Chapter 026. He is not a soft persimmon
The smell of antiseptic and infused herbs welcomed the group as they hobbled into the fairly large infirmary.
“Ouch, ouch! Put me in the bed first!” Saterina hissed and pointed to a vacant bed shakily.
Dotr’s expression has been filled with dark cloud all the way here after he had to endure almost getting bald at back of his head. “I’ll never let you come near my body again.” He declared solemnly, collapsing on a stool. He patted his head insecurely, shooting Saterina’s hands an accusatory glare.
“What kind of meat do you have in your town?” He muttered.
”Hey, hey, it’s not bad. That’s just hair.” Yael stated.
”You say that.” Dotr gave him an impassive stare, signifying something.
Yael gasped. “Hey, don’t turn the topic on me! And for the record, I was bald because my mother wanted me to be a priest.”
”Wow, that’s quite a back story.”Dotr snorted, while Pola covered her chuckle with a tight cough.
”I don’t think you would suit as a priest, Yael.” Haedi remarked with light laugh.
”Ha! If you must know I have a very good memory. I have already memorized the Preamble to Celestia and Scriptures of the Early Saints.” Yael puffed his chest proudly. One more gloat and his nose would have overtaken the skies.
“Wow, that’s nice. We have priest. From now on, you will be called Father.” Dotr snickered, while clapping slowly.
“It’s amazing how everyone have different back stories.” Haedi remarked in awe.
”Well, who wants to be a priest anyway. Being a soldier is more exciting!” Yael hastily looked away and adjusted his posture coolly.
“How about you Dotr? What is your story?” Neil asked.
”My story…” Dotr hummed with a smile, “it’s not that interesting like Father—“
”Stop calling me that!”
”My family and I live in an ordinary village. But I was the only kid who finished a preparatory grade.”
All of them gave a noise in awe, then proceeded on talking about their hometowns.
“Hey, guys. I think the nurse is not here.” Neil muttered. The room remains silent even with their noises with no other human presence around.
“Let’s look around and see if we can find something useful.” Miroh stated then proceeded to snoop around the drawers.
“I’ll look for ice packs!” Neil raised his hand and run to the ore imbued machine that emits cold air 24/7 near the doctor’s office area.
Some of them dispersed to do their own searching after waiting in vain for a long time.
Going back at the patient’s bed.
“Ah, right! Please have a drink, classmates.” Haedi offered a pack of rehydrating fluid to Saterina with a soft voice. She also gave one to Dotr.
“Haedi is really godsend.” Dotr swooned, moved by her considerate gesture.
“You did the most work among all of us.” Haedi cheered, holding a thumbs up.
She let out a confused hum as she rummaged her bag after taking out the plain plasters at lost of what to do. Haedi then gasped, realizing they forgot to bring one important thing.
“Ah. Pola, can you search for a muscle cramp liniment?” Haedi pressed her palms together sheepishly.
“They really splurge a lot of resources to maintain the facilities here.” Yael murmured, weighing two battles of anti-inflammatory medicine on each of his hand. This medicine that is scarce in their village is easily attainable here.
For the imperial family, strengthening the kingdom’s military power is important than any other any social clauses. Looking into it carefully, the tri-military branches run the socio-economic climate of the kingdom like a well oiled machine. One will wonder what happens if one of the pieces break up.
Ayla opened a random cabinet and let out a small cheer once she found a bottle pasted with the familiar label of a muscle cramp liniment. It was the same brand that Caelum always use every time he got a cramp.
She was about to close the cabinet after pulling out the bottle when her hip accidentally hit a metal trolley causing the cup with a thermometer inside to fall with a clatter.
‘Thermometers isn’t expensive, right?’
She thought anxiously as she crouched down, tilting her head to see that it rolled over at the other side of the curtain that divides the patient’s bed.
She pulled up the curtain from underneath and crossed inside. She inspected the thermometer and sighed in relief after there’s no signs of cracks.
“Hu…”
Her eyes widen in alarm after hearing muffled groans above her. She hastily stood up, realizing that there’s a person lying on the patient’s bed.
The area had been enclosed entirely by the curtains, which makes the noises from outside seem farther away than before.
The man in front of her was panting deeply, clearly disturbed by something in his sleep. His eyes were curled downward in discomfort with a thin sheen of sweat glossing his skin.
This is the first time Ayla had a notion that someone could possibly be prettier than Caelum.
However, the person’s complexion was worsening every second which raises her alarm. She was the only one close to this person which makes her the prime suspect if something happen. Nobody wants to get drag to a mess they don’t want to muddle with!
