# 21
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Moments later, Edwin came out of the room, having washed and carefully groomed.
In the motel lobby, Dana was waiting for him with a tense face.
Her look of concern for him seemed really endearing to him.
When Dana saw Edwin, she rose from her seat.
“Aren't you hungry? We've been up the mountain since dawn.”
“You too, Senpai. Let’s go quickly to the restaurant.”
Because of the medical examination and bathing, he had lost a lot of time.
The others had already finished their food.
When they arrived at the restaurant for breakfast, it was almost empty except for some knights.
They were late for eating because they had gone out hunting with Edwin.
As soon as they spotted Dana and Edwin, they quickly devoured the bread.
“Kh! Kkh!”
One of the knights almost choked and left the restaurant with bread in his mouth.
As for the rest, they carried bowls of soup and hurriedly emptied them into their mouths.
Then they rushed outside for fear of meeting eye to eye with Edwin.
“What’s wrong with them?”
Dana asked with a surprised face.
Edwin raised the spoon lightly and said.
“You just scolded them.”
“…They fear me that much?”
The knights were two or three times their size.
“It is said that the commander here is very kind and forgives his men easily.”
Edwin said this seriously and then continued.
“Is it because they received your first reprimand that they became like this?”
What is this, as if they were children...
'Am I scary when I get angry?'
Dana tilted her head in wonder. Maybe she was emitting a more intense aura than she thought.
She felt an inner satisfaction, as if she had discovered a strong side of herf.
Her pure face was filled with confidence.
Edwin, holding back his laughter, poured her water.
He did not forget to brush off the bread crumbs stuck on her mouth.
In contrast, the knights that Dana thought were afraid of her were actually sullen on their way to the training ground.
“Thank God we ate early.”
“I almost threw all the food away!”
All they wanted was to escape from watching the love scenes between Dana and Edwin, which killed their appetite.
“You're sure they'll be gone this morning, aren't you?”
"Yes. They will only stay long to hear notes on the potions."
“I hope they leave quickly...”
Everyone nodded as if it was a no-brainer.
***
The doctors headed to the clinic for medical consultation, while Dana and Edwin headed to the conference room.
Inside there was a large table surrounded by sofas. Despite the spaciousness of the place, there was only them in it.
Edwin left the empty seats and sat close to Dana. She had gotten used to his proximity, so she didn't find it strange anymore.
Since he joined, he had been following her from morning until night, and she had come to regard his presence as normal.
From a young age, Dana felt her heart was empty. Therefore, she became accustomed to the cold wind inside him and the silence of loneliness.
'But when I'm with Edwin I don't feel like that at all.'
Next to him, she felt as if her heart was filled with warm cotton.
Her chest tickled with a strange sensation, and a calm smile escaped her.
'If I end up with Edwin…'
As soon as her mind got there, her face froze. It was as if someone had poured cold water over her head.
“Edwin.”
She called him in a clear voice.
“Yes, Senpai.”
As usual, he looked at her warmly.
“We've been dating for a week, right?”
“……True. You gave me a chance for a week.”
"Chance? I was never testing you."
It wasn't a test, just a brief desire to taste some warmth.
“I know. But I wanted to prove myf to you.”
“……In what exactly?”
Edwin smiled silently.
As for Dana, she had a complex expression on her face that no one was accustomed to.
Edwin looked calm, but he was nervous. Why did you suddenly mention the topic of the week?
The time they agreed upon is coming to an end.
His throat dried as he recalled that fact. It was as if a clear sky had suddenly collapsed to the ground.
He extended his hand and poured her chamomile tea. The air was filled with its soothing scent.
***
As Dana expected, no knight dared come all morning.
Once the work was finished, she and Edwin entered the gate accompanied by the doctors.
With a flash of churning white light they were back in the basement to manage magic in an instant.
Because of Lighten, who was not likely to waste his men's time, they had to head straight to the Potions Department.
“Let's finish the report quickly and then leave.”
“Yes, you must be tired, Senpai.”
Dana smiled at that.
A calm, natural smile.
Indeed, after this mission they became closer than before.
Edwin was satisfied with that, but he couldn't forget the complex expression on her face a moment ago.
He concealed his nervousness as he opened the office door.
“We are back.”
No one answered them. The office was strangely silent.
Kira gave Dana a worried face.
Dana sensed the tense atmosphere, and when she raised her eyes, her gaze met Tony's. His eyes were steady and full of determination, staring straight at her.
The silence was broken by Lighten's voice, an attacking voice directed at Edwin.
“Hey, newbie!”
"Help yourf."
“I heard you like Dana?”
He said it in a sarcastic tone. Only here did Dana realize what was happening.
Tony, whom she had rejected before, immediately rushed to Lighten, and began slandering Edwin with diatribes.
With his light tongue he must have spread the word throughout the office.
Very childish and cheap.
The other employees pretended to be busy with work, but their ears were all listening.
Edwin replied with a calm face
“Right.”
Lighten thought he would catch him by surprise, but his reaction was cold.
He decided to provoke him more.
“Put these petty feelings aside! They are disrupting your work!”
“This is something I deal with myf.”
His cold response made Lighten even more angry. This time he shouted towards Dana
“Isn't it just one-sided love? And what are you doing leaving such a good man?”
'A good man?' He doesn't mean...'
Dana frowned.
Lighten continued, spewing saliva.
"Look at Tony! Hardworking and upstanding, how wonderful!"
Ha, so they had arranged it beforehand. It was no surprise that Kira's eyes were worried.
Lighten then turned to the employees, trying to get them to applaud.
“Don't you agree? Don't the two go well together?”
“...N-yeah, right...”
“B, of course...”
He was trying to create an artificial atmosphere after not receiving any acknowledgment from her.
As for Tony, he was trying his best to suppress a satisfied smile, the corner of his mouth twitching like a frog.
Then, a bright smile appeared on Edwin's face.
But despite the gentle curve of his eyes, the atmosphere around him was cold and frightening. Even Lighten, who had not stopped screaming, closed his mouth.
His deep, cold voice pierced the silence...
“Tony-senpai, don’t you have any dignity?”
Then his burning red eyes focused on Tony.
“You were rejected, yet you cling, and then go and gossip to your boss?”
As soon as they heard the word “rejected,” the employees exchanged surprised looks.
Tony's face blushed.
Edwin stepped towards him slowly.
"What behavior is this? It's really pathetic."
His mere steps made the atmosphere stifling.
Tony lost control of his legs, not even daring to get up from the chair, just staring at Edwin.
His body trembles with fear.
It was not possible for a man like Tony to bear the aura of a seasoned killer who had spent his life on the battlefield.
And all that aura was directed at him alone.
As for the officials who did not know Edwin's past, they looked in amazement at the trembling Tony.
Layton couldn't stand the scene and screamed again.
“You newbie! What right do you have to interfere?”
Like you're her lover or something! Lighten mocked him, meaning this.
At that moment, Dana opened her lips to address everyone….