SOTBW - 29

Maximón went to find Najane while holding the gemstone. The Serith’s Eyes came from a sacred beast that Najane had boldly attacked during her first battle. Maximón thought that the dazzlingly sparkling gem resembled Najane’s deep red eyes as he entered the quarters.

Najane was training with a practice sword in an open space behind the quarters. Perhaps feeling the sting of not being able to participate in battle for the past couple of days, her wrist was tense as she swung the dull sword. Maximón stood by the window and watched her without wanting to disturb her training.

She swung the sword, counting each number despite the crisp morning air, wearing only a thin layer of clothing. Every time Najane moved with light steps, her long hair swayed like a horse’s tail. Maximón, still in a spot where the sunlight hadn’t yet reached, silently took in the sight of her before he noticed Amelia.

Amelia handed Najane a soft, dry towel and gave her a steaming cup of tea. Maximón’s eyes narrowed as he watched the scene. She had been irksome from the moment he first met her. Najane might think Amelia had changed a lot, but Maximón’s irritation only grew every time he saw her. He wanted to throw her out of Romsoa immediately.

Najane was soft. That must have been why she forgave Amelia and even saved her.

In that instant, Maximón felt a strange mix of disgust and envy toward Amelia, who had been forgiven by Najane. It was jealousy. A jealousy so fierce that it made him want to kill Amelia right there.

He crossed his arms and watched until Amelia left the open space. Najane exhaled a long breath, visible in the cold air, before picking up the practice sword again. Only then did Maximón move from his spot.

The ground, covered in frost, crunched under his feet. Najane turned around immediately. When she saw Maximón, she hesitated.

Najane looked at Maximón, whose clothes were stained with bluish blood, before lowering her gaze. She remembered what Amelia had said. It was enough to unsettle her to know that Maximón had harmed someone who wasn’t a Serith. She wanted to know why he did it, but didn’t dare to ask.

What if the answer was that he killed them just because?

That was what Najane feared. If Maximón truly was a murderer, she didn’t know how to treat him. If their relationship had just been one of superior and subordinate, she wouldn’t have worried about such things.

But Najane...

‘You were the first and will be the last.’

‘Kiss me.’

‘I’ll prove it, kiss me, Najane.’

Najane dropped her practice sword and looked up at Maximón.

She realized that she could no longer bring herself to hate him.

“You’re up early,” Maximón said.

“I slept well, so I woke up early,” Najane awkwardly smiled, glancing at Maximón’s clothes, soaked with sweat and blood.

“It looks like you’re on your way back from the field. Were there a lot of sacred beasts today?”

“They keep increasing. Want me to teach you how to fight them?” Maximón asked in a whisper, slightly bowing his head.

The idea of learning how to fight the sacred beasts was tempting, but Najane hesitated to respond.

The sacred beast had survived even after being struck by her sword twice. While the area touched by her sword had melted like ice, that was all. In fact, it only seemed to anger the beast further, and she almost ended up being struck back.

She was aware of her limitations. She thought that even if she fought a sacred beast, it wouldn’t be easy to win.

Coward... Najane scolded herself inwardly, lowering her head.

Fortunately, Maximón soon noticed Najane’s unease and, with his gloved hands, tucked her long hair behind her ear.

“It takes about two months for a new knight to be able to fight sacred beasts. If you were in another knight order, it might be a bit different, but Romsoa has the strongest person in the country, so it’s fine.”

Najane quietly felt her throat tighten at Maximón’s kind words. Could such a person really have committed mass murder? But she couldn’t blindly trust Maximón. She knew too well who he was.

If Najane had been useless, Maximón would never have recruited her as a knight, nor would he have saved her in the field. Najane knew this too. She knew that she was still of enough value to be used.

She had also heard the rumors. The story of the “White Knight” had already spread across the fort.

Maximón had found a pearl. He, along with Maximón, would be the new hero to defend the Noctis Fortress, following in the footsteps of Taylor Elderketh.

It was obvious who that hero would be. Thanks to Najane, Maximón’s reputation had grown even stronger, and the people were now supporting the Romsoa Knight Order with money they had gathered with difficulty.

Maximón had probably expected such a result. He must have made Najane a knight, even against her will, because he anticipated this kind of reaction.

But let’s consider it from the other side. What would happen if Najane could no longer use her sword energy? Would Maximón still treat her so kindly then? Would he rush to save her when she was in danger?

No. That wouldn’t happen.

Maximón would abandon her.

Without a second thought, he would forget about Najane and find a more useful knight. Unfortunately, Najane couldn’t firmly say that “Maximón wouldn’t do that.” This fact left her endlessly confused.

