The dark, dusty underground was filled with a haze of dirt. Only a single torch on the wall illuminated the surroundings.
Under that torch, Yohan looked at the dust-covered Rudbeckia. His gaze, trembling but trying to remain calm, scanned her.
Thankfully, there were no injuries. Even though she might have been exposed to the magic, it seemed she didn’t show any signs of poisoning.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes…”
Rudbeckia looked up at Yohan, her voice trembling. It seemed like she was about to cry any moment, but she held it back.
However, the joy of their reunion didn’t last long.
-Crrr…!
A monster’s paw, lying beneath Yohan’s feet, twitched. Even under the pressure of mana, it was still resisting.
‘…It’s clear that the condition isn’t good.’
He had already used a lot of energy healing the cracks, and had rushed to find her by forcefully using high-speed movement. Expecting his body to be in perfect condition now was a bit too much.
“Close your eyes for a moment.”
“Huh…? Yes!”
As Rudbeckia turned her head, Yohan created a mana barrier in front of her and manipulated his mana to deal with the monster below.
Kugugugu-!
-Kraaaack!!
The creature screamed as it thrashed wildly. From the mana it emitted, it was clearly a high-grade one. But even so, it couldn’t withstand Yohan’s manipulation of mana.
Pwah-!
The creature’s twisted body, from within, stopped moving as it vomited dark, sticky blood. There was no danger of the blood splattering onto Rudbeckia. The mana barrier Yohan had set up blocked everything.
Yohan slowly stepped forward and stood before her.
“Rudbeckia.”
When he called her name, Rudbeckia slowly opened her eyes. The monster’s corpse was out of sight. Yohan had intentionally blocked it from her view with his body.
“Are you injured or feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”
“No, not really…”
Although Yohan had already checked her with a glance, he now carefully examined her body, making sure nothing was overlooked. He hadn’t been able to check thoroughly earlier because of the monster in front of them.
“…Director?”
As Yohan’s steady gaze lingered, Rudbeckia turned her head, unsure of how to react. His deep, blue eyes felt like they could pierce through her.
“It feels cold, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, a little…”
“No, not just a little.”
Yohan hurriedly removed his coat and draped it over her shoulders. Then, he gently took her cold, trembling hands and infused them with mana.
The warmth spread across her body.
“Ah…”
A small gasp escaped from Rudbeckia’s lips. The coat Yohan had given her and the warmth of his hand felt large to her. And the warmth that spread through her skin was more than just comforting.
No, it felt like something soft and warm was wrapping around her heart.
Rudbeckia’s fingers trembled slightly. She could feel her stiff body slowly relaxing.
Drip.
It was then that blood started to flow from Yohan’s nose.
Bright red blood ran down his pale skin.
In a panic, Rudbeckia quickly looked up at him.
“Director, your… blood…?”
“Ah.”
Yohan wiped the blood from his hand with a small smile. It was a forced smile, but his body was beginning to lean forward.
Thud.
Rudbeckia instinctively reached out and grabbed him.
“I’m sorry… I’m just a little tired.”
“It’s more than a little tired, though. Your face is so pale…”
Rudbeckia gently stroked Yohan’s cheek with her fingertips. There was no warmth, as his skin was as pale as a ghost. From the symptoms, it seemed like a severe depletion of mana.
“Did you overdo it searching for me…?”
“Heh… I guess so.”
Yohan smiled bitterly and avoided the question, looking around at his surroundings.
“By the way, the magic here is too thick. We need to get out of here quickly.”
“This area is actually one of the better spots. It’s worse the deeper you go.”
“Then, we need to head toward that iron cage… Cough!”
Before he could finish speaking, Yohan suddenly coughed up blood. His condition was worsening, likely because of the mana mixing in and accelerating his decline.
As Yohan lost his balance and staggered, Rudbeckia supported him, her face stiffening. This wasn’t the time to be happy that Yohan had come for her.
“I’ll go back up the hole I came from.”
“Are you sure you’re okay? It seems like you’ve pushed yourself too much…”
“I’ll have to try.”
Closing his eyes, Yohan slowly drew up his mana. Cold sweat dripped down his face. There was no issue with his mana circuits or the amount of mana, but the problem lay in his mental fortitude in controlling both.
Rudbeckia watched Yohan carefully before cautiously speaking up.
“It would be better if you rested first. Let’s move.”
“…You’re right. It would be better. But before that, just a moment.”
Yohan created a blade of mana at his fingertips. With a few movements of his hand, the iron bars were smoothly sliced off.
Clang!
The opening was just big enough for two people to pass through.
“Let’s go now.”
“Yes.”
With Rudbeckia’s help, Yohan passed through the iron bars.
As they walked down the dim hallway with a torch hanging on the wall, Rudbeckia spoke up.
“I don’t know where this path leads, but let’s keep going for now. We’ll also find a place for you to rest, Director.”
While escaping was important, Yohan’s recovery was the priority right now. Even if they made it to the surface, they would still face the threat of the monsters.
* * *
Blinking.
Yohan opened his eyes.
‘Where is this…?’
He looked around. It was a place where the light of a small torch shone through the pitch-black, abyss-like darkness.
He had been supported by Rudbeckia while moving, but in a half-dazed state, he couldn’t tell where he had ended up. Still, it seemed like they had found a decent hiding spot.
Compared to other places, the influence of the demonic energy wasn’t as severe.
“You’re awake.”
Just as he was about to sit up, a soft voice was heard.
By his side, Rudbeckia, hugging her knees, gently tilted her head and watched Yohan.
“Was there any trouble on the way here?”
“No. I didn’t run into any magic practitioners.”
Rudbeckia hugged her knees tighter and continued.
