Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Hizen returned at dawn, when the day was dimly lit. He left his horse in the stable, and looked at his black uniform and boots that were all messy and covered in blood. However, there was no time to wash properly. He had ran without eating or resting to get here. For someone he wanted to see.

The first place he went to was the Commander’s office. He stopped in front of the solidly closed auburn door. He was familiar enough with it to find it with his eyes closed, but he suddenly got an unknown tension.

He hardened as he put his hand on the doorknob. He did not know what to say or what expression to make in front of her after a long time. He worried nervously.

‘What should I say? What’s up with the Commander’s office? Did you clean up properly without me?… No, that’s not it…’

He was nervous because it had been so long. He had seen her a few times in his dreams in the meantime, but how he treated her seemed to have been erased. A fever rose in his heart and his tongue felt dull.

Hizen, who had been swallowing only dry saliva, fiddled with his left hand in the pocket of his uniform. The cold metal feeling that seemed odd now felt familiar. Whenever he thought of her, he often held it in his hand.

His blue eyes, which were only looking at the closed door, shone. When he opened this door, surprised, she would call out his name. And if he gave her this gift, she would be happier than ever and smile brightly.

Those thoughts came to his mind, and it became hard to keep his heart steady. It was embarrassingly cheap to say it was a gift, but he wanted to give it to her quickly. He thought he would be relieved to see her like it with his own eyes. Hizen did not know that he was nervous or what expression he made. He immediately grabbed the doorknob of the Commander’s office.

Creak.

The door opened, and the familiar scenery caught his eye. But there was no one in the neat and tidy room. Hizen, who was going to call her, closed his lips. The white curtain, which was shaken between the slightly open window frames, chilled his mind.

His blue eyes shook as he approached the window. He slowly moved his head and looked over the Commander’s office. The layout of the furniture and the sculptures decorating the room had been subtly changed. The vase, which Leasis usually liked, was a colorless glass vase, but had now been turned into a colorful gold ceramic.

As his long fingers brushed against the golden vase, the vase shook slightly. Leasis had never been late. Whenever he opened the door, she always welcomed him with a smile. She followed him around to the point of annoyance. It was natural. Of course, he took it lightly. It might make his heart too heavy.

“You’re not here… You must be late.”

It was no big deal. She might also have been late for cleaning because she was sick or something happened. That was why someone could have cleaned up instead.

He tried to swallow his anxiety by talking to himself, but someone came through the open door. She was a haggard brown-haired maid. Hizen did not know her name, but he knew who she was. She was a maid who was especially close to Leasis.

“I see the C-Count-nim!”

As soon as the brown-haired maid saw Hizen, she was surprised and tightened her head. Her expression and voice made his ominous feeling bigger.

Hizen immediately approached her and opened his lips. What came out was a terribly dry voice.

“Leasis… Where’s Leasis?”

She was sick, she had been pretending to be sick for a while, so say it. Hizen prayed desperately inside.

But the brown-haired maid covered her face with both hands. Tears welled up on her cheeks.

“Unnie has… disappeared…”

Disappeared. It took Hizen a long time to understand what she meant. He blinked his blue eyes once. Even now, traces of Leasis remained in the Commander’s office.

She smiled in front of the hanger and put a coat on him, smiled at him, laughed to herself, glanced at the door, opened her lips, and her beautiful eyes staring at him as if she could only see him in the world… Hizen took a big breath. He muttered with an expressionless face like a doll.

“…No way.”

It could not be. Why would Leasis disappear, when she was always chasing him like that? Hizen was angry and told her not to joke around.

But at that moment, Owen plunged. When Leasis, who she believed and followed like her own sister, disappeared, she was also having a hard time with her heart falling apart. She wiped away her tears and said.

“Count-nim, please. Please find Unnie.”

Hizen’s blue eyes froze cold. He had no time to console Owen.

“From now on, answer my questions quickly.”

Hizen confirmed all of Leasis’ last sightings, locations, witnesses, and her appearance. Then Owen left the Commander’s office alone and ran somewhere.

After a few days, Hizen was on the verge of madness. No matter how hard he looked for her, there was not even a small clue.

Jason speculated that she had been kidnapped, but Hizen could not agree. Her skills he saw were as good as any other knight. If someone wanted to kidnap her, she would not have been easily caught. If a grown-up adult woman disappeared from the capital, someone was likely to have witnessed it.

Then she disappeared on her own somewhere. However, the last testimony was strange. She went to look for a child named Setchen and disappeared. He could not understand the reason.

Hizen did not sleep at all for a while. He found time to search Leasis by splitting his personal time outside of the Commander’s office hours.

