Night fell, and darkness began to reign over the land as the freezing cold started to creep in. Erus stood quietly beside Cana and Ryden, keeping a safe distance from the back entrance of the Castle of Lion's guild. From where they stood, they could clearly see the palace guards hauling a massive runic containment cage, covered with a thick black cloth as they loaded it onto the four-wheeled transport wagon.
Erus's heart had not calmed since Ryden told him the fox would be handed over to the palace today. Watching it now was tearing him apart from the inside. But Cana was right. He couldn't undo the mistakes of the past, and even if he tried now, it was a far cry from solving the real problem. He might just create an even bigger disaster that dragged in innocent lives.
When he glanced at Cana, he noticed she was staring intently at the runic cage, her face completely void of emotion. He couldn't read her thoughts at all. Did she realize it was the same fox she had fed in the market earlier?
"Captain, whatever you decide to do, I'll support you—whatever the cost," Ryden spoke up. He didn't fully understand what was going through Solari's mind or why he suddenly wanted to save the Teumessian fox, but he had a hunch that something deeper had been uncovered—something he had yet to learn.
"We're not doing anything from here," Erus answered coldly.
Ryden was quietly shocked that their Captain had actually listened to Cana. Hearing her speak to Erus with such sharp clarity and unwavering confidence—giving him a reality check as if he were her own son—only proved to Ryden that Cana was no mere civilian. She possessed a terrifying depth of knowledge, and getting Solari to yield to anyone's words was no small feat.
"So, that bug over there is a palace guard?" Cana muttered.
Both men snapped their eyes toward her, then followed her gaze.
They saw Prince Lance arrogantly barking orders at the palace guards to hurry up, looking every bit like a man claiming a prize that belonged to him.
Ryden blinked, genuinely unsure if Cana was referring to one of the armored soldiers or the prince himself—though her calling him a "bug" fit Prince Lance entirely too well.
"I forgot to tell you—that's Prince Lance," Erus said flatly.
"What a stingy name. Adding 'Prince' doesn't make him one," Cana commented, her face full of distaste.
Erus shook his head. "He actually is one of the King's sons." He figured clearing up the misunderstanding was better than letting Cana unknowingly step on a political landmine.
"Oh? A real prince?" Cana's expression somehow managed to grow even more disappointed. There was not a single trace of surprise or excitement at realizing she had actually encountered royalty—worse, that she had almost threatened him earlier.
Any other woman in Cana's shoes would have been swooning, desperate for a chance to catch the prince's eye.
Seeing her genuine disgust gave Erus a quiet sense of relief.
"Yeah," he grunted.
But before he could look back at the scene below, he caught Cana's jaw tightening as if she were exercising every ounce of self-control. For a split second, he could almost see her aura manifesting as a faint white smoke rising into the air.
Beside them, Ryden grew visibly agitated. The surrounding air abruptly shifted from the freezing night chill to a scorching, prickly heat that felt like the midday sun—despite the pitch-black sky. Ryden scanned their surroundings, his eyes darting toward the wagon where the Teumessian fox was loaded, but found no obvious source for the sudden anomaly.
"Why did it get so hot all of a sudden? Is it going to rain?" one of the guards muttered, looking up at the sky, which was completely clear and filled with stars. "The beast! The beast must be cursing us!" he yelled in a panic, realizing an environmental shift like this made no logical sense.
The rest of the guard squad immediately scrambled into a panic, save for Prince Lance, whose annoyance only grew as he watched his men lose their composure over nothing. Though he could feel the oppressive heat himself, he naively dismissed it as a simple, random change in the weather.
Cana smirked at the sight, completely oblivious to the fact that she was the one causing it. It took Erus pulling her into a sudden, tight hug to finally halt the surging heat and snuff out the anomaly warping the air around them.
That sudden move left Ryden completely frozen in shock—making him forget all about the scorching heat and how abruptly the temperature had returned to normal. The true, magical reason Erus had pulled her close didn't even cross Ryden's mind.
To Ryden, this was the ultimate proof: it wasn't just Cana initiating contact with their Captain. Solari was clearly, undeniably into it.
