Chapter 158: Pleasant, Refreshing, Satisfying

Ŕėɑɗ ｏɴ ΚɑṫŔ​еɑđｉ​ｎɡ​Ｃағε

The morning of the Holy Knights is swift.

Compared to the priests who emerge from dawn prayers, it may seem slow, but given the religious nature of the city, there are many diligent people. And among them was a gray-haired female knight.

When she rises from her lodgings and opens the window, the air that had settled overnight flows in. Then, her roommates—comrades who had all become full-fledged knights together—rub their sleepy eyes and gradually wake up.

“Get up already, you lazybones.”

“What time is it…?”

“4:30.”

“Ugh, damn…”

“Please, just wake up quietly by yourself…”

“Drop dead.”

Such refined words spill from the mouths of these noble female knights. They could’ve slept for another hour, but since they’ve been forcibly awakened, complaints were inevitable.

“What? It’s good to wake up early and go for a run.”

But Natasha just grins and brushes it off casually. Running around the training grounds and then showering is the perfect way to start the day feeling refreshed.

‘First, I should change the water in the flower vase.’

On her nightstand sits a deep blue flower. It’s a flower she’s loved since childhood.

Back then, it was hard to obtain, but nowadays, florists carry it easily. Artificial cultivation must have become possible. It makes her feel how much time has passed—both a good and bittersweet realization.

Thinking back on the bonds formed just to get a single one of these flowers in the past, she can’t help but smile.

‘Ah, remembering that time makes me laugh again.’

The friend who had a profound influence on her becoming a knight—she cried so much because of his prickly, indifferent nature. Memories of those days resurface vividly.

Back then, Natasha was quick to tears. She cried over everything, whether she was struggling or even happy.

‘How did he never once comfort me…?’

The friend she used to hang out with would just watch indifferently, as if to say, “What do you expect me to do about your crying?” Even Cedric, the adult figure, never comforted her. In a way, it might’ve helped her break the habit.

Amused by the memory, she smiles faintly before her expression fades quietly.

The friend she met again after so long—his body broken, his strength gone.

And his childhood friend.

“…”

Her grip tightens slightly.

“…Let’s do our best today, too.”

The female knight ties her hair tightly and steps out of the lodgings.

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

“Welcome to the Holy City, Leon!”

What in the world was this?

Leon, greeted with such hospitality, immediately made a displeased face.

“Am I about to die?”

“What?”

“Am I being murdered? Can I at least know the reason?”

“What’s this guy even saying?”

Sugar laughed brightly, waving her hand dismissively, prompting Leon to instinctively shield himself with magic.

“I still have a lot to do! I can’t die yet! Please, just spare me this once…”

His desperate pleas were irritating. She hadn’t even intended to harm him, but his behavior was making her want to. Her fingers twitched, but she forced them into her back pocket and held back.

After enduring his nonsense a little longer, she smacked him once and dragged him to the infirmary. He was a friend who had returned to his hometown for the holidays and had now come to visit the Holy City. She had invited him before, and she also wanted to discuss something about a healing potion.

“Huh, it smells more like people live here than I expected.”

“Well, it is a place where people live, so of course it smells like it.”

She scolded him as he looked around, observing the city’s scenery.

“…By the way, where’s Ian?”

Ah, right. She should’ve asked that sooner.

Sugar turned her head slightly and smirked.

“What’s with that look? Can’t I ask?”

“Ahh… He’s just… busy with work. He’ll come later.”

She grinned smugly as she spoke. She had been itching to vent her pent-up stress, and now that she had a punching bag, she felt at ease.

Leon, seeing right through her expression, gritted his teeth.

‘Fall and break your nose. Or better yet, crack the back of your skull.’

The two headed toward Riley’s infirmary room, planning to visit him and discuss the potion. Leon sighed, imagining the nonsense that would unfold, but what could he do?

As they opened the door, someone suddenly rushed out.

“…”

“Ah…”

Sugar looked up.

Natasha looked down.

A silent exchange of glances. While Leon stood dumbfounded behind them, the female knight was the first to speak.

“Hey, Sugar! Here for another visit?”

“Yeah. Of course, I come every day for our Riley.”

“Haha…”

“You’re here often too. But don’t knights have training at this hour?”

So hurry up and leave.

“…I was just about to go. Knights are busy, you know.”

Unlike some people.

“But who’s that behind you?”

Natasha glanced past Sugar and gave a polite nod. Leon, in turn, slightly bowed his head.

“Ah, could it be…?”

A mischievous smile flickered across her face. Sugar, anticipating what was coming, exhaled quietly.

“—Could he be your boyfriend?”

“No. He doesn’t like women.”

Sugar’s immediate reply dealt damage—not to Natasha, but to poor Leon.

“Hey!!”

As he flailed in protest, Natasha’s expression froze. She stared at Leon in shock and confusion before abruptly turning away.

