Chapter 49: Sworn Brothers

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Sworn Brothers

The silence in the office stretched just long enough to become uncomfortable.

Xander, the lieutenant, let out a slow breath through his nose. His black hair was tied in a loose half-ponytail, though a few strands had already begun slipping free around the edges. A faint stubble shadowed his jaw, while a thin scar ran beneath one green eye, giving his otherwise composed face a permanently tired look.

Leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, Xander studied the white-haired young man sitting opposite him like someone who had already decided this conversation was going to cost him years of his life.

"My lady told me many things about you," he said at last, his voice flat. "But she didn’t say you were this damn irritating."

One of his eyebrows twitched. "It’s no wonder she kept you locked up. If she’d let someone like you roam free, you’d either get yourself killed or drag half a dozen enemies straight to her door."

Michael stared at him for a long moment. Then he uncrossed his legs, brought his foot down from the edge of the desk with a soft thud, and clicked his tongue.

Xander blinked, clearly not expecting that reaction. "That easy? I actually expected you to be more difficult."

He nodded, genuinely pleased. "I’m happy you aren’t a difficult person."

Michael propped his elbow on the table, resting his cheek against his palm as he turned to face the wall. At the lieutenant’s words, he scoffed and turned his head just enough to glance at Xander from the corner of his eye.

"As if."

He turned back toward the wall. "I just don’t feel the excitement from the joke anymore."

Xander shook his head, a short, reluctant laugh escaping him. "What a crazy man you are."

He leaned back with a sigh. "Now I can understand why my lady took a liking to you. Just like only innocent beauties can get through to devils, it seems only crazy people can get through to the rigid ones."

Michael’s mouth slowly curved upward. He turned toward Xander, this time fully, his eyes narrowing into a mischievous half-lidded gaze.

"Heh. Then does that mean your wife is stupid too?"

Xander’s green eyes narrowed dangerously. "What the hell do you mean by that?"

Michael covered his mouth with one hand and laughed, the sound light and deliberately mocking. "Oh~ It’s just that you seem pretty rigid yourself, big brother. Weren’t you the one saying something about fools just now?"

He suddenly gasped, his eyes widening in exaggerated realization. "Or is it that you don’t love your missus?"

He slowly shook his head, his expression filled with playful disappointment. "Such a scumbag."

Xander exhaled sharply through his nose, pinched the bridge of it, and lowered his head. "Fuck. You’re so damn irritating."

He glared up at Michael again, a vein faintly visible at his temple. "In my fifty years of living, no one has ever treated me like this. Yet you, a greenhorn, are talking to me with such disrespect."

Michael snickered. "Wait!" His eyes widened like saucers. "Don’t tell me you waited all fifty years of your life just so you could say that line on a nice, round number?"

Xander’s jaw tightened. The vein at his temple pulsed harder. "You—"

Before the lieutenant could finish the word, Michael suddenly sat up straight, one leg crossing neatly over the other. The playful tilt of his mouth vanished, replaced by a calm, almost businesslike expression.

"Enough of the play," he said. "Let’s get down to business."

One corner of Xander’s mouth twitched upward. ’This bastard... He’s treating me like I’m the one joking around when he’s the one who—’

Xander found himself strangely too exhausted to finish the thought. All he could do was let out a long, defeated sigh before meeting Michael’s steady gaze. "Haah. Let me just get this over with so you can go."

He stood, the chair scraping lightly against the floor, and walked toward the shelf along the side of the room. Under his breath, he muttered something about Michael already having taken several years off his lifespan.

Michael’s gaze wandered around the room, taking in its soft, quiet interior. It reminded him of something he might have seen in a cat café back on Earth. Even in the middle of a rift exploration, it seemed Xander still prioritized comfort.

Not long after, Xander returned with a plain, sturdy box and set it down on the desk in front of Michael with a dull thud. He then sat on the edge of the table beside him, one boot planted firmly against the floor.

"It looks like my plan of spreading the rumor worked," Xander said, leaning down to settle into a more comfortable position. "Though, if I’d known you were such a character, I would’ve let you suffer for it a little longer."

Michael simply smiled before asking, "This is?"

"Inside is what my lady left for you before she departed," Xander said. "From what she told me, there’s a bodysuit, a sword, something she called a martial technique, a mid-rank skill rune, a pass for your team, and a high-rank lizard’s body part that you specifically asked for."

