Turning
chapter-106

Why was it that now, of all times, an event deeply submerged in his unconscious mind had surfaced? Yuder pondered for several minutes over this question to which he could find no answer. Recognizing that returning to his lodging was his priority, he moved his feet.

Several steps ahead, a uniform cloak was neatly draped over a table, and gloves were placed nearby. Slipping them on and clenching his fist, he felt a very faint tingling in his right hand that soon dissipated.

It had been a while since the pain, almost washed away, had nearly disappeared. Had his body recovered while he was unconscious?

'Seeing how well I’ve recovered, money indeed does wonders.'

It was natural for him to recover quickly. After all, a priest with a divine power as strong as Kishiar's was rare, let alone one who also amplified it with the highest-grade Purification Stones that absorbed holy water.

'But I don't want to go through such chaos again... I really need to restrain myself from blindly using force to solve everything.'

The ways in which an Awakener could use their power were limitless. In his previous life, Yuder had enjoyed overwhelming enemies with tremendous power, like a vast sea, as he wished. He hadn't needed to research ways to achieve more effect with less power, but now things were different.

Most would be discouraged, but Yuder thought it turned out quite well. There was nothing more pleasurable to him than honing and developing his skills. He had often thought that, had he not become a Commander in his previous life, he would have spent his entire life cooped up in a training room.

While contemplating this, Yuder crossed the hallway and went into the study room. Suddenly, he saw a flickering light ahead and stopped in surprise.

'Kishiar?'

By the fireplace, the flickering light revealed the side profile of a man sitting at a desk, penning something. No matter how Yuder looked at it, it was Kishiar, whom he had presumed to be asleep.

His gaze was momentarily stolen by the shadow of the man’s face illuminated by the small lantern.

Was it because of the thick shadows, or the expressionless face he usually hid well? The sight of him sitting in darkness, his hand clutching a quill pen, moving sharply, felt both strange and familiar.

Even in his previous life, Yuder had occasionally seen him working late into the night, illuminated by a single lantern.

At that time, they often spent the night together, so seeing him at work was inevitable, but he did not expect to see that scene again now. Perhaps it was because he had just dreamed about the past. His feelings were complex.

"...You’re awake already?"

At that moment, Kishiar, sensing Yuder's gaze, lifted his head. Yuder had thought he hadn't given any sign, but Kishiar’s keen senses were indeed exceptional. A playful smile crossed his face, and his previously somber look disappeared, replaced by an aura of vitality.

"Do you know how surprised I was when you fainted right after waking up, despite saying you wouldn't?"

"I apologize."

"Well, as you said, you didn't faint until the treatment was over. So, we're half-right each. No need to apologize."

"Why didn’t you wake me up immediately then?"

"How can I forcibly wake up someone who fainted from exhaustion? It's late anyway, so just get a good night's sleep here. Oh, how's your arm?"

Despite the softness in his voice, he seemed to have no intention of accepting any rejection. Yuder glanced back and forth between the door he could leave through and Kishiar at the desk, then let out another sigh.

"...It's all better."

His feeling of numbness still lingered somewhat, but a little more rest would naturally take care of it. At Yuder's response, Kishiar responded with a satisfied smile.

"Well done."

"But... What are you doing up at this hour, Commander?"

He was practically wide awake already. Even if he were to go back to bed, he did not feel like sleeping. As he sat down on a chair near the desk and asked, Kishiar looked at the paper he had been busy writing on.

"I'm writing letters."

As he spoke, he tapped on three sheets of paper laid out side by side.

"One is for His Majesty the Emperor. Another is for the Pelleta Knights, and the last is for the acting Lord of Hartan."

The content of the letters to the Emperor and the acting lord, Zachlis Hartan, would be predictable. Most likely, they contained a report of the recent incident and a request for cooperation in the investigation. Then, could the letter to the Pelleta Knights also be in support of that?

"Is it because of this incident?"

"Yes."

Kishiar nodded, confirming that Yuder's guess wasn't wrong.

'Surely... it makes sense that he's staying up late to handle urgent matters.'

Writing letters wasn't his only task; quite a few documents and bundles of paper were piled next to Kishiar. Seeing him dip the tip of the pen into the ink again, Yuder impulsively opened his mouth.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Of course, there is. Going to bed."

