Chapter 69: Very Considerate.

“Come here often?”

Ezra heard himself say it before he could stop himself.

He settled more firmly against Aurien’s back as another blade glanced off his own. The warmth through the layers of fabric was distracting.

Steady.

Grounding.

Aurien chuckled softly.

“Not often enough,” he replied smoothly, knocking a strike aside with minimal effort. “If this is the first time we are meeting.”

Ezra’s lips twitched.

Not irritation.

Not disbelief.

He wanted to laugh.

’Absolutely not,’ he told himself. ’Not in front of them.’

Internally, he let himself enjoy it. The ridiculousness of the moment. The fact that they were surrounded by armed men and still trading jokes like this.

Another knight rushed in from the right. Ezra stepped forward, breaking the back-to-back position only long enough to intercept the strike. He twisted his wrist and sent the blade flying from the man’s hand.

Aurien moved seamlessly into the space Ezra left behind.

They adjusted without speaking.

Without hesitation.

It was… effortless.

’He really can fight alongside me,’ Ezra realized.

Not just keep up.

Not just survive.

Fight.

Like no one else could.

There was no clashing of rhythm. No awkward overlap. Aurien anticipated angles before Ezra needed to correct them. Covered openings before they fully formed.

’Is it because he has watched me?’ Ezra wondered as he ducked under a swing and drove his elbow into a knight’s ribs. ’Has he memorized my patterns?’

Aurien stepped in close, redirecting a blade meant for Ezra’s shoulder.

“Left,” Aurien murmured.

Ezra shifted instantly.

Steel rang.

“Already saw it,” Ezra replied.

“Of course you did, Captain.”

Aurien laughed again.

They were bantering.

In the middle of it.

A knight attempted to break through between them. Ezra stepped forward at the same time Aurien pivoted. Their shoulders brushed as they rotated positions without planning it.

The knight found himself trapped between two blades.

He surrendered before either had to strike.

Seven down.

Three remaining.

Ezra’s blood felt alive beneath his skin. The earlier fatigue had dissolved into something electric.

’I missed this,’ he admitted inwardly. ’I missed this more than I realized.’

Aurien deflected a downward strike and said casually, “You are slower than I remember.”

Ezra narrowed his eyes.

“You are overconfident.”

“I am correct.”

Ezra surged forward just to prove a point. He drove his opponent back with three precise strikes, forcing the man to drop his weapon.

Eight.

Aurien disarmed another in the same breath.

Nine.

The last knight hesitated.

His breathing was ragged. His grip is uncertain.

Ezra stepped forward, blade steady.

“Yield,” he said calmly.

The knight looked between him and Aurien.

Then slowly lowered his sword.

Ten.

Silence returned to the forest.

Leaves drifted back to the ground. The tension thinned.

Ezra remained in stance for another second before slowly lowering his blade.

His chest rose and fell, controlled.

He glanced sideways.

Aurien was already looking at him.

They were still standing close.

Closer than necessary.

It took Ezra a second to realize something.

There were no more strikes coming.

No movement.

No threats.

They had knocked out every single knight.

And they had not even noticed when the last one fell.

“Captain… Y-Your Highness… you are aware we still have a mission tomorrow?”

One of the fallen knights spoke from the ground, voice strained as he pushed himself onto an elbow. Leaves clung to his armor. His pride looked more bruised than his body.

Ezra snickered.

He stepped closer and crouched slightly, resting his forearm casually against his knee as he looked down at the man.

“I have done two missions with barely an hour of rest,” he said calmly. “With a broken finger.”

He leaned in just a bit.

“You will manage.”

The knight swallowed and nodded weakly, against his will, of course.

And upon seeing Ezra’s treatment of that knight, the others did not bother.

“We yield.”

“I’m done.”

Ezra straightened, brushing stray leaves from his sleeve before turning toward Aurien.

“That was easier than I thought.”

Aurien laughed softly.

“Anything is easy for you, Captain Ezra,” he said smoothly. “The Crimson Fae.”

Ezra physically cringed.

“Aurethys preserve me,” he muttered. “I expected that title to die years ago, but I’ve heard it mentioned so much since returning.”

Aurien’s smile only deepened.

“You are difficult to forget.”

There was something in the way he said it.

Not loud.

Not dramatic.

Just… something.

Something Ezra couldn’t place.

Ezra found himself staring at him again.

’Why does that sound like he means something else?’ he thought, pulse shifting unevenly.

Aurien was usually straightforward. Blunt, even.

But the look in his eyes now—

There was something there.

Something unspoken.

’Or maybe I am just exhausted and imagining things,’ Ezra told himself.

He took a deeper breath.

Sweat clung to his skin. His shirt stuck faintly at his back. He used to barely break a sweat unless the battle was truly demanding.

Now?

He could feel the exertion.

’You are out of shape,’ he scolded himself. ’Severely.’

And he was still healing.

From giving birth.

Five years ago.

’Wait—why am I thinking about that right now? Focus.’

His thoughts were scattered.

“Did you have fun?”

Aurien’s voice was softer this time. Almost cautious.

He tilted his head slightly.

“It seemed like you were enjoying yourself,” he added. “But I did not want to assume.”

Ezra blinked.

“Hm? Yes,” he answered, then let out a quiet breath. “It was fun, Your Highness.”

He rubbed the back of his neck lightly.

“I did not think I would ever miss beating up knights.”

It was meant to be a joke.

It was only half a joke.

He had missed this.

The motion.

The rhythm.

The heat of it.

Aurien exhaled slowly.

Almost in relief.

“That is good,” he said quietly. “I was hoping you would enjoy it.”

Ezra’s brows drew together slightly.

Really?

’Why would he—’

His eyes widened just a fraction.

“Your Highness,” Ezra began carefully, “I do not want to assume, but…”

Aurien looked at him directly.

“Yes?”

“Did you perhaps orchestrate all of this… in the hope that I would have fun?”

There was no hesitation in Aurien’s expression.

No scrambling.

No flustered stuttering like he used to.

But—

His cheeks did tint faintly pink.

“Well,” Aurien admitted, clearing his throat lightly, “I could not have you thrown into a mission days after returning without some form of release.”

He looked away briefly, then back again.

“I know you used to enjoy one versus thirty with the old Sentinel. This was not quite that,” he added with a small smile, “but I thought it would be a good start. Something closer to what you are used to.”

Ezra’s heart stopped.

No.

It did not stop.

It beat.

Loud.

Sudden.

Heavy in his chest.

It rarely did that unless—

No.

He forced himself to breathe.

“That is…” Ezra began, words catching before he forced them forward. “…very considerate of you.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep