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Chapter 14
The first game began with Max, the laziest man in the knight order.
For days, he had dumped the job of shoveling snow onto his comrades and burrowed himself inside his blankets.
As usual, Max was taking a nap with his rabbit doll, Merida, when he was lifted up in an instant.
Edwin grabbed the back of Max’s neck—despite his considerable bulk—and flung him straight into the snow.
Then, smiling brightly, he said,
“Want to play a game?”
“A g-game?”
“The icicle game. We spar using icicles instead of swords.”
It sounded like a child’s game.
But once the sparring began, Max ended up bawling his eyes out.
It was the first time he realized how much icicles could hurt.
Edwin gave him no chance to dodge, striking his vital points quickly and precisely.
As if telling an amusing fairy tale, he casually recounted a story.
“Did you know? If you pierce someone with ice, no evidence of murder remains. The weapon melts away, after all.”
At those words, Max fled on all fours.
After that, every icicle around the base disappeared—thanks to him.
The second game involved Harriet the glutton.
Assigned to meal duty, Harriet devoured half the bread before lunchtime even began.
As a result, many knights went hungry.
His greed didn’t stop there—he ate the bread again the next day.
And then, on the third day—
Bang!
With a loud crash, the kitchen door flew open.
The source of the noise was Edwin, who should have been in the middle of training.
He spoke to Harriet, who was just about to stuff bread into his mouth.
“Shall we play a game?”
“What kind of game?”
“A game where you eat all the bread here.”
Harriet’s face lit up, and he nodded eagerly.
Looking at the bread spread out before them, Edwin smiled like an angel.
“The bread isn’t fully baked.”
“It’s perfectly baked though?”
“No, the dough’s still raw.”
With that, he reached out toward the bread.
Flames burst forth from the pile.
The fire spread rapidly, growing into an uncontrollable blaze.
Seeing a royal’s special power for the first time, Harriet gasped and stumbled backward.
Panicking, he pleaded with Edwin.
“C-Commander! If this keeps up, the dining hall will burn down!”
“Isn’t that better than underbaked bread?”
The flames shot all the way to the ceiling.
As Harriet tried to flee, Edwin grabbed the back of his neck.
The grip was too strong to escape.
“P-Please spare me!”
“The bread is fully baked now.”
When Harriet turned around, he sighed in relief—the flames had stopped.
All that remained were the charred remains of blackened bread.
“Go on. Eat.”
“How can I eat something that’s completely burnt?!”
“Then I’ll help you.”
Edwin gathered the bread that had turned to charcoal.
Then he shoved it relentlessly into Harriet’s mouth.
“Ghk—ghk! I don’t wanna!”
“I’m helping you win.”
“I—I forfeit! You win, Commander…!”
After that, Harriet didn’t even look at bread for several months.
In this way, Edwin maintained peace within the knight order through games.
However, no one in the Rune Knight Order ever wanted to be his opponent.
When Edwin visited them again after a long while, he smiled gently despite the heavy atmosphere.
“While I’m staying here, we’re going to pretend we don’t know each other.”
“……”
The knights exchanged glances and maintained silence.
Edwin kindly added,
“Don’t call me ‘Commander’ or anything like that.”
“……”
“Sounds fun, right?”
After saying that, Edwin picked up a few pieces of bread and some fruit.
The subordinates could only stare blankly at his retreating figure.
“……”
“……”
For the first time in a long while, the dining hall fell into silence.
Knock, knock. There was a sound at the door.
Dana, who had been reading on the sofa, got up.
“Who is it?”
“Senior, it’s me.”
The gentle voice belonged to Edwin.
What is it? Dana opened the door, and he asked for permission.
“I thought we could have breakfast together. May I come in?”
“Yeah, come in.”
Entering Dana’s room, Edwin headed straight for the table.
Several plates were laid out atop a beige tablecloth.
Fresh fruit and freshly baked bread.
A surprised Dana asked,
“Where did you get all this?”
“I borrowed the plates from the caretaker.”
“And the food?”
“……Please, eat.”
He pulled out Dana’s chair for her.
Then he placed a neatly sliced piece of apple into her mouth.
As the tart juice filled her mouth, Dana’s face brightened.
Edwin looked at her with satisfaction.
He sat across from her and continued tending to her meal.
He cut the bread into bite-sized pieces and refilled her water whenever the glass ran low.
“You should eat too. We said we’d eat together.”
“Yes, Senior.”
He took a bite of bread as well.
“Have you ever dated anyone?”
Cough!
Dana nearly choked on the apple.
“N-No! Why would you ask that?”
Is that a question, or a sneak attack?
Edwin calmly handed her a glass of water.
“Then I’ll be your first?”
Does it work like that?
When Dana stared at him without answering, Edwin smiled faintly.
“It’s my first time too.”
“……”
“Do you know what lovers value most?”
“…No.”
“Checking that the other person is doing well.”
“Is this a battlefield?”
“Making sure they slept well, ate properly.”
Come to think of it, that did seem to be a common topic among couples around her.
When Dana nodded, Edwin smiled happily.
“So from now on, let’s eat three meals a day together.”
How did it come to that?
Dana’s eyes widened.
Edwin added,
“I want to see for myself that you’re doing well, Senior.”
“I do just fine even without you.”
“Then may I ask every morning, noon, and night whether you’ve eaten?”
“……”
“You promised me. That I could give you affectionate looks.”
“This is what that means?”
“Yes. From now on, accept whatever I give you. No matter what it is.”
His gaze was firm as he said it.
Dana reflected on her past.
Had anyone ever taken care of her meals like this?
Meals had always been tailored to her older brother’s tastes.
Even when she fell ill and left all her food untouched, her family hadn’t noticed at all.
Even if they had, they probably wouldn’t have said anything.
Realizing that, Dana spoke carefully.
“Edwin… you know.”
“Yes?”
“When I said earlier that I was fine even without you… I wasn’t rejecting your kindness.”
Edwin listened silently.
“It’s just that this kind of warmth is new to me, so it’s hard to accept.”
“……”
“It feels awkward and unfamiliar. So sometimes my words might come out cold.”
Dana’s face flushed.
“But still… I’m always grateful.”
She gently closed her eyes in embarrassment.
“From now on, I’ll accept everything you give me. Even if my reactions are awkward, please understand.”
The sight of her clutching the cup with both hands, eyes closed, sent ripples through Edwin’s heart.
“……”
“……”
Perhaps that was why.
For once, he couldn’t respond right away.
Dana, who had come to him… Dana, who had mustered the courage to confess—she was unbearably lovely.
“…Thank you for telling me.”
Edwin replied, suppressing the emotions welling up inside.
Dana lifted her head and looked at him.
Her tightly closed lips trembled slightly, then curved into a long smile.
Seeing her shy, beaming smile made Edwin’s heart surge deeply.
