Life didn't get easier, even in another world.

"It is finally officially confirmed that Bordkly's prince will visit Hainston."

Team leader Dains entered Glenn's office as soon as he came back from the meeting and handed him some documents. 

"When will he come?"

"In about two months."

"I see."

Glenn said with a tired face as he picked up the papers and started to go through them. Team leader Dains sat down on the table in front of Glenn's desk.

"We have to change the plans a little bit. There are a lot of preparations we have to complete before the prince is here. They need our full forces for escorting and guarding the prince so we have to finish this temple thing in at most 10 days."

Glenn frowned.

"10 days? Isn't that too short of a time?"

"I know, but these are the orders."

Team leader Dains leaned back and put his head in the chair's headrest.

"Philomns is sure to do something during the prince is here. We have to be prepared in advance. We can't afford any mistakes."

"Can we really stop them though?"

"...."

Team leader Dains sighed.

"We will do our best to stop them."

Glenn took a deep breath and flipped the page.

"Ah, didn't that boy send you any reports yesterday? I heard he was going to the library but didn't hear anything else later."

Glenn's tired eyes looked at team leader Dains with anticipation.

"Didn't I tell you? He apparently fainted there."

Thud

The papers fell out of Glenn's hands.

"He did what?"

Team leader Dains shrugged his shoulders. 

"I just got a brief call from unit 6's deputy team leader, saying that Kairen was not feeling fine so he wasn't going to come to work. I contacted the library staff and they confirmed it. Apparently, he was moved to the hospital?"

"....."

Glenn looked at team leader Dains with narrowed, suspicious eyes.

"Didn't you say no one got hurt in the mission?"

Team leader Dains averted his gaze.

"He got healed immediately. I also asked Asa but she said he should've been fine after resting a little bit. Anyway, that is for the best."

Glenn's eyebrow twitched.

"For the best?"

Glenn glared daggers at the team leader as if he would jump at him to beat him to a pulp if he repeated his words again.

"Yes. I'm sorry about his condition but it's for the best if he doesn't show his face here for a while, especially after what happened in the temple."

"Ah!"

As if just understanding the team leader's intention, Glenn exclaimed quietly.

"I'm sure HE wants to approach Kairen somehow?"

Team leader Dains nodded his head. He thought for a while before resuming to talk.

"I know he is not a bad guy and I trust him with everything I have but... I'm not sure how he will treat Kairen. It's especially scary when I remember to what length he would go to get rid of Philomns..."

Glenn nodded his head with a sigh.

"No matter what we do, HE will do whatever is in his mind eventually and we won't be able to do anything. The fact that he has suppressed himself for this long is also because he respects you a lot, Fidel."

Team leader Dains chuckled.

"What's the point of it. That kid just goes around causing more trouble every time, making things hard for me."

"If you listened to me and didn't take him to dangerous places, nothing would've happened from the start. He doesn't belong to the battlefield, but to my office!"

"What dangerous place that temple was a tourist spot just until before he set foot into it. Plus, don't make it sound like you are worrying about that kid you only want your personal slave back."

"Hey! I am a human being! Of course, I do worry about him!"

Glenn picked up the papers that had fallen out of his hands.

"And I also want my assistant back."

"Sigh!"

Team leader Dains stood up.

"Anyway, I will make it so that he wouldn't come back here until our next mission... that is the day after tomorrow."

Glenn was visibly dissatisfied. One could see the great amount of sorrow and disappointment he felt on his face. He tossed the papers aside once again and turned around, starting to search for something in his drawer.

"I get it. I will write a report about him being sich and send it to HIM."

Team leader Dains smiled at Glenn.

"Exaggerated as much as possible?"

Glenn smiled back at him.

"Exaggerated as much as possible."

Glenn picked up some pares with an evil smile on his lips.

"This should be enough to keep the Commander away from him for a while."

. . . . 

Once again, Kairen was back to being forced to stay at home.

He didn't know what exactly happened but he suddenly received a message from team leader Dains, saying that he was prohibited from coming to work until he gets better and 'ordered' him to stay home until their next mission. 

It was true that Kairen was still feeling unwell, but it wasn't to the point of staying home and skipping work for days! 

If it was any other day, Kairen would be more than happy to receive some days off, but not now! Not with Kain and Alessia guarding him all day!

