TEB Ch 38

“…….” 

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, all 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 civilians like Liev might hinder more than help was not an option. Instead of helping, I might complicate 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 passed with his heart pounding and not a moment of boredom. After anxiously twiddling my thumbs for a week.

The long-awaited news finally 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, just a few hundred meters away, had been destroyed by monsters descending from the mountain summit.

With no alternative means to cross the gorge, transporting temporary supplies became a time-consuming task. They had to explore an alternative route, even if it took a little more time.

Fortunately, there were no significant casualties, but the destruction of the communication device caused a delay in contact.

“Phew….” 

The reporter who brought the news smiled as he watched Liev unknowingly let out a sigh of relief.

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

“Huh? No. No… Well…” 

In an instant, my face felt hot. It was probably because I had visited the White Eagle Knights’ office several times before today to complain. They must have thought I was making a fuss over nothing, just as they had expected. In reality, it was nothing significant.

Considering there were people at the scene who lost their livelihoods or had family members injured, his frequent visits to pester them just because of a lack of communication might have seemed like a childish tantrum. He felt embarrassed.

Liev tried to compose his face, which had turned bright red as if about to burst, and thought about the upcoming ceremony. It wasn’t an event he particularly looked forward to, but the thought that he would be able to confirm Renard’s safety on that day made him glad that time was passing.

*** 

Finally, the day arrived. He had planned to possibly arrive just before the appointment ceremony began, determined to avoid the superstition that the bride and groom should never meet before entering the ceremony hall. Liev found himself in that exact situation. He saw Renard’s face again in the ‘Hall of Glory’ where the appointment ceremony was taking 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 for various royal events, was decorated extravagantly as if a grand banquet were being held. Ribbons were tied here and there to make it stand out, and the chandeliers on the ceiling were lit up extravagantly, filling the entire venue like shiny, scattered stars. Huge flower decorations adorned every corner. To an onlooker, it would have seemed like 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 Liev was indebted to, was the last furry creature to share the corner of his bed. Until he was five, he was a large, active hunting dog, excelling in finding precious mushrooms and herbs. By the age of seven, the large, golden-furred dog, once capable of roaming the forest as an active hunter, was now on the verge of death, his eyes dimmed and his ears not as sharp 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. Just thinking about it made his head feel like it was going to explode. Renard probably didn’t know the feeling of being powerless and unable to act on his own, not knowing when someone would return. Even if he knew, he probably wouldn’t understand. 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 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 over his head, creating the holy symbol of a cross. Liev raised his bent body, held the sword with one hand, and lifted it toward the ceiling. All eyes 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, loosely tied back after a rough combing, 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.” 

It was surprising. I don’t think I’ve ever taught him these kinds of words. Suppressing the urge to complain, he looked away. If he kept staring at Renard, he didn’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.