They exchanged letters.

Most of what Marion wrote in her letters was about her garden, which she tended to like a hobby. Each time Maxim received one, he felt a growing sense of frustration. Whenever he had time, Maxim replied, though he wasn’t satisfied with his writing. Nevertheless, he put as much effort into his responses as possible.

Over the course of the year Maxim spent in Ebel, many letters were exchanged.

And with each letter that passed between them, the weight of guilt on Maxim’s shoulders grew heavier. Though he could empathize with Marion, he could not offer her his heart. As much as Marion opened herself up to him, Maxim opened up as well, but the distance between them remained unchanged.

Even after returning to the capital, Maxim continued to maintain a certain distance from Marion.

It was partly due to his guilt toward her, partly due to his unresolved feelings for Teodora, and partly because of the anger tied to everything that had happened to him.

Still, Maxim never stopped visiting Marion regularly. Each time he did, a layer of dust seemed to settle on his heart. Although he could never tell her about himself, Marion never asked about his past. That fact weighed on Maxim even more.

Marion’s expression gradually changed every time Maxim visited. What started as a frightened face transformed into a neutral one, then to a faint smile, and eventually to the shy smile she wore now.

“Come in.”

Marion eagerly invited Maxim into her room. As always, Maxim followed her inside, his footsteps light and unburdened, or so it seemed. The sound of the servant closing the door echoed behind them.

Marion sat down at the table in the center of the room. Seeing her uncharacteristically impatient, Maxim smiled faintly and took a seat across from her.

“It’s been a month, hasn’t it?”

So much had happened, Maxim thought. Marion hadn’t sought him out. In response to Maxim’s letter saying he’d be busy, she had simply waited for him to return.

“It’s been a month... and a week, I think.”

Maxim smiled bitterly. Had that much time really passed?

“Sorry.”

Marion shook her head.

“You came back healthy, so it’s alright.”

Maxim’s thoughts turned to the scar below his chest. It would have been nice to smile and confidently say he had returned in good health, but instead, he could only offer a smile. Whenever Marion’s blue eyes looked at him, it felt as though she was gazing straight into his soul, making it difficult for Maxim to meet her gaze directly.

“What was the wilderness like?”

Marion shifted the conversation. Maxim leaned his chin on his hand and thought back to the desolate landscape.

“Bleak.”

There was no wind, no trees, no grass—only endless barren wasteland and a strangely blue sky. And below the cliffs at the far end, monsters swarmed.

“I didn’t expect it to be a romantic place, but... it was far more desolate than I thought.”

Marion blinked curiously.

“No plants, no insects... it was like a desert.”

“No insects?”

“There were plenty of monsters, though.”

Maxim added playfully. Marion looked at him with growing curiosity.

“Lots of monsters?”

“Yeah. So many, they were like bugs drawn to a flame.”

Worry flickered in Marion’s eyes.

“Were you hurt?”

“Nothing worth worrying about.”

Maxim shook his head. There had been cuts on his face and a few broken bones, but such things didn’t matter. Marion had no idea about the scars and the curse lurking beneath his clothes or that, even in these moments of light conversation, Maxim’s life was slowly being chipped away.

Unlike with Teodora, the truth was something Marion would eventually have to know, but Maxim kept postponing it, unable to find the right moment.

He continued to talk about the wilderness, keeping the conversation light. Marion listened quietly, absorbing the stories that weren’t quite heroics.

“...And so, while I was riding...”

There was a knock at the door. Both Marion and Maxim looked at each other in surprise.

“Come in...”

Marion called out. As the door opened, their expressions hardened simultaneously.

“How lovely to see you both getting along.”

“Father...”

Standing at the door was none other than Emil Borden. He raised his hand slightly as if to signal they didn’t need to stand, his face twisted into a sly grin. Maxim worked to suppress the tightening of his expression.

“You’re both here together at just the right time. I was looking for you, Maxim, but it’s convenient to speak with both of you.”

Emil’s voice was smooth as he addressed Marion and Maxim.

“You’ve been engaged for quite some time now, haven’t you? It’s been over three years, if I’m not mistaken?”

As Marion hung her head, unable to answer, Maxim spoke up.

