Turning Chapter 715

Chapter 715

"Huff..."

Yuder exhaled deeply, surveying the land on which he stood. Until moments ago, this had been a noble house's garden, but now, it was barely recognizable as such.

Where once were valuable flowers and ornamental rocks, now lay a desolate, flattened wasteland. Only a few branches protruding from the brown earth weakly claimed its former glory.

The transformation seemed beyond human capabilities, yet Yuder's expression was far from triumphant or joyful.

'I didn't intend to use so much power.'

Just as he realized all of Kishiar's candies, of which he had eaten only one, were gone, his plan to subdue the opponent vanished from his mind. Even during his time as a Cavalry Commander, he rarely resorted to such ruthless measures. It was only after he had relentlessly crushed and buried his opponents that Yuder acknowledged his own deep frustration and anger.

Frustration and anger. He was surprised to find such juvenile emotions still lingering within him, yet the reality before his eyes was undeniable.

'At least I kept my sanity to keep my power within the garden's bounds.'

Even in the midst of overwhelming his foes, Yuder's power had not extended beyond the garden. The peaceful and quiet world outside seemed oblivious to the chaos within.

Yuder, glancing down at his torn coat pocket with a dark gaze, found it empty. As he was about to succumb to a sinister glint in his left eye, the sound of approaching horse hooves caught his attention.

"Sir Aile."

Nathan Zuckerman, holding the reins of a white horse, looked different from when he had chased after the enemy earlier. His attire was in disarray, though he seemed unharmed.

"The garden... What happened here? And the enemies...?"

"I used the power of the earth, and I won."

"Just 'used'?"

Nathan's gaze swept over the devastated garden.

"Such power is far from ordinary. It's clear you used more than a moderate amount."

"I did use more than usual, but it wasn't excessive."

"What do you consider excessive?"

"It would be difficult to repeat what I've just done, but I still have enough strength to defeat a few more foes. That's not excessive."

"I see. That's your standard."

Yuder hadn't exerted himself to the point of losing control over his powers. Though significantly drained, he could still defend himself and escape if more enemies appeared. This was his assessment, though Nathan seemed less convinced.

With a complex expression, Nathan surveyed the garden again.

"So, where are the fallen enemies now? They're not in sight."

Yuder quietly lowered his gaze to the ground, followed by Nathan. They looked at the flat land, indistinguishable from the rest, covered in brown dirt.

"They're right there."

"…You mean they're dead?"

"No, they're not dead. I simply buried them."

With a casual flick of his hand, Yuder caused the earth to tremble slightly and open up, revealing two figures buried within. Covered head to toe in dirt, they resembled corpses, but a closer look revealed they were indeed breathing, thanks to the small air holes Yuder had considerately left.

Despite his deep frustration over the shattered candies, Yuder couldn't recklessly kill these significant figures, especially the one who appeared to be the leader of the Southerners.

'I remember someone calling him Aton. If I recall correctly, that's the man responsible for the downfall of the Tain ducal family.'

Yuder strained his memory. If he was not mistaken, he had heard that name twice before.

The first time was after the mission in the West, when the Duke of Tain stood trial. Yuder had heard from Pruelle, who had attended the trial, about a Southern merchant who had manipulated the Tain family.

“That despicable man, whom I hesitate even to call 'father', told me about Aton. It seems he represented the Southern merchants, seizing all of the Tain family's wealth and authority. Even the orders to send merchants to the West were issued through him.”

The second time was in a report from Steiber and Devran, who had been undercover at a gambling house to monitor the Duke of Tain. Unlike Steiber, the unfortunate chef who rarely went outside, Devran, who served tables, had seen the Duke of Tain intimately interacting with an unidentified Southerner, showing a serious dependence on him.

Though the report didn't focus on the man's name, as the priority was on the pursuit, it did briefly mention the name Aton.

However, all that was known was his name; information about his appearance was difficult to obtain. The primary reason was that he always concealed his appearance thoroughly when with the Duke of Tain.

During the trial, it was mentioned that the Duke of Tain didn't care whether the Southerners concealed their appearances or not; in fact, he preferred them keeping their identities hidden. As a result, even in the courtroom, no one could properly describe Aton's appearance.

Even when the Duke of Tain, claiming to have been deceived by the Southern merchants, tried to shift the blame, he couldn't provide any details about Aton other than his name. It was a situation so absurd that it made one wonder if the Duke was deliberately protecting the Southerners' identities.

Had the Duke of Tain shown even a slight interest or taken care to recognize the Southerners, Yuder might have immediately recognized Aton among the Southerners he encountered in the West.

'Anyway, considering how well he manipulated the Duke of Tain for years, I assumed he was a cautious man and wouldn't come to the West himself, but... I was wrong.'

Yuder gazed down at the unconscious Aton.

'Given the Duke's description, I assumed he was someone who catered to his every whim, unlikely to be involved in physical confrontations...'

Even in unconsciousness, the fact that he had not released his grip on the sword, and the prowess he displayed in two battles, indicated that this man was more a warrior than a merchant. It was astonishing to think how he had managed to suppress his nature and cater to the Duke of Tain's whims for so many years, considering the great confidence he seemed to have in his abilities.

"When Sir Aile mentioned earlier that unauthorized entry would be acceptable if the outcome was favorable, I thought it was quite reckless... But it seems it has come to pass as you said."

Yuder broke off his thoughts and turned to Nathan Zuckerman, whose expression was complex yet not entirely negative.

"Didn't I tell you I would manage it?"

"Still, I think it might be better to dissuade you next time."

"Why is that?"

"Seeing the state of your clothes and skin despite my presence, I believe the Duke will be quite concerned."

This unexpected remark held a power that momentarily stunned Yuder, more than anything else could. He glanced down at himself. His skin was somewhat dirtied from rolling around, though not to the extent of bleeding. But as for his clothes and the candies.. Indeed, he had no defense there.

"...That's..."

Before Yuder could find a response, either fortunately or unfortunately, the Southern swordsman regained consciousness.

'...In the end, it's all because of him.'