Chapter 96: Too Close to Sense
He had been struggling with something, but now he looked clear-headed and even cheerful as he spoke.
"That’s why—no more carrying me, okay? When you holds me, my five senses get all mixed up and can only pick up on you. I need to sharpen my instincts again, so I’m moving to the driver’s bench."
"..."
Dominic was left speechless. Louis and the others glanced at him with warm, awkward sympathy.
...
When they returned to the inn and walked around to the wagon, Shiao Yi was already climbing up onto the driver’s bench.
"What?! Are you serious?!"
Aaron couldn’t stop himself from shouting.
Shiao Yi was sitting on the driver’s seat? Then... that meant Captain Dominic would be inside the wagon? Just the two of them? Alone?
No way! That’s terrifying!
And to make things worse, Captain Dominic—well, actually, he wasn’t really his captain anymore.
The truth was, he’d been taken off his duty on the fortress and reassigned directly under the Central Magic Association in the royal capital.
However, old habits die hard. He still couldn’t help calling him "Captain."
Now that same Captain Dominic was in a bad mood because he couldn’t hold Shiao Yi anymore.
The Iron Knight was basically carrying a blizzard around with him.
A dark cloud seemed to swirl only around him and it was definitely not his imagination—those white sparkling things flying around his body were actual ice. Real ice. Diamond dust. It was beautiful... but terrifying!
Dominic only ever acted like a normal human being—and even a little approachable—when he was holding Shiao Yi. But when Shiao Yi wasn’t nearby, he’d immediately go back to being his usual self.
As he stood frozen at the wagon door with tears in his eyes, Rex showed up and switching places with Captain Dominic. At that moment, Rex looked like an angel sent from heaven.
"Captain said he wanted to switch places," Rex said, giving him a wry smile as he climbed into the wagon.
Trembling with emotion, he quickly followed him inside, shut the door, and locked it.
Just in case Dominic changed his mind and came back—he didn’t want to take that risk.
"Captain just wants to be as close to Shiao Yi as possible," Rex said softly, trying to reassure him.
Rex really was a kind man.
As the wagon began to move, he stared at Rex with a new appreciation.
Rex had originally been a knight in the Fifth Division, which guarded the Dashtadem Fortress.
They had served together there for quite a while, but Rex had always been quiet and reserved. Honestly, he’d barely noticed him.
In other words, he hadn’t made it onto his "romantic radar."
Now, for the first time, he noticed that Rex’s dull dark-gray hair had a soft smooth texture and reached his shoulders. And his eyes—his eyes were a beautiful shade of light blue. He had a lean, well-trained knight’s body, tall but not massive like Louis. Being of the ice element, he gave off a slightly cool impression.
He carried himself with calm, mature confidence. He was 35, the same age as him, actually. His features were ordinary and not particularly eye-catching, but there was a quiet strength and manliness about him. Had Rex always been this attractive? Maybe he should try inviting him out tonight...
Just as he was about to say something, he heard Shiao Yi’s voice from the driver’s bench outside.
"Dominic, you’re too close. Move away."
He turned to look through the front opening and saw that Captain Dominic had brought his horse right up next to Shiao Yi. He really couldn’t bear to be apart from him, even for a moment.
"Why are you pushing me away like that?" Dominic asked, clearly unhappy, his face tightening with frustration.
"I told you already, didn’t I? I want to train to sharpen my five senses. I need to focus. But when you is near me, I can’t do that. I end up sensing only you—your body heat, your scent, your presence, everything. For some reason, all my senses get pulled toward you. I can’t train like that. Dominic, please stay back. Stay far away!" Shiao Yi said.
"If I’m getting in the way of your training, then I suppose there’s no helping it..." Dominic replied, clearly disappointed.
"Yeah, please, I’m asking you!" Shiao Yi insisted.
Dominic reluctantly pulled his horse back with a stiff sulky expression.
Huh? Captain? That’s not the kind of face you should be making right now. Don’t you realize what just happened?
"Why is it that I can’t do it when Dominic’s nearby...?" Shiao Yi muttered, turning his head.
His ears were red. Even Amal who is sitting next to him, had turned red in the face and was leaning away slightly, his hands on the reins trembling.
Oh no! Is he really unaware of what he just said?! Shiao Yi, do you not realize how that sounded?! Oh wow. Oh no. This is bad.
The observer couldn’t help it—he clasped his fists to his chest and kicked his feet in excitement. When he looked across to Rex, he saw that Rex’s face was also red, with a strange little smile twitching on his lips.
Exactly. Any normal person would get what’s going on here.
"That was one hell of a confession, wasn’t it? And the fact that the captain didn’t even notice it—that’s pretty incredible too."
"Yeah... they’re both complete beginners when it comes to love, huh."
"The captain and Shiao Yi are both so cute, aren’t they...?"
Rex muttered those words quietly to himself—but they were clearly audible. Did he just casually call them cute? It makes sense for Shiao Yi, but even Captain Dominic is cute? Rex, are you serious?
Trying to shift the mood, Rex suddenly asked, "By the way, what exactly you investigating at the church?"
Since Rex was the one mostly looking after the wagon, he’d seen him pulling out the sacks of ol several times. It was no surprise he was curious.