Turning
chapter-316

Emun and Lusan were full of tension as what was expected to be a straightforward encounter with Knights suddenly took a severe turn. Yuder, clasping his hands together, realized anew that despite their readiness for life-or-death struggles, they were people still more accustomed to peace. This was evident in Lusan, who constantly muttered prayers under his breath, and Emun, who tightly gripped the dagger at his waist, refusing to let go.

'If only half of my strength had returned, I could have reassured them.'

Though disappointed, Yuder was not overly worried. He was confident he could handle any considerable enemy with even the smallest stream of power. If the opponent was not an Awakener, his worries would reduce even further.

"There, the fourth outpost is in sight."

Kishiar, who was walking ahead, murmured, halting his steps. The place he gazed upon was the last destination the deceased Knights were aiming for. An eerie wind blew around a small house, neglected among the wildly grown grass and trees.

Yuder felt a strange familiarity tingling somewhere beyond his senses as the wind touched his skin. He instinctively hardened his gaze, surveying the surroundings. There were certainly no signs of human presence, but...

"Before we go in and investigate, first..."

"Wait! It's dangerous."

Driven by instinct, Yuder pulled back Kishiar, who was standing at the forefront. Simultaneously, a sharp, lethal attack flew from the front where there was nothing a moment ago. Along with someone's scream, all of Yuder's senses heightened to the utmost.

There was something. Since when, or from where...!

"So, we've been discovered after all."

Suddenly, faces that were not there just a moment ago appeared as space tore before his eyes. There was a woman with her hands raised in caution and a man with a calm expression—a pair. Yuder swallowed hard as he recognized the man's face.

"...Nahan."

"You still remember my name, how delightful."

The man, one side of his face distorted by burns, smiled cheerfully at Yuder.

"I was regretful to see how much your condition had worsened since our last encounter, but your sharpness is still intact. Admirable."

"..."

"I heard plenty about the tale of you and your brothers upon my arrival here. It would have been better if we had not met at all."

"I warned you not to call me that way the last time."

Hearing Yuder's emotionless, cold voice, Nahan let out a laugh, his face still distorted.

"No matter how much you deny it, just like blood ties cannot be undone, those of us who shared power are all brothers and sisters."

If he had the strength, he would have retaliated right then and there, and the fact he couldn't was deeply regrettable. Ignoring Nahan's provoking remarks, Yuder opened his mouth.

"Did you kill the Knights from Tainu?"

"That wasn't me. Ershi, standing next to me, did it."

Nahan nonchalantly replied and nodded towards the woman gasping beside him, who tightly held a blood-stained bag on her waist.

"Ershi has no patience. Well, they deserved what they got, and mercifully, we sent them away without pain, so they shouldn't have any complaints in the afterlife."

Nahan seemed unchanged from before, still casually spouting blood-stained words with a calm voice, still easily dismissing human lives, exactly like the last time Yuder saw him.

'Of all times to encounter him, it had to be now.'

The situation was not favorable. If his power had fully recovered, it might have been different, but dealing with Nahan was challenging at a mediocre level.

"Going by the name, is he the Awakener from the Star of Nagran who you met twice?"

At that moment, Kishiar, who softly gripped Yuder's rigid shoulder, whispered in a low voice, tilting his head.

"Yes."

"I see... finally meeting the one we couldn't find for so long, right here."

His red pupils slowly swept over Nahan. Only then did Nahan seem to fully acknowledge Kishiar by his side, slightly opening one eye.

"Since you've confessed to committing murder, you won't complain if you're arrested here. Let's retrieve the bag first, then we'll hear the details."

"Commander."

Yuder gently held the hem of Kishiar's clothing, who seemed ready to jump in at any moment, shaking his head. While he did not doubt Kishiar's strength, the situation was different with those he needed to protect involved. There was nothing more dangerous than having a weakness at your back when facing someone like Nahan, a mental type Awakener.

"So, you're the famous Cavalry Commander, the Duke of Peletta..."

