Chapter 07
Well, that made sense…
Agnes was someone who had once received a blessing from me. Maybe it was just my imagination, but people seemed to become a bit kinder after receiving a blessing.
A blessing does feel warm and comforting.
If I had to describe it—it’s like compressing an hour-long aromatherapy session into thirty seconds.
Or maybe they were just trying to stay on good terms with the Lefevre family?
I couldn’t say for sure. There weren’t enough examples to know. Maybe I’d get a better idea once more new Holy Sword wielders joined.
“Please hang in there just for today, Lady Blandea.”
That day, Schloitz didn’t come to the office at all.
He really must be busy. Raphael was in jail, and so was Dios.
At least with Agnes here, things might calm down a bit?
Thinking that, I went to collect the letters addressed to me.
I set aside the ones from my family and started reading the ones from Enrico first.
Enrico’s letters were always the same.
One was a letter asking how I was doing—just like he used to send ever since he went to the Academy when we were kids.
The other was a thick stack of documents about Oparts.
Those usually just needed to be passed straight to Schleuz. I checked the time and stood up.
“I’ll go leave it on his desk.”
It was already evening. I arrived at his office and pulled out the brass key hanging around my neck. I inserted it into the doorknob.
Click. The lock turned with a soft sound. I’d have to return this key tomorrow.
Today would be the last day I could enter Schloitz’s office freely.
It felt a little strange. When would I ever get to casually walk into the Commander’s military office like this again?
Though I’d probably still come often for Oparts…
I placed the documents on Schloitz’s desk and double-checked the window locks just in case.
I had already checked them earlier when I left for lunch, and everything was still securely locked.
Leaving the Commander’s residence, I started heading to my quarters—but then changed my mind and turned the other way.
No one liked dark roads, not even in the military. Magic street lamps lined the path, filled with oil once a week by hand to keep them glowing.
Beside them were rows of white magnolia trees. Under the lamp light, the white petals looked elegant. It seemed like acacias and lilacs would bloom soon, too.
“Surely they didn’t plant white lilacs too, right?”
I must’ve had a lot of free time to wonder about that. I was about to walk over—
“What are you doing out here?”
A voice from behind made me freeze.
“Lady Lefevre.”
Schloitz was walking toward me. I immediately bowed slightly.
“Lord Procyon.”
“What are you doing here this late?”
“My brother sent some documents about Oparts. I stopped by to give them to you. Should I go get them from your office?”
“Is it urgent?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Then it’s fine. Where did you put them?”
“On your desk.”
Schloitz nodded and started walking again.
I thought he was just going to leave, but… no. He was walking much slower than usual.
It matched my pace exactly. Was he asking me to walk with him?
I quickly caught up and walked by his side.
He didn’t say anything for a while, but the warm breeze and soft rustling of petals made the silence feel peaceful.
“Lady Lefevre.”
After a while, Schloitz spoke.
“Did Agnes tell you?”
“Ah, yes. I heard. I’ll finish handing over everything by tomorrow at lunch.”
“Thanks to the Oparts, things went more smoothly. I got more help from you than I expected.”
That was really thanks to Enrico, but instead of waving it off, I just gave a polite smile.
“Is there anything you want?”
“Want?”
If he meant pay, that would come from the military. I doubted this was about a bonus.
He must’ve meant a personal reward. But I couldn’t think of anything.
There were tons of things I wished for from him, but they were all things I could never say out loud…
Would it be too arrogant to say “nothing”?
After a bit of hesitation, I answered.
“I just hope you stay healthy, Lord Procyon.”
Schloitz looked at me silently for a moment, then spoke.
“Is that how noble families in the capital talk?”
“Sorry?”
“Should I keep standing here waiting for the rest?”
I almost laughed. Actually, I think I did, just a little.
“No, Lord Procyon. That’s all there is to it.”
“That’s really everything?”
“Yes, that’s all.”
Schloitz’s expression became slightly unreadable. That usual calm, serious look of his.
“Well, you are a Lefevre.”
