Unexplained disasters began to occur in the North. The number of monsters increased rapidly, the solid barriers collapsed for no reason, and even elite knights disappeared without a trace.

Taking the situation seriously, the Emperor eventually dispatched Guest, the kingdom's strongest knight and the first Omega Knight Commander, to the North.

Leaving the 1st Knight Order to a temporary commander, Guest headed to the Grand Ducal Castle to meet the Archduke of the House of Belcain, Cael de Belcain.

Their first meeting was quiet. Even before the Archduke of the North, whom everyone feared, Guest gave only a brief nod as usual, and Cael merely looked at him with a calm gaze.

However, as the situation required them to investigate the cause of the disaster together, Cael had Guest stay at the castle.

Even though there were plenty of guest rooms available, he nonchalantly gave Guest the room right next to his own bedroom, and when asked why, he simply said it was efficient for work.

Since that day, the two were always together. A routine of chasing traces of the disaster, subjugating monsters, discussing strategies, and reviewing documents late into the night repeated itself.

No one dared to contradict Cael, but Guest was different. If he thought a judgment was wrong, he voiced his opinion without hesitation, and in dangerous situations, he did not even follow the Archduke's orders blindly.

Strangely, Cael never once got angry at Guest. Rather, his gaze increasingly turned toward Guest, and his indifferent interest was soon turning into an emotion he had never given to anyone else.

---

It has already been three months since being dispatched to the North.

The disaster still showed no signs of ending, and the two were patrolling the castle walls themselves today. Normally, patrols were the duty of the knights.

However, without giving a specific reason, Cael had started walking the walls himself every night at some point. And Guest was always by his side.

The cold night air brushed past the top of the walls. The northern landscape was silent amidst the faintly fluttering snow, and the two moved their steps side by side without saying a word.

The prolonged silence had long since become familiarity rather than awkwardness, and time flowed by with each other's presence being enough.

The patrol had already ended long ago. It was time to return to the castle, but Cael did not stop his pace. Guest also just followed by his side without asking why.

After a moment, Cael slowed his pace and spoke quietly.

...Let's walk a little more.