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~Chapter 32~
Before Letitia came into the office—
After returning from the mission where he’d chased after Letitia, Yushen spent a week in a daze.
He barely remembered anything, as if his mind had gone blank.
Because of that, Winter scolded him harshly.
“Captain, did something happen to your brain?!”
Yushen had approved a document that was supposed to be rejected, so Winter had to run around fixing things.
The reason for Yushen’s mistakes was obvious:
Letitia Montrose.
But unfortunately, Yushen himself didn’t realize this.
He kept replaying what had happened in the tent with Letitia.
Yushen set his pen down and rubbed his aching forehead, then leaned back in his chair.
Actually, there was another reason he couldn’t focus—
Yesterday, he’d gone outside the temple for some fresh air and overheard some members talking about a new rumor.
“The Captain and the new recruit…”
The rumor sounded familiar. That was no surprise—this wasn’t the first time such gossip had spread.
But now the rumor was even more intense.
‘I tried to be careful, so why is there another rumor…’
It was so frustrating. Why did he and Letitia keep getting tangled up like this?
Yushen wondered if he should tell Letitia about the rumor.
Last time, she’d been angry that he didn’t warn her in advance.
But it was embarrassing to even say it out loud.
“Captain!”
At that moment, the office door burst open.
Even without looking, he knew who it was—
Only one person in Luche would barge into the Captain’s office without knocking.
Yushen straightened up and looked at Winter, who was already at his desk.
“…Winter, what is it?”
“Didn’t you miss me, Captain?”
“Was I supposed to?”
Winter’s eyebrow twitched, annoyed that Yushen still hadn’t learned his lesson after being scolded.
Winter sighed and put a file on the desk.
“This is the investigation you asked for a week ago.”
“I asked for that… Oh!”
Yushen barely remembered his own request. He opened the file and looked at the documents, while Winter began his report:
“There were traces of sorcery found on the Cerberus corpse. The magic seems related to cognitive abilities. It also turns out the creature originally came from the North.”
What Letitia had claimed was now proven true.
Yushen’s doubts about her lessened.
‘…Maybe I can trust her, at least once.’
Whether or not her story about a twin was true, trying to believe her didn’t seem so bad.
“If this proves you didn’t fake it all, I’ll take your advice.”
That was what he’d told Letitia.
“Winter, we’ll go hunt the witch soon. Prepare the supplies.”
“I’ll schedule it for after the Day of Prayer event.”
“Okay.”
“Will the new recruit be coming on that trip?”
“Why?”
“You’ve been protecting her a lot lately.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Oh, right. You’re not just protecting her—you’re madly in love, right?”
“Winter!”
Yushen’s voice grew loud at the open teasing, but Winter just bowed his head and chuckled.
“You can fool others, but not me.”
“It’s not true.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Swear on your paladin’s oath.”
Yushen bit his lip. He should’ve easily been able to say yes, but the words wouldn’t come out.
Something was stopping him.
Winter could tell that even if Yushen’s face was calm, his voice was shaking a little.
‘I wonder if the Captain can answer the same way if he swears on his oath…’
Yushen closed his eyes.
‘See? I knew it.’
Winter grinned for a split second, but quickly erased the smile before Yushen opened his eyes.
Yushen glared.
“…Get out.”
“I still have more to report.”
“Write it down and send it in.”
Yushen couldn’t take any more of Winter’s teasing and ordered him out.
But Winter lingered, so Yushen slammed his fist on the desk.
“I don’t want to see you. Get out now!”
“Fine, then I’ll go do my next job.”
Winter finally left, but as he shut the door, he kept a smug expression on his face.
That expression stayed in Yushen’s mind, so when the door opened again, he shouted without looking:
“Didn’t I tell you not to come back—”
But this time, it was Letitia, not Winter.
Yushen calmed down as soon as he saw her.
Letitia said she had something to discuss and pulled him away from his desk.
“Think carefully about what you’ve done to me.”
Because of that, Yushen remembered things he hadn’t realized before.
He thought he’d been careful, but he saw that wasn’t true at all.
Letitia didn’t stop there. She kept asking impossible questions and putting him in awkward situations.
It took him a while to realize he was reacting in ways he never would with anyone else.
‘If Aydin hadn’t interrupted…’
He didn’t want to imagine what might have happened. He’d never even considered it before.
After Aydin took Letitia away, Yushen was deep in thought.
Why did he always act so out of character whenever Letitia was involved?
He’d never been like this before, and it confused him.
He tried to figure out why, but there was no easy answer.
Then, surprisingly, Aydin came back to the office.
He looked a little annoyed—probably still thinking about what he’d seen earlier.
“What is it? I thought you were leaving.”
“I have a request… or rather, a report.”
“What is it?”
Yushen didn’t look at him, but started searching for a new pen.
“I’d like Miss Montrose to work by my side until she’s settled in.”
Yushen’s hand froze. He looked at Aydin with raised eyebrows.
Aydin stood at attention, staring straight ahead.
Yushen didn’t understand the request and felt a little upset.
After all, Aydin had just seen something embarrassing, and now he wanted to transfer Letitia to his team?
‘We already explained nothing happened.’
Yushen thought the problem was solved. He didn’t expect Aydin to make this request.
Trying to stay calm, Yushen gently refused.
“Why? She seems to be doing fine in her current department.”
“Please, Captain. Approve it.”
But Aydin stubbornly insisted.
Yushen frowned.
He couldn’t just approve any request without a good reason—that wouldn’t be fair.
“Aydin, stop being stubborn and tell me your reason.”
Yushen’s gentle words made Aydin’s stubbornness fade a little.
He realized Yushen was being fair and professional.
“…Can I be honest?”
“Yes. It’s better than hiding or lying.”
Aydin made up his mind. He decided to face the situation honestly.
In truth, asking Letitia to work with him was done out of anger, but he didn’t regret it.
It felt better to have her close than to keep worrying.
“After what happened, I don’t feel safe leaving her alone.”
“Nothing happened between me and her.”
“…And I don’t feel comfortable if she’s out of my sight.”
“She’s not a child for you to watch over.”
“You know I don’t mean it that way.”
Yushen understood. He felt almost the same way about Letitia.
He didn’t fully understand his own feelings, but he could no longer deny them.
Letitia Montrose was a witch—a criminal to be judged by the gods.
But for some reason, he kept caring and looking at her.
He felt like a stranger to himself, as if someone else was controlling him.
