TEB Ch 38

“…….” 

It was said that the place Renard and Palvin were dispatched to was the Melic Gorge. It was a rugged, mountainous region adjacent to the border. Was there anything particularly dangerous there? Please, remember, please remember. I desperately racked my brain, trying to remember chapters and descriptions from the novel. But now my memories of Suhyuk are so blurred that I couldn’t even remember if there was a chapter where Melik Gorge was mentioned. 

In the midst of my anxiety, the only thing I could do was sit and wait. The impulse to rush to the scene arose several times, but even if Renard was in trouble, joining a large-scale battle where even civilians like Liev might hinder more than help was not an option. Instead of helping, there was a higher chance of complicating matters if I got into danger. Waiting was the best course of action. 

“We will contact you as soon as the situation is under control on our end.” 

Is the reason they can speak so calmly about it because they trust Renard to that extent, or…because they knew that Renard was a strong comrade? So, a week has passed with my heart pounding without even being bored. After anxiously twiddling my thumbs for a week, 

Finally, the long-awaited has arrived. 

“They received communication from the scene!?” 

“Yes, they definitely plan to return next Monday. The appointment ceremony schedule has been set, so don’t worry too much and just wait.” 

As expected, the situation was not as dangerous as feared. The restoration work took time because the bridge connecting the gorge, which was only a few hundred meters away, had been destroyed by monsters descending from the summit of the mountain range. 

It was said that, apart from the collapsed bridge, there was no alternative means to cross the gorge, making it a time-consuming task to transport temporary supplies. Even if it took a little more time, they had to explore an alternative route to cross. 

Fortunately, there were no significant casualties, but due to the destruction of the communication device, contact was delayed. 

“Phew….” 

Without realizing it, I let out a sigh of relief while looking at Liev, the reporter who brought the news smiled. 

“You must have been very worried, weren’t you?.” 

“Huh? No. No… Well…” 

In an instant, my face turned red. It was because of the numerous complaints he had made to the White Eagle Knight’s office until today. It might have seemed like he was making a fuss over nothing. It was nothing special. 

In the field, there were people who had lost their livelihoods or had family members injured, and it was irritating to be constantly bothered about a single communication. Liev’s face flushed as if it would burst at any moment. Even though the appointment ceremony was something he was looking forward to, he felt glad that the days were passing by and that he could confirm Renard’s safety that day. 

*** 

Finally, the day arrived. He had laid the groundwork to possibly arrive just before the appointment ceremony began, as he had decided to avoid the superstition that meeting before entering the grand hall would bring bad luck. Liev found himself doing exactly that. The first time Liev looked at Renard’s face again was inside the “Hall of Glory,” where the appointment ceremony took place. 

“……” 

The moment Liev’s eyes met Renard’s, Renard’s reptilian, long-slit iris gently flickered. Observing Renard’s unnecessarily cheerful appearance, Liev tried to turn his gaze away from the surroundings. 

“They made it unnecessarily flashy.” 

The “Hall of Glory,” a venue used to hold various royal events, was decorated extravagantly as if a grand banquet were being held. Not only were there ribbons tied here and there to make it stand out, but the chandeliers on the ceiling were also lit up extravagantly, filling the entire venue like shiny, scattered stars. There were even huge flower decorations adorning every corner. To an onlooker, they would have thought a princess or prince was getting married. 

“……” 

Being the protagonist of such a noisy event was no different from hardship for Liev. Now that he had confirmed Renard’s condition, he just wanted to go home quickly. Of course, there wasn’t a place he could call home at the moment. All he could think about was locking himself up in his undisturbed bedroom and stroking a bunch of warm fur. 

“Big Bird is nine years old this year.” 

Big Bird, a two-month-old puppy left in the care of Lambert, whom he was indebted to, was the last furry creature Liev had given away the corner of his bed to. Until he was five, he was a large, active hunting dog, excelling in finding precious mushrooms and herbs until he turned the age of seven. The large, golden-furred dog, once capable of roaming the forest as an active hunting dog, was now standing on the verge of death, his eyes dimmed and his ears not as bright as before. 