Taken aback by his sudden gesture, Cana looked up at Erus in complete confusion. Why on earth was he hugging her out of nowhere while they were supposed to be hiding and watching the guards haul the beast off to the palace?
Erus kept his eyes glued straight ahead, refusing to look down at her. He pretended to be deeply focused on the guards, who were now marching away in a hurried panic under Prince Lance's loud commands. But in truth, his mind was racing with curiosity. Why was Cana looking at the prince with such raw, lethal rage—a man she had only encountered twice today? She had been ready to go in for the kill just a moment ago, which was a terrifying leap from the Cana he thought he knew.
Was it because of how Prince Lance had humiliated him at the weapon shop? Or had she crossed paths with the royal long before she lost her memories?
Meanwhile, Cana was somehow actually enjoying her current situation. His scent was strangely lulling, and his body heat felt as comforting as the water of a warm bath—yet, in a way, it was deeply disturbing too. His heart was beating entirely too loud.
By the time the wagon had shrunk to a tiny dot in Ryden's sight, he kept glancing back and forth between the distant road and Erus, whose eyes were still fixated on the receding shadows. Ryden knew Solari possessed far superior senses; what was a speck to him was likely still crystal-clear to their Captain.
He was practically aching to ask if they were going to tail the wagon and rescue the beast. Or… if he should just make an excuse and leave the two of them alone to give them some space.
Fortunately for Ryden, timing was on his side.
The cue he was desperately waiting for came when Erus abruptly pulled away from Cana, suddenly hyper-aware of her breath fanning against his bare chest. Worse, he could tell she was actively sniffing him—a detail that sent a sharp, distinctly feminine electric shock straight down his spine, giving him the kind of goosebumps a man only gets from a woman's touch.
"Thanks. I'm not cold anymore," Erus blurted out, trying to cover for her. He had to keep her true power hidden at all costs; if word got out, everyone would instantly realize she was no B-rank adventurer.
His excuse, however, left both Cana and Ryden staring at him in utter confusion.
Everyone knew Erus was a powerful fire user—why on earth would he feel the chill of a mild night that even an ordinary civilian could withstand?
Connecting the dots in his head, Ryden completely misread the situation. He concluded that it must have been Solari's own aura leaking out earlier that had caused the sudden, scorching heatwave. Yet, looking at him now, Ryden saw no indication that the Captain was anywhere near losing his temper or suffering an aura breakout.
Cana just scratched her temple, sensing how terrible Erus was at lying.
"Are we following it?" Ryden finally dropped his question.
"No. We do nothing anymore."
Ryden didn't counter. Doing missions with their Captain, he already knew when not to meddle with his decisions. Besides, the words Cana had thrown to Solari earlier had hit him too. Those weren't just sermons—they had weight in every word.
Though Erus had decided to listen to Cana's advice, his jaw still tightened at the thought of one of the princes getting his hands on that fox. The poor beast would surely suffer, and Erus—the one who had captured it in the first place—was left standing by, waiting for the consequences of another terrible judgment call.
Erus stepped out from their hiding spot and headed toward the backdoor, with Cana and Ryden following close behind. They walked past the area where the Teumessian fox had been caged for the past two days. Erus didn't even glance at the empty spot; doing so would only make his chest burn with regret.
"Captain, if there's nothing else, I'll just grab my things and head home," Ryden said before they reached the guild pub.
"Nothing. We'll just have dinner and leave too," Erus replied, his eyes shifting to Cana.
Ryden nodded and offered a farewell wave to Cana, which she returned.
"Thanks for keeping us company, Ryden," she said.
Ryden smiled and headed off toward their quarters.
Erus walked into the pub with Cana right at his heels.
Standing at the counter, Erus turned to her. "It's going to be a long night. Do you want to order takeout?" he asked, completely ignoring the stunned counter clerk and the stares of the surrounding hunters.
Yet, no one dared to whisper a word. Every hunter in the room knew just how sharp his hearing was.
Cana stepped in close, leaning against Erus to peek at the menu board. "Will it even stay good until tomorrow?" she asked, doubtful of the pub's food quality.
"We'll see," Erus answered. He had no clue either—he had never bought cooked food here for a hunt, always preferring to cook his own prey in the wild. But now, he had Cana to consider.
