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“Wh-Why are you…?”
“Be quiet.”
At Tei’s low, heavy voice, Rusty immediately shut his mouth.
Besides the staircase, the hospital also had a spiral ramp wide enough for wheelchairs. Tei casually pushed Rusty’s wheelchair up to the third floor. Then he turned down a corridor toward a deserted stairwell and stopped the wheelchair there. Rusty’s anxious eyes darted frantically as he gripped the armrests tight.
“From now on, you’d better speak honestly.”
Tei’s cold voice dropped from above his head.
“Y-Yes, sir.”
“You know who I am, don’t you?”
“I-I don’t.”
Rusty’s hands clenched the wheelchair handles even tighter as he answered. Tei silently gave the chair a push forward. Half the wheels jolted off the edge of the stairs, tilting the chair dangerously downward.
“Ugh!”
Rusty jerked upright with a strangled cry, his hands trembling violently on the armrests. If his grip loosened even slightly, he’d tumble down the stairs headfirst.
“You know me, don’t you?”
Tei repeated dryly, without any extra words. Rusty no longer had the luxury of pretending.
“I-I do.”
“How?”
“I saw you during the Delmore War. I’m from Atlanta too.”
Terrified, Rusty blurted out more than he’d been asked.
“Well, well. I only asked to test you, but you really do know me.”
“I’ll keep my mouth shut. I won’t come to this hospital again.”
“If you don’t want a hole in your head, that’s exactly what you should do. But…”
Tei’s grip on the wheelchair tightened.
“You still have to pay for that filthy thing you said to Belle earlier, don’t you think?”
Without another word, Tei gave the wheelchair a hard shove. It rattled down three or four steps unsteadily before losing balance and toppling forward. Rusty was thrown from the seat, tumbled down the staircase, and slammed into the corner wall with a dull thud.
“Ghk—! Hah… ngh…”
The pain was so intense he couldn’t even scream properly; his eyes were wide open as he gasped raggedly for air.
From the top of the stairs, Tei looked down at him with a slight twist of his lips—satisfied, finally relieved. Then he turned away.
“Thank you for today.”
At the side gate leading to the cabin, Ivela bid Tei farewell. Having spent so much time with him today, much of her wariness had faded. He hadn’t interfered with her work, had helped organize the storeroom efficiently, and lent a hand whenever strength was needed. If Rusty hadn’t accidentally fallen down the stairs, it would have been a pleasant day. Thankfully, his head wasn’t injured, but he’d broken his arm and ribs and was now bedridden. She didn’t particularly like Rusty, but the accident was regrettable.
“I actually had a good time. What’s on for tomorrow?”
“I’m going to the orphanage. The new building still needs some work, and we’re giving the kids gifts too. The Emerville Festival’s coming up soon.”
“That sounds fun. Mind if I—”
“Come along.”
Ivela smiled brightly and answered before he even finished. He wasn’t someone rooted here; he was a traveler who would eventually leave. If she was his only friend after losing his cat and being alone, spending more time together wouldn’t be so bad. Besides, he’d proved pretty useful today.
“I’ll stop by your house.”
“Do as you like.”
Ivela laughed teasingly at his bravado. She still had no idea how he’d gotten in earlier without a key. It’s not like he had wings to fly over the tall wall.
“See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, then…”
“Rest well, Belle.”
“Good night, Tei.”
Their exchange carried a sweet, warm note—like the deep air of late spring.
Tei slipped his hands into his coat pockets and smiled, flashing a neat set of teeth. His low yet gentle voice reached her, making her ears tingle as a languid feeling washed over her.
Even after Ivela disappeared inside the wall, Tei stood there staring at the dark gate for quite a while. Only when the sunset fully dipped beyond the wall did he quietly turn away.
He retraced his steps back to the abandoned chapel ruins where he’d first met Ivela. In the daytime, the place was a beautiful historical site that displayed traces of the ancient past. At night, it was eerie—like a ghost could appear at any moment.
He sat down on the spot where Ivela had fallen. From inside his coat, he took out a cigar case, selected one, clipped the cap, and lit it. The red glow flared in the dimness as smoke curled into the night air.
“Come out.”
At his words, a man emerged from behind the crumbling wall. He was the one who had been secretly tailing Ivela. He hurried down from the platform and stood respectfully in front of Tei.
“Want a smoke?”
“No, sir.”
The man declined nervously, watching Tei’s mood.
“Suit yourself.”
