Turning
chapter-221

"There's nothing we can do for now. When my apprentice returns, let's look more closely at what we've recently discovered. We've stumbled upon something quite intriguing."

Not long after, Thais's apprentice, Alik, appeared, his arms full of various items.

"Oh, Yuder, when did you arrive?"

"I've just arrived."

"For now, set those things down and come over here, Alik."

Upon hearing his master's command, Alik approached, and Thais Yulman picked up one of the mediums laid out in front of him and handed it to his apprentice.

"Now, Yuder, observe closely. This is a phenomenon that Alik coincidentally discovered while he was practicing his awakened abilities, with the medium in hand."

Upon hearing his master's words, Alik seemed to instantly comprehend what he needed to do. Clutching the medium tightly, he began to channel energy. Yuder, watching the energy swirl around over the back of Alik's hand like a whirlwind, narrowed his eyes and focused intently.

The energy spread like mist, and tiny droplets began to form in the air, just as they usually did. But the situation changed when a red light began to flicker from within the medium Alik was clutching.

The droplets, which were barely distinguishable from the mist, suddenly began to swell with a strange noise. In no time, they transformed into water droplets as large as fists. In the blink of an eye, the area around the three men was filled with numerous large water droplets.

"What in the..."

"Ugh, master. I'm already straining so much..."

"Alright, you can dispel it now."

At his master's permission, all the water droplets vanished at once, and the red glow from within the medium faded. Alik, gasping for breath, collapsed onto a seat.

"Even though it was just a few seconds, it was really exhausting. But you saw it properly, right?"

"What exactly just happened?"

At Yuder's question, the old mage stroked his beard with a confident smile.

"It's absorption and amplification!"

'Absorption and amplification?'

Asking for more explanation with his gaze, Alik started to speak.

"Do you remember when I explained the principle of magic tools?"

"Yes, I do."

Yuder recalled the principles of magic tools he had learned from their past encounters.

'The user's magical power is sucked in a fixed amount, then a predefined magic is spat out.'

"This medium doesn't contain any laws, so normally, it shouldn't output anything. But when an Awakener's power manifests while in contact with it, the medium immediately absorbs that power and outputs the same result with greater amplification. So, this might be evidence supporting the hypothesis that the master once proposed."

"The hypothesis you mentioned is..."

"The hypothesis that the power of the Red Stone changes a person's body and the more exposure, the stronger the power that might come out."

"So, I tried to see if I could absorb that power into my body, but so far, I can only amplify and output it, I can't absorb it from here."

Thais Yulman added with a regretful expression.

"Alik seemed quite strained. Can't you control the energy that is being absorbed?"

"Well... I'm not sure if it's because I haven't been awakened for long, but it does feel difficult."

Alik responded, wiping his sweat.

"The sensation at the moment of amplification feels as if the medium is sucking all the power from my body."

"Still, the more I try, the longer I can endure. At first, I couldn't hold on for even a second, but now I'm holding on for a significant amount of time. This also lends some weight to the hypothesis."

Listening to the explanation of Thais Yulman, who lovingly gazed at the accumulated mediums, Yuder picked up a medium and brought it close to his face to inspect. The moment the medium landed in his hand, two mages stiffened in surprise, but nothing happened as he didn't exert any force. He ignored their reactions and quietly opened his mouth.

"So, if I grip this and exert force, will the power of the Red Stone inside diminish?"

"Ah, yes. It should. It's hard to measure, but theoretically..."

Alik began to explain, but once again the lengthy conversation filled with numbers and magic jargon made Yuder tune out.

"I'm tempted to try it myself."

"Don't do it here. If something goes wrong again, this time the Commander might seriously kick us out."

Thais Yulman had completely retracted his previously condescending gaze towards the young Duke since he was scolded by Kishiar. He realized that Kishiar's permission was crucial to continue his research.

Yet, as a persistent mage, he carefully added to Yuder,

"But it might be alright to try it once in the training ground at dawn when no one is around."

"Hmm... I'll consider it."

"Good. If you really want to try, be sure to call me."

Yuder looked down at his own hand. The spots on the inside of his gloved hand had barely hurt since he went through the second gender manifestation and the incident in the basement. It still spread a bit when he used force, but the color had faded significantly and was easily cured when he received divine power from Lusan.

Enon suggested that it might be the process of his body becoming accustomed and normalized to the power of the Red Stone that had seeped in through his hand like poison. He thought that Enon's hypothesis and the experiments of the mages he saw today seemed to coincide in some ways, but he still couldn't be certain.

