Chapter 161: Restraint

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In her childhood, she used to cry quite easily. Even though she knew she shouldn’t, the slightest sadness would make her burst into tears.

Of course, back then, it was something worth crying over.

She was around 14 years old.

The girl went to the mountains to find flowers for her parents’ grave. Wanting to offer the flowers they had loved in life, she ventured deeper into the woods.

A deep blue flower—the Herald’s Trumpet. Normally white, a rare blue bloom was found only in the secluded mountains.

Picking it without incident was the easy part.

Failing to keep track of time was foolish.

As the sun set and darkness crept in, she could no longer distinguish the path ahead. Tears streamed down her face as she wandered, lost and helpless.

—Kyaaaa!!

The eerie cry sent shivers down her spine. Of course, monsters became active at night.

Soon, she came face-to-face with a creature—pointed ears, fist-sized fangs, and drool dripping from its mouth.

“Ah… Aah!”

Stumbling backward, she grabbed whatever she could—branches, twigs—and threw them, but what good would that do?

“D-don’t come closer! Stay away!”

She turned and ran. But in the depths of the mountain at night, the outcome of a race between a girl and a four-legged monster was a foregone conclusion.

“Kyaaak…!”

Just as those fangs were about to sink into her neck, she luckily tripped and rolled across the ground.

“Ugh… Hic…”

Her body was covered in dirt and scratches. Her face was drenched in tears. The flower she had picked was gone, and with it, her last shred of hope.

As she crawled backward, watching the monster ready itself for another lunge—

—Kyaaaaak!!

She squeezed her eyes shut at the roar.

But strangely, there was no pain.

“…?”

Cautiously opening her eyes, she saw a massive ice spear embedded in the monster’s body, having flown soundlessly through the air.

“Huh…?”

Confused, she glanced around—and spotted golden hair fluttering under the moonlight.

A boy stood there, holding a staff. Soon, he turned his head and looked down at her.

Eyes as calm and deep blue as the flower she had lost in her frantic escape.

“Did you find it?”

“I did.”

A man’s resonant voice called from afar, and the boy answered, his voice low, having just begun to change.

The boy stowed his staff and approached the girl.

His sidelong glance made her whole body stiffen.

“…She seems unharmed.”

“Tch. Can’t you at least try to be friendly? She’s your age—could be a friend.”

“I’ve never had friends.”

“Sigh. Right. Only your girlfriend counts as a friend, huh?”

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

While the two bickered, the girl staggered to her feet.

She didn’t know why. Maybe the shock had scrambled her thoughts. Or maybe she just felt she couldn’t let this moment slip away.

“Friends…”

“Hm?”

“Friends… be my friend.”

The words spilled out between her tears.

And the boy’s reaction was priceless.

“Why should I? No.”

That was Natasha and Riley’s first meeting.

***************

Candy-like lips clamped around a straw. With a soft sip, the creamy strawberry latte flowed into Sugar’s mouth.

After savoring it, she lazily pulled away. The strawberry latte from the cathedral’s café—unchanged in taste, just as she remembered.

Lost in nostalgia, she noticed lip gloss stains on the straw.

‘Ah, this is annoying.’ Her lips had felt sticky for a while now.

But it wasn’t unbearable.

“I told you, I’d treat you…”

“I don’t like taking things from others.”

She grinned at the chiding remark from across the table.

Of course, that was a lie. She mooched off her other friends all the time.

“I’m the one earning money, and you’re still a student. Friends can treat each other sometimes.”

Friends. Yeah, they were friends.

When did they become friends? Riley’s friends are my friends.

Damn right.

Originally, she had planned to discuss the letter Trace sent with Riley. But before that, wasn’t it natural to share a drink with a friend? Hence, here they were, sitting face-to-face.

“I’ll just take the sentiment. So, how’s the knight life? I heard you officially became one this time.”

She smoothly shifted the topic, and Natasha seemed to ponder deeply.

“Hmm… I haven’t been assigned any missions yet, so there’s not much to say. The pay raise is nice, though. Enough to feed one more person besides myself. And it’s more freeing than being a trainee.”

“Lucky you.”

“No need to go into detail about your salary. Like I care?” She brushed it off with a casual reply.

“What about you, Sugar? You’re at Steele too, right? How’s school?”

“It’s great. Fun. Attending classes with friends, learning magic, hanging out… Sure, I rack up a lot of demerits, but that’s just part of the experience, right?”

