Under the Oak Tree - Chapter spc1 Special Chapter

Note: Hello dear readers! We want to notify that the previous chapter was missing a part, we had some problems with the korean raw and it just kinda happened. We’re sorry! But now you can read the whole thing 🙂

Special Chapter – Gabel’s POV

*This story depicts the happenings in Calypse Castle before leaving for the expedition to Livadon.*

One spring day at the Calypse Castle.

Gabel ruffled his hair roughly with one hand as he sat in the conference room of the knights’ quarters, sorting letters from the informants. When Uslin Rikaido left for Livadon with some members of the knights, the work was naturally divided among the knights who were left behind.

He took on Elliot Caron’s work without putting much thought to it, then realized after that he was in big trouble. It surprised him how Elliot managed such an overwhelming workload and had not heard a single complaint from him.

Elliot was in charge of overseeing the weapons stored in the warehouses, while organizing and decoding cryptographic documents that came from all parts of the kingdom. He also kept track of the knights’ skill progress from time to time. Gabel groaned a sound of pain as he gazed down at the codes scribbled so roughly that they were unrecognizable. Back when he was the second-best knight under Lord Triden, he did learn military codes and mathematics, but he wasn’t a very diligent student.

As he was trying to decipher a letter coming from the north, Gabel eventually muttered profanity and threw his quill in frustration. He has been reading parchments all day long and his head was already aching. If only he had known that this would happen, he would’ve joined the expedition by all means.

I am a knight, not a scholar. He grumbled as he got out of his seat and opened the window. Without realizing it, the weather had gotten noticeably warmer. Perhaps, Livadon’s weather would be much warmer than Anatol. As the faces of his fellow knights marching under the scorching heat in heavy armor flashed in his mind, his inflated discontent subsided, anxiety taking over.

It’s not that he didn’t trust the skills of his fellow knights, but there was no telling in a war, one mistake could blow someone’s head off. He had witnessed countless situations with his fellow senior knights, sharing murky life-and-death situations. What’s more, based on the report letters coming in from the informants, the war didn’t seem likely to end in the near future. There was a possibility that Whedon would order for additional reinforcements.

He shifted his gaze towards the far north, his expression turning serious. At that moment, he heard a knock on the door. Gabel exclaimed over his shoulder.

“Come in.”

“Pardon me for the intrusion.”

As the door opened, it revealed Kyle Hager, one of Hebaron Nirta’s apprentice knights. Gabel let out a sigh as he saw his morose expression, catching a gist of what had happened.

“Has Lord Nirta disappeared again?”

“I haven’t seen him since the training this morning.” Kyle shrugged and sighed in lamentation. “A training for the general guards is scheduled today. There are 300 guards waiting in the training field, but we couldn’t find anyone who would be conducting the training…”

“Isn’t there anyone else who could take over aside from me?”

“Sir Calypse has gone out of the castle to do work on the construction site, the rest of the senior knights also went out to patrol along the walls. Can’t Sir Laxion take over it?”

Gabel looked down at the pile of parchment on his desk. He was a little exhausted, but he couldn’t neglect his duties. He shook his head.

“I have an important report I have to deliver to the commander by this evening. Just ask Brimann to take over for now. He will most likely be at the watchtower.”

“Sir Jacque Brimann?” Kyle questioned, his tone a little confused, doubting if it was alright to hand a strategic training to a knight who had just been recently appointed. “Sir Brimann has no experience in conducting any training yet. Will that be alright?”

“This will serve as a good experience. Just tell Brimann that I ordered him to do it.”

“…As you wish.” Kyle nodded reluctantly and turned around.

Gabel felt sorry seeing his drooping shoulders and called after him. “I’ll be going to the Great Hall in a while. If I find Hebaron by chance in the great hall, I’ll tell him to go to the training grounds right away.”

“Please do so, it will do me a huge favor.” Kyle said in a pleading manner, grabbed the doorknob and turned around. “It’s going to be difficult if he keeps doing this while Sir Rikaido isn’t around.”

