The End, and the Beginning (3)
Beorn caught up with Ian, who had left the running Rahon alone and escaped from the barracks.
"Are you okay?"
"What?"
"...No, it is not."
Beorn carefully studied Ian's appearance and tilted his head.
The boss is strange today. Do you feel bad about anything?
He was thinking about the reason and thought about it.
"Is there a problem with Miss Adina?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I heard that you saw her yesterday. If you don't like the way things are done, I'll replace her...right away."
"Don't do anything useless."
Before he could finish speaking, Ian cut him with a knife.
I think the reaction was too fast... Ian stared at Beorn as he stopped.
"The answer?"
"Oh, yes, I see."
Anyway, it seems that it is not a problem from beginning to end. Beorn laughed uncontrollably.
"The Commander seems to like Miss Adina, too.
"..."
"Adina is very good at her job. He was quick to notice. To be honest, she was naive a first, but she learned the job quickly. She's popular among kids."
"Popularity, good?"
"She has a beautiful face, but she smiles and is kind."
Ian's eyes turned narrow.
Beorn, who didn't notice this, praised Adina so much that his mouth was dry.
How hard it is to find a maid who works well on the battlefield, but when Ian refuses to do it again, there is no answer.
Above all, after Adina became Ian's maid, the morale of the knights soared.
That alone made Beorn very fond of Adina.
"She also gives me snacks. She smiles, but is that so pretty?"
"..."
"Nowadays, when kids get together, it's a mess. They said they would guard each other's barracks. I have to stand guard to be able to say a word with Adina."
"..."
"Some people even say they'll confess when the Great Rift is over..."
Ian, towering, suddenly stopped.
Beorn pursed his lips as he chattered excitedly. The boss's expression was so bloody.
"Is it so leisurely?"
"Yes? Oh, no..."
"All the Templars will start collecting mines in the afternoon. The deadline is midnight."
"...Do you mean my collection?"
"If you want to compete, you must first retrieve the mines that have been laid."
"That's right..."
Isn't that our duty?
Mine clearance was the responsibility of the explosives unit. However, Beorn did not say a word of protest.
If you want to crack, you have to crack it. That was the army.
"Yes, I understand!"
Ian sent Beorn and headed to the barracks. The knight who was standing guard grabbed the hilt of his sword.
"Stop, give the password."
"The nape of the Guardian's neck is white."
"Welcome, Commander."
He passed by the knight who was saluting modestly and entered the barracks.
At that moment, his fierce heart subsided at once. Ian muffled his footsteps and approached the sofa.
Millenia was fast asleep.
Tiredness is pooling in the corners of her eyes. At first glance, it looks like she hasn't slept well.
"I heard you sleep well here..."
Ian sat down on one knee and examined Millenia.
Her cheeks are slender because she hasn't eaten well so far. There is still a lot of swelling on her eyelids.
Did she cry a lot yesterday?
Thinking of her crying as she muffled her voice by herself, hos heart tightened.
lan reached out for Millenia's eyes and stopped.
"..."
He couldn't move anymore, and his stiff hands went down helplessly. The tendons bulged from his slowly clenched fist.
Now he can't wipe away Millenia's tears. He couldn't even carry her until she fell asleep.
Even though he had the power to turn the enemy's life into nothingness, he only harmed his loved ones.
What should I do now? What should I live for?
A feeling of helplessness came over his whole body. Ian closed his eyes tightly and lowered his head.
"I told you to keep your head up."
The hand that is swollen at the end comes closer. Ian looked up. Millenia woke up and was staring at him.
"I've been thinking about it."
"While sleeping?"
Ian laughed softly, and Millenia pouted her lips.
"Anyway, listen. I remembered what I really wanted to say."
"What is it?"
"I love you."
Ian's eyes widened.
Looking at his frozen face, Millenia folded her eyes into a half-moon and smiled sweetly.
"I love you, Ian."
Ian reflexively tightened his whole body. Otherwise, he felt like he was going to hug her.
He managed to suppress the unbearable urge and lowered his head. He gently kissed his red-swollen fingertips on the sofa.