Nahan caught Yuder's soft whisper, and an odd emotion flickered across his gaze, replacing his previous ease. It was a mixture of curiosity and caution.

"I've heard a lot about you. I was curious about what kind of man could have the strongest brother I've ever seen under his command. This is quite unexpected."

"Why. Am I more handsome than you expected?"

"Ha-ha. Hardly."

Nahan lowered his gaze to Kishiar's retort, and his eyes returned to Yuder. Yuder felt an eerie unease when he met his subtly smiling eyes.

"To be precise... I was surprised because it was a face I've seen before."

The moment unease became reality, a shocking, heart-stopping sensation vibrated throughout his body.

Yuder recalled Kishiar from his previous life when Nahan had used his illusion power on him. It was merely an illusion different from reality, and he had escaped quickly, but Nahan, the one who cast the power, would have known what Yuder had seen.

"You..."

"So, what do you plan to do with the bag you stole from the corpse?"

Kishiar, who hadn't noticed the exchange of some kind of energy between Yuder and Nahan, simply asked indifferently, ignoring Nahan's words. At that, Nahan twisted a smile.

"Well, what I'll do with it is Ershi's business, so let me ask her. Ershi, what do you plan to do with it? He's asking."

"..."

Instead of answering, the woman opened her mouth and showed her teeth in a grin. A heavy aura of brutality filled the surroundings. That alone was enough to tell what she was planning to do.

"I have a great interest in the illegal trades of the Tain Duchy. It's not pleasant when a third party intervenes."

"We're not intervening. Rather, it's the opposite, Commander."

Nahan rebutted, raising both hands lightly, as if enjoying it. With small movements that didn't use any powers, the atmosphere quickly became tense. He continued speaking, as if he found the situation amusing.

"This isn't murder, but punishment. Ershi is just a victim who was hurt by them, ran away, and did what she wanted when she came to us, and I just watched. The Cavalry happened to pass by, so who can say who's intervening in whose business?"

With his eyes twisted in red, he said while staring intently at Kishiar.

"It's not our fault that the Cavalry, the very ones who mercifully spared the trash of Apeto, were concerned with strangers."

"Such a statement is inappropriate. The guilty must be punished, of course, but it is not your place to make that judgment!"

Lusan stepped forward, rebutting Nahan's words. He was clenching his fist, unable to contain his fear, but it seemed that the horrific sight of the body he had seen earlier gave the young priest the courage to speak up.

"Hmm. So, you're suggesting we leave it to a god who does nothing? Or perhaps to biased, stupid humans? Or, to the Cavalry who do nothing but prostrate before enemies without power?"

Nahan's gaze at Lusan, clad in priest's robes, was extraordinarily calm and cold.

"No. That's not it. If you can do it, we can do it too. There's no need to listen to the words of idiots when you have the power to act."

The moment Lusan met the terrifyingly twisted, eerie eyes, he wobbled, seized by fear without realizing it.

"Uh, ugh, ah...!"

"Priest!"

"What the hell, ah. No, ah... Help, save me...!"

Yuder quickly supported Lusan. Facing the illusion that had suddenly overwhelmed him, Lusan helplessly floundered and screamed. Yuder was about to use his power at the sight of Lusan's agonized flailing limbs amid his screams for help, but Kishiar raised his hand first, snapping his fingers lightly.

A blob of light, similar to what they had seen at the harvest festival, instantly destroyed the buildings and trees around Nahan and his colleagues. With the booming sound of breaking and exploding, Lusan passed out and slumped down. Yuder rose from his place, watching Kishiar immediately fly towards the front.

"Emun, take care of the priest!"

"No, Yuder, the Commander told you to stay protected...!"

Yuder didn't wait for the rest of the sentence and dashed off. He chased after the traces of the three people who had vanished after the explosion. It didn't take long for him to find Kishiar standing still.

"Commander!"

"I told you to stay with the others in case of emergency, but you really don't listen."

Kishiar was alone. It seemed Nahan and his colleague had successfully evaded in that short span of time. His red gaze scanned the surroundings, cooled and stern.