Turning Chapter 725 (Patreon)

Chapter 725

A strange crack that simply existed and then vanished within the forest that only grew denser no matter how much it was cut down. And the sight of Yuder Aile, who alone did not panic but stared at it gravely.

Yuder's exhausted voice speaking of a 'disaster' echoed in Kishiar's mind.

"You must have seen the strange cracks that appeared in the west, when the monsters began acting oddly. Do you remember?"

"I have seen similar things before…"

Yuder asserted that this was merely the beginning. He described it as a quiet sparkle, a signal flare before countless disasters and hardships, like the calm before a storm.

Kishiar vividly remembered the expression on Yuder's face as he told this tale.

Always known for his impassiveness, Yuder, upon closer inspection, actually had a surprisingly wide range of emotions. Although he appeared cold, within him burned a flame far more intense than others.

But his expression at that moment...

It was utterly devoid of anything.

All that made him human seemed to have been stripped away, leaving behind only dusty and hollow eyes, faintly reflecting ancient dust and a chilling coldness. The Yuder that Kishiar thought he knew, or believed he knew, had vanished, replaced by someone worn down by a terrible solitude, echoing a hollow voice.

Only those who had faced death could understand the weight of that emptiness. Kishiar felt it not with his mind, but with something deeper.

Even at his brightest, burning fiercely and brilliantly, the deepest part of him harbored a concealed void, akin to the blackened ash left where everything had burned away.

Even when revealing his goal to 'once again avert the disaster facing the world', Yuder's eyes held a resignation, as if he naturally expected Kishiar not to believe him.

His expression, accustomed to self-doubt, spoke the truth without any trace of grievance or desire to persuade, more harrowing in a way than his physically battered and prostrate form.

Somewhere deep within Kishiar, a long groan of pain echoed…

"…Commander?"

In the midst of discussing something crucial, Yuder stopped and cautiously addressed Kishiar, who was silently staring at him, concern evident in his now dark and laughter-less eyes.

‘What happened back then? Was there something serious?’

As if trying to discern some hidden trace of an untold story, Kishiar's intense yet worried gaze met Yuder's, eliciting a soft sigh.

"Sorry. It just struck me how miraculous it was for the assistant to arrive here so timely."

"Excuse me? What do you mean by that…"

The unexpected and somewhat awkward remark caused a frown to form on Yuder's brow, while the man chuckled softly, continuing the conversation.

"As soon as the crack appeared, everyone panicked, thinking monsters were about to emerge. They tried to flee, but fortunately, we remembered the similar cracks we'd seen in the west and managed to avoid being swept up in the chaos."

Kishiar, recalling the cracks he had seen in the Great Sarain Forest and Yuder's words, immediately commanded the bewildered crowd, "Monsters won't appear; keep your focus on the enemy." Without his directive, they would have missed the southern merchants, disguised in robes, attempting to slip away.

Upon hearing Kishiar's affirmation, it wasn't just the Cavalry or the Imperial Army that regained their composure, but also the members of the Star of Nagran.

"Are you telling me you were about to leave us behind just now?! Is that what you meant by clearing the way? What in the world is that strange crack?"

"No, that's not it. It's hard to explain here, but please trust us…"

"What's going on, Sera? Are you here under his command? As far as I know, that shouldn't be the case. Why have you come this far? Weren't you from the South supposed to return today? And who are those suspicious people?"

Sera, shocked by the Southern merchants' attempt to escape, raised her voice, forgetting the standoff. The merchants, not intending any harm, tried to calm her, but now a member of the Central stronghold Awakeners, suspicious of Sera, intervened.

The seed of distrust, once sown, spread like wildfire.

It was then that a chill began to circulate among the Awakeners of the Star of Nagran. The Central stronghold gathered with their own, the Southern stronghold with theirs, and the merchants huddled together, exchanging glances and words.

From a distance, Kishiar, with the keen sense of a swordmaster, easily grasped the conversations without moving a finger.

The Central stronghold Awakeners, losing trust in the Southern stronghold for not following the Sage's orders and engaging in dubious activities with the strangers.

The Southern stronghold Awakeners, suspecting but unable to fully confront the Southern merchants they had moved with, unsure how to extract themselves from this situation.

And the silent Southern merchants.

With each group's motives and benefits differing, mutual distrust prevented the battle from progressing, leading to a stalemate.

A situation simmering with tension, yet on the verge of exploding.

Yuder appeared from the sky at that very moment.

"That's how it happened."

Having learned the whole story, Yuder sighed deeply.

Though many events had unfolded where he had been, the situation with Kishiar was even more intense. In the short time Yuder was away, returning alone by carriage to the Cavalry branch, Kishiar had faced an ambush and even used his divine sword to fend off an unknown attack, tensing his muscles to the point of stiffness.

However, it was fortunate that he had managed to turn the situation to their advantage without injury.

"It's to be expected, but…"

Kishiar, immensely powerful but with little experience using his abilities, still had to be cautious about his health and the issue of containment. Knowing he was a brilliant strategist and swordmaster who could slice through walls with a twig, a battle against multiple opponents was still perilously risky. Moreover, he had used more strength than usual since coming South, adding to his fatigue.

Although his condition had improved with Yuder's assistance, exerting himself again today would have undoubtedly drained him significantly, even if he appeared fine on the surface.

Yet, looking at Kishiar's brazen smile, one wouldn't guess he had just faced over a dozen opponents alone. His usual self, a true Kishiar La Orr, was indeed a relief to see.

"Regardless of there being no major incident, those who attacked will pay their dues."

Yuder's icy gaze swept over the Awakeners of the Southern stronghold and the robed Southern merchants.

He clenched and unclenched his fist, gauging the strength that remained within him. Although not in a completely relaxed state due to the excessive energy expended while dealing with Aton, he was confident enough to take down those lurking adversaries.

The crack still floated in the sky, existing without any noticeable change. In his memory, such cracks in the Great Sarain Forest had been followed by a surge of monsters, but this had never been the case in the South.

‘In my previous life in the South, such silent cracks appeared in various places more than ten times before a major earthquake occurred. There were no instances of monsters appearing then. If this is the beginning of something similar, the likelihood is high that it will repeat. But in the Great Sarain Forest, the appearance of these cracks led to an increase in monsters, so certainty is elusive.’

The earthquake in his previous life's South had occurred several years later. It had been difficult to gather information, as it was only after everything had passed that people reported witnessing such cracks.

But could it be that even back then, these cracks had formed in this manner?

Could cracks be created by human power?

The words of Aton floated in his mind, continuously breeding questions.

‘The one thing that's clear is that to find answers, we must capture those Southern merchants.’

Already half-intent on punishing them for the attack on Kishiar, the added need to extract information seemed to invigorate him with newfound strength.