Chapter 157

"…Lloyd."

Mikhail steadied himself and looked back. Lloyd was approaching with that trademark easy smile, already talking.

"I was wondering where you'd gone. Missed your friends that much?"

"That's not entirely wrong, actually."

"But honestly, young master—you need to think about your condition. Do you have any idea how much panic there was when you wouldn't wake up? I figured you'd be lying in bed like a good patient, but you vanished without a trace. I half thought someone had carried you off."

Lloyd shrugged with theatrical flair. Mikhail's brow furrowed.

"What… are you making a fuss about. Carried off by who?"

"A fuss? Everyone's been dying to get even a single word in with the campaign's top performer."

"Oh, that reminds me—!"

Edwin clapped his hands as if something had just struck him and pulled a slip from his pocket.

"Here. I got this from someone who said she was the editor-in-chief of some… White-something newspaper. She insisted I pass it along to you."

Mikhail tilted his head at the crisp edges, and Lloyd smirked and nudged his side.

"See? Popular guy."

Mikhail made a show of ignoring Lloyd's snickering and took the business card Edwin held out.

Stiff, high-quality paper cut into a neat rectangle. Inside a gold-foil border were the name and affiliation of the person who'd given it.

[Rita Yurain / Editor-in-Chief, White Deer Daily]

Mikhail scanned the text, then slipped the card into his inner pocket.

There was no reason to decline the contact. Rita was well-versed in navigating high society and had a habit of passing through the front doors of every powerful house in the kingdom.

Deep intelligence might be beyond reach, but she was worth cultivating for the handful of useful tidbits she could provide down the line.

"Anyway."

A hand settled on his shoulder along with the shift in topic.

Mikhail glanced sideways at Lloyd, who was now addressing the three standing in front of them.

"Hey, guys. I've got something to talk to Mikhail about—mind giving us a minute?"

"Aah…."

The three didn't refuse Lloyd's request, but their shoulders sagged with undisguised reluctance. Mikhail looked around at them and spoke.

"I'll be at the cafeteria. I won't be long."

Julien was the first to respond. He wore a gentle smile and glanced between Mikhail and Lloyd.

"Sure. Take your time. See you in a bit."

Once Julien wrapped things up and turned to go, Edwin and Colin followed.

"……"

Mikhail watched their retreating backs, then slid his gaze toward Lloyd standing beside him. The playful warmth had drained from Lloyd's face entirely as he spoke.

"Shall we?"

His voice sat a shade lower than before. Mikhail gave a nod and started down the corridor leading toward the outer grounds.

Before long, the two arrived at a walkway near the main entrance of the headquarters building.

A quiet, unassuming spot—the kind that sat well outside the interest of anyone chasing the bustle of the main halls.

Lloyd stopped with the lawn behind him. Mikhail turned to face him.

"Mikhail. I owe you an apology."

"For what?"

The topic Lloyd opened with in that measured tone was, in truth, not what Mikhail had expected.

But Mikhail kept his reaction neutral and simply asked. He didn't want to scatter the conversation with anything beyond the point.

Lloyd paused for a moment, then lowered his eyes and spoke.

"The truth is, I saw everything."

"……"

"Verte targeting you inside the Cave of Contemplation. You telling Ethan something and then slipping out of sight. I could tell you'd end up fighting under dangerous conditions, and I still turned my back on both of you and walked away."

Lloyd let his head drop. He laid down a single heavy breath in the silence, then continued.

"Whatever the surrounding circumstances may have been… that was a decision that ended up putting you in danger. I'm truly sorry."

An honest confession deserved an honest answer. But instead of speaking right away, Mikhail closed and opened his eyes in a slow, deliberate rhythm. He let the silence sit for a while before he spoke.

"Lloyd. This goes way back, but I've had a debt to repay you. If this evens things out from back then…."

"No. Mikhail."

Lloyd shook his lowered head and cut him off, then raised his gaze to meet Mikhail's eyes.

Still as a lake—so calm that its true depth was impossible to gauge.

Sky-blue eyes that could have been lifted straight from that surface fixed themselves on Mikhail's face.

"The math doesn't work out that way. All I did in that alley when I followed you in was knock down a handful of nobodies. That's nothing compared to a mistake that actually threatened your safety."

"……"

"If we're being precise about it, even after you repay your debt to me, I'd still owe you by a wide margin. …So."

A calculating silence stretched between them. A faint smile spread across Lloyd's lips.

"From now on, let's say I'm the one in your debt."

The tone of the proposal was measured, yet loaded with meaning. Mikhail tightened his jaw slightly and pulled his hand into a fist.

But the resistance lasted only a moment. His expression eased, and he gave a slow nod.

"Fine. Let's do that."

"Good. Contract sealed—and you're accepting my apology too, right?"

"Yeah."

At Mikhail's immediate answer, Lloyd smiled with visible relief. His expression lightened a shade, and he let his shoulders drop with an exhale.

"Thanks. I finally feel like I can show my face again."

