"But it's not really dangerous."

"..."

Yuder took a glance at the item, then immediately opened the lid and drank from it. The medicine wasn't enough for more than a sip, so he didn't feel any significant changes right away.

"Also, it may not have much effect, so that thing... the one that the Commander brought here. I'd like to examine it more."

"The monster?"

"Yes. That one."

Upon entering this place, Yuder remembered the cage that Kishiar had entrusted to Nathan Zuckerman. It was holding Pethuamet. Very few people knew that Pethuamet had arrived there alive, but Enon and Lusan were included because they were in charge of medical care. Lusan was shocked to hear that the small monster had responded to Yuder, but Enon didn't say a word, seemingly having gathered some hint from the situation.

"But it might be dangerous."

"Should I worry about a small creature like that being dangerous to me, or should I be more worried about what's happening to your body? Why do I always have to be the one worrying about this? Shouldn't it be you? Your eyes need to get better soon so I can return to the capital."

In response to Enon's sudden irritation, Yuder had no choice but to agree for now.

"Okay. I'll let the Commander know."

"Don't think you're fine just because you're feeling better. There's an excessive mix of energies within you. The pure poison that created the darkened skin could tip in any direction. Don't use your strength carelessly."

"I've always wondered... how do you know that? Can you see it?"

"Can I see it...? Wait. Don't change the subject."

Enon, who seemed about to answer, suddenly tensed his eyes, revealing his teeth. Yuder quietly stepped back and opened the door. He said he should go now, to which Enon responded with a mumble filled with expletives, but he didn't stop Yuder.

"Hey."

Yuder turned his head at the voice he heard just before he closed the door. Enon, tilting his head as if displeased, whispered softly.

"You said before that you didn't want the same thing to happen as before you returned here."

"..."

"Did that include my case too?"

Yuder remained silent. His silence was answer enough. The man with the ash-colored hair shook his brows slightly, let out a sigh, and blinked once.

"So that's why you came to me."

---

When Baron Willhem heard the news that Kishiar, who had gone out, had come across the traces of the knight killer he had met in the Great Sarain Forest, his reaction was fierce.

He immediately doubled the number of guards patrolling Tainu and even sent out knights who normally didn't patrol the streets to conduct inspections. The people of Tainu, unaware of the reason, trembled in confusion, but Baron Willhem placated them by simply saying it was to capture a dangerous criminal.

"His haste will help us. I'm planning to follow the areas where he has sent a concentrated number of knights."

Returning from successfully manipulating his target with a single sentence, Kishiar removed his coat with a satisfied smile. As he began to unbutton his shirt without hesitation, Yuder subtly averted his gaze. It was a sight he'd seen in the morning, but somehow, watching him undress at night felt a bit more provocative.

Yet, when he turned his head, what met his gaze was a new sofa that the servants had replaced in the meantime. When Yuder had returned before Kishiar and seen the mountain of gift boxes and the newly changed sofa, he was overcome with a strange feeling as he remembered what they had done on the ruined sofa. He mused that seeing the new sofa had troubled him more than when he had actually caused the mess, knowing that Kishiar would undoubtedly laugh if he admitted this.

"How are things with the members? Have you explained everything to them?"

"Yes."

Yuder reflexively answered, lifting his head once more. The sight of Kishiar's exposed torso caught his eye, making him pause momentarily.

"Ever said she heard a strange rumor today, did you already receive a report about it?"

"No. What happened?"

Kishiar's neck and shoulders glistened under the chandelier light. The straight bones leading to the inside of his shoulder, the shadow filling them like a well, and the perfect line formed by his chest flowing down like water drew his gaze with their beauty.

"Yuder?"

"Yes."

Yuder came back to his senses at Kishiar's call.

"I apologize. According to Ever"

Suddenly, he couldn't remember what Ever had said. He realized for the first time how hard it was to keep his cool, with his waist reflexively tensing up and an uncomfortable sensation creeping in simultaneously.

"I see. We'll have to investigate that as well. However"

After listening to Yuder's full statement, Kishiar narrowed his eyes slightly and stepped closer.

"Did something happen while I was away?"

"..."

A worried voice accompanied his touch as it grazed his cheek. Through the chill of it, Yuder only then realized how heated his own skin was. Suddenly, the potion that Enon had given him came to his mind.

He had said that if the medicine worked, a fever might occur, apparently, his body temperature had risen without him realizing it. He felt slightly relieved, thinking that the sudden tension he had felt was because of that.

"Enon gave me a potion that he said would help... it seems to have caused a fever."

"A potion?"

"He said that the reason my eyes aren't getting better could be because they had already partially adapted to the monster's blood before the magic casting."

The hand stroking his cheek paused momentarily. After contemplating in silence, Kishiar muttered briefly, "That could be possible."

"It's a potion to move vitality, so it might cause a bit of a fever, but it won't be harmful to my health. More importantly"

Yuder sighed softly and turned his head.

"Please let me go now."

His hand withdrew, but the tension didn't disappear. Because Kishiar's bare upper body was too close.

"Do you feel unwell?"

"No. I'm fine."

"Really?"

"I'm really fine, so for now I wish you would start by getting dressed."

"It seems like you're really okay."

Only then did Kishiar raise the corners of his mouth, seeming to believe Yuder's assertion that he was not unwell.

"Where did you put the clothes I had washed? I thought they were here, but I don't see them."

"They're over there. Please wait."

Hoping that his face hadn't revealed his discomfort, Yuder rose from his seat. The indoor shirt for Duke Peletta had been washed and folded neatly on the bed. As he returned with it, he was reminded of a similar situation from a day when Kishiar's condition had been poor and he had been lying in the Commander's bedroom.

At that time, too, he had avoided looking directly at Kishiar's body, but now the situation was somehow more intense than before. At least then, seeing Kishiar's body hadn't caused a sudden rush of heat that left him parched...

When Yuder returned with the shirt and opened it for Kishiar to easily slip his arms into, Kishiar smirked.

"There was a day like this before... do you remember?"

Yuder had just been thinking of that very moment, and it seemed Kishiar was doing the same.

"Yes."

"So this is what it feels like to have a similar yet different experience."

Yuder didn't respond. It felt as though he'd been caught in his thoughts. Once Kishiar had slipped his arms into the shirt, he began to button it up himself, smoothing out the fabric. His movements were expertly done.

"Did you already have your meal?"

"No."

Yuder hadn't eaten dinner because his conversation with Enon had gone on longer than expected. But he didn't mind; he wasn't particularly hungry.

"I didn't feel like eating with Baron Willhem, so I just had some tea. In that case, we should have something brought here."

"I'm fine."

"There's nothing more melancholy than eating alone. Let's eat together."

Even though Yuder knew that Kishiar ate most of his meals alone at the Cavalry, he found himself agreeing. Once Kishiar discovered that Yuder had skipped a meal due to his conversation with Enon, he uncharacteristically inquired further.

"It's the first time I've heard you say that you lost track of time in a conversation. Was it that interesting?"

It wasn't an interesting conversation. In fact, it was closer to the opposite. But Yuder couldn't tell him what they had discussed, so he changed the subject.

"Just a discussion related to my condition. Enon asked for a personal examination of the monster."

"The monster?"