IATAOTHKG | CHAPTER 61

[CHAPTER 61]

Meyna spent hours in fear that Calif might be injured or dead.

And now the man whose life she could not confirm was standing in front of her on his own two feet.

Dangerous.

Meyna could not even feel relieved that he was safe.

Without making a sound, Calif stared quietly at Biterion.

Biterion also looked at Calif without the slightest change in his expression.

The tension between them was so sharp it felt like the air itself might freeze.

Calif’s face was nearly unreadable, but Meyna knew.

Inside him emotions were churning like a whirlpool in the deep sea, ready to explode.

You.

Calif broke the fragile silence.

What.

Meyna silently gasped at Calif’s rude tone toward Biterion.

Just as he opened his lips to add something, Meyna stepped forward.

Sir Lennox.

Calif glanced at Meyna.

But she could not say another word. She could not reveal Biterion’s identity on her own.

Calif withdrew his gaze.

Then he began walking slowly toward Biterion.

He looked ready to draw his sword at any moment.

Biterion, who had been watching without moving, spoke.

You would be wise not to lay a hand on me.

It was both a warning and an act of consideration. Anyone other than Meyna who touched him would die instantly.

But Calif did not know that. With a cold sneer, he stepped closer to Biterion.

Sir Lennox. Don’t.

Meyna tried to stop him with a trembling voice.

His face snapped toward her. He looked as if he could not believe what he heard.

What?

His sunken voice cut through the silence.

Meyna did not answer. She walked toward the two men and stepped in front of Biterion.

Calif was speechless.

The emotion deep inside his blue eyes was not simple anger.

It was a mixture of betrayal and a sense of danger.

What are you doing?

He asked.

Stop.

Meyna answered.

Move.

Calif replied instantly, showing clear anger as if he would do anything if she didn’t obey.

Even so, Meyna did not move.

She knew how this must look to Calif, but she did not care.

He swallowed his direct expression of anger, his throat moving in a slow, sharp motion.

I told you to move.

His empty eyes showed he had crossed an emotional line, and Meyna froze.

At that moment, Biterion, who had been silent behind her, made a small sound.

My lady.

Please take care of yourself. I will return soon.

Your H—

Startled by his sudden farewell, Meyna almost called him *Your Highness* and quickly shut her mouth.

Biterion picked up the black robe hanging on the wall.

Seeing him act as if he would leave the hospital at once, Meyna panicked.

Dr. Goul said you must rest for a while.

Without a dedicated healing mage, he could not control his mana. He had spent all of it clearing the monsters at the Drain Station and could not even open a portal, which was why he arrived on the broken train.

Meyna pleaded.

You must not leave yet.

If Calif had not appeared, Biterion would have stayed in the hospital as planned.

So his leaving was ultimately her fault.

Seeing Meyna’s devastated expression, Biterion gave a gentle smile.

I’m fine, my lady. I can rest at home.

His voice was soft but firm. He bent his knees to lower himself, as if offering noble courtesy, and tried to kiss her hand but paused.

Seeing his hand freeze in midair reminded Meyna of the moment she saw earlier on her way to the hospital. The way he had hovered in pain, unable to touch his own body.

Although he could touch her, the lifelong trauma still held him back.

Your Highness.

Meyna mouthed the words and offered her hand.

Countless emotions flickered through Biterion’s eyes.

Thank you.

He took her hand firmly and pressed a long kiss onto the back of it.

Left alone in the hospital room, Meyna forced herself to stay calm.

Calif glared at her with a terrifying look, like a husband watching his wife commit adultery before his eyes.

His blue eyes, consumed by rage, stayed fixed on her.

Must be nice.

He twisted his lips.

Meyna chose not to respond to his taunting words.

Calif seemed uninterested in wasting time on pointless arguments and spoke again.

Why are you admitted here?

…

This is a knight hospital.

Bonsel Knight Hospital was usually only for holy knights and the healing mages who worked with them.

Meyna watched Calif carefully.

Although he had found her here, it seemed he had not heard anything about her awakening symptoms.

The situation was urgent, so I found the nearest hospital…

Who?

His next question came before her answer, as if her excuses were worthless.

This time he looked as though he already knew.

Meyna nodded quietly.

Yes. He is the X-grade holy knight I will be serving.

Calif did not react. He had expected it.

Meyna added calmly.

He has not agreed to work with Ocean Agency yet.

Then.

…

Why were the two of you together?

He came to Drain Station to save me.

Explain it properly.

Meyna knew Calif, and Calif knew Meyna. She always answered every question with complete context.

If she didn’t, there had to be something she wanted to hide. Calif would know this.

She stayed silent.

Adonis told me to ask you directly what happened.

…

So you’re planning to lie to me together?

Calif ground his teeth and twisted his lips.

He only said that Lord Ouke appeared at the station and caused trouble. Nothing else.

Meyna’s face twisted for a moment.

She remembered Ouke’s disgusting face as he fired his gun and split the train car apart.

If Biterion had not been there, she would have suffered from that malice again.

I’ll kill him no matter what.

Calif said it with no emotion, purely as a statement of what he would do.

Meyna knew she could not stop him anymore.

It was Ouke who crossed the line first.

Meyna.

She lifted her head.

Fill in the blanks.

He wanted the full account that Adonis refused to give.

But she could not answer.

She could not say she jumped off the moving train to save people, nor that Biterion saw that image as a lingering afterimage and came to save her.

After a long silence, Meyna finally opened her lips.