Chapter 28: Breakfast Chaos and Burning Questions

Words : 1009 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 28: Breakfast Chaos and Burning Questions It had to be a smile. He clearly wasn’t used to doing it. His face muscles didn’t seem to know how to move properly. The smile was stiff, crooked, unnatural. But still, it had to be a smile. Probably. If you never use your muscles, they would get stiff. You even forget how to use them. The captain must have been using those smile muscles for the first time. Yeah. It’s important to smile at yourself in the mirror every morning. Really. It’s healthy. Look—he’s leaning in to look at Shiao Yi’s face and giving him this stretched-out grin. C-Captain, please. That’s not it. That’s not a smile. That’s a villain face! It’s the kind of grin someone makes when they’re scheming something shady! And because his face is actually good-looking, it’s way more terrifying! And Shiao Yi... Shiao Yi didn’t look too happy either. Can’t really blame him. He was still stuck on the captain’s lap, his arms were held tightly, not allowed to get down. And if that wasn’t crazy enough, the captain had picked up a spoon and was trying to feed him. He was seriously saying, "Open up. Aahhh," like Shiao Yi was a toddler. Shiao Yi turned his face away, clearly annoyed, and started grabbing food from nearby plates by himself. He asked for bread. Reached for someone’s dish. He was helping himself. —Shiao Yi, buddy... what did you do to the captain? Because he’s broken. The whole dining hall had gone completely silent. Not a single sound. No one moved. No one stood up. Honestly, it didn’t even seem like anyone was breathing. Then Shiao Yi got some sauce on the corner of his mouth. As he reached out to grab a napkin, the captain leaned in and licked it off with his tongue. CLANG! The sound of a fork dropping onto the stone floor echoed through the room like a gunshot. Everyone jumped. Everyone—except for two people. —That’s... that’s not good for my heart! It was a massive blow to the group’s collective mental stability. No one might recover from this. Shiao Yi for everyone’s emotional well-being, could you just... smile? Even just a little? Give us an angelic smile and help cancel out that disturbing fake-smile from the captain. We need healing. Really. —I’m seriously tearing up over here, man. Wait... come to think of it... what does Shiao Yi’s smile look like again? Uh-oh. I don’t remember. That’s bad. That’s really bad. Shiao Yi also seemed like the type who didn’t show much expression. Was he... the same kind of person as the Captain? No, no, please, stop! That’s such a waste—he’s so cute! After the torturous breakfast finally ended, everyone left the dining hall feeling completely drained. It was strange. Just a little while ago, the place had been full of cheerful energy and lively conversation. ... In the medical room, Dominic, Shiao Yi, Sayu, and Louis himself were gathered. They stood in a half-circle around a man from Dalmasca, who sat stiffly on the bed with a tense expression. Thanks to the treatment and some rest, the bleeding from the wound on his head had stopped, and the pain in his chest from the bruises seemed to have eased. His broken leg was now stabilized with a splint. His reddish-brown hair had streaks of white in it, suggesting he was past his days of frontline combat. He was likely in charge of logistics or administrative duties. "This boy saved your life. You were trapped under a pile of supplies and close to death. You should be grateful," said Dominic coldly to the man. The man widened his pale blue eyes and stared at Shiao Yi before bowing his head politely. "Thank you. I really thought I was done for. My name is Amal. I was in charge of supplies and transport." "There are several things we need to ask you. We’d appreciate it if you answered honestly. If you cooperate, although we can’t send you back to Dalmasca, but we will make sure you’re treated well," said Dominic. Amal bowed his head again. "First of all, was Dalmasca really stationing troops near the edge of the forest of magical beasts?" "Yes, that’s correct." "How large was the force?" "It was a division, about 500 men." Dominic looked at Shiao Yi. He gave him a small nod in confirmation. "And what else? Who else was stationed there, and for what purpose?" "No, it was just a training exercise. That’s all," Amal answered. Shiao Yi shook his head. "There wasn’t a single soldier at the site. What happened to the army that was supposed to be stationed there?" Amal clearly looked surprised, but quickly shook his head. "Ah, they must have completed the training and withdrawn. I had an accident, and I guess no one noticed... I must have been left behind." "There were a lot ofagee with them, weren’t there?" "No, no! There weren’t any mages. Nobody like that came!" Amal denied quickly and firmly. Shiao Yi shook his head again. He and Dominic exchanged looks. He didn’t seem to mind meeting the Captain’s gaze. But the way Shiao Yi stared straight into the Captain’s icy steel eyes—his own gaze that was as calm and deep as water in the darkness—showed he was just as unshaken. "What are you hiding? We know you’re not telling the truth," Dominic said quietly, but firmly. "This isn’t just about our Dashtadem Fortress anymore, is it? It’s likely something that involves Dalmasca as well." Amal’s body began to shake. "Your army was wiped out and your camp was also completely destroyed. Shiao saw it with his own eyes. What happened?" "W-wiped out...?" Amal muttered in disbelief. His body trembled in small, uncontrollable shakes. "Who created the ring of fire? What was it for?" Dominic keep pressed him with a harsh tone. "I-I don’t know! I swear, I don’t know anything! I don’t know!" Amal shook his head over and over, his face pale as a sheet.

Chapter 28: Breakfast Chaos and Burning Questions

Comments (0)