The ceremony for the recruits that I had been waiting for was happening at last. Although my presence wasn't obligatory, I still had to participate, being the vice-captain and all that. Still, I was relieved enough for not needing to give a speech this time so I put on my uniform and headed for the castle lobby. Despite moving with haste, I was distracted enough that I managed to arrive later than Mayer, my superior. Today, instead of his uniform, the captain wore a set of pitch-black armor that was also the symbolic trademark of the Dark Knights. Perhaps that was why he always wore it during official occasions.

I scrambled over to Mayer and bowed in apology. I'm sorry for being late.

Long time no see, Jun Karentia. You have been absent for quite a while; thanks to the recruits, I can finally have a look at that elusive face of yours, he replied in a pointed tone. He didn't seem genuinely angry though, which showed that he was half-sullen and half-joking. The best thing to do at this point was to ignore and overlook this, but Mayer was my superior.

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I snuck behind him and gave my excuse. I'm sorry, I was a little busy working with the special unit.

It is not something you need to apologize for. So I hear you have been spending your days with two of your unit members? Even so, could you not have given a direct report regarding the progress of their training? It is so difficult to meet you Really, you only ever come looking for me when there is some business to talk about.

Haha How could I waste your time like that when I know you're quite busy yourself, Captain?

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Did I not say it is fine for you to visit me anytime? he replied.

We walked through the lobby as we chatted and I noticed the funny looks people gave us. It was like they were seeing something bizarre, like a horse walking on two feet and talking Then I realized that chatting like this with any ordinary superior would come off as being quite favored, and Mayer was anything but ordinary. The captain was a strong, strict man who was the object of everyone's admiration. He never joked, giving off the impression of perfection, which was enough to give anyone a sense of distance. Mayer wasn't the type to easily permit others to grow closer, to begin with. He was a flawless iron man who had never so much as complained before, yet a moment ago he had grumbled fretfully. No one among those who had heard his grumble could believe what they just heard.

The rumors of me being Mayer's lover would probably intensify, but I seemed to be the only one bothered about this. The man in question continued to walk onward without showing the slightest hint of concern. Seconds later, though, he suddenly turned back to ask, Why are you walking so far behind? You should keep right by my side. You are my vice-captain, are you not?

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I was deliberately keeping a distance from him to prevent the rumors from snowballing even further. However, before I could come up with an excuse, the captain reached out and pulled me toward him with his large paw. I could already see the gossiping worsening. I understood that Mayer had acted out of frustration without giving it much thought, but the result was as I had expected: our surroundings becoming noisier with people even more confused. I swore to myself that no matter what rumors occurred between me and Mayer in the future, I would accept it all with humble composure.

It wasn't until we left the lobby and reached the speech podium that Mayer let go of my hand. To my knowledge, his sudden behavior wasn't out of romantic interest like the others thought. That didn't mean it was out of intimacy or trust, though. I was convinced he was still just as suspicious of me as he was when we drank together and he showed his feelings. This man was merely pretending to trust me. Perhaps he was even aware that I didn't believe in his trust.

This was all just a show. A show that was no different from how he deliberately took me around the castle when I arrived here. After all, Mayer had to solidify my position as vice-captain to smoothen the road to defeating the demon lord. But I could not help grumbling inwardly; Because he was acting so out of character, he incessantly created weird misunderstandings. Given that Mayer had never looked after somebody so kindly in his life, it was only natural that everyone was overreacting so much. My guess was that he had never cared about who followed behind him until now.

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While I was busy grumbling about Mayer's excessive political act, the recruits' ceremony began.