***

Filina reflexively thought of Hugh.

This was because she had witnessed his solitary struggle to open the door to the demon cage not long ago.

Not only that, but Hugh hadn’t showed himself since he came to the infirmary to see her.

He had always been one to avoid taking classes, but he had to attend a minimal number of classes because he had to fulfill his attendance requirements.

Many other times she happened to run into him here and there.

But, after the breeding ground fiasco, Hugh was rarely seen.

He seemed to have something to say about the potions…….

When he suddenly disappeared, everything was confusing.

She thought he was a strange person from the first time she met him, but she didn’t expect this much.

The academy seemed to want the current disturbance to be quietly buried.

Rumors were inevitably rootless if they were inflated, and they would only create anxiety.

However, seeing the instructors working busier than usual, it seemed that they were investigating this disturbance internally.

It also seemed that the culprit had not yet been identified.

On the day of the incident, all those who had not attended classes and those who had gone out or left early, even those who were injured, were called into the office.

Of course, Hugh was not among them.

Because from the beginning he was completely hidden from view.

It was not known whether officials at the military academy were suspicious of Hugh.

But it would be understandable how troublesome it would be if he got involved in this case.

The chaotic atmosphere that flowed among the instructors told itself.

It would be a good idea to calm the nerves. She might might get investigated with some strange excuse due to bad luck.

There were already dozens of cadets alone who had already been called into the office.

“…… Oh, I’m sorry.”

On her way to the infirmary, Filina bumped lightly into someone. When she raised her head, she saw Leon standing there.

His dark pupils touched Philina’s hand.

“Did you get hurt?”

Her hands were covered in dust and blood. It was a wound from training.

“Yes, a little. Is Sir Lyon going to class?”

Filina asked with her lips slightly raised.

“Yes.”

It was a short answer. Leon, who had been quietly making eye contact with her, bowed his head in greeting.

“Then I’ll be on my way. Good luck with your treatment.”

He did not hear Filina’s reply and walked past her.

Filina looked quietly at Leon as he moved away.

Recently, she felt a greater sense of distance. His gaze at her became shorter and his speech noticeably decreased.

It was like he was deliberately avoiding her. That did not mean he was cold to her. She just felt the kindness he showed her before was gone.

She stared silently at Leon’s back and turned away again.

The infirmary was next to the dormitory, so she had to walk for a while.

The injured area was tingling.

She tried to clean off any dirt from her hand and treated it herself, but Bessie wouldn’t have it and nagged her to go to the infirmary.

Filina entered the building where the dormitory was located and knocked in front of the infirmary.

There was no sound coming from the other side.

She turned the doorknob with a cautious gesture. Fortunately, it was open.

All the instructors who were on duty in the infirmary were out of their seats. Filina first walked over to the sink to wash her hands.

It was right next to the bed, and someone was lying down and sleeping.

The curtains were not closed properly and only the face and upper body were roughly hidden.

The sink was on the wall, so further in she could not see the face of the person lying on the bed.

Whoosh.

The sound of cold water spread through the quiet space as she turned on the faucet on the washbasin.

Filina glanced to the side. She couldn’t see the person’s face because the curtains blocked it, but seeing no movement, the water sound didn’t seem to bother him.

The infirmary was too quiet, especially with the sound of the water spreading loudly. So she was being self conscious.

All the dust on her hands was washed away, and Filina turned off the faucet.

She wiped off the water with a towel that was hanging in one corner of the sink.

After putting the towel back in place, she turned her body and looked at the bed.

When she came out, she could see the man’s face through the gap in the curtains that were not closed.

How tall he was, his feet were sticking out of the bed. The blanket was not properly covered, and his large body was revealed.

The top buttons on his uniform were undone. The white skin and the protruding Adam’s apple was seen.

Then there was the black cross earring on one ear and a clean hand sticking out of the side of the bed.

Above that was an X-shaped mark painted on it.

A blank smile escaped Filina’s lips as she recognized the man’s face.

“Hugh Fieldman.”

She couldn’t hide her surprise as she saw a completely unexpected person in front of her.

“No…..why is he here?”

She hadn’t seen a single hair of him until now.

She couldn’t understand why he was suddenly sleeping in the infirmary. She was dumbfounded as to why he wore the cross shaped earring when he was the tower lord.

In general, the wizards didn’t like the religious people. The reason was simple.

Their natures were different.

