SOTBW - 124

Maximón returned from the meeting and entered the commander’s office with a tired expression. Fortunately, there weren’t as many papers piled up on the desk as there had been last time. He wiped his face and sat down in a chair while taking off his coat.

As he reflected on the opinions that were discussed in the commander’s meeting, he couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. Some commanders, including Maximón, had argued that the scheduled year-end party should be canceled, but due to the vehement opposition from Curis of the Eschus Knights, it was rescheduled for four days later.

Taylor had also tried to persuade him, but Curis was stubborn. He brought up ridiculous arguments like how canceling the long-standing year-end party would make people anxious, and if sponsorships were cut off, how would other knight orders manage their operating costs? In truth, since Nathan’s death, the sponsorship from Armunzen had been halved. The authorities hadn’t explicitly mentioned it, but it seemed that Curis had somehow figured it out.

“If it’s money meant for the year-end party, our knight order can contribute a little more. Doesn’t everyone know that the party isn’t just a social gathering? Some will see their families there, and others will hear news they’ve been waiting for. Nobles among the knights are especially looking forward to it. So, no matter what happens, we must hold the party! There’s still time before the giant Serith invade, isn’t there? If we cancel the party, rumors will spread. It’s better to hold the party, even if it’s smaller!”

Thinking about the obstinate Curis again made Maximón’s irritation rise. The more he thought about the conversations from the commander’s meeting, the more he felt frustrated with the fools he was dealing with. Taylor had been the only one with whom he could have a proper conversation. The other commanders still clung to the faint hope that a massive Serith invasion might not happen.

Maximón put his legs up on the desk and let out a long sigh. The footprints he had seen deep in the forest still bothered him. No Serith had been wandering aimlessly; they had all moved in the same direction. It was as if someone was leading thousands of them...

If they truly had a leader, it would be difficult to hold off with the forces they had, even if they called in reinforcements from the royal castle. Taylor, who had overcome countless hardships, didn’t easily despair over the situation, but he had mentioned that the king might not send more soldiers. The royal family insisted that to prepare for the potential fall of the Noctis fortress, they needed to station at least 10,000 soldiers at the royal castle.

Of course, Taylor had tried to persuade them. He had written letters dozens, even hundreds of times, saying that protecting Noctis was the same as defending Bastronia itself. But those letters had been ignored.

“Damn idiots…”

Maximón leaned back and stared at the dark ceiling. The Serith weren’t likely to invade anytime soon. They had clearly abandoned the forest. They would probably be moving to a place where they’d need to travel for a day or two, waiting for the right moment.

This peaceful night would be the last of its kind. The weather was getting colder. Winter battles were unfavorable for humans. If it snowed, the Serith would take full advantage of it.

Maximón stared at the roaring fire in the fireplace, then suddenly remembered the camellia he had brought for Najane. He had forgotten it. He took the flower out of his shirt pocket, and one of the petals crumbled. He couldn’t hide his disappointment when he saw the flattened flower. He wasn’t sure if Najane would really like it when she saw it.

As Maximón continued to stare at the withering flower, he stood up from his seat. As he lowered his long legs from the desk, he noticed a red envelope on top of a neatly stacked pile of papers.

Maximón, who was putting on his coat, tore open the envelope with his teeth and took out what was inside. The wax seal on the envelope had the insignia of the Noctis authorities. He thought it was an apology letter from the chief, but the contents were as follows:

“Lord Elgort has left the field, and I have assigned the guards to replace him. I heard that you have suffered a serious injury to your eye, and some people claimed to have seen you and Schnicks in the streets. If your eye injury is not too serious, I would ask you to assist with maintaining security in the fortress for at least a day. The authorities are also short on manpower, so I would greatly appreciate it if you could consider this request favorably.”

Maximón, enraged, crumpled the letter and threw it into the fireplace. He knew what rumors had been circulating about him in the fortress. There was talk that he had suffered eye injuries from being tortured in the dungeon. Probably some nosy individual had seen him blindfolded, heading toward the Romsoa Knights, and had spun this wild story.

He also heard that the residents, easily swayed by these rumors, had caused a commotion at the authorities. The chief, probably hoping to calm the public, had tried to use Maximón as a scapegoat to appease the angry crowd. The news of Maximón’s recent reconnaissance outside the fortress had likely spread already—did no one believe it? Maximón scoffed and was about to leave the fireplace when his eyes traced the scorched remnants of the letter.

Maintaining security in the fortress meant patrolling Noctis, assisting with residents’ inconveniences, and resolving minor incidents. He briefly thought about his reputation. For some time now, rumors had spread around Noctis that Maximón Elgort was a terrifying, savage, and cruel man. He hadn’t bothered to correct those rumors, but now that he had been falsely accused of murder, his reputation had played a big role in it.

