Jetri was speechless. The version of himself who’d once been dazzled by Victoria’s gentle beauty and Lilith’s wild charm must’ve truly had water in his brain.

“Alright… Let’s not dwell on your past rejections or whatever.” Jetri sighed.

Yet panic practically spilled from the half-elf’s face.

Frantically, she grabbed Jetri’s hand. “N-no! I—I can apologize! I can make it up to you—anything you want! I’ll give you anything I have!”

Jetri let Lilith cling to his hand, his expression unreadable.

“Consider this your apology—just drop all this nonsense from now on.” He paused, frowning. “But… shouldn’t you like Vya?”

As he spoke, he subtly slid his hand free.

“Vya?” Lilith blinked in confusion. “Why would you ask that?”

*Why?*

*Was it even a question?*

During his last speech at Brave Academy, half the girls screamed when Vya stepped onstage. Good grief—it’d been a sea of screaming fans.

Honestly, Jetri never believed either female teammate could like him. Not with Vya around. He’d only tested the waters, never expecting his confessions to end things. But Victoria and Lilith’s reactions back then made him assume they were both involved with Vya.

Jetri didn’t poach his friends’ partners.

Turns out neither had anything with Vya…

*But then…*

*Why did they act so close sometimes?*

“Well… Vya’s clearly superior to me in every way,” Jetri mused, nodding firmly. “If I were a woman, I’d probably fall for someone like him too.”

“W-why…?” The half-elf’s voice hitched.

Jetri, lost in listing Vya’s virtues, didn’t notice.

“He’s handsome, kind, ridiculously capable, and carries responsibility like it’s nothing…” Jetri trailed off. “Honestly, if I hadn’t known him for ten years, I’d think someone that perfect couldn’t exist.”

“He’s the living definition of knightly virtue.”

Lilith studied his face. “Then… if Vya were a woman? Would you like her, Richard?”

The half-elf’s sudden question jolted Jetri into silence.

After a long pause, he answered.

“Probably. Honestly, I sometimes waver even now. If Vya were a woman…” Jetri didn’t mind dropping this gay joke—it might make Lilith hate him again.

After growing used to Victoria’s avoidance and Lilith’s disdain, he almost missed it. At least back then, their hostility was professional. Victoria was manageable, but Lilith kept zoning out.

*A scout. An assassin. A blade-dancer by trade—daydreaming like this? Didn’t she fear losing her life one day?*

Lilith fell silent.

Jetri glanced up, puzzled. *Why the quiet?*

Her face had gone pale. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing.” She recovered instantly.

Her odd reaction gnawed at him.

Beyond the fortress, desert sands churned endlessly. Soldiers’ drills echoed behind them. This was the border between civilization and wasteland.

*Why did Lilith ask that?*

*Is my gay vibe that obvious?*

*No…*

*I only feel that way about Vya—*

*Wait. NO!*

*Since when did liking Vya feel normal?!*

Cold sweat soaked Jetri’s back. He’d been less nervous during his first kill of Chelsey—when he’d schemed endlessly—than he was now.

*No. No no no!*

*Do I…?*

Beads of sweat dotted the Sage’s forehead.

*Hold on.*

*Why did Lilith ask that?*

Fragments flashed in his mind: recent events, moments on the Demon King hunt.

*Why did Lilith and Victoria act close to Vya if they didn’t like him?*

*Why did they think Vya and I were a couple?*

*Why did Vya ask in the capital how I’d react if he’d deceived me?*

*Why were they jealous of Vya?*

*Why did Lilith imagine Vya as a woman?*

The pieces clicked.

“Lilith.”

“Hmm?”

“Is… Vya a woman?”

Wind stilled. Sand settled around them.

Half-elf and Sage locked eyes.

Lilith’s face was blank.

Then—realization struck. She stared at him, dumbfounded. “*What?*”

Her expression screamed: *Why would you even ask that?*

“Uh… so she’s not…?” Jetri felt ridiculous. But if true, everything made sense. And secretly, he hoped it was. At least then he wasn’t gay.

“Shouldn’t *you* know Vya’s gender better than I do?” Lilith’s lips parted—somewhere between exasperation and shock.

“Right…” Jetri chuckled awkwardly.

*Of course. I’ve known Vya since dorm days. Slept beside him hunting the Demon King. How could he be a girl?*

Lilith watched his convinced expression and relaxed inwardly. She hadn’t lied. She’d simply let her acting steer him wrong. If Vya chose to hide it, she wouldn’t expose her. Besides… Jetri’s words confirmed it: if Vya ever appeared as a woman, Lilith would lose her chance.

*Knightly virtue?* She scoffed inwardly. *That liar can’t even be honest.*

“Ahem. So… shouldn’t you like Vya?” Jetri steered back.

