Episode 50
Cassium, pretending not to rush, hurried after Lize.
“Why? Why are we going somewhere else?”
He then casually asked in a calm voice.
In his head, the question “Why on earth?” kept popping up, but he pressed it down with composure.
“There’s somewhere I want to go.”
“Somewhere you want to go?”
His scattered thoughts aligned with that single sentence from Lize.
If it was somewhere Lize wanted to go, it would be a hundred, no, a thousand times better than going somewhere else for no reason.
“It’s not too far, right?”
Cassium asked with a deliberately relaxed tone.
Honestly, he hoped it was far when he asked.
“Why? If it’s far, you won’t go?”
“I’ll have to think about it.”
“It’s really close. Satisfied?”
“…Yeah.”
Lize didn’t care if there was a hint of regret in Cassium’s voice as she walked briskly ahead.
Honestly, the important thing wasn’t whether it was far or not.
It was the fact that Lize was giving him her time—and that he, in turn…
Would confess his feelings to her.
“The weather’s pretty cool, isn’t it?”
“Winter hasn’t been over for long, after all.”
Watching Lize stretch while facing the wind, Cassium swallowed nervously.
***
“Here it is.”
I ran to the middle of the grass on the hill behind the knights’ building.
“Even though I come to the knights’ building every day, I hardly ever come here.”
“You’re right. I think you used to come here often in the beginning, but not recently.”
“It felt like my hideout back then, but since you kept coming, I stopped.”
“…So that’s what it was.”
“If I’d known you stopped coming, I would’ve come back.”
I said, half scolding, as I sat down on the grass. His expression turned so serious, as if he were chewing on something in his mind, that it made me chuckle a bit.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and come over.”
Cassium walked over and sat next to me. The breeze carried the scent of the grass.
Cassium was watching the grass sway in the wind. The sunlight broke prettily over it, making it a mesmerizing view.
I stared at the scenery for a moment, then shifted my gaze to Cassium.
‘Have we ever sat this close before?’
The thought was immediately replaced with, ‘Oh, right, many times.’ We trained side by side at the academy all the time, after all.
But why did it feel unfamiliar now?
“So, have you thought about it?”
At that moment, Cassium suddenly turned toward me.
Our eyes met. I blinked involuntarily and looked away.
“W-What?”
“About how we’ll coordinate the joint operation.”
“Oh, that. Uh, yeah, I have been thinking…”
I paused. There was something I had wanted to say about the operation. What was it again?
I forgot it because Cassium suddenly turned toward me.
“Hold on, I forgot because of you.”
“What did I do?”
“Oh, right.”
I finally remembered!
“I think the first thing we need to talk about isn’t where to start the investigation or anything like that.”
“I think so too.”
“You do?”
“The biggest issue is that the two squads aren’t getting along, so it’s hard to even start discussing anything.”
For once, Cassium and I were on the same page. I tapped his shoulder and nodded.
“What’s with you saying something reasonable?”
“I always say reasonable things, Lize.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is.”
“Anyway.”
“Yeah.”
Cassium answered and looked at me.
Was he always this responsive?
Was he always someone who looked into my eyes when I spoke?
“Lize?”
“Ah, so…! Before we come up with strategies, how about we bump into each other a bit first?”
I caught my drifting thoughts and hurriedly continued.
“Even people in the same squad get closer by clashing a bit. That’s how you build a sense of connection without words. If we only sit and talk, when will that ever happen?”
I expected how Cassium would react.
From what I know of him…
‘Then how do you plan to handle the situation if it escalates into a physical brawl and someone gets injured?’
…He’d probably list all the possibilities I didn’t think of and argue back.
But I had reasons for my suggestion too, not that he ever looked into them!
“That’s a good idea.”
See! I knew it… Wait, what?
“What?”
“I said it’s a good idea.”
“Why are you saying it’s a good idea?”
I asked, almost accusingly.
“Don’t you think so yourself, Lize?”
“I do.”
“Then you must have a reason for thinking that.”
“…?”
“…?”
“Cassium!”
Something’s not right!
I jumped up.
Then I pried open his eyelids to check his pupils and tapped the back of his hand to test his reflexes.
“Cassium. What’s your middle name?”
“Ruden.”
“What was the topic of our group project in Knight Behavioral Psychology that you chose me for at the academy?”
“About the timing people grab their swords. Why are you asking this now, Lize?”
“What was the name of the second location we stayed at during our northern expedition?”
“Yedik. And why do you keep asking?”
“Just testing your memory.”
I sat back down.
Since I’d been manipulated by black magic before, I was starting to wonder if some strange force was controlling him.
But it seemed like he really was the real Cassium.
“Hmmm…”
“Lize?”
“No, never mind. Anyway! So you think it’s a good idea? About clashing first—so you agree?”
“I think so.”
“Great! Then now…”
“But before that.”
“Yeah?”
“How do you think we should prepare for the possibility of it escalating into a physical fight and causing injuries?”
“Cassium…”
I stared, startled, at Cassium who said exactly what I had imagined.
It wasn’t that I was shocked because he said the exact same thing I predicted.
In fact, that made me think, ‘Yep, this really is Cassium,’ and I even felt relieved.
The reason I was surprised was…
“Say that again.”
“If it escalates into a physical fight and causes injuries… how should we prepare for that?”
It was because of his tone.
He wasn’t asking to test me—he sounded like he genuinely wanted to discuss it.
“Cassium!”
“What is it?”
“Yes! Good!”
I clapped toward him.
He came back a different person!
He’s changed!
“By the way, Lize. There’s something I wanted to say…”
“Let’s go back to the squad members first!”
I stood up quickly, a bit excited.
A subtle hope bloomed in me that the upcoming joint operation might be different from before.
***
After finishing their sparring, Nervan of the Black Panther Knights and Asil of the Golden Lion Knights bowed to each other.
When Nervan returned to his seat, he handed the wooden sword to Cassium. It was his turn next.
Considering the skill level difference, his opponents were two knights from the Golden Lion and two from the Black Panther.
To improve unity, his opponents were mixed into one team.
“Four against one… will he be okay?”
Deserus, standing next to me, muttered worriedly. I folded my arms and silently watched the sparring.
Two swords clashed. At the same time, one knight attacked Cassium from behind.
But Cassium turned and lightly twisted the knight’s wrist.
At the same time, he neutralized another attacking knight with a kick.
Cassium’s wooden sword brushed both knights’ necks once. In sparring, a sword to the neck meant defeat.
It didn’t take long to defeat the remaining two knights either.
His movements were small, so at a glance, it looked like he was only defending—but in the next moment, he would aim at their weak points.
‘He’s good.’
I continued to watch Cassium.
Honestly, I didn’t want to admit it, but I knew.
He was…
Pretty much perfect.
As he turned during the match, his gaze landed on me.
Of all times, our eyes met. I scowled and mouthed the words:
‘Just focus.’
He seemed to read my lips and let out a small laugh before swinging his sword—and for some reason, I couldn’t look away.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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