“I… I see. My apologies.”

As if she’d seen something she shouldn’t have, she vanished instantly.

Sugar, ignoring Leon’s indignant shouts, stepped into the infirmary.

Riley sat with his arms crossed, shaking his head side to side. Above him, on the wall, the mark of a knife Sugar had thrown earlier was clearly visible.

(For the record, Riley had retrieved the knife and added it to his “Sugar Collection.” He planned to label it “The First Knife Sugar Threw at Me” and treasure it forever.)

“…What.”

Sugar shot him a cold glare, then trudged over and plopped down on the chair beside the bed—though she deliberately placed it as far away as possible.

She then pulled out a box of cherries from the fruit basket and began popping them into her mouth one by one.

The atmosphere was strange. There was distance.

Leon, who had been fuming over the unwanted outing, finally calmed down and assessed the situation.

The woman who had just left Riley’s room. The tension in their brief exchange. The way Sugar was treating Riley now.

Jealousy.

‘Ah…! No way!’

“Pff… Hah…”

His anger dissipated in an instant.

Even if he had no interest in romance, the situation was too obvious to ignore.

“Keh… Kekeke…”

The moment he realized, a feeling swelled deep in his chest. The corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably, his grin threatening to split his face.

What is this delightful, refreshing, utterly satisfying feeling? It was like someone had poured detergent into his soul—everything felt clear and light.

He couldn’t hold back anymore. He knew he shouldn’t, but… just this once would be fine, right? After all he’d endured, he deserved this much.

And so—he finally burst.

“BAHAHAHAHAHA—!!!”

A euphoric laugh echoed through the quiet infirmary.

“…”

“Ah! Congratulations, Sugar! Finally, you won’t have to worry about ‘men’ anymore! I’m so happy for you!”

He clapped wildly, mocking her with exaggerated cheer.

This is perfect. Absolutely perfect. All the frustration he’d bottled up was melting away. After suffering under her all semester, justice had been served—his chest felt lighter than ever.

“No more wounded pride, right? No more bitterness? Now you’ve got a woman to compete with—how does it feel? Pretty liberating, huh? Keh… KHAHAHAHAHA—!!!”

He looked like he might do a backflip from sheer joy.

This was a first. Had Leon ever laughed like this before? Had he ever in his life laughed so hard he could barely breathe? This was pure, unhinged euphoria—Sugar had broken him in the best way possible.

Sugar’s hands trembled violently. The way she kept clenching and unclenching her fists was ominous. She gasped for breath, clutching her chest as if trying to suppress something.

‘That’s a death wish.’

Just as Riley vaguely thought that—

“Sorry I’m late! Is everyone—… Huh?”

The door swung open, and Ian stepped in—only to freeze at the sight before her.

Leon, laughing like a madman. Sugar, barely restraining her murderous intent. Riley, sitting there completely unbothered.

It was a bizarre scene, but she quickly snapped out of it.

‘I have to stop Sugar!’

In any crisis, stopping Sugar was always the top priority.

Ianne immediately rushed over and wrapped her arms around Sugar, just as the latter reached for a knife. Sugar thrashed wildly.

“LET GO OF ME! I HAVE TO KILL HIM! HE’S POSSESSED! A HERETIC!”

“Sugar! What are you saying?! Calling your friend a heretic on holy ground?!”

“DID YOU SEE HOW HE WAS LAUGHING?! IF THAT’S NOT A DEMON, THEN WHAT IS?!”

Meanwhile, Leon proudly waved his white staff around, taunting her. “Would the Saint really choose a heretic?” His grin was downright vicious as he kept provoking her.

The effect was explosive.

“AAAAH!! I’LL KILL YOU IF IT’S THE LAST THING I DO!! I’LL SEND YOU TO THE SAINT MYSELF!!”

“CALM DOWWWWN!! LEON, YOU TOO, KNOCK IT OFF!!”

Amid the chaos, Riley picked up the box of cherries Sugar had left behind and started eating them. While the other three were at each other’s throats, he was the picture of tranquility.

Pop a cherry in his mouth. Pluck the stem off. Pop another in. Pluck another stem off.

Just as he was about to toss the pile of stems aside, he noticed something—a small, tied knot among them.

“?”

Upon closer inspection, it was a knot made from cherry stems. It felt slightly damp.

Riley glanced at the woman who had been eating cherries earlier—the one currently screaming with murder in her eyes. He studied her lips, then looked back at the knot.

“Oh…”

The moment he realized whose handiwork it was, he popped a stem into his own mouth. Chew, chew. After a bit of tongue work, he soon produced his own knotted stem.

Satisfied, he nodded to himself.

“Riley!! Stop watching and help me!!”

“RILEY!! STOP WATCHING AND HELP ME!!”

Ian’s desperate scream was truly pitiful.

Eventually, the commotion died down—thanks to the medical staff who came rushing in.