Chapter 16
Because I Like You That Much
“You gave this to me, so what else can I do?”
It really was a Jeiji flower, wasn’t it? Supposedly calming to the body and mind.
Royce pulled me up as I sniffed it again.
Then he looked at my face and chuckled softly.
“What?”
Apparently, a petal had stuck to my nose while I was sniffing.
Royce gently brushed it off, smiling.
“I just… have somewhere I want to go with you.”
Well, I hadn’t planned anything in my room anyway.
And above all, I was so thankful to him today—I decided to go wherever he wanted.
Royce took me to the edge of Kadel Forest, in front of a lake.
A silent, vast lake shrouded in mist. It looked like something straight out of a travel magazine.
We walked along the lakeshore, chatting.
“Why did you join Elche, Senior?”
It felt like I’d just asked a very interview-like question.
The kind that’s oddly frustrating and hard to answer.
I almost regretted it—but Royce opened his mouth with a nostalgic look.
“When I was young, before I became a swordmaster… I once encountered a monster.”
His eyes softened with memory.
“An Elche knight saved me then. Their blue uniform under the sun, their unwavering blade… That moment of awe led me to Elche.”
He looked like he’d pass any interview with that look.
“That’s amazing, Senior.”
“What is?”
“Most people don’t have such personal reasons or convictions.”
I clapped earnestly—then slipped on some mud.
“Ack!”
Royce caught me before I could fall.
His reflexes were faster than my own second step.
“Thanks.”
He wrapped his arm around my back.
Even after I steadied myself, he didn’t let go.
His eyes seemed to hold something he wanted to say.
“What is it?”
He opened and closed his mouth a few times.
Eventually, he let go and asked,
“Serdin.”
“…”
“Should I hold it?”
“What?”
“…your hand.”
“No.”
“…”
He probably thought I looked unsteady from the earlier slip.
“Should I not?”
“Yes.”
It was a thoughtful offer, but I was fine now.
I shook my head and reassured him with a smile.
“Alright. I won’t.”
Royce’s expression was oddly unreadable.
When we stepped from the dirt path onto grass, we stopped.
The mist was still thick and wide.
“Serdin, actually…”
Royce looked at me, as if confessing something.
“I didn’t know today was your birthday.”
“Then the bouquet?”
“I gave that just because you liked Jeiji flowers.”
He didn’t even know it was my birthday and still gave me that?
‘He really is built differently.’
I admired him sincerely.
I used to not understand those sycophant-type characters in novels who tried to get close to rich people. Now I totally got it.
Receiving something like this? I could absolutely become one.
As I had that thought, Royce suddenly apologized.
“Sorry.”
“For what?”
“For not knowing it was your birthday.”
“Why would that be something to apologize for? I don’t usually celebrate anyway.”
“But I’m different. I’m not just anyone, Serdin.”
Royce always held himself to high standards.
Apparently, even in things like this.
“I want to be someone more special.”
He was already the most special person in this world—what more did he want?
Still, as someone who received a gift, I owed it to him to go along with his wishes.
“Well then, you should be the one to remember it next time.”
Royce nodded, relieved.
“Wait here, Serdin.”
He picked up a thick branch from the bushes.
It looked plain.
But when he held it, it felt like a refined artifact.
‘What’s he going to do with that?’
He looked at me once, then down at the branch.
Suddenly, a faint blue light enveloped it.
‘Sword aura?’
I was shocked by three things:
That he turned a random branch into a fully functioning sword.
That he revealed the Belkerente family’s sword aura—fog aura.
That it was so incredibly beautiful.
‘Why hide something so breathtaking?’
In the original story, fog aura didn’t appear much after Royce’s demon, Necroquod, was defeated.
‘But I didn’t know it was this beautiful.’
It looked like the petals of a hydrangea at dawn.
The pale glow spread around us.
The mist on the lake began to rise and clear.
The grass hidden beneath was revealed.
Royce swung the makeshift sword.
The lifted mist settled onto the grass.
It descended in the shape of white blossoms across the greenery.
In moments, a Milky Way of flower-like fog spread across the field.
I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
Partly because of Royce’s skill, but mostly because—
It was simply too beautiful.
“This is your gift, Serdin.”
As his voice reached me, I stared at the fog flowers blanketing the field.
The midday alcohol had mostly worn off.
But something else now clouded me—something dreamlike.
“Happy birthday. I hope this moment stays with you for a long time.”
Sword aura isn’t limitless—it depletes like stamina.
It refills with rest, but it fades with use.
I knew how much effort this delicate, magical scenery must’ve taken.
I locked the image in my memory, then grinned at him.
“Thanks, really, Senior.”
The fog flowers dissolved, returning to mist.
To be honest, I had been a little selfish with Royce.
He was a senior in a tough final year at Eudelin and already an active knight.
Still, he made time for me.
‘Was I taking his future for granted?’
He might actually be at risk of repeating the year.
The original story never clarified if Royce graduated on time…
‘Could he really fail?’
Of course, I still wanted to learn from him—about sword aura, swordsmanship.
But if I kept indulging myself, he might really repeat a year.
So I decided to tell him.
Once we returned from the lake to the city, I said,
“Senior, maybe… we shouldn’t see each other this often anymore.”
“What? Why?”
“You’re in your final year.”
“So?”
“You don’t want to be stuck repeating classes with me next year, right?”
“…Actually, I kind of do.”
“Pardon?”
He wanted to retake those hellish courses with me?
“Really?”
“Yeah. If I could, I’d sit in those classrooms with you for years.”
“Senior…”
That sounded like emotional sabotage.
It startled me, but I couldn’t deny his sincerity.
“Do you like it that much?”
Royce’s face turned red.
“Of course.”
“I see…”
“Then we can keep meeting like now, right?”
“No, we can’t.”
Even if he wanted to repeat the year, I didn’t want to be the reason.
If it was his own decision, fine. But I didn’t want to be his burden.
“…”
He fell silent, then nodded slowly.
With a sunken tone, he said,
“Alright. If that’s what you want… I can’t stop you.”
During a break at Elche Knight Order’s base, Royce stood in a corner, arms crossed, deep in thought.
He was thinking about a fortune cookie given to him by senior knight Lizzy.
Its words replayed in his head:
“You’re going through a crisis.”
‘Senior, maybe we shouldn’t see each other so often anymore.’
He had acted calm at the time.
But inside, he was shaken to his core.
Okay, now. This situation is getting out of hand.
Poor Royce, he’s stuck in the worst rendition of ‘Who’s on First.
Haha, I totally get you! Royce is definitely caught in a hilarious loop, trying to figure out where exactly he stands with Serdin. It’s like one big misunderstanding after another, poor guy. Guess it’s the price of being so emotionally invested, right?