A Clumsy Pretext

Of all things, what a sudden thunderbolt to hit him when he had just come to see his family after such a long time.

The pleasant and polite young man his mother had mentioned multiple times looked so completely frozen with tension that it was almost pitiful.

“If you go so far as to say that, I understand.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“Well, being misunderstood isn’t something that happened just yesterday or today, so I’m used to it.”

“It’s because you are so striking, you see.”

“Rather than striking……”

Lien let out a sigh after looking at Bent’s stature.

Though Bent possessed a slender and nice-looking physique, it seemed Lien found his own build unsatisfactory.

Then again, given how often he must have suffered ordeals due to his face, it would have been better if his stature were at least heavily built.

With broad shoulders, he at least wouldn’t have to deal with people mistaking him for a woman based on his face or whatever.

In the capital, he would have actually been incredibly popular.

A slender body wasn’t even a flaw among the young noble lords.

To the extent that some people even struggled desperately just to maintain such a frame.

Above all, Lien’s delicate facial features and flowing, elegant appearance were far more graceful and dignified than any noble Bent had ever seen.

If he hadn’t heard otherwise beforehand, he would have mistakenly thought Lien was a poorly disguised young noble lord. Lien’s only fault was simply being born excessively dignified and beautiful.

Bent, who was unconsciously shouting praises inside his mind, quickly snapped out of it.

“In any case, since I will also be imposing here, I look forward to your kind care.”

“Yes. Please let me know whenever you need anything.”

Lien’s answer brought a wave of relief to Bent.

It seemed Lien didn’t take yesterday’s incident to heart as deeply as he had feared.

At the very least, they wouldn’t have to worry about a rumor spreading that the commander had lost his mind. Still, it was a mystery why a man who normally conducted his daily life perfectly fine had suddenly flown off the handle like that.

“Is Lien here? …Ah.”

“Hello. I am Bent. You must be Alfon? I’ve heard so much about you from my mother.”

“Please just say you are Suzanne’s son.”

Alfon’s shoulders, which had been rigidly tense as he guarded against yet another person spouting nonsense to Lien, went completely slack at the name Suzanne.

The man who practically had ‘Suzanne’s son’ written all over his face possessed a name Alfon had heard quite frequently during his two years in this village.

“Nice to meet you. So the guest for the empty room was a knight.”

“Please feel free to just call me Bent. My mother told me she is deeply indebted to you over here.”

“Haha. I will do so, then.”

Does this knight order have pleasantness as an official entry requirement?

Lien tilted his head, watching the knights behave so uniformly pleasant.

Perhaps it was because of their attire, which made them look more like good-natured mercenaries than rigid knights.

“Lien, are you very busy?”

At Alfon’s words, Lien glided his gaze over to Bent.

Quick-witted as he was, Bent stepped backward as if indicating their greetings were fully finished. Lien gave a nodding bow and went to Alfon’s side to reply about something. It seemed they were discussing the preparations for dinner, but……

“It might have been nice if he had resembled his father.”

Bent muttered unconsciously to himself while staring at Alfon’s immense, broad shoulders, when suddenly, a terrifying gaze pierced through his back.

Startled out of his wits, Bent whipped his head around and nearly collapsed upon meeting a razor-sharp, glaring pair of eyes.

Why is the commander out here?!

He almost shrieked in shock at the sudden appearance of the man who was supposedly cooped up in his room, but he magnificently managed to endure it.

Yet, why on earth did that man’s glare look like that of someone burning with intense jealousy? I must have gone crazy too.

Calix, who had remained completely shut inside his room for two full days, finally descended to the dining hall on the evening of the third day.

As if conscious of Lien, he had lived thoroughly and strictly in quiet seclusion, to the point that the knights handled delivering his meals to him directly.

Lien knew the man couldn’t stay up there forever, but the moment he faced him again, a cold chill ran straight down his spine.

Breaking the suffocating air, Calix appeared with a calm, expressionless face entirely different from before.

“I am sorry. It seems I completely mistook your identity.”

As the man readily admitted his mistake, Lien oddly felt as though a hollow hole had been carved into his chest.

Lien tightly shut his mouth at a sensation he himself couldn’t comprehend. There was absolutely no reason for him to feel something akin to a sense of loss from that man.

“……I am searching for my wife.”

At the words that followed, Lien’s eyes clouded over.

His wife? Could he possibly still be referring to me like that?

If that were the truth, it was shamelessly audacious beyond measure.

“Because your hair and eye color resemble hers, I ended up making a clumsy mistake.”

Lien bit his lip hard at the calmly continuing explanation before nodding his head.

He didn’t genuinely believe the man’s claim that it was a simple misunderstanding, but what else could he do? Even if the man said something else now, Lien just had to pay it no mind, unlike last time.

