CH 75

“Wait a minute. I’ll take out some holy water in advance first, and…” I trailed off and went to gather all the holy water in Mayer’s room. It was a recovery potion of sorts, a necessity for any expedition member. In their case, a considerable amount was required. Not for healing, however; it was to balance out the concentration of demonic and holy energy. Once I was done preparing, I approached Mayer, feeling like a doctor about to operate. This was my ‘surgery’ to perform… I pulled a chair next to the bed and observed my ‘patient’ with solemn determination. His mana was very still, and understandably so: it had been lying dormant for 15 years. Good.

I grasped Mayer’s hand, so large that two of mine barely covered it, and began to gently transfer mana into his body. He stared at me working for a moment before remarking, “…You seem accustomed to this somehow.”

“I told you to trust in me. I’m not new at this.”

“Not new?”

“I’ve unlocked the mana of quite a few people.”

For some reason, Mayer looked dissatisfied at those words. I was convinced then that he didn’t believe me. Perhaps I needed to give him a concrete example… This had to be why precedents were important in business. “I smoothed out Sevi’s mana path too. Surely you didn’t expect that I’d volunteer for something this important without any experience?” I said, giving him a more specific example from my experiences to reassure him. He didn’t reply, so I continued. “All you need to do, Captain, is to sit tight and trust.”

Mayer kept his silence. Judging by how his face wasn’t easing up, he still seemed distrustful, but what of it? My mana had already entered his body and it was too late to stop. For an instant, his forehead twitched and he gripped my hands harder. He must have felt my mana moving into him; the man sure did have good senses. Mayer exhaled deeply and slowly asked, “That… Did you always proceed in a bedroom like this… with the others?”

Incredulous, I asked, “Does that matter right now?”

His question was far too trivial and pointless in the current situation. Mayer shut his mouth, his eyes shaking. He was unable to speak the reason, or perhaps he was unaware of it himself. For him, it was the first time a woman had entered his bedroom, so I guessed he would mind about it. Could he be nervous, wondering whether I was up to no good? The man was almost a monk practicing chastity, was he not? I sighed. Mental stability was the first priority when it came to opening a mana circuit. To prove I had no strange ulterior motives at all, I talked to him in a somewhat tough voice. “Captain. I’m only borrowing this place out of necessity.”

“And that is why you waltz into the bedroom of other men like this?”

“There were women too.”

“That is not the point!” Mayer raised his torso, appearing upset for some reason. His unusual behavior took me aback. Thinking that I should lay him down again first, I pressed down on his shoulders to put him back on the bed. Mayer obediently laid down again, but he kept his head raised to stare at me, clearly keen on saying more. “You really are a piece of work…”

“Are you nagging me now?” I asked in disbelief. It was no wonder I was feeling nostalgic; he was acting like my parents when they scolded me for breaking curfew.

Mayer flinched at the word nagging and followed up his words in a somewhat placating tone. “…I do not mean to nag. I am worried. While I am aware you are acting out of goodwill, are you not making it easy to cause misunderstandings?”

“So long as you don’t misunderstand, Captain.”

“Why me?”

“Because you’re the reason I’m staying in the Dark Knights. It’d be terrible if you get some misunderstanding and start avoiding me. As for the others, well… it doesn’t matter what they think,” I answered disinterestedly. I was getting loads of misunderstandings from others already anyway. “People always got the wrong idea about me when I was with Fabian too.”

“…Are you sure there was really nothing between you two?”

I scowled. “What bull are you talking about?” I was only explaining to ease any worries Mayer might have, yet he was jumping to conclusions again. I had to make things clear. “I’m taking this opportunity to tell you that we’re not in that kind of relationship between a man and woman. We’re only comrades who joined to defeat the demon lord. I won’t misunderstand you acting unusual sometimes so I ask you, Captain, to not mind my actions too much.”