He didn’t seem amused by what I said, but that didn’t matter. I wasn’t joking, after all.
“If you think of something later, let me know. Something real—not vague stuff like that.”
“Understood, Lord Procyon.”
“You should head in. It’s late.”
Before I knew it, we were standing in front of my quarters. Schloitz seemed to check the streetlight, then turned and started walking back the way he came.
Did he just walk me back?
I couldn’t keep staring at his retreating figure for long. I turned my gaze away.
Probably, from now on—and maybe for the rest of my life—whenever I saw him walk away like that, I’d feel like this.
If only spring could last forever. That way, this warm feeling could stay with me—just like the scent of flowers filling the air.
****
The next day, after finishing the handover with Commander Agnes, I watched as his face slowly lost color and thought:
“Good luck.”
Because I’d felt like I was going to die too.
Still, I got promoted to 8th Commander. It was pretty much a rushed promotion just so I could handle support duties.
In the original story, Agnes only showed up occasionally—usually as the dorm supervisor for cadets, not the 8th Commander. I didn’t know if this was really the same person, but I had a feeling it was.
“He’s not going to die just because he got promoted, right?”
While quietly wishing him long life and good health, I asked,
“Why are you bringing food?”
“Well… Since Lord Raphael and Lord Dios are under a one-month disciplinary sentence, they’re probably not eating well.”
“Lord Raphael did eat a lot.”
“Right?”
Agnes gave an awkward smile. He offered to take me along, so I got ready and went with him.
“It’s dark.”
In the story, the male lead and supporting leads were often thrown in jail. But this one was the prison for high-ranking officers, not the one for cadets.
So it wasn’t as harsh as I imagined.
It must’ve been mealtime, because a soldier brought in food.
Just a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of water with a slice of lemon. Definitely…
Not enough for someone like Raphael or even the muscular Dios. Their meals looked too meager.
“Just one more bowl! Please, just one more…!”
Raphael’s desperate voice came from inside. He must’ve finished it in seconds.
Agnes’s ears turned red.
“Ugh, this is so embarrassing… I shouldn’t have brought you here.”
“No, it’s fine. I get it. He’s probably starving.”
Raphael really liked to eat.
Whenever we ate together, while I sipped juice, he was basically drinking pancakes.
He’d slice fluffy pancakes covered in syrup, stack three on a fork, and eat them so cleanly it was actually impressive.
“Commander Blandea Lefevre! Commander Agnes Filken!”
After finishing the entry procedures, we stepped inside.
“Lady Blandea!”
Raphael stood up and grabbed the bars. He looked surprisingly clean. The prison was dim, but clearly they allowed hygiene here.
Well, this was just a disciplinary holding cell. The real underground prison for serious criminals was supposed to be horrifying.
Marc Hunt had been locked there before he was executed.
“Are you doing okay?! The Commander’s overworking you, isn’t he?”
“I’m fine. I’ve handed everything over to Commander Agnes now.”
“I was so worried you’d quit halfway in frustration…”
“Why would I? Besides, I can’t run away for at least a year.”
“Right, one year…”
Raphael grabbed my hand and teared up—then suddenly jumped back in surprise. He looked between me and his own hand with wide eyes.
“Wow… After being in this dark, gloomy place, touching Lady Blandeia’s hand really makes it clear. The Lefevre power is something else.”
“But you know… I don’t like touching anything dirty.”
“I’m not dirty! I’ve been washing regularly! I just washed my hands too! And I just ate!”
Raphael defended himself with a pout. Meanwhile, Agnes came back after checking on Dios and shook his head.
“Enough. Here, eat this.”
“…!”
Agnes had received a tray from the guard and now started unpacking the food he’d brought.
The tray had all kinds of food: milk, apples with peanut butter, smoked chicken with a rich smell, and large white bread.
There was even a big bowl of salad with lots of lime, lemon, and fresh mugwort. You could tell Agnes had really put effort into it.
Only commanders of the same rank were allowed to bring food during visits, and even then, the amount they could carry was limited.
