Chapter 79: No More NightmaresAfter our battle with Armaros was over, and I was done crying, the knights of the 4th flew to our location with Harvey holding Commander Valentina in his arms as she was catching a ride with him.

    They explained that Garret’s possession had come to a sudden end, and the demonic energy that surrounded his body had ceased, leaving him unconscious.

    As they descended, I could see Valentina blushing a little at the fact that Harvey was holding her so easily while flying to us.

    We told them what had happened and that Armaros was dead. Of course, I skipped the last part, but I said to them that all of the large monster attacks we’ve had the past few years were the devil’s plan.

    Once we returned to the town, the princess drank an MP potion and repaired the barracks, which had a massive hole from the roof to the underground prison.

    At that time, I sent a letter to the king, explaining what we had seen, and asked all of the knights that were present to keep the battle a secret.

    I already knew that several devils were roaming the world. If they somehow communicated with each other, I didn’t want the information of Armaros getting killed to go public so soon after.

    My reasoning was that if another devil heard about one of his comrades dying, they would take it upon themselves to avenge them and come back to terrorize the Sephyr Kingdom.

    That’s why I asked everyone to keep it a secret, even though Vespera told me that if a devil really wanted to know, they could easily use other methods to find out. But it was not a bad thing to be cautious either way.

    When we returned to the inn, I quickly lay in bed as the exhaustion caught up with me and buried my head in the pillow.

    "Ichiro... Are you okay?" said Melina as she sat beside my bed.

    I turned my head and saw the princess with a worried expression, so naturally, I tried to de-escalate the situation.

    "I’m fine. I’m just very tired..." I said.

    "Ichi, I’m sorry I couldn’t help you at that moment..." she said, looking down with a hint of regret.

    ’Did she just call me "Ichi!?"’ I thought as that was the nickname my past wife used to call me.

    Shaking my head to bring me back to the present moment, I patted Melina’s head.

    "You did help me a lot, though. So, I don’t know why you look so sad all of a sudden..." I said, trying to console her.

    I supposed it must have been strange for her to see me cry, and now she thought something was wrong with me.

    "It’s just... You looked in so much pain..." she said as she grasped my hand.

    "I promise that I’m okay. Armaros just tried a desperate attack at the end and showed me a nightmare... Sorry for worrying you." I said as I gripped her hand tighter.

    "A nightmare?" she asked, gazing into my eyes as she slowly got closer.

    "C-close your eyes." She said while blushing.

    "Alright?" I said, somewhat confused but compliant.

    At that moment, I felt a soft pillow posing on my lips, making me open one eye to peek and see the princess giving me a peck on the lips.

    It was quick, maybe even less than two seconds, but it felt like at least half a minute for me.

    After separating our lips, we both stared at each other, utterly red with shyness, as the room’s silence made it a little awkward.

    "I... I hope that helps with the nightmares!" Melina exclaimed, her face as red as a tomato.

    She quickly pulled away from me nervously and ran to her bed on the other side of the room, using the covers to wrap her entire body.

    ’Wh-what just happened...?’ I thought as I held my lips, my eyes still wide open from the surprise.

    Right on time, Vespera entered the room to find us both flushing in our beds with red faces, completely silent.

    "Did I miss anything?" She asked.

    "No!" Melina and I exclaimed in unison.

    However, right then, Yoru emerged from my shadows and seemed to be snickering.

    "Yoru... You were here!?" I asked, making the princess and I even more embarrassed.

    I had never heard a wolf laughing until that day, but my companion kept giggling, then said something to Vespera using telepathy.

    Vespera smiled and nodded without saying a word as she walked to a chair next to a window to relax.

    I sighed. ’Getting hazed by my companions is definitely a new experience...’

    With the night finally under wraps, we all took our well-deserved rest.

    __________

    The next day, we woke up a bit later than usual, and after getting some breakfast, we made our way to the knight’s barracks to check on Garret’s health.

    Once we arrived, the knights of the 7th and 2nd order seemed to be training with Harvey and his two senior knights, as they had apparently been asked for spar sessions after seeing them fighting the Kraken.

    Inside the building, which had been upgraded after Melina repaired it the previous night, we were greeted by Commander Valentina with a smile. The first smile she ever showed us, in fact.

    "How’s Garret doing?" I asked.

    "He’s awake in the infirmary if you want to check on him," Valentina said.

    "It’s alright. I don’t think he wants to see me anyway," I said while shrugging.

    However, Valentina raised her hand to stop me from walking away.

    "He does want to talk to you, actually. The princess, too," she said.

    Melina and I raised an eyebrow with a bit un uncertainty but still followed Valentina to the infirmary room, where Garret was lying down in bed eating soup.

    Putting his food aside, the man climbed out of bed and kneeled before us, his forehead touching the ground.

    "Woah, stand up, man," I said as I took a few steps back.

    However, Commander Valentina joined him too and kneeled beside him, although keeping her chin held high.

    "I’m sorry, Ichiro!" Garret exclaimed, his head still against the ground.

    Before I could speak up, he continued.

    "I have been everything but knightly ever since I joined the ranks. I have treated others like they are lesser than me because of their origin, and my doubts and ego led me to a dark path..." Garret said.

    "I’m truly sorry for the trouble I caused, and I’m ready to receive any punishment for it," he stated, finally raising his gaze.

    I understood that he felt terrible about getting possessed since, technically, it was his own thoughts that allowed Armaros to control him.

    Even if he didn’t want to accept the devil’s power, the doubt in his heart was enough to sway him.

    However, I felt somewhat guilty for what happened to him.

    Now, don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t taking on all of the blame, but I also felt like if I hadn’t embarrassed him during our match, he could have doubted himself less.

    On the other hand, he kind of deserved to be humiliated like that for all the bullying that they did to the 4th order.

    "It’s alright, Garret. I accept your apology. Hopefully, you already talked to Harvey and his knights." I said, trying to calm him down.

    "I did. He has been training the others all morning ever since I apologized..." Garret replied.

    "Cool. Then that’s pretty much it for me. It’s not like I’m the one who chooses your punishment or anything." I said casually, grabbing Garret’s shoulder with amiability.

    Both commanders turned to the princess, awaiting her command, knowing that she would be the one to decide their punishment.

    Melina changed her expression from solemn to serious as she looked down at the two knights kneeling on the ground while I moved to the side, not to interfere. sea??h thё novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Commander Valentina of the 7th Knight’s Order. While you have been egotistical and rude at times to my companions, I realize that it’s your own weakness that angers you and not the strength of others." She said with a commanding tone before pausing momentarily.

    "For that reason, you and all of the knights of the 7th will undergo special training in End Town." she finished before turning around to look at Garret.

    "Commander Garret of the 2nd Knight’s Order. Your reckless actions brought us and the other knights a lot of trouble, and while the blame doesn’t lie solely with you, this could have all been avoided had you come to your senses and mended your mistakes sooner." Melina said, her tone unwavering.

    ’She is right. Valentina did go and apologized to us before while Garret went out sulking...’ I thought, pondering what kind of punishment the princess would give him.

    "Commander Garret, you will be placed on temporary leave from your commander position and will join the ranks of the 4th in End Town. Once I confirm that you have the strength and maturity to lead the 2nd order, your commander rank will be returned." Melina stated, firm and resolute.

    On the other hand, Garret looked perplexed at her words, commenting how he was expecting to get executed for treason. But the princess quickly dismissed that notion, saying that if they wanted to kill him, they would have done it during the battle when he asked me to do it.