Chimera of Batius - Chapter 18

Cheil wandered through the fortress, following Ruzerolt’s scent. Lately, Ruzerolt had been on edge; Cheil could tell just by his scent. And he knew the reason: he himself had been the one to drive him into that state.

The trail led him to the knights’ building. Cheil stopped in front of a large window and looked calmly inside.

Since the knights’ quarters were also in this building, the high interior walls were adorned with large portraits of former captains, each occupying an entire section. Cheil walked along the wall, calmly admiring the paintings. The northern captains were all tall, with dark brown hair and dark eyes. The first, the second, the third… Cheil moved from one portrait to the next until his steps halted before the last one in the line.

Ruzerolt Heinsley.

Seeing the portraits side by side, he understood why people said Ruzerolt wasn’t a typical northern citizen. Unlike the others, who brimmed with a wild, natural beauty, Ruzerolt had a more refined air. His gleaming silver hair and green eyes stood out, but what drew the most attention were his delicate features and sharply defined facial lines. The painting and reality didn’t differ much. Among the many northern citizens, Ruzerolt was undeniably a striking man.

Cheil raised a hand to his mouth, hiding the corner of his lips as they kept trying to curl into a smile. Just the thought of pinning that elegant man to the bed and devouring him made his heart pound. He could endure the long courtship with patience.

After all, the captain was still a man of the north.

As he lost himself in thought, he overheard a faint conversation coming from the building’s entrance.

“But why him, of all people? He’s a beta, isn’t he?”

“You haven’t seen that dancer, have you? That’s why you say that. It’s surprising, but I get why the captain brought him. Even if he’s a beta, if he’s that beautiful, a one-night stand wouldn’t be so bad. Of everyone I’ve seen, he’s the most beautiful. Mason said the same… Huh? Hein! Is the meeting over already?”

Creak.

The door opened, revealing Hein’s face.

“It was a quick matter, so it ended fast. By the way, why is everyone here and not on the training field?”

“We were just about to go. Don’t push me so hard.”

Cheil approached the area where the squad members were gathering.

“By the way, Hein, you must be pretty familiar with that dancer, right?”

A gentleman who had his back to Cheil asked. Hein, who was facing him, noticed Cheil approaching.

“Dancer? Do you mean that… dark-skinned, black-haired one?”

“Yes, the one who’s completely bewitched the captain. Since I was in Rivatron, I haven’t seen the guy yet. I’m really looking forward to seeing what he’s like.”

“I think that guy is right behind you.”

“Huh?”

The knight turned and looked at Cheil with startled eyes. Cheil greeted him with a gentle smile.

“How long have you been here?”

Cheil straightened up and clasped his hands. In his lowered gaze was the calm composure typical of a courtier.

“I’ve been here for a little while. I was getting some fresh air.”

“Ah… uh. Okay?”

The knight awkwardly scratched the back of his neck and studied Cheil. The man’s sticky attention crawled up from the tips of Cheil’s feet. It rose past his ankles, calves, and thighs, then fixed on the lower part of his abdomen where his hands were clasped. Cheil clicked his tongue inwardly at that unwavering stare.

I can’t exactly shove my c0ck into his mouth right here.

Cheil ran his fingers through his hair and stepped closer. The knight’s Adam’s apple bobbed. A scent of damp grass surrounded him. In an instant, Cheil was right in front of him. Their eyes were level, or perhaps Cheil’s were a fraction higher.

“Did you say you wanted to see me?”

“W-wanted to see you? What a way to put it! Uh.”

“Then should I say you were curious? That sounds even stranger.”

Cheil rubbed the lower edge of his mask with his thumb and forefinger. When he lowered his eyes with a smile, the man swallowed hard. Just as the persistent gaze was about to settle on him again, Hein stepped between them.

“Dancer. Can you just wander around like this? You might get into trouble again.”

“Now that Sir Ruzerolt is here, I’m fine. You can relax.”