“Excuse me, mister, are you okay?“
She shook his shoulder roughly to wake him up and instinctively place her hand on their forehead to feel any signs of fever.
His long bangs stick to his forehead because of the sweat yet Ayla hadn’t notice anything but the fact that this person’s body temperature exceed the normal.
It’s like a furnace is raging inside him.
“Huuu…”
The person parted his pale lips murmuring something incomprehensible. From the outsider’s perspective, Ayla was like a grieving loyal servant listening to the dying words of her wealthy and good boss.
She leaned closer to the person’s mouth seriously. “Mister, can you repeat that for me?” She didn’t realize that the volume of her voice was far from the whisper she used before.
“Get…off….take you hands away.”
Ayla blinked at the sudden clarity of his words, tilting her head to come face to face with the person’s unimpressed expression.
Under the setting sun, the person’s entire features laid in front of her unobstructed. For some reason, the thing that made her curious is the color of his eyes. It was very frigid and gray, which suits the way his eyes narrowed coldly.
Someone with a domineering attitude suits Keid and their party very much. Unfortunately, this guy seems to have a time-limited life. Coming to the military may be something more like gathering good karma for him.
Unbeknownst to the Commander Carheil of the Black Winter moon that makes any knight’s boots quake, someone had labeled him as a recruit with an expiration date.
“Oh. I’m sorry. I thought you’re dying.” She put away her hand quickly and said it sincerely. Her expression hadn’t changed a tiny and was still composed.
Most people would be offended if they heard somebody assuming their death. But the person was least but affected like this situation has been happening for a long time.
Ayla inwardly sighed in regret.
“Ayla, did something happened?”
Ayla turned her head around to see Neil peeking between the gap of the curtains. He immediately noticed somebody sitting up on the patient’s bed and was startled.
“Oh, hello? Did we woke you up from your rest?” He asked nervously. They were rightfully trespassing in this room, which may earn them a demerit if somebody file a complaint.
The guy shook his head while keeping his posture relax. “It’s fine.” He looked like your neighborhood tyrant from the way he is crossing his arms over his chest. Even his words were used sparingly like some expensive ores.
His eyes were obscured behind long unkept bangs, which obscures his face. But Neil could feel his gaze directly at him gauging his actions, making him apprehensive. His intuition tells him that this person isn’t a soft persimmon.
On the other hand, Ayla looked back to the person’s calm posture, mentally ridiculing him. This person seem to put up a strong font as if the person who looks like he’ll die any moment was just an illusion.
Neil smiled in relief with an amiable smile on his face. He didn’t see anything amiss from the person’s state. “That’s good. We’re actually here to treat one of our friend’s injury. My name is Neil Hitcher. May I know your name, classmate?”
The person didn’t answer Neil and instead silently looked down to gaze at Ayla patiently.
Ayla raised her eyebrows at his actions, making eye contact without problem.
Neil nudged her back lightly. Goodness, it’s difficult to have friends with below average EQ. “I think he’s asking for your name too.”
“Oh. It’s Ayla.” Ayla blinked in realization before replying slowly.
The person hummed while adjusting his black gloves properly into his hands. “My name is bob.” ‘Bob’ finally introduced himself plainly without any fluctuation in his tone.
Both Ayla and Neil blinked their eyes slowly. “Bob?” Neil repeated confusedly.
‘What kind of name is that?’ Ayla thought incredulously.
That name paired with the person in front of them was as incompatible as putting beef in a trifle dessert. What parents would want to name their own child a mediocre name like Bob. Do parents usually wants to name their child in line with their aspiration?
“Is something wrong?” Bob frowned at the indescribable silence and asked seriously.
“Uh…no, no, it’s just that you have the same name as someone I know.” Neil hastily interjected with a laugh. How could they find fault to somebody’s name?
“What are you guys doing?”
Yael pushed the curtains aside and stepped inside with Miroh behind him. They noticed Ayla and Neil had went off somewhere and was searching for them.
“Satty was complaining she’s hungry so they went ahead to eat first.” Miroh explained.
Neil looked confuse having no idea who Miroh was talking about. “Satty?”
“Ah. It’s Saterina. She wants us to call her that from now on.” Yael replied with a shrug.
He finally noticed there’s a new person here. “By the way, who are you?” Yael faced the person reclining on the patient’s bed with a scowl. His native accent made his tone rougher than intended plus his shaved head that stood out among this year’s recruit.