At least he thought it would be a good idea to leave a better impression on the residents. Najane wanted him to use his power more sparingly and be kind to the weak. Maybe if he did some good deeds on the streets, Najane would be happy? The thought of Najane smiling made Maximón’s expression soften.

Maximón carefully carried the barely intact camellia flower out of the commander’s office. As he thought of Najane, he grew anxious. He ignored the knights who greeted him and headed straight for his residence. He had completely forgotten how he had parted with Najane earlier that day.

When Maximón arrived at his residence, he entered the bedroom where Najane always was, but found no one there. He was momentarily surprised. He carefully placed the cold camellia flower on the mantelpiece and surveyed the room. There was a faint scent of Najane somewhere in the room. He wondered if she was in the bathroom, but all he could smell there was the scent of cold water. He opened the door to another room, and as he did, he sensed a presence and quickly turned around.

Najane walked out from the room furthest away from the bedroom. She greeted Maximón with a somewhat awkward expression. Something felt off. Najane knew that Maximón had been outside the fortress. The Najane he knew would have asked if he had encountered any Serith, or if everything was alright.

She would have scurried over like a squirrel discovering an acorn, eager to chatter about everything that happened today... But Najane didn’t even try to meet his gaze.

Maximón thought that he might be overreacting, and approached Najane. However, she quickly stepped back. In that moment, Maximón’s expression turned cold.

The distance between them was still far. He was about to rush toward her but slowly took off his gloves first. As he glanced at the room Najane had come from, he noticed a fireplace with flickering flames through the partially opened door. He hadn’t even known that a room like that existed.

Throwing his gloves and coat carelessly on the table, Maximón approached Najane again. She stepped back, as though to indicate he shouldn’t come closer, and lightly shook her head. His previously cold expression darkened. But before Maximón could meet her eyes, Najane lowered her gaze, so she didn’t notice his change.

After a brief hesitation, Najane bowed politely and apologized to Maximón.

“I wanted to sincerely apologize for my rudeness earlier today. It might sound like an excuse, but I’m not from here, and I’m not familiar with the culture. So, I didn’t realize that my actions might have been so insulting. I’m truly sorry. You’ve been so kind to me, but I...”

“What are you talking about?”

“Huh?”

“I’m asking what exactly you’re saying.”

Najane lifted her head but quickly avoided Maximón’s gaze. She had been acting sincerely, following the instructions Didina had given her. The polite demeanor she was using, treating him as if he were another person, was enough to irk Maximón, who had spent the entire day outside the fortress investigating, only to return and be tortured by the foolishness of the other commanders.

Maximón moved, but as he did, Najane took another step back. He felt his patience, already worn thin by the idiotic commanders, reach its breaking point.

“Explain it clearly, Najane. What happened earlier today?”

Maximón’s anger flared up just because Najane was avoiding him. He didn’t even want to know what she was saying anymore.

Najane froze when she saw his dark, lifeless eyes, which now seemed utterly devoid of humanity. She quickly turned her gaze away, then calmly explained.

“I wanted to apologize for rejecting your hand earlier today. I... I thought it might have upset you.”

Maximón stood silently in front of Najane.

The pressure from his large frame made Najane instinctively lower her head.

“I didn’t understand the cultural significance of it... I’m truly sorry for that.”

Flustered, Najane couldn’t continue speaking. Maximón’s anger seemed rougher than she had anticipated. Realizing this, she thought Didina’s words might be true. She had misunderstood that rejecting a hand after holding it was a huge insult in Bastronia.

Najane, feeling guilty, began to nervously fidget with her fingers, as if praying. She wanted to retreat into the room, but Maximón stood firmly in her way, preventing her from moving.

At that moment, Maximón was having another misunderstanding. As Najane kept mentioning “earlier today,” it reminded him of what had happened that morning.

He recalled how he had intentionally been cold to her, and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before opening them again. Maximón let out a tiny sigh. He now realized that Najane was lowering her head because of his own rude behavior.

Najane must have thought that he was still angry. The back-and-forth... was that not how things were supposed to go? Who had taught Najane about such things?

Maximón wanted to clear up the misunderstanding. Just like how she had pushed and pulled him, he had intended to do the same. He wanted her to think only of him all day long. He had hoped she would feel the fear of being abandoned because of his cold behavior. He had wanted her to cling to him, like a child who had lost her mother. He had wanted her to feel guilty for pulling her hand away first, and be restless because of it...

Maximón was about to reveal the truth when he noticed the slight trembling of Najane’s eyelashes. She seemed to be a little afraid of him. In his surprise, he quietly, gently stepped back.

But Najane still didn’t raise her head. Maximón didn’t know what to do in this situation. In his impatience, he cautiously took her hand.

“Najane.”

“...Yes, Sir.”

“Look up.”

Maximón whispered softly.

Najane’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.

“You seem really angry…”

“I’m not.”

“……”

“Really.”

“…Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’m really eager to see your face.”