The blood scattered from Lilica's left arm still seemed to linger on his hand. No matter how many times he looked, his palm was clean. But the sensation wouldn't fade. In the cold night air, Yuri sat slumped against the stone wall of the infirmary, his back pressed against the cold surface. The fortress was silent. It was still before dawn. Torches cast a dim glow down the corridor, and only the flickering shadows of the flames danced across the walls. The infirmary door was closed. Inside, military physician Haizel should still be working. No life-threatening injuries——he'd heard those words. He'd heard them, but they wouldn't transform into relief inside Yuri's chest. (Because I couldn't move.) That single sentence kept repeating in his head. Footsteps approached from deeper in the corridor. He didn't need to turn around to know it was Georg. That man's footsteps had a distinctive rhythm—his right foot was slightly heavier. "[serious]……So you were here," His voice was slightly hoarse. It seemed Yuri wasn't the only one who hadn't slept. Georg was carrying a blanket, probably taken from a bunk. It had wrinkles creased into it. As he lowered himself beside Yuri, Georg began unfolding the blanket while saying, "You must be cold too." ——Rustle. The blanket fell over Yuri's face. His vision went completely dark. The soft fabric covered his entire head. Silence. "[sarcastic]……I had it backwards," The blanket shifted. Yuri silently peeled the cloth from his face. Georg muttered "Oh, I had it backwards" as he flipped the blanket over. In the midst of such a serious situation, it was absurdly clumsy. He couldn't bring himself to laugh, but the inability to laugh created a strange collision in his chest, and the air became awkward. Georg draped the blanket correctly this time. Now it settled properly on Yuri's shoulders. "[serious]The squad leader will be fine. That's what Haizel said. No life-threatening injuries," Yuri didn't answer. "[serious]It's not your fault. In that situation, even I——" "[sad]Because I couldn't move," His voice trembled. The words came out squeezed from deep in his throat, and even he could hear how pathetic they sounded. "The squad leader had to protect me. If I'd just done my job properly, those claws wouldn't have——" He couldn't finish. His voice caught, and he buried his face in his knees. Georg said nothing. Perhaps he couldn't find the words. Perhaps he thought nothing he said would reach Yuri. He simply sat beside him, his own back against the wall. Silence fell over the corridor. Wind howled in the distance—the bone-chilling winter wind that came from the north of the Garg Wasteland. —— Morning came. When the light of dawn began filtering through the gaps in the stone walls, the key personnel of the garrison were summoned to Battalion Commander Baldus König's office. Baldus, the commander of the Grandveld Borderland Garrison, was a large man in his fifties. He had a white beard and deep wrinkles etched at the corners of his eyes. His appearance was mild, but there was a heavy tension in the way he tapped the map spread across his desk with his finger. Yuri stood in the back row, his eyes still red. Georg beside him. Vaik's broad back in front. Baldus opened his mouth. "[serious]I'm reporting on the southeastern situation. The Nerias army's vanguard crossed the border and began their advance last night," The air in the room changed. "[serious]Based on the scale, it's a prelude to a full-scale offensive. We can assume Nerias is making a serious move for Galesta Ridge," Galesta Ridge——a disputed territory that Feltrand and Nerias had been contending over. From there to Grandveld was approximately 180 kilometers to the southeast. To Nerias's front lines was another 30 kilometers. Numbers lined up in his head. 60 kilometers north: the demon realm of Volga Zenoum. 180 kilometers southeast: Nerias's vanguard. They were surrounded. "[serious]I'm sending an immediate request for reinforcements to Cordina. But——" Baldus trailed off. Everyone in the room silently completed the rest in their minds. Twelve days by carriage, one way. Reinforcements wouldn't arrive for at least twenty-four days. No one knew what would happen before then. With 240 soldiers, there was no margin to face both the north and south simultaneously. Everyone understood that too. In the silence, Vaik, arms crossed, spoke quietly. "[serious]In the worst case, we may have to abandon the fortress and retreat," Everything froze. The air in the room seemed to literally solidify. Something collapsed inside Yuri's chest. The meaning of coming here. The two years spent at the Cordina Military Academy. The morning he left the village, his mother's hand gripping his silently. It all came crashing down at once. Beside him, he could faintly hear Georg grinding his teeth. —— After the meeting dispersed, Yuri returned to his quarters in the east barracks. Outside the window was a gray sky. Low clouds hung over the Garg Wasteland, and the northern horizon was hazy and indistinct. His sword, still in its sheath, leaned against the side of his bunk. A sword that hadn't yet become part of his body. Last night, he couldn't even properly channel mana——the basic technique of a magic swordsman——into it. It had remained stuck, and he'd nearly let Lilica die. Yuri approached the sword. He knelt. He grasped it. His arm lifted. He thought about smashing it against the floor. What use was this thing? An apprentice who couldn't even stabilize the first form had no right to be on the front lines—— The door opened. It was Vaik. His 185-centimeter frame barely fit through the doorway, and he entered slowly. Soot-colored short hair. A thin scar on his right jaw. Heavy, sunken gray eyes that looked at Yuri for a second, then at the sword he was about to lift for a second, alternating between the two. "[serious]If you want to cry, cry. But don't let go of