Taking care of him was mainly Liev’s responsibility, his daily routine was to fall asleep in a bed filled with a warm dog-like scent and wake up stroking his fluffy fur. Since joining the research institute, however, it was not an environment where he could freely raise pets, and he had been sleeping alone all this time. 

“Even if the environment allows it, I don’t have the intention to raise anything right now.” 

Suddenly, on the opposite side, Liev saw Renard standing with a triumphant expression. Liev let out a sigh. Now, just thinking about it made his head feel like it was going to explode. Renard probably didn’t know the feeling of waiting anxiously all the time without any contact, not knowing when he would return. Even if he knew, he probably wouldn’t understand. Knowing the feeling of not having the ability or strength to step forward, there’s no need for him to know. Liev ignored the bitter taste in his mouth and looked away. 

Whether Renard knew that Liev was having such thoughts or not, he just seemed to be in a good mood. Today felt like a day he had been eagerly anticipating—a day when Liev would officially be declared his. 

“In the name of the Lord, I hereby give testimony to this place. Will you, in my name, as my other hands and feet, contribute to defending this land with unyielding justice and glorious honor?” 

The appointment ceremony was not only fancy but also not very long. The past punishment as a war criminal would be discussed at a trial, but before he knew it, he was being praised for a valiant feat of protecting the country. Having shown courage at a young age by freeing a dragon and contributing to freeing the dragon from Count Vasil, he was appointed as a squire knight, assisting the dragon and then receiving a ceremonial sword from the king. 

“Yes, I swear.” 

Liev, following the etiquette he had been taught earlier, approached the king, kneeled, and bowed. The sword moved from his left shoulder, past his head, to his right shoulder, and then again came over his head, creating the holy symbol of a cross. After lying flat across Liev’s body, Liev raised his bent body, held the sword with one hand, and raised it toward the ceiling. The eyes of everyone in the hall turned to Liev. 

“Oh….” 

“Wow….” 

As Liev, who had been bowing all this time, straightened his body and stood up in front of everyone, those who had always remembered his scraggly look with his messy hair, which was quite long for a man, loosely tied back after roughly combing it, were all taken aback.  

They say dragons like beautiful things. Horizontally long, sharp golden eyes shone vividly within the clean frames inside the clean-rimmed glasses. When his hair was neatly arranged, revealing his face with almost no double eyelids, he gave off a strangely exotic impression. The man, who was clearly more handsome than most knights, stood confidently next to Renard, who was already taller than most knights. If this ceremony wasn’t a ritual to prove that Liev belonged to Liev, families would be overflowing with intentions to have him as his son-in-law. 

“From this moment on, you are now a courageous friend and mentor, assisting Lord Renard, and together we shall stand against those who threaten this land.” 

The king declared, bringing this cumbersome ceremony to a close. After Liev received the sword granted by the king, Renard looked confidently at Liev and spoke,  

“Did you hear? Now you are officially recognized by humans as mine.” 

“……” 

At that confident whisper, Liev recalled the words Sigrid had spoken to him a few days ago. 

“I just wanted to say that it is true that Renard really likes you.” 

What on earth? It was surprising. I don’t think I’ve ever taught him this kind of bad language. He looked away. Suppressing the urge to complain, he turned his gaze away. If he kept staring at Renard, I don’t think he would be able to resist the urge to punch him in his smug mouth. 

After the king’s closing speech, the full-scale banquet began. The formal ceremony seemed like an excuse, and everyone wanted to eat and drink. The buffet-style dinner was endless. Renard seemed reluctant to put any human food in his mouth, and Liev felt like anything he ate would get stuck in his throat. 

As the two main characters of the event showed little enthusiasm to eat, the banquet essentially turned into a feast for the guests.