Turning
chapter-107

Without realizing it, Yuder voiced his question in a small murmur, which caused Kishiar, who had sharp ears, to lift his head.

"Is something amiss?"

Hesitating for a moment, Yuder rose from his seat and handed the letter to Kishiar.

"I believe you should read this immediately."

Kishiar, having quickly read the letter from Yuder, stopped at the final section. Interest welled up in his red eyes.

"An additional schedule, huh? Who suggested and approved this? I thought everyone was trying to avoid cramming more in."

"Isn't it ultimately up to the Emperor to decide on such schedules?"

Although he was currently the Crown Prince, the Emperor Katchian, whom Yuder had served in his previous life, was the type who insisted on personally verifying everything. If put positively, he was cautious; negatively, overly suspicious.

As he grew older, he began to doubt everything more and more, and in the end, he didn't even dare to deal closely with his overly powerful subordinates. Yuder was also on his list of guarded targets.

The current Emperor Keilusa looked entirely different from Emperor Katchian, but Yuder was quite surprised to find out that their basic way of handling affairs wasn't the same.

"There are countless events taking place during the harvest season. His Majesty cannot handle all of them. The majority are handled within the palace."

As Kishiar folded the letter and placed it in a conspicuous position, he raised the corner of his lips.

"I have a hunch about whose influence this is, but I'll have to confirm it. Looks like I've got one more letter to write today."

He has a hunch? Who could Kishiar be thinking of? Yuder was extremely curious, but since he would find out once the results came in, he simply nodded and stepped back.

—---

"Yuder! You're back!"

The next day, at breakfast, Kanna, who Yuder encountered in the dining hall, was overjoyed to see him.

"Did you hear? I've been assigned to work with those... mages, under the Commander's orders."

"I heard. I was actually thinking of going there later."

Kanna, who had been whispering to keep the other members from hearing, brightened at Yuder's response.

"Really? Archmage Yulman and Mage Alik were both eager to see you again. They'll be thrilled if you visit today."

Given that she was now on a first-name basis with them, it seemed she had built quite a rapport in a short time.

Yuder listened to her talk about how excited the mages were when they heard about Kanna's abilities, how they were eager to test her, and how the three of them were planning their research together, while he quickly shoveled soup and bread into his mouth. Seeing him practically gulp down his food without chewing, Kanna, who had been chatting away happily, shot him a puzzled look.

"Yuder, why are you eating so fast? You didn't starve while you were on your mission, did you?"

"No... I'm just hungry since I got back."

In truth, he planned to eat as quickly as possible so he could meet Enon in the town during the morning, but he couldn't tell her that outright.

'Besides, it's true that I'm hungry.'

The pain in his arm had prevented him from eating properly yesterday. Given that he had also fainted in that condition, it was almost as if he had gone a whole day without food.

Even though he hadn't felt particularly hungry when he woke up that morning, the moment he descended to the dining hall and inhaled the aroma of the food, an insatiable hunger crashed over him.

"Yuder! You're here early!"

The joyous voice of Gakane echoed from behind Yuder, just as Yuder was tearing into his eighth piece of bread, dipping it in his soup, while listening to Kanna's story.

"I knocked on your door earlier, but there was no answer. I thought you might have fainted or something in there."

"Fainted? Why would you think that, Yuder's not ill?"

Before Yuder could respond, Kanna waved a hand in greeting, starting a conversation with Gakane. A brief flicker of surprise flashed across Gakane's eyes, but he quickly found a plausible explanation.

"After returning from yesterday's mission, unlike me, Devran, and Jimmy, Yuder spent some private reporting time with the Commander. If it were me, I would have been too exhausted today and just slept all day in my room. But Yuder, you're really something. Ha ha."

"I see. Why wasn't Devran able to come back? I heard he went to the infirmary without breakfast this morning. Did he get hurt? Everyone keeps talking about it."

Upon hearing Devran's name, Kanna asked, belatedly recalling a point of curiosity.

"Yes. He ran into some trouble with a noble from his hometown, and was detained. He got slightly injured in the process. But everything has been sorted out, so he'll recover soon after treatment."

"That's really a relief. It seems the Commander did the right thing sending the rescue team early."

It was fortunate they had agreed on what to say in case their comrades asked about the incident the day before. A shared understanding passed between the gazes of Yuder and Gakane.

