Turning
chapter-140

Once he saw that Yuder had put on his gloves, Kishiar turned to Nathan Zuckerman, who had been standing quietly behind him, and ordered him to fetch some snacks. It was an unusually mundane command to give to a man said to be the continent's greatest swordsman, but he complied without a hint of dissatisfaction, stepping back discreetly.

"Well, let's begin our discussions that we need to tackle now. First, about these people called the Star of Nagran."

Since the incident at the Apeto House yesterday, Kishiar had been working non-stop. Even when unexpected events unfolded, he neither blinked nor hesitated, relentlessly pressuring the Apeto House. Simultaneously, he was striving to extract everyone, including Revlin and Dandenion, as well as the two Awakeners belonging to the Star of Nagran, whom Yuder had protected.

At the end of an all-night offensive, when the Apeto Duke finally declared that he would refrain from stepping out for some time, Kishiar finally allowed himself to sit. Though he must have desired rest, his eyes remained clear and bright, seemingly immune to fatigue.

Observing him, Yuder found himself faintly reminded of his past self, who used to gaze off into the distance with tired eyes. It was a minute difference, but a vast change nonetheless.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"No... nothing."

Caught off guard, Yuder quickly lowered his head and regained his usual expression. Fortunately, Kishiar didn't probe further and immediately began his discourse.

"Based on the information shared by you and the Awakeners we've rescued from the Apeto House, we plan to initiate a primary exploration into the Star of Nagran. Nathan confirmed what you heard, 'Nagran' does indeed mean 'paradise' in the southern language."

"I see."

"It certainly seems there's some connection with the south. But the south is a place where understanding the political climate is more difficult than in other regions... For now, we plan to interrogate the two you've captured once they've woken up and calmed down. We need to know who 'he' is and understand the purpose and direction of their organization."

The two men Yuder had knocked out with a precise hit to the mandible were still unconscious, quarantined in an empty room.

'Were their names Gayle and Doyle?'

Considering the words spoken right before Nahan disappeared, they would likely come to reclaim their comrades at some point. Of course, he had no intentions of handing them over easily, but it would be beneficial to glean as much information as soon as possible for the Cavalry.

"May I take responsibility for the interrogation of those two?"

"You?"

"After all, I was the one who captured them."

Kishiar looked at Yuder's face for a moment before replying with a faint smile, "Very well."

"But remember, it should only be a conversation. Do not intimidate them."

"For that part, I'll ask Kanna for help."

"That's a good idea."

With her ability to read information, Kanna had a knack for quickly befriending strangers. Her ability to rapidly break down emotional barriers would undoubtedly be beneficial in this situation.

"And regarding the Awakeners we've brought back from the Apeto House."

"Yes."

Yuder responded, recalling the Awakeners he had saved and brought from the prayer house. Among the twelve Awakeners who were thought to be Alphas, only five turned out to be true Alphas. Among those, four had entered the mating period. The remaining Awakeners had been part of Beltrail's research, in which he forcibly induced second gender manifestation.

The notion of forcibly manifesting the second gender into an alpha or omega was, to Yuder's knowledge, unprecedented, even in the future. The thought of how many had been sacrificed to commit such a reckless act made him regret that Beltrail had not lost his mind sooner, before paying the price for it.

"After those in heat get through that period and recover, those who want to return to their hometown will be sent back, and those who don't, if they wish, will be allowed to work here."

"Here, you mean?"

"As the lands and buildings for the Cavalry will continue to increase, we need to continuously recruit people. After all, we planned to fill most of the positions here with Awakeners from the start. I have already assigned Nathan with the related tasks, but in the future, you and the Deputy Commanders will also do so."

"I understand."

"You're not surprised at this reckless plan?"

What was there to be surprised about? Though currently there was barely any administrative or managerial work to attend to, there was no choice but to need people to handle such tasks in the future.

Those who understood and could best aid a Cavalry composed entirely of Awakeners were, of course, those with the same powers. In his past life, Kishiar had done the same thing, and as the size of the Cavalry grew, it was clear his decision was right.

Yuder responded in a word, embedding all his emotions in it.