"……"

"Honestly, it was eating at me pretty badly. I didn't let it show for a second, but still."

When Mikhail only tilted his head without adding anything, Lloyd shrugged as if to insist he meant it. Then he grinned, reached out, and gave Mikhail's shoulder a light pat.

"Anyway, try to be a little more careful from now on. You're the North's one and only heir, you know. Precious cargo."

Lloyd delivered the teasing remark like a gentle warning, withdrew his hand, and walked past Mikhail's side.

"Well then, I'm off. Enjoy catching up with the others. The ceremony's this evening, but you'll need to change into formal attire beforehand, so don't stay too long."

Mikhail watched Lloyd's figure grow smaller, then looked up overhead.

A sky where a handful of clouds drifted by in lazy silence.

Mikhail stood beneath the quiet air, retracing their conversation, and let a breath slip free. Among the voices resurfacing in his mind, a few stood out with striking clarity.

[That was a decision that ended up putting you in danger. I'm truly sorry.]

[From now on, let's say I'm the one in your debt.]

The conversation had opened in the shape of an apology. But what remained at the end was a statement that bound their relationship tighter than before—spoken in a stronger tone.

A debtor, huh.

Mikhail murmured it to himself and smirked. A debt, he called it—but in truth it was entirely personal. A creditor-debtor arrangement that added nothing but private, emotional weight.

So I passed the guardian test, is that it? Well, not bad. Should keep us from butting heads for a while….

Neiiigh—

That was when it happened. An unexpected sound barged into his thoughts mid-stride.

Mikhail turned his head slowly toward the source.

Near the main gate of Guild Headquarters.

Hoofbeats—not arriving, but leaving.

"……"

Mikhail pulled in the hand he'd let hang at his side. Something felt off in a way he couldn't quite pin down, and a thin thread of cold wind grazed his forehead as it passed.

---

Meanwhile, at that same hour.

Neiiigh—

The carriage that had been standing at the main gate began to move. Ethan pulled off the cloak he'd thrown on and looked out the window.

The scenery slid past at a rapid clip. Ethan blinked a few times, then raised his hand and pressed it over his eyes.

"……"

The truth was, he hadn't slept at all since arriving at the headquarters.

Ever since the moment he'd recognized the state he was really in, looking at the companions around him had made his chest turn sick.

Like wearing clothes that didn't fit—it was unbearable.

It's not your fault. If anything, I'm the one who….

Ethan lowered his hand and glanced to the side. Two swords lay on the swaying seat beside him.

Weapons he'd never once hesitated to pick up.

But right now, he couldn't bring himself to grip them with the same conviction as before.

Doubt and wavering are poison to someone who swings a blade. He knew that well enough—and yet what flooded his mind was the question of whether his skill and his right to stand where he stood had ever been real.

The conviction he'd carried had been nothing but overconfidence. Arrogance. The ability he'd thought he understood wasn't even enough to protect a single person at his side.

The feeling that he alone had fallen behind was something he couldn't… endure.

Clatter.

I don't have the luxury of sitting around feeling sorry for myself.

Ethan watched the swords rattle back and forth with the wheels' movement, then curled his fingertips tight.

I have to keep getting stronger. Until I've earned the right to stand beside you.

---

After parting with Lloyd, Mikhail headed to his original destination—the cafeteria.

Julien and Edwin, Colin, and the sky foxes—the whole lively group was gathered around a table loaded with assorted snacks, trading stories back and forth.

"—Mikhail, you're here?"

Mikhail confirmed that the barista had stepped away for the moment, then walked over and joined the group.

The instant he sat down, the floodgates opened.

How closely they'd watched his performance during the campaign. How tense they'd been during the fight with Verte. And how spectacularly the early bet Edwin had placed based on his own bold prediction had paid off—

"I made a killing thanks to you! Look at this!"

Clink.

Mikhail eyed the coin purse that landed on the table and let a sly grin slip. Edwin rubbed the tip of his nose and pressed on.

"And this isn't the only one. I've got three more just like it. Anyway… the money's great, but the mood when you seized the momentum was absolutely incredible. If it's gonna be like that, I'd totally be up for doing it again anytime—!"

"Edwin. Just in case you're thinking about it—don't push your luck."

"…Got it."

Scattered laughter broke out as Edwin pursed his lips and grumbled at Mikhail's warning.

Footsteps approached in the same moment. Mikhail noticed the barista had returned and rose from his seat.

"Oh, you ordering something else? Here, take this."

Edwin flicked a gold coin toward Mikhail. Mikhail snatched it out of the air with an easy hand and looked back at Edwin with a grin.

"You're buying?"

"Yeah. I made a fortune off you, so it's only fair."

Mikhail gave a light nod, walked up to the counter, and ordered a starlight martini and a cacao rum.

The drink Ethan had been wild about ever since his first sip—the one he said smelled like a campfire.

Mikhail watched the liquids swirl and blend together as they were poured, and slowly lowered his gaze.

He planned to visit Ethan before the awards ceremony began.