Turning
chapter-510

"Even on a joyous day like this, overindulging in liquor isn't wise. You should take a brief rest in the lounge."

Though they pretended not to watch, the onlookers pricked up their ears at the booming voice of Duke Peletta.

"I'll be sending Enon and Lusan after you soon. If you want to dance some more, do it there. This is an order."

Facing a gaze that seemed teasing yet serious, Yuder let out a soft sigh.

Telling him to dance there likely meant first confirming he was in good health before handling the matters with Kiolle. It was a typical Kishiar la Orr method of dealing with issues: not obstructing your goals but expressing concern all the same.

"Understood."

Yuder obediently nodded and headed towards the exit. As if by coincidence, he stopped to ask Kiolle, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"May I ask you something?"

"What, what?"

Caught off guard, Kiolle stumbled back as if he had discovered a bug under his feet. The ornamental sword at his waist clanged against his kneecap. Grimacing in pain, he clenched his teeth but didn't make a sound.

"Do you know which lounge is currently empty?"

Kiolle was standing right in front of the hallway that led to the lounges. Whipping his head in that direction, he seemed to gasp excessively, as if he had just realized this was a signal from Yuder. To any other onlooker, it would have seemed as if Kiolle was appalled and enraged at being questioned by a commoner. But Yuder clearly saw the fear in his eyes.

'He's making a fuss because he doesn't want to look suspicious.'

"I-it's all empty!"

His voice cracked as if he were grinding his teeth while speaking.

"Then any room will do. Thank you."

Without hesitation, Yuder headed into the first lounge. He felt two piercing gazes on his back. One was undoubtedly from Kiolle, and the other was...

'Katchian La Orr.'

Yuder sat down on a luxurious sofa in a lounge spacious enough for about ten people to comfortably rest. The scrutinizing gaze disappeared, but Katchian's visage, which had been watching him throughout the evening, lingered in his mind.

Usually, Katchian was quite outspoken at formal events. However, considering today's gathering was for belittling the Cavalry along with Duke Diarca, he had been exceptionally quiet.

He wasn't engaging in oily banter with the young nobles as he usually did, nor was he busy with anything else. Instead, he sat alone—the young Crown Prince.

Ever since the turmoil surrounding Quelochet had unfolded and Baron Durmand had fallen, Katchian had been overtly observant of Yuder. That gaze weighed heavily on him.

'His expression didn't seem filled with the wrath that would come from a grudge dating back to the Harvest Festival… Could his heightened interest in me be due to my abilities?'

Frankly, he didn't care what Katchian thought. However, considering that the Star of Nagran and the Sage were close to Katchian, that part unnerved him slightly.

'Well, I'll get to ask Kiolle about that soon enough.'

At that moment, someone knocked on the door and entered. It wasn't Kiolle but Enon.

"Where is Priest Lusan?"

"He's in the bathroom; he'll be late."

Enon spat out the words curtly and began to roughly untie the tie that wrapped around his neck. With a grim face, he spoke.

"It seems we can't even have one peaceful day. Just when I thought today might be different, suddenly a solo performance appears..."

"..."

"What's this about developing a resistance after recovering from monster injuries? I don't recall ever saying that."

Yuder calmly explained once more, hearing Enon say the same thing that Kishiar had.

"Half of it was a lie. It's better to say that than to admit I'm unaffected by poisons and drugs other than those from monsters."

"..."

"However, there was some byproduct from a monster in that drink, so I do feel a little drunk. The Commander said my body temperature has risen."

Hearing this, Enon pressed his forehead and let out a deep sigh.

"A little drunk? Is that all?"

"That's it. Nothing else is wrong, as you can see."

"Why would you drink it in the first place? Weren't there other ways to deal with it?"

Of course, there were other methods. They would have been much more complex and slower compared to the confusion and fear Yuder could sow among the enemies by drinking it himself.

Seeming to read the answer in Yuder's face, Enon cursed silently and clicked his tongue.

"Right, this was much more effective and faster. Knowing you would be fine after drinking it anyway, there's nothing to fear. And since it's not me who would be shocked by it, I can be at ease, right?"

"I didn't say all that."

The only response was a heavy hand slapping against a furrowed forehead.

"Ugh."

"Yes, you do seem to have a slight fever."

Enon calmly checked Yuder's temperature and examined his eyes and hands a few more times. Not finding any other abnormalities, he scowled.

"Don't eat or drink anything else until we get back."

"What about water?"

"If you must drink, make it yourself! You know how to make water!"

Enon roughly handed Yuder an empty cup.

"It doesn't seem like you need divine energy, but just in case, receive some from Lusan when he arrives. And close your eyes and rest."

"Alright, I understand. But I do have one favor to ask."

"To find out what was in that drink? That's obviously something an apothecary should do."

"No, that's not the only thing..."

Just then, another knock was heard on the door. This time, it was Lusan, clothed in ornate ceremonial robes, peeking his head inside.

"Yuder, I apologize for being late. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"Just give him a bit of divine energy and let's go."

At Enon's indifferent tone, Lusan's eyes widened as he quickly approached.

"Ah... is that really all? On my way here, the members all secretly asked for an honest update on your condition. It's good to hear that there's no problem."

With visible relief, Lusan infused Yuder's head with divine energy and began recounting how surprised he had been.

"I was shocked, but when Enon suddenly tried to dash toward you, you wouldn't believe how my heart almost dropped... That's partly why I went to the bathroom, to calm down."

"When did I ever do that? Stop talking nonsense and leave once you've given him the divine energy, kid."

Enon raised his voice to interrupt Lusan's words. But Yuder had already heard enough to guess what would come next.

"...Is that so?"

"No, I said it's not."

"I'm sorry, Enon."

Muttering what sounded like curses under his breath, Enon wore a fierce expression. Lusan, letting out a small laugh, gradually reduced the amount of divine energy he was channeling to Yuder. "Ah, now that I think about it..." he began.

"When I was about to come in here, a knight who was standing next to the Crown Prince was in front of the next lounge. He looked at me menacingly, so I wondered... Did the Crown Prince secretly send him to check on Yuder's condition?"

"Is that so? That's fortunate."

"Fortunate? What do you mean?"

"Enon, what I want to ask of you is directly related to that."

"What now!"

Enon shouted, but Yuder had no doubt that both he and Lusan would fulfill his request.

"On your way out, could you leave the door ajar and both of you pretend to leave but come back and wait in the adjacent lounge?"

"..."

"If I want to invite someone who doesn't even have the courage to open the door, I think I need to do at least that much. Will you do it for me?"

"...Hey!"

A few moments later, Kiolle Diarca carefully opened the door, which had been left just loose enough for anyone to easily open. His eyes filled with extreme anxiety as he whispered in a stifled voice.

"Are you in here? Huh?"

"If you're going to come in, come in quickly. Just sticking your head in and leaving your body outside looks even stranger."

Upon hearing Yuder's voice, Kiolle took a deep breath, quickly closed the door, and entered the lounge. Only when he realized no one else was in the room did he let out a sigh of relief and rub his chest.

"Do you know how hard it was for me to sneak away from the Crown Prince? And to summon me on a day like this, at a time like this..."

"That's none of my concern."

It was clear from Kiolle's face that he found it unbearable not to curse at Yuder's audacity. However, there was nothing he could do. Yuder gestured toward the sofa opposite him.

"Sit down. There's no point in wasting time."