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On the day Margaret was receiving her transfer orders at the northern frontline, Walter was agonizing over the unchanged state of the war, even after winning the battle, as he rubbed his head.

Margaret’s injury was a significant problem from any perspective. First of all, she was one of the Empire’s elite weapons right after Rose, with her individual combat prowess. Not only was her combat ability impressive, but she also showed superior skill in infiltration and assassination missions, making her a versatile warrior combining the strengths of both Rose and Bernard.

Of course, while she might lack a little in destructive power, her sharpness had been proven time and again, especially when paired with high-output mages like Jenis, showing they could hunt dragons. Walter, who felt regret over the lack of tactical cooperation between Jeongjae and Margaret, couldn’t help but lament that his combo with Jenis was now broken.

Putting aside the point that personal combat ability could sway the war’s direction, Margaret was also the spiritual pillar of the elf interventionists, receiving absolute loyalty from all the Eramenian legion members. Among the Eramenian soldiers, her troops were renowned for their fighting spirit and combat readiness.

Naturally, this was to be expected. To serve under Margaret within the Kingdom of Eramenia was synonymous with participating in the war. Being assigned to Margaret’s army was a 100% ratio of enthusiastic volunteers, fueled by a sense of honor, justice, and a desire to shine in battle. Even then, the sheer number of volunteers was so vast that the selection was especially meticulous.

If something serious happened to Margaret, it would demonstrate an absolute combat power gap with the imperial troops and could lead to a significant decline in the morale of the elf army, which had been pushing back the enemy, potentially escalating to a refusal to participate in battles.

There were already elves among the Eramenia soldiers who were disgruntled that their lord, Margaret, seemed overly attracted to the human commander, Walter Hellhound.

Being aware of this fact, Margaret must have chosen Phineas, her deputy commander, who was amicable towards humans. However, if Margaret were to fall ill to the extent that she couldn’t participate in combat, Walter would hardly be confident he could adequately command even the four legions he barely had at his disposal.

Officially, he had the authority to give orders even to the Crown Princess Rose, but he lacked legal command over the Eramenian forces.

Various problems were entangled. However, the issue that most tormented Walter was probably his own mind, which could only think of tactical gaps or political issues upon hearing that a valued comrade was injured.

To Walter, who believed himself to be a rather sentimental person, this was indeed the most painful and frustrating reality.

“This is Walter Hellhound. Is it alright if I come in?”

By the time Walter reached Margaret’s tent, he asked the elven soldier guarding the entrance. The Eramenian soldier nodded upon seeing Walter’s face and gestured towards the entrance.

“The princess is waiting. Please enter.”

Walter nodded to the elven heavy infantry as a form of greeting, then went inside the tent where Margaret was waiting. The Elven Princess was sitting up in her bed, and beside her, completely equipped in armor, was Rose, looking worried as she conversed with her.

Walter waved his hand towards the two of them simultaneously. “I’ve arrived. How are you feeling?”

“I’ll probably recover soon.”

Margaret raised her bandaged arm. Rose shrugged.

“That little brat has been here for a while too. She said her skills weren’t sufficient to heal you instantly, but she took care to the point where you can heal naturally as long as there isn’t any strain. Margaret, you really do have high self-healing abilities.”

“As long as I’m not compared to you, I won’t fall behind anyone.”

Margaret chuckled as she said this. Walter, still wearing a serious expression, approached Margaret and examined her bandaged arm.

“Injecting magical power into the dragon’s curse was quite a skilled prescription. Where did you learn that?”

“I think it was an instinctive realization. Upon seeing the curse’s traces left on my wounds, it seems I suddenly thought of using the unicorn’s power as a means to offset it.”

“That’s a genius idea.”

“The fact that you could put it into action is even more brilliant. Anyway, I didn’t call a busy person just to chat for a long time.”

Upon Margaret’s words, Walter nodded. Rose turned to Walter and asked.

“I think it’s essential for Margaret to stay here. Of course, considering her condition, she should rest from combat for a while… The enemy has already retreated without inflicting damage. I think it’s unlikely they’ll attack with large forces in a short time again.”

“The decision is yours, Hellhound. Whether I should pull back temporarily or remain here and continue staying with my subordinates. If you ask for my personal opinion, I want to stay here and heal my wounds. The Great Sage of the Magic Tower said that as long as one gets enough rest, there’s no issue in remaining in the barracks.”

“I see. If that’s what everyone is saying, then I…”

It was just then that Walter suddenly turned red in the face and jumped up from his seat to take off his glasses. Both Margaret and Rose couldn’t hide their astonishment at the hero’s sudden behavior.

Walter seemed like a patient having a seizure, shaking his trembling hands as he dropped his glasses to the floor. The two women looked at each other while watching the hero cover his eyes, a look as though he’d seen something intolerable.

“Something happened.”

“He saw something. That reaction is certain.”

Walter brought his trembling hands to his face, covering his eyes, and then lightly stroked his eyelids as if trying to calm himself. Rose leaned slightly forward to pick up the glasses that Walter had dropped and handed them to the hero.

