23. Staggered or not (1)

How does Christine always show up at times like this?

Maxim looked down at Christine, who was smiling shyly. It was a soft smile, like a quiet night. Christine wasn’t tall. At most, the top of his head would touch his chest. I usually didn’t notice it because I was wearing high-heeled shoes, but with Christine in pajamas and slippers in front of me, I looked really small.

Maxim’s heart, which was causing a stir, gradually calmed down.

Christine’s hair resembles the sun during the day and the moon at night. The sparkling green eyes contained the maxim.

“senior?”

Christine tilted her head as if wondering at Maxim, who was standing guard over the threshold.

“Are you okay?”

Christine took my hand and waved it in front of Maxim. With a swish, swish, Christine’s pale fingers passed in front of Maxim’s eyes.

“Senior Maxim? Former vice-captain? Didn’t you wake up? this person?”

Took.

Maxim’s hand rested on Christine’s head.

“to?”

Snug.

Maxim stroked Christine’s hair as she wanted. Carefully, she brushed Christine’s soft, fluffy hair down so as not to damage it. Christine stiffened in embarrassment. Maxim found it interesting, so he stroked his hair more carefully.

“come in.”

Maxim smiled mischievously and stepped away from the door. Christine stared blankly at Maxim from the doorway, then followed Maxim into the room, blushing.

“So, what’s going on all of a sudden in the middle of the night? Vice-captain?”

Maxim asked while sitting Christine at the table. Christine crossed her arms in displeasure, with a slight blush on her face.

“I told you, I came here because I couldn’t sleep.”

Maxim liked the attitude she maintained. I liked how it seemed to shine brightly and illuminate the darkness.

“Good. I wasn’t very sleepy either.”

Maxim sat across from her and sat down. Christine crossed her arms tighter and narrowed her brows.

“It’s obvious if you don’t look. You must have been thinking about your ex-girlfriend, senpai.”

Christine said in a cold voice.

“It doesn’t go well with me and I’m trembling.”

The last words were close to just the sound of bolmen. Maxim chuckled and waved his hand.

“Yeah, I’m a bit lost in thoughts of the old days. Scream while looking at the night sky.”

“Senior, did you cry?”

“I didn’t cry.”

When Christine brought her face closer, Maxim turned aside, avoiding her face. Christine raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t cry.”

“Who said what?”

Christine let go of the pretense. It looked like it was about to blow a whistle.

“Anyway, I just remembered something.”

“What?”

Maxim took out two teacups, picked up the teapot, and poured the cooled tea. Tea that wasn’t hot wasn’t very tasty. Maxim put the cup in front of Christine. Christine casually took a sip of cold black tea and drank it.

“Tomorrow, we’re going to start investigating the no-man’s-land in earnest.”

“right.”

“I’ll check on you, senior.”

Maxim swallowed the black tea that was about to pass through his throat. The cough that came out was the scent of tea.

“suddenly?”

“Yeah. I haven’t checked it for a while… I must have been tired several times in the meantime, so I’m checking it out.”

Maxim pinched his nose at the spicy taste he felt.

“is it…”

“Anyway, even if I tell you not to go out or fight, you won’t listen to me. If you would have listened to me, you wouldn’t have stayed with this knights long ago.”

Christine said in a sullen voice.

“So, lie down quietly and take off your clothes.”

Christine pricked Maxim’s chest with her finger.

“Because this is the only thing I can do for you.”

Maxim said that he would not win against Christine, and stood up. Christine looked at Maxim as he stood up with eyes full of worry and sadness. Maxim took off his clothes and turned to Christine with his jacket half pulled up.

“It’s embarrassing.”

“What are you doing in a new way now?”

Christine fired back, but there was a slight blush on her cheeks. Maxim smiled and took off his shirt and hung it over his arm. Maxim’s back, which was crudely split into muscles, was exposed.

“Lie down.”

“okay okay.”

Maxim hung up his shirt on the chair and went to bed. On the hard bed, I felt the cold blanket on my back.

Christine walked over to Maxim, who was lying on the edge of the bed with her upper body slightly erect. Cursed scars were visible across his body. Maxim touched his wound with a self-deprecating expression.

“Isn’t it always ugly to look at?”

“…Nope.”

Christine shook her head in denial. Next to Maxim, Christine jumped up onto the bed and settled down. Her scent struck Maxim.

“Then, let’s take a look.”

A white light shone over Christine’s fingers, index and middle fingers. Christine took her hand to where Maxim’s wound started and ran it down the path of the wound. Christine scanned the wound and suddenly frowned.

“Senior, have you tried to use an aura blade recently?”

Maxim flinched when he heard the question. It’s recent, but at the time of the screening test, he competed and collided with Theodora and almost caused an aura. Maxim smiled awkwardly. Christine’s eyes stung.

“…”

When Maxim remained silent, Christine asked again in a slightly angry voice.

“Aura Blade, have you ever tried to use it?”

“…Yeah.”

Christine’s eyes widened even more. Maxim had no choice but to cringe like prey in front of a predator. Christine sighed heavily.

“When is that?”

Maxim hesitated to speak, but couldn’t help Christine’s eyes and opened his mouth.

