SOTBW - 171

Maximón found some slippers from somewhere and stood across from Najane.

A large flame blazed in the fireplace, warming the air, but just to be sure, Maximón brought over three thick blankets and gave them to Najane. Still uneasy, he also fetched a kettle from somewhere, boiled water on the fire, and prepared tea.

Najane slowly drank the tea with dried fruit pieces, warming her body. Maximón kept checking if she needed anything else, and when their eyes met, he quickly looked away.

After setting down her teacup, Najane raised her legs onto the sofa and patted the space beside her with her hand.

“Sit down.”

Thanks to the tea, Najane’s voice no longer trembled.

Maximón obediently approached the sofa like a dog, but perhaps due to his guilt, he left a gap wide enough for a child to slip between them and sat down.

Sitting upright, Maximón glanced at Najane. He had become unusually timid. Najane stared at him for a moment before stretching her legs out in his direction as if to say, “If you want to sit here, then go ahead.”

Her small feet settled on Maximón’s thigh. He didn’t hesitate but gently massaged her feet as if comforting them.

Najane, caught off guard by the unexpected gesture, blinked in surprise. His large, cool hands enveloped her feet, stiff yet tender in their touch.

“You stripped me of my knighthood, didn’t you?”

Maximón paused. Najane asked the question calmly, not accusing him but merely seeking an explanation.

After wrapping her ankles and feet in the blanket, Maximón answered honestly.

“…That was a decision I made for your sake. People expect you to continue performing on the field.”

Maximón spoke with such firmness, as though he had no intention of reversing his decision.

Najane, seemingly anticipating his reaction, responded calmly.

“If you suddenly kick me out, people will be confused. Some might even question your ability. And if it becomes known that I can no longer use my sword… some may start fearing that something bad is going to happen to the fortress.”

“The fortress won’t fall just because you’re not in the field.”

For a moment, silence fell in the living room.

Maximón looked at Najane with a confused expression. He hadn’t intended to answer so coldly.

Instead of speaking, Najane blinked and stared at him, her eyes silently offering him a chance to explain. Maximón lowered his gaze, hurriedly stammering out his defense.

“…What I meant was… it’s not that it doesn’t matter that you’re gone. It means I take responsibility for everything—the decision to dismiss you, the rumors that are circulating, and everything that happens from now on. It’s all my responsibility.”

Fortunately, Najane seemed to understand Maximón’s words and nodded.

“So, I’m not a knight anymore.”

There was a hint of sadness in Najane’s voice, and Maximón, flustered, quickly added more.

“I haven’t sent the letter to the council yet. The head maid strongly advised against it. She said we should wait until you wake up… But there were many who saw you collapse and cough up blood. The rumors are probably already spreading through the fortress.”

“At this point, a few more bad rumors don’t matter to me anymore.”

Najane chuckled lightly as she took another sip of her tea, but Maximón couldn’t bring himself to laugh like she did. Most of the rumors circulating in the fortress about Najane were because of him.

Looking like a guilty sinner, Maximón hesitantly took one of Najane’s hands and gently asked.

“…What can I do for you?”

“First, please revoke the confinement order.”

Without waiting for him to ask, Najane answered quickly, as if she had been waiting for him to bring it up.

Maximón, caught off guard, fiddled with her hand, his expression unwilling.

“That….”

Having refreshed herself with tea, Najane set the cup down and moved closer to Maximón.

The distance between the two of them closed again.

“I won’t fight on the field anymore. I’m not foolish enough to step forward and try to protect people with this body. I’ll make sure not to expose myself to any cold winds... And if I need to go anywhere, I’ll go with you.”

The soldiers in the manor were as loyal as they were fearful of Maximón. Perhaps because one soldier had once spoken ill of Najane, the knights had regularly rotated the guards, ensuring that those with a different mindset were selected to guard the manor.

It was fine for anyone to enter the manor, but Najane was not allowed to leave...

Maximón was not unaware of why such orders had been given. It was out of concern, fearing that something might happen outside where he couldn’t see her.

Maximón was extremely anxious at the thought of Najane getting hurt or falling ill in a place where he couldn’t protect her. Restricting her freedom had been something Maximón had secretly desired for a long time, but now, with the situation being what it was, he didn’t feel good about it.

Maximón didn’t want to do things Najane disliked, but this time was an exception.

“…Not for a while.”

Maximón spoke while avoiding Najane’s gaze. However, Najane took his hand and persistently tried to make eye contact.

“How long is ‘for a while’?”

“At least fifteen days.”

“No, that’s too long. I’ll stay in the manor quietly for exactly one week.”

“That’s too short. You slept like you were dead for two days. We don’t know what problems might come up.”

Najane raised an eyebrow at Maximón’s stubbornness. She released his hand and leaned back as if she had given up on leaving the manor.