Tei replied indifferently and drew on his cigar again. He said nothing, and the man waited silently until the cigar had burned down by a finger’s length. At last, Tei lifted his gaze and pierced him with it.
“I told you to stop following that woman, didn’t I?”
“But I still need to report—”
“You only report to me. I’ll handle the rest. Are you saying you want to go over my head?”
“N-No, sir. Of course not. Never.”
The man, stiff as a statue, waved his hands desperately to deny it.
“Then what is it? You trying to make a name for yourself?”
“…N-No.”
This time his answer came a beat too late, betraying the ambition he’d tried to hide. Instead of scolding him, Tei gave a sly smile.
“I’ll throw you a good job one of these days. Just wait.”
“Yes, sir.”
The man bowed quickly. He seemed older than Tei, but Tei’s presence was so intimidating that he couldn’t even lift his head properly.
“There’s something I need you to do.”
“Name it, sir.”
“There’s a guy with a broken leg at the hospital we visited today. Get rid of him. Make sure he never shows up in Ivela’s sight again.”
“Yes, sir.”
Tei stubbed out his cigar on the ground beside him and stood up. He knew exactly who Belle was—Ivela Campbell. He had ordered this man to keep her under surveillance and had deliberately driven her to this place. He even knew she was hiding in the monastery hut and that this chapel was the shortcut she took to town.
Watching Ivela was truly entertaining. He had no intention of letting any unwelcome element ruin the little time he had left.
She’d planned to sleep earlier than usual, but it was well past midnight by the time she finally lay down. She had fetched water when the bucket ran empty and studied a bit of medicine at night. Wrapping each hat for the children in cloth also took longer than expected. Exhaustion hit her as soon as her head touched the pillow, and she drifted off to sleep almost instantly.
Was this hazy state the moment of falling asleep—or was she already dreaming?
Colors swirled and blurred together as the scenery in front of her spun wildly. Nausea welled up. Gradually, the whirling slowed and formed a single clear image.
A blurry silhouette stood saluting someone. The figure was a woman—herself.
‘You called for me, Commander?’
Ivela, now dressed in a military officer’s uniform, addressed a middle-aged man seated at a desk.
‘Yes. I read your report, Lieutenant Colonel Campbell.’
The deep, commanding voice made her instinctively straighten her shoulders. He had eyes like a hawk—sharp and forceful—and his mere presence radiated immense authority. This was General Sigmund Hezelkaiser, the supreme commander of the Allied Forces in the ongoing Western Continent War. He was respected not only throughout the Estonian Empire but across the entire world, a direct descendant of the royal family of Elkathas, once the most powerful kingdom of the ancient alliance.
Ivela had been awestruck when she first saw him leading the Allied forces at the front.
‘I read that several soldiers are suffering from the same stomach illness. You suspect an epidemic?’
‘Yes, sir. They’ve developed red rashes accompanied by abdominal pain and diarrhea. All of them had gone scouting in the forest the day before. We need to investigate whether they ingested something poisonous or if the water is contaminated. If it’s an epidemic, it could become a serious problem.’
She calmly presented her analysis before the commander. This was a contested zone, though the Allied forces had eventually won and occupied it. The enemy had retreated far, and those who’d hidden in the Elpion Forest had mostly been flushed out and killed. After that, scouts took turns patrolling the woods, and that’s when several soldiers started showing these symptoms.
‘I’ll assign soldiers to you. You’ll investigate the Elpion Forest personally. Find out whether it’s the forest or an epidemic and report back.’
‘Understood, sir.’
‘And don’t go beyond the foothills past the forest. There are too many old mine shafts there—deep and dangerous. The enemy could be hiding, and even if not, the mines themselves are hazardous.’
‘I’ll keep that in mind, Commander.’
She stood straight and saluted General Hezelkaiser.
His face, moments ago smiling with satisfaction, began to distort like burning paper. The scene spun again, and her vision blurred. The scream rising in her throat was swallowed by the whirlpool.
When the dizziness finally ceased, the image cleared once more.
‘Introduce yourself. These are the soldiers who’ll accompany you into the forest.’
Following the general’s introduction, she looked at the five people standing before her: Lieutenant Jeppart with brown hair and sharp eyes; Sergeant Jake, tall and heavyset but kind-eyed; Lucas, a black soldier with curly hair; Gregory, gaunt and sharp-featured but a veteran fighter; and Denver, who looked about five years younger than Ivela.
She raised her hand in return salute to the five soldiers standing at attention before her.