“It seems like this place is a holding cell for magic practitioners. It’s where people undergoing demon transformation are locked up. The dense demonic energy is probably because of that.”
The place where she and Yohan were now was a prison for magic practitioners undergoing demon transformation.
“Was the place we were at a holding cell for demons?”
“Yes.”
Rudbeckia nodded once.
“I saw many places blocked by iron bars on the way here. The place we were at was also for imprisoning demons.”
Yohan slowly sat up. There was a thick cloud of dust floating in the air, but it felt more comfortable than when the demonic energy had been seeping in.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“It’s better than before…”
He flexed his fingers. He still couldn’t put much strength into them. Normally, his recovery wouldn’t be this slow, so it seemed that the effect of the demonic energy was more severe than expected.
“It’s probably going to be hard to go up yet.”
“Heh, it’s fine. We just need to hold on a little longer.”
Rudbeckia smiled softly and rested her head on her knees. Despite her hair being covered in dust, the rich golden color still maintained its shine.
“This actually worked out. We were going to have to wait for the officers to finish preparations anyway.”
“Preparations?”
“Yes.”
She tilted her head in confusion, and Yohan nodded, continuing.
“The officers decided to re-enter after making preparations. With the Knight Order and the soldiers from the Border Marquis, we don’t have to worry too much.”
It would be impossible to eradicate all the demons, but meaningful progress could still be made. They could reduce their numbers significantly and identify the locations of the magic practitioners.
“So, all we have to do is wait until we recover.”
“That’s right.”
As Yohan nodded, a strange silence fell between them.
Not liking the silence between them, Rudbeckia awkwardly laughed and spoke up.
“By the way…”
“Hm?”
“Just as a joke… I think the timing isn’t bad right now.”
“…Not bad?”
Yohan tilted his head.
“Well, I ended up being dragged here, but the director came looking for us in person, right? And we also got to spend some time alone like this.”
Trying to fill the uncomfortable silence, Rudbeckia babbled, then realized she had said something wrong and quickly added more.
“Oh, I didn’t mean it in a weird way! I really do want to smash all the magic practitioners right now, and I feel sorry for the officers who were injured in the surprise attack…”
Finishing her words, Rudbeckia hugged her knees and lowered her head. Her ears were flushed bright red.
“I understand what you mean.”
Yohan let out a small laugh and leaned his back against the wall. It was the seat right next to where Rudbeckia was sitting.
Startled by the sudden closeness, Rudbeckia’s heart began to race, and she took a deep breath, clenching her hands.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
She worried that the loud sound of her heart might reach him.
“Assistant Rudbeckia was probably trying to lighten the mood. Keeping things too serious can actually lower morale.”
“Y-yeah…”
Although that wasn’t exactly what she meant, Rudbeckia nodded, agreeing for now.
After that, there was no more conversation between them. Only the strange silence and the sound of breathing filled the air.
Though Rudbeckia felt that this moment was very nice, she couldn’t help but think it was a waste that there was no conversation. After all, there weren’t many opportunities for her to talk alone with Yohan.
Time alone with him.
She felt her face growing uncomfortably warm.
As Rudbeckia fanned her face with her hand fan and fluttered her dusty shirt, Yohan flinched.
It was because her deep cleavage had been revealed.
Even Yohan couldn’t entirely suppress his male instincts.
“…By the way.”
Glancing at her, feeling awkward, Yohan decided to speak up first.
“Yes, what is it?”
Rudbeckia smiled slightly and looked at Yohan.
“Back then… didn’t you say that you liked me, Assistant Rudbeckia?”
“Ah…”
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Rudbeckia froze, blinking in surprise. How was that coming up now? They hadn’t even gotten close yet…
“I want to ask why.”
Yohan looked at Rudbeckia. His deep blue eyes fixed on her.
It was something he had always wondered about.
Why did Rudbeckia like him?
There hadn’t been much connection between them, after all.
But the trouble was that she didn’t really dislike this feeling.
“…Before I say anything, I should tell you something.”
“Something…?”
Rudbeckia gently turned her gaze away and fiddled with her fingertips. Her anxious yet expectant feelings were being expressed through her actions.
“There was a woman.”
Her voice trembled.
“She wanted to approach the man she liked, but she didn’t have the courage. She just couldn’t gather the courage. So, she used her family’s power to forcefully connect with him.”
It was Yohan’s story.
“But, of course, the result of such a connection couldn’t have been good. Naturally, the man who was sold off like a commodity in a marriage by force hated the woman and resented her deeply.”
However, he wouldn’t recall this memory.
The person she had loved was Yohan from a time that was now gone.
He wasn’t the Yohan standing before her now.
“Yet, the man forgave the woman. He tried to love her, even though she had forced him into one-sided sacrifice and hadn’t respected him.”
But she believed.
That the Yohan of today wasn’t any different from the Yohan of the past.
As he had always been, he was still a warm person.
“You’re that kind of person, Minister.”
Rudbeckia quietly took a breath.
The nostalgic times rushed in like waves.
“…I’m not quite sure what you mean.”
“That was just an example. Hehe.”
Rudbeckia gave an unreadable smile and looked at Yohan. Her green eyes shimmered in the torchlight, filled with wistfulness and longing.
With that strange look in her eyes, Yohan felt it.
She was thinking of someone else as she looked at him.
“That’s why I liked you.”
“….”
Yohan tried to say something but closed his lips.
Could it be related to the dreams he had been having lately?
Though he couldn’t remember anything clearly, one thing was certain.
The person she was looking at wasn’t too far from him.
And Rudbeckia truly liked him.
As Yohan sat still, stunned, Rudbeckia cautiously asked, watching him for any signs.
“…Minister, do you not like me?”