“It’s fine.”

Hadn’t he already heard apologies counted countless times through the other knights anyway? They were going to face each other for a while, so staying uncomfortable the entire time was out of the question. Besides, paying too much mind to it would be no different from openly confessing that he was ‘Erha.’

“To be honest, I experience similar incidents quite often, so I just assume it’s one of those times.”

Lien spoke to show he didn’t care, but for some reason, Calix’s expression twisted sharply.

The knights instantly tensed at the sudden shift on their leader’s face.

Don’t tell me he interpreted that to mean he considers the commander similar to those other lowlifes?

Normally, the commander wouldn’t give a damn about such a statement, but right now, they had to react sensitively to any given variable. He wasn’t their usual commander; he was a thoroughly unhinged commander.

Since he was completely out of his right mind, they had to step in and stop him if he dared to behave roughly toward a civilian.

“……Who are they?”

“Pardon?”

Even if he asked who, it wasn’t just one or two people, and every single one of them had long since left the inn after getting their rears kicked by Alfon.

Is it even normal to snap with flashing eyes and grind one’s teeth over such an insignificant comment?

If he had truly admitted to mistaking his identity, he should have at least refrained from displaying an attitude that directly contradicted his own words. Who would ever trust his claim when he was behaving like someone who clearly shared a significant history with Lien?

As Lien grew tense, the man inquired in a dark, subtle tone.

“Shall I kill them all for you?”

Is he insane?

Lien felt an absolute wave of disgust at the madness lacing the words that followed a chilling smile.

“No.”

At Lien’s firm response, the man oddly looked disappointed. Just to be absolutely safe, Lien hammered the point home clearly. He wished the man would just pick one side. If he claimed they were strangers, he should cut it clean right there. This ambiguous attitude was rather tedious.

“It’s not an appropriate request to make to a complete stranger, nor is it something I particularly desire.”

When Lien looked at him with eyes that explicitly questioned ‘And how exactly are you any different from those lowlifes?’ Calix wore an expression packed with immensely complex emotions.

He looked angry, yet he still seemed simultaneously pleased. At the same time, the glint flashing in his eyes as he stared at Lien was chillingly tenacious.

Lien didn’t know why on earth the man was looking at him that way, but one thing was absolutely certain: the claim from a moment ago about mistaking his identity was anything but sincere.

I don’t know why he’s playing such an obvious trick.

He found himself wishing the man would just fully immerse himself in his little act. Since he had stated they were strangers, he should keep it that way permanently from now on. He wished the man would leave this place and never return, allowing even the bitter dregs of the past to completely dissolve.

He was a profoundly uncomfortable person to be around.

The emotions of the past that had practically been forced into him because he had no other choices. The crushing futility of realizing that the smoothly passing time had been built entirely on deception. The past Calix had already dealt him all of those things. What would be any different now?

The moment Lien turned his gaze away, signaling that he considered the conversation finished, a spark flared in Calix’s eyes. Ultimately, the Elhardt Knights had to resolve to block their commander’s path. The knights, who had been merely watching the whole time, stepped up to Calix’s side.

The commander has genuinely detached from reality!

Someone stop him. How can he act like this to a civilian?

Who’s going to stop him? Can you handle it if he flies into a rage?

Even while conversing purely through their eyes, they were honestly bracing themselves to have a bone or two broken.

Still, it’s better than letting him do something strange to an innocent civilian!

Ah, damn it! Let’s just see who dies, then!

The very honor of the Elhardt Knights was at stake. Even if they were beaten to within an inch of their lives, it was far better than letting a rumor spread that their commander had gone completely mad.

Furthermore, this place happened to be their colleague’s hometown. It would be a total disaster for Bent, who had just returned home after five long years.

If word gets out that he joined a knight order led by a lunatic, Bent’s reputation is completely finished.

They had to restrain their wild-eyed commander, if only for the sake of their comrade. Petrick raised his head with grim resolve. He was the only one with the strength or physical build to even attempt to hold him back. It was just then.

“……Is that so.”

Calix nodded his head readily at Lien’s words.

Is that truly the same commander who, once his mind was set, would push forward according to his own will regardless of what anyone said?

The knights stared at Calix in sheer shock, only to be struck by another wave of astonishment.

He was actually capable of making such a gentle face?!

Calix spoke calmly.

“Because your hair color resembled hers…… I simply wanted to do something for you. I am sorry. I have caused you a great inconvenience.”

“It’s fine.”

The sight of Calix bowing his head to apologize to Lien was like a lion lowering its head to a rabbit. The knights were completely startled out of their wits yet again.

It was entirely new to them to learn that he was even capable of wearing such a thoroughly cowed expression.