Alex's perspective

Walking through the hospital hallways, Alex passed by guards patrolling the hospital, returning to a particular room, carrying sandwiches in his arms.

Alex eventually made his way to the room he was going to, which had two guards stationed in front.

He greeted them, and they respectfully nodded back to let him in because they knew he was an acquaintance of Alice.

Entering the room, Alex was exasperated by what he saw. The people they were supposed to protect and stay in bed were up and about despite doctors' orders.

“Aren't you all supposed to be on bed rest? And Wendy, why are you sparring with him, and why does Garner have a sword?”

Alex saw Garner, Rollo, and Arnaud moving around when they were not supposed to. Lucia was sitting and looking out the window rather impatiently, while Maria was sitting next to her, reading a book, not stopping them.

The conditions of their body were severely malnourished from being held captive and barely being fed by their captors. Health potions only heal injuries, which is why Garner can’t regrow an arm, Rollo's left leg needs physical therapy, and Arnaud is recovering from an infection from the x-shaped wound on his chest.

“Apologies, young master Alex, I cannot go idle knowing that I am even more of a burden to Lady Alice than we already are.”

Garner told Alex that as he was sparring with Wendy, holding a sword with his left hand to reteach himself how to use a sword since he lost his right hand, which was his dominant hand, during the ambush that separated him from the lady he meant to protect.

Rollo was walking with a cane from one end of the room to the other, trying to put some weight on his injured leg, and Arnaud was doing push-ups without his shirt that revealed bandages covering a large wound across his chest, said.

“Yes, we cannot allow that.”

“I agree, we mustn't be more of a burden than we are right now.”

Alex sighed at their response and said.

“Just don’t overdo it, and again with the young master thing, why do you keep calling me that?”

All of them smirked, and Rollo said.

“Young master Alex, you are our lady’s lover; of course, we will use honorifics for our lady’s future husband.”

Alex felt like he was about to get a headache from their response, so he went to Maria and Lucia sitting next to the window.

“Sorry for the wait. I brought you all dinner; this is what I could find this late at night.”

Maria and Lucia said thanks and grabbed one of the sandwiches Alex was carrying in his arms.

Sitting on one of the empty chairs, by Maria and Lucia, Alex asked what Lucia was looking out the window for.

“Oh, we’re just bored. There is nothing to do.”

Lucia answers Alex impatiently since waiting around was never really her thing, and she would rather go off dungeon diving or do training.

Looking up from her book, Maria asks.

“Have you seen Alice and Chelsie? "Shouldn't they be back by now?”

Alex turned to Maria, who took her eyes off her book, which she had been glued to ever since she bought it, and said.

“No, let's just wait for a bit.”

He said that with some concern as he looked out the window and began eating his sandwich. Alex wondered why Alice was adamant that she wanted to go with Chelsie to find Nyx instead of letting Chelsie do it by herself. He trusted Alice to handle herself; with Chelsie, he shouldn't worry, but he still had thoughts that something might have happened to them.

After a bit, Alex was relieved to see Alice and Chelsie come back, but when he saw Nyx come in and, for some reason, an unfamiliar person.

Relief mixed with a bit of dread caused him to have a wry smile because of the unexpected greetings. Alex was grateful that Nyx came and should have expected it, but from his experience, he was more afraid of him than anything else.

He wondered about the older girl who came after Nyx.

Before he could think all that, Lucia, sitting next to him, looked to have an expression of complete and utter terror, like her life was flashing before her eyes as Nyx glanced at everyone in the room.

Lucia’s hair instantly glowed, and she puffed into smoke from where she was sitting, like those street performers he had seen walking around the city.

Alex turned to look at the chair where Lucia was and the now-open window.

Looking back at Nyx’s expressionless face, he hoped Nyx didn’t see anything but...

“Huh? Was that Lucia just now?”

Nyx said the question Alex did not want him to ask, causing him to jump out of his chair, dripping cold sweat, trying to wrack his mind with an answer. He turned to look at everyone, who were relatively unfazed since this was a recent common occurrence whenever someone brought up Nyx despite not knowing the reason.

Ever since Nyx unintentionally insulted her by comparing her to Yulis, it caused her pride as a mage to be hurt, so Lucia had been working hard training by herself nonstop to prove Nyx wrong.

After a few days of nonstop training, she managed to grow much more powerful all by herself, surprising everyone in her party, especially Alex.

However, Alex remembers the day after their fight with the Owlbear with Nyx; Lucia's loathing for Nyx turned into complete fear.

Compared to himself and Wendy, Lucia dug her own grave when she adamantly challenged Nyx to a duel multiple times, so she could not just use an excuse like himself and Wendy.

This led Lucia to desperately find ways to run away from Nyx if they ever met. That desperation ultimately led her to teach herself a certain particular and rare skill, which was instant casting.