“The last time we saw each other was spring, marking the third anniversary.”

“Your memory serves you well.”

Maxim suppressed the nauseating feeling rising in his chest as he waited for Emil’s next words.

“Well, I’m sure you can guess why I’m bringing this up now.”

When neither of them answered, Emil’s eyebrows twitched before he continued.

“It’s time we start discussing your marriage in more practical terms.”

He dropped the words like a bomb. Marion’s face shifted between surprise and panic, while Maxim’s expression grew rigid. Emil watched their reactions with that same sly smile, glancing between them.

A two-wheeled carriage passed through the streets of the capital. Moving at neither a fast nor slow pace, it carried its passenger toward her destination. Platinum blonde hair fluttered lightly in the wind, while dull gray eyes surveyed the familiar streets.

“You’re heading to the Academy, yes?”

The coachman’s voice jostled along with the uneven road.

“Yes.”

The coachman, seemingly a sociable man, tried to engage in further conversation.

“What’s your business at the Academy? From your uniform, I’d say you’re not a student. Perhaps a professor?”

Teodora wasn’t in the mood to respond. Seeing her cold demeanor, the coachman whistled softly and looked away.

The view from the carriage was all too familiar. The merchants passing by, the tall, distinct buildings of the capital, and the two-wheeled and four-wheeled carriages moving in the opposite direction. As the carriage drew closer to the Academy, Teodora’s memories began to stir, like the ticking of a clock winding back.

Maxim had sat beside her here once, and they would have chatted about the passersby or the shops they frequented.

The row of buildings gradually thinned out. The road widened as if guiding people toward the Academy, absorbing the surrounding alleys. Teodora thought back to three years ago, to the place she had vowed never to return.

The place where she had met and parted with him.

And she recalled Maxim’s collapsed figure. Pale, bleeding, and covered in wounds.

"You don’t deserve this."

The words Christine had spat out, cutting deep.

"A curse." "Literally, a curse. If he uses aura... no, mana, it threatens his life."

And the single clue left behind.

The carriage moved forward, carrying Teodora toward the Academy.

As the main gate of the Knights’ Academy came into view, Teodora took a deep breath.

“There’s the gate. What do you want to do now?”

The coachman’s voice had grown somewhat curt. Teodora, indifferent to his tone, stared blankly at the Academy.

“Let me off near the gate.”

The coachman mumbled to himself as he steered the horses toward the gate. The guards were loitering near the entrance. Teodora, using her crutch, stepped down from the carriage.

“Thank you for your service.”

The coachman accepted his fare and bowed. Teodora walked along the well-paved road leading to the Academy. The day was hot, the height of summer in the capital. The guards, sweating in their armor, patrolled the gate and approached Teodora with their spears resting on their shoulders.

“I need to check your identification...”

But upon seeing her attire and recognizing her face, the guard quickly corrected himself.

“You’re with the Knights? Could you state your rank, position, and name, please?”

Teodora sighed.

“Teodora Bening, Commander of the Royal Black Raven Knights.”

The guards’ eyes widened, and they whispered amongst themselves. Teodora knew their gazes were drawn to her injured leg. She deliberately adjusted her grip on her crutch.

“The Teodora Bening of the Keep...?”

Teodora nodded.

“I heard you recently came to the capital for the reorganization of the Black Raven Knights... What brings you here now?”

“I have some inquiries to make. I also need to meet with some professors.”

Teodora presented her identification as she spoke, and the guards nodded, their formality dissolving into courtesy. The inspection had only been a procedural formality.

“Thank you for your service to the kingdom.”

“It’s nothing.”

With that, the guards returned to their posts at the gate. Teodora moved forward. Her crutch clicked as she walked.

Ah.

The Academy’s campus, where so many painful memories lingered, grew closer with every step. Teodora narrowed her eyes. The familiar sight of the summer semester greeted her—trees planted around the campus, and only a few students wandering about, as most had already left for break. Teodora struggled up the incline toward the main building.

She was thankful that the training grounds were situated at the back of the campus. With hardly anyone around, Teodora ventured further inside. She stopped in the middle of the campus, standing still.

