For Romantic Superpowers - Chapter 26 - Charlie And Rufus (1)
#26. Charlie And Rufus (1)
The tour was quick, as the knights’ buildings consisted of a training ground, a room for administrative work, and three quarters. The knights’ quarters were designed for maximum practicality, omitting the splendor of the palace. Therefore, the buildings weren’t particularly interesting to look at.
Occasionally, passersby would glance at the three siblings, who looked too alike, and Kevin, a former knight, might catch their attention as well. After the tour, Charlie invited them to his office. Lia, who didn’t want to go, was about to refuse and say she should go back. However, Charlie wouldn’t be swayed by Lia’s opinion. Since it was late, his suggestion was to finish talking with Kevin and then personally escort Lia back to the dormitory.
“So, what do you think of the knights you’ve seen for the first time, little sister?”
Rufus sat comfortably on Charlie’s sofa like it was his own place, tapping the seat beside him with his hand. However, Lia knowingly sat down next to Kevin instead. Seated formally, Charlie also gazed intently at Lia, curious about her opinion.
“A knight is just a knight, nothing particularly special. The palace might be a bit bigger, that’s all.”
Even Count Penelope had knights. Therefore, there was no need for the Penelope siblings to work in the royal knight order. But being recognized for their abilities and working in the palace was the ultimate honor in Psychedelia. When both Charlie and Rufus were chosen for the royal knight order, it caused a stir in the household. However, Lia, feeling envious, didn’t come out of her room. She wanted to work in the palace too.
“I haven’t seen you much since you entered the palace. Why are you so snappy to your brother?”
Rufus reached out to touch Lia’s head again. Of course, Lia recoiled before he could touch her. Their relationship had always been like this—Rufus pouring out affection, and Lia rejecting it.
“Knights are the same everywhere. So, Kevin, how’s this one from the palace? Worth anything?”
Seizing the opportunity, Charlie pounced. Lia looked at Kevin with a tense expression. He remained calm even under her gaze.
“About half as much.”
It was the same as what he told Perth. He was always honest, for better or worse. Lia glared at him from the seat next to her. Rufus noticed Lia’s glare and intervened.
“It’s only been a month, and instead of being grateful for half, you give that look?”
“Thank you. I’m so overwhelmed with gratitude I don’t know what to do with myself.”
“Lia! What kind of disrespectful attitude is that towards your superior?”
Lia started with a rebellious response but eventually got scolded by Charlie. She reluctantly apologized, wearing an even more disgruntled expression.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Kevin.”
“It’s okay. It’s unusual for you.”
Whether he sensed the subtle atmosphere between the Penelope siblings or something else, he casually threw out a word. Normally, she would have returned it with a snap, like she did with Rufus, but Lia kept her mouth shut. Charlie and Lia’s eyes met. Lia was the first to look down, avoiding his gaze.
Since childhood, there has been friction between Charlie and Lia. He treated Lia only as a younger sister, just like their father, the Count Penelope. Lia didn’t like him, always making condescending remarks and suppressing Rufus and her.
“… It’s been a long time since Kevin visited the Knight’s Order! You used to practically live at the training grounds.”
Sensing the strange atmosphere, Rufus redirected the conversation. He had a remarkable ability to ease the awkwardness between Lia and Charlie, whom he had known since childhood.
“Well, yeah.”
Kevin replied flatly. Lia was curious about his past, especially since the whole Knight’s Order had come to talk about him. She hadn’t expected him to be close to her brothers. Even though they were all part of the same royal knight’s order, there were many knights, and Kevin disliked nobility.
“Yeah. You were the most active on the battlefield, Kevin.”
Charlie seemed to acknowledge him as well. Lia found this situation unfamiliar since she had never heard anyone praise someone like this before.
“Actively, what? I was discharged from the Order because my abilities weakened. That’s the truth.”
He said it casually, but all three of them were watching his reaction. He had come to see if Lia needed to talk about something anyway.
“You don’t have to force yourself to tell us.”
It was just an excuse since Lia didn’t want to talk anyway. If she said she wasn’t curious about why he came to the greenhouse, it would be a lie. But more importantly, she wondered how casually he could treat this wound.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s all in the past.”
Lia stared at him intently. How could he be so indifferent after such a short time? Whatever it was, it must have been a significant injury in life. Nevertheless, she thought he was remarkable for taking such an initial attitude.
Charlie and Rufus also exchanged awkward glances. They seemed to know what happened to Kevin’s past. Well, it would be strange if they didn’t. After all, if they were knights in the same order, everyone would have known.
“I was expelled from the Order because my abilities weakened. Everyone knows that much, right?”
At that time, the fact that abilities could weaken had not even been revealed. That incident was nothing short of the first proven case of abilities weakening officially acknowledged in Psychedelia. Because Kevin had been exceptionally talented, the shock among his colleagues was even greater. However, the person in question himself didn’t care about it then, nor did he now.
