Turning Chapter 793

Chapter 793

"Was that traveler the sage?"

"Yes."

Hosanna nodded in affirmation.

"Thanks to the sage and those who followed him, we survived. Lord Nahan's face and my leg were irreversibly damaged, but still, being alive is a matter to be thankful for."

Yuder was reminded of Hosanna's own disability - his inability to use one of his legs properly. It seemed that the injury had occurred during that same time.

"Did your leg suffer the same fate as Nahan's face, a 'punishment' from that same period?"

"Ah... Yes. But it's nothing compared to what he endured..."

Hosanna sincerely seemed to believe that his leg's condition was trivial compared to Nahan's plight. Yuder observed Hosanna, who seemed to hide his leg, nervously gripping the hem of his trousers.

'They tried to escape using the illusion of fire, and for that, one was branded with the fire's mark and another crippled leg as punishment. Despite being treated as a disgrace by the family, such harsh punishment was unnecessary.'

The so-called 'punishments' were almost akin to torturing a convict deserving death. In fact, they were abandoned in a burning building, not much different.

It's not something to be proud of for a noble of the Empire to have a mixed-race child with someone from the Southern countries. But it wasn't a reason for such extreme treatment. It might have been better for them if Nahan had disappeared into the Southern countries as an adult, without dirtying their hands. Why go to such extremes?

'Hmm. There must be a reason. Maybe it's a family that devoutly believes in their religion?'

Yuder kept his thoughts to himself, continuing the conversation naturally.

"So, the promise between the sage and Nahan was made because of the life-saving bond back then?"

"Well, yes and no."

"What do you mean?"

"Unlike me, Lord Nahan wasn't initially grateful to the sage. He dismissed it as a pointless act, both towards me and the sage. He refused to go to the Southern country... For months, he showed no will to heal or eat, almost like a living corpse."

Despite successfully escaping from his family, Nahan's joy faded. He abandoned eating and refused treatment, wasting away in confinement. Hosanna feared that Nahan wished for death.

"Fortunately, the sage mercifully didn't cast me aside, allowing me to endure that period. Truly... I'm deeply grateful for that."

Hosanna said this with a complex expression. He believed the sage showed them genuine mercy, but Yuder had a different view.

'That person, who even used those who trusted him as human shields, wouldn't show mercy without a reason.'

Yuder decided to confirm his suspicion.

"Back then, how many followed the sage?"

"Three... no, about four."

"And how many are still alive?"

"Two... I think."

"If their number was that small, they must have faced many difficulties. I don’t know if they were used to a life of wandering, but probably they weren't."

"Yes... Unlike me, most of them were suddenly awakened and had to leave their homes."

"Then, in the daily life challenges they faced, you must have been quite helpful."

"Well, helping with chores like cleaning and preparing meals didn't seem like a big deal, so I continued to take care of them…"

Hosanna appeared puzzled as to why such a trivial matter was being asked. Yuder simply nodded silently in response.

'As I thought. Hosanna was being used as a free servant.'

Indeed, tasks like preparing meals and doing laundry for a few people in the outdoors weren't considered significant. However, this was only true for someone accustomed to such work.

Even Cavalry members, hardened by rigorous survival training, would struggle with fatigue as their period of homelessness prolonged. For a sage, who had never ventured on long travels and was used to a more sophisticated life in the capital, such assistance in mundane tasks would have been unexpectedly vital. To maintain an air of elegance, unseen efforts must be made.

One can only imagine how relieved the sage, weary from the strenuous and dirty life of a wanderer, must have felt upon encountering Hosanna, a young man accustomed to servitude and survival even in harsh deserts.

While it was difficult to gauge exactly, it's plausible that this comfort was enough to overlook a patient who had lost the will to live, merely lying there.

It was a crucial but easily overlooked detail, so minute that even the parties involved might not realize its significance.

"So, when exactly did Nahan make a promise with the sage?"

"It seems to have been around the time when Lord Nahan's facial burns were almost healed, and we needed to decide whether to leave or stay. One day, the sage came to speak deeply with Lord Nahan."

The sage, it was said, did not make long speeches in front of Nahan, who would not even respond to questions.

"The sage said that there was a burning flame in Lord Nahan's heart. A flame that could have warmed someone, but remained unused because no one accepted it."

It was an allegory, almost perfectly mirroring Nahan's situation. Probably, the sage had crafted these words based on the information naturally extracted from Hosanna. His choice of words, reminiscent of sacred texts, was typical of the sage.

"Did Nahan react to that?"

"At first, he disliked it. He even got angry, wondering if they had investigated our background. But then the sage suggested using that fire to burn something else... that there are many in the world who need such a fire. When he spoke of future tasks, Lord Nahan showed the first sign of response."

Finally, the sage openly shared with them his past actions and future intentions.

The sage, persecuted for being an Awakener and forced to leave his homeland, and his companions, who followed him for similar reasons. This was similar to Nahan and Hosanna, who had been tortured and abandoned upon their awakening.

The sage expressed his desire to help others like them, providing a safe haven for them to hide and rest. He hoped for their assistance in this endeavor.

Hosanna was quickly moved, but Nahan was different. Nevertheless, the sage offered the proposal with a compassionate face.

"The sage said, we are all brothers and sisters as Awakeners... so please kindly observe what your brother is doing. You can decide later whether to stay or leave..."

What part of these words moved Nahan remains unknown. However, he accepted the proposal for the time being and observed the sage.

"And not long after, there was an incident where Lord Nahan saved someone who was being beaten and left to die by relatives and villagers, just for being an Awakener. Lord Nahan's abilities were truly a help when we were escaping with that person. Everyone was astonished. And then, that night... Lord Nahan went to see the sage."

"That day must have been the day of the promise."

"Yes. Lord Nahan told the sage that he wanted to help as long as the sage's heart remained true. The sage was overjoyed at this and suggested that to commemorate the day, Lord Nahan should give us all names."

"The Star of Nagran."

At Yuder's murmur, Hosanna nodded with a proud yet nostalgic expression. His eyes grew slightly misty.

"Right. It was Lord Nahan who came up with that name then. It was a name that embodied our goal to eventually depart for our own perfect paradise with other troubled Awakeners. And... it was the day his name was chosen too."

"His name as well?"

"Originally, he was called by a different name. A name that was hardly ever used, and one Lord Nahan truly detested. So, on that day, he chose 'Nahan' as his new name. It signified killing his former self and being reborn."

He remembered hearing that the word 'Nahan' meant revenge. That conversation echoed in my mind.

"..."

"After the name 'The Star of Nagran' was decided, the sage made a promise to Lord Nahan. Since Lord Nahan had named it, he asked him to do his utmost for that cause. He said that if we did, we could really go to paradise, together."

That was their promise.