'Yuder. How's your arm?'

While Kanna was passionately cursing the noble for what they had put Devran through, Gakane covertly tapped his own arm with his fingers to convey his question.

Yuder gave a slight nod in affirmation. His right arm was back to normal after yesterday's hellish treatment, and though his left arm was still bandaged, it was concealed beneath the sleeve of his uniform, unlikely to be discovered. A wave of relief and bright joy passed over Gakane's face.

'That's a relief.'

"What are you mumbling about, Gakane? Aren't you listening to what I'm saying?"

"Ah, it's nothing."

"You were whispering something to Yuder, weren't you? Or weren't you?"

Just as Kanna, with a suspicious look in her eyes, was about to further interrogate Gakane, the dining hall door suddenly burst open, and a familiar face amongst the members rushed in, flushed and excited.

"Did you all hear? Something incredibly exciting just happened!"

"What is it?"

As one of the members eating his meal asked with curiosity, the newly arrived member grinned and raised his voice so everyone could hear.

"A messenger from the Imperial Palace came. Guess what? The entire Cavalry has been invited to attend a party at the palace during this harvest festival!"

"A party?"

"At the Imperial Palace?"

"Really? If all the members gather, it's over 300 people. Are we all going? Will the Commander allow it?"

The unbelievable news stirred everyone in the dining hall. Surprised looks etched onto the faces of Gakane and Kanna.

"Is it really true? A party… The only parties I know are those we used to have at Gallon House, where the servants would gather in the kitchen with leftover food."

Next to Kanna, who was muttering in astonishment, Gakane turned to Yuder with a serious expression.

"Yuder. Have you heard anything? You're the Commander's assistant."

"...No."

In truth, he had already learned of the fact while organizing a letter that had arrived for Kishiar the previous day, but Yuder decided to keep his mouth shut for now.

"I see. Since the messenger only just arrived, you would have heard it for the first time too. If it's true, wouldn't the Commander gather everyone and tell them himself?"

Listening to Kanna's words, Yuder glanced at the surrounding members. Most wore astonished expressions, but amidst those were hints of excitement, expectation, and nervousness.

'Sending a messenger to announce this publicly, making sure everyone knows about it... it means that Kishiar is being compelled not to refuse the invitation.'

Kishiar, as the Commander, had the power to decide whether or not the Cavalry would participate in any event. Unless directly ordered by the Emperor, there was no exaggeration in saying that Kishiar, a member of the imperial family and a duke, wouldn't feel pressured to attend any event. But what would happen if he refused to accept an event that all the members were eagerly anticipating?

'Even if he says he refuses, there would be a significant disappointment, considering they had all hoped for it.'

The true power of leading a group comes from the trust and support of its members. Being a genuine leader isn't simply about maintaining the title. The most needed strength for Kishiar, who was establishing a new group called the Cavalry, was exactly that.

'Whoever it was, they've played a pretty clever hand.'

As Yuder pondered this, the rumor spread endlessly throughout the Cavalry. Yuder left the barracks, passing the excited members engaged in lively conversation, quickly changing into civilian clothes.

The atmosphere of a city excited for a grand festival was palpable as he made his way to a rundown pharmacy tucked away in a poor alley where Enon lived. The excitement wasn't limited to the members of the Cavalry.

"I'm not open for business today. Go away."

However, Enon's shop was naturally an exception to this atmosphere. After scanning the interior of the shop, still covered in a layer of dust and clutter, Yuder opened his mouth toward a boot sticking out from behind the counter.

"It's me."

"And who is me?"

"The one who commissioned you."

"..."

At that, the boot that had been swinging listlessly froze. After a moment, Enon rose from his spot with a loud thud, and met Yuder's apologetic smile with an angry glare.

"I got caught up with something and got delayed. Sorry."

"Sorry? You just said sorry? You're even worse than a dog-gnawed bone. Do you even know how many days I've been waiting? Why am I picking up your scraps? Get out!"

He had attempted to create a light-hearted atmosphere with a smile, but it seemed to have had the opposite effect. Yuder quickly dropped his smile and reached into his pocket to pull something out.

"Here."

"What is it? I don't need it, so leave…"

Enon, about to shout something angrily, stopped mid-sentence as he saw what Yuder held out. It was a bright yellow lemon he had bought from the market before entering the slum.