Turning
chapter-120

"...Indeed, it seems I've greatly underestimated the existence of the Awakeners."

The Duke of Diarca murmured with a contorted face.

"Although similar to magic, I perceived them as being inferior to mages, and even if they were comparable to aura, I dismissed them as being far from matching Swordmasters. Those I actually saw seemed to confirm this..."

"Isn't Duke Peletta of imperial blood? It isn't strange for him to possess power beyond the norm. The power of an imperial family member's inherent blessing has always been proven throughout history."

The Crown Prince, having composed his disturbed expression, spoke slowly. Unlike the Duke of Diarca, his gaze remained steadily on the street where the cavalry had passed. One could barely believe what had happened at the spot that seemed as if someone had forcibly dug and then refilled it.

Just moments ago, a man there freely manipulated two elements - wind and earth. Although it happened in a blink of an eye, the Crown Prince was certain his eyes didn't deceive him.

The assassins who were supposed to explode and die immediately upon failure, having been poisoned and double-bound with oaths to their mission, were effortlessly blocked by the man as if he had foreseen their attack.

He had met many individuals who boasted strong powers, but it was the first time one had left such a deep impression in such a short moment.

Recalling the man's black hair and pale face, the Crown Prince narrowed his eyes. Meanwhile, the Duke of Diarca was still rambling on.

"...thus, the individuals prepared for Duke Peletta next time should be..."

"How about investigating that man instead?"

"Pardon?"

Caught off guard, Duke Diarca looked bewildered for a moment before following the Crown Prince's gaze outside.

"Whom are you referring to, Your Highness?"

"The man who demonstrated his abilities in front of Duke Peletta."

A smile as poisonous as venom spread across the thin lips of the Crown Prince.

"The Duke must not have had a proper look at the man, having stepped out briefly at the time."

"That's correct."

"He possesses quite extraordinary abilities. I have a feeling he might prove useful, even if we can't pull him to our side right now."

Finally recalling who the Crown Prince was referring to, Duke Diarca couldn't fully understand the Prince's interest, as he hadn't seen the man's display of power.

'He must find his appearance appealing.'

Thus, he inwardly concluded. Then, outwardly embodying grace and loyalty, he bowed respectfully.

"The fact that Your Highness has taken an interest arouses my curiosity as well. I'll have him investigated immediately."

…

From the onset of the Harvest Festival, an uproar erupted.

During the parade led by Duke Peletta Kishiar La Orr, they encountered intruders intending to indiscriminately harm the people. However, as soon as Kishiar himself stepped forward, the intruders fell helplessly, unable to move even a finger.

The carcasses of the dead intruders, torn apart as if by claws, made it impossible to further speculate on their origin. However, people were more enthralled by the fact that a member of the imperial family had personally defended their citizens. The tale of Duke Peletta forming the Cavalry to protect the innocent in front of the fallen intruders was being loudly acclaimed and discussed by the citizens in the capital for days on end.

The social circles where the nobles gathered were also abuzz with talk of the Cavalry. The initial attention the Cavalry received for standing up to Count Gallon and driving him out paled in comparison to the current fervor.

The spiteful rumors that Duke Peletta had created the Cavalry out of sheer boredom disappeared almost instantly. Emperor Keilusa, who rarely made public appearances and was therefore not very popular, also received more attention than ever before.

There were even conspiracy theories suggesting that the Emperor might have instigated the whole incident to counterbalance the Crown Prince and the four major ducal families.

The Cavalry members were equally motivated by the enthusiastic public attention. Their morale significantly boosted after successfully completing the parade. Even though there were several suspicious incidents targeting the Cavalry during various events around the capital, the situations never escalated. This was because all the members handled the situations well, just as they had been trained.

'Staying up all night training was worth it,' thought Yuder, looking at the earnest faces of the dispatched members and nodding in satisfaction.

The place they were assigned to that day was the site of the largest open worship of the Sun God, presided over by the Pope himself. Believers from all over the continent gathered to attend the annual worship, so in addition to the Cavalry, the Imperial Knights, the Imperial Troops, and several Imperial Mages were also dispatched to maintain security.

