Turning Chapter 789

Chapter 789

"And then, about the hidden page within the First Duke Tain's journal that I was supposed to receive in the capital. Can I get it now?"

"Ah... Right, that. Yes, I brought it, so just wait a moment."

Enon rose from his seat and began rummaging through his belongings.

"But in the midst of our busy schedule, will we even have time to examine this?"

"Just before coming to the South, I discovered a relic bearing traces of both the First Duke Tain and the Archmage Luma."

"What?"

Enon, holding a bundle of papers, turned his head in surprise, letting the papers slip through his fingers.

"Where?! Why are you only telling me this now? Why not in a letter?"

"For security reasons."

"Still, that's no excuse!"

Enon, who seemed ready to grab someone by the collar, finally calmed down and extracted the sought-after item from the crumpled papers.

"Take this! And explain quickly!"

Yuder, having received the original journal and papers, began to speak.

"When I visited a small village in the southwest, I discovered monster corpses hidden in an ancient underground cemetery."

Yuder shared that these were experimental subjects hidden by the First Duke Tain and mentioned a brooch engraved with Luma’s symbol, the lemon flower, along with new fragments of the First Duke Tain’s journal found there.

"The Commander speculated that Luma might have visited the tomb after its creation, leaving the brooch as a sign of condolence. There was a similar incident in the imperial palace long ago."

"..."

"If you have any insights or knowledge, please share."

Insight or knowledge..."

Enon took a deep breath and pressed his forehead.

"The lemon flower brooch would indeed belong to Luma. He never strayed far when he was with me, so it must have been after he left Gyllandr Hill... Ah."

"..."

"Anyway... My guess is, Luma wouldn’t have visited a place out of mere personal sentiment. He must have felt a need to go there, and while there, possibly left the brooch."

"So, you think Luma was looking for something in that relic?"

"Yes, that's my thought."

"But the journal suggests that Luma and the First Duke Tain had a falling out and ceased contact. Could it mean Luma changed his mind afterward?"

"Possibly. Or maybe he learned something new outside that made him curious about his former apprentice's research."

Nothing was certain, but if the only being who could speak of an archmage who lived a millennium ago as if they had met yesterday, says so, it seemed plausible to at least consider the possibility.

"So, what happened to Luma's brooch you found? Do you have it?"

Lost in thought, Yuder was questioned by Enon, whose eyes now held a complex expression.

"No. The Commander took it. He intended to send it to Kanna for investigation, but I haven't been able to confirm it since. With all that's happened since coming here, it might not have been sent."

Luckily, since Kanna was currently here, it wouldn’t be difficult to determine the brooch’s whereabouts.

"Right, I see."

Enon pushed himself off the table and rose to his feet.

"Let's end the conversation here. If you have more to say, come find me later."

"To look for the brooch?"

"Not just that, but yes, I'm curious."

Though he spoke casually, Enon's strides as he walked away were noticeably hurried and brisk.

"Enon."

"What."

The man, about to step out the door, paused and turned his head at Yuder's call.

"If you want to stay longer, feel free. You don't need to ask me."

He seemed to understand that Yuder wanted to quietly remain a bit longer in the medical unit. After a moment of silence, Yuder spoke.

"Thank you for trusting me."

Enon, hand on the doorknob, raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"What... Why say that all of a sudden?"

"Just something I wanted to say. You can go now."

"Ha, as if it's easy to leave after hearing such words! Huh?"

Enon, who had shouted in a burst of emotion, strode back, sighed deeply, and pinched Yuder's cheeks, stretching them sideways.

"You, listen. Don't get any wrong ideas, alright?"

"...I wasn't thinking anything."

Ignoring the strained articulation of his speech, Enon's grip tightened as he responded.

"I trusted you because it seemed right to do so. There's no need to thank me for that. I may not have regretted anything I've done in life, but in this case, that's irrelevant. So don't you dare think you need to apologize or regret not trusting me before!"

Enon spoke as if he had read Yuder's thoughts, even though Yuder hadn't said a word.

"My trust in you now is because you trusted and approached me first. It's pointless to debate which came first. My decision to stay here and observe the situation, rather than return to the capital, all stems from the same context."

"..."

"So, if useless thoughts come to mind, just focus on taking care of yourself and eat more. Understand?"

"..."

"Answer me."

"I understand."

"Good."

Finally, Enon released his grip.

"It's not that I hate being thanked. I trust you understand what I mean. Now, I'll go."

Brushing off his hands, Enon turned and left, his departure marked by the sound of the closing door.

Yuder sat alone, quietly watching the closed door.

Despite a lingering pain, his heart felt inexplicably lighter.

—

Time passed swiftly, and it was soon evening, though it felt like nothing significant had happened.

Yuder went to find Kanna, intending to meet Hosanna as planned. He found her in the parlor next to the dining hall, engaged in animated conversation with a group. Upon seeing Yuder, she quickly stood up.

"Yuder! You're here."

"I'm about to go meet the person we agreed to see this evening. If you're busy, I can go alone."

"No, I was just waiting here, talking a bit. It's time to leave."

Kanna bid farewell to the group and moved briskly. Despite being new here, her incredible sociability made it seem as if she had always belonged.

"You seem to have made friends quickly."

"Yes. Everyone's so nice and friendly. I didn't expect so many from the Star of Nagran to be here, but the Commander's strategy is truly impressive."

Her words seemed innocent, but there was more to it. While Kanna was naturally sociable, her immediate mingling with many people upon arrival was likely a subtle way of assessing if there were any odd characters in the branch.

But since she spoke highly of everyone's character, it meant that there was no need to suspect anyone in the southern branch as an enemy.

'With Kanna here, things are indeed easier in this respect.'

"I heard many interesting stories while talking with them. There's a lot of news I couldn't have known just from letters. I would have missed out otherwise."

"...I thought I had conveyed all the necessary stories."

Yuder found it slightly puzzling to think there might be stories he'd regret not knowing, but Kanna's perspective was entirely different.

"No way! You were wearing an incredible outfit when you and the Commander smashed that illegal fighting ring, or how you alone sent hundreds of people flying! Why didn't you write about that?"

"..."

Yuder had thought the outfit given to him at the fighting ring, designed to mimic ancient clothing, was quite conspicuous, but not to the extent of being termed incredible. He had assumed the lack of comment from the members and Awakeners who saw him then meant it was not a big deal. However, learning that it was still being discussed behind his back was somewhat bewildering.

'I'll have to find out who's been spreading these stories during training later.'

"Oh right. Earlier, I went to the underground prison with Alik and met Reneve as well. She truly has remarkable abilities. But honestly, I was more surprised by the invisible Awakener with her."

"Why?"

Surprised by her unexpected remark, Yuder asked for clarification. Kanna glanced around before lowering her voice.

"Was her name Cyregina? When she was using her powers, I couldn't read her at all. It was like she literally became invisible!"

"You mean you couldn't read her even while in contact?"

"Yes. I tried touching her, of course. It didn't work."

Kanna seemed both amazed and slightly wounded in pride. It was the first time her ability had utterly failed to read someone, even when she consciously exerted it.

"Now that I can control my power as needed, I thought things were going well. But now I see a new wall in front of me. Oh dear. The path of training never ends."