Leonis practically fled into the quiet room inside the magic tower, a room specifically used for maintaining and storing armor.
The heavy metal door slid shut silently behind her, shutting out the warm sunlight and... the atmosphere that disturbed her.
The cold metal wall reflected her figure—encased in heavy armor that had just undergone extreme overload and exuded lingering warmth and a burnt smell, like a silent metal fortress.
She fumbled for the buckle on the inside of her breastplate, her fingertips trembling slightly with unease.
"Click...click..."
The crisp clicks of metal latches being released were particularly clear in the quiet room.
She awkwardly removed her body parts one by one:
The heavy shoulder armor, arm armor, breastplate, skirt armor, leg armor... each piece removed was accompanied by a dull thud, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted, yet a sense of emptiness remained in the heart.
With the restraints removed, the sweat-soaked undershirt clung to the body, outlining the well-proportioned and powerful curves of the body.
Silvery-white hair clung to her smooth forehead and slender neck, with a few strands sticking to her sweaty cheeks.
Her breathing was slightly rapid due to the previous strenuous exercise and the turmoil in her heart. Her chest rose and fell slightly, and in the dim light, her delicate skin shone with a healthy glow from the sweat and warmth.
The air was filled with the slightly fishy smell of cooled metal, the salty dampness of sweat, and a faint, uniquely her own cool scent.
However, her thoughts were not at all on her physical exhaustion and relief.
My mind was stubbornly stuck on the scene outside the tower, as if bound by invisible threads—Alice rushed into Lind's arms like a fledgling returning to its nest, Lind hugged her tightly, his chin gently resting on the top of her head, his eyes filled with tenderness and focus…
Leonis felt as if something had gently pierced her heart, a bittersweet sensation gripping her with an unprecedented feeling of discomfort.
Lord Linde... is back.
They returned unscathed from the supposedly incredibly dangerous Rust Rift battlefield, where even the Holy Knights suffered heavy losses.
He looked... seemingly more... indescribable than when they fought side-by-side against the cultists.
It's not just a sense of power, but a kind of calm and...charm that has been refined through life and death.
Those deep eyes seemed to see right through people's hearts, yet they carried a gentle smile.
He wore a well-tailored lord's uniform, his posture was upright and composed, and his every move exuded a convincing and even...
Leonis shook her head, trying to dispel the "inappropriate" thought.
Having grown up in a monastery of the Church of Holy Light, with the goal of becoming the purest Holy Punishment Knight, her emotional world was almost entirely blank.
They were rigorously disciplined by dogma:
Holy light is the highest pursuit, physical desires are base temptations, and the relationship between men and women is a topic that is deliberately blurred and avoided.
During the crucial years of her development, she was exposed only to cold prayers, arduous combat training, and a sense of mission to purify evil.
She was the best among them, with a will of steel and a faith as firm as a rock. She was not only completely ignorant about matters of love, but even subconsciously regarded them as a kind of "weakness" or "interference".
But today, seeing Alice and Lind embrace, that feeling of "discomfort" felt so unfamiliar and intense.
It was not anger at evil, nor grief at the wounded comrades, nor frustration at the failure of the mission.
It's a sense of alienation... of being excluded?
A kind of... unease, as if one shouldn't be standing there, disturbing some kind of harmonious scene?
Even... a faint trace of envy that she herself was unwilling to admit?
This feeling made her extremely uncomfortable, even somewhat flustered.
This left her even more bewildered than when facing the most ferocious demon.
She didn't understand what was wrong with her; she just felt a tightness in her chest and wanted to leave as soon as possible to return to the peaceful space she knew, a space filled with icons and prayers.
She hastily wiped away the obvious sweat from her body, changed into her usual nun's habit that allowed her to move around easily, and left the heavy armor that needed cooling and maintenance in the quiet room.
Taking a deep breath and trying to calm the blush on her face and her racing heart, Leonis pushed open the door to the quiet room.
Instead of heading towards the sun-drenched meadow outside the tower, she followed another path straight to the exit of the magic tower.
When she appeared at the door, Lind and Alice had already separated, but they stood close together, the atmosphere still carrying the warmth of their reunion.
"Lord Lind, Miss Alice,"
Leonis tried to maintain her usual composure, but upon closer listening, there was still a subtle tension and urgency in her voice.
"The armor has been returned to the meditation room. I... need to return to the church for evening prayers. I must take my leave now."
"Want to have dinner together tonight...?"
She didn't even dare to look Lind in the eye. She quickly gave a knightly salute and then walked briskly toward the church without looking back. Her silver hair traced a slightly hurried path in the setting sun, and her back view revealed an urgent desire to escape something.
Lind frowned slightly as he watched Leonis's retreating figure, which seemed to be fleeing in disarray.
He keenly caught the fleeting panic and deliberate avoidance in her eyes, a stark contrast to her usual composure and fortitude.
Based on her absent-minded state and her refusal of the dinner invitation, Lind instinctively felt something was amiss—this loyal Holy Knight seemed to be troubled by something, and this trouble was very likely... related to him.
"Tsk..." He sighed inwardly. Leonis's problem had to be dealt with, but now was clearly not the right time to catch up.
The most urgent task at hand is to soothe the genius mage who has just experienced a violent emotional upheaval.
He had just looked away when he felt his sleeve being gently tugged.
Turning his head, he met Alice's eyes, which gleamed with a mischievous light.
She tilted her head slightly, her delicate face displaying an all-knowing understanding, a half-smile playing on her lips, her eyes seeming to say:
I saw everything.
"What's wrong, my lord?"
Alice's voice was clear and melodious, with a hint of lazy teasing, and her fingertips playfully drew little circles on his sleeve.
"Look how much Leonis's eyes are glued to her! She can't even bear to miss her back view?"
She leaned closer, lowered her voice, and said with a hint of mockery, "Are you all like the noble gentlemen in the stories, with hearts full of desires, falling in love with every girl you see?"
Hmm... so... you've taken a liking to our dashing yet innocent and adorable female knight?
Her tone was light, as if she were joking, yet it carried a subtle scrutiny and…a hint of jealousy. Clearly, Leonis's unusual reaction and Lind's fleeting look of concern hadn't escaped the keen eyes of this astute mage.
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