Michael lifted the lid just enough to glance inside.

For a moment, he simply stared.

The teasing smile that usually lingered on his face disappeared, replaced by an unmistakable softness. His eyes moved slowly over each item, lingering for a little longer than necessary, as if making sure everything was really there.

A warm smile gradually spread across his face, genuine and unguarded. The corners of his eyes crinkled slightly as his fingers tightened around the edge of the box.

After a moment, he gave a small, genuine nod. "Thank you."

Xander watched him for a moment before a faint smile appeared on his face. "It seems you truly love Lady Seraphine."

Michael closed the box and looked up at him with a smirk. "Of course I love her."

Xander sighed again and shook his head. "It’s such a shame that a fine and talented man like you turned out to be not only a scumbag, but also damn irritating. If you weren’t like this, I would’ve liked to become sworn brothers with you."

Michael was already pushing himself to his feet. He slipped the box into his dimensional pouch with a casual motion, then glanced back at the lieutenant.

"Well, I’m not your mother or your wife, so I won’t tell you who to befriend or not. But..."

Michael looked up at Xander, who was still sitting on the edge of the table. "You shouldn’t be one of those people who judge a book by its cover."

He paused for a moment before continuing, his expression turning slightly more serious. "Yes, I’m a scumbag. But I’m not a bad one. I could even say I’m more loyal—and love my wives more—than most of the men who only have one."

He closed one eye in a lazy wink. "I’ll tell you this much: when faced with death, I’ll always choose my wives over myself. Every single time."

Xander’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second.

Then he threw his head back and laughed, the sound rough and unexpected.

"You’re a lot like him," he said once his laughter faded. "Except he wasn’t such an asshole. But I guess he wasn’t this careless, charismatic, or outgoing either."

Michael tilted his head. "Who?"

Xander stared up at the ceiling for a moment. "My former best friend. Robert Voss."

He lowered his gaze back to Michael, something softer settling into his expression. "I wanted to say this when I first saw you, but I didn’t expect you to make such a... grand entrance."

He reached out and placed a solid hand on Michael’s shoulder. "Thanks a lot for bringing my sister-in-law out of that dark place."

He immediately shook his head. "I guess it would be rude to call her that now, wouldn’t it?"

Michael smirked. "Well, you can keep calling her that if you want."

Xander’s eyes widened again. "Really?"

Michael nodded before stretching out one hand. "But... we’ll be sworn brothers from now on."

Xander stared at the offered hand for a beat.

Then his head fell back as he burst into laughter, louder than before. "You’re truly an unpredictable fucker, aren’t you?"

He grabbed Michael’s hand in a firm handshake. "Since you’re offering, I won’t be polite. But as brothers, we shouldn’t annoy each other too much."

Michael smirked and walked toward the door. Just before leaving, he raised one hand in a casual wave without looking back. "I’ve heard. Next time, I’ll come with a bottle of fine liquor and a lot less drama."

"Be safe out there!" Xander called after him. "The tower isn’t friendly."

Michael slowed.

"From what’s been happening in the tutorial, it seems like there’s a massive change going on inside, so be careful."

Michael turned his head just enough to reveal a huge, sharp smirk. "Wasn’t I annoying?"

He laughed quietly under his breath. "Still... thank you. I’ll be sure to increase your tier in my brother ranking."

Xander was still laughing when Michael opened the door and stepped out.

The corridor outside felt noticeably brighter after the dim office. Most of the crowd that had watched him get dragged inside was still there, and dozens of eyes immediately locked onto him.

They stared as if they were looking at a ghost.

Considering they had watched him get taken away only to see him walk back out on his own two feet a few minutes later, their reaction was hardly surprising.

Michael completely ignored the whispers and swept his gaze across the corridor until he spotted his group waiting at the side of the testing line.

The beautiful cat woman noticed him first. Her ears perked up, and she immediately waved him over with a bright, open smile.

Beside her, Emma stood with one hand on her hip, frowning as if Michael’s entire existence were a personal inconvenience she hadn’t yet decided how to deal with.

Michael’s gaze drifted past them for a moment, first toward the glowing rift that pulsed in the distance like a living wound in the air, then toward the small ramen shop tucked against the edge of the camp.

He slipped both hands into his pockets and started walking toward his squad.

A strange, light flutter stirred in his stomach. ’Looks like it’s really time to enter.’