Kain, as if waiting for this opportunity, gladly prisoned Kairen in his house and forced him to stay in his bed all day.

Still, Kairen would be more than happy staying in the bed if it was any normal day, but again, not with Kain forcefully taking his phone away with the excuse that he had to rest!

"Unn..."

When he was busy nagging inwardly, the door of the room opened and a pair of dark gray eyes peeked at him. Kairen knew that it was Ariyan. He would come and peek at him from time to time then run away again. Having to deal with a fever and his weak body, Kairen simply didn't have the energy to deal with the kid so he had been ignoring him the whole day.

But this time, he heard the kid talk to someone in a quiet voice.

"Papa, why is uncle sick?"

Pat Pat

Kain patted Ariyan's head with a smile.

"Because he did dangerous things."

"Dangerous things?"

Kain smiled at his son and nodded.

"Yes. Ariyan, why don't you go watch some cartoons?"

"Uh..."

The kid looked between his father and Kairen. 

"Okayyy..."

He didn't look so happy but he did as Kain said and ran towards the television.

Creeek

Kain opened the door to Kairen's room.

"I've brought you your food."

Kain slowly approached Kairen and placed the trail of food on his bed.

"Thank you... but I could come to eat myself..."

Kairen sat down on the bed and looked at the food brought to him. Plates full of delicious food and salad were prepared for him. His food seemed kinda luxury for some reason.

"...."

He silently picked up his fork and spoon and started to eat his food.

"...."

"...."

"Um..."

After he was done eating, Kain hesitantly opened his mouth while fidgetting with his fingers.

"Are you... you know... still mad at me?"

"...."

Kairen looked at Kain. He had stuffed all of the remaining food into his mouth and now his mouth was too full of food for him to be able to talk.

"I know you are still sick... but... I just wanted to solve it as soon as possible..."

Fidget Fidget

"...."

Kairen chewed his food with a calm face while looking at Kain.

Truth be told, he was not mad at him anymore. Not even a tiny bit. After all, how could he be mad at Kain after what happened?

Kain had been restlessly taking care of him. Even when Kairen was still making a fuss in the hospital, Kain was only worried about his health. Kairen actually felt bad for treating him that way. After thinking about his actions for a while, he thought that he might've gone too far while arguing with Kain that morning, but there was no way he would admit that.

"I'm sorry!"

Before Kairen could even talk, Kain lowered his head and apologized.

"I'm really sorry!"

He grabbed Kairen's hand with both hands.

"I didn't want to do this. I... I had to."

Finally snapped out of his shock, Kairen put down his spoon and fork and grabbed Kain's shoulders.

"Kain-"

"I couldn't disobey the orders. I was afraid I would be expelled, or even worse... you know... SMF is the strongest military organization after all... I have a family to feed so... so..."

"Kain, stop-"

"Still, I should've rejected it somehow! I shouldn't have done something like this. You were my family as well. I shouldn't have done this."

He lowered his head more and more as he kept talking.

'What is wrong with this fool!'

Kairen patted Kain's shoulders.

"It's okay. It's okay I don't mind it anymore."

"...."

Kain closed his mouth after hearing Kairen's soft tone but still didn't let go of Kairen. 

"But tell me something. Since when have you been doing this?"

Kain didn't have much reaction at first, but after a few seconds, he suddenly raised his head and looked at Kairen with wide and shaky eyes.

"T-that's not it!"

Even his voice was shaking.

"Y-You don't think that I was... from the beginning..."

He looked at Kairen with a face that was asking him to tell he had guessed wrong.

"...."

But Kairen didn't say anything.

"Kairen!"

Kain slightly pulled Kairen's hand.

"You can't be serious, right? How can you even think of me as such a lowly bastard?"

"...."

This time, Kairen lowered his head.

"Um..."

"YOU ARE STUPID! YOU ARE A FOOL! AM I REALLY SUCH A PERSON IN YOUR EYES?"

"N-No..."

Kairen looked at the air.

"You fool!"

"...."

"It hasn't even been three weeks yet!"

"I... see..."

"Stupid fool!"

"...."

"You are silly!"

"...."

Kairen felt like he was being scolded by his mom.

"S-sorry!"

"Brainless idiot!"