At the Northern Fort

When the bell rang announcing the time for the lunch break, Grail headed first to the training ground. They were used by the first squad in the morning, cleaning up the tools they used to train as they rolled over to everyone.

But Grail's looking for the white girl, the fox, is not there. Instead, however, there were small footprints in the snow falling on the ground. Looks like he's headed for the stables.

"Huh, what are you licking so hard?

But the moment he arrived at the stables, Grail regretted that he should not have come. Because horses and mills weren't the only ones there.

Cromwell, the branch leader, was playing with the mills with a full grin.

Its appearance, which is neat but therefore cold, and its constantly sober character make Cromwell known to his men as the 'Ice Branch Leader', etc., but now its ice has melted everywhere too. He looks extremely happy and is delighted to have his hands licked by the mill.

Even though honey is applied to the hands, the mill is also working hard. What the hell are you thinking?

Cromwell, who is boned by animals, was smiling, but he would hate to be seen by others as he is now.

Grail quietly tried to turn his heel back, but the mill noticed earlier than that.

When Mill recognises Grail, he twinkles his eyes and squeaks small, waxing and shaking his tail busily. Grail was also pleased with that reaction, which would obviously be delightful. Mill is definitely getting nostalgic for Grail.

But I followed Mill's gaze up to Cromwell, and as soon as I did, I said, "Seen! Grail gets awkward too when he sees how he just solidifies."

……

……

There was an air of urgency between the two.

Neither one is a master of mouth. At times like this, you can't talk to the peppers and cloud the place. Only the tail of the mill shakes loudly.

Cromwell animals - especially horses and small animals - are famous enough to become ”rumors”.

At least everyone but the newcomers to this fort knows.

I know that making time went to the stables like every day, talking gently to my beloved horse, brushing carefully, that in winter I was giving fruit to the trees because of the little birds, that I was feeding the wildcats and naming them 'Nora' cute, that I had been depressed making bears under my eyes since the day after that wildcat stopped fluttering, and that if the white snow rabbit ran nearby at work, I would be distracted there and the ice mask would collapse.

Members of the northern fortifications have, more or less, witnessed such sights of Cromwell.

But Cromwell doesn't think his men are finding out about his animal lovers, and he thinks he can hide them through well.

I wish I was grand and cute, but I'm all pretending to be in tune and unaware because Cromwell desperately behaves like 'I'm not interested in animals or anything'.

Perhaps Cromwell cares very much about how he is seen around him. I believe that I must be somewhat frightened of everyone when I come to the position of head of a branch office. So we should not be seen with pity for having an extremely sweet attitude towards animals.

From Grail, who has built his position in the Knights with only his strength while a common man, I don't think it matters whether animal lovers find out around him or not, or whether that changes his strength in person. Cromwell seems to have a different idea.

He is from a prestigious nobleman, so I can't say enough that he also took up his position as head of the current branch just because of his strength and merit - this is not what he wanted, I guess the cared for upper man put him up on his own - but Cromwell seemed very concerned about it.

Maybe I'm worried that the image alone will easily break the trust from around me.

Since there are rumors that Cromwell, who has always grown up in the Wang capital, came to this northern fortress with a harsh environment, was his strong hope, does he still want a proven and firm confidence?

Crime and border trouble are rare, but instead, the environment here is harsh enough that even the frozen dead have been out in the fort in the middle of the past winter. One look around. It's not easy in a blizzard, and everyday snow removal and training, everything is a physical battle.

Besides, all the knights of the fort are all those who have both one and two habits of being treated as troublemakers in other tribes.

It does not work against nature and against subordinates unrelated to power, such as the aristocratic Conne. But that's why the experience of working as a branch leader here must lead to Cromwell's confidence.

"Grail, what can I do for you?

Cromwell said with a resolute look, as if there had been no such thing as the fact that he had an indelible face against Mill and his horse when he stood up with no eating face. Be aware, the tone of your voice is much lower and colder than it was earlier.

He has done a fine job as head of the branch so far, but I'm sure he hasn't gained the perfect confidence yet.

