Close, yet so distant

"Are we on sentinel duty too?"

Kinoya shook his head, "Don't worry they won't attack today."

"What are you talking about Chanakya? We are suspended. Why do we have to work now?"At the time of the war, Palsa was the first volunteer, but no other work attracted him at all.

"The one suspended is Captain, not us." Chanakya refuted.

Whether it was Chanakya's emotionless remark or Palsa's straight forward responses, Kinoya was happy with their reaction.

The event at noon shook the faith of those who followed him. Also, his soldiers had avoided him, not just those women. But at least the two of them were the exception.

'It's not like I am running for a president.' Kinoya shook his head, 'I just can't hold on to those who want to leave.'

"Go and have some rest. Don't miss a training session. You, Chanakya, in particular."

"Yes, Captain."

"Rest well, Captain."

'Why does it feel that they have become more obedient than before? Well, whatever!' Kinoya had no intention of dwelling on the subject and entered his tent.

Kinoya stepped in and stopped. There was someone in there. Even if he wasn't able to see the face, he understood who it was. Kinoya sighed and went to his bed.

"Why are you doing here?"

"I came here to sleep."

"Huh?" Kinoya frowned, "Can't you sleep at the barn?"

"I came because I can't. Can't you see the dark circle?"

"No, I can't" Kinoya stopped for a moment, "Don't worry, even if you don't come here I won't do anything."

Kinoya had no idea whether he had imagined it or whether Iilea was shuddering. But Kinoya couldn't help but pity himself, "Do you think I'm such a petty person? "

"I don't know whether you are even human or not." Iilea sat there hugging her knees, not knowing how to react.

"Do you know what I fear most?"

'Maybe me.' Kinoya wanted to say but decided against it.

"I don't fear death."

"What is there to fear? Isn't it the easiest way out of all the suffering?"

Iilea smiled but didn't say anything, "What I fear most is sympathy. And what I see in your eyes that night was sympathy. And I don't like it."

The silence deepened with the night no one spoke.

"You might feel it's just an act of kindness on your side, but it's like you're trampling on my pride."

Iilea stopped, not knowing what to talk about. She didn't know why she started talking about it. But Kinoya started where she had finished.

"I hate you," Kinoya stated it aloud.

A smile on Iilea's lips that Kinoya could not distinguish from his [Magic Perception] spoke loudest in the silence that followed.

"You hate yourself." Iilea couldn't help but take another look at Kinoya. Kinoya was staring at who knew where.

"Those who don't know you don't have the authority to criticize you. And you don't need to justify yourself for what you did. They're never going to understand, they're not planning to."

"Do what you're trying to do. There's no need to ask permission from those who don't..." Kinoya didn't finish the sentence, he couldn't do it. He was caught off guard by Iilea's attack.

Kinoya stared at his lap. Even if he could see only the outline, he was sure that Iilea was smiling right now.

"What are you looking at? Didn't you just tell me to do what I want? So I did. I have no intention of moving. I want to sleep."

"Aren't you afraid?"

"Afraid of what? Are you killing me? You can't do that."

Kinoya sighed not knowing how to respond. But he was happy somewhere in his heavy heart. Happy that Iilea had returned, lay down on his lap as nothing had happened, and...

"I didn't want to come." What followed was a long pause and she spoke again. "I hate you too. Even if I couldn't fall asleep, I don't want to come here. But they forced me."

"Those women think you have fallen for me. So they sent me here as a form of insurance." Iilea smiled, "I don't think they're going to be able to fall asleep after seeing what you've done today."

"Aren't afraid? I think that man was hexer. And the hexer's curse is very strong."

"I have gone through the worst." His voice sounded a little unhappy but Iilea was curious about a different thing.

"Worse? Worse than what you have done?"

'Why did I talk about it?' Kinoya shook his head, "I am joking."

"It doesn't look like that."

As soon as her hand touched his check, Kinoya was astounded. No matter how much he gazed at her, he couldn't see the emotion in her eyes. Kinoya grabbed her hand at his check, and...

"Can't you just fall asleep?"

"I want to know what happened to you."

"I can't talk about it." Kinoya sighed, "Not now."

"Then you will tell me one day."

"I will. If I understand why it happened to me, I will."

"Promise me, then."

"Now you are acting like a child."

"Look who's talking."

Kinoya was smiling. No hidden meaning, no sympathy, no pity. It bloomed out of his heart, and it was contagious. Looking at his smile, Iilea couldn't stop her from giggling.

"Now sleep." Kinoya kept patting her head as she closed her eyes.

'I wish the time had stopped right now.' Their thoughts resonated with one another. Alas! None of them could understand the thoughts of each other.

************

"Captain, General Vaicus has sent 200 cavalries," Chanakya reported the arrival of the cavalry unit.

Kinoya was taking care of the horse calf he had received from Akai. It was the child of the war stallion of Akai. The second-generation offspring of the black thunder stallion from the imperial stable.

It was unfortunate that the pregnant mare had given birth to a twin so that the result was inevitable. One of the calves was so weak that it might not be able to live long enough to see the twin moon.

Akai wanted Kinoya to take a healthy foal, but Kinoya chose the weaker foal. It wasn't kindness or anything. It was suggested to him by the black man in space.

"That calf is more compatible with you."

"But that's not going to be able to live long."

"How can you know if you're not trying?"

Kinoya was surprised when he heard it but soon realised, "Is there a way to cure it?"

"The calf is not wounded or sick, to begin with. It's weak and lacks nutrients. If you can give the right food, you might be able to pull it through. A mutation isn't going to be surprising."

Mutated beasts are more difficult to tame but are much tougher than any ordinary beast. But the horses of the imperial stable are mutated, to begin with, it's only weakening the gene right after continuous breeding with a weaker mare. If he mutates it again who knows how strong he would be but ...

"If it's food, then, couldn't others do the same thing?"

The tone of the black man had become sarcastic," The food I'm talking about isn't food or anything, it's your mana. Your mana is supposed to be compatible with it.

Kinoya's excitement didn't last long. He did not understand how people could mutate a dark elemental beast since there are little to no dark elementals in this part of the world.

'If I am here with dark elemental mana, then there are bound to be more people.' No matter what world they are, royalties tend to hide some of the secrets.

It's been a week now. The black man fed the dark mana to the foal at night. It was still unable to move, but the glaze was coming back. Now it has been able to drink the milk of its mother.

With Chanakya's report, Kinoya stood up, leaving the calf that lay on the hay behind. It gave a wailing cry. Kinoya patted him several more times as he was leaving the tent.

It is already a week after the entire caravan reached Na city. Most of them were recruited into the army for the last three days, leaving no more than two to three thousand of all the tens of thousands who came here.

From what Kinoya could see in front of his eyes, there were almost one and a half thousand of them here. Kinoya kept his recruitment date after the initial recruitment of the army to avoid clashes.

Rather, he used that time to spread the news about the recruitment of his army. Without wasting time, Kinoya moved to the makeshift stage.