Late into the night, The Wyvern squad arrived, and together with the rest of Night Ouen and guards, they cleared every beast and undead from the town. As for the cultists. Those who gave up were arrested for interrogation later on,

 Jan and Alum were severely injured and had to go through some emergency treatment. Jan had lost one of his fangs, and parts of his skin burnt, but… with capable healers, they were able to fully heal all his injuries. He’d now just need to regain consciousness.

 Alum’s case was a little different; he had broken bones, and his skin shattered due to the effects of his own spells. He had severe internal bleeding, and it was a miracle he was still alive. Yet… somehow, he regained his consciousness before Jan., gasping for air and dizzily sat up, lacking blood and in severe pain. He’d walk over to undo Depth cutter’s barrier.

 After doing that, the healers told him to rest. He didn’t want to be an inconvenience and did as he was told.

 As he dizzily stumbled his way into the halls, trying to find somewhere to rest, others groaned in pain or cries from the loss of loved ones.

 (…Falling asleep like this will prove to be a challenge,) Alum thought.

 All he could do was listen to their cries. As much as he wanted to help, he could barely move anymore. Lying down and staring at the ceiling, he thought of Amethely, his lover. Emely, his only real family and… his friends.

 ‘...I… miss….’ he mumbled in a low voice before his mind faded into the dark.

 .….

 …

 “He’s asleep,” someone said. It was a girl with black and silverish hair and eyes that resembled the moon.

 Her eyes gently peered, seeing if he was okay as she clutched her chest. Feeling guilty and sad, it was as if she was the cause of his pain…. But… that was the case with everyone around here, too. She’s failed her duty as a commander.

 Despite being distant, she cared for the innocent. She wanted to protect them… maybe because she wanted to prove that pure deeds existed….

 She sat beside the resting youth, holding his hand as tears formed in her eyes, beginning to run down her face as her sorrow was overshadowed by the cries of loss.

 ‘...Al, hic, I… I’m sorry….’

 …

  …..

 …

 The next day, as Alum woke up, he felt oddly comfortable despite his injuries… well, he was able to move, and whilst it hurt, it shouldn’t be a problem. He remembers yesterday that some of his wounds couldn't properly be healed, but… he somehow feels great, and there’s no scar. Though… he still felt some pain as he moved.

 He’d lost a lot of blood at that, so… he naturally felt dizzy as he walked around the room. And close by, he saw Jua. She slept in the chair beside the bed, holding Jan's still-unconscious hands as his breathing was slightly ragged.

 Seeing it made Alum smile, “how nice….” he uttered, and then said, “Thank you for yesterday….” leaving the two of them alone to go outside.

 Walking around in the halls, he could still see desperate looks on people's faces, but the mood was better, to say the least.

 As he got out to see the state of the town, he saw devastating sights that were hard to see during the night. Undead abominations and beasts, alongside many more monsters, lay dead.

 (…..)

 The sight was making him uneasy. It… was disturbing to think that some of them were innocent people.

 Continuing his stroll, he came across some members of The Wyvern Squad, finding out that Luna was there as well.

 “…do you perhaps know Princesse’s whereabouts?” Alum asked. He felt a little anxious, after all. Luna is probably hurt. Not physically but mentally.

 “...Sorry, I can’t help you, buddy,” the man said.

 Alum slightly shook his head, saying, “No… sorry for the inconvenience,” he said and left.

 He asked other people as well, but… each and every time when he got to her supposed location, she was nowhere to be found. Despite Alum’s distrust for most people, he wouldn’t think they’d have a reason to lie to him.

 “…She’s avoiding me,” Alum concluded as he kept looking for her. This time, he concealed his mana. Even someone like Luna would struggle to sense him.

 And after some searching, he finally found her. She was slightly swollen around her eyes, and—her divine blade, the Moon Fracture, was at his throat.

 But in that instant, Luna froze as her cold silver eyes stared into his soft and gentle eyes. Realising who it was, she backed away in puzzlement as she uttered his name, “A-Al…?”

 Coming to her senses, she tries to run away, but Alum had already grabbed her hand at the time she slowly backed away.

 “...Let me go,” Luna said, trembling and averting her eyes.

 “I won’t,” Alum briefly replied as he tried to look her in the eyes. “...You’re not to blame,” he later said, which caused her to turn his way. With tears in her eyes, she fell down to her knees, sobbing like a child.

 “It’s my fault—it all is! If-If only I did a better job at stopping these cultists, then… none of this would happen, and you wouldn’t have gotten hurt!”

 “...that’s not true,” Alum said, kneeling down and patting her head.

 (I knew it…she’s a softy at heart despite her aloof exterior…)

 “Bu-but….”

 Luna tried to say something, but words wouldn’t come out. The soft breeze would quietly pass by, and the leaves peacefully danced.

 Alum knew that Luna was overthinking, or maybe she wasn’t… but… the point was. She shoulders too much of the blame.

 He continued to stroke her hair, and it was smooth and silky. Alum knew how precious Luna’s hair was to her, as she took care of it very carefully. Yet… she only allowed him to touch it. The first time, he’d done it by accident and didn’t know. However… Luna didn’t mind when he later asked about it after finding out.

 As she continued to sob quietly, Alum lent him his chest to lean on. Being in his warmth and comfort, Luna unconsciously hugged him tight as if she thought he’d leave her.

 “I’m sorry,” Luna apologised as she held him tighter.

 “Don’t be,” Alum replied with a gentle tone.

 “I’m sorry,” Luna apologised again. This time, reiterated it multiple times. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,”

 “.....It’s okay. Let it all out.” Alum said as he kept comforting her.