Alex remembered Maria being really amazed since she told him it was something very few mages could do, granted she could only do it with simple spells.

Before anyone could say that was Lucia, Alex answered.

“Nope, you’re imagining things again.”

“But I definitely saw Lucia jump out the window.”

“Again you’re imagining things.”

“Then what is with the smoke?”

Dripping cold sweat, Alex desperately tried to figure out an excuse, which caused him to shake. The shaking made him hear a certain clattering sound from one of the pouches on his belt, which gave him an idea.

“Oh that, I was playing around with some smoke bombs and dropped one by accident. You must be imagining things; you really must want to spar with Lucia, right? It’s a shame, but she is off training somewhere.”

Unable to read Nyx’s expressionless face, Alex continued to drip cold sweat, waiting for his answer.

“Oh, I see.”

Before Nyx could say another word or anyone could correct him.

“Well, hello, what brings you here, and—”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Trying to change the conversation, he looks at the mysterious girl he could have sworn he recognized from somewhere; she has a sharp gaze, a well-groomed appearance, and a professional demeanor that gives off a cold distance between everyone.

“What is your name?”

The mysterious girl answers by saying something Alex never expected.

“I am Clare, and young master Nyx’s maid. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Alex.”

Alex's mind, which was wracking on how to cover for Lucia since Wendy was no help because she was frozen stiff, afraid of Nyx, was now stunned and stood silently, wondering if he had misheard something as Clare bowed in greeting.

“Huh?”

Nyx, speaking up in the moment of confusion, said.

“She is my maid, from back home.”

Alex turned even more confused, wondering what Nyx was even talking about.

What do you mean, maid? Aren’t maids supposed to serve people like nobles or rich people?

He thought that; not connecting the thoughts that Nyx is a noble because, from his personal experience, he can’t possibly be a noble with his particular personality, since it was different from his perception of a noble based on the only noble he knew, which was Alice.

Alex still has memories that were burned into his mind of the time Nyx mounted him with a sword by his throat.

Nyx sighed, which Alex could understand as exasperation with his expressionless face, and turned to Alice's knights.

Alex wonders what he is about to do. He sees Nyx’s demeanor, and the air around him changes when he turns to Alice’s knight.

Alice’s knights, noticing the sudden change, faces turned stern and stood ready like they were in the presence of someone important.

“It’s a pleasure to meet all of you; I haven’t properly introduced myself. Please excuse me; I am using an alias for personal reasons, but my name is Nyx.”

Nyx put his right hand on his chest, his left arm behind him, closed his eyes, and bent his body slightly in a smooth, dignified manner befitting nobility, looking like he was a completely different person.

Seeing Nyx’s introductions, each of Alice’s knights got onto one knee and kneeled.

“My name is Carner.”

“I am Rollo.”

“I am Arnaud.”

“We are knights to Lady Alice and in your debt, Lord Nyx, for saving our lady’s life.”

All of them said it at the same time, but Alex did not notice all that because he and Wendy saw something that terrified them to their very core: Nyx was smiling.

Alex’s teeth were chattering, and his complexion turned pale as a ghost as he screamed in horror in his head. On the other hand, Wendy, with her beastmen instincts, curls up into a ball, trying to make herself look as small and non-threatening as possible.

Maybe it is different because Nyx's smile was different from his battle frenzy state, so he won’t attack me, right?

Thinking that to himself, Alex immediately threw it out of the window and looked at the window Lucia jumped out of.

Remembering that Lucia jumped out, he thought he would do the same, as his fear and terror made him unable to think straight.

Alex slowly reached out to his belt that held his adventuring equipment and pulled out a couple of small white shape balls.

Similar to Lucia, Alex threw them to the ground, causing a small explosion of smoke around him, and he threw himself out the window.

Sliding down the drainage pipes out of the hospital room that was 3 floors high, Alex looked up once he was down to see Nyx looking at him with a smile on his face.

Without thinking, Alex just ran without looking back.

Nyx perspective

As I told Alice’s knight to raise in a dignified tone like I was still a noble, I heard sudden popping sounds with smoke appearing where Alex was standing.

The guards rushed in while I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword, wondering if we were being attacked.

I ran to where Alex was and looked out the window. I saw Alex sliding down a drainage pipe, and when he was down in the streets, Alex looked up, and we stared at each other. For some reason, before I could say anything, Alex looked really terrified of someone or something, and then he began running away as if his life depended on it.

What was that all about?

Looking outside, I saw that there were no threats. I turned to the guards, letting go of my nobleman mask, had a smile back to my normal expressionless face, and said.

“Sorry, false alarm.”

They nodded and went back outside while I turned back to look out the window with Clare approaching me and bewilderingly asking.

“What exactly did you do, young master?”

I looked at her and said.

