The spring sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, and the air was filled with the fragrance of earth and the fresh scent of new buds.
However, the atmosphere inside the duke’s mansion was not as bright as the spring day.
Several days had passed since the Holy Knight Captain, Cedric, returned to Olivius City. His return had been quiet and caused no ripples.
But a piece of news he brought back was like a stone thrown into a calm lake — it stirred up a thousand waves in Julius’s heart.
That afternoon, Julius was called alone to the study in the Cathedral by Cedric.
No one knew what they talked about inside. They only knew that when Julius walked out of the room again, the expression on his face was one of unprecedented shock and solemnity.
From that day on, Julius seemed like a completely different person.
He no longer ran to the training ground to break a sweat at the crack of dawn as he usually did.
He put down his longsword, stopped his practice of Holy Light Magic, and appeared generally distracted. Most of the time, he just sat quietly in a corner by himself, lost in thought.
He even developed a strange habit — staring blankly at Helos.
But Helos’s “suffering” through etiquette lessons continued.
Every day, she still had to face Teacher Lilith’s impeccable smile and her devilishly strict demands.
Meanwhile, Julius would appear outside her classroom like a ghost, find a spot to sit neither too far nor too close, and stare at her motionlessly with an extremely complex gaze.
“Miss Helos, your posture. Your back needs to be straightened more,” Lilith’s gentle voice drifted over.
“Yes…” Helos responded weakly.
“Miss Helos, please look into the other person’s eyes when talking. It is the most basic form of politeness.”
“Oh…”
Helos lifted her head mechanically, but the corner of her eye always caught that figure sitting nearby like a pining stone statue.
‘What on earth is this guy doing?’
Her heart was filled with doubt and annoyance.
It was one thing to be stared at by Teacher Lilith, but now even this blockhead knight was joining in on the fun?
Moreover, his gaze was so strange that it made her feel uncomfortable all over, causing the book balanced on her head to fall several more times than usual.
In that gaze, there was worry, reluctance, and something deeper that she couldn’t quite read.
It was as if he were looking at a precious treasure that was about to disappear.
This feeling made her skin crawl.
Finally, after being stared at by Julius for several days in a row, Helos reached her breaking point.
As soon as the afternoon lesson ended, taking advantage of Lilith’s absence, she stomped over to Julius.
With her hands on her hips, she asked in the tone of someone interrogating a criminal, “I’m asking you, are you quite finished? You haven’t trained or read for days. You just sit here every day watching me make a fool of myself. Is it really that fun?”
Julius was stunned by this sudden confrontation.
He looked at the face before him. It was clearly bulging with anger, yet it had gained a touch of elegance due to the recent etiquette training. For a moment, he didn’t know how to speak.
The Helos before him was already very different from the “wild girl” he had first seen crouching on a roof munching on apple pie.
Her posture had become upright, and there was less randomness in her words and actions; she had gained more of the grace a Noble Young Lady should possess.
Although those pale violet eyes still sparkled with a lively light, she had indeed become more like a “lady.”
Under Helos’s impatient gaze, Julius finally moved his lips, but he asked a question that left the young girl somewhat bewildered.
“Helos…” His voice was a bit dry. “In your opinion, do my actions recently fit what is expected of a Saint Knight Squire?”
“Huh?”
Helos froze.
She had prepared a whole list of complaints, but they were all choked back by this nonsensical question. She looked at Julius, trying to find even a trace of a joke on his face.
But there was none.
On the youth’s face, there was only seriousness and unease. Those Black Eyes, which were usually clear and determined, now shimmered with a hint of a plea she had never seen before.
‘Is this guy serious?’
The anger in Helos’s heart vanished without a trace.
She blinked and swallowed the words that had been on the tip of her tongue — jokes like “you’re just a dummy.”
For once, she began to think seriously.
From their first meeting until now, he had indeed been fulfilling his duties as a “Squire.”
Whether as Eleanor’s bodyguard or later as her own “assistant” and “sparring partner,” he had always been by her side to protect her, help her, and even tolerate all her stubbornness and mischief.
From stealing snacks together to fighting Werner together, and then to hunting magical beasts together, this idiot’s presence had seemingly become a natural part of her life.
“Hmm…”
Helos pondered for a moment before finally giving her answer.
She raised her head and looked at Julius with an equally serious gaze, saying word for word, “In my opinion, your performance during this time has been perfectly fitting. No, I should say you have done better than any squire I have ever known.”
Upon hearing this answer, a brilliant, sun-like smile of joy instantly bloomed on Julius’s tense face.
His Black Eyes lit up as if he had received the most precious treasure.
However, that joy lasted for only a brief moment.
Soon, his gaze darkened again, becoming even more somber than before.
He looked at Helos, his lips trembling slightly as he asked his second question.
“Then… based on my current performance…” His voice carried a trace of a tremor that even he didn’t notice. “Is it enough for me to advance and become a true Saint Knight?”
This time, Helos did not hesitate at all.
Almost the instant Julius finished speaking, she nodded without the slightest doubt.
“Of course you can!” Her voice was crisp and firm.
“You work harder and have more talent than any Saint Knight I’ve ever seen! Although you’re still young, that’s not a problem at all! In my heart, you’re already a qualified Saint Knight!”
After saying that, the girl looked at the youth in front of her with confusion and asked softly, “What’s wrong? You don’t seem like yourself.”
Julius listened quietly.
He looked into the girl’s pale violet eyes. From that clear gaze, he felt unreserved trust and support.
This caused the heavy stone that had been hanging in his heart for several days to finally hit the ground.
The fingers hanging at his side tightened unconsciously for a moment but then slowly relaxed.
Then, in a tone of unprecedented calm, he spoke slowly.
“Actually… Helos.”
I guess this is the point where he leaves.