Maxim’s curse.

The curse that prevented him from using aura.

Teodora speculated that Maxim had stopped using aura around the time he left the Academy. She intended to find out what had happened. Whether it occurred after they parted ways or while they were still together.

It must have started around the final exams.

Teodora thought of Pierre, the bald instructor who had overseen those exams.

He should still be teaching.

Given how dedicated he was, Teodora expected him to still be a fixture at the Academy, even during the break. She walked through the empty corridors, retracing her memories. The floors were cold, hard stone, fitting for a Knights’ Academy.

What floor was his office on?

The Academy’s layout was still fresh in her mind.

Whether there had been auxiliary buildings on the first floor of the main building, or how the second and third floors were structured, Teodora remembered it all.

She navigated the main building, piecing together her memories as she walked. Occasionally, passing instructors or students cast curious or skeptical glances at her, but Teodora ignored them as she made her way to the second floor.

The west wing of the second floor.

Teodora reminded herself as she climbed the stairs. She kept her gaze down, trying to avoid looking at her surroundings. The familiar sights triggered a flood of memories, and Teodora felt as though the past three years were overlapping with the present.

"Teo." "What’s the next class?" "I’ll be waiting for you at the sparring grounds."

The dark clouds in Teodora’s stormy eyes grew heavier.

Wounds left by painful memories begin to ache before they can even heal. Scars that were once starting to fade were now being ripped open again.

Finally, Teodora found herself standing before the faculty office door. She hesitated, her hand resting on the door, then pulled it open and stepped inside.

“How can I help you...?”

The woman seated at the desk wasn’t a knight. She was a timid, bespectacled woman, thin and frail. She definitely hadn’t been working here during Teodora’s time as a knight cadet. The staff member looked at Teodora’s injured leg, then offered her a seat. Teodora accepted the gesture and sat on the stiff chair. Her body remained tense, unwilling to relax.

“I have a question I’d like to ask, if that’s alright.”

“Could I have your name and position first?”

The staff member’s tone was procedural, as though reminding herself of the necessary formalities. Teodora cursed herself for forgetting to identify herself earlier.

“Teodora Bening, Commander of the Black Raven Knights.”

At her name, the staff member inhaled sharply. Even someone with no connection to the knights knew who Teodora was, given that she worked at the Academy.

“What brings you to the Academy, Commander?”

“Is Instructor Pierre still around?”

At Teodora’s question, the staff member tilted her head before shaking it slowly.

“No. If you’re referring to the bald instructor, he resigned quite a while ago.”

“...He’s no longer here?”

The famous bald instructor had already resigned long ago. It was as if he had retired from the knight’s life altogether. Teodora found it hard to believe that such a steadfast instructor had given up his responsibilities so easily.

“Why...”

Teodora bit her lip. Seeing her growing anxiety, the staff member’s expression turned puzzled.

“We don’t know much about it either. It happened several years ago, so there aren’t many people left who remember the details.”

The staff member returned to scribbling on her paper. No matter how important Teodora’s situation was, it couldn’t outweigh her own tasks. She avoided Teodora’s gaze as she continued her work.

“If you’re looking for his whereabouts, I’m afraid there isn’t much to go on. He didn’t say where he was going. He simply left.”

The staff member glanced at Teodora’s pale face and sighed softly.

“The medical officer also resigned around the same time. It wasn’t the usual time for transfers, so it caused quite a stir when the two of them left at once.”

Before Teodora could ask, the staff member preemptively answered her next question.

“The medical officer is still in the capital. I heard they’re working at a hospital established by the royal family.”

The staff member quickly tore off a small piece of paper and scribbled down the name and address of the hospital, handing it to Teodora. Teodora took the note, looking somewhat dazed.

“You can probably find them there.”

It was a polite but clear dismissal. Teodora didn’t push further and left the office quietly, holding the small scrap of paper.

Royal Medical Clinic, Chief Healing Mage Matilda Weaving

Teodora folded the note and tucked it carefully into her coat.

“...Might as well get my leg checked while I’m there.”

Teodora said aloud to herself, justifying the journey.

“Let’s go.”

With heavy steps, she moved forward.