Turning Chapter 768

Chapter 768

It was then that the sound of tapping at the window reached them.

Perched on the window was a messenger bird from the Cavalry, a message tied to its leg.

The conversation they were having ended there. Yuder watched Kishiar as he approached the window, letting the messenger bird perch on his finger and retrieving the letter. After a brief moment, Kishiar, having quickly read through the letter, let out a small hum.

"Is it bad news, perhaps?"

"No. It's not particularly bad news for the Cavalry. Would you like to see it?"

Without hesitation, Yuder moved closer and took the letter from Kishiar. The contents were brief and to the point.

'We have completed all preparations to depart. So far, there are no issues. However, upon hearing about the sage and our departure to the south, Hosanna has fervently requested to accompany us, proposing a deal. Hence, I am sending this letter. After hearing about the events in the south and the news of the sage, his abilities seem to have significantly recovered. He claims that he can use his powers to reduce the Cavalry's travel time to just three days. From my assessment, he doesn't seem to be planning an escape. He appears to be filled with concern for Nahan and made this offer out of that sentiment. What should we do?'

The letter was written by Kanna. She had been responsible for investigating Hosanna, a close associate of Nahan, and had sent several reports in the absence of their leader.

According to her letters, Hosanna's health had improved enough for him to manage everyday activities without difficulty, but the return of his powers seemed still a distant possibility.

The news of his sudden recovery upon hearing about the south and the sage was surprising.

'It must have been a significant mental shock.'

Yuder folded the letter and spoke.

"The decision to leak this information to Hosanna must have been Commander's, right?"

"Yes. I had told Kanna that she could share any major news related to the Star of Nagran as she saw fit. But a recovery of powers and a request for a deal... I hadn't anticipated this."

"Do you plan to accept his offer?"

"What do you think would be the best course of action?"

Hosanna's abilities were invaluable, and currently, there was no one else who could replace him. If he could indeed reduce the travel time of the reinforcements, which could have taken up to a month, to just three days, there seemed no reason not to accept.

'Fortunately, we already have a power suppression device, and now there's Reneve as well. If Nahan is headed south, we are bound to encounter him soon, so keeping Hosanna here wouldn't be a bad idea.'

If they do end up facing or capturing Nahan, Hosanna could prove to be a useful asset in persuading or luring him. Of course, considering Nahan had abandoned Hosanna and fled alone, this might not be the case.

'If Hosanna had been difficult to manage or if the speedy joining of the reinforcement troops wasn't urgent, I would have reconsidered. But that's not the case.'

Yuder summed up his thoughts and replied succinctly.

"If he can truly increase the travel speed that much, then we should accept. The prompt arrival of our reinforcement troops is our top priority, after all."

"Right. It's best to use what we can when we can."

Kishiar gave a faint smile and took back the letter. As he began to write a letter of approval, the sound of tapping on the window was heard again. This time, it came from another window in the next room.

"…Hmm?"

As soon as Yuder opened the window, he blinked in surprise at the sight of two messenger birds flying in simultaneously. He wondered if someone had sent both at once, but that wasn't the case. The birds were from Herne's First Princess Myra and the Imperial Palace, respectively.

"What a coincidence, it's as if they had made an appointment. Please direct the letter from the Imperial Palace here, and let the assistant check the one from Lady Myra."

"Understood."

Caught in his astonishment, Yuder used a slight gust of wind to send the letter from the Imperial Palace to Kishiar and then unfolded Myra's letter. Although brief, the contents of Myra's letter were far from light.

"You look puzzled. Has something happened with the First Princess?"

"The Duke of Herne is coming to Charloin. The official reason is for the funeral of the Second Prince, but the First Princess believes there's more to it."

"That's interesting timing…"

"Excuse me?"

Kishiar, effortlessly reading one letter while writing another, chuckled and spoke.

"This one is from His Imperial Majesty. Apparently, Duke Diarca has suddenly expressed concern over the turmoil in the south and requested the deployment of the Imperial Knights. Interestingly, Kiolle Da Diarca, a member of the Imperial Knights and at the same time the Crown Prince's personal guard, is included as the leader of this mission."

