Even while preparing for the first expedition, Hans continued to carry out his duties as Commander.
Naturally, his workload doubled, but it was sothing he had to endure.
Getting help from Yuren, the forr Commander, was an option, but she was focused on training the other unit mbers, and since that was actually helpful, he couldn’t pull Yuren away now.
So, Hans and Cluna had no choice but to handle all the work themselves. It was only natural that things turned out this way.
Actually, there had been warning signs.
Perhaps due to working three consecutive all-nighters, Hans suddenly started bleeding from his nose. He quickly covered his nose, but it was too late.
Cluna’s gentle hand touched Hans’s left cheek.
She was looking at him with a worried expression. Feeling self-conscious, Hans turned his head away.
“You’re pushing yourself too hard, Commander.”
“But there’s no one else who can do this.”
“Even so, rest is important. Especially now, with the expedition coming up.”
“…I know.”
But her face was too close. Uncomfortably close.
For soone like Hans, who had no immunity to won, it was unavoidable that his body trembled when facing soone so close.
However, Cluna had her reasons. Watching the Commander’s face, stained with blood, sothing unknown welled up inside her chest.
What was it?
Was she craving blood?
No, that couldn’t be it. She wasn’t a vampire. But… if it was the Commander’s blood, she might… just slightly… want to taste it.
Just as her mind was wandering…
“Cluna?”
“…Ah!”
“You’re a bit too close, don’t you think?”
“S-sorry!”
As Hans pointed out, there was barely any space between them. If she stuck out her tongue just a little, it would touch him.
Cluna, rarely flustered, quickly stepped back. But true to herself, she still cast a healing spell on him.
An awkward silence fell.
Hans scratched his cheek.
He had spoken up to create so distance, but this awkwardness was troubleso. They were colleagues.
He didn’t want to continue working in such an awkward atmosphere. It would decrease their efficiency.
Hans wondered how to break the ice.
“I don’t know why I suddenly got a nosebleed.”
“Ah, speaking of which, I forgot sothing important.”
“Hmm. There was sothing like that.”
“L-let’s just forget about that. Commander, you need to rest.”
Not only had he gone to the orc’s territory and participated in the Warrior’s Festival, but he also returned and imdiately started preparing for the expedition, doubling his workload. In other words… he was overworked. ṙ
Cluna’s diagnosis was accurate.
He had been working continuously without rest. And though both Cluna and Hans were unaware, Ti had forcibly borrowed Hans’s body and gone on a rampage, so the fatigue accumulated in Hans’s body was beyond imagination. But Hans didn’t care.
He didn’t care what happened to this body. The expedition was the priority.
“I’m planning to rest after this is over.”
“But…”
“Don’t worry too much. I know how to take care of myself.”
“…Is that really true?”
“Of course.”
Although he had forgotten his original goal due to the hypnosis, his instincts remained.
The Royal Knights had been revived, and their na had been restored after repelling the True Demons, but they still lacked proof of their strength.
However, it wasn’t that they lacked achievents. Rather, their achievents were so great that they felt unreal.
True Demons were monsters.
That was a fact, but very few people had actually seen a True Demon up close and survived.
Even the leaders of each race were only aware of the danger they posed.
Of course, so of the leaders had t True Demons before, but even the leaders, who absorbed all kinds of information, were like that.
What about the people below them?
Furthermore, because they had achieved such dazzling feats and beco the center of attention, there were those who were jealous and tried to undermine the Royal Knights.
So, the Royal Knights had to prove themselves.
They had to prove that they were still strong. And more importantly, they had to show what it ant to defeat three True Demons.
This expedition would be the first step. So it was natural for Hans to be focused on his work.
‘Besides, the expedition is another opportunity for them, but it’s also sothing that could trigger their trauma.’
Just a year ago, the Royal Knights had lost most of their mbers in a reckless expedition.
Everyone, including the rookies Clara and Ruby, had been deeply scarred.
Hans was grateful that they had stayed with the Royal Knights after such an experience. And he couldn’t help but think that he might hurt them again.
But it was necessary to move forward. They couldn’t be content with just defending their territory.
They had to seize the opportunity.
“I need to et with the Human King.”
“Who should we send as a ssenger?”
“I’ll go myself.”
“But wouldn’t that be inappropriate, given your rank?”
No matter how much the Human King had invested, they weren’t equals. Especially from Cluna’s perspective, no one was on equal footing with Hans.
But Hans thought differently.
After all, it was the Human King who had supported them when the Royal Knights were at their lowest point. Thanks to him, they had managed to survive.
If it weren’t for the Human King’s investnt, they might be sitting on the streets right now.
So, it was only right to show him respect.
‘And I’m also concerned about what I heard before.’
Cluna had said the Human King had ambitions beyond his imagination.
Initially, he thought it was about becoming the central figure of the Multi-Racial Alliance, but he wasn’t satisfied even after achieving that position.
Hans continued to work, and it was only natural that he collapsed from overwork.
Hans collapsed five days later.
It was an ordinary day. He was heading to the dining hall for a al, and after receiving his food, he suddenly felt dizzy.
He lost his balance and collapsed. And since it happened in the dining hall during alti, with everyone present, there was no denying it.
Hans lost consciousness.
anwhile, the reactions of the unit mbers who witnessed Hans’s collapse varied.
Helia, in particular, rushed to his side and caught him the mont she saw him falling.
“Teacher! Are you alright?! Teacher!!”
For a mont, as they watched Hans collapse, all the unit mbers gathered in the dining hall had the sa thought. Because they had all experienced loss before.
They had lost family, friends, colleagues. They had lost sothing precious that couldn’t be replaced. So their reactions were naturally intense.
Hans was imdiately transported to the infirmary.
They cald down a bit after learning that it was just overwork, but that was only on the surface.
It triggered sothing within them, and they began to lose control.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s a good thing it’s just overwork. But what if it wasn’t? What if Commander Hans never woke up again?”
“We don’t want to lose him again.”
It was a kind of paranoia. But their past experiences of loss fueled their delusions. And it was the sa this ti.
Hans had collapsed from overwork.
But what if it wasn’t overwork? What if he had almost died? Naturally, everyone here was afraid.
The first to act was Cluna.
She worked in the infirmary, and as a healer, she was skilled in dicine. So, she could stay by Hans’s side.
“Are you alright?”
There was no response. Perhaps as a consequence of working non-stop, Hans was sleeping with his eyes closed.
Even Helia had readily moved away from Hans this ti.
She didn’t want to tire him out any further.
Thanks to that, Cluna could move. She slowly approached him. She knew she shouldn’t be doing this.
But the mont she saw the Commander collapse, the unease she had felt ca pouring out like a waterfall. It was the sa now.
She needed sothing, sothing to fill the void…
“Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”
Cluna’s face slowly drew closer to the sleeping Hans.
Then, her lips covered his.
It wasn’t a kiss, just a brief peck, but Cluna, realizing what she had done, imdiately pulled back.
‘What, what did I just do?’
She was shocked by her own actions, but surprisingly, she didn’t feel bad.
[Translator Notes]
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