Carheil sighed softly as if saying it for the second had wind him up. “My name is Bob.”
“Bob?” Miroh and Bob parroted at the same time with the same confusion.
“…”
“Anyway, hey Bob, why don’t you eat dinner with us!” Neil once again became the peacemaker in this scene and interjected cheerfully.
Carheil didn’t want to stay in a crowded place and was about to properly decline when Yael suddenly butt in, slinging an arm over his shoulder.
“Aiya, it’s better to have acquaintance from the start. You never know when we’ll have to work together later. Being a lone wolf will kill you.”
Carheil’s body turn rigid upon the body contact. His expression gradually frosted like a glacier that was about to erupt. If the winter knights would’ve witnessed this scene, they would have gouge their eyes in fear.
It was unscientific that no chaos happened this instant.
Carheil didn’t even what to know what expression he was wearing as they whisked him away from the infirmary to the mess hall brazenly.
No one would’ve imagine the Black Winter moon’s tyrant commander to be overwhelmed by a group of juniors and got completely assimilated to their friend group after dinner.
The oblivious youngsters genuinely welcomed the messy haired classmate, worried he was going to be a social outcast. This small misunderstanding is unlikely to be resolve in the future.
…
In the dead of the night all of the rooms had long been silent except for one room. Papers were strewn on the table filled with all kinds scribbles and annotations. The edges were slightly crinkled after sifting through it a couple of times.
A single oil lamp burned at the side illuminating a large canvas at the corner of the room. In the center of it all is a red thread connecting couple of point of interest in an undisclosed pattern.
Looking closely you might decipher words like Musè Regalia Opera House, Prima Donna, death threats, “Blossoms in the West Orchard” in different newspaper clippings.
A perfect illustration of a working progress of some kind of an investigation.
Carheil glanced up at the moon blankly before closing the folder on his hand and throwing it on the table resolutely. He took off the glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose and closed his head to rest his eyes briefly.
“Master, are you okay!?” A golden sphere popped out seemingly from nowhere. It was an entity made of pure aurora which glows in gold hues. A cute face comes with it that perfectly animates the arcane creature.
Carheil opened his eyes slowly, eyeing his companion quietly. It finally popped out after pretending to play dead the whole day.
“Calcifer…”
Calcifer, the entity made from his intangible tyrfing, avoided his pointed gaze guiltily. It knows damn well what it’s doing to land on this situation. The ball made a bell-like noise, twirling around in protest.
“I didn’t mean to get excited earlier! I’m sorry, Master.” Calcifer cried, latching on a strand of his hair desperately. It was more regretful of hurting its master than anything.
Carheil hummed in consideration. “You should control yourself starting now. Humans can’t survive on higher temperatures or else they’ll explode.”
If the ball possess a human like face, then it would have looked shell shocked at Carheil’s casual remark.
“S-so master might have exploded earlier?! Huhu…this adorable companion is sorry!”
Carheil sighed in defeat, stopping the ball from the whizzing around with his index finger. “Okay, now that we’re done with that. Remember that well. Don’t get carried away again and help me regulate my aurora properly.”
“Yes, sir! Do you have any discomfort from your aurora right now, Master? Calcifer can do anything!” Calcifer cried inwardly, feeling sorry for itself. The ball had to sell cuteness just to keep the boat from blowing up with this block of ice.
How is it that its master’s cold attitude is useless against calming down his own aurora? Earlier, Calcifer accidentally got carried away and made Carheil spend his time at the infirmary regulating the internal inferno.
“But! I feel it that time…a cold feeling suddenly came from master’s head and helped your body recover a lot! I really miss that cold so refreshing~” Calcifer chirped.
Carheil looked on thoughtfully. The finger that was tapping on the table absentmindedly froze. He remembered the cold slender hand wrapped on his forehead, easing the heat instantly like a cold blanket.
An owl suddenly hooted and flew away from its branch, which created a lot of noise. His attention soon strayed away from the cold fragrance he smell in a passing after that brief exchange along with Ayla earlier.
“Looks like it’s midnight now. I think it’s time to run around to gather information. What do you think, Calcifer?” Carheil’s expression eased up, moving away from his seat and slipping in a dark cape.
“Oh, I can’t wait! Let’s find good things about the stalker!” The ball trembled in excitement, doing a flip in the air.
The dark figure of Carheil soon jumped out of the window, leaving the room behind with the dimming candle light. He soon become one with the veiled darkness—a reminiscent of a place from his past.