“Why did your abilities suddenly weaken?”
When Rufus heard that he had suddenly been expelled from the Order, he tried to ask him for the reason. However, he didn’t provide any facts other than saying his abilities had weakened. Thinking that the person himself must have been greatly shocked, Rufus didn’t inquire further. However, now that some time had passed and Kevin himself said he was okay, Rufus cautiously asked again.
“It was because of a blade of grass.”
“A blade of grass?”
“The last time I went to the battlefield.”
“You mean the Desert War?”
“Yeah.”
“I was really worried that you wouldn’t make it back that time.”
“Thanks for worrying.”
Rufus hadn’t participated in the Desert War back then. Instead, Charlie had gone with Kevin. Kevin’s sudden inability to use his powers had deeply wounded him. Charlie vividly remembered the large scars that crisscrossed his body. They had won the battle that day, but Kevin couldn’t wield a sword again.
“Did you get badly hurt back then?”
“You could say I probably still have a diagonal scar on my back.”
“How badly were you hurt?”
“I was pretty much at death’s door.”
“Well, just a slight cut from a sword. Meeting a good healer left me with mostly scars now.”
He spoke of his brush with death so lightly. If even Charlie, who was used to sword injuries, said it was a brush with death, it must have been a severe wound. Minor injuries would disappear without leaving scars under the hands of skilled healers. However, the fact that the scar remained until now was evidence of how serious it had been at the time.
“You weren’t skilled enough to have received such a wound.”
Rufus sincerely sympathized. He had always admired Kevin, both then and now. At that time, it was rumored that whenever Kevin appeared on the battlefield, victory was assured.
“Your abilities didn’t suddenly fail, did they?”
“Yeah.”
“And that’s because of that blade of grass?”
“Yeah. I found that blade of grass right in the middle of the battlefield. I still don’t know what kind of grass it was. I just found it amidst the sand and dust and wanted to save it. Even though my power didn’t manifest in that moment.”
A moment’s lapse on the battlefield leads to death. Perhaps Kevin, who had been careless, didn’t realize that surviving was almost miraculous. In exchange for a moment’s distraction, he had received a large scar on his back. It was Charlie who had pulled him out, covered in blood.
“Just because of a blade of grass….”
“After surviving death, that blade of grass bothered me. Since I couldn’t wield a sword anymore anyway, I was curious about how that blade of grass was in the middle of the desert. So, I chose the greenhouse, the Desert Climate Plant Management Department, in response to the offer to transfer to the department I wanted.”
Rufus and Charlie both frowned at the unexpected answer. In contrast, Lia, while surprised, understood. It was because the reason why he, a knight, ended up in the greenhouse was so unexpected. After finishing his story, Kevin turned his head and locked eyes with Lia.
“Alright? That’s all there is to my story. There was no need to be curious.”
To call it insignificant would be an understatement. Nearly dying, losing abilities, and being transferred to a greenhouse unrelated to swords, why would anyone consider that trivial? Compared to that, Lia’s story was nothing. It was just an everyday story.
“Still, thank you for telling me.”
Lia spoke sincerely. It had been a long time since Kevin had spoken seriously without joking. He looked awkward and his ears turned slightly red. This serious atmosphere was nauseating.
“Now, tell me your story.”
“What story?”
Kevin didn’t answer, only looking at Lia. She felt uncomfortable with the three of them focusing on her. But anyway, her two older brothers knew roughly what was going on, and Kevin didn’t mind knowing either. After exhaling once, she began to explain briefly.
“Mr. Perth, the Chief Aide of the First Prince, visited our Penelope Manor.”
Recalling that day, the image of the hem of a green-stained dress came to mind first. The thought of ‘receiving guests in that attire’ hadn’t faded even over time. The clothes she wore that day had to be thrown away because the water wouldn’t come out. She still shivered at the thought of Jacqueline’s tremendous scolding.
She vividly remembered how grumpy Perth was at the time. His expression was so unpleasant, as if stumbling over something was akin to being infected with a disease. Now, she couldn’t understand how she became friendly with such a person.
“He proposed that I stay at the palace for three months as an apprentice to save the Miracle of the Desert. Mr. Kevin must know this part too.”
Kevin came to dislike Perth even more because of that incident. Although it was omitted, it seemed like he could hear what was left unsaid. Kevin pretended not to know, coughing awkwardly.
“But my father, the Count Penelope, proposed conditions to Mr. Perth instead of accepting his proposal.”
“Is it a matchmaking?”
“To call it matchmaking may sound a bit off, but it’s not wrong. He asked him to introduce three unmarried gentlemen in the palace, one per month, for marriage purposes.”