'I don't worry too much about this western dispatch mission now that my hand is fine, but I shouldn't let my guard down as the situation can change.'

Yuder resolved to test this amplifying effect at least once before heading west. Luckily, he always carried one medium with him. It seemed like the day had finally come to take a good look at the one that Kishiar had given him as a gift.

'If it's useful, I might consider bringing a few to the west.'

The thought might have shocked Thais Yulman, who lamented that Kishiar had taken away a significant amount of the produced mediums, but Yuder calmly planned his future.

"Well, I should get going now."

"You're leaving already? I wanted to show you my newly conceived water power application method..."

Alik managed to muster up some energy and stood up, looking disappointed.

"I have to prepare for a departure soon."

"Ah. You're leaving for some monster subjugation mission, right? I completely forgot even after reading the letter from the Commander! So, where are you headed?"

"I'm headed west."

"The west, hmm. Do you know exactly where you are going?"

"No, it seems I'll be traveling to several places."

Then, after cocking his head as if deep in thought, Thais burst into a smile and clapped his hands.

"Come to think of it, is this the Cavalry's first monster subjugation mission?"

"Yes."

"That must be nerve-wracking. I remember shaking in my boots when I first encountered a monster in the Pearl Tower. Not being able to use attribute magic was terrifying. But thanks to the magic tools I'd made, they proved quite useful... enough to flatten the noses of those snooty Red Wolves Tower guys..."

After going on for quite a while about his youthful exploits, Thais made a subtle proposal with a cunning smile.

"Yuder, would you mind if I wrote a letter for you?"

It turned out that the letter Thais was offering was something akin to a letter of introduction.

"I may be old, but I've known quite a few mages since my time as an Elder in the Pearl Tower. If you show this to Micalin, who heads the Western Mage Union, they won't treat you badly. He's a friend of mine."

Yuder recalled the knights and mages from his previous life, who were perpetually hostile to the Cavalry. Their conflicts had made his mission in the West more difficult. He had braced himself for a similar struggle this time, but he hadn't expected this letter. It was an unexpected boon.

"Thank you very much. This will be of great help to the Cavalry, on their first mission."

Upon receiving Yuder's unusually long thanks, Thais beamed with satisfaction.

"Of course. Always glad to help. Just make sure to tell the Commander how cooperative I was. Make sure!"

He mentioned that Micalin, the mage, was likely to be in Tainu, the home of the Tain family and also the largest city in the West. Yuder gratefully accepted the letter and left the laboratory in high spirits.

—---

Yuder forced open his eyes that had been tightly shut.

Night had fallen, and everything before him was shrouded in darkness. His mouth was parched, and he craved a drink of water, but he couldn't hope for such a luxury here. As he felt around the straw-filled bed, trying to prop himself up, a sudden hand grabbed his shoulder, forcing him back down.

"Stay lying down."

Startled by the deep and heavy voice, he turned his head to see a familiar face. Kishiar La Orr. Even in the darkness, his golden hair and red eyes seemed to emit a faint glow. How could he not recognize them?

Yet, he hadn't expected to see this face here.

As he blankly stared up at Kishiar, the man furrowed his brows and gave a faint smile. It was a peculiar expression, more like a forced movement due to lack of any other appropriate expression, rather than a genuine smile.

A moment later, Kishiar reached for a cup he'd kept behind him. His white gloves, normally immaculate, were stained and dirty. Where had he gotten this cup, which clearly hadn't been there before? Yet, given his thirst, Yuder reached for the cup. However, he soon realized that he couldn't grasp the cup with his arm, which was entirely bandaged from shoulder to fingertips.

Their gazes met over his heavily bandaged arm. As he pondered what to do, Kishiar silently brought the cup to his lips.

"..."

Would it be okay?

Deciding to let whatever happens happen, he cautiously opened his mouth. The lukewarm water moistened his parched lips and trickled down his throat. After draining the cup in no time, he lowered his head to catch the last few droplets of water trickling down his chin. A slow question came.

"More?"

Yuder nodded. Kishiar offered him another cup. This time, having done it once already, it was easier to accept and drink. As he opened his mouth and swallowed, all the while keeping his head up, Kishiar's red gaze never once strayed from him.

Only after he'd emptied the third cup and the strength left his body did Kishiar, who seemed to have been waiting, open his mouth.

"They say you were mauled by a monster."

"..."

"Can you explain what happened?"