Turning Chapter 823

Chapter 823

"Wait...! Stop there!"

"First Princess! Are you alright?"

The one who caught and supported the shouting Myra was General Gino. Although Myra managed to stand upright again, leaning on his arm, her gaze remained fixed on the spot where the young man from the southern country had disappeared, unable to move.

"Oh no... Her body has completely stiffened. Someone come and escort the First Princess to the carriage!"

"No...! No, General. I am fine."

General Gino seemed to have concluded that Myra was not in a good state due to the harsh weather and her overexertion. However, Myra shook her head and pushed away the General's arm.

"Rather than that, I think I need to go inside for a moment."

"Returning inside with the sleet getting worse, what has happened?"

There had been an incident. A figure from her past had suddenly appeared and then vanished into the temple. But how could she convey to General Gino the family's disgrace and her childhood memories, the evidence lacking but the certainty felt in that brief moment?

"I saw a suspicious person take advantage of the recent chaos to go inside. He disappeared suddenly... I think I need to go and look for him and inform the others inside."

"What on earth... Calm down and explain more clearly. Are you saying that we need to inform His Grace, Duke Peletta, because a suspicious person appeared? If that's the case, you can just describe his appearance. I will send a reliable subordinate."

"But that’s…"

"General! Someone from the Cavalry has come!"

At that moment, someone shouted from behind the two. It was Meghna Kurlieva, General Gino's adjutant.

"The Cavalry? Support has arrived already without contact?"

"No. They did not come in response to a call! It appears a criminal under the protection of the Cavalry has escaped. It's urgent, and they request a meeting with His Grace, Duke Peletta, and his assistant immediately!"

"What?"

"Is the criminal from the southern country?! Someone with the ability to disappear suddenly?"

Startled, General Gino was pushed aside as Myra quickly shouted. Meghna was taken aback by the sudden question from the First Princess but soon composed her expression and nodded.

"I'm not sure how you knew... Yes, that's correct. The escaped criminal is a southern man with the ability to move instantaneously."

At that moment, Myra was certain that the figure she had seen was not a hallucination.

"That's him! The suspicious person I saw earlier!"

Upon hearing Myra's outcry, General Gino immediately called the member from the Cavalry. The member, with a stern face, introduced herself as Yergin Schiller.

"I came in a hurry to see the Commander because of the escaped criminal, and I was surprised to hear that entry was denied. May I ask what happened during the funeral ceremony?"

"A fight broke out among the intruders outside. They are all presumed to be Awakeners, and the situation has become so severe that it has affected the chapel. We are currently evacuating everyone except for the Cavalry and our forces."

"And I saw the escaped criminal just now, blending in with the evacuating people and entering inside."

General Gino and Myra took turns answering. After hearing that all these responses were under the command of Duke Peletta, Yergin took a deep breath.

"I suppose I am a step behind. Still, it's a relief that you encountered the escaped criminal without any major incident. I will immediately contact the Cavalry to call back all the dispersed members for the search."

"If you came to report, do you not need to go inside immediately?"

"From what I hear, it seems the Commander has already figured out the identity of those who invaded and started the fight. I don't think it will be too late to go after contacting the members. If the criminal went somewhere else, it might be different, but if he's gone in there, it's probably he who's in danger, not the Commander."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Isn't assistant Yuder Aile with the Commander?"

"That's true, but…"

"Then there's no need to worry."

"..."

"I'll just use the signal flares twice. That should be enough."

Hearing Yergin's calm and absolute confidence, General Gino wore a perplexed expression, unsure of how to respond.

Of course, having the empire's new swordmaster, who slaughtered the rain of monsters, and the hero of the West together provided a sense of security, but worry was a separate matter. Even the strongest can't win every battle perfectly, because there are always variables in the world.

Shouldn't she be aware of that? Yet, was she really not worried at all?

Was this the attitude of the entire Cavalry, or was it just this member? Has he grown too old to keep up with the young generation's vigor?

The veteran General glanced at Myra, seeking a fellow sympathizer. However, she was deep in conflict about whether to tell Yergin that she knew Hosanna, nearly letting their conversation go in one ear and out the other.

'Considering that the criminal ran away upon seeing me, perhaps he didn't come to this place today targeting the Herne family. But could there really be no connection at all? Really?'

Especially today, at Ashrav's funeral. Could she ignore the fact that she met him here, at this moment, as if it had nothing to do with her?

As she pondered, Yergin lit the two signal flares she had taken out. General Gino, who had worried that the fire might not catch properly due to the sleet, admired how the warm wind from her hands quickly fueled the flames.

"Truly the work of the Cavalry."

"My abilities are nothing exceptional compared to Yuder."

Though the standard was set by Yuder alone, not the other members, General Gino couldn't comprehend that far.

Shortly after, the signal flares shot high into the sky and exploded one after the other. The first was a yellow flame, the second red. Both signal flares, with their presence visible and audible from afar, disappeared after a short while. Not long after, four figures suddenly appeared.

It was Hinn Eldore, Finn Eldore, and in their hands, they held Ever Beck and Kanna Wand.

General Gino and Meghna Kurlieva were startled to see four people suddenly appear out of nowhere, but the Cavalry members exchanged greetings and brief introductions before conversing as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Ever, Kanna, you're the first to arrive. Then you've heard the story."

"We heard Hosanna escaped. Did you find him here?”

Kanna asked quickly, her face unusually stern.

"The First Princess saw him entering inside."

Ever and Kanna did not ask for more details. After glancing at the evacuating people and the chaotic scene inside the temple walls, Ever looked at Kanna with a grave expression, to which she silently nodded.

"...It seems likely that the sage and Nahan's party are inside as well. It's just like the information I read in the warehouse earlier. I never expected Hosanna to be here too..."

"..."

"I'm sorry, everyone. If only I hadn't been so careless when I left Hosanna behind..."

"No, Kanna. How is that your fault? It's because of us!"

"It's our fault for being so preoccupied, Finn and I."

Hinn and Finn countered Kanna's apology, their expressions just as troubled.

It was surprisingly Ever, with the sternest face of all, who put an end to their gloomy conversation.

"Let's stop this. If we go by that logic, then I'm the most to blame for calling busy Kanna in the first place. But, figuring out who's most at fault here and now won't change anything."

"..."

"We should save our apologies for later, once everything's over, and plead with the Commander. For now, in this unresolved situation, we should set aside all other thoughts and focus on what we need to do."

Everyone fell silent at her firm tone, a departure from her usual polite speech.

After a moment, Kanna nodded and clenched her fist.

"You're right. Sorry, I won't say anything else from now on."

Having said that, she looked around and then stopped her gaze on Myra.

"So, First Princess, you met Hosanna. Right?"

"Ugh..."

"The escaped criminal's name is Hosanna. He seemed to know who you were from before, First Princess. And now, it looks like you know who he is as well. Am I wrong?"