"I don't think it's reckless if it's something the Commander is doing."

At those words, Kishiar was silent for a moment. After a pause, the corners of his lips drew a graceful arc upward.

"Sometimes, I feel like you're a tempting demon who came to tempt me."

"Temptation, you say?"

When Yuder questioned in disbelief, Kishiar let out a low chuckle.

"You keep on saying sweet words."

"When did I ever?"

"Now."

"I didn't mean to flatter. What I'm trying to say is..."

"I know. No need to explain."

Looking at Yuder, who was frowning as if trying to gloss over the situation with a joke again, Kishiar murmured with a smile.

"It's strange. I, who have always learned to doubt myself, when you speak in such a manner, feel baselessly reassured that what I am doing is moving along the right path."

"...That's because it is actually moving in the right direction."

"See. There you go again."

Saying that, Kishiar leaned his chin on his hand and exhaled with a small laugh. His staring red pupils seemed to pierce through Yuder's soul.

"How fascinating. I wonder where someone like you came from."

"..."

"From the start, you were like that. You've always had an inexplicable conviction, as if you already knew where my journey was headed."

At the unfamiliarly low voice, Yuder momentarily hesitated. He could vividly feel Kishiar's gaze slowly scanning him from his face to his toes. He looked away to avoid reacting to the gaze, but still, his voice penetrated clear and unescapable into his ears.

"I wish I could be the one to answer your inexplicable conviction."

Only then did Yuder turn his eyes back. Beneath the shade cast by golden eyelashes, he reluctantly opened his mouth to those beautiful eyes shining like a rising sun.

"Do you, perhaps, doubt me?"

Yuder had been trying to keep his identity hidden to the best of his ability, but if Kishiar was to suspect him, the circumstances certainly allowed for it. Of course, he probably harbored more plausible suspicions than the outrageous conjecture of Yuder returning from the future. Despite this, he found it difficult to meet Kishiar's gaze directly.

"Well, it's hard to doubt you when you're so committed to me and the Cavalry."

Kishiar's response was succinct. Yuder blinked a few times before replying slowly.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"That in itself is enough."

After shutting down Yuder's inquiry in a single phrase, Kishiar casually steered the conversation back to work.

"Anyway, that's not our immediate concern. With the remaining festivities to wrap up, and dragging Apeto back out of the house they’ve sequestered themselves in, we'll be more than busy enough for one day."

People had been saying that just by Apeto locking themselves in their mansion, Kishiar and the Emperor had landed a significant blow. But Kishiar made it clear he wasn't going to stop there.

"...Do you plan to bring something else to light besides the statements of the Awakeners brought from the Apeto family?"

At Yuder's question, Kishiar responded as if he'd been waiting for it.

"Did you forget? I'm talking about the Hartan case you reported. You said that two of the mercenary Awakeners hired by the Apeto family escaped."

"Yes, I remember."

"This morning, the deputy Lord of Hartan sent a letter saying they've been found."

"In that case......"

"I plan to bring all the Awakeners who are still in Hartan, including those two, to the capital for a trial. I have plenty of evidence gathered from before. I'm going to break the Apeto name so thoroughly that anyone who bears it won't be able to show their face for about a hundred years."

At his smooth yet resolute words, a faint shiver ran through Yuder.

'He plans to bring down the Apeto family?'

In his previous life, Kishiar had never hinted at such an intention, let alone voice it. But the man standing in front of him now was casually declaring that he'd been gathering evidence for a long time. What was his intention for revealing this and telling him? Was he testing him because of their earlier conversation? Amidst a slight confusion, Yuder cautiously spoke.

"I beg your pardon, but when you say 'from before'... do you mean that you had always planned to overthrow the Apeto family?"

"Not just the Apeto family."

Kishiar's answer was crisp.

"Every noble family, and all those who parasitize the Empire ineffectively, are my targets for cleansing. This is just the beginning."

At his enormous ambition, Yuder was left speechless.

'Is he serious?'

As fanciful as it sounded to dream of world domination, Kishiar was utterly calm. Amidst his confusion, Yuder managed to steady his heart and open his mouth again.