“I don’t know; I didn’t do anything.”

I shrug my shoulders, not knowing either.

“Really?”

Clare said it in a spectacle tone. I mean, ever since our sparring session in Farsbarow, he had been acting weird compared to how we first met with how enthusiastic he used to be.

It's a shame because he really makes a good sparring partner with how much of a beating he could take and that he could fight back.

Thinking that, Clare raised her eyebrow and was slightly aghast by what I was thinking. Oh wait, I think she definitely knows what I was thinking because she wasn’t supposed to read that.

Not amused, turning to Wendy, who was curled up into a ball, Clare asked.

“Then, did you do the same thing to her as well, Ms. Wendy, I believe?”

I wonder what she meant because I still have no idea, and this was the first, no, the second time I’ve seen her like this.

Tilting my head, I said.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Really, young master?”

Clare gave me an even more skeptical look like I had done something wrong.

Not wanting her to look at me that way, I turned away and saw that Maria, Chelsie, and Alice were looking at me strangely like they were seeing something they couldn’t believe.

Maria, who was next to me, sitting on a chair, rubbed both of her eyes and said.

“I think I’m seeing things, but did you just smile?”

“Yeah, is there something wrong?”

Is everyone surprised that I smiled? I guess they would be since I don’t show any expression.

“Oh, sorry. I had never seen you smile before; it’s a very strange sight.”

“I guess you're right.”

However, that doesn’t explain why Alex jumped out the window and ran away, and Wendy curled up in a ball.

Clare looked at me like she really wanted to say something, but I ignored it because I wondered why Alice’s knights were up and about since they should be on bed rest, not because I didn’t want to be under her disapproving stare.

“Hey Alice, aren’t Carner, Rollo, and Arnaud supposed to not do any strenuous exercise while they are recovering?”

Alice sighed and responded.

“Yes, but they don’t seem to listen to me.”

“My apologies, Lady Alice and Lord Nyx…”

Interjecting into our conversations, Carner said.

“For making you worry, however, we cannot let ourselves burden our lady and stay how we are right now, especially when our lady's life is in danger.”

“But you are not; stop thinking of yourselves as that.”

Alice raised her voice when she said it, showing her disapproval of what he said about themselves.

Hearing all that, I said.

“I get it, but just don’t push yourselves too hard.”

Honestly, from personal experience, it’s better to let them be, like Clare still being my maid despite everything; it’s practically impossible to stop them.

“Yes, we won’t, Lord Nyx.”

“Good, but please call me Nyx; I prefer to keep things casual.”

“I understand.”

Arnaud and Rollo began to go back to what they were doing, except for Garner, because Wendy was still curled up in a ball for some reason.

Seeing that, Maria approached Wendy, asking if she was okay, for her to mutter, scary, scary, scary.

Seeing that I might have caused it, I suggested to Garner.

“Since Wendy is not going to spar anymore, why don’t I spar for a bit?”

Hearing my words, unbeknownst to me, Wendy's ears shot up, and she looked slightly up at me with deep terror, causing her face to turn even more pale.

“I will gladly accept, lor… I mean, Mr. Nyx, with your offer.”

Saying yes to my offer, I unknowingly smirk and let my mask fall off. Since he is missing an arm, I should hold back a bit.

Again, unbeknownst to me, my unknowing smirk started to form the slightest bit of a smile on my face. It shocked Alice, Maria, Chelsie, and even Clare next to me, while Wendy looked like she was about to pass out.

I took out my sword and readied a stance as Garner did the same with his own stance.

This is going to be fun.

Thinking of ways to go about it, I was about to make the first move with a simple thrust, but Clare smacked me on the head.

I instinctively covered the part of my head that Clare had smacked me because it really hurt, wondering why she did that again.

Clare looked at me with a mixture of deep disapproval, wonderment, and sheer exasperation.

“Clare, why did you do that for?”

“Young master, I fear you are too riled up; I must ask you to refrain from what you are about to do.”

“What do you mean? We were going to spar for a bit; I don’t see a problem with it.”

“I fear that it is not going to be just some sparring.”

Clare insisted that I didn’t spar with Garner, which she was adamant about.

“Fine…”

I sulked like a kid and said.

“I won’t do it then.”

Turning to Arnaud, I regretfully said in my normal flat tone.

“Sorry, it appears that I can’t.’

Garner said he understood in an understanding way.

Since I can’t fight anyone, I should go home now because I finished what I needed to do here, introducing Clare to everyone.

When I was about to turn to everyone, I saw that Wendy was acting strangely. She was no longer curled up in a ball but had her mouth wide open, looking at Clare like she did something really amazing. She looked like she was about to grovel before Clare's feet like a god or something.

Weird…

“I guess we are going to be leaving; it’s getting late. I’ll stop by tomorrow to help, okay?”