Louis, back in his real life, had always been friendly, comfortable in social groups with Levi and Judith.
He was not that introvert so being alone feels stabbing.
This forced isolation, based on the Saint title he did not earn, made him feel utterly alien.
Finishing chewing the juicy meat, he softly spoke to the knight order, his voice barely rising above the crackle of the fire.
"Excuse me," Louis called out gently, addressing the nearest cluster of knights. The three men immediately froze, their chewing stopping simultaneously. "Could you... perhaps join me here?"
The request hung in the air, creating instant, visible discomfort. The three knights looked at each other, silent communication passing between them. Their faces conveyed a desperate internal debate.
Finally, a sturdy knight with a scarred face, clearly the bravest or most desperate, stepped forward. He still hesitated, stopping several feet away.
"S-Saint Louis," the scarred knight said, his voice respectful but strained. "Is something the matter? Did the commander not rest well?"
"Leon is fine, I believe," Louis clarified, using his adopted name. He smiled softly, trying to appear approachable, not divine. "But I am quite alone, and I find the quiet uncomfortable. Please, join me."
He patted the space next to him on the log.
The knight swallowed hard, looking toward the tent Leon was using, clearly searching for an escape or an order. When none came, he reluctantly agreed.
He finally shuffled forward, placing a full yard of space between Louis and himself as he gingerly sat down.
"As you command, Your Holiness," the knight muttered, barely meeting Louis's eyes. He gripped his bread like a lifeline.
Another knight, younger and paler, quickly followed, seeming to realize the order was not a suggestion.
He sat on the other side of the first knight, creating a protective buffer.
"We... we would be honored, Saint Louis," the young knight whispered, sounding anything but honored.
Louis sighed internally, but nodded graciously. 'This is going to be harder than fighting a boss monster.'
The early morning sun was finally piercing the canopy, making the clearing much brighter.
Now that is brighter because of the early sunshine, Louis noticed that the knight order was numbered close to 50.
They moved with a silent, synchronized precision that spoke of intense training, but the overall group size was surprisingly modest for escorting a Saint.
Noticing his gaze sweeping over the camp, the nervous knight next to him offered a tight, professional smile. The knight, who Louis realized had not introduced himself, finally spoke.
"Forgive me, Your Holiness. I am Kael, and this is Alaric," the knight said, indicating the younger man. "You are looking at the order, are you not?"
Sir Louis nodded. "You guys move very well, Sir Kael. It's an impressive sight."
Sir Kael relaxed slightly, clearly proud of the compliment. He began to introduce the Lionheart Knight Order.
"It is a small and new knight order," he explained, his voice gaining confidence. "We were only established three years ago. But in the leadership of our commander, it rose to elite rank within the Holy Empire in the shortest time."
Sir Alaric piped up, and now more relaxed. "Commander Leon's talent for strategy and his personal might are unmatched. Everyone in the capital knows the Lionhearts are the quickest and most reliable unit, even if we are fewer in number."
Louis absorbed the information.
'Small, new, and elite. That explains why Leon is only 19 but commands an elite force, and why he is an A+ Love Interest. He is a genius commander.'
This also confirmed Leon's importance to the Holy Empire.
Just as Louis was about to ask a seemingly harmless question about their current mission, a shadow fell over the group.
Leon, who was walking to them slowly from behind with his plate, approached the small cluster of men.
He stopped right beside Sir Alaric, his blue eyes meeting Louis's over the young knight's head.
Leon casually pushed Alaric firmly with his hip and sat next to Louis, closing the awkward gap Louis had been trying to maintain.
Sir Alaric, who was pushed easily despite his full armor, stumbled slightly, his plate of food almost tipping.
He was dumbfounded for a second, but his panic quickly recovered, and he realized that it was now time to escape.
He shot a frantic, relieved look at Sir Kael.
It all happened silently and naturally. Sir Kael instantly understood the dismissal.
Both knights rose to their feet almost as one, muttering hurried excuses about checking the perimeter.
Within seconds, Louis was left alone with Leon, the log suddenly feeling very small.
Watching in bewilderment of just what happened, Louis turned his head to Leon who was staring back and smiling.
The early morning light caught the golden strands of his hair and made his deep blue eyes appear even more brilliant.
Louis suddenly has the urge to scold him.
'He is the commander. He cannot just bully his subordinates like that to monopolize the seating.' But the man was so handsome, the smile so warm and focused only on him, that the reprimand died in his throat.
Leon broke a piece of his bread and handed it to Louis. "Eat some more bread. You need to regain your strength. Do not worry about them; they are just shy," he said, taking a bite of meat.
Louis had no energy left to argue with the stunning man who had just claimed his personal space.
In the end, he finished his breakfast in silence, trying desperately to ignore the fact that Leon's armored thigh was pressed right next to his.
The knights was now busy wiping his plate clean with a piece of leftover bread.
Just as Leon opened his mouth to speak, the air in the tent cleared. A sudden, soft white light enveloped Louis, though Leon did not seem to notice.
Louis flinched internally, knowing exactly what was happening.
A new system panel appeared right in Louis's vision, a translucent blue window layered over the sight of the handsome commander.
|╣Relationship Level Feature Unlocked.╠|
|╣Current Target: Leon von Aegis. Relationship Level: 86.╠|
Louis's jaw nearly dropped. 'Eighty-six?!'
He quickly calculated the meaning. In most games, the level went from zero to one hundred.
A score of 86 signified an already deep, intense, and near-maximized relationship.
This was almost not the starting point of a romance plot; this was the middle or even the late game, right before a major emotional climax.
'No wonder he kissed me, was crying, and acted like a possessive childhood friend,' Louis thought, his mind racing.
His relationship level with Leon numbered at 86. 'This body, Louis Caelum de Luminaris, was likely already in love with Leon, or at least had a profound, intense relationship with him.'
His amnesia was a sudden, cruel interruption to a relationship that was nearly complete.
Leon, oblivious to the floating system panel, finally spoke, his voice low and warm, pulling Louis back to the reality of the tent.
"Louis," Leon began, his tone serious yet gentle. "We need to talk about what happens next. The capital will be expecting the Saint to return, and..."
"...ah yes."
Louis answered blankly.
The initial shock of the 86 relationship level still held him captive. His mind swirls again that what if it reach 90?
He knew from experience in other games that the nineties were usually reserved for confession, commitment, or a major life-changing event.
He does not dare to think about it, not when the outcome involved Leon von Aegis. He fought to clear his head, desperately needing to focus on the briefing.
"Louis?" Leon prompted, a hint of worry in his voice.
Now back on focused, Louis gave a slight shake of his head, forcing his eyes to meet Leon's.
Leon immediately took this as a sign of lingering trauma. He gently placed his hand over Louis's, his touch careful.
"It is alright, just listen. I was saying we will head north to the village of Silver Creek first. We will spend one day there for the priest to bless and treat your wounds properly. Then, we ride straight back to the Holy Empire."
Leon went on to detail the route, the security arrangements, and the formal statement he would send ahead to the capital regarding Louis's sudden amnesia.
He spoke of politics and the logistics of traversing the treacherous border region.
Louis in the end did not understand Leon had said; the names of the places and titles blurred together into a meaningless wall of fantasy jargon.
It was so embarrassing that he just spaced out there, but he could not reveal his complete ignorance of the world.
So he just nodded, hoping his look of somber agreement conveyed appropriate understanding.
Leon smiled, relieved. "Good. That is settled then. We should prepare to move out within the hour, before the sun is too high."
He squeezed Louis's hand, then rose to his feet, his massive silver armor clinking softly.