“Demerits? Haha… You don’t look the type, but you’re secretly a troublemaker, huh?”

“Mmm. It’s just ’cause I stick around Riley. They call us the ‘Demerit Couple’—kinda infamous, actually. Seriously… and we’re not even dating.”

“…”

A sound like shattering ice came from the other side of the table.

“How amusing… You two really are close.”

“Of course. We’re family.”

“How did you two get so close? I heard you met at the orphanage.”

“Ah, well… I ended up learning magic from Riley. That’s how we got closer. After that… I gave him a staff as a gift. And in return, I got one too.”

A staff exchange.

Traditionally, it was a ritual between parent and child, or master and apprentice. Even Natasha, who wasn’t a mage, knew its significance.

The knight’s eyes dimmed slightly, but she pressed on.

“…Hearing that reminds me of the day I first met Riley.”

A version of Riley that Sugar didn’t know—one that existed outside her world.

“…What happened?”

The jealousy-prone girl bit the bait instantly.

“Ah, it’s nothing major.”

Natasha smirked and took a sip of her drink.

“Riley… saved me. Stopped a monster from killing me. That’s how we met.”

“…Hah.”

Saved you, huh?

Someone other than me.

Saved you.

Sugar gnawed on her straw.

“That happened? Well, I’m glad it turned out fine. But then again, he’s always been kind like that.”

Natasha tilted her head slightly.

‘Kind…?’

Riley could be considerate in some ways, yet razor-sharp in others. He’d never once comforted Natasha when she cried—if anything, that cold distance was what drew her in.

The two girls exchanged uneasy glances. Though their eyes met, the emotions behind them were fixated on the same person.

—I hate how he’s kind enough to save even other girls.

—So he’s only tender with his childhood friend.

“…”

“…”

After a long silence, Natasha spoke first.

“Sugar. This might sound sudden, but… there’s something serious I want to ask.”

She chose her words carefully, gauging the mood.

“About why Riley got hurt like that.”

“…”

“I thought you might know. Can I ask?”

‘Why are you training so hard? You’re not trying to become a holy knight.’

‘I want to get stronger.’

‘Yeah, but why?’

‘…’

As she asked Sugar, Natasha recalled a memory—a boy staring silently at the sky in the direction of the Holy City. She remembered those eyes.

And now, face-to-face with the childhood friend he had left behind there, she finally voiced the question.

The answer came more easily than expected.

“It’s because of me.”

Sugar said it so casually, without a hint of guilt, that it was almost laughable.

Then the next words left Natasha speechless.

“An incident happened because of me. Riley tried to fall into an ‘eternal sleep’ over it, so I stepped in to take the blow instead… but then Riley came back and pushed himself too far.”

Natasha couldn’t make sense of it.

An incident? Eternal sleep? Taking the blow? Coming back? Pushing too far?

“It was such a mess… I was grateful, but also guilty… I hated seeing him strain his self like that…”

“What? Wait, hold on—what are you even talking about?”

Sugar only smiled bitterly.

“Sorry. The details are classified.”

It felt like a wall—you don’t belong here, you can’t touch this bond between us.

Natasha gritted her teeth.

“…I might not get it, but you must’ve been really worried.”

“So much. Enough to feel like my heart was tearing apart.”

The emotion in her voice was thick, raw.

“It happened because I wasn’t strong enough…”

‘I’m still lacking.’

The words Riley had muttered during Natasha’s visit to the hospital resurfaced. How could they both say the same thing?

“Ugh…! I—I was worried too! Really! I prayed every day for him to get better…!”

The frustration welled up, and Natasha’s outburst only made Sugar laugh lightly.

“Wow. Thanks for caring that much. I’m glad he has a friend like you.”

“…”

“But, well… don’t worry. From now on, I’ll protect him. So you don’t have to.”

A blatant dismissal—you’re an outsider.

Natasha’s anger flared, but her mind cooled. If this was the her from her childhood, she’d have burst into tears. But she was an adult now.

She steadied her breath and recomposed herself.

“Haha… You really do see them as family, huh. Family.”

“Yeah. They said we’d never part. That’s what family is, right?”

“Wow. That’s… intense.”

Natasha played along, then subtly shifted the tone.

“But… Sugar. About men—”

A mischievous smile.

As if she’d been waiting for this moment.

“Once they get a girlfriend, they’ll ditch everything for her. Family included.”

Sugar’s relaxed smile vanished.