The Sage that the Sword Saint is Obsessed With

17 – 4. Reunion (5)

1.

The time for the meeting had come.

Evan stepped out of his room.

It was a room in a village inn.

It was a humble place to offer to such an esteemed guest who came from the Tower of Sages, not just any other guest.

But this was the place Evan chose.

As soon as he saw the room prepared by the Knights, he chose the inn.

It wasn’t about having a place to sleep, but the prepared room was simply not a place where he could stay.

It was the room in the guild leader’s mansion.

Yeah, that’s right. He was supposed to live together in that woman’s house.

Just facing each other’s faces could already set his emotions in turmoil, and it wouldn’t just end there if they lived under the same roof. Emotions could ignite to the point of burning, and he might even die from being consumed by them.

Therefore, they decided to stay at an inn.

“…. How could something like this happen?”

Could it be that God is playing a joke?

What are the chances of meeting an ex-girlfriend in the vast empire?

I had imagined how she would live without me, but I never imagined she would become a knight known as Geomseong, protecting the frontlines.

To be honest, I had hoped she would not live well.

There were times when I cursed her, wishing for her to suffer accidents and misfortune while living a dissolute life.

Anyway, I hoped she would not live well.

Seeing her fighting for her life on the frontlines made me think that perhaps the curse had worked to some extent, but seeing her become a commander leading hundreds of soldiers made me realize that her life had not gone completely awry.

Evan surveyed the village with a quick glance.

It was peaceful.

The old ladies chatted among themselves.

The children played happily.

The atmosphere was so warm and cheerful that it was hard to believe it was close to the frontlines.

…She must be the one protecting this peace.

Evan clicked his tongue and headed towards the meeting room, carrying a complex feeling.

2.

The meeting room was in a chaotic atmosphere.

The higher-ups of the knights glanced at each other.

Especially, all eyes were on Vice Captain Karen.

The cause of this chaos was their leader.

Leuwen, sitting at the highest seat.

She sighed deeply as if she were a girl in love, holding her chin in her hand.

At the same time, she swung her legs as if she had something to worry about.

Just that attitude alone, which did not suit Leuwen at all, was strange enough, but what was even stranger was Leuwen’s attire.

She was wearing a military uniform skirt!

A black military uniform skirt with white stockings.

She was wearing clothes that she never wore before, complaining that they were too cold.

That’s not all.

She had tied her usually unruly curly hair with a ribbon.

It felt like someone who had never bothered to dress up suddenly went all out to impress.

The sudden transformation in the leader’s appearance made the subordinates constantly exchange glances with the second-in-command.

Their eyes seemed to ask, “What’s going on here?”

If anyone would know, it had to be the second-in-command, who had been with the leader the longest and was the closest.

But even Karen, the second-in-command, shook her head, claiming she had no idea.

If there were to be a guess about the cause of the change, it would be the disciple of the sage.

A man personally appointed by the sage as the next sage.

There were no records about him except for his past as an adventurer.

He didn’t graduate from the academy, wasn’t from the mage tower, and didn’t achieve anything in the magical society. Yet, despite all that, he surpassed accomplished wizards and gained recognition from the sage.

Naturally, there was strong opposition from the wizards.

Even now, there were numerous wizards sending letters to the sage, claiming that it was absurd.

That’s why there were doubts when he first applied to come here. No, there are still doubts.

How much help could he really be?

As long as he doesn’t cause trouble, they consider themselves fortunate.

Anyway, putting that aside.

Since that man arrived, Leuen’s condition has been strange.

In just one day, a person changed dramatically.

Wearing a ribbon in her hair and a skirt was just one of the changes. She didn’t even touch her favorite drink at yesterday’s feast and went straight to her room.

It wasn’t like a girl in love; she was a girl completely in love.

Karen glanced at Leuen.

It’s not that she doesn’t understand.

After all, the leader is also a woman.

Even though she has never shown interest in the opposite s*x, it’s not strange for a woman to be attracted to a charming man.

It’s entirely natural.

Seeing that man up close this morning, it made even more sense.

He seemed like a refined martial artist.

A guy with a rugged appearance and a rough personality that women who like bad guys would adore.

