Chapter 158

The cafeteria on the outskirts of Guild Headquarters. White steam from the brewing machine drifted upward and dissolved into the air.

The drinks were ready in no time. Mikhail took the two glass bottles, walked over to the group at the table, and spoke.

"I'll see you guys later, then."

"Huh, what? You're leaving already?"

Edwin sounded caught off guard. Mikhail nodded without fuss.

"Yeah. I've got a quick stop to make, and there are things to get ready before the ceremony."

Julien set down the apple he'd bitten into.

"Makes sense. Mikhail's on the winning team, so he's bound to have a lot to prepare. Let's not hold him up."

"If you're at the ceremony, we'll see you again, right?"

"Yeah."

Mikhail smiled warmly at Colin, then turned to Han and Ul.

"Go play for a while and head back to the room before me. If something shows up outside the door, don't worry about it."

"Grrn."

Mikhail left them with that last reminder and turned to go. His next destination was the general dormitory wing.

Ethan should be there, and if he went now, they'd have plenty of time to talk.

"……"

The breeze against his cheek was warm. Mikhail listened to the steady rhythm of his own footsteps and tilted his head back.

What surfaced during the brief pause was everything that would follow now that the campaign was over.

Once the ceremony's done, we'll head back to the academy.

The first order of business after arriving would be writing the field report documenting their activities. That would officially wrap up the external assignments stretching from the free mission period through now.

After that, supplementary classes during the settlement period, final grades—and this semester would be finished.

I've come a long way from the days when I could barely keep up hour to hour.

Mikhail let a short breath slip. Then he tightened his grip on the bottles and pressed the thought forward.

The first semester might be wrapping up, but that didn't actually mean the main storyline was complete.

The end of the opening act. The expansion into the middle arc.

Whether they were allies or enemies, this was the point where he'd become entangled more deeply with the continent's most powerful factions.

Better to keep things running smoothly until something else comes along. Whether it's the situation at large, or…

What lay between the two of them.

Mikhail paused the train of thought and looked down at Ethan's drink.

What surfaced was a memory. A small moment near the end of the campaign.

The first time he'd offered Ethan a cacao rum after returning to headquarters.

Ethan had recoiled at the unfamiliar drink, but the others kept shoving it at him until he gave in and took a sip.

[Why is this… actually good? It kind of settles the stomach, too.]

He'd screwed his face up expecting something bitter and astringent—and then it had slowly smoothed out, his expression melting into bewildered mumbling. The image was vivid.

Will it be the same… as it was back then?

A smile crossed Mikhail's face, but he let it fade and raised his head.

The building he'd been aiming for appeared before him. The dormitory wing where Ethan's group was staying.

Mikhail followed his memory to Ethan's room. Past the stairs and down the corridor, he came face to face with someone familiar.

"—Seriously? He's really gone? What kind of mood swing is this?"

Something felt off. Mikhail narrowed his eyes at the unsettled atmosphere and approached Dian, who stood a few steps away.

"Dian. What's going on?"

"Whoa! Oh!"

Dian spotted Mikhail beside him and flinched so hard his upper body jerked backward.

He blinked a couple of times.

Then his expression softened into something deflated, and he sighed.

"Ethan's gone."

"What?"

The word shot out sharper than intended. Mikhail glanced around, steadied his breathing, and asked.

"Gone? What do you mean, gone?"

"No idea. He seemed kind of drained ever since that whole mess, but he was still here this morning. Then out of nowhere he left a single letter behind and cleared out every last piece of luggage he'd brought."

"A letter? What did it say?"

"One line. That he was heading back first and he'd see us later. I mean, seriously—a member of the winning team vanishing right before the awards ceremony? How does that even make sense?"

Dian's voice buzzed with frustration. Mikhail watched him rake his fingers through his hair, then lowered his gaze to the drink in his hand and bit his lip.

Hiss.

Mikhail pulled the cap off with his teeth, broke the seal on the starlight martini, and downed it in long, heavy gulps.

Then he shoved the other bottle—the one in his opposite hand—into Dian's arms.

"Drink it. It'll suit your taste."

Mikhail left the brief instruction behind, spun around, and broke into a run down the opposite end of the corridor.

But mid-stride, he stopped.

He turned his flushed face back, replaying the conversation he'd just heard, and spoke.

"Dian. While I was gone—did something happen to Ethan?"

"Huh? Oh… oh. Right!"

Dian, who'd been standing there dumbly with the bottle, seemed to remember something all at once.

"When you were still inside the cave—your whereabouts were completely unknown, so we asked Ethan if he knew anything. And then, just… out of nowhere, Ethan went dead pale and tried to force his way into the cave. Wouldn't listen to anyone."

"…What happened after that?"