Instead of answering Maximón’s words, Najane lowered her gaze. Maximón, on the other hand, stopped talking about the Serith and seemed to think she was scared.

In fact, that was surprising and a significant improvement. The old Maximón would have mocked her, calling her a child, and left immediately.

Maximón tilted his head slightly, watching Najane’s expression, before finally pulling a gemstone out of his pocket. The red gem caught her attention. As if trying to cheer her up, he quickly handed it to her.

“It’s yours. It’s a decent size, so if you sell it to a jeweler, you could make a lot of money.”

“…Is this…?”

“It’s Serith’s Eye. It’s found only in the eyes of sacred beasts.”

Najane’s eyes widened in surprise. She had never killed a sacred beast. Even in her first battle, she had only dealt a serious injury, nothing more...

Startled, she tried to return the gem, but Maximón pressed it into her hand. Naturally, he held her hand as he did so. Surprised, Najane pretended to grip the gem and quickly pulled her hand away.

It was an unmistakable gesture of refusal to hold hands. Maximón froze, looking down at Najane. Najane, realizing her mistake, awkwardly hid her hand behind her.

It was then that Maximón realized her tension wasn’t due to the Serith sacred beast, but because of him. His cheek twitched faintly, and deep within his heart, he heard the sound of something breaking. This was a new kind of sadness for him. Taking a step back, Maximón continued to stare at Najane.

“Something happened while I was out in the field.”

“....”

Najane didn’t respond, avoiding his gaze. Maximón thought about what he had done wrong. Could it be that she didn’t like the way he had pushed her in bed yesterday? But on their way back, the atmosphere had been fine. Najane had been a little tired, but that was all.

“Najane.”

“....”

“Najane.”

“....Yes, Commander.”

“When you answer, look me in the eye.”

That was an order. Najane straightened up and raised her chin. Maximón’s expression remained as dry as usual, but his eyes were quickly showing signs of agitation.

“Tell me.”

Maximón urged her in a calm voice.

“You have something you want to say to me.”

“I...”

Najane, who had been hesitating, looked down at the floor again. A brief silence lingered.

After a moment, she squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again, staring at Maximón. He looked angry, yet anxious.

“...I heard that the knight order and the mercenary group will be fighting together from now on.”

“That’s right. We’ll do that once the preparations are finished. But what does that have to do with your attitude?”

“...”

“Najane.”

As he approached, Najane stepped back. The two maintained an unwelcome distance. Hesitant, Najane wet her throat with saliva and, after a moment, opened her mouth with difficulty.

“...Why did you kill the mercenaries?”

It was an unexpected question. Maximón paused, thinking about when he had killed mercenaries. He remembered a similar discussion had come up during a meeting between the commanders of the knight orders.

He then recalled the mercenaries he had executed for being nothing more than a hindrance in the field. These mercenaries had entered the field to deal with the Serith, whose bodies the young soldiers couldn’t finish off (specifically, the severed necks were cauterized with fire) and had contracted to collect the eyes of the sacred beasts.

At first, everyone thought that having mercenaries involved would make the fight easier. However, the mercenaries caused a commotion, rushing to seize the eyes of the sacred beasts from those killed by the knights, and they used the inexperienced young soldiers as human shields, doing one foolish thing after another.

The mercenaries, who were strapped with water bottles filled with holy water, only ran around the field looking for the dead sacred beasts. The path they left behind quickly broke the formation and lowered morale.

Maximón thought they were nothing but a nuisance. Not only were they useless, but they also disrupted the battle. So, he killed the mercenaries who had tried to pour holy water onto the eyes of the sacred beasts to save the Serith eyes. Then, he continued with the battle. That was it.

Maximón couldn’t understand why Najane was asking this question as if interrogating him, or what was wrong with what he had done. However, he couldn’t help but frown slightly, recalling that Najane had charged at the sacred beast to save the soldiers she didn’t even know.

“Did they break the knight order’s rules? Or…”

“That’s a strange question. I killed them because they were interfering with the battle.”

Maximón had a calm expression, as though he had discarded an unnecessary object into a trash heap. Najane silently sank into despair. She desperately wished there was some reason, some justification for why so many had to die. But how could she possibly justify the tragedy Maximón had caused?

However, what truly caused Najane’s despair wasn’t Maximón’s answer. It was her own feelings. Even after seeing his inhuman side, she couldn’t bring herself to let go of some kind of hope.

Ironically, it was then that Najane faintly realized her own feelings. She still wanted to be someone special to Maximón, and even if her body became ruined and she could no longer use her sword energy, she still hoped he would treat her as someone precious.

Fixing her gaze on the floor, Najane gave a bitter smile.

“...Then, if I become useless, will you throw me away too?”