As the apprentice left, Gabel sat back in front of his desk and started organizing the parchments. All of them contained nothing but bad news. He clicked his tongue, pulled out a new roll of parchment to write a report, and stood up. Trudging out of the conference room, he saw Jacque standing on the podium, blurting out gibberish words and instructions that were difficult to understand.

He clicked his tongue again and headed straight towards the Great Hall. As he walked up the stairs after crossing the spacious gardens, he saw servants busily carrying loads into the hall. Gabel was about to pass by them without a thought when he suddenly found Maximillian standing at the entrance of the kitchen recording something down, and stopped on his tracks.

Before he was aware of it, a smile spread on his lips. She was counting the barrels piled up on the side with focused eyes. Seeing that she was unconsciously pulling out and fiddling with her hair, he noticed that something wasn’t adding up correctly.

Gabel swallowed a chuckle coming up his throat. She often did that to her own hair, yet she didn’t know the reason why her hair was always tangled whenever she looked in the mirror. He cleared his throat softly then greeted her cheerfully.

“Greetings, m‘lady. Today’s weather is quite nice, isn’t it?”

“G-greetings, Sir Laxion…”

Her shoulders flinched in surprise, but soon she gave him a shy smile. Gabel conversed with her in a friendly manner and glanced carefully at her blue silk dress.

“Your dress suits you very finely. Will you be going to the infirmary today?”

“Today’s the day that the… f-food supplies come in. I have to make sure that the goods are d-delivered accordingly…”

She showed him the account book she was holding in one hand when a sudden look of worry dimmed her face.

“Did anyone… get h-hurt or injured? Who needs to receive treatment…?”

“No m ’lady, I was just asking out of curiosity as you’ve been going to the infirmary for the past few days.”

A faint smile danced on her lips. “I have a lot of work to d-do in the infirmary. I have no idea how Ruth managed to do all the work by h-himself before. One day just passes by… when you’re making herbal m-medicines.”

Gabel smiled as he saw the glint of pride that was on her face. It reminded him of the time she fought head on against the commander to claim her place as the castle’s healer. The sight of the strongest man in the world, Riftan Calypse, losing to a frail-looking noble lady, was truly unforgettable.

He swallowed the smirk that started to creep to his lips and tried to maintain a gentle expression. “We may be putting a lot of pressure on the lady.”

“I…I’m glad to be of help.” She replied awkwardly, her cheeks tinting red.

He admired her and felt proud of her that he almost patted her on the head. Gabel folded his arms to hide his flinching fingers. It felt strange, he never thought he would feel that comfortable with the Duke of Croix’s daughter. He took a step back, feeling a bit conflicted.

“Thank you for your words. Well then, I must take my lea…”

“M’lady, I have even checked the warehouse, but the kegs are still not enough to add up to the correct amount.”

Just as he was about to take his leave, a servant rushed out to her and exclaimed. Her attention was quickly drawn to the servant. After asking the servant a few questions, she gave a stern look at the man who appeared to be a merchant.”

“I’m quite c-certain… the goods must have been delivered mistakenly. There are four barrels missing.”

“T-that can’t be. We counted it several times as we loaded the goods. Someone must have stolen something while…”

The merchant rebutted with a furious expression, but he saw the eyes of the servants looking at him and quickly shut his mouth. Then, he spoke again in a slightly more respectful tone.

“The butler has checked the numbers before, and they were matched. It must be somewhere in the castle.”

“The numbers must have been wrong the… f-first time they were counted. We’ve had the warehouse checked f-five times already. The kegs couldn’t have suddenly… e-evaporated o-out of thin air.”

She sounded quite ferocious in her reply. A distinct look of disappointment was plastered over the merchant’s face. Gabel was standing idly and was watching them quarrel, then decided that it was not his place to intervene, so he turned around. A sudden thought crossed his mind and his back stiffened. He glanced through the barrels with a suspicious look.

Can a sparrow just leave and pass by a mill? (T/N: It is a Korean idiom that basically says that in a mill, there’s a lot of food and a sparrow can’t just pass by it without getting food for his own interest.)