"Everyone could see he was heading somewhere dangerous, so they started screaming and trying to pull him back. Total chaos. But… none of it worked. He actually beat the hell out of the people trying to stop him."

Dian blew out a breath and continued.

"Things escalated until Guild Master Germain himself had to step in before it finally got under control. Ethan was dragged off by the fighters and locked up for a good while before they let him go."

Mikhail swallowed a breath that stung and tangled in his throat. But he forced his expression down, and turned toward the passage leading outside.

"Thanks for telling me. See you later!"

Dark-blue hair whipped through the air. Mikhail retraced his steps at a sprint.

"……"

Dian stared at the figure shrinking into the distance, then popped the cap off the glass bottle.

Hiss—

"What are you doing standing around by yourself? Dian."

Albin appeared from the next room over. Dian looked at him and answered.

"Nothing. Mikhail was just here. I was talking to him."

"Mikhail was here?"

Albin repeated the question with a puzzled look and peered down the corridor leading outside. But the hallway was empty.

"……"

Albin tilted his head, then moved his arm. With one deft motion he swiped Dian's bottle and took a gulp of what was inside.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Oh, this is cacao rum? And really good stuff, too."

"…What? Cacao rum?"

Dian snatched the bottle back and tipped a mouthful of the liquid down his throat.

A well-balanced sweetness and light fizz tapped against the inside of his mouth. The kind of drink you couldn't get your hands on even if you tried.

"Haaah!"

Dian pulled the bottle from his lips with a satisfied grunt. Then, almost as an afterthought, he gazed at the spot where Mikhail had disappeared and murmured.

"But… how did he know I like this stuff?"

---

Mikhail ran toward the main gate—the one exit everyone leaving the headquarters had to pass through.

The sound of the carriage he'd heard from the walkway circled his ears with unusual clarity.

If that was… if that sound was Ethan.

Mikhail reached the gate before long.

But there wasn't a single outbound carriage in sight. Only a few incoming ones, slowing as they approached.

"Hoo…."

Mikhail steadied his ragged breathing and looked around. He walked up to the guard stationed at the gate.

"Excuse me, could I ask you something?"

"Hm?"

The guard was unloading luggage from a freshly arrived carriage, answering with barely a glance.

Mikhail raised his voice a notch.

"There was a carriage that left the headquarters, wasn't there?"

"One that left? …Hmm, I doubt it. We've had nothing but arrivals all day because of the ceremony."

"No. There was definitely one that left."

"No. There wasn't."

"There was!"

"Look, kid, you're being a real pain. I said there wasn't—!"

The guard scrunched his brow into a deep scowl and turned to face Mikhail.

Irritation was written all over him. But the instant he got a look at Mikhail's face, he flinched and swallowed whatever he'd been about to say.

Mikhail caught the reaction immediately.

"About an hour ago! A boy around my age—a little taller than me—did he get on a carriage?"

"…Oh!"

The guard's eyes went wide and he nodded.

"Yeah. Now I remember! Some kid in a dark robe flagged down an outbound one and hopped on. He didn't look too good."

"…Do you happen to know where that carriage was headed?"

"Couldn't tell you. That's beyond what I'd know…. Hang on, though—why do you look so familiar?"

Mikhail pulled his gaze from the guard leaning in toward him and stared out at the distant horizon.

Darkness was bleeding into the red of the sunset.

Mikhail swallowed a breath heavier than the last and curled the fingers hanging at his side into a fist.

The situation was clear. His mind followed with calculations of what came next.

It's too late to chase Ethan down and bring him back here. Even if I read everything in the most optimistic light and take the shortest route, the ceremony will be over by the time I return. In that case… what I need to do right now is—

Mikhail pushed his pounding heartbeat to the back of his awareness and lowered his eyes. He turned the question over in the quiet.

A main storyline without its protagonist.

What the best course of action was in this moment.

What choice to make—as a member of this story, and as Ethan Welton's companion.

The thought didn't take long to settle. Mikhail steadied his breathing and released the tension from his fingertips. The thought forming in his mind—and the eyes looking straight ahead—reached further than before.

I don't need to choose for you. I'll just protect the moments you deserve to have, and stand beside you.

Flash!

〔Quest: [Main] Conclude the Second Main Storyline — Complete〕

• Completion Reward: Shop Currency +1

The golden message appeared the instant the resolve took shape.

Mikhail read the notification, turned toward the interior of the headquarters, and broke into a run.

"—Ah, I knew it! I thought you looked way too familiar! You're the young master who made a name for himself at the campaign! Mikhail Senit!"

The guard's startled shout rang out from behind him. But Mikhail didn't stop.

The awards ceremony would begin soon.

If he was going to make it in time for the moment when new connections would form, he had to move now.