Turning
chapter-304

The Empire's attention was focused on the Cavalry, but ironically, the Cavalry building within the Imperial Knight's base was quieter than ever. This was because, after the departure of the second dispatched unit towards the west, there was hardly any personnel left behind.

Thanks to this, people other than the unit members who were working there finally had the opportunity to relax. Among them were two Awakeners from the Star of Nagran, Gayle and Doyle.

"There's no cleaning or dishwashing today. Can we really slack off like this?"

"Seems so. The kindly old man said if you want to eat, eat. If you want to exercise, go to the back and do it."

Of the three Deputy Commanders, Steiber, the only one left to guard the Cavalry, was seen by the brothers as nothing more than a good-hearted old man. In fact, apart from Steiber, everyone they met here seemed excessively kind to them.

"I used to think I'd just die if I got caught while working in a noble's house... but now, it feels like I could live like this for the rest of my life."

"Same here."

The Cavalry members were truly strange. They didn't torture Gayle and Doyle, nor did they make their lives miserable or force them to work. Occasionally, they would ask questions, but they never insisted on an answer if they refused to give one. When they complained about feeling suffocated in their room, they were allowed to roam within the premises. They even felt awkward when the brothers offered to help with chores.

Although they couldn't understand why they were still being kept here, the initial fear and aversion they felt upon capture had long since melted away. The brothers ate to their hearts' content and comfortably lay in the empty garden, looking up at the sky. They didn't know about the outside world, but their hearts were more peaceful than ever.

"Doyle, should we ask if we can stay here and help out when they come back this time?"

"Do you think they'd let us? Considering where we come from... And the Sage might be looking for us, do you think we should stay here anyway?"

Gayle's face darkened at the mention of the Sage. However, he soon mumbled, "They probably think we're dead and have forgotten about us by now. We're not betraying anyone by staying here a little longer."

"You know, when I was there, constantly being told to hold a sword and train was too much for me. You also hated seeing blood."

"..."

"Let's just close our eyes, pretend we never met the Sage, and earn some money here. You saw it too, right? The Awakeners who were rescued from the noble's house and brought here with us, they earn money working here too. I discreetly asked how much they make, and apparently, it's enough to buy a farm in a few years."

"Really?!"

"They all already know we don't know much about the Sage or the noble. They might agree if we ask."

Their lifelong dream was to own their own flock and house. Just as their resolve began to waver, a Cavalry member called out to them loudly.

"Hey, over there! Can you come over here and give me a hand?"

Originally, only a select few could converse with the brothers, such as the three Deputy Commanders and the assistant. But now, most of them were absent, and Steiber, the lone Deputy Commander, wasn't there. The ordinary member who had called out to them seemed to regard the brothers as just regular workers around the base.

"Uh... what should we do?"

"What do you mean 'what?' They asked for help. If we help nicely, won't they put in a good word for us when those guys come?"

The brothers nervously turned towards the Cavalry member. The member, clad in a black uniform, hurriedly took out several letters from his pocket and handed them to them.

"Could you deliver these for me? I'll pay you for the errand. I have something to do right now, so I can't go out myself."

"Uh... um..."

"In a little while, the cart that tours the Imperial Knights base every day will come to the front gate, so you just have to give them to the cart driver then. I'll count on you!"

In a blink, the brothers were left holding a few letters and coins. They were initially startled, but it seemed fine since they only had to go to the front gate of the Imperial Knights base. With uneasy faces, the brothers headed towards the main gate. As the member had said, it wasn't long before they saw a cart approaching from afar.

"H-here! Stop!"

When Gayle waved his hand and yelled, the cart slowly reduced its speed and came to a halt in front of them. The brothers tried to awkwardly hand over the letters to the cart driver who was coming down from the cart, but after a moment, they froze in shock. The face of the cart driver, who had taken off his hat, was an unexpected person to see here.

"N-Nahan?!"

"Quiet."

Nahan, dressed as a cart driver, clicked his tongue and signaled them to be quiet. Startled, the brothers closed their mouths.

"Nahan. How on earth... didn't you abandon us?"

"That's not something you should say to the person who came to rescue you."

