Kadoc shuffled uneasily as he approached his fellow Master Candidate. Ritsuka hadn't said a word since she returned and hadn't even eaten anything.
Mash, Romani and Da Vinci had been worried about her but for some reason sent Kadoc to deal with this.
Ritsuka's usual vivacity was replaced by a heavy silence. He knew what she had witnessed—the stark brutality of death, likely for the first time.
He cleared his throat, but the sound seemed swallowed by the camp's noise. He stood there awkwardly, shifting from one foot to the other, trying to muster the right words.
Although he hadn't seen death before today and was definitely shaken from it but he had always been prepared for it since to be a Magus was to walk with death or something.
"Hey, Fujimaru," he started, his voice faltering. "How…how are you holding up?"
She didn't respond, her eyes still fixed on the ground. Kadoc sighed, already feeling exasperated. "You know, it's not like staring at the dirt is going to help."
Ritsuka's fingers twitched slightly, a small sign of life, but she remained silent. Kadoc bit his lip, feeling more useless by the second.
Kadoc sighed, running a hand through his hair. "This is ridiculous," he muttered under his breath, more to himself than to her. "You're just going to sit here and wallow? Really?"
Ritsuka's eyes remained fixed on the ground, her silence now seeming almost defiant. Kadoc felt a flare of irritation. He wasn't good at this emotional stuff, but he couldn't just leave her like this.
"Look," he said, more harshly than he intended, "I get that what you saw was tough. Death isn't exactly a walk in the park. But we don't have time for you to break down. Not now."
Her fingers twitched again, and this time he didn't take it as a good sign. "Snap out of it, Fujimaru," he demanded. "You think you're the only one who's scared? The rest of us are just as terrified. But sitting here feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to bring anyone back."
Ritsuka's eyes flashed with anger, and before Kadoc could react, she was on her feet, her fist connecting with his jaw. He staggered back, clutching his face, more shocked than hurt.
"You think this is easy for me?" Ritsuka spat, her voice trembling with rage. "I just saw a man's head pop like a balloon because he tried to protect me?"
Kadoc rubbed his jaw, wincing slightly as he faced her anger. He took a deep breath, steadying himself.
"Being a Magus means walking very closely with Death, Fujimaru," he said, his voice firm. "We're taught to expect it, to deal with it, because it's a part of our world. It's not fair, and it's never easy, but it's what we signed up for. We can't afford to let it break us."
"But I am not a Magus Kadoc," She replied as Kadoc swore she was getting ready for another punch. "This isn't a world I am familiar with.'
Kadoc held up his hands defensively, trying to calm her down. "Okay, okay, I get it but we have to move on."
Ritsuka glared at him, her chest heaving with anger and frustration. "move on? You think it's that simple?"
"No, it's not simple," Kadoc snapped back. "But sitting here and doing nothing won't help anyone. We're in the middle of a war, Fujimaru People die. It's brutal and unfair, but we have to keep moving. We have to keep fighting."
Ritsuka looked at him with some anger but took a deep breath and calmed down as she said. "Fine." And walked back towards camp.
****
The night was still, save for the occasional crackle of the campfire and the distant sounds of the camp's other inhabitants settling in for the night. Kadoc Zemlupus sat on a log, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames.
All of them had decided that it would be best if they planned their next move tomorrow after everyone had a bit of rest and would be refreshed.
But Kadoc couldn't get sleep since he had many things running through his head. Like the reason for Lev's betrayal and other such thing like the sting of Fujimaru's punch was still felt on his face.
Across from sat his Servant Nitocris. Kadoc still couldn't believe that he had summoned a Pharaoh as his Servant and that the Pharaoh was a Caster.
"You seem troubled, Master," Nitocris spoke, her voice calm and soothing. "Would you like to share your thoughts with me?"
Kadoc sighed, rubbing the side of his face where Fujimaru's punch had landed. "Not quite I am fine. Just thinking about tomorrow morning."
Nitocris raised an eyebrow, and for the first time Kadoc felt that he was sitting Infront of a king. "You are an awful liar, Master," she said, her tone carrying a hint of haughtiness. "A Pharaoh is not easily deceived. Your thoughts are clearly elsewhere, and it would be wise to address them rather than let them fester."
Kadoc glanced at her, a bit taken aback by her bluntness. "Tch, nothing important just thinking about why Lev would betray us or the director? I just can't seem to figure that puzzle out."
Caster stayed silent and didn't reply.
Kadoc shook his head, his frustration evident. "It's not like I care about Lev personally," he muttered, his eyes narrowing at the flames. "But the reason for all this... it's so confusing. Why would someone go to such lengths? It doesn't make any sense."
Nitocris didn't reply immediately but watched for a moment before speaking. "Maybe the reason may be for something Grand or something little but understanding the reason will not undo anything the man has done."
Kadoc stared into the fire, the flames reflecting in his eyes. "Yeah, I know that," he admitted, his voice softer. "It's just... I need to understand. I need to know why everything turned out this way."
A silence settled between them, broken only by the crackling of the fire. After a moment, Kadoc spoke again. "Forgot about it, I am getting some sleep."
With that he moved away from the fire and headed for his tent. It wasn't something he had to talk with Caster it was something personal.
****
A.N : The Vote chapter will be tomorrow. Sorry for the late update.