Turning
chapter-190

If the saying that Enon lived for a long time is true, then he could treat Thais Yulman, an old man, like a child. But actually seeing that in front of his eyes made him feel strange.

"Well, the story you told me is interesting in itself. Since there are many gaps and I haven't seen it with my own eyes, it's difficult to say anything just by listening."

"That..."

"Well, as long as you belong somewhere, I know you can't just say everything you want. I can roughly tell that you have various restrictions."

While excluding the parts that couldn't be discussed, some parts inevitably had to be condensed in order to speculate on the cause through unrelated events. Since the change in the spot on the back of the hand and last night's experiment were the important things, Enon seemed to pay little attention to other details.

"I'm sorry I can't give you the answer you were expecting, but there is something that came to mind while listening. Should I tell you that?"

"Anything is fine."

"Let's assume that the old mage was right, and just a slight exposure to the power of the Red Stone can transform a person into an Awakener. It sounds good in theory, but in reality, you could think of it as a poison. A small amount can be a medicine, but if used in large quantities, it becomes a poison. There are plenty of materials in this world that become toxic when used in large quantities."

Although Yuder didn't know why he chose to compare it to poison, Yuder could relate to the feeling, so Yuder decided to continue listening to his words.

"If the cause of the spot on the back of your hand is indeed the power of the Red Stone, it might be better to understand what happened afterward as an attempt to poison someone who is immune to a specific poison. Even if you're immune, it takes a very long time to fully recover once a lethal dose of poison is injected. The more dangerous the poison, the longer it takes."

"...An attempt to poison."

Yuder repeated his words softly. It felt strange because he had a physical body that was immune to naturally occurring toxins and didn't suffer any harm from them.

"The same goes for divine power. It doesn't recover easily. A body immune to poison is no different from a living poison in that it can't be completely eliminated. So detoxification doesn't mean completely eliminating the poison from the body, but rather weakening it and then helping to absorb it so that the body becomes more toxic. That's what it means to be 'recovered' from poison. Do you understand what I mean?"

"To some extent."

"Consider a body that has been constantly trying to assimilate and tame that powerful toxic power, which is like concentrated poison, as its own after digesting the power of the Red Stone. If it has succeeded to some extent, what do you think will happen?"

Yuder remained silent for a moment before opening his mouth.

"Does that mean my body has become like that?"

"I don't know. It's just my thought."

Enon shrugged his shoulders in response.

"As someone who has been running an apothecary for a long time, I thought about it while listening to your story. The second gender manifestation is an event where the body undergoes a significant transformation, just like the awakening itself. And you survived that transformation with poison in your body. Moreover, your energy has become more stable since yesterday."

"It's not poison, but power, I suppose."

"Well, well."

Enon mumbled absentmindedly as he looked at the lemon in his hand.

"If you have succeeded in absorbing or assimilating that power to some extent, you might be considered a living medium... No, no different from the Red Stone itself. Or maybe by adding the essence to your original power, you could become several times stronger than before."

"..."

It seemed like a wild guess, but there was a strange sense of reason behind it.

‘If I felt like I could touch the power of the Red Stone with my own power... Then maybe the origin of the spreading spot that caused pain in my body wasn't like a festering wound, but the original power of the Red Stone gradually entering and expanding within my body.’

While contemplating this thought, Yuder continued to gaze at his right hand wrapped in a glove, while Enon's voice kept echoing in his ears.

"If you think that way, there might be some reason to speculate why your energy is fluctuating like that. Since you suddenly accepted such a powerful force and have been fighting against it, do you think the foundation might remain intact?"

"I don't think I've been in such a bad condition to the point where it's dangerously unstable."

"That's because your constitution is so good. If you were like the others here, you would have already been unable to endure and died."

"...Good constitution?"

With a perplexing compliment, Yuder tilted his head and asked. In response, Enon frowned deeply.

"Enough. Don't keep making me hear compliments like that."

He was about to deny that such a thing existed, but Enon had already flexed his arm and stood up abruptly.

"I think I've heard enough for now."

"Enon, wait a moment."

"What now?"

Seeing Enon's sharp fangs exposed as he turned around, it seemed like it would be better not to hold him back any further. Yuder remained silent for a moment, then picked up a lemon from the untouched table and handed it to Enon.

"Take this too. I won't eat it."

