Chapter 48
He had separated from her to make rational, correct decisions, for her sake and for his own, but instead, his reason was becoming cloudier.
His sudden, out-of-place participation in the knights’ basic training was purely an emotional act. For him, it was an utterly incomprehensible domain.
Ronius still didn’t understand. Why couldn’t he control his emotions? Why did these feelings surge up so endlessly that he had to barge in here, even startling his subordinates?
Though he had boomed commands loudly at their wide-eyed surprise, inside, he was cursing himself out of sheer embarrassment.
He was just so damn sick of seeing the same thing for two straight weeks. It was driving him insane.
He held it in, he held it in, but the fury boiling up from the pit of his stomach finally took over. Before he knew it, he had ripped off his own shirt and was now running at full tilt, enduring the rebellious stirrings of his own body as they ran wild.
Not being deterred by the weather wasn’t a habit unique to the knights.
Even when rain poured down hard enough to drill holes in the earth, she would stubbornly attend, watching the knights train with their bare skin on display.
‘Hmph. She probably just likes looking at their bodies.’
How could she not be satisfied after seeing his perfect physique? And look at her now—her eyes were already wandering again.
‘Just because they have d***s doesn’t mean they’re all the same.’
Ronius subtly flexed his pectoral muscles as he turned his body toward her. When their eyes met, he quickly pivoted away, pretending it was nothing.
Instead, he shot a disapproving glare at his subordinate knights.
‘And these brats… their physiques are so mediocre… and they have no shame…’
His brow furrowed with displeasure as he put more force behind his sword.
Just last week, the knights had been so awkward around her—a woman, a mage they’d never seen before. But now they were parading around stark naked without a care. It almost seemed like they were enjoying her attention.
The knights who barely managed to block his strikes staggered back.
“Next.”
As for Jeina… well, from the very start, she acted like it was none of her business whether the knights were uncomfortable or not.
Did she have any idea how distracting it was for her to just sit there like that? And on top of it…
‘Where is she looking with those eyes of hers?’
He could have sworn her dark gaze flickered down toward his subordinates’ lower bodies…
For some reason, the face of the knight catching his breath in front of him seemed redder than before. Ronius completely dismissed the idea that it might be from their spar.
“Gah!”
In that moment, he lost control, unleashing his sword’s aura on the junior knights who were barely keeping up.
‘Does it really not matter, as long as they’re men with c***s?’
All those things she did to me… would she do them to these brats, too…?
Amidst the violently swirling dust, a sudden anxiety gripped him.
Thud. The dust settled, revealing the devastated surroundings. His training sword was shattered, and the knights who had failed to withstand his aura were collapsed on the ground.
His n*****s, stung by the sharp wind, ached with a strange, tickling sensation.
If he wasn’t careful, he felt he might drop his pants right here and now and present himself to her.
“We’re done here. Dismissed.”
Ronius turned his body away from her completely.
A somber, heavy atmosphere fell. The knights quietly got to their feet, watching their superior’s mood.
His low, subdued voice cut through the air.
“Dilton.”
From the back, the vice-captain, who had been trembling as he observed the training under his direct superior’s terrifying intensity, scurried forward.
“Yes, Captain.”
“Tell the 3rd Captain to handle prisoner transport. The 4th Captain is responsible for the spoils. We will cross the mountain range ahead of them.”
“At once, sir!”
“Get the men ready. Now.”
He had to get back to the Empire quickly, by any means necessary.
He couldn’t…
Not like this…
Ronius swallowed hard.
Even with his back to her, he could feel her gaze as if it were a physical touch. That persistent stare felt like it would bore a hole through his back, making the nape of his neck burn.
“U-um, Captain?”
“What.”
The atmosphere, now several degrees more murderous, made Dilton’s shoulders tremble.
“What about the mage?”
Over the past few days, although the Captain hadn’t shown it overtly, his attitude had made it clear her treatment mattered. The order had, in turn, become deferential to her.
Ronius faltered.
“What about the mage?”
“Well… she’s not a prisoner or spoils of war.”
It was a question of who she should be assigned to.
“She moves with us… Ask her what she wants to do.”
“Yes, sir.”
“…Politely.”
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