“That… during the screening test…”

“You mean the time when you competed with the captain?”

Maxim nodded like a criminal.

“For some reason, he seemed strangely unwell at the time…”

“Sorry.”

“When you say you’re sorry, you say it to your body.”

Christine said as she removed her hand from Maxim’s scar.

“The curse spread a little. I thought it stopped, but it seems to be going again because I tried to use an aura.”

Christine asked, looking at Maxim.

“Are you sick?”

“yes. I don’t feel anything special.”

“I will stop the process for now. It will take some time.”

Christine spread her palm and held it over Maxim’s scar. Then, a golden magic circle formed under her hand. The magic circle began to rotate as it engaged with a pulley. Maxim felt a warm energy seeping into his scar.

“If only there had been a way to reverse the process rather than stop it…”

Christine looked down at her hands in resentment. She was tending to Maxim’s scar with a twist on her expression. Maxim reached for her head. Christine’s shoulders trembled at the touch of her hair.

“…thanks.”

Maxim continued stroking her hair. Christine felt Maxim’s hand and spoke in a muffled voice.

“Me too.”

The golden magic circle continued to rotate.

How much time has passed, it has become a time that should be called dawn rather than night. Christine removed her hand from Maxim’s wound.

“That’s Okay. Progress has stopped, so you can’t really overdo it now. In particular, never, ever take out the Aura Blade. I know?”

Christine sat Maxim down and begged for trust. Maxim was able to understand her feelings as she spoke to the ear.

“Okay, I get it. I won’t overdo it.”

“Sword, you use it incredibly well. Even if you don’t have an Aura, you can be active. So excessive use of mana, never do it.”

Maxim nodded. Christine let out a short sigh as if he wasn’t trustworthy even after making such a request.

“Just keep pushing yourself like this. Really I just…”

“just?”

“If it’s just, you know it’s just!”

Christine blushed in anger. Maxim looked at him and smiled.

“Please don’t make people worry… Really.”

“I won’t do it anymore.”

“Do you know how many times I’ve said that?”

Christine puffed out her cheeks and complained wildly. She pretended to pout, got up and opened the door.

“Christine,”

“why.”

“good night.”

As Maxim sent off with a smile, Christine’s expression wavered for a moment. However, she regained her pouting expression and closed the door.

“Sleep well, too.”

while leaving the words.

—

The clear sky was rather awkward here. Maxim looked up at the clear sky and frowned. Seasons don’t exist in no man’s land. Whether summer or winter, it always maintains a certain level. According to what I heard from the Marquis, it is the influence of magic that drifts in this area.

“Does everyone understand what the phenomenon we want to investigate is?”

In conclusion, it is a chilly weather that is not suitable for summer. Investigators were gathered in the temporary barracks made after expelling the demons beyond the walls of the solid border area.

The Jackdaw Knights, including Maxim, crouched in the chilly weather, and listened to the investigation plan presented by the Marquis. The wind was blowing into the barracks. The Marquis pointed out Roberto and demanded that he explain the details of the anomaly.

Roberto frowned but answered the Marquis’s question accurately.

“Originally, in no-man’s-land, there are very frequent fights with monsters that invade the fortress over the cliff. However, I know that their footsteps have been cut off lately. That’s why, if it increases, it increases, but the appearance of monsters has never decreased this much…”

The Marquis nodded.

“That’s what we need to focus on the most. It’s too dangerous to go all the way to the cliff at the end, so I don’t usually go there… but I have to make an exception for this investigation. In order to find out the cause, I need to go and see the dynamics of the monsters myself.”

Glance.

Theodora and the Marquis’s eyes met.

“Follow the lead of our troops. It is said that he came to take charge of the investigation at the request of the royal family, but while he is in charge of the investigation, act as if he were my subordinate.”

“I will.”

Theodora nodded.

“Okay, then let’s start the mission now.”

The Marquis said as he put the baton on the table.

“You will be given two missions. I’m not saying do both, but I’m going to divide your knights into two.”

Tak-tak, the baton collided with the table.

“First of all. The side that will carry out the original mission with our troops on the wall. Second, the side to be included in the investigation force.”

Christine saw Maxim in this passage. Maxim felt the gaze and replied with a stiff smile.

“Captain, ask for the distribution of personnel.”

Theodora stepped forward. In her hand was a piece of paper that seemed to be a list.

“I will call the names of those who will be included in the investigation force.”

Is it because of the feeling? It occurred to him that Theodora’s gaze was directed at him.

“I, Theodora Benning, and Vice-Captain Christine Watson will both be included in the investigation force. As for the others who will join us, Paola Simon.”

Paola nodded calmly. It was natural for him to be included in the investigation because he was a person with experience in the situation 15 years ago, and it would be of great help in terms of power.

“Lione Becker, Claude Bentham…”

Theodora kept calling out names on the roster.

“…Roberto Miller, and,”

Theodora looked at Maxim. It wasn’t just a feeling this time. Their eyes crossed, and Theodora called the last person by name.

“Maxim Appart.”

Christine let out a secret sigh, and Maxim calmly looked at Theodora.

“The above is the list of people included in the investigation force.”