He looked up distantly at the ceiling and then, with a painful groan, cut in between the merchant and Lady Calypse.

“Did Sir Nirta happen to pass by the Great Hall this afternoon?”

Max’s eyes turned to look at him with a new light, then turned her gaze to the servants. As they exchanged glances, one of the servants opened his mouth cautiously.

“He stopped by the hall at around lunch time. After having a light meal in the kitchen, he headed up to the second floor…”

“What time did the food supplies arrive in the hall?”

The servant realized the intent of his suspicions and answered hesitatingly. “Around lunch time…”

Gabel sighed and asked the maids. “Where did that guy go?”

“He entered the largest guest room on the second floor.”

Gabel headed straight up the stairs, Maximillian Calypse trailed behind him as well as the merchant and a few servants who helped carry the goods.

He thought of saving the dignity of the knights and driving them away, but seeing the merchant’s determination to know the whole story, he gave up on it. He cursed inwardly about that guy who acted like he was their enemy as he climbed up the stairs and swung the door open at once.

As he assumed, Hebaron was having a grand drinking spree. Gabel gnashed his teeth together when he saw a barrel rolling around against the floor. Hebaron was sitting casually in front of a table and was drinking, then waved one hand at them, not showing any sign of shame or shock.

“Heya, you came like a ghost.”

Gabel raised his voice at him in astonishment. “What have you been doing in the middle of broad daylight at that? Have you forgotten about today’s training for the guards?”

“Ah, right.”

Gabel’s teeth clenched harder at his casual reply. “What do you mean, ‘Ah right!’? There is a lot of work to be done but a certain guy called vice-commander…”

“Gosh, are you now playing the role of being a pushover when Rikaido’s not around?” Hebaron snorted audibly. “Stop being so loud and senseless, it doesn’t suit you. Come here, sit down. The taste of this drink is just…”

“What careless words to say in a situation like this…!”

“Ehem.”

Gabel shut his mouth at the sound of the intruding cough. Standing by the door was the merchant, gazing down at the four barrels of liquor on the floor. He gave a dull look at Maximillian Calypse.

“I think this would put an end to checking the number of the goods.”

“Ah…y-yes. Everything I o-ordered…seems to be in the r-right place.”

Lady Calypse, who had been out of her mind, scribbled down her signature on the parchment that contained the list of her orders as if she had been brought back to reality. Her cheeks were flushed red in embarrassment at the stern questioning.

“I apologize for the m-misunderstanding. Rodrigo… please pay a good a-amount of compensation… to those who brought the goods.”

“As you wish, m‘lady.”

The merchant accepted the signed parchment and secured it in his arms, his expression looking like he was trying to hold down his displeasure. “No harm done. I look forward to our next transaction.”

“O-of course. I hope the next transaction… will go more s-smoothly.”

When the merchant took the pouch containing the compensation and left, Lady Calypse quickly dismissed the servants and closed the door behind her as if to hide her shame. She shot Hebaron with a resentful gaze. He was leisurely sipping wine, regardless of the commotion he had caused. Lady Calypse, who had been gazing at him with a questioning expression, immediately raised her voice.

“H-how can you take something so willfully… when the number of the ordered goods have not been verified yet! I ordered those wine… in case important guests arrive… drinking it all by yourself just like this…!”

“I didn’t know m’lady could say something so disappointing.” Hebaron set down his glass of wine and made a sad expression. “What you’re saying is that I’m not a precious enough person to deserve such a good wine.”

“I d-don’t mean it like that… this wine… I was saving it to s-serve for when guests a-arrive from distant places… I s-sincerely o-ordered this fine wine for those kinds of occasion. I paid 6 denars p-per barrel.”

Hebaron opened his eyes wide like he was shocked by the price, then put on a grim expression again. “Indeed, it’s a waste for this liquor to only go in my mouth. How dare I drink wine that costs six denars a barrel!”

“T-that’s why… w-what I’m saying is…”

“Aaaah! It’s my fault to think that m‘lady will be delighted to treat me well! What a presumptuous thing for me to think! A guy like me only deserves cheap ale!”