"Oh, okay."

"Today, it felt like I was the only one who kept listening, so next time, feel free to ask me anything. If I can answer, I'll tell you everything."

‘Including about my previous life.’

Sensing the underlying meaning, Enon narrowed his eyes for a moment before turning away.

"Fine. Got it."

He put the two lemons in his pocket and swiftly disappeared without giving Yuder a chance to say goodbye.

‘It's almost as if he joined the Cavalry just to watch over me.’

Yuder sighed deeply and sat down on the road.

Come to think of it, although Enon wasn't a member of the Cavalry, he belonged to the same unit. Could he be considered as an ally? Even though he didn't specify, if there was a need to ask for help, Yuder planned to shamelessly seek him out. But it would be better to get closer before making any immediate proposals.

‘He might dislike it if I propose right away... I should wait until we become a bit closer and find an opportunity.’

—---

The next day, as soon as Yuder woke up, he finished his meditation and went out to the training ground behind the accommodations. Even though it was morning, enthusiastic soldiers had already gathered for individual training.

"Yuder!"

Among them, Gakane, who was running around the training ground with a noticeable shadow clone, spotted Yuder and rushed over with a bright face to greet him.

"Are you completely released from the medical division now?"

"Yeah."

"That's great. Maybe it's because of the hard work you put in all this time, but it seems like you've lost some weight. Did you have breakfast?"

"Yeah, I did."

"That's good. Let's train together today!"

Yuder nodded slightly to indicate that he had eaten, and Gakane lightly patted his back, sporting a smile. His face was so refreshing that it made him momentarily forget the fact that he was drenched in sweat. At the same time, Yuder felt a slight release of the energy that had been surrounding Gakane's body, making him realize once again that he had manifested a second gender.

‘Come to think of it... Gakane is also an Alpha.’

The energy that he couldn't feel before his second gender manifestation was probably the presence of Gakane as an Alpha. It wasn't as overwhelming or tense as when facing Kishiar's energy, but it definitely made him aware that Gakane was a being with a different nature than himself.

When he manifested as an Omega without a scent in his previous life, he had been completely dull to his own scent as well as the scents and energies of others who had second gender manifestation. He had hardly ever experienced this kind of sensation.

‘Manifesting with a distinct scent definitely feels different.’

"Why are you looking at me like that? Did something get on my face?"

As Yuder thought about it, he must have been staring too intensely because Gakane wiped his forehead and cheek with a bewildered expression. Of course, there was nothing on him except sweat.

"No, it's just that after the manifestation, I can clearly feel that you are different from me."

Gakane widened his eyes in surprise at the honest answer, then burst into laughter.

"Haha, you're only realizing that now? It's interesting to see that Yuder has some areas of inexperience."

After saying that, he advised Yuder that he would start experiencing that sensation quite frequently from now on, and warned him to stay away from Alpha members who exude a strong scent right before their heat.

"I know from my own experience that the emotions of an Alpha Awakener in heat can become intense. According to the rules set by the Commander, as soon as the heat comes, it's mandatory isolation and leave, so there probably won't be many chances for encounters... But it's always good to be cautious and avoid any harm from both sides."

"Gakane, have you ever met an Omega Awakener during their heat?"

Suddenly curious, Yuder asked, and Gakane casually shook his head.

"No, I haven't. I saw an Omega Awakener for the first time only after joining the Cavalry. But even if the heat comes, I don't have any intention to meet someone within the unit, so I'll take my leave and just rest."

It was indeed an exemplary answer. Yuder recalled the incidents of promiscuity within the unit caused by individuals who would use the heat as an excuse during his time as the Commander. Even though there were sleeping scents and calming medicines prepared to spend the heat comfortably, there were always those who wanted to undermine the discipline within the unit.

'Some of them even snuck into my bedroom, claiming they could suppress the scentless Omega Commander with their scents…'

Those culprits had vanished only after he'd beaten them until all their limbs and d*cks were broken and then hung them upside down on the barrack roof. However, the rebellion continued every now and then, arguing about how a half-wit who never experienced a heat period could oppress them.

While recalling bitter memories, Yuder took out two papers he had prepared in advance from his lodging and stuck them on the nearby wall.

"Yuder, what's this? A plan?"

"It's the revised training schedule for the Cavalry from now on."