So this is how he wears the mask of a strict ice branch leader to avoid being disillusioned by his men.

Grayle laid her eyes down calmly and matched her younger boss than herself. I didn't see anything. That's how I pretend.

"No, I was looking for a mill."

"Mill? Is that my name? Sooner or later, if you name it, you'll lose your temper."

Cromwell looked like he wasn't interested and looked down at the mill he had deliberately called 'here'. I guess I don't look straight at it because if I look decent, I lose the temptation of cuteness.

Mostly, it was Cromwell who had long been depressed by the cat who transferred his emotions by naming him 'Nora'.

"The Branch Leader is here to see Israx?

I'm here to take care of you. It's the work of knights to manage their horses properly. "

Cromwell emphasised the word that he had come to take care of him. He said he didn't ”come to see” his lovely horse as an animal lover, he ”came to look after” him as one of the knights' jobs.

You're thorough, and Grail was weirdly impressed. I'm also worried that I won't be tired.

"I'm going now"

Finally, he stroked the nostrils of the black horse before Cromwell tried to leave the stables. I'm sorry I just got here, though I really wanted to indulge in some more healing time. Yes, Grail thought.

But Cromwell, who tried to leave here, is cutely obstructed and stops on the spot. The mill that came after me clung to my leg.

……

After being chased, Grail witnessed Cromwell's face gleaming with joy for a moment.

But as soon as I fixed my expression, I said depressingly in a cold voice.

"Out of the way. Don't just move around."

To interpret it, he said, "You're going to kick me, so stop. What if I get hurt".

But when did Mill miss Cromwell so much, Grail creased between his eyebrows.

"Don't follow me."

Cromwell distorts his face greatly to the mill chasing him with a small snort. And after biting his back teeth so as to withstand the temptation, he made sure to shake off the mill and left early into the building.

It looked terribly spicy, but would it be okay?

"Mill."

Grail called out to Gitsune, the child who was following Cromwell's hindsight with his eyes.

"Cheating on you?

Joking and blaming, Mill turns around haha and rushes over here. He looked up at Grail's face like an excuse, going right and left under his feet.

As he stroked his head, Grail remembered when Cromwell came to this northern fortress.

"You see, I'm the new head of the branch."

"Oh, you're that noble boy, aren't you? He said he took his place in the power of his parents' home. '

'Don't be angry at him for standing on top of you like that. I wish the deputy chief would have been the branch chief.'

He looked like a woman. You don't seem to have the guts, and you don't have a winter. '

"Ma, I just need you to get your roots up and go home. I wonder why you came here in the first place. I don't suppose they moved left like us, and I wish I could get muddy in the king's capital. '

At first, all the knights at the fort hated Cromwell. I thought the chief of this fort would be a weak aristocratic boy from the looks of it.

But we started working together, and it didn't take long for that rating to change.

'Hey, I paired up with the chief of branch in training today, and that guy's pretty strong. He's not as powerful as a vice president on a sword, but instead, he's so sharp...'

'I've been watching that, too, but that was more than I expected. They say it was Conne who joined the Knights, so I thought I could only swing my sword barely.'

'You're trying pretty hard on that one... I'm a little surprised you're noble. "

'Yeah, I thought you were the guy with no more nose, you mean awesome mattomo... feels trustworthy?

"Tough on us, too, but tougher on you, that guy"

Grail was also warm to hear the bad words of Cromwell reaching his ears turn to admiration one after another.

Now everyone in this fort has admitted to Cromwell. Underneath the calm ice mask is actually filled with human feelings, and I also know that from time to time I turn it to my own men, weaving it well into rigour.

And of course, animals —— among other things, horses and small animals -- are given that overflowing emotion in the shadows in a straight ball.

Ice Branch Leader is, in fact, an animal lover.

Even with rumors like that circulating in the fort, no one here refers to him as the 'animal lover's weak' or anything like that.

The knights of the fort acknowledge and appreciate him much more than Cromwell thinks. To the extent that his animal lover side is more favourably received.

"I hope you realize that soon, my clumsy head is"

Grail groaned alone as he stroked the mill, laughing like an elderly man.