Hebaron cried bitterly. Gabel was dumbfounded at the clear trick he was trying to play. However, Maximillian was at loss for the hilariously ridiculous trick.

“That’s r-really not what I m-meant. Last time… the guests we hosted were from the r-royal household… I happened to h-hear that the w-wine wasn’t to their taste… so I ordered…”

“I-I get it!” Hebaron chirped.

She urgently interrupted him. “Since you understand now… please… d-don’t be like that. If Sir Nirta enjoys it… then it brings me joy too. P-please… don’t hesitate… to have a-as much as you want.”

“You are saying such generous words… Indeed, Lady Calypse is such a kind person.” Hebaron looked at her with a slightly touched expression and then naturally poured himself another glass of wine. “Please, the lady must take a seat too. I was getting lonely since I was drinking all by myself. Gabel, don’t just stand there and sit here.”

“Jacque Brimann is currently taking over your job and heading the training. Have you no plans of going to the training grounds and oversee it?”

“The time has come for him to start building his experience in conducting trainings. He’ll be fine.”

He opened a new keg, not exhibiting a bit of guilt. Maximillian’s eyes grew gloomier as he watched him. Hebaron merely pretended not to notice it and urged them casually.

“Now, come and take a seat. I have never had such fine wine in my entire life. M‘lady must have a taste too.”

“I-I’m… alright. I have work to d-do…”

“The lady works too much. You have to relax at times too.”

He pulled out a chair and placed it next to him, winking as if to urge her to come take a seat. She looked back and forth at the glass and the door with a bashful expression and then at him. Seeing her anxious expression, she seemed to recall the incident when she got drunk at the dinner feast last fall, upsetting the commander.

Gabel shuddered as he remembered that day. Hebaron Nirta had to be insane to even think of giving the lady a drink even after being treated so harshly by the commander. He sat down at the table swiftly and prevented his intentions.

“Stop bothering the lady, I’ll drink with you.”

“You’re annoying me! I just wanted the lady to have a taste of this fine wine!”

Gabel’s eyes widened, wondering if the man was already drunk. It was not unreasonable for him to reach that state as he had already emptied a whole keg by himself. He shook his head weakly.

“Don’t drink too much. If the commander finds out about this, you won’t even be able to lift your own bones!”

“The commander is too harsh. It’s not like it’s a big deal to get drunk, yet he makes a fuss out of it. If I were you, I would have already suffocated from his restrictions.”

He grumbled as he poured wine into a glass. Gabel felt his mouth watering at the wine’s gentle fragrant scent. It did seem like a really fine drink. He scrunched his nose as he pretended to be reluctant when Hebaron offered him a glass. At that moment, he heard a surprisingly cold voice.

“Ri-Riftan just… has a strong s-sense of responsibility.” Gabel was taken aback at how she could speak in such a cold tone. Then, she spoke again in a sterner tone, as if to defend her husband. “It’s just that he doesn’t e-enjoy… getting drunk like everyone else.”

Hebaron snorted. “It’s not that the commander doesn’t enjoy being drunk, it’s because he can’t. He can drink all night long but not get drunk. There was this one time we had a drinking party with Princess Agnes and made him drink five kegs of ale to get him drunk, but his complexion did not change even a bit. He’s no different from a monster.”

Gabel looked at her while holding the glass close to his lips. Maximillian Calypse’s face grew visibly stiff. She asked in a voice that pretended to be nonchalant.

“Did you drink often… with Princes A-Agnes?”

“Of course. That’s natural for people who have endured long expeditions together with us. The princess likes to hang out all the time, never missing drinking parties. It’s amazing to witness how much liquor can go into that petite body of hers. Her Royal Highness and the commander always last the longest.”

Hebaron told the story cheerfully. Gabel noticed that he was doing it to push Maximillian Calypse and kicked his leg under the table. The lady didn’t say a word, then glanced at the liquor keg and soon strode towards the table. She sat on the chair and raised her chin stubbornly.