However, it did not last long because of Prince Elnos. The prince showed great interest in Hizen. The problem was that his attention was expressed too openly.

Thanks to that, Hizen had to face the jealousy and envy of the other Commanders, and often wasted time. After hearing rumors, even the Emperor became anxious and often met him.

It was frustrating. There was no time to find Leasis, but all sorts of things strangled Hizen. In the end, Max had no choice but to make a decision.

Hizen was exhausted when he looked at Max entering the Commander’s office. Unkempt blond hair, sharp jawline, crumpled black uniform. Everything was a mess.

Max approached the desk holding his sighs. Hizen turned to the papers again. He processed the documents mechanically.

Max took the documents from Hizen’s hand. It was an unusual and rude behavior. Instead of getting angry, Hizen reached out again and tried to take them back.

Max was angry at his emotionless behavior like a doll and hit the desk loudly. Empty blue eyes looked at him.

“Commander-nim, please, stop. What’s the difference?”

“…Give it to me.”

“You still don’t know?”

His heart ached, but Max had to play the villain. Leasis disappeared and Hizen changed like this. It was also sad and embarrassing for him. However, Hizen and him were the two strongest swords supporting the Empire. However stupid it might be. If he did not do it, someone might be harmed, and it would be the weak, not the powerful people who were living well.

“She left on her own will.”

Hizen’s eyes shook greatly. Max glared at him and spoke again with emphasis.

“Miss Leasis, she left you.”

He tried to deny it, but he could not. Hizen’s tongue did not move as if paralyzed. There was only silence between the two.

As the silence grew longer, Max gave strength to his hands. The document he caught was crumpled beyond recognition. He threw it in the trash can.

“We can’t put it off now. It’s the Crown Prince’s order, so Commander-nim has to watch the gladiator tournament.”

The prince was strangely obsessed with the Imperial Elite Knights. Max had already completed his report to Hizen, and the two were quick to judge the situation. They should not show the prince any gap.

“I’ll go ahead and wait.”

Shortly after spouting his words, Max left the Commander’s office. Hizen, who was left alone, touched his forehead with one hand. Her scent seemed to still remain here.

‘Why, why did you leave?…’

Hizen wanted to ask Leasis. He missed her, hated her, and missed her who shook his peaceful self. He put his hand in his black uniform pocket. The blue rose brooch stabbed him in the hand.

It was painful. He remembered a day when he never wanted to feel like this again. Closing his eyes tightly, Hizen forced himself up.

“Oh, my. Count Dratius, thank you for coming despite your busy schedule.”

Along with the languid voice of Prince Elnos, the voices of other Commanders were heard.

Hizen sat next to Max. Originally, only the Commanders could sit here, but Elnos showed Max consideration and let him attend as the Vice Commander. From Max’s point of view, it was not consideration but bullying.

“…so this time that black cape…”

He could not even hear Schwalnon talking next to him. Everything just sounded like noise.

Hizen slowly raised his head. Anyway, since he had come this far, he would have to watch the tournament as it was his duty. But at that moment, Hizen’s eyes stopped. The target was a black cape man moving in the middle of the arena.

Hizen jumped out of his seat unknowingly. He stood close to the railing and stared at the man in the black cloak. Then the Commanders who were watching next to him laughed. They had had the same reaction as Hizen at first. The genius of swordsmanship, combining the swordsmanship of Harknon and Utran, was showing off his incredible skills. There were two such talents in this gladiator tournament.

The Commanders spoke as they looked at Hizen.

“Yes, this is the first time Commander Dratius see them. Rumor has it that those two men are the mercenaries of the Liduré’s son.”

“They’re no ordinary mercenaries. They’re chewing on their opponents like they’re competing in every game.”

However, the reason why Hizen was surprised was not because of his skills. Hizen recognized at a glance the man hidden behind the black cape. A unique move to point the sword with a fine twist of the left foot, a tall height, a big hand, and a sleek movement. It was definitely Leasis. Leasis, there she was.

Hizen took a trembling breath. She was only a few steps away, but it felt as if she was at the end of the world. His legs in his black uniform trembled slightly. He had to hold back his desire to run.

‘You have to be patient.’

He should not give Elnos or the other Commanders a chance to get at him. The back of his hand turned white as he suppressed his emotions.

As time went by, his boiling mind and complicated head calmed themselves, like a lie. He was greatly relieved that she was safe. There was nothing more to be desired. Really, it was a relief.

With all the tension eased, Hizen bowed his head. Max asked him if he was okay next to him, but he did not have time to answer.

Worried, Max patted him on the shoulder and stopped his hand. The broad shoulders that usually supported everything were trembling for the first time.