“Don’t go dragging any innocent people into trouble.”

Hein wore a gentle expression, unlike Reym. He wasn’t hostile, but he wasn’t friendly either. He’d been a victim of one of Cheil’s tricks recently. It was no surprise he looked at Cheil with distaste.

“I’m very sorry about what happened last time. I didn’t think things would turn out like that in the brief moment you stepped away…”

“I know. In that short moment, that disaster happened. It’s as if someone had planned it.”

“I suppose I was just unlucky.”

“Was it really just bad luck?”

Hein crossed his arms and lifted his chin. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes, which had been smiling until that moment.

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“If you’re thinking of playing a dirty trick on the Captain, I’m telling you, you’re wasting your time.”

Hein had a broader vision than Reym when it came to matters not related to the order of knights.

Cheil replied calmly.

“I don’t believe Sir Ruzerolt is someone who would fall for the tricks of a person as lowly as me. So, instead of doubting me… why not try trusting Sir Ruzerolt more?”

Hein’s ever-smiling expression suddenly tightened. He uncrossed his arms.

“You, now…”

At that moment, the door opened and a group of people emerged.

Reym appeared among the crowd. Upon seeing Cheil, his face hardened. Then, Ruzerolt came through the door. The tense atmosphere suddenly eased with his presence. The knights focused their attention on Ruzerolt. However, Ruzerolt’s gaze was fixed solely on Cheil. Cheil, who had been relaxed until now, adopted a somber expression. Then, Ruzerolt’s scent, now filled with unease, reached Cheil on a current of air.

“Cheil.”

“…Sir Ruzerolt.”

“Were you taking a walk?”

Cheil nodded in response. Ruzerolt, observing him closely, immediately asked.

“You don’t look well. Why didn’t you wear warmer clothes?”

“I was just about to go back.”

“I see. Hein, please take Cheil to the guest house…”

“No! I can go alone.”

Cheil twisted his fingers together and glanced sideways at Hein.

“…I must not cause any more trouble.”

“Trouble?”

Ruzerolt shot a sharp look at Hein.

“Then, I’ll go first.”

“Che…”

Cheil turned and left. As the distance between them grew, Ruzerolt’s voice faded in the distance.

“Hey, what did you say to Cheil?”

“I didn’t tell him anything important… Why are you looking at me like that? It’s the truth!”

Reym, who had been observing the situation, looked at the ground with a heavy expression.

“Captain, we’ll head to the training ground now.”

Reym shook his head while looking at Hein, who wore a frustrated expression.

***

Reym was heading toward the training ground when a long shadow fell into step beside him. He turned to find Cheil there.

A dancer who had appeared in the north, a dancer who always disturbed Ruzerolt Heinsley, and also… a deeply unsettling presence.

Reym, before being the sub-commander of the knightly order, was a citizen of the north. Because of that, he had seen countless dancers in his life. But this man, in particular, emanated an unusual aura. He couldn’t explain precisely what it was, but it was a feeling of profound unease.

“What are you doing?”

Reym’s hostility was immediate.

“I’m taking a walk.”

Even facing the sarcastic tone, Cheil didn’t back down. His demeanor was very different from the one he displayed in front of Ruzerolt. Reym couldn’t explain it precisely, but the feeling was subtly different. He put his senses on high alert.

“Didn’t you say you were returning to the guest house?”

“It’s still light out. I feel lonely being inside. Besides, I like this path.”

“This is the area near the training ground. It’s not a path you can enter and leave as you please.”

“But didn’t Sir Ruzerolt allow it?”

Even without Ruzerolt’s explicit permission, that path was open to everyone. Reym couldn’t force him to leave. He quickened his pace with an uncomfortable expression. The sound of his shoulder guards clashing grew louder. The metallic friction revealed his simmering resentment.

Cheil, unable to contain it any longer, let out a low laugh. Reym looked at him with sharp eyes.