“I-I can a-also drink that much.”

“Oh, really?”

Hebaron asked her provokingly. Gabel kicked him on the shin once again, but Hebaron did not even bat an eyelid. It was as if he was so drunk that he was as dull as a rock to even feel the pain. He chuckled and handed her a full glass of wine.

“Shall we test it out?”

“Sir Nirta, fear the consequences…”

“Now, now, stop nagging and have a little taste. It’s a killer.”

Then, he burst into laughter at nothing and filled his glass again with wine. Only then did he realize that Nirta was more drunk than he had initially thought. Gabel jumped out of his seat and coughed out a groan, planning to grab him by the collar and drag him out at once, but before he could carry out his plan, the lady gulped down the wine without taking a second to breathe. Gabel watched the sight dumbfoundedly.

Lady Calypse, who had emptied her large wine glass in one breath, vigorously held out the empty glass to Hebaron. “O-one more glass please.”

“As much as the lady wishes.”

Hebaron burst into laughter and scooped wine out of the barrel. She drank the second glass, not leaving a single drip of liquid. The situation was now progressing to something he could not solve. Gabel watched anxiously as Hebaron gave her wine repeatedly and she drank it all in exchange. The furious face of the commander flashed before his eyes.

It crossed his mind that it would be better to leave that place in an instant and save himself from the horror that awaited, but he thought it would not be wise to leave those two alone. Gabel dissuaded her with a nervous tone.

“M‘lady, you’ve had too much. Don’t overdo it and quit now…”

She glared at him angrily. “I’m not overdoing it! I-I’m still fine. T-this much is n-nothing.”

Gabel twitched and leaned back. Contrary to what one could think looking at her, she was very stubborn. She brought the glass close to her lips again and drank it in one down.

“Hey, you’re taking it down so well. I’m impressed.”

Hebaron’s compliments made her have a satisfied look. It seemed that she was so drunk that she didn’t even mind how strange it was to be happy to be praised with those kinds of words. Her face was as red as the color of her hair. If the commander witnessed this, it would not only be Hebaron who would end up being a dead meat, but he too.

Gabel moistened his dry lips, remembering the leader’s blind protective instincts for this little woman. Unaware of his words, Hebaron uttered nonsensical chatter from time to time.

“I didn’t know the lady was such a bold person. When I first saw her, I thought she was just a quiet, boring woman.”

Lady Calypse’s face clouded as if she was offended by his sensitive remarks and soon retorted bitterly. “My first impression of S-sir… was not g-good either. You are incredibly huge… you’ve g-got a rough face and your v-voice is so loud…”

Hebaron grunted loudly and clutched his chest like she inflicted him a fatal wound. She smiled broadly, as if satisfied with her great rebuttal. Hebaron giggled at the sight and asked her casually.

“What was your first impression of the commander?”

The lady tilted her head to the side as if she didn’t know who he was talking about. Then, Hebaron added quickly to his words.

“I mean Sir Calypse. The commander is almost as big as me and he has a frightening impression.”

Lady Calypse’s forehead wrinkled and gathered her eyebrows as if she was in deep thought, then soon answered gently.

“Ri-Riftan was also…scary.”

“The commander is more handsome than Sir Nirta. It wouldn’t have been as bad as the first impression m‘lady had for Sir Nirta.”

Gabel rushed to intervene. He wanted to prevent the ridiculous situation from leading to a marital discord. However, the lady shook her head, clasping the glass with both of her hands.

“The truth is… more than Sir N-Nirta… Ri-Riftan was s-so m-much more s-scarier. He had no e-expression… His eyes were t-too sharp… the way he t-talks… is rough…”

“The commander is pretty overbearing.” Hebaron agreed and struck back. “In fact, someone like Uslin Rikaido, who was slender and sleek-looking, was more popular with the ladies than the commander.”

“T-that’s not true.” She stared at him like she wasn’t pleased with Hebaron daring to compare Ritan to another man. “R-riftan is…tons of t-times more dashing!”