"I am yours."
Saying I love you wasn't enough. He was already hers from head to toe, down to a piece of his soul.
Ian made eye contact with Millenia.
Let's end the Greater Rift with my own hands.
That was the only thing I could do for my lover.
***
The sky was full of clouds. It looks like it's about to snow.
In Whitefield, preparations for battle were progressing rapidly.
The soldiers trained their formations and modified their weapons according to the strategy of besieging the monsters' nests on one side.
The entire army remained on alert so that they could play as soon as the snow fell
The medical corps was also busy.
The lightly wounded were spurred to heal, and the non-critical among the seriously injured were healed by Rahon with power.
Soldiers classified as incapable of fighting were put on supply ships and moved to the rear.
It was the last supply ship to move to the rear because it started to freeze on the river.
Ian, who only slept in the barracks, changed.
Except for meetings, he did not go out of the barracks. He snuggled up next to me, did all the work for me, and even took care of my meals.
That wasn't enough, so whenever he had a chance, he knocked on the sofa.
"Now go to sleep."
"No, I only go to sleep when I can. You do all the work and I take a nap, so how can I be tired? I can't sleep at night. It's too hot."
The funny thing is that even if I don't feel sleepy, I can't resist Ian's Invitation and fall asleep when I lie down on the sofa.
And when I opened my eyes, Ian was always by my side. He was looking at me.
It was nice to be with Ian, but the problem was that the commanders came to visit.
Yesterday, my father came to visit me to discuss it with Ian.
Fortunately, they didn't recognize me because of the different color and short hair, but I thought my heart was exploding.
"It's time to go back to the tent."
Ian checked the time and headed for the entrance. He said he would take me to his accommodation.
I sighed.
Where's the person who escorts the maid to the accommodation? That's why there are strange rumors.
There were already rumors among the knights that Ian and the maid had a strange atmosphere.
There are even people who turn to me and ask me, so it may actually be more serious.
I thought it wouldn't work like this, so I let the rumors go, but Ian didn't blink an eye. I don't know why he is so stubborn.
What if I get caught? I don't want Ian's reputation to be tarnished because of me.
Even though I knew it, I didn't want to break up with Ian. If the escort strongly refused, he would quit, but he didn't want to do that.
"I'm the biggest problem."
"What did you say?"
"No. I thought it was going to snow."
"There will be a lot of snow in two or three days."
"I'll be playing soon. I want to sleep here."
"...What?"
Ian reacted a beat late to the words without context. I walked past him and approached the bed.
"I'm going to sleep here."
"What..."
Ian, who was blinking, strode over and stood in my way.
"No, get out right now."
"I don't like it."
"Don't you know what rumors will circulate tomorrow morning? Absolutely not."
At most, they would curse me for seducing him.
I've already heard it, so what's the point? And it's not wrong.
"I'll be back at dawn. Secretly like a cat thief."
As I pretended to sneak away, Ian bit his lip. A small murmur continued.
"Wake up, don't get over it."
Hmm, it doesn't work.
"It's useless to say anything... Millenial"
I ignored Ian and slipped into bed. Ian stood in front of the bed and glared at me.
"Are you sure this is going to happen?"
"Yes."
"Millenia, please..."
"I can't sleep alone. Let's lie down."
As I tapped the pillow, Ian sighed for a long time.
After a while, the lights went out, and one side of the bed tilted.
I covered the blanket under my eyes and watched Ian.
He was lying on his back and covering his eyes with his forearm. A faint light flows down the sharp sidelines.
"Stop staring at me and go to sleep."
"I didn't know there was anything like this."
"What do you mean?"
"My heart feels like it's going to explode."
"..."
Ian lowered his arms and turned to me.
Golden eyes, shining clearly in the darkness, wandered over my face for a while. Soon, a subdued voice tickled my ears.
"Me too."
We looked at each other without saying a word.
Even though I couldn't touch a finger. I felt my heart was full. It feels like being immersed in hot water.
I fell asleep in a calm gaze, and when I woke up, the whole world had turned white.
It was heavy snowfall that started early in the morning.
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