Most of the wizards, like Hugh, had a strong free-spirited nature, while the religious people, on the contrary, had a conservative form.

Filina gazed quietly at Hugh, who was sleeping soundly.

There were many things she wanted to ask him. He should not be sleeping so peacefully now.

After a moment of contemplation, she reached out and slowly shook Hugh’s shoulder.

“Hugh, wake up.”

After tossing and turning a few times at Filina’s voice, he slowly opened his eyes.

Beautiful red eyes stared at him.

“Filina…?”

Hugh sat up, staring at Filina with rounded eyes. Then he asked in a mischievous voice.

“Did you come because you missed me?”

At Hugh’s natural question, she snorted with a stunned face.

“Why are you always so relaxed? Where have you been?”

“Well, I just had a little adventure.”

As he answered with a slight shrug, Filina quickly looked around.

After confirming that there were only her and Hugh in the infirmary, she whispered urgently to him.

“Did you know what happened in the breeding ground?”

Hugh sighed at her words.

“It’s killing me. I got a separate investigation from Weaver and he locked the door so I couldn’t even get into the dorm room.”

“The door is locked? Then what about your roommate who was there with you?”

“I think he moved rooms when I wasn’t around.”

He said with a tearful look. Now Filina knew why Hugh was sleeping in the infirmary.

She couldn’t believe they closed the dorm room to keep him out. 

Putting it in other words ……doesn’t that mean he has to leave the academy?

Moreover, what Hugh said was as good as proof that he no longer belonged to the military academy.

Filina could not hide her skeptical face and asked him,

“Was it really you who caused the accident at the breeding ground?”

Hugh replied with a face that he had heard a ridiculous sound.

“Do I look that ignorant to you?”

“Yeah, you don’t care about people around you and act recklessly.”

“……Oh, my God. You figured me out so well in such a short time.”

He smoothed his lips up into a sly grin. Filina looked at him with an exasperated expression.

“So you really broke down the door and even killed the demon?”

Hugh said with a scowl.

“I had no choice. There was a door leading to the outside in the bars where that advanced demon was locked up.”

“A door that leads to the outside?”

“I can’t tell you any more than that. It’s a top secret. Of course, if you’re willing to help me, I’ll tell you everything.”

Filina squinted at him. Hugh had already told her some important facts.

She didn’t understand his intention of holding back when he already said many things so naturally.

Hugh asked her, his eyes folding neatly into a half-moon pattern.

“Can you help me?”

“No.”

“Yes, I have no doubt that you will help me.”

Filina’s reply seemed to vanish into thin air. She asked Hugh with a frown.

“What was it that we talked about the other day? It was about potions, wasn’t it?”

He smiled and faced Filina for a moment, then said, tilting his head.

‘’Before that, can you lock the door to the infirmary?”

She tilted her head with a dubious look on her face.

“What’s with the door? You’re afraid someone might hear it?”

The use of potions at the swordsmanship academy could be abused in exams and was treated as illegal.

Filina looked around and mumbled curiously.

“By the way, why is there not a single instructor in the infirmary?”

Most of the time, the instructors who worked in the infirmary were not often absent from their seats because they had to take care of general administrative duties in addition to helping the students at the academy with their injuries.

Except, of course, when they had to see off someone of very high status, such as the Crown Prince.

At her words, Hugh opened his mouth to yawn with a tired look on his face.

“I sent the instructors out for a bit because I wanted to be alone.”

Filina stared at him, dumbfounded.

“How could you….?”

Hugh said flatly, raising his lips.

“I tricked them, saying Commander Weaver called him.”

“Ha, so the instructors were fooled by those words? And seeing you sleeping earlier, it looks like a bit of time has passed, why hasn’t anyone come in yet?”

“Because I cast some magic.”

Filina was startled. It was clear that this guy was really a no-measures guy.

No matter how he was the tower lord, how could he cast a spell on the instructors when he was just a student at the school?

Hugh, who was quietly making eye contact with Filina, said with a small laugh.

“You’re looking at me like I’m a total nutcase.”

“Are you insane ……? What are you going to do if the instructors find out later!”

“Don’t worry. They don’t even know they’re under a spell. And it is a very weak magic. If someone gives them a little stimulus, they will break it immediately. That’s why I told you to close the door. You never know when the instructors might come back.”

He added with a smile.

“That’s how our private conversation will begin.”