that sword," That was all he said before leaning his back against the corner of the room and sitting down on the floor. Yuri couldn't say anything. Holding the sword, still on his knees, he couldn't move. Vaik kept his gaze on the ceiling and opened his mouth. In his usual blunt voice, but with a slightly different temperature today. "[serious]Twelve years ago, on an expedition, I lost three comrades," His voice was quiet. "[serious]All of them died right in front of me. I couldn't move either. Not because my body wouldn't move, but because I was afraid. That's all," Yuri remained silent. "[serious]I tried to throw away my sword. I tried several times. But——I thought if I threw it away, I'd be denying their deaths. So I kept holding it. That's the only reason. It's not a great story," Silence fell over the room. Yuri looked at Vaik's profile. He'd thought him a man who never showed emotion. But now, looking up at the ceiling, something heavy seemed to be sinking in his eyes——he couldn't quite put it into words, but he felt he could see it. Vaik's stomach made a loud noise. A deep growl echoed through the room. There was a pause. "[serious]A man without fear is an idiot. A warrior is someone who can move despite the fear. You couldn't move because you're weak——" "[surprised]……Your stomach just made a noise, didn't it?" Vaik's gaze returned from the ceiling. "[serious]I missed a meal," There was no explanation whatsoever. Yuri laughed. He hadn't meant to laugh, but something loosened, and a strange sound came from his throat. In a situation where he shouldn't laugh, with words that shouldn't be funny, yet he laughed anyway. Through that gap, tears spilled out. One drop. Two drops. Before he could hold them back, they fell onto the floor. Vaik said nothing. He didn't stand up. He simply remained sitting in the corner of the room, present in the same air. ——A man without fear is an idiot. A warrior is someone who can move despite the fear. Those words slowly fell into Yuri as he wept. —— Night deepened. The fortress corridors were empty of people, and footsteps were absorbed into the stone floor. Mage-lamps——light sources powered by sealed magical ore——cast a thin glow on the walls at regular intervals. Yuri stood before the infirmary door. His body was calmer than during the day. Perhaps from crying. Perhaps from Vaik's words. Either way, it didn't matter. He knocked. There was no answer. Military physician Haizel must have been away. He knocked again, more gently. "……Come in," The voice was calm but clear. He opened the door to find Lilica alone in a room with two beds arranged side by side. Her left arm was immobilized with white bandages from shoulder to hand. Yet with only her right hand, she had a board across her lap and was writing a report. Her long silver hair flowed over one shoulder, and a single black streak caught the light and swayed faintly. When Lilica noticed Yuri entering, she looked up. Her eyes widened just slightly. It was a face she never showed during training. Not calm, not cold——purely surprised, a human face. That single moment tightened something deep in Yuri's chest. Yuri stepped forward and opened his mouth. "[sad]I'm sorry. Because I couldn't move, the squad leader——" Lilica's right hand rose. That alone stopped Yuri's words. "[cold]Don't apologize. Next time, move. That's all," Three words and six words. It sounded cold. But Yuri understood. Instead of accepting an apology, she was demanding the next action. You can still fight——that's what it meant. Not refusing his apology, but saying there was something to do before apologizing. Yuri's throat tightened, and he couldn't say anything. Lilica's right hand moved slowly across the report. Her bandaged left arm didn't move. Yet she kept writing. For the fortress, in the middle of the night, alone. Something in his chest changed shape. It had always had a vague outline. The sharpness in Lilica's eyes during training. The voice when she said "you can tremble, but don't stop" in the watchtower. Tonight, the moment of surprise when she opened the door——they all seemed to fit together. (I love her.) Saying it to himself, he was surprised. But surprised as he was, he also understood. So this is what that feels like. "[serious]……Yes," He answered briefly, and Lilica returned her gaze to the report. "[cold]Training resumes tomorrow. I can't use my left arm, but I can use my mouth," Matter-of-fact. The usual Lilica. But now Yuri could hear trust in those matter-of-fact words. You have the value to continue training——that's what it meant. "[serious]……Thank you for everything," With just those words, Yuri closed the door. —— In the corridor, the night air wrapped around him quietly. Don't run. Next time, move. For the first time, the words took shape in his head. It didn't feel like determination. It simply felt like something that was naturally there. As he began walking down the corridor, Georg came from the other direction. Their eyes met. Georg looked at Yuri's face for a second, then said quietly, "[serious]You went to see Lilica," Yuri nodded. Georg started to pass him. One step forward, and his feet stopped. Without turning around, he spoke quietly. "[serious]……While you were depressed, I was thinking about things too," "[surprised]What?" Georg didn't turn around. "[serious]In the next battle, I'll be in a position to protect the squad leader. That's all," With just that, he started walking again. His footsteps faded down the corridor. Yuri watched his back disappear. Georg's words were both a warning and friendship, and something else too. Everything mixed together. The desire to protect Lilica wasn't Yuri's alone——tonight, for the first time, he understood that clearly. Back in the east barracks, Yuri quietly stood his sword back against the side of his bunk. The sword he'd thought to smash. But now it simply stood there. A sword he