His cold, gray eyes, hard as steel, scanned their faces.

"You two look well. It seems you've been doing quite well here."

Their faces turned red instantly. They thought that Nahan was mocking them for comfortably betraying them without any torture.

"It's all because of you! Because you abandoned us, we had to be here...!"

"Ah, no. It's all my fault."

Another foreign young man stuck his face out from the cart and interrupted with a face full of guilt. Nahan, despite his dislike, saw the brothers flinch simultaneously with surprise. Their remaining affection for the young man left them at a loss.

"Hosanna! You're here too? What on earth are we going to...!"

"I'm really sorry. I made a thoughtless request to you and you had to go through this... but it will be okay now......"

"Let's take the idle chat outside."

Nahan interrupted sharply, scanning the surroundings.

"It took me a few days to infiltrate undetected and call you two out. Come on, we have to go back."

"Y-you called us? When? We were asked to deliver a letter..."

Nahan chuckled.

"What do you think was the reason for someone to conveniently appear at this time and ask you two to deliver a letter?"

The brothers' mouths fell open. Nahan scowled at their faces.

"Get on the cart quickly. The surroundings are all protected by ancient magic, so Hosanna can't use his teleportation ability, and it's difficult for me to use illusion abilities."

"But..."

The brothers looked at each other with trembling eyes. The rescue opportunity they had only dreamed of had finally come, but they couldn't feel entirely happy. Seemingly reading their moment of hesitation, Nahan's eyes slightly narrowed.

"By any chance, don't you want to leave?"

"No. No."

Doyle reflexively denied it. However, Gayle didn't open his mouth.

"Gayle?"

Hosanna, who stood beside Nahan, opened his mouth anxiously. Gayle clenched his fist tightly and glared at Nahan. The scales of the fierce debate in his mind had just tipped a bit more to one side.

"I don't want to go."

"Gayle! Why would you say such a thing? Have you been brainwashed? Or..."

"Nobody did that!"

Gayle roared out loud.

"Nobody forced anything on us, and we didn't say anything. We didn't betray you or anything like that. Just assume we're dead and leave us. It will remain a secret that you were here."

The surroundings were suddenly enveloped in an icy silence. Gayle looked at Nahan with a slight fear, but he didn't relax his clenched fist. As Hosanna, pale and taut, looked up at Nahan, a chilly voice flowed from his lips.

"Well... If that's what our brothers want, I'm inclined to agree. But I'm not sure if the Sage would see it the same way."

"I'm sorry to the Sage... but I'm sure they will understand."

"Really?"

His gaze moved past Gayle and Doyle towards the Cavalry building.

"Do you know that a large group of Cavalry appeared near our western outpost? Our brothers and sisters, who didn't even realize they were Cavalry, were really surprised to find out late. I heard they even discovered our base."

"Wh, what...?"

Startled by the sudden news, Nahan spat out one more sentence to the disoriented brothers.

"You once stayed at that outpost too. Can you truly be sure that you didn't reveal our western outpost to them?"

"We didn't say a word! So, did the brothers at that outpost get killed by the Cavalry?"

"No. But they'll probably move soon. It's an outpost that was built with great effort, so many of our brothers and sisters will be upset."

The brothers were momentarily speechless.

"And I'm sorry, but I already reported to the Sage that you might be alive before coming here. I don't know what will happen if I report that you refuse to return."

"Nahan, you..."

Nahan exhaled, looking at the pale brothers, and opened his mouth with a voice cold yet soft.

"It's not like I wanted to do this. I naturally thought the brothers would return, and I had to prepare in case Hosanna and I were in danger, so I just reported. However... If you need time to think, I can help."

Looking at the two pairs of simple eyes asking, "How?" Nahan quietly answered.

"I won't report that you refused to return for now. Until we come back next time, you think well about whether the brothers here are really good people who leave you be. If your opinion hasn't changed the next time we come, we will do as you wish."

"...How can we trust you."

"I always keep my word to our brothers and sisters. You know that, right?"

Only then did the brothers believe what Nahan said. They heaved a deep sigh as they watched the departing cart as if nothing had happened. The emergence of a secret was immensely uncomfortable.