“But the lady didn’t seem to like the commander at first either, right?”

“T-that’s… because Riftan seemed to hate m-me…”

She mumbled as if she grew speechless and drank the rest of her wine. Then, she wiped her mouth and stuttered so badly that he could not understand clearly what she was saying.

“I-it’s b-because i-it’s i-intimidating… t-the f-first t-time I-I s-saw h-him… I t-thought t-that h-he was h-handsome. T-the s-servants i-in C-croix C-castle… t-talked a-about R-Riftan a-all day. I-I a-also p-peeked t-to l-look at h-him f-from f-far a-away a-at t-times.”

She confessed abruptly, her neck turning red all the way. It embarrassed him to watch her. Lady Calypse brought the glass near her lips as if to hide her shame and realized that the glass was empty and lowered her arm again. Hebaron got her glass and filled it again.

“Ah…T-thank you.”

She drank the wine down to the last drip again. Hebaron, who was watching her, asked in a thoughtful tone.

“Did the commander suit the lady’s liking?”

Maximillian Calypse blinked blankly like she was drunk and slowly shook her head. “I’m not s-sure. I thought that he was d-dashing… but he looked s-scary i-indeed up close… it made me n-nervous… when I h-heard that I was going to… m-marry him… I wanted to r-run away. B-because he l-looked like a v-violent person…”

“That’s right, the commander is ruthless when it comes to his enemies but he was never cruel to the weak.”

Gabel quickly refuted. She nodded her head eagerly and grabbed her glass. The wine spilled over, staining her silk garments red but she didn’t seem conscious of it anymore.

“I k-know that t-too. N-now.. I r-realized… t-that I-I m-misunderstood back t-then. Ri-Riftan is… n-nice… k-kind… o-of course… w-whenever he gets a-angry it’s s-scary… b-but h-he o-only g-gets a-angry b-because h-he w-worries a-about me. S-sometimes… i-it feels g-good to f-feel t-that…”

Then, she sighed nervously and took another sip of her wine. Her lips softened as if all the tension she had been holding were released. “N-now…I don’t think he’s as s-scary as I thought before. S-surprisingly… he h-has a lot of l-lovely sides to him…”

Gabel spewed out the wine that he was drinking. Hebaron, who had been baptized by his wine, spat out profanity but it didn’t seem to reach his ears. He asked back, doubting what he just heard.

“The commander is… lovely?”

He couldn’t believe how that kind of description was used for a man over 6 kvets (180 cm) and 1 henge (12 cm) tall, his mouth hanging open blankly.

The lady groaned and exclaimed. “W-when h-he sleeps, h-he’s v-very l-lovely. I-it’s cute w-when the b-back of h-his hair s-sticks out… H-he’s eyelids a-are s-smooth and r-relaxed w-when h-he’s sleeping-h-he doesn’t l-look t-that s-scary… h-he looks y-younger t-than u-usual…”

Lady Calypse bashfully fiddled and twisted her hair as she expressed her words. “A-and… r-recently, I n-noticed… t-that his h-hair is s-slightly p-parted to t-the r-right… I t-think it l-looks l-lovely.”

Gabel’s mouth continued to hang open blankly. He was genuinely worried that she might have gone insane from drinking too much. Hebaron and him shared the same bewildered face.

“It’s lovely that his hair is parted to the right?”

“Parting it to the l-left side w-won’t do!” She exclaimed enthusiastically. “L-left s-side or m-middle p-part… it should be s-slightly parted to the right!”

He was so speechless that his lips only twitched. He wondered why he was suddenly listening to the story of how his commander’s hair was parted, but Maximillian Calypse did not stop there.

“A-and… when he’s n-nervous… he s-swipes his h-hair up l-like this… it’s l-lovely… h-his hands are so big and w-warm. W-when I h-hold it, it f-feels cozy… and h-his voice is so low… that it’s nice to l-listen to…”

Gabel’s ears turned red as he glanced at the door with troubled eyes. Why am I listening to such an embarrassing confession? He shifted on his seat, but she didn’t seem to want to quit the torture she was giving them.

