PDHTFV 19

~Chapter 19~

“But… what exactly happened earlier?”

I was asking about the explosion. I wanted to know if he’d found the culprit.

Since it didn’t take him long, I guessed he got an answer from the troublemakers on the other side of the wall.

“It was just an accident. You don’t need to worry.”

But Yushen didn’t seem interested in telling me. He was lying so obviously, even a child wouldn’t believe him.

“I can tell you’re lying, sir.”

“It’s not a lie.”

“Who would think a giant explosion that destroyed a wall was just an accident… sir?”

It was time to put on the medicine, so I pressed it gently to his wound. I couldn’t press hard because I didn’t want to leave a scar, but I still regretted not pressing harder.

“Ugh…”

Yushen let out a groan, bowing his head. Maybe it hurt more than I thought.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“…I’m fine.”

Sweat was starting to appear at his temples. It looked like the treatment itself was painful, not just my pressing.

Come on, you idiot! If it hurts, say so, so I can be more gentle!

I felt uneasy. Should I call a real healer?

“I’m fine, so please continue.”

“You don’t look fine…”

“Compared to other injuries I’ve had, this is nothing.”

Well, if he says he’s okay, it’s not my place to argue—especially when it’s Yushen.

I applied the medicine with a much lighter touch this time.

“Sorry if that hurt… sir. But did you really think I’d believe it was just an accident?”

“…”

“…Sir.”

Yushen always went quiet whenever I forgot to use polite language, so I nervously added “sir” at the end.

Just adding “sir” doesn’t make it polite, though.

“…It was an accident.”

Finally, Yushen started to tell the story I was curious about.

“I’m not familiar with the place yet, but the side of the supply room that collapsed faces the outdoor training field. The members training there made a bet during their break.”

So, the troublemakers were the other knights.

Well, I guess to a leader like Yushen, they’d seem like troublemakers. With so many people, I’m sure incidents happen all the time.

“What kind of bet?”

“They said it was a test of strength.”

He explained that sometimes, young knights get competitive and things get out of hand.

Apparently, Luche only picks the most talented kids and trains them early, so maybe that’s why they got carried away.

At that age, it’s normal to jump into anything, so they should’ve been watched more carefully.

I was glad only Yushen and I were hurt, not the kids.

He finished explaining, and the first aid ended with a gauze patch.

I felt like a burden had been lifted.

‘I’ll send Yushen out and get some rest.’

To hurry him along, I handed him his shirt and uniform jacket.

Yushen took them and put his arms through the sleeves naturally.

The shirt was ripped at the back, but I figured he must have extra clothes in his office, so I didn’t say anything.

I thought he’d leave now, so I was about to relax, but suddenly Yushen grabbed my wrist.

In a second, the distance between us disappeared. It was a closeness I’d experienced before.

I blinked a few times before I realized what was happening.

I tried to twist my wrist free, but his grip was strong.

“What are you doing?”

“…”

“Let go.”

The room was closed off, but the sliding door had no lock. Anyone could peek inside if they wanted to.

I had to snap at him. The last time something like this happened, I got kicked out of the temple thanks to rumors.

There’s no guarantee things would be different in Luche. This was Yushen’s territory, after all.

If there were rumors, they’d probably say I attacked him.

But Yushen kept holding my wrist, as if he had forgotten everything.

“I need to treat you.”

“…What?”

“Your hand.”

Oh.

I’d been so focused on his back, I forgot about my own hand.

“I’ll do it myself.”

“How will you, if you’re right-handed?”

I had no good answer, so I handed over my right hand.

He picked up the towel, just like I had, and gently wiped the dirt from my wound, as if he were handling something precious.

I’d never seen him so focused before, so I couldn’t help but watch.

His handsome face drew my eyes, but more than that… his front was even more impressive than his back, and I almost stopped breathing.

‘…Is his soft-hearted personality just an act?’

At this point, maybe I should just give up and stare openly! When else would I get to see this?

Who knows how long I just stared. His big hand buttoned up his shirt.

Suddenly, I realized a white gauze was stuck to my hand—the same kind as on his back.

The treatment was already over.

‘…When did he finish?’

I’d been so spaced out I hadn’t noticed.

If he buttoned up in front of me, he must have seen me staring. I tried to act bold, but being caught was super embarrassing.

I bit my lip nervously.

“…Sorry for grabbing your wrist without warning.”

His careful voice matched the gentle way he’d touched me.

When I looked up, I saw Yushen looking away, cheeks a little red.

He looked even more embarrassed than me.

“As soon as I saw your wound, I just wanted to treat it…”

“It’s fine… sir…”

Was it just me, or did our roles get switched? He was the one apologizing, and I was the one saying it was okay.

Since Yushen was pretending nothing happened, I didn’t mention it either.

After that, silence fell. And with it, awkwardness.

Since I’d acted so weird, I couldn’t exactly tell him to leave.

We just sat there, both not saying anything, stealing glances at each other.

“Captain, are you in there?”

A voice called from outside. Yushen stood up immediately.

‘That voice sounds familiar… who is it?’

Oh! It was Winter’s voice.

I guess he didn’t want to open all the treatment room doors because of privacy.

“We can finish this conversation another time.”

I nodded.

I agreed completely.

It was a good idea to wait until we were both thinking straight.

It had been one week and a day since Letitia joined Luche.

It was a clear, cloudless day.

Winter glanced out at the beautiful scenery, but quickly looked away.

He didn’t have time to enjoy the view. After being away for a month, he still had endless work, no matter how much he did.

There was only one reason he went straight to Yushen’s office.

He hadn’t approved the documents.

Yushen hadn’t signed off on anything that needed the captain’s seal for a whole week, so Winter finally went to find him himself.

But…

‘Why… does he look so out of it?’

Even though Winter was watching him, Yushen seemed lost.

Winter had thought the captain was acting strange lately.

‘…Ever since Sir Aydin came back from the central temple, the captain hasn’t mentioned going after the witch, not even once, right?’

Winter was puzzled.

Yushen used to always drag Aydin out to chase the witch Leana as soon as his urgent work was done.

And didn’t he just barely miss catching her last time? He should have been even more obsessed with finding her now.

‘This is really strange. Is he sick?’

Usually, Yushen shared everything with Winter and Aydin.

Except for one thing…

The witch Leana’s portrait.

Of course, the portrait was high-level information, only for top leaders. But if he wanted, Yushen could have shown it to Winter.

But the reason he hadn’t was—

‘The captain said, even if it killed him, he wanted to catch her himself.’

Yushen was definitely acting different from usual.

Winter started to wonder if the reason was… ‘that.’

“Captain.”

“Hm?”

“Why haven’t you wanted to go after the witch lately?”

“…”

Winter saw it. The look of surprise on Yushen’s face.

He tried to hide it, but after watching him for so long, Winter could tell.

And the way he didn’t answer right away was suspicious, too.

‘…How should I answer?’