“What?”

“Did you know that people who are often insincere tend to express their emotions through actions rather than words?”

Cheil smiled subtly, provoking him. Reym’s eyes flashed with anger.

“Shut up, you presumptuous dancer! Do you think you’re someone special just because the captain pities you?”

“I understand my place better than you think. If I truly meant something to Sir Ruzerolt… if that were the case, I wouldn’t be here but would have gone directly to him. It seems that Lord Reym doesn’t like me very much.”

Clang.

The armor stopped creaking.

“If there’s anything you don’t like, tell me. It’s not fitting for a gentleman to let his pride waver over a mere dancer.”

Reym, now completely still, fixed his gaze on Cheil.

“What is your objective?”

“If you ask me so suddenly… I’m afraid I don’t quite understand the meaning of your question.”

“I’m asking what your goal is in clinging to the Captain.”

It was the same protective instinct Hein had shown. They were both alert, sensitive to the possibility that their master and friend might be harmed or taken away.

“As you already know, I’m only a dancer in a company. I’m not in a position to approach someone as noble as Sir Ruzerolt with any agenda.”

Cheil wrapped the cloak more tightly around his body.

“I… can only remain by his side for as long as he allows me.”

“I know you’re trying to influence the Captain with your nonsense.”

“Nonsense? That’s a rather harsh choice of words.”

Cheil took a step closer to Reym.

It was at that moment that another presence approached from a distance. Firm, steady footsteps drew nearer. It was Ruzerolt.

Cheil’s senses swept the area. In this space, only three people were present: himself, Reym standing before him, and Ruzerolt approaching from afar.

Cheil blinked. In that instant, the snowy field beneath his feet transformed into a white stage. Though his audience consisted only of grass and trees, it was enough. It was time for Cheil to present his performance once again.

Unlike Cheil, who had assessed his surroundings in an instant, Reym remained unaware of Ruzerolt’s presence and continued directing his hostility toward the dancer.

“I know your type. There’s always a reason why people like you cling to power.”

Reym clenched his teeth. Raw emotion bled into his low voice.

Cheil shrugged and lowered his gaze.

“A reason… Well, if you insist, then yes, there is a reason. Though it may seem base to you…”

“What reason? What do you want? Why are you clinging to Captain Ruzerolt?”

The familiar scent of the forest drifted on the wind. Cheil wrapped his arms around himself as if embracing the breeze.

“I just… I’m in love.”

Reym’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“You? Someone like you…! You dare say you love Captain Ruzerolt?”

“…Yes.”

“Ah!”

The approaching presence halted.

“You’re a commoner who doesn’t know his place!”

“And you, Sir Reym? Don’t you love Sir Ruzerolt?”

“What I offer him is loyalty and respect!”

Cheil blinked slowly and looked directly at Reym.

The relationship between superior and subordinate. No matter how deeply imbued with friendship, it cannot transcend the bounds of that dynamic. They couldn’t get past the image of him rolling in the bed and sharing the most intimate moments. The reason the knights watched him was singular: they feared Ruzerolt would be taken by him. And that was because they saw the possibility of it happening.

“Loyalty tends to be more fragile the stronger it is…”

Cheil’s whispered words were so soft that only Reym, standing nearby, could hear them.

“Broken fragments, no matter how many times they’re glued, never return to their original shape…”

As Cheil tucked his hair behind his ear, a cold wind blew. Snowflakes mixed with the scattered wind brushed between them. Reym’s pupils dilated as he saw the bitter smile Cheil showed at that moment.

However, as the wind ceased, Cheil returned to his appearance of a pure dancer.

“I also respect Sir Ruzerolt. But more than that… I love him.”

Ruzerolt’s footsteps began approaching again. This time, Cheil raised his voice slightly.

“Though I am of low birth, I have a heart.”

“You… you dare to even think of touching Sir Ruzerolt?”