Seeing Cana had no interest in picking anything from the menu, Erus took the initiative and selected items he had tried before.
"Pack these well. Then serve these at our table," Erus instructed the counter clerk, pointing out his choices for himself and Cana.
The staff member bowed slightly, still visibly shaken. "Yes, Mr. Solari. Coming right away."
Cana followed Erus as he walked toward a secluded area of the pub where no one else dared to sit—a long wooden table with six chairs. Without waiting for Erus, she pulled out a chair and sat down.
Erus sat opposite her, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Are you still thinking about it?" Cana asked softly, knowing he could hear her even at a whisper.
"No. Don't mind me."
"Certainly not. Would you like to hear a secret?"
Erus frowned, suspicious of whatever trick she was pulling to distract him.
"What?"
"That fox was the beggar I allowed to mark me," she whispered.
Erus stared at her, his expression showing neither amusement nor surprise. He had already figured that out, so it came as no revelation. What caught his attention instead was her reaction—there was no hint of sadness or regret, despite knowing that was the creature she had once helped and allowed to mark her.
Did she just do it out of curiosity? Did she really feel no bond with that beast at all?
"Oh, you're not surprised," Cana murmured, disappointed that she had failed to cheer him up.
When their food arrived, Erus gave a brief explanation of the dishes while helping her remove the lids and split her chopsticks. Watching his actions, a plastered smile spread across Cana's face as she stared at him—admiring his thoughtfulness while simultaneously teasing him to lighten his mood.
Erus caught her gaze and frowned.
"The food is right there. Why are you staring at me?" he asked in a low voice.
"You look more delicious."
Erus choked on his breath, clearly not on the same wavelength as her.
"Don't tell me you've been thinking of me as food ever since we met?"
Cana's smile vanished. "Tsk! Has no one ever said that to you before? None of the women who were into you?"
"Why would they say that? You're the only one interested in eating me."
Cana smirked. She could hardly believe Uruja was right about Erus being a virgin. A man of his age and standing could have had countless women in his bed. But then a grim image flashed through her mind—of him severing the limbs of any woman who dared to touch him. She shook her head and started eating.
Noticing her sudden shift in mood, Erus grew curious. He couldn't read her mind, and her expressions were far too unpredictable, shifting from moment to moment.
"What's wrong now?"
"Swear you're not going to get mad?"
"Just spit it out."
"I find it hard to flirt with you using words," Cana said, giving him a hesitant smile, unsure if she had just bruised his ego as a man by saying it so directly.
Erus froze, processing what she had just said.
She was trying to flirt with him? Did she mean those words in an intimate way, and not that she literally wanted him for dinner? Was she like Akiro, whose entire hobby was flirting with every woman in the district? But Cana was a woman. How could she say something like that to him? Shouldn't he be the one using those lines if he wanted to flirt like Akiro?
"Mad now?" Cana asked seriously.
"No. Finish your food before any more thoughts enter your brain."
"I bet you prefer physical flirting instead," Cana added, making Erus almost drop from his seat.
How could she be this bold right now? And in public, no less. They couldn't even speak in a normal voice, forced to whisper like a pair of idiots.
When Erus didn't answer, a teasing smirk spread across Cana's face.
"I'll take that as a—mmph!"
"Eat more. You're just hungry."
Cana's eyes widened in shock. She had not expected him to shove his own chopsticks loaded with food into her mouth just like that. She recovered quickly, chewing on the food while her expression clearly showed she was flustered—yet still thoroughly enjoying teasing him.
To her, that was an indirect kiss! Erus had practically proven her point by choosing to silence her instead of answering. It was quite a reward. And watching him casually continue eating as if nothing had happened, her lingering worries about his dark mood finally eased.
Her heart was on fire. She wanted to roll over on the floor, overcome by a feeling she couldn't quite explain. Was this what it felt like to be kissed? Even if it wasn't a direct one, the sensation was so overwhelming that she couldn't help but fidget lightly in her seat. In her mind, she considered it her very first kiss.
While Erus found her behavior confusing, he chose not to dwell on it since she didn't look like she was in pain or distress. Instead, he noticed how she tried to hide a smile every time she chewed her food.
Was the pub's food really that delicious to her?