Sain frowned, failing to understand what she was looking for.
“...What do you mean?”
“I mean... Um...”
Her hesitation suggested that whatever was troubling her, it was complicated. Seeing that she was struggling to find the right words, Melia stepped in to help.
“You’re talking about your president, right? Let’s take this one step at a time. Why don’t you first tell us what kind of person he is to you?”
It was an invitation for her to collect her thoughts by beginning with something that should come naturally to her. The question had its intended effect. Though she still stuttered at times, her eyes went distant and she started speaking.
“The president, he’s... a very genuine person. Honest through and through, and in that sense, very likeable.” As Emilia continued, the words came more easily to her. “He’s not fond of compromises, and he’s always very strict on himself... He tries to do everything perfectly, both in his academics and his work in the student council... Whenever the council members rely on him for something, he never lets us down... He’s like... a ray of light. Strong and steady and sincere.”
Her cheeks filled with color as she spoke. Sain noticed the change and smiled.
“You really care about him, don’t you?”
“...Yes.” She nodded slowly. “But there’s... probably also another side to him... A side he doesn’t show us.”
She paused and bit her lip, the silence inadvertently creating a moment of dramatic anticipation. With a pained expression, she continued.
“Last month, there was a day when I went to the student council office early in the morning... and I found him inside, and he was... he was a mess. Bruises, gashes, everything... So many wounds. He was hurt everywhere.”
“Hurt... everywhere?” echoed an astonished Sain.
She nodded.
“You’re students here, so you understand my shock, right? This is him we’re talking about — the person who has defeated everyone he ever fought without breaking a sweat — and he was hurt all over. There was so much blood... He looked like he was about to die right there and then.” She closed her eyes and shuddered. Then, keeping her gaze downcast, she clenched her jaw and continued. “I asked him what happened, but he wouldn’t tell me. He’s stubbornly honest, so he’d never lie. Instead, he just refused to say anything. I tried talking to him. Many times. I told him I was worried about him, but every time, he just pushed me away without batting an eye. Every time... he just tells me it’s none of my business...”
Then, she looked up and stared straight at Sain.
“That was when I noticed he became unusually interested in you.” Her amber eyes were sharp and interrogating. “Sain Fostess, you know something, don’t you? What is he doing behind our backs? What in the world is he hiding from us?”
Sain held her gaze, his expression unchanged and his lips still. In the ensuing silence, he thought about what Emilia said and quickly put two and two together. The side of Cain Theresia that he refused to show others... almost certainly had something to do with fighting Chaos. After considerable contemplation, he chose to lie.
“...Sorry, but I don’t know anything.”
He didn’t know what Cain’s intentions were, but anything involving Chaos was sensitive information. Careless dissemination of such knowledge would only drag unwitting bystanders into the conflict and create more victims.
“I see.”
Emilia looked crestfallen from his answer.
“...You’re really worried about him, huh?”
“Of course I am,” she said in a firm tone. “I’m his assistant. I spend a lot of time helping him with his duties, so you can be sure I’ll notice when he’s behaving strangely. Sometimes, he just runs off somewhere with a weapon in his hand. Even when he’s in the school, there are moments when he’d just stop and look out the window into the distance. I’ve seen his eyes when he does that, and they were... so terribly cold. I know I’m probably not making much sense to you, and I won’t blame you for thinking I’m going crazy... but I know what I saw. And I get the feeling that when he disappears, he’s out there fighting something. Maybe he’s doing it for some greater good... but to me, it just looks like he’s indulging his own self-destructive tendencies.”
“...Maybe he has his reasons for doing so.”
That brought a sad smile to her lips.
“Reasons? What kind of reasons would push him to fight until he’s mere inches from dying and still refuse to ask others for help? And if there are such reasons... are they worth it?”
Again, there was silence, but this time, it was tinged with sorrow.
“...Thank you for your time,” she said eventually.
“I’m... sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”
He apologized with a polite bow of his head before asking her a question in return.
“Tell me one thing. That time when you found him covered in blood... Do you remember what day it was?”
She thought about it for a moment.
“It was... the beginning of last month. The day after the field exercises were canceled.”
They parted ways afterward. Sain and Melia watched as Emilia left the alley and walked off toward the school.
“Judging from the timing, it’s a pretty safe bet to say that his injuries were from fighting off the Chaos that showed up on the last day of the field exercises,” said Melia.
“Yeah...”
On the final day of the field exercises, Cain had wiped out multiple creatures of Chaos in the blink of an eye, and he’d done it with them watching. He’d made it look effortless, but the reality was probably different. The fight had cost him numerous injuries. It was, in fact, rather obvious, now that he stopped to think about it. Taking on hordes of Chaos and coming out unscathed was a feat reserved for the holy knight. No normal human was capable of performing such a feat.
“Rushing toward his own death, huh...”
It was true that dealing with Chaos required extreme discretion, and Cain’s silence on the matter was understandable. However, they were not an opponent he could fight on his own. In his mind, Sain could picture the sight of a single warrior in a lonely crusade against Chaos. He’d seen this before. As his vision began to blend with his memories, the figure of Cain blurred and took on the shape of a young girl.
“Is something wrong?”
He regarded the girl beside him, who looked up at him with eyes full of color and life, and shook his head.
“...No, nothing’s wrong.”
A stifling swirl of emotions filled his chest. He swallowed and resumed their journey back to the dorm.