“Alright... then two days.”

“What?”

Maximón stared at Najane in disbelief at the drastically shortened period. Leaning against the armrest of the sofa, Najane smiled calmly.

“Don’t like it? If two days is too long, should I make it one day?”

Though Najane’s lips smiled, her eyes didn’t match. Maximón, silent, quickly looked at Najane’s expression. It was clear who should be making decisions in this situation.

“...Four days. Just stay here and do nothing for four days.”

Maximón gave in first.

Najane smiled sweetly.

“It would be best not to go to the black market for a while, right?”

“Obviously.”

“Has there been any word from Rockbell?”

Since Maximón had been away from his office for so long, he didn’t know if anyone had contacted him.

“I’ll go check the office before dinner.”

“If anyone contacts me, please visit as my representative.”

Maximón, who had been about to get up from the sofa, froze. What Najane had requested from Rockbell was still a secret. Of course, Maximón had a rough idea about the secret.

Maximón looked at Najane with a questioning gaze, wondering if it was really okay. Najane blew gently on the rising steam from the edge of her teacup, raising the corner of her mouth in a bitter smile.

“Actually, I asked him to find my sister. Her name is Luna... she’s my younger sister.”

“...This is the first time I’m hearing about your family.”

Maximón already knew about Luna’s existence, but he pretended to react as if he had no idea.

“Did you become a knight so willingly for your sister?”

“At first, I thought someone was threatening my sister and me, so I thought I needed to secure a solid identity and position. Later, though...”

Najane trailed off, inadvertently thinking of Nellis. She remembered seeing Nellis practicing with her sword against the backdrop of the blue forest and how, at one point, she had dreamed of becoming a knight like her mother figure, Nellis. Back then, Nellis had also been opposed to Najane wielding a sword, but...

Swallowing the mysterious smile, Najane spoke candidly.

“Honestly, I just liked becoming a knight and protecting people. I’ve always enjoyed fighting with a sword since I was a child. I thought that once I became strong enough, I could fight against the Seriths, but...”

Najane trailed off, suddenly recalling the state of her body, which she had been trying to forget. The forced brightness on her face faded, and her expression darkened again.

Maximón stepped closer to Najane and kissed her white forehead.

“...No matter what price I have to pay, I will find a way to save you. Even if I am cast out by the Church and have to resort to black magic... I will bear the punishment for deceiving you, so you have nothing to fear.”

Maximón’s words met Najane’s eyes with an unwavering intensity, as if he was determined to keep that promise. Instead of replying, Najane gave a small upward curl of her lips.

Even though death, or perhaps another chance to come back from it, didn’t seem real to her, the sincerity in Maximón’s gaze made her feel much better.

A person she couldn’t completely hate or love.

Every time she looked at Maximón, dark emotions surfaced in her, but she made herself bury them, thinking that no matter what happened, she had to understand and forgive him.

Closing her eyes, Najane leaned her forehead against Maximón’s chest. Then, she heard the sound of old paper rustling inside his chest. She lifted her head and looked at him.

Maximón, slightly startled, calmly took out the paper he had been holding in his arms. When he unfolded the paper, a portrait of a woman with silver hair and purple eyes appeared.

“I was actually going to ask you about this.”

Najane, who had been looking at the portrait, raised her head. Despite knowing that there was no connection between the silver-haired woman and Najane, Maximón was suddenly convinced—without evidence—that they were the same person.

“Do you have any ties to the Kingdom of Bastronia or the Church?”

“That’s impossible. I’m from Kalonosia... my homeland didn’t even have a state religion. There were churches built by the Church in some cities, but their influence wasn’t significant.”

Najane was about to say that she had only heard of Astrun but didn’t know much about it, but she stopped herself, not wanting to seem indifferent to the heroes who saved the world.

Of course, Maximón believed her words. But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand why her record was in the restricted section.

Surely, where Emaydis Powley’s portrait should be, there was the painting of the silver-haired woman. The fact that the record was in the restricted section meant it either had significant value or was too important to be treated as confidential, but Najane had only been at the Noctis fortress for less than a year. Her record should only be a few pages at most, so it was strange that they had made it classified.

Maximón carefully unfolded the wrinkled paper.

“Have you ever seen this person?”

Najane silently looked at the portrait.

Her gaze fixed on the silver-haired woman was unusually serious.

“...Najane?”

“I don’t know who this is... Oh, maybe it’s my first love...?”

“My first love is you!”

Maximón, flustered, quickly corrected the misunderstanding.

Najane seemed to have no idea who the person in the portrait was.

“So, who is this person?”

“I thought you would know.”

“This person? I’ve never met them...”

Tilting her head, Najane looked at the woman’s purple eyes.

“Oh, her eyes are pretty purple. If they’re purple, she’s likely a holy power user. You should ask Your Grace. She might know her.”