used in training grounds—often at private facilities or in noble estates.
“So the person must visit training grounds often. The particles stuck to the fabric over several occasions.”
Meaning they moved like someone properly trained.
Fast, skilled with the sword—someone who had received real training.
“Yes, thank you.”
That narrowed it down… but not to one person.
Still, the odd sense of familiarity when I saw the culprit back then…
“We’ll analyze further. The fabric itself seems quite fine too.”
Wearing fine fabric even for training clothes meant the person was wealthy.
If they had also attended social gatherings, maybe I had seen them before.
I need to tell Roitz about this.
It wasn’t the culprit’s identity yet, but it was still an important lead.
So I hurried back toward Elche.
He should be back by now…
He had said he’d only visit the temple in the morning, but the sun was already setting.
I went straight to his office, greeting knights half-heartedly as I passed. My steps grew quicker and quicker.
Finally at his door, I raised my fist to knock.
But just before my knuckles touched the wood—
From inside, I heard a familiar laugh.
That voice…
Lucike’s laughter, followed by Roitz’s voice.
“If that’s the case, then of course I’ll help you.”
“Oh my, how kind. Then I’ll look forward to it.”
I slowly lowered my hand and frowned at the door.
He’s not even working. Just chatting away, huh?
The Commander should be working, not fooling around like this.
Wait—why am I even thinking this?
This was my plan, wasn’t it?
For him to spend less time on work and more time with Lucike.
So why was I… annoyed?
Am I going crazy? Maybe I really caught his workaholic disease.
Slap!
“Ugh.”
I hit my cheek too hard by accident.
Ow…
Before I could recover, the door suddenly opened.
Roitz stood right there, staring at me. His expression hardened.
“What’s this, Serdin? Your cheek…”
“…It’s fine.”
I quickly waved my hands. But Roitz grabbed me and pulled me straight into the office.
“Commander? I said I’m fine!”
“Why is your cheek like that? Did someone hit you?”
“Uh… y-yes.”
Well, technically true. I did hit myself.
“Who was it.”
“…Why?”
“Who?”
His low voice sounded angry, his face stiff.
But if I said “It was me”, I’d have to explain why.
He stubbornly waited for an answer, but I averted my eyes.
Behind him, Lucike was also watching me with concern.
That… somehow bothered me. A lot.
Why though?
Was it just awkward being between the two of them, like a third wheel?
But no… it felt like something else.
“It’s fine.”
I forcefully shook off my thoughts, pulled free from Roitz’s grip, and left the office.
Bang!
The door slammed harder than I intended, probably because the window was open.
Now it looks like I’m angry…
Well, whether Roitz thought so or not, it didn’t matter.
I wasn’t about to go back and explain.
I strode quickly down the hall.
I went there to talk about work… but ended up running away instead.
I didn’t feel like going back yet.
So I wandered the building until I ran into Manon.
“Serdin?”
“Manon.”
“Hm.”
She stopped me and looked closely.
“What’s wrong?”
Her eyebrows tilted slightly.
“Let’s go.”
“Where?”
She led me straight to the training grounds.
“Sparring?”
Out of nowhere? Really, people in Elche loved swords too much.
I had already trained for hours today, even visited Ignis.
“Manon, next time.”
But she ignored me and tossed me a wooden sword.
“Here.”
“What are you—”
“Ready?”
Before I could answer, she charged.
“Manon!”
I had no choice but to fight back.
We clashed swords, ran, turned, struck again and again.
It was like she had become my personal trainer, not letting me stop.
“Hah… hah…”
Finally exhausted, I sat on the floor. Manon, just as tired, stood first.
“Rest a bit. I’ll go ahead.”
She snatched my sword away, put both into storage, and left.
The sun was already dipping low.
Alone, I sprawled across the empty training floor.
“….”
Clashing swords with Manon reminded me of something:
When you’re overwhelmed with thoughts or confusion, training is the cure.
Which meant… earlier, I really was overwhelmed and confused.
Enough that even Manon noticed.
But why?
I closed my eyes tight, then opened them and stood.
Tied my messy hair back firmly.
At least now my body was lighter and my mind clearer.
I was ready to face Roitz again.
When I stepped out of the training ground—
“…Commander?”
Roitz was leaning against the wall outside, arms crossed.
His face looked cold and indifferent, but when he saw me, he walked over quickly.
“Finished?”
The indifference was gone from his eyes now.
“What are you doing here? What happened?”
“I waited for you.”
Roitz answered quietly, without hesitation.
