Chapter 26

The chief's voice rose a level with each word. Though flustered, Wilkins tried his best to somehow resolve the situation positively.

"Isn't a physical fitness test important? If someone isn't properly prepared on the front lines, it endangers the lives of other team members..."

"Why did you decide that on your own, you should have reported to me first! And if you couldn't trust him, couldn't you just not take him out? There are ways to give him only minor tasks at the scene! But you arbitrarily took Miller out and caused this situation? Do I look like a scarecrow to you? Huh?"

The voices that had been arguing and shouting had already disappeared, and only the chief's voice boomed. Wilkins could only bow his head and repeatedly say, "I'm sorry." The chief, who had been furiously angry, looked around with a reddened face, and after confirming that Greyson was not visible, he spat out in his still rough voice.

"So what happened? It's still not over? When did you start!"

To the successive questions, Wilkins answered obediently.

"About 3 hours ago."

"What...!"

To be precise, it had been 3 hours and 50 minutes. But everyone kept their mouths shut and anxiously watched the chief's reaction. As expected, the chief shouted in fiery anger.

"Even at the maximum, 2 hours would be more than enough, but it's been 3 hours? And what are you all doing here! Find Miller immediately, hurry! I'll deal with you later."

The chief who had issued the stern command growled while pointing at Wilkins. Wilkins had no choice but to say yes, then turned around and quickly formed teams.

"They might be on their way back, so let's go up the opposite way. Also prepare first aid supplies in case of any emergency..."

Wilkins, who had selected a few members with particularly good performance, quickly gave instructions. The staff who immediately moved to gather the necessary items hurriedly prepared to climb the mountain. The sun would set soon. If they didn't hurry...

"Uh, uhh?"

Someone let out a dumbfounded exclamation. People who had unconsciously turned their heads froze, and then those who noticed the suspicious atmosphere followed their gaze and also stopped. At the end of their gaze was the man they had been waiting for, walking toward them.

Greyson Miller.

His once beautifully shining golden hair was covered with dirt and leaves, completely dusty. Scratches and tears covered his entire body, his clothes had no intact parts, and his face was swollen as if he had been hit by someone. By the next day, mottled bruises would surely settle in various places.

"Hey, Team Leader."

He raised one hand and greeted brightly as if nothing had happened. Everyone was dumbfounded at his smiling face showing white teeth. Amid their blank stares, Greyson walked up nonchalantly and stood in front of Wilkins.

"I'm back. Is the test over now? Since I completed it safely, I can participate in the field from now on, right?"

Though he was far from being in a safe condition, Greyson was confident. Despite his appearance clearly showing there had been a fight, his face claimed there had been no problem. He didn't tattle that Dane had swung his fist at him, or demand to know who the instigator was, or cause a scene.

The chief, who had been internally tense fearing he might say "How dare you treat me like this," and threaten to withdraw the donation immediately or even sue the entire fire station, blinked with a stupid face. From the moment he first appeared saying he wanted to join, it had been impossible to understand what he was thinking.

Others were equally confused. Can I participate in the field now? Incredibly, his question seemed so innocent. Though he was clearly a weathered man, how could he look so pure like a child?

Surely even if the word 'pure' died and came back to life ten thousand times, it couldn't come within even 1 millimeter of that man.

"Uh, uh... um, that's right."

From behind Wilkins, who nodded in a daze, Ezra, who had come to his senses a bit late, shouted.

"What about Dane?"

As if that were a signal, startled voices followed from here and there.

"Right, what happened to Dane?"

"He was definitely faster than you, so why did you come first?"

"You bastard! What did you do to Dane? Otherwise, how could you have come first!"

Just as they were shouting as if about to pounce on him from everywhere, someone suddenly cried out in surprise.

"Dane!"

At first, it wasn't heard properly, buried in the murmuring noise. But another guy who happened to hear that sound also spotted him and shouted in surprise.

"Everyone look! It's Dane, Dane's here!"

"Did you say Dane?"

"Where, where?"

Those who belatedly grasped the situation looked around in a commotion before suddenly stopping. Dane was walking from the direction Greyson had come from. Reluctantly moving his feet, soaked in fatigue. Seeing him, his colleagues screamed and rushed forward, competing to be first.

"Dane!"

"Dane, you're back!"

"What happened? We were worried! Are you hurt anywhere?"

"My God, what a state..."

To the various voices of people surrounding him from all directions, Dane just nodded without saying anything. He looked like he didn't even want to speak anymore, but everyone wouldn't stop. It was the chief who resolved this confusion.

"Everyone quiet! Return to your places!"

At the chief's thunderous shout, the staff were startled and hurriedly stepped back. Like the parting of the Red Sea, the path created in front of Dane led straight to the chief. Clearly showing an expression of reluctance, Dane walked to the chief. The chief looked Dane up and down once, then clicked his tongue.

"What's with this appearance."

The chief sighed with an exasperated voice. This was understandable because Dane, like Greyson, didn't have a single intact spot. His soft red-blonde hair was completely disheveled with leaves and small twigs stuck all over, and his face, blackened with dirt in places, had wounds with dried blood. After confirming even the tattered uniform, the chief rubbed his forehead as if it was throbbing and said.

"Turning that handsome face into this state... reflect on your actions."

As he said, Dane was the face of this fire station. He decorated a page of the calendar every year, and in the year he was on the cover, the calendars sold out instantly and exceptionally went through several reprints. There were not a few people who came to the fire station to see Dane Striker's face, so using him to receive donations was a substantial help to the fire station, yet here he was abusing his body like this.

"Your body isn't yours alone. It belongs to all of us!"

The chief scolded him solemnly. Then there were many words about how he had recklessly used his body after falling for Wilkins's words, and how he should go to the hospital emergency room because it would be troublesome if scars remained on his face, but all that entered Dane's ears was the last sentence.

"I'll give you paid leave for the next two days. Get some good rest, understand?"

Only then did Dane smile and nod.

"Sure, thank you."

"Wait a minute, suddenly?"

"No, we all caused the accident together, but only Dane gets paid leave? Does that make sense?"

"This violates equity! Where is the equality?"

Naturally, there was strong opposition. But the chief's will was firm.

"You all must have dragged Dane into this! Dane is a terribly individualistic person who has no interest in others' affairs and only does his own work! Without sex or money or cats involved, there's no way Dane would have voluntarily done this and ended up in such a mess! Am I wrong? How dare you have anything to say! Everyone reflect on your actions!"

Though there wasn't a single wrong word, somehow it felt like Dane had been insulted. To everyone who felt unnecessarily sorry, Dane added fuel to the fire.

"That's right. As expected, Chief, you know everything."

The rest were dumbfounded at his gesture of placing one hand on his chest and smiling as if deeply moved. As they sighed and cursed in disbelief, Dane glanced at them. As if to say, do you dare have anything to say? Of course, they didn't.