“When I’m by his side, my heart feels at peace, like under a warm spring sun. How could I not be drawn to that warmth? He was the first person who treated me with kindness, me, who has always lived in arid places… Someone like you, who has only lived in sunny places, will never understand! You’ll never know how valuable and desirable it is to have someone who accepts you as you are. Never!”

“You’d better realize your place.”

“To me, Sir Ruzerolt is the only one. That’s why I desire him. I fell in love. That’s why I want to stay by his side… always.”

Cheil clutched his clothes tightly. The wrinkled fabric twisted mercilessly. Cheil suddenly raised his head.

“Is this reason enough for me to be by Sir Ruzerolt’s side? I just want to stay by his side. That’s all!”

Clang!

Reym, filled with rage, grabbed Cheil by the neck.

His caution had turned to pure anger.

“I warn you, don’t disturb him.”

“If you want that… you’ll have to kill me right here.”

“You think I’m not capable?”

Step by step, the forest’s scent approached faster and faster. Cheil whispered in a voice low enough for only Reym to hear.

“It seems you’re worried I’ll take him from you.”

That single sentence ignited the last of Reym’s reason.

“You think so? In the end, I’m just a simple dancer.”

“You damned bastard…!”

Reym drew his sword and pointed it at Cheil’s neck.

“Do you know what you’re saying?”

Burning rage clouded his vision, his hearing, and his touch.

Cheil tilted his head toward the sword. The blade touching his neck sank into his soft skin. Drops of bl00d fell one by one as the dark skin split open. Yet Cheil didn’t flinch and leaned a little closer to the blade.

The scent of the forest began to grow stronger. Cheil’s heart started pounding as he felt a presence nearby.

Ruzerolt. Come to me. Come and hear this sweet confession with your own ears.

“Ever since I met him, I realized what it means to feel a connection. I want nothing from Sir Ruzerolt. I’m not in any position to ask for anything, either. I just want to stay by his side… If you say even that isn’t allowed…”

Cheil flushed bright red in an instant.

“Isn’t that asking too much…?”

Tap, tap, tap, tap!

Footsteps approached rapidly.

“Reym!”

Reym, finally spotting Ruzerolt in the distance, froze.

“C-Captain?”

Ruzerolt, who had run toward them, shoved Reym aside and pulled Cheil to his chest.

“What are you doing to Cheil? Put your sword away!”

“This is…”

“How dare you draw your sword on an unarmed man? Is that the conduct of a Heinsley knight?”

“Captain, please, this is because of this man’s disrespectful words…”

Cheil bowed his head and gripped Ruzerolt’s arm, which was wrapped around his waist.

“Sir Ruzerolt. It’s my fault. I overstepped… I, not knowing my place…”

Moisture welled up in his beautiful eyes. Tears spilled down Cheil’s cheeks. Ruzerolt turned Cheil and had him rest his head on his shoulder.

“Cheil, it’s all right.”

“Captain, please, let me explain the situation!”

“What more explanation do I need beyond what I saw with my own eyes?”

“I’ll explain everything in detail!”

“A northern knight pointed his sword at an unarmed dancer. Are you saying I’m mistaken?”

“That’s… I…!”

“A knight’s sword should only be sharpened to protect and defend the weak.”

“This is…”

“Regardless of the reason! Pointing a sword at the weak is inexcusable.”

“…”

“Go to the training hall.”

“…”

“It’s an order. Go to the training hall, Reym.”

“…Captain.”

Reym’s face turned as red as a tomato.

“Are you disobeying me?”

His eyes, full of contempt, looked at Cheil as if he wanted to kill him. His anger clouded even his peripheral vision. But despite his rage and fury, he was a foolish and defeated beast.

“…No.”

He bowed and turned back toward the training ground. His long cloth cloak fluttered, revealing the turbulence of his emotions. Cheil leaned on Ruzerolt’s shoulder and rubbed his cheek against him. The faith of the North had been cracked.