Transmigrated into a Female-Oriented Card Game - C.332

“You’re running your mouth that was preserved thanks to Lord Lydon so freely! I haven’t liked you for a long time. Your tendency to annoy people has increased. There’s nothing wrong with what Lord Lydon said!”

The two battalion captains got into a verbal spat, and the already tense atmosphere quickly became heated. Lydon, who seemed to be enjoying the fight, barged in and taunted Pierre, prompting Cadel, who was eating his meal, to rush over and try to mediate. And here was where things went wrong again.

“A magician who can’t even keep track of his own subordinates shouldn’t be leading a Knight Order in the first place! If you’ve earned your place by the grace of the King, stay out of trouble!”

Pierre, blinded by frenzy, insulted Cadel. Cadel, being the one in question, tried to ignore it, as it didn’t do much damage, but unnecessarily, the sharp-eared Van, Lumen, and Dreyfe had joined the brawl.

“I’m sure the war will go on just fine without you. You wanna try slicing those thick lips? You stink every time you open your mouth, I’d rather cut it open. My greatsword is just the right size for your mouth.”

“What, what did you say?! Commander Cadel! Your subordinate just……!”

“Sir Pierre. No matter how worked up you may be, you must maintain your manners. A battalion captain shouting at the commander of the Empire’s elite Knight Order. ……. If you don’t want to show your lack of education, keep it down.”

“Right, Pierre! Why don’t you train your men when you’re not messing with other people’s Knight Orders? I saw them fighting today, and they were out of their league. That’s what you expect from the 2nd Battalion? I knew you fellows of the Heaven Time Knight Order had lost the discipline lately, but this is getting out of hand in a war.”

Cadel’s desperate cries that it was okay and not to fight were quickly drowned out. Meanwhile, Yozen, tired of the commotion, tried to flee, stating that he wanted to get away before he killed them all.

Cadel ended up having to restrain Van from lunging at Pierre, calm Lumen down when he tried to assault him in the name of dueling, scold Lydon for inciting a fight, and calm Yozen down when he barely held on to him.

By the time he finally finished, it was well into the night, and he was long overdue for a well-deserved rest.

‘Why fight amongst yourselves when you’re too busy fighting the enemy.’

The good news was that each of the battalion captains and commanders had their own tents. No one else was to enter, so now would be a good time to rest up.

With a muttered resolution, Cadel made his way to the tattered tent and stopped dead in his tracks. His weary gaze caught sight of Garuel, standing at a distance from the tent. After a moment’s hesitation, Cadel approached him, and Garuel, looking up at the sky, turned his head slightly.

“……Knight Commander?”

He smiled slightly and waved the bottle in front of Cadel as he approached.

“Would you like to grab a drink?”

“I can’t see any stars. It’s a shame.”

Sipping the drink Garuel poured for him, they looked up at the sky together. It was deep in the night, and dark clouds obscured the light. It was certainly not a beautiful night sky. Garuel nodded in agreement, and as he spread his cloak on the dirt, he reached for Cadel’s hand.

“Have a seat here.”

“……What’s with this? There is no need for this kind of consideration.”

“You’re not good at standing, Knight Commander.”

“You’re right, but I can just sit on the ground. Don’t get your clothes dirty, just take it.”

“Hmm, you’re stimulating my competitive spirit again.”

He murmured playfully, then leaned down and braced himself against Cadel’s hips and back. A soft chuckle escaped Garuel’s lips as Cadel reflexively wrapped his arms around his neck.

“What’s with you all of a sudden?!”

“I want my cloak to be dirtied by you, Knight Commander”

Hugging the squirming body tightly, Garuel laid Cadel down on the cloak he’d laid out for him. Cadel shook his head with a chuckle, feeling a bit ridiculous.

“Do you want to lay down too?”

“I’m comfortable on the ground.”

“……What a ridiculous guy.”

Garuel, sitting close to Cadel’s side, rolled his eyes slightly. His smile at times like this had the languid air of a contented cat, making it difficult to say anything more.

Wiping the back of his hand, which had suddenly become slick with liquor from being carried, Cadel turned to Garuel, who was looking up at the sky again.

“Don’t look at a cloudy sky when you’re in trouble, it only makes you feel worse.”

“……Did I mention that I have a problem?”

“It’s obvious from your personality that you don’t fit in with others.”

He popped off the lid of his makeshift water bottle, and Garuel poured him a full glass. It was enough for two sips at most. Garuel’s drinks were always incredibly strong, so this was more than enough.

“Am I that much of a people pleaser? I’m trying to stay true to the black magician concept.”

“If you don’t want to talk, don’t. There are things you want to keep to yourself.”

If you don’t want to talk, you can be a reasonable drinking partner, and then go back to your tent and sleep. He spoke in a slurred voice and gulped down the bitter, sore tongue. Cadel wondered where he got this stuff every time.