Walter exhaled a deep breath and seemed to repress a scream as he bit his lips tightly while receiving the glasses Rose had handed over.

Instead of putting the received glasses back on his face, he gently tucked them into his arms. Sensing a strange atmosphere, Margaret spoke up.

“What’s going on?”

“Return to your homeland.”

Walter said.

“Return to your homeland… Please do. You probably won’t be able to return here for several months. Spend a few months, or possibly more, in Eramenia. I think that would be best.”

“Reason…”

Margaret, startled by Walter’s sudden demand, initially opened her mouth to ask for the reason but then closed it again.

“Let’s not ask. I understand. Anyway, if I’m going to recover, there’s no better place than my homeland. I’ll pack and leave tomorrow. Is it alright to delegate command to Phineas? He will follow your orders well. I’ll make sure to tell the legion commanders to follow your words as well, so don’t worry too much.”

“Thank you for your understanding. Then I shall take my leave.”

Walter stood up hurriedly, leaving Margaret’s tent. Rose looked between Margaret and Walter with a baffled expression.

“Are you really fine with this little explanation?”

“When someone who can see the future keeps their mouth shut, there’s a reason for it. Those who pry too much always meet unfortunate ends.”

Margaret replied calmly. While Rose continued to stare at her face without saying a word, Margaret chuckled and patted Rose’s shoulder.

“Given everything under the sun, it’s understandable if you don’t grasp my attitude of letting things slide. If you’re that curious, just go follow him and ask. If it’s a story you shouldn’t hear, that guy won’t tell you no matter what.”

“You really are quite the adult.”

Following Margaret’s advice, Rose stood up and said. Margaret replied with a smile still on her face.

“If you realize it now, you should show a little more respect. Well, it doesn’t matter; just make sure to send me off properly when I leave tomorrow, my friend.”

“Don’t worry about that, just get some good rest. I’ll go now. I really can’t help but be curious about what’s going through that guy’s mind.”

Margaret waved lightly to Rose as she left the tent.

Rose made her way towards where Walter might have gone, to his personal tent. However, as soon as her steps reached the hero’s tent, she was taken aback and had to halt in surprise.

From inside the unguarded tent came the sounds of something being smashed to bits.

“Shut up! Just clean it up! Please stop already!”

Behind the meaningless sounds of destruction came Walter’s furious roar, as though venting his frustration at something. Rose momentarily thought Walter might be having a conversation with someone, but hearing no reply to his words, it seemed Walter was just blowing off steam alone.

While it could be considered courteous to respect one’s alone time, Rose was not typically one to strictly observe courtesy towards others.

She boldly lifted the tent flap and entered Walter’s room. After what they had seen from each other by now, there was little to be embarrassed about.

The first sight that greeted Rose was a broken desk with the holy sword embedded in it. Walter, kneeling in front of his bed with his head buried in the blanket, looked up, startled, upon seeing Rose enter silently.

The hero was not wearing his eyeglasses. As if he had just been playing soccer with those precious glasses, they lay carelessly scattered across the floor.

“What, what’s going on? You should at least say something when entering!”

“I knocked politely and came in; I did not expect this mess.”

With a shake of her head, Rose approached the desk and pulled the holy sword from where it was lodged. The blade of the holy sword did not gleam white in her hand. Even someone who could treat all other swords like toys had no skill in wielding the holy sword.

Walter took the holy sword’s hilt from Rose and sheathed it again.

“Did you hear?”

“They must have heard nearby.”

“That’s not it. I cleared the sentinels ahead of time.”

Walter, with an awkward smile, rose from his seat. Rose surveyed the room filled with traces of things having been thrown and broken. The way several pieces of furniture were cleanly cut suggested that he must have rampaged around the room with the holy sword.

“What happened? What on earth did you see for it to be worse than usual?”

“Seeing it by itself is no problem.”

Walter picked up the glasses that had been rolling on the floor. However, as soon as he grabbed them, his hand, which had been fine until just a moment ago, began to tremble like that of an alcoholic.

Plop, the glasses fell to the floor again. The two looked at each other in silence. Rose, who originally came with the intention of asking something, found that desire evaporated entirely upon seeing Walter’s state.

Rose glanced at the bed and said, “At least that one isn’t broken.”

“Even when venting frustration, one should have some decorum. If that gets split in half, where will I sleep?”

Walter replied as if joking. Rose lightly stepped toward Walter’s bed.

“It’s not like you only use it for sleeping, right?”

“Rose, you really are here—”

Walter blushed at Rose’s provocative tone. Rose sat on the edge of the bed while shrugging off her shoulder armor, patting the remaining empty space on the bed.

“Come help me out a bit. You know it’s hard to take off this armor by myself.”

Walter shook his head in disbelief. Rose stuck her tongue out at the hero’s disbelieving demeanor, as if finding it amusing.

“Why? Wasn’t that the reason we kept the sentinels quiet?”

Walter, who had an excellent sense of restraint, couldn’t hold himself back any longer. After all, for him, the temptation of Rose Caprice was far more terrifying than the allure of a succubus.

 

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