Turning Chapter 756 (Patreon)

Chapter 756

“Can I tell you after I… sort it out a bit? I think I need some time to think.”

Kishiar, observing Yuder's pale complexion silently, nodded in agreement.

“Alright. But I will set one condition. You don’t have to talk right now, but continue to sleep here. Is that acceptable?”

It was clear that Kishiar wanted to keep Yuder close and watch over him, especially since Yuder had a similar concern when Kishiar had stayed up all night analyzing a previous game.

Yuder, not wanting to add to Kishiar's concerns from the start of a new day, nodded in agreement, signifying his consent.

“Understood.”

“And if you feel unwell during today's activities, report immediately or return to your quarters.”

“I don’t think that will happen, but... I will do as you say.”

Yuder agreed readily, knowing that Kishiar would not be at ease otherwise. Only then did Kishiar's gaze soften as expected.

“Now, let’s start a pleasant day with a meal.”

The meal was already set in the office connected to the bedroom, a sign of Yuder’s rare oversleeping.

The mornings of the Cavalry usually began before sunrise. Given the nature of the organization where all members followed similar schedules, missing a mealtime presented many difficulties.

However, that was the story of the members who had to take care of their own meals. For Commander Kishiar, it was not an issue. Even in the capital, he often took his meals in the office when busy. Adding an extra portion for Yuder was an easy task.

Others would only think that the Commander and the assistant were eating breakfast together because they were so busy with work that they had to eat in the office without time to go to the dining room. For Yuder, it was a convenient action in many ways as it gave him a little more time to rest.

Yuder steadily ate the many breads piled in front of him and the soup in a bowl that was somehow bigger than Kishiar’s, while assessing his physical condition.

Despite oversleeping, he didn't feel fatigued. His appetite was normal, and his body moved as usual. The power of the Awakener in him seemed almost fully restored, strong enough to turn the building upside down if necessary.

He felt relieved that the strange nightmare didn’t seem to affect his physical state.

‘But what was that dream about?’

It was different from any dream he had ever had. It wasn’t a dream of revisiting past memories, and it had a strange reality for a meaningless mix of unconsciousness.

The hand he saw in the dream was unmistakably Kishiar's from a previous life. When Yuder called out "Kishiar," it was as if the hand confirmed it by writing an answer on his neck.

The movement of that hand, despite being just a hand, seemed to possess a distinct identity.

Could it really have been just a dream?

As he recalled the pungent smell of blood from the dream, his appetite vanished. Although he usually ate whatever was given, he knew continuing to eat now would upset his stomach.

Yuder quietly put down his spoon and finished his meal. Kishiar, who was expected to say something, surprisingly said nothing even after seeing the remaining food. His silent consideration was never more welcome than it was now.

Yuder rose from his seat, shaking off the lingering image of a white glove that still seemed to scratch at a corner of his mind.

From today, when it was a foregone conclusion that he would stay in the south for a while, he had to wear the official uniform again. He clenched his fist, thinking about the uniform in the luggage he had brought from the capital, hoping that he wouldn’t have to wear it if possible.

"Commander, Kurga has returned!"

"Along with Commander Sunz and Deputy Commander Emon of the Imperial Army Special Forces!"

The first to visit the office after the meal were the members with bright faces. They brought news of Kurga's safe return, who had been out of contact since leaving yesterday under the orders of Kishiar to investigate the death of Herne's Second Prince. Yuder's mood considerably lightened upon hearing this.

Kurga, after inspecting the corpse of Herne's Second Prince on Kishiar's orders, had been directed to head to Sherpen Port with the knights of the Herne family. However, he had not returned even after all the members and monsters were dealt with, as he should have first come to headquarters to gather members for the journey.

But Kurga wasn't the only one who hadn't returned. The knights of the Herne family who left with him, as well as Commander Sunz and Deputy Commander Emon of the Imperial Corps, also hadn't returned, a fact that was only belatedly realized to everyone's surprise.

The late realization of Sunz and Emon's absence was ironically due to the excessive trust between the Cavalry and the Imperial Army Special Forces amidst the sudden chaos.

Kishiar and Yuder, along with the Cavalry side, had assumed that the two would have returned on their own after confirming the corpse of Herne's Second Prince. Even when they were not seen, it was naturally assumed they had either stepped away to report to General Gino due to the recent events or were briefly elsewhere for other matters.

Conversely, the Imperial Army thought Sunz and Emon, who hadn't returned since going to confirm the corpse, had been asked to step away by the Cavalry side. Their absence was not immediately noticed as the collaboration with the Cavalry in battle went smoothly without them, and there was no room to consider their absence in the immediate aftermath of the fight.

The members of the Imperial Army only began to find the prolonged absence of their Commander and Deputy Commander strange after learning of Kurga's absence.

Both sides had trusted that any issue would be immediately communicated, which ironically led to the late realization of the problem.

Kishiar, upon learning of the absence of Sunz and Emon through the hurriedly arriving Imperial Army members, focused on the commonality that all those who hadn't returned had gone together to confirm the corpse of Herne's Second Prince.

'Sunz and Emon, as well as Kurga, were all supposed to return to the Cavalry first. It would have been natural for them to ride together with the knights of the Herne family. It's highly likely that something happened in the process.'

Kishiar ordered several members of the Imperial Army and the Cavalry to investigate the route from where Herne's Second Prince's body lay to the Cavalry branch, as well as the direction towards Sherpen Port where Kurga was originally headed. The safe return of Kurga, Sunz, and Emon seemed to fortunately confirm his speculation.

Soon, the large, bear-like figures of Kurga, Sunz, and Emon entered the office.

"Kurga Sing, reporting my return."

"Commander Sunz and Deputy Commander Emon of the Imperial Army have come to greet the Commander of the Cavalry."

Yuder quietly scrutinized the three, each taking turns to greet. Their appearance, disheveled and clearly just returned, bore evidence of their ordeal, bandaged from various injuries.

‘Fortunately, it seems there were no serious injuries. From the looks of it, they must have met with the priests for treatment immediately upon arrival.’

"It's a relief to see everyone returned safely. I know you must be weary, but could you tell us what happened yesterday?"

"Yes, of course."

Kurga, adopting a formal stance, saluted in the manner of the Cavalry and then briefly reported the events that had transpired.

"Yesterday, I was ordered by the Commander to recruit five more members of the Cavalry and accompany the knights of the Herne family to Sherpen Port to investigate the death of the second prince. Thankfully, Commander Sunz and Deputy Commander Emon offered their assistance as well. We initially planned to head to the Cavalry first, but one of the Hern knights insisted that we should not wait to gather more Cavalry members and should go directly to Sherpen Port. So…"

Kurga's account was almost similar to what Kishiar had anticipated, yet with some differences. The one who had altered their course, originally planning to stop at the Cavalry before heading to Sherpen Port, was a stubborn knight of the Herne family, Radel.

He was adamant about not waiting for the Cavalry and insisted on going straight to Sherpen Port. Kurga, Sunz, and Emon thought this could compromise the impartiality of the investigation, leading to a disagreement.

Eventually, Radel left for Sherpen Port in anger, and Kurga, Sunz, and Emon had no choice but to follow him. Their best decision at that time was to go ahead to Sherpen Port to monitor Radel's movements and then recruit people from the Cavalry branch.

"But… on our way to Sherpen Port, we realized that Sir Radel's actions were suspicious."