IATAOTHKG | CHAPTER 42 – Novexa Novels

~CHAPTER 42~

Mayna stepped out of the office and leaned weakly against the wall.

It felt as if she had just escaped from drowning.

“Phew…”

She tried taking deep breaths several times, but the tightness in her chest refused to ease.

As she began walking aimlessly, Mayna recalled what Banze had said earlier.

Her suggestion about arranging a meeting soon with the new Holy Knight — Prince Viterion.

That conversation hadn’t been for Caliph’s ears alone.

Lately, Banze’s greatest interest had clearly been promoting Viterion, and ever since their first meeting, she had been waiting eagerly for his message.

Even though it wasn’t *“Let’s meet again”* but rather *“Go visit the hospital,”* the moment she received his letter, Banze must have felt indescribable joy.

Outside the building, a carriage was waiting.

“Please get in, Lady Winslet.”

The coachman, assigned by Banze, opened the door for her himself.

“Thank you.”

Mayna bowed politely and climbed aboard, sinking into thought.

Caliph was still inside.

Burdened with misunderstandings that hadn’t yet been resolved.

“Then we’ll depart for Renox Castle, my lady.”

Mayna finally called out to the coachman.

“Wait a moment. I’ll go together with Sir Renox.”

“Ah, understood?”

“Yes. It might take a while, so please rest somewhere nearby. I’ll call you again when he comes out.”

She simply couldn’t leave.

She couldn’t pretend not to notice while leaving the problem — the misunderstanding that only he could untangle — entirely in his hands.

The cold, detached gaze he had given her, far beyond the boundary of anger, still wouldn’t fade from her mind.

Even though in just five days their relationship would end, she didn’t want it to conclude like this.

From the window, she saw the coachman stretching after stepping down from the carriage.

Mayna leaned against the window frame and closed her eyes.

*‘But then, how did His Highness the Prince know I was in the hospital?’*

The question that had been pushed aside by thoughts of Caliph came back to her.

When a Holy Knight and a healing mage formed a one-on-one bond, they could sense each other’s state.

Especially the healer — they could tell where the knight was, how badly he was hurt, and even what emotions he was feeling.

But as mentioned, that only happened between a knight and a healer who had formed a bond.

She wasn’t a mage, and there was no way the two of them had such a connection.

“Is he really following me around or something?”

Mayna muttered to herself weakly.

* * *

When she opened her eyes again after dozing off, it was already early evening.

Outside the window, she could still see the Ocean Agency building, and the sky was beginning to turn pink.

“Ah.”

Startled, Mayna lifted her head from where it had been resting, and immediately saw a large carriage standing across from hers.

*‘That’s Caliph’s carriage.’*

The same one they had ridden together in not long ago.

Noticing that she had woken up, Caliph jumped down from his carriage.

He had his navy jacket draped over one arm and wore only a white shirt.

With long strides, he approached and opened her carriage door.

“…Sir Renox.”

Caliph didn’t answer.

He simply looked at Mayna with a face full of weariness.

Holding onto the doorframe with one long arm, he stood at an angle, and Mayna quietly looked back at him.

That familiar refreshing scent lingered around him — one she’d grown used to after living together so long.

Yet somehow, the expression he gave her felt strangely unfamiliar, almost like a stranger’s.

*‘He looks exhausted.’*

More so than she had ever seen before.

Last night… she didn’t know exactly what had happened in Hiscarn, but if he came straight to meet Banze after hunting, he wouldn’t have had any time to rest.

Indeed, Caliph’s complexion looked terrible.

His skin had lost its sheen, his cheeks were slightly hollow, and his eyes seemed empty.

*‘I’m sure the conversation with the doctor must’ve been heavy too.’*

So he must have wanted to go home and rest right away.

But when he found out she had been waiting for him, he had waited there too — all while she slept.

Not knowing what to say first, Mayna hesitated.

Caliph spoke before she could.

“Get down.”

A short, firm command.

*‘I have no intention of letting you ride Banze’s carriage home. Get out right now and come with me.’*

After seven years as his aide, Mayna had developed a near-perfect ability to interpret Caliph’s unique tone.

She quietly nodded.

* * *

On the ride home together after so long, Mayna thought,

*‘Can someone actually die from awkwardness?’*

She’d never heard of anyone dying from it before, but right now, she felt she might be the first.

With the air so heavy and tense, it truly felt like it could kill a person.

Each breath hitched painfully in her chest.

Meanwhile, Caliph sat frozen like a statue from the moment they departed.

His back straight, hands on his thighs, eyes fixed forward — the perfect image of discipline.

He didn’t move at all except to blink, and Mayna kept glancing at him, wondering if he’d fallen asleep or fainted with his eyes open.

“What brought you to Hiscarn yesterday?”

Unable to bear the silence, she finally spoke.

“I’m investigating why the Gates are opening.”

To her surprise, Caliph replied in a calm, almost casual tone.

In the office earlier, his eyes had looked capable of killing someone, yet now he seemed like a completely different person — as if another soul had taken his place.

He continued in that same detached voice.

“I thought there might be a clue in the Gate of Hiscarn we sealed three years and two months ago. I got that idea from something you said.”

“Me?”

Mayna blinked, puzzled.

“You said the monster you encountered claimed it hadn’t eaten for three years and two months.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll have to look into it further, but it seems like a credible lead.”

“I see…”

Mayna nodded blankly.

“So, did you find anything?”

“No. Not yet.”

Caliph kept his eyes forward, speaking mechanically.