 Some time passed, and Luna cried herself to sleep in his arms. Looking at the adorable girl in his arms made his chest warm as a smile surfaced on his face. He didn’t care that people were staring as he carried her. He just wanted her to rest.

 …

  …..

 …

 A few days passed, and the airship finally arrived. The town was in such a bad state that it was uninhabitable. Well… there was no reason to rebuild either way, seeing how most of the population died and… it’d be too expensive, considering how badly damaged the barrier generators were.

 So… for the past few days, locals gathered everything they could find of their old town and were ready to move. Alum and the members of Night Ouen would wait a few extra days and wouldn’t head back with the ship. Since… they’d need all the space they could.

 Since they’d already finished their quest during their stay, they’d have to wait for a carriage to come to pick up the materials from the elemental lizards. Still… Alum was tense. He was afraid of meeting Amethely after being so reckless….

 Seeing this, Luna walked up to him, giving him a goodbye hug in front of everyone. He came to his senses when Luna unexpectedly hugged him, making him feel calmer as he patted her head. And seeing how Alum had calmed down, Luna’s expression became bubbly as she smiled—taking everyone off guard.

 (Who is this person?)

 Many thought that Alum wasn’t as well known around here, but Luna was a princess, so… they knew her. They couldn’t believe their eyes that the cold and prodigal princess could show such a lovely smile, not to mention hugging a man….

 “...Could you not tell Ame about this incident?” Alum hesitantly asked. He didn’t want to worry her, see her sad or… make her feel disappointed in him.

 Hearing this worry of his made Luna giggle, “You don’t want to worry her, do you?” she softly asked. “...I won’t tell her if that’s truly what you wish for… however… I think she’d be more saddened by the fact you’d try and keep this from her.” Luna said as she also half scolded him because she deeply cared for him.

 She knew how much Amethely meant to him, and… she wished for their happiness as well, as she, too, had become good friends with Amethely, the girl.

 Alum was surprised by her words. (…How shortsighted I was,) he thought, replying, “You’re right… sorry, and thanks.”

 Luna hugged him tighter, “You’re apologising to the wrong person. ”She said, then her voice got quieter, ‘...I was worried too… seeing you all tattered.’ despite the content of her words, her voice was soothing yet sad.

 After all… she’d been called to her uncle’s office on short notice. The subject matter was that some cultists had attacked a town. Feeling heavily responsible, she came along with the other members of The Wyvern squad. She felt sorry for them as they’d just returned from a mission.

 Later, when she met up with the adventurers who had reported this incident, she learned that two of their members recklessly went to investigate and hadn’t returned. So… Luna and the squad headed into a ruin of a town, eradicating monsters, abominations and beasts.

 Still… there was more as they later stumbled upon an illusionary barrier. They found survivors and evacuated them before chasing after the cultists. After that, a report came, saying that there was a barrier they couldn’t get into, so Luna decided to head there—only to find an unconscious Alum as he suffered severe blood loss.

 Healers did their best, and his wounds were closing, but… at this rate, he might die. He lost too much blood, after all….

 In a panic, Luna cut herself as she rapidly rained blood out herself, to quickly put it in his body, hoping it would be enough to save him.

 The medics panicked when they saw this. After all, they may not even be compatible, but… from the tests, Luna’s blood should be compatible with his… whether it works or not…. If not, then… she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.

 She then noticed the presence of Depth cutter, and she ordered them to wait for Alum to wake up so that he could deactivate the barrier. After all, she wouldn’t want it to run out of mana…. Feeling guilty, she left to do other things—or that was her excuse.

 If the worst came, she couldn’t possibly endure witnessing his last breaths…. She was afraid to… in essence. She was running away. But… she knew he’d survive for sure but would be too guilty to face him properly. He’s in this state because she wasn’t adequate enough at her job. So—she couldn’t forgive herself….

 As Luna was in deep thought, not letting go of Alum as she’d been tightly embracing him this whole time, he had no choice but to accept the shower of affection.

 And the members of The Wyvern Squad had their jaws on the ground. They couldn’t believe that their cold and efficient commander was so affectionate. But… they welcomed this sight as they’d never seen her so happy before.

 …

  …..

 …

 Three days after Luna’s departure, Alum was closing in on Ilifel as he escorted the carriage with monster materials. As they got closer to the capital, the ocean came into view. The gentle and fresh air was calming as he looked into the sky faintly, wondering how he’d explain things to Amethely.

 But… he saw something rather unusual, and it was approaching them at high speeds. He couldn’t discern what it was, but it was coming from the capital.

 Seeing the terrifying speed with which it approached them, everyone was on guard, ready for an attack, but… in an instant, it landed. No one saw what or who it was, but… as it swiftly dashed through everyone, Alum found himself in Amethely’s embrace.

 Alum froze as the others blankly stared. They realised it wasn’t anything to worry about and… well… gave The Saint and her lover some space….

 Unsure of how to react, Alum just blankly looked at her. As she released him, she looked him in the eyes, noticing the tears in the corner. Her heart ached. It was painful to see him like this. Alum was normally calm and expressionless, but… never once did she want to see him cry.

 However… this was but a misunderstanding. Alum felt relieved to see her again as he shed tears. Amethely wrapped her arms around him and warmly whispered words of love. She’d heard everything from Luna. She wanted to be there to comfort him. But… she wasn’t able to.

 Now that he was in her embrace, she’d pamper him, cry love for him as she lent him her chest, and let him shed tears away from any onlookers. She’d stoke his hair and keep whispering words of love until he’d calm down.