Karen never imagined that the leader’s taste would be a bad guy, but…

Come to think of it, there was also an incident related to this earlier this morning.

In the pre-dawn that refused to break, Leven appeared before Karen.

He had brazenly asked her to convey a glass bottle containing honey and lemon from the Sage’s Tower, claiming it was good for hangovers.

Amidst the chaotic atmosphere, as they exchanged glances, someone knocked on the door.

“Oops!”

Leven, who had been staring blankly as if chasing an invisible butterfly, straightened up at the sound of the knock, adjusting his attire with a start.

In the face of such blatant behavior, the members were shocked and simultaneously convinced.

“Surely the commander has fallen in love…!”

It was as shocking as when the Gate to the Demon Realm opened in the South.

Certainly, it was an instinctive act of a living being, but it was downright unbelievable that someone who seemed furthest from love had fallen into it.

Leven signaled to open the door.

The soldier standing in front of the door opened it.

“Hello.”

The magician, Evan, greeted as he entered.

Evan surveyed the meeting room and sat in what seemed to be his designated spot, now vacant.

A strange atmosphere lingered.

In the silence, the members glanced occasionally at the two figures.

“Why are you all looking at us like that?” Evan’s comment made the members who had been glancing shyly turn their eyes away.

“Shall we start the meeting?”

In response to that suggestion, Karen stood up with a realization.

“Ahem!”

She cleared her throat.

“I’ll start the meeting. As you all probably know, today’s meeting is not related to combat. It’s a gathering to introduce the magician who has come to support the Order. Would the magician kindly introduce themselves?”

Evan stood up from his seat.

He glanced around at the people present.

Among the six officers in the room, three faces were familiar.

The man he met on the first day, Raven, who shook hands with him and introduced him to the village.

Karen, the deputy commander who gave him lemon preserve this morning.

And that woman.

Evan saw Lewen sitting across from him.

Lewen, who was sitting rather elegantly, slightly bowed her head as she combed her hair with her fingers.

…Was she always this feminine?

Just by tying up her hair, the atmosphere changed drastically. When she had short hair, she had a carefree and boyish image, but now that she had long hair, her femininity radiated.

Evan glanced and cleared his throat, hm, and pretended to cough.

“Hello. I’m Evan from the Tower of Sages. Nice to meet you.”

He bowed his head and greeted her.

-Clap clap clap!

Everyone clapped formally.

Except for one person.

Lewen clapped harder than anyone else, welcoming him.

The more Evan saw this behavior, the more his doubts grew.

…Why is she doing that?

It feels more like she’s teasing rather than welcoming.

She’s always been difficult to read emotionally.

Back then.

And now.

She still struggles to express her emotions.

Evan took his seat when the applause died down.

“So, how should I proceed on the battlefield?”

Evan asked Lewen.

Separate the work from personal matters.

He only asked the commander about his duty as a commander.

“Uh… well, um….”

“In relation to that, I have a question. How far up in magical ranks can you use, Magician?”

As Lewen mumbled something, Karen interrupted.

“Uh….”

Lewen bowed her head again and closed her mouth.

One might think that the vice-commander is interrupting the commander’s speech, but Karen has always been responsible for meetings and managing the knight order.

So this is a natural progression. And Le Wen’s voice was too soft for anyone to hear.

“In actual combat, I’m not sure, but I can use up to the 10th level.”

“What??”

The conference room began to stir.

The 10th level.

It is the highest level of magic.

It is still only words, but even just words are amazing.

Did the sage appoint Evan as the next sage for no reason?

Le Wen was also surprised.

Her eyes widened like a startled puppy.

She forgot that Evan was the next sage, but in the past, Evan was a wizard who couldn’t even use lower-level magic properly. She didn’t know much about magic, but he didn’t have any magical talent other than his ability to interpret magic circles.

But the 10th level…!

Le Wen felt like tears were about to pour out.

Evan had grown.

She thought it was amazing and really cool.

Silently, she thought to herself, ‘Evan is cool!’, ‘Evan is amazing!’, and memories of the sharp words she had uttered in the past came to mind.

“Above all, I hate weaklings!”

The words she had said to Evan now became a dagger in her heart.

…I don’t even deserve to praise him.

She became depressed again.