“Never.” Lilith’s voice was flat.

“Then why me?”

“I… don’t know.” Her gaze flickered away, cheeks flushing.

If their roles were reversed, Jetri would’ve joked: *Dude, you’re the only guy in the party—what choice do I have?*

Five years together. He wasn’t terrible. Feelings just… grew.

“If I had to say…” She nervously licked her lips, scrambling for a reason. “Since…”

“Since?” Jetri hated the hesitation.

“I used to think you were hard to get along with.” She rephrased.

“*Me?* Hard to get along with?” Jetri arched a brow, leaning back with a theatrical shrug. *Seriously?*

Her lips twitched into a smile.

“Remember that night? Our first real talk?”

“Uh… no.” He shook his head after a pause.

“I remember every word,” she sighed, smiling. “I’d never met anyone like you.”

“Like me? How?”

“You seem easygoing… but care about nothing at all.” Her crimson eyes held nostalgia.

She hopped onto the wall’s edge.

“Since we’re here…” She wiped dust off the stone, sat, and patted the space beside her. “Join me?”

Hope flickered in her eyes.

Jetri shook his head helplessly.

Her crimson pupils dimmed instantly.

“Stand up. Wiping won’t clean this—this robe costs a fortune…”

“Oh.” She blinked, then obeyed.

*First-tier Magic: Water Orb.*

*Second-tier Magic: Gale Force.*

After rinsing and drying the spot, he looked up. “Give me a hand?”

Before he could react, she leaped down, scooped him up, and vaulted back—settling him gently beside her.

“Whoa!” Jetri yelped, heart pounding as he landed in her warm embrace.

She finished in a flash, then grinned sheepishly at him. At this range, he couldn’t dodge her Shadow Realm Envoy skill—*Shadow Step*—so only his DNA-level reflex saved him from screaming louder.

He caught his breath, exasperated but letting it go.

Adjusting his robe, Jetri sighed. Desert wind howled. To block the grit:

*Fourth-tier Magic: Wind Barrier.*

As he cast, Lilith inched closer using *Shadow Step*—exploiting the time-dilation between realms for near-instant movement. His casual wind wall wasn’t worth full focus, so his casting speed was leisurely.

He turned to find her pressed almost against him, staring rigidly ahead—face tight, eyes wide with guilt.

*Was she this close before?*

Jetri dismissed the thought. *Pointless.*

“Continue,” he said, settling in to listen.

“Mm.” Relief washed over her—he hadn’t called out her sneakiness. Then her cheeks burned.

*So close…*

She’d closed the gap herself, yet *she* was the one blushing first.

Looking into Jetri’s eyes so close, she instinctively looked away.

“Hmm…” The Half Elf took a moment to calm herself. “You said you didn’t believe me.”

At this, Jetri recalled the memory.

“Oh, I guess so,” he chimed in.

When listening to others, he’d at most interject a word or two—like this kind of response or a brief comment—enough to show he was paying attention.

“Back then, I suddenly thought, ‘Maybe we’re the same kind of person,’” the Half Elf said, her complexion gradually returning to normal.

The Half Elf rarely spoke much. Perhaps Rogues, as a class, were naturally quiet. She seldom rambled on; even when dissatisfied with someone or something, she preferred action over words. So her expression and communication were actually lacking. But the poverty of words made her sincerity stand out. She rarely hid her thoughts. Like how Victoria had misunderstood Jetri by avoiding him, while she showed open disdain.

“Hmm? Is that so?” Jetri smiled.

“Yeah, both cold and selfish,” the Half Elf said with a self-deprecating smile.

“That harsh?” Jetri didn’t care about Lilith’s opinion of him. He just smiled, as if the Half Elf was talking about someone else.

“Uh… I didn’t mean you…” the Half Elf said with an embarrassed look, trying to backtrack. “I meant myself. Later, I realized we’re actually different.”

“Is that so,” Jetri listened on. It was quite interesting to hear how others saw him in her mind. Especially since Lilith had already confessed her feelings, Jetri didn’t mind her criticisms too much.

“What Richard said about distrust and those… selfish-sounding words, were actually fear.”

“Fear? Fear of what?” Jetri’s expression turned a bit unnatural.

“Fear that the trust you give is too easily betrayed,” the Half Elf said, turning her head to look at Jetri’s face.

“Nonsense,” Jetri denied her words.

“Even though you say harsh things, when it comes to trust, you’re never hesitant. Even though we’d just met back then,” the Half Elf smiled with narrowed eyes. As she spoke, her slender legs swayed happily in the air.

“When was that time…” Jetri muttered with an unnatural expression, refusing to admit it.