"..."

When Yuder remained silent, Kishiar, who had stopped writing for a moment, laughed out loud.

"You can even make such an expression."

"This is my usual expression."

"No, it's not. Look here."

Kishiar lifted his hands and pulled at the corners of his eyes. The combination of the sharply raised eyelids and the red eyes sparkling and looking around from underneath was somewhat comical.

"When did I ever do that?"

"Now."

Yuder, who was about to refute that he had never done that, shut his mouth when he saw Kishiar's eyes gleaming as if expecting such a reaction.

'Even though I'm back to being twenty, my mental age isn't... what am I even doing with Kishiar?'

This was too childish a conversation for two grown men to be having.

"If you say so, Commander. Then, that must be the case."

"You always pull yourself together and step back at crucial moments. Is it because of your keen eyesight?"

Kishiar looked slightly disappointed, but Yuder was taken aback by his mention of 'keen eyesight'.

"…Yes?"

"Why are you so surprised? It's a fact that you have keen eyesight. You can discern everything from the subtle changes in the energy of the Awakeners to the power held by inanimate objects like the Red Stone and Divine Sword."

"Ah… yes."

So that's what he meant. Recognizing that it was similar yet different from what he had heard in his dream, he managed to quell his surprise.

"And if you really can't sleep, come over here and take some of these."

Kishiar, who had previously told him to go and sleep, now pushed a stack of letters towards Yuder, who was sitting blankly.

"This is......?"

"The letters are intended for the Cavalry. Originally, I had Nathan sort them, but strictly speaking, he's not part of the Cavalry. Henceforth, this will be your job as my assistant. After reading them, categorize them by importance. Put the most important ones on top, and relatively less important ones beneath."

Despite his detailed explanation, Yuder was already familiar with such bundles of letters. After all, he had seen plenty of them in his previous life.

"Am I allowed to determine their importance at my discretion?"

"You'll get the sense once you read them. Either way, I'll reread all of them, so don't worry."

Having said that, Kishiar picked up his pen again, freshly dipped in ink, and resumed writing his letter. Yuder pulled the bundle of letters closer and opened one on his lap. Although it was dark, the light streaming from the magic stone stove made reading the words not too difficult.

'This is... an invitation to a party. The next one is also a party invitation. The next one... a request for deployment of Cavalry members?'

Most were party invitations sent by nobles living in the capital to Kishiar, who was both an imperial family member and a duke.

The next most common were requests to borrow the power of the Cavalry members, but the ones that had plausible reasons written on them were few and far between.

Most contained ludicrous requests such as wanting to borrow an Awakener to escort high-ranking nobles or to perform tricks at parties. It seemed that the nobles living in the capital still did not fully understand what the Cavalry and the Awakeners were.

'Unbelievable.'

Yuder promptly moved these letters to the bottom. Once he had shifted most of them, only two remained.

'One is a letter asking for help in exterminating monsters that suddenly appeared in the west... and the other one...'

Yuder looked down at the remaining letter, sealed with red wax stamped with a crest. It was the emblem used in official letters sent from the palace. Inside the envelope, a concise letter was found.

The letter that began with 'To the illustrious descendant of the Sun that knows no darkness, Duke Pelleta, Commander of the Cavalry, Lord Kishiar La Orr' was a request for his participation as an imperial family member in an official event and party at the palace, in commemoration of the upcoming harvest season.

Only then did Yuder recall that in his previous life, not long after the Cavalry was established, an event commemorating the harvest season was held.

'Right, that was it. We made a ridiculous parade behind the Imperial Knights and the military band as the formal introduction of the Cavalry... we became a spectacle for the nobles at the event.'

Still, the Cavalry members were quite encouraged by the fact that they stood with dignity among the nobles for the first time. That day was also the first time the Cavalry showed their faces on the official stage in front of the entire continent.

While reminiscing about those times, Yuder happened to spot a small note added at the bottom of the letter, which made him widen his eyes slightly.

'...Additionally, as a result of our meeting, we have decided to include an additional schedule following the Cavalry parade on the 26th. We will soon inform you of the confirmed details related to the changed schedule...'

"...An additional schedule?"