Kishiar, who had to attend the worship not as the Commander of the Cavalry but as an imperial family member, was not among the members. However, the fact that the square in front of the Orr Cathedral, where the worship was being held, would be safer than ever with Yuder and Kishiar in the same space was certain.

Even though there were still hours left before the start of the worship, Yuder gave his last notice to the members, looking at the people who had already gathered like clouds.

"As I told you earlier, divide into pairs and guard your designated positions. Report immediately if there's an anomaly, and remember each other's locations well."

"Got it."

Due to the extreme importance of the worship that day, only about 20 members, deemed to have the most exceptional abilities among the Cavalry members, were chosen to attend. Hence, many familiar faces were present, including Ever, Steiber, and Kanna, the Deputy Commander of each Division, as well as Gakane, Jimmy, and the Eldore siblings, who already had a fairly close relationship with Yuder.

"Do not engage in personal conversations with strangers unless you're assisting them. Don't secretly consume food other than what's provided. And don't ever respond to Imperial Mages or, especially, Imperial Knights if they pick a fight during your mission."

"Ah, Yuder. How many times have you said that since we started training? It's drilled into our heads by now."

"Right, I've got your rules memorized. Don't talk, don't sneak food, don't fight!"

Hinn Eldore wrinkled her nose and shook her head in irritation. Finn Eldore loudly agreed, but Yuder, who already had something to say to the Eldore siblings, impassively opened his mouth without a change in expression.

"I have to keep repeating because there are people who don't follow the rules. Like when you nearly started a fight with some knights the day before yesterday."

"..."

Stung by the memory, the Eldore siblings abruptly changed the subject, avoiding Yuder's gaze.

'I wonder if it would be better to send those two back today... But they do their jobs well and their teleportation abilities might be needed in case of emergencies. Can't help it.'

Yuder sighed softly, his gaze drifting to the other members of his team.

"Alright, everyone, back to your posts."

The area Yuder was assigned to secure was the space between the platform where the Pope would stand and the place where the common believers stood. The VIP seats where the nobility sat were quite a distance away, but he had a good view of the people seated there.

'Kishiar hasn't arrived yet?'

While observing the VIP seats, a mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces from his previous life, Kanna, who was assigned to guard the area with Yuder, approached him with a smile.

"This is really incredible. Right? I've attended this grand ceremony a few times, but it's the first time I've seen it this close. It's quite intriguing."

Judging by her reaction, Kanna seemed fascinated by the spectacle of the ceremony, which she was seeing for the first time. While Yuder had grown tired of such events from his past life, he considered his colleague's enthusiasm and nodded in agreement.

At that moment, a few Imperial Knights, standing not too far away, made a sound as if to attract attention, their faces twisted in distaste.

"Isn't it great that even commoners get to see the Holy Pope in the same place as nobles because they're well-connected? It's nice to see them chatting as if they're here for pleasure rather than duty, completely ignoring our words."

"Aren't we always the ones who do the work, while the black coats get the praise?"

The term "black coats" was a new derogatory phrase created by the Imperial Knights to belittle the Cavalry. The blunt sarcasm of the knights reddened Kanna's ears with rage.

"Kanna."

"Don't worry, Yuder. This is nothing compared to the things I had to endure in the Gallon household."

At Yuder's call, Kanna turned her gaze, a smile appearing on her face.

"But I will remember their faces. It wouldn't hurt to get back at them a little after everything is over, right?"

Yuder was curious about what kind of revenge Kanna was planning, but seeing her darkly burning gaze, he figured it was better not to know. He told her she could do whatever she wanted after the festival ended and turned his gaze back to the VIP seats.

Kishiar had yet to arrive, but more than half of the VIP seats were already occupied. The elegant nobles, who had been laughing and chatting, suddenly stood up and looked in one direction. Soon, Crown Prince Katchian and Duke Diarca appeared, followed by their entourage.

'The person standing behind Duke Diarca... was it his heir, Viscount Kironne? And... Kiolle of Diarca?'

Yuder, who had been scrutinizing the faces of the newcomers, narrowed his eyes at the sight of the familiar face of Kiolle among the servants following Duke Diarca. Kiolle appeared quite uncomfortable, unable to hide his unease, like a spooked animal with its fur on end.