A short silence passed between them. Garuel no longer looked at the sky. Instead, his gaze was fixed on Cadel’s side, savoring the drink in small sips, like a bird feeder.

It was as if he was ready to share his troubles at any moment, and that he shouldn’t keep them to himself. His eyes were calm, with no hint of coercion.

“Strangely, I have a lot of thoughts.”

“…….”

“I saved countless humans with the demonic energy that I thought was going to consume my life forever. I can still feel the sensation.”

Garuel seemed to be remembering his time in Rania. During a year of grueling training, he had focused on combining demonic energy with light mana. The rest of his time, however, was devoted to improving the healing properties of demonic energy. Such was his dedication that Garuel rarely took a break during the year. It was his way of growing.

A struggle to prove his ‘goodness’, to break down the self-doubt that had threatened to take over his life. To defy the cruelty of fate, Garuel trained harder than anyone else. And his efforts were rewarded in this war.

“What Knight Commander said was true. ……With you by my side, I finally feel like I can move forward.”

“That goes for me too.”

“Pardon?”

“I can move forward because I have someone walking with me. On my own, I would never have been able to do it.”

He turned his head and locked eyes with Garuel. Despite the cumbersome mask, the eyes beneath it shone clearer than any other. Cadel stared into those eyes for a moment, then carefully peeled off the mask.

“……There are still people out there.”

“It’s too dark to see.”

“…….”

“Don’t worry.”

Their gazes locked, Garuel leaned in and slowly approached. Their breath tasted of cheap alcohol as they drew closer. But just before Garuel tilted his head, his lips brushed against Cadel’s.

“So. Are you going to keep your problems hidden?”

Cadel, covering his mouth with the stolen mask, said with a chuckle. Garuel, who was forced to kiss the mask, narrowed his eyebrows as if he felt unfair.

“You’re getting the information like this? Isn’t that too cruel?”

“Seeing you change your mind makes me want to harass you.”

“Sigh…….”

With a low sigh, Garuel stepped back and ran a hand through his hair. A cruel but sure method. The unexpectedness of the man’s demeanor loosened his grip, and the thoughts he’d kept tied up slipped out of his mouth.

“It’s a Demon War, after all, and we’re going to encounter a lot of demons.”

“…….”

“What if I met a demon who knew my parents? What if my parents weren’t dead, but had returned to the Demon Realm and were living there? What if I met someone who share the same bloodline as my parents, what would I do? ……Well, I was worried about that.”

Garuel knew little about his parents. He was raised by maternal relatives from an early age, and the relative who took him in knew nothing about his brother’s death.

His mother, however, did have some human relatives. He vaguely assumed that his father was the one with the demon blood, but later learned that his mother was the foster daughter of the Monzasi family. She was a mystery even to her siblings, as she rarely left the house. There was no way to find out the truth.

The lack of information gave rise to endless imaginings of what might have been. In most of them, Garuel was unable to cope, and therefore unable to make the breakthrough he deserved.

“Of course, I’ll kill them. They’re demons. Will it be my father or my mother? It’s better if my father is a demon, because he must have been coerced into doing it, and I’ll kill him very painfully, with no guilt. But if my mother is a demon, then why did she bother having me…….”

Beside him, Cadel remained silent, sipping at his drink as if the mere thought of it made him frustrated.

Garuel Monzasi was his favorite knight in the game, and he should have taken care of him properly. He should have studied the knight’s past like everyone else, read up on his setting, and provided him with some useful comfort in his uncertain past.

Cadel wondered if he should run to the tent and look at Garuel’s past, but he chose the comfort he could offer now.

“Either way, it doesn’t matter if you meet your parents or a demon who knows your parents. You just keep acting like you are. Keep saving people with demonic energy, fight demons, and smile when they thank you for giving them the power to protect themselves.”

“…….”

“Of course, you can be as angry as you want, and I’ll pretend I don’t see you when you cry. No matter how you react, you’re still my man, and you just need to remember that I’m by your side on your path.”

A few words wouldn’t ease Garuel’s anxiety, but Cadel wanted to let him know that now he had a safe haven to which he could always return. He wouldn’t have to struggle with his secret alone as he had before.

Garuel stared at Cadel, mesmerized. He gazed into Cadel’s eyes, which glowed black in the darkness, and there was an unquestionable warmth of affection in them.

“Knight Commander, you really like me a lot.”

“……What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I never thought I’d be loved so much with a body like this. So…… Thank you, I’m really grateful.”

「Knight ‘Garuel Monzasi’ ’s favorability has increased by 3.」

「Current favorability: 87/100」

Garuel let the dark thoughts he’d been holding together fly away. In the face of Cadel’s deep affection, such dark emotions had no place.

“Don’t you know that you’re so pretty even though you’re a pervert? There is no need to thank me. You just have to like me too.”

No shadow would ever be allowed to dwell by this man’s dazzling side. Garuel grinned, squeezing Cadel’s hand tightly as if making a promise.

“I’m already liking you so much every day.”