Yuder doubted his ears for a moment.

"…Who did you say the leader was?"

"Kiolle Da Diarca."

Kishiar kindly repeated the name.

"Duke Diarca must be out of his mind."

"Unfortunately, it seems he hasn't gone mad yet. His Majesty mentioned that he has come to see his youngest son in a new light after the recent incident. He must have felt the need for a thorough investigation after hearing about my aura-encased divine sword."

To Duke Diarca, a sage remained an untrustworthy entity. Sending Kiolle would allow him to hear about the southern situation directly from his most trusted kin, and simultaneously keep an eye on the sage and the Cavalry while giving the impression that the Crown Prince was personally overseeing the welfare of his people by sending his own personal guard. It was a clever move, if not for the choice of Kiolle.

'Did Kiolle really leave such a deep impression at that time?'

Despite his doubts about Duke Diarca's judgment, Yuder calmly assessed the situation and responded.

"Ridiculous as it may seem... it appears to be a fortunate turn for us."

"Duke Diarca's decision to send Kiolle and the Duke of Herne's own visit. I wonder what else might be added to this mix."

"Could there be more?"

Surprisingly, there was.

Right after handling the two new letters, Sunz and Emon appeared at the office door, bringing news of a third visitor to Charloin.

"General Gino, upon receiving our report, has informed us of his plans to visit Charloin with the Southern Army to assist in maintaining order. Here, a letter for the Cavalry Commander!"

"..."

Staring at the forcefully presented letter, Yuder remained silent. Seeing his subtle expression, Sunz asked anxiously.

"…Um, why are you looking like that? Did we come at a bad time…?"

"No, not at all. It's reassuring to have General Gino and the Southern Army coming to help. We were going to need more assistance soon anyway. This saves us the trouble of asking."

Upon hearing Kishiar's response, delivered with a smile, Sunz and Emon relaxed their tension. After they had left, Yuder, looking at the several letters on Kishiar's desk, let out a small sigh.

"I had thought about requesting additional support from the Imperial Army, but I didn't expect General Gino to take the initiative to come."

“If it’s General Jino, he must have taken the fact that the safe zone of the city where monsters don’t appear has been broken more seriously than anything else. He’s that kind of person.”

A small smile played on the corners of Kishiar's lips. Yuder remembered how closely Kishiar had worked with General Gino when they had met in the mountains before.

"You seem to have a great deal of trust in General Gino."

"It's less about trust and more about... He's someone from whom I've learned a lot since my childhood. I suppose it would be more accurate to say that I have a strong sense of familiarity with him."

After saying this, Kishiar's eyebrows softened slightly as he smiled.

"General Gino doesn't know that I'm a swordmaster. Would you understand if I said that's the difference between trust and familiarity?"

General Gino was unaware of Kishiar being a swordmaster. This implied that he also didn't fully understand the other powers Kishiar possessed.

It was surprising, as Yuder had thought him likely to know. At the same time, it highlighted how crucial these secrets were to Kishiar, stirring an odd feeling in Yuder.

The fact that Kishiar had opened up and revealed these closely guarded secrets to Yuder alone, which he had even kept from a general he had known since childhood, made the responsibility feel even heavier.

The trust and confidence Kishiar extended to him often felt as weighty as love.

If Yuder were to say that this weight, at times seeming to almost crush him, was what kept him grounded and helped him regain his focus, who would truly understand that sentiment?

No one but the person in front of him.

"...Yes, I think I understand."

The man who heard this response gave a faint smile and then returned his focus to writing responses to the letters. Watching him, Yuder clenched his fist slightly and spoke up.

"Commander, may I step out for a while today?"

"Alone?"

"If you're worried, I could take others with me, but if possible, I'd prefer to handle this alone."

With the reinforcement troops from the capital arriving in three days, there was something Yuder urgently needed to do in the meantime.