“A-and the f-face he makes when he s-smiles… it’s so d-dashing. Actually… although he makes a c-cool impression… and he i-indeed appears scary… Ri-Riftan looks m-most dashing when he s-smiles like that.”

“…….”

“And… his chest… is so w-wide… w-when he h-hugs me… it feels s-so goo-good…”

Suddenly, Maximillian Calypse, who was talking up to that point, suddenly fell silent. Gabel, who was lost in embarrassment, suddenly jumped from his seat, startled when he saw her face becoming pale. As she staggered dizzily, she abruptly curled up onto the table.

“M-m‘lady!”

He gripped her shoulders hesitantly. His heart fluttered so hard, worried that there was something wrong that happened to her for drinking excessively.

Seriously, I’m f*cking sick of this damned person. Gabel glared at Hebaron, who had become as dumbfounded as he was, and hastily hugged the lady to support her figure. Then, he suddenly heard a small snoring sound and lowered his gaze to her. Although she appeared pale, she had a steady breath and a normal pulse.

“…it looks like she fell asleep from drinking too much.”

Gabel steadied her figure, embracing her in support and let out a breathless sigh.

“If the commander witnesses this now, he will not grant a peaceful death.”

Even at his threat, Hebaron giggled, not discouraged at all. “Then we should destroy the evidence before he gets back. Hurry, the lady…”

“Hurry… what were you planning to do with my wife?”

The temperature in the room seemed to have dropped below zero in an instant. They became stiff and were barely able to turn their heads to look. Riftan Calypse was standing with an expression looking like a lion who came straight from the pits of hell.

Gabel swallowed dryly. His black eyes glared at the kegs rolling on the floor and the messy table, before his gaze shifted and fixated onto his unconscious wife that was cradled in Gabel’s arms. He heard a gruesome, hair-raising grinding of teeth.

“Do you care to explain what happened?”

“A fine drink arrived, and we shared it together… hahaha.”

Hebaron chuckled loudly as if he was trying to somehow cover up the situation. The commander’s eyes only darkened further. He walked eerily in a slow manner and snatched Maximillian Calypse from Gabel’s arms. He became conflicted at his hostile attitude and began to make excuses.

“I-I was just trying to bring the lady to her room because she fell asleep!”

“In the first place, why did you guys end up drinking with my wife until she passed out?”

Gabel had no intention of defending Hebaron one bit, so he did not hesitate even for a moment and pointed at him with his fingertip. Riftan wrapped his arms tightly around the woman and glared at Hebaron as if he was about to kill him.

“Are you tired of living, Nirta?”

“We were just building our friendship over a couple of drinks, you are overreacting…”

Hebaron, who was lightly booing, immediately shut his mouth upon seeing Riftan’s face, which grew more violently distorted in anger by the second.

At least you know when to shut up. Gabel quipped inwardly. Riftan stared at them in fierce silence and clenched his teeth.

“Both of you, stand by in the training grounds. Let’s test until where this building friendship b*llsh*t goes.”

“C-commander I’m….”

Gabel tried to plead, but he turned around without even listening. Despite being angry to the tip of his head, he moved carefully like a flowing water, afraid that his sleeping wife would feel uncomfortable.

We’re dead meat for sure.

Gabel stared blankly at the back of their commander distantly, then immediately sent a resentful gaze towards Hebaron. It seemed like he wasn’t fully awake yet, in fact Hebaron smirked, not fully comprehending the situation.

“It has been a while since I’ve had a proper sword fight with the commander. That’s unexpected.”

He stared at Hebaron as he grabbed the sword that he had previously taken off. Gabel vowed to himself that he would never be involved in anything again with this bastard and Nirta exclaimed as if he was intentionally upsetting him.

“Now, let’s go fight a little match with the lovely Sir Calypse whose hair is slightly parted to the right!”

Note – LF: Aww Gabel’s perception of Maxi is so cute, he wanted to pet her <3 Hebaron knew which buttons to press, and Maxi… girl, I’m getting second-hand embarrassment xD