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Chapter 13
Did I see it wrong?
No. There was no way I could mistake that radiant beauty.
Edwin stood there, gleaming clearly under the spring sunlight.
“Senior.”
Edwin, who had been standing in front of the mansion, strode over.
As if it were only natural, he picked up Dana’s luggage.
“…Did you come to get me?”
Because my bag might be heavy?
Before Dana could even speak, Edwin answered.
“I wanted to go to work together with you, senior.”
“……”
“Sorry for dropping by so suddenly.”
He said it with a gentle smile.
That he had come all this way purely of his own will.
He said it first, worried that Dana might feel apologetic.
Catching his intention, Dana broke into a soft smile.
“Thanks for carrying it.”
“……”
At the sight of Dana’s smile, Edwin’s eyes wavered.
He quickly turned his head away to avoid her gaze.
The tips of his ears seemed to have turned red.
Edwin had never felt something called embarrassment in his life.
But whenever he was with Dana, he kept encountering unfamiliar emotions.
While Edwin was collecting himself, Dana explained the details of the business trip.
“At least the good thing is that the Imperial Palace is opening a gate for us. We won’t need to sit on a train for days.”
“…I see.”
“And we won’t be dealing with monsters, so there’s nothing to be scared of.”
Edwin looked down at her with an unreadable expression.
“You said you’ve been to the North before, right?”
“Yeah. I worked there for a year.”
“What was the Rune Knight Order like?”
Suddenly, Edwin grew curious.
What did Dana think of the knight order he once led?
She might recoil in horror and call them lunatics, like Tony did.
Or, true to her usual temperament, she might take it all in stride.
Edwin waited for her small lips to part.
Soon, a clear voice reached his ears.
“I don’t know.”
The unexpected answer left Edwin momentarily speechless.
Dana continued.
“I never really saw the Rune Knight Order directly. I mostly treated critically injured patients—changing bandages and disinfecting wounds.”
“So you only get to see you if someone’s seriously hurt.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
Dana’s answers always went against expectations.
Edwin’s eyes sparkled with interest.
In the meantime, the two arrived at the Department of Magic.
They were given external-duty uniforms.
The kind worn during volunteer work or official events.
With a face that somehow looked pleased, Edwin asked,
“Is this outfit just for the two of us?”
“Yeah.”
Why is he smiling? Dana looked at him curiously.
Beneath each department of the empire, gates had been installed underground.
The Department of Magic was no exception.
When they went down to the basement, Derek, the Minister of Magic, greeted them.
Aside from the imperial family, only the minister was allowed to open the magic department’s gate.
“So you’re from the Potion Management Division. I wish you a safe trip.”
He said the imperial physicians had already gone ahead to the North and reopened the gate.
Dana bowed politely to Derek and headed toward the gate.
At that moment, Derek stopped Edwin.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, rookie from the Potion Management Division.”
What is this? Edwin looked at Derek with a mask-like smile.
Seeing how oddly familiar the two seemed, Dana tilted her head in confusion.
Derek instantly understood Edwin’s feelings—after all, they were old friends.
That emotion hidden behind the smile was clearly irritation.
Derek responded with an equally bright smile.
“How’s work these days? I was curious if you’ve been well.”
Then he gestured subtly toward Dana.
He seemed very curious about his friend’s love life.
Edwin replied, still wearing the same mask-like smile.
“It was rather dark underground on the way here. I could brighten it up, you know.”
It was a warning to stop meddling before he blew the place up with fire.
In other words—back off.
Derek nodded and quickly disappeared.
Because Edwin was absolutely the kind of man who would actually do it.
Watching the incomprehensible exchange and Derek’s abrupt exit, Dana looked puzzled.
“Are you close with the minister?”
“Not at all.”
Edwin replied with an innocent face.
“He’s a really strange man.”
“Yeah.”
“We’ve delayed quite a bit. Shall we go?”
Edwin wrapped an arm around Dana’s shoulders and stepped into the gate.
They soon arrived at the gate in the North.
As expected, cooler air greeted them compared to the capital.
Edwin asked in a worried voice,
“Aren’t you cold?”
“I’m fine. The uniform’s thick.”
“Still, tell me if you get cold.”
“And what if I do—are you going to light a fire for me or something?”
When Dana joked, Edwin smiled silently.
Then he scanned their surroundings.
Several cabins that looked like lodgings came into view.
After confirming they were all made of wood, Edwin nodded.
‘Plenty of firewood.’
Unaware of his chilling thought, the imperial physicians began emerging from the cabins one by one.
Some of the faces—those who regularly participated in volunteer work—were familiar to Dana.
Carefully making their way across the snow, they approached the two.
“You’ve arrived. You’re from the Potion Management Division, right?”
“Yes. We’ll be in your care.”
“We came early and have been resting. The Rune Knight Order is having breakfast right now.”
“Then what time should we meet them?”
“In about two hours. Let’s meet at the training ground over there.”
The place the physician pointed to was a fairly large-looking building.
With a professional smile, Dana headed toward the lodgings.
Edwin followed beside her, carrying the luggage.
“Edwin, did you have breakfast?”
“No. What about you, senior?”
“I usually skip breakfast.”
“Because you don’t have an appetite?”
“Not really—just busy.”
Edwin stopped in his tracks.
With a doubtful expression, he asked,
“Then dinner?”
“……”
Instead of answering, Dana gave an awkward smile.
One meal a day?
And before Edwin had come along, she’d been getting by on cheap, lousy sandwiches for lunch.
Overwork and malnutrition…
She was in a state where she could collapse at any moment.
‘This won’t do.’
No matter what, making sure Dana ate properly had to be top priority.
Their lodgings were on the top floor.
Since it was a renovated attic space, it was small, with only two rooms.
“Looks like we’re the only ones using this floor.”
“Seems so. If you get bored, come visit.”
Edwin smiled playfully.
Dana snorted softly at that.
After carrying the luggage all the way to the middle of Dana’s room, he headed out.
“I’ll see you in two hours.”
“Alright. You rest too, Edwin.”
With a bright smile, Edwin closed Dana’s door.
Then he immediately opened his own room, tossed his bag aside, and went straight downstairs.
With no hesitation on his face, Edwin moved forward briskly.
This base was far too familiar to him.
Even the snow piled up to his ankles posed no obstacle.
Soon, Edwin encountered the sentries guarding the perimeter.
The knights on duty widened their eyes.
“Commander?”
“Open the gate. And follow me.”
There was something ominous about the commander’s demeanor.
Half delighted, half afraid, the knights followed Edwin.
The place he headed for was completely unexpected.
BANG!!
He flung open the cafeteria doors.
The knights who had been stacking bread into a tower turned toward the noise.
“Commander!”
“It’s been a while—”
Before they could finish speaking, Edwin beamed brightly.
“Shall we play a game?”
At the word game, the knights’ faces turned pale.
In the Rune Knight Order, game was not a word to be used lightly.
Edwin, the commander and the Third Prince, had never once scolded his subordinates.
Even when many knights hazed rookies for no reason, Edwin dismissed it as pointless and abolished every such bad custom.
Instead, he occasionally proposed games.
Everyone was given equal chances, and the loser received a punishment.
The Rune Knight Order welcomed this enthusiastically.
They were